I’m trying to start something a little different than the normal power rankings. Card games have much more dynamic metagames than board games, so I’m recording current perceptions of the colors and their cards. The colors* will be ranked on their power level vs. the other four Planeswalker in a 1 vs. 1 Kill the Planeswalker game. This post will be updated an interval of time after each expansion releases with updated reviews of the colors and their standing in the metagame, as new cards become introduced and old cards become outclassed or find a new home. For this first review, I’m trying to give an example of what I will be doing in the future (and create something fun to read in a couple years). Since there will likely not be any competitive tournaments before the first expansion is released, this review is purely from my own gameplay. I would be happy to discuss my evaluation with anyone who wants to, since I may be missing something about how to play with and against certain colors.
*I reserve the right to change the rankings to Planeswalkers instead of colors
#1: Blue- In a kill the Planeswalker match, 1 vs. 1 (which I anticipate will be the standard tournament format), Blue is extremely tough to beat, mostly due to Unsummon and the consistency with which Blue can draw that effect. Blue felt like a clear top pick to me.
Why is Unsummon so good? The games are very short, so the Unsummon effect is extremely potent for destroying the offense of your opponent. It also destroys all enchantments on the Unsummoned card, which further slows and limits the opponent’s ability to kill Jace. And Jace is able to make use of this time to draw into cards like Twisted Image or Mind Control that give him or his squads extra damage to put the hurt on the enemy Planeswalker, all the while dropping attacks of 5 (or 3 attacks of 3, with Illusionary Projections) on them. Especially powerful are the two Hidden Enchant Unsummon effects, since they do not only Unsummon the enemy squad, but they also deny all attacks for this turn. There are ways to slightly limit the effects of this, by only attacking the figure with an Unsummon Hidden Enchant with your last attack to get two extra attacks off, but it’s still devastating and hard to counter for most decks and draws.
The other reason why Blue is so strong at the moment is his ability to filter out the bad cards in his deck and draw into the good ones. Selective Memory and Focused Thoughts (and even Collective Knowledge) give the deck unrivaled consistency. Repetition in effects of cards, like the three Unsummon effects, also add consistency. Other decks will eventually reach that level of consistency when more cards are added to the pool, but Blue is the most coherent deck at this point.
I don’t think Blue in its current form will continue to dominate once expansions come out. Common squads are unaffected by Blue’s Unsummon effects, which renders most of the way he works useless if they are usable (and they probably will be). Blue will get new cards in the expansion that will likely be good as well, but I don’t think that ridiculous tempo-gaining Blue will exist forever.
Army Cards:
Spoiler Alert!
Jace Beleren- Focused Thoughts is obviously one of the better abilities that a Planeswalker has. It helps find the better cards in the deck, and at this time it helps get rid of the bad cards in the deck. Mind Stealer is also a fantastic ability, although I would not recommend using it unless you are down. Staying back and shooting from his full 7 range is a much more consistent way to win. Besides the abilities, Jace also has fantastic stats across the board, except for defense. But, going back to Unsummon again, that effect keeps Jace’s opponent’s offense down so that they cannot punish him for that stat.
Leyline Phantoms- Durable, mobile, and threatening because of Twisted Image. They can protect Jace and his Illusionary Projections as physical blockers, or they can rush in with a Twisted Image and drop 3 attacks of 5 on the enemy Planeswalker and leave them with a massive threat to deal with. A great combo is Twisted Image + Call to Heel, as it denies your opponent the ability to even get rid of the Phantoms on their next turn and keeps their Planeswalker in place for Jace or the Illusions to finish them off.
Illusionary Projections- 3 attacks of 3 from 6 range is pretty amazing. The free card is great too. They are pretty fragile, but you only really need one or two turns out of them anyway for them to do their job. They are great at getting damage on the enemy Planeswalker or thinning out enemy squads. I rarely use Illusionary Deception since you don’t want to be taking turns with Jace while the Projections are still alive, but it’s a cool power.
Spells:
Spoiler Alert!
