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Preliminary Planeswalker Power Rankings

gamjuven

Well-known member
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After playing several games I have come up with what I believe is the ranking of the Planeswalkers. I will explain each decision. Right now the basis for analysis is assuming that you only use the base set and only one base set (ie not deckbuilding). I also wasn't sure where to post this, hopefully the General section is fine. Feel free to move this admins.

Here is my personal order:
Chandra (Red)
Jace (Blue)
Nissa (Green)
Liliana (Black)
Gideon (White)

Please feel free to comment and call me names for getting the order completely wrong (in your own faulty opinion)
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. I have played a good deal of the game, but definitely would love to hear other people's opinions because I could just be playing them wrong.

Although this is mainly talking about Planeswalkers, obviously I go into their options with squads and spells. I do think that a separate Power Rankings could be kept for both units and spells.

With only 5 Planeswalkers the list is fairly short but here we go. Starting from the best and moving down:

#1 Chandra (Red)
Right now Chandra is the best Planeswalker. Her 4 toughness protects her "fragile" health of 6. Although her range is only 5 it is incredibly boosted with her ability to attack twice. No other Planeswalker boasts such power. In a dice game like this the greater number of attacks one can bring gives a huge advantage. She can destroy 2 squad figures or have 2 chances to crush a Planeswalker instead of just 1. Her secondary ability is very decent too with direct damage. It doesn't matter if a creature has 300 toughness, they are getting 1 wound if you want.

Phoenixes - These birds have weak stats, they more than make up for it with their abilities. They are the only unit with flying right now, so that gives them much better maneuverability than anyone else. They can stay safely behind ruins and fly adjacent to the enemy, or fly over water and not stop, or just fly to height. No one else can do that right now. Their second ability is almost as good. With most of the other squads, if you lose them, they are gone. However these little guys can keep coming back as long as you pay a card and have one remaining on the battlefield. That's not too hard to pull off and I've already read several battle reports of Chandra players sitting back and letting Phoenixes attack, only to get any back that die pretty quickly. Add on top of Chandra's really great enchantments that boost power, and you have a heavy hitting flying unit that nobody else has.

The Blazing Firecats - These kittens are amazing because of haste. Haste allows you to attack with one of them right when they are summoned. These cats are the creatures that have this ability and it is huge. Everyone else has to wait a turn before they can attack. Everyone else has to survive a turn before they attack. Not these guys. Chandra players can summon them within 5 clear sight spaces (although it essentially gives them 6 spaces to work with since they are double based and only 1 hex needs to be within 5). It is almost impossible to hide from this surprise attack. Luckily it is only one attack but still, you can boost the squad with any of Chandra's amazing spells, and even attack with at least one more depending on what you have. This alone gives Chandra the chance for a combo kill that nobody else can match. Chandra can just kill you and although there is still dice rolling, there's not much you can do about it. Blue probably stands the best chance with their countering, but Chandra players just need to get rid of them by playing some lesser spells. I have pulled this combo out a couple of times and it is devastating.

Chandra's Spells - These are also really good. Although I don't particularly hold incredible value to inflicting just 1 wound on a creature, they are still direct wounds. It's a guarantee, and again that's something that nobody else has in quantity like Chandra. There are other spells that are downright devastating when used properly. Twinflames double your attack results. Combine this with a hastey attack from the Firecats, alongside any of the power boosting enchantments (like Firebreath which adds 2 to power), and you have the chance to 1 turn kill a Planeswalker. For you math nerds out there, with just 2 spells you can get a single attack with 6 power (3 base +2 from spell, +1 from height), that has the potential of 13 hits! Add another spell and you can attack with that one again, or boost the attack even more. Plus, it's from a hasted creature so your opponent has little defense against it!

I'll put this little caveat at the end of each Planeswalker as well: I think Chandra stands particularly out when it comes to deck building possibilities. If you are allowed to have multiple copies of certain spells in your deck, then Chandra becomes a lot better. Right now her best combos do rely on a couple of cards. But if you can have multiples of them, you can get that combo out much more quickly.


#2 Jace (Blue)
Jace comes in second, and I think a close second honestly. Right now Jace has the best spells in the game IMO. Perhaps after playing a lot people will be able to counter what he can do but all those enchantments that allow him to counter spells and bounce back enemy squads (while destroying any boosting enchantments already on them), makes Jace quite the opponent. He has the highest life, move, power, and the highest range of any Planeswalker. He can sit back and shoot at anyone and stand a better chance of dealing a wound while also staying pretty far away. I haven't mastered or figured out the best use of his Focused Thoughts ability (although it is nice for cycling), but his Mind Stealer ability can win the game for you