Aetherspouts- One of the best cards in the entire game. It’s great for denying Red its combo turn, it’s great for fearlessly advancing Jace for attacks on the enemy Planeswalker, it’s great for creating tempo at any stage in the game. Obviously this card’s future viability will depend on unique squads staying in the meta.
Call to Heel- Almost identical to Aetherspouts in power level and versatility and the existence of both makes the Blue very consistent. Again, the viability will depend on unique squads staying in meta.
Jace’s Erasure- The only truly bad card in Jace’s deck. 90% of the time (if not higher), this card is “Reveal the bottom two cards in your opponent’s deck” since in this game, the entire deck is rarely drawn and it’s equally likely that the two cards burnt could be at the bottom, never drawn. While that effect is certainly okay, knowledge is only so valuable and I don’t expect this card to see play once more cards come out. (It is possible that a lot of cards with this effect come out, and a deck focused on denying and destroying the opponent cards becomes viable, but I don’t expect it soon.)
Mind Control- This card is pretty solid for getting an extra attack in on the enemy Planeswalker on the turn you plan to kill them, and it’s also good at moving squad figures out position to protect the Illusions or Jace. It’s not one of the best cards in the deck right now, but I think this card will be a blue staple since it’s always going to be good.
Misdirection- This card obviously has a great effect and is always a two for one. Obviously if you can use this to steal a Dark Harvest for your Phantoms, you’ll be pretty happy. Unfortunately blue already has so many cards that are really good at getting rid of enchantments that it ends up sitting in my hand quite a bit. It’s just a little better to get rid of the enchantment on your opponent’s turn since it completely denies its effect.
Project Self- In general you want to move your Planeswalker around after your squads are already dead so this card is not frequently useful. However, there are definitely situations where this card can be huge, and it’s only 5 points, so I’m not going to write it off as terrible. I could definitely see it being included in Blue decks since it’s so cheap.
Psychic Rebuttal- Really good at denying Red a combo turn, really good for protecting your squad and heroes and making fearless plays with them. It’s never going to be worse than a 1 for 1 in terms of cards, so I think this card is pretty solid and will see play in the future.
Scatter Arc- Also good, especially right now. Enchanting and boosting squads is very powerful so denying that from your opponent is really good for keeping Jace alive for longer. It is a little hard to say that this card will see play in the future for sure, since common squads may not rely on enchantments as much.
Selective Memory- Whatever card in your deck you need, whenever you need it. For only 5 points. Unless I am horribly wrong about what this game will be like, I think this card will be played in every single Blue deck.
Talent of the Telepath- An interestingly powerful card, but it’s a little too reactive and too many cards specify that it must be used on a its own color Planeswalker. Combine that with its cost, and I don’t see this card making the cut in Blue decks in the future.
Twisted Image- Should really read “Give your Leyline Phantoms +2 attack this turn”. That’s really good for putting the heat on the enemy planeswalker. This card will be played in every deck that they are in, but most other cards in this game have statlines closer to an even attack and defense, so I don’t know if it will be used if they are not played.
Unsummon- Good at clearing paths, good for taking height, good for destroying enchantments. This card is very good. Again, it has the unique squad restriction so if your opponent does not play unique squads, this card is could be useless.
#2: Green- I think here is where the order of the heroes gets a little subjective. Green, Red, and Black are all actually fairly evenly balanced and I think that personal preferences and experiences are going to influence which you think are better. For my own part, if Blue were banned and I had to win a single game, Green would be my pick, and that’s why I put them second.
Green simply has the most varied win conditions of any deck. Its fantastic range can make opponents play differently in the early game, slowing down their own win condition, which gives Green time to draw into the super combo - Paths Revealed + Overrun on the Pummelroots. Against 3 defense, 3 attacks of 6 averages 6.16 wounds. Against 4 defense, the combo averages 5.31 wounds. If you have a Titanic Growth to add into the combo, it’s more likely than not that you one shot their Planeswalker. It’s within the realm of possibility that you win on the combo turn, and pretty likely that you can finish them off with your archers the turn after. Remember, they still have to deal with the three Pummelroots sitting on top of their Planeswalker. Beyond that win condition, cards like Snare the Skies, Groundswell, and Leaf Arrow can be great ways to push damage on to their Planeswalker and the long range of Green allows for any damage pushing to have solid followup.
Nissa is also the most survivable Planeswalker, with great range to keep her safe, and great life and defense in case someone does get to her. Bountiful Harvest is a great healing spell to extend her life. Nissa’s Expedition gives Nissa an effective 11 move and disengage for that turn; plenty to escape any army. Primeval Light is incredible at destroying the buffs that Black/White puts out or the hidden enchantments that Blue relies on.
I do think Green is one of the harder decks to play, since you have to change styles based off what cards you’ve drawn. That will probably change once expansions come, as more cards will mean more repetition of effects. I think that expansions in general will benefit Green since some fantastic cards such as Overrun and Snare the Skies work on common squads. Commons will be able to take further advantage of these already strong attack boosts, since they will almost always be able to get three (or maybe more, if four man squads happen) boosted attacks from them.
Army Cards:
Spoiler Alert!
Nissa Revane- Great defensive stats and great range. Keen Sight is also really good and it will get better when squads that can take better advantage of it come out. Sprint is also fantastic for taking early board control and stay safe in the lategame.
Pummelroot Elementals- 4 attacks is really good. 3 life 3 defense is as well. Trample isn’t always useful but your opponent does have to play around it and it can really be punishing if they forget/are not able to. Paths Revealed + Overrun is a fantastic combo and your opponent has to constantly be aware of it against these guys.
Elf Rangers- Most of the time, these guys are shooting from 7 range, so their 1 defense isn’t actually so bad. 3 attacks of 3 is really good, especially with 7 range. Having 3 life allows for disengages, which is really nice. Squad Sprint can be really useful. They love Snare the Skies and Titanic Growth. All in all, a very versatile and powerful squad.
Spells:
Spoiler Alert!
Bountiful Harvest- I’m not sure exactly how valuable healing is in this game. Planeswalkers are pretty low in the life department in comparison to other games, so healing may be too slow with how fast many decks can kill you. But if they come up a little bit short, Bountiful Harvest can be game-winning. I’m going to hold judgement on this card at this time since it’s really hard to predict if it will be a deck slot or the point cost without ever having deckbuilt.
Fog- Really solid card for slowing your opponent down. Also very good for keeping Pummelroots safe so that you can combo your opponent down. I think this card will be run in all decks that Pummelroots are in.
Groundswell- Really good for blowing up a squad figure or finishing off an enemy Planeswalker after coming up a little short before. I think its versatile enough that it will see play in the future, but it could end up being outclassed.
Leaf Arrow- It might be a little too slow and a little too high cost. I typically only use it for a turn or two before the game is over, and if you’re only getting two shots off with it, it’s less dice than Groundswell for 10 more points. Maybe it’s good in long games. It’s definitely good, but I think it’s cuttable.
Naturalize- It’s really awkward to have this card trigger if your opponent doesn’t have any enchantments on the attacking card. Combine that with the fact that it doesn’t work on common squads and I do not think this card will make the cut into green decks in the future.
Nissa’s Expedition- Really similar to Project Self in that it can be dead in hand for a very long time, but it can come up super clutch for preserving the life of your Planeswalker without wasting win conditions. It’s definitely better than Project Self in that it doesn’t require a squad figure for the retreat. I still don’t know if it’s worth a deck slot, but it’s not a horrible card.
Overrun- Green doesn’t even get to use the full effect of this card right now and it’s amazing. It just gives so many dice. Useful for clearing out enemy squads or hammering their Planeswalker. Plus, it works on common squads too. This card is great.
Paths Revealed- Can turn Overrun into an unpreventable win condition. It’s pretty much only good on the Pummelroots though, so if they leave the green deck, this card will too.
Primeval Light- Insane value with just a bit of patience. The threat of this card should stop opponents from playing more than two enchantments against Green ever. I think this card will see play as long as enchantments are a thing.
Skyreaping- I mean, right now this card is kind of weird, but it makes Green an 11 card deck instead of 12, which really is a good since it lets you more consistently draw into specific cards. It’s only 5 points too. If any flying figures are meta this card will be too. It might be even without them.
Snare the Skies- Gives the Archers insane range and insane attack. Only 10 points. It also works on common squads, so I think it will see play in the future.
Titanic Growth- Groundwell for squads. Good for killing anything in the game, and killing is valuable. Good card, and cheap. I think it will see play after the expansion is released.
#3: Red- This is a lot lower than most people have Red. Before I had the game, I was also a believer that Red was the strongest color. It seemed to have a variety of ways to instantly kill an opponent and it definitely does. 7 cards in the deck (Chandra’s Fury, Dual Casting, Firebreathing, Power of Fire, Seize the Day, Stoke the Flames, and Twinflame) are all great cards and can lead to lots of damage on the enemy Planeswalker very quickly. But there are a few reasons why Red struggles:
7 cards are good, but the other 5 are bad- Most of the rest of the deck is removal spells that require Chandra to get in close, which she doesn't want to do. She also doesn’t really need to do one damage to squad figures, since Super Heated already does that.
Double-space denial- A careful opponent knows the Firecats are going to come and that they are double-spaced, and that they can only be summoned 5 spaces from Chandra, and they can use that knowledge to place their squad figures in a way that limits the Firecats from getting adjacent to their Planeswalker.
Relatively fragile- Chandra and her whole army in general is the shortest range besides White, and it’s also extremely fragile. It’s possible that your opponent is able to limit your offense before you draw enough combo pieces and you are forced to use the Firecats just to keep up with their offense, which makes it nearly impossible to actually win.
Power of Hidden Enchantments- Strangling Soot, Aetherspouts, Scatter Arc, Psychic Rebuttal and Naturalize are all really good at stopping combo turns. Healing spells like Bountiful Harvest and Altar’s Reap are also a problem if you can’t finish the Planewswalker.
Now that that is out of the way, let’s get to the good things about Red. The Firecats are amazing with any sort of attack boost and Seize the Day is borderline broken. Red also has a very proactive game plan, and it can win against any deck in any game with above average rolls and draws. Double Attack is also fantastic and makes taking turns with the Planeswalker not feel like a waste.
I think expansions will help Red. The more cards released that have attack boosting effects will make a Red deck built on the Firecat combo much more consistently drawn into. Also, Super Heated will gain a lot of utility if common squads only have 1 life (which seems likely).
Army Cards:
Spoiler Alert!
Chandra Nalaar- 6 life 4 defense is pretty good. 6 move is as well. 5 range is where she starts to suffer. She sometimes has to get a little too close to the fight to unleash her flames, and she can take damage too fast because of that. I’m also not really a fan of Super Heated; no one would run a card that did 1 damage to a target creature within 6 clear sight spaces and that’s basically what Super Heated is.
Blazing Firecats- Red’s win condition. Intense Strike is really good, especially when pumped up with one of Red’s numerous attack buff cards. Haste is really nice but I think people will get better at playing around it.
Flamewing Phoenixes- You basically play these guys because you can. Rebirth is nice and forces your opponent to spend an entire turn killing all three or else have them back. They are nice roadblocks for protecting Chandra and occasionally you can get value out of a turn with them. However, it’s usually much better to take a turn with Chandra herself.
Spells:
Spoiler Alert!
Chandra’s Fury- Adding +1 attack is better when you get to attack twice. It’s also 10 points which compared to Leaf Arrow is very good value. Really good card. I expect to see it in most Red decks.
Chandra’s Outrage- I actually do not understand this card at all. It’s like Super Heated except you actually have to waste a deck slot on it and it requires an adjacent figure. This card is really bad. The only time it would ever see play is a red deck with a ton of expensive cards that needs cheap cards, but literally any other 5 point card has more uses than this, since you could just discard that 5 point card as Super Heated fuel.
Circle of Flame- Automatic wounds on a figure has to somewhat valuable, but I think that it doesn’t do enough and the condition is too hard to trigger. It’s definitely more usable Super Heated fuel than Chandra’s Outrage though.
Dual Casting- Great synergy with Twinflame and Seize the Day, but not much else. It will see play in Blazing Firecats based decks or any other Red decks based on Haste squads.
Firebreathing- So. Much. Damage. One of the best cards in the deck especially on the Firecats. It makes them hitting the critical 2 skulls much more likely. Unfortunately, it does not work on common squads, but it will see play as long as the Blazing Firecats do.
Flames of the Firebrand- I mean, this card is only a little better than Super Heated in close range if your opponents are close together. I’m not a fan at all. Probably will not see play.
Incinerate- Very good card. Instantly destroys any squad figure in the game. I don’t know if it fits Red’s win condition though. It’s definitely top tier in a more control-based Red deck.
Pyroclasm- This card is actually pretty good. It does unblockable damage to figures and gives you a good use for your Phoenixes. I don’t think that the flying restriction is a big deal. This card will probably see play in a variety of Red decks unless it just gets outclassed by future cards.
Power of Fire- “I didn’t draw Firebreathing, but I have this”. Still a good card, and having it makes the deck’s win condition of juiced-up Firecats more consistent.
Seize the Day- This card is really good. It’s part of the super combo (Seize the Day, Dual Casting, Firebreathing), but it’s genuinely always useful on the Firecat Haste turn. Two Firecats attacking with any buff and two attacks from Chandra can do serious damage. Unfortunately, there are not any other cards like it, and it’s quite important for Red’s win condition. This card will always be good in any Red deck, because taking a turn with a squad figure on the same turn as your Planeswalker moves is very powerful.
Stoke the Flames- “I didn’t draw Power of Fire, but I have this”. Still a good card, and having it makes the deck’s win condition of juiced-up Firecats more consistent. Throw it out early since it’s good for helping the Phoenixes as well. It will be very good in Red decks with common squads, especially if they have range.
Twinflame- Kind of like a second Seize the Day, but very swingy. Great synergy with Firebreathing though. It will win games if you roll 3 skulls with a figure that has it. I expect it will see play in a lot of Red decks just for that potential.
#4- Black- The only true control deck in the game. Snuff Out and Darkness Arises, along with a plethora of fantastic removal spells (Bone Splinters, Killing Wave, Corrupt) make Black the undisputed king of the late game. The amount of discard in the deck also can also destroy the opponent’s win condition cards, which helps Black reach the lategame state.
Black’s problem is that the three decks above it are able to consistently take down Liliana before she reaches the attrition phase. Outside of Dark Harvest, Liliana lacks tools to put the same amount of pressure on enemy Planeswalker. Liliana will have some dominant wins, but more games where she comes short.
Another problem that the deck can have is that the self-destruct spells are only good if you are destroying Restless Zombies. Using things like Altar’s Reap and Bone Splinters to destroy a Blighted Reaver can be necessary, but it can really hurt your win condition since it’s much harder to bring a Reaver back.
It's hard to evaluate how expansions will change Black at the moment. If common squads have 1 life, Snuff out is useless and Black will lose its best power. If common squads have more than 1 life, Black will have great power in thinning the opponents hordes faster, and Black will have more bodies to protect its fragile Planeswalker.
Army Cards:
Spoiler Alert!
Liliana Vess- She has good stats across the board, except for her defense, which is one of the worst places for a lategame figure to slack. Zombie Toughness is nice, although the undead will probably have to leave the aura to actually attack. Snuff Out is the most powerful ability on any Planeswalker card. It allows Liliana to get massively ahead in terms of creatures left on the board. Hopefully common squads have more than 1 life, or else Liliana will use a lot of her utility.
Blighted Reavers- Necrotic Stench is really good for putting the hurt on enemy squads. It’s unfortunate that it doesn’t apply to the Planeswalkers as well, but I guess it could hurt Liliana if it did that. These guys are a great figure to bring back with Rise of the Dark Realms. If there are future Black common zombie squads, these guys may fit in alongside them. They do seem a little overpriced though, although it’s hard to say without army building.
Restless Zombies- 1 life 1 defense on a melee is pretty weak, but it’s the ability to infinitely come back that makes these guys good. Don’t be afraid to use them aggressively, to force your opponent to kill them, and then again, and again… Because there is no mechanic to get rid of text on cards yet, they are going to come back forever. I think they suffer from the same problem the color in general suffers to (just too slow), and they might actually encourage the problem, since opponents focus the Planeswalker over them. I would anticipate these guys getting outclassed by future Black common squads.
Spells:
Spoiler Alert!
Altar’s Reap- Nice, big heal. It can really help extend the game, but you have to survive the first wave of attacks to be able use this. The drawback of destroying a creature is big now, but once common squads come, it will be less severe. This card is a little expensive though, especially when compared to Bountiful Harvest, and that might prevent it from being played in future decks.
Bone Splinters- 4 damage is a lot. It destroys any squad figure now, and probably most non-Planeswalker stuff that will come out at any time in the future. Again, the drawback of destroying a squad figure is less severe with common squads. I think this card will be a Black staple, but it’s possible that low-life common squads dominate the meta, and 4 damage is too big of a removal spell to run. It’s still only 10 points though, and it will probably be worth it just in case you see Leyline Phantoms or Pummelroot Elementals.
Corrupt- This is one of Black’s best cards. It can get a wound on for Snuff Out, and it helps with the fragility problem. It will still be good when common squads come out, even if they are one life. It’s also only 10 points. This card will be a Black staple.
Crippling Blight- This card is great for shutting down any squad in the game. Both subtractions greatly hurt the squads utility, and having them both in one card in very powerful. It may be too costly and too anti-unique to see play in the future.
Dark Harvest- It’s more punishing to destroy a unique squad figure since it limits activations, so this card is a little counterintuitive. It only gives you plus +3 attack dice on the turn you use it (on a full squad), and it’s even if you’ve already lost a member. I don’t think destroying uniques is very good, so I’m going to say this card will not see future play, despite the awesome combo with Rise of the Dark Realms. (Note: if we’re mixing AotP with Heroscape, I’m playing Dark Harvest on the Marro Warriors)
Despise- A very punishing effect that forces the opponent to be much more cautious. Unfortunately, Black doesn’t have the out of the hand attack buffs to really take advantage of this card, so I don’t know if it’s worth the deck slot.
Duress- I really like this card right now. It’s a discard effect that does something else. If you can force your opponent to discard two cards with this, you can leave them with no resources to respond with. Black’s squads are a little too slow to count on that though.
Killing Wave- Just the threat of this card forces enemies to play differently against Black. If it kills two figures, it can be game-turning. It is kind of expensive and kind of easy to prevent though, so I don’t expect to see it in every black deck. You actually might be able to predict whether or not Black is running it based on the cost of other cards in their deck.
Liliana’s Caress- This card is really good against combo decks. Discarding a random card can really hurt them. The only issue I see is whether this card is worth a deck slot, since it does not contribute to your own win condition besides resource denial. It’s pretty cheap though, so I think it’s a solid card.
Mental Agony- This card for all intents and purposes is the same as Liliana’s Caress, but the slowness of it is a problem against combo decks. It’s actually pretty useful as a bluffed Strangling Soot, since players should attack into black hidden enchantments with their weaker squad, which can lose them a bit of tempo if it’s actually Mental Agony.
Rise of the Dark Realms- At this time, this card is used exclusively to resurrect Blighted Reavers, and it’s definitely good at doing that. It’s probably not worth it to resurrect a common squad figure though. This card is 25 points, and there probably will be better cards to get for that cost. It may be a little too slow to see a lot of play, but I think if you are running Blighted Reavers, you will run this card.
Strangling Soot- Very good card at this time. Forces the opponent to attack with their weaker squad, and they still lose one. I have a feeling that Black will not use its Unique squads in the future though, so I’m not sure that this card will see future play.
#5- White- After Green, Red, and Black, there is a pretty large dropoff before White. White has struggled to win any games at all in our tests. Its main problem is that a lot of the cards in the deck are based on the theme of buffing on the squads' defense. In this game, buffing your defense does absolutely nothing your own turn. In fact, in terms of survivability, you are actually more likely to survive through the next turn by buffing your attack, since you can kill the things that were going to attack you. Buffing your defense just doesn't do enough on your own turn to create a path to victory.
The other problem is that it’s really easy to fight through the buffed up defense. Red and Black have auto-wounding cards that don’t care how much defense you have. Blue and Green have cards that completely destroy the buffs that you put on the squads. And since the buffs didn’t do anything on White’s turn, the cards end up doing nothing at all.
White will need to get very good common squads to become a viable choice, but I do see that as a possibility. If expansions give White a strong common squad and cards to boost it, White could be a good choice.
Army Cards:
Spoiler Alert!
Gideon Jura- Being the only melee Planeswalker really sucks. Taking turns with Gideon is just a lot worse than taking turns with other Planeswalkers. It’s really easy to put a lot of damage on him since you can dictate where he goes. Having a fifth defense die is nice, but it can only hold out for so long, and his life is only 6.
Kor Hookmasters- These guys are my favorite part about White. Detain is a cool power and 3 range gives them an interesting playstyle. They are also decently cheap for what they offer. I think they could see future play in a deck where they are used as a target for Honor of the Pure.
Rhox Veterans- These guys just feel too vulnerable to autowounds to actually be good. At their best, they are Leyline Phantoms -1 defense -1 move -Phantom Walk + Trample. And that requires them to group up, which is bad against Red and Black.
Spells:
Spoiler Alert!
Battlewise Valor- This gives a lot of defense dice, but it suffers from the problem of being too much of a response without any good questions of its own in the deck. You can also just attack the squad once and then attack the Planeswalker with the other two attacks. It’s also a unique squad only card, and I think White will be using common squads mostly in the future.
Blessing- This card would actually be really good as a normal Enchantment, but since you have to wait a turn (at least) to get your extra attack dice, it’s far too slow of a card to see play. It’s also a unique squad only card, and I think White will be using common squads mostly in the future.
Divine Favor- I mean, the effect of this card is good, but it’s very easy to limit the numbers of white squads and limit the effects of it. It’s also a unique squad only card, and I think White will be using common squads mostly in the future.
Gideon’s Phalanx- This card is okay right now. I think it will almost certainly see play in the future as it benefits common squads a lot more. It’s also pretty cheap. One issue is that it does force Gideon to move a little too close to the fight to get all figures in the aura.
Healing Salve- Another card that is extremely reactive. It’s nice that it cycles, so you can just play it for a new card if you don’t think it will be useful, but I don’t think that is an effect that white will want.
Honor of the Pure- This card seems amazing with common squads. I could see people throwing in the Kor Hookmasters and this card in their White armies in the future. The Hookmasters would never get activated, but Detain would slow the enemy down and Honor of the Pure would draw fire to them. With the current figures, it’s just one of many buffs that White has and that makes the deck easy to play against.
Inspired Charge- White’s win condition. This card will be very good with common squads, since they will almost always be throwing six (or eight?) extra attack dice thanks to it. It’s a good card now, one of the best in White’s deck.
Marked by Honor- Woohoo, more bonus defense dice to get removed! I don’t think this card will see play.
Near-Death Experience- Healing is really important for Gideon, since he’s melee, so this card is okay.
Sanctified Charge- This might be the worst card in the game. You don’t want to take turns with your Planeswalker when your squads are wounded, you want to be taking turns with the squad to get the value that they have left. And even if you do take a turn with your Planeswalker, it only heals one wound from a squad, which barely matters. This card is really bad right now and will never be played in the future.
Solemn Offering- It seems a little expensive compared to Primeval Light. It will probably not get its points back, but it definitely has some utility.
Swift Justice- This card is pretty bad. For one attack, once per game, you can heal a squad figure, if you do a wound on that attack. Healing a squad does little to nothing, the card is insanely reactive, and it is dead in the hand extremely often.
August 15th, 2015, 02:27 PM
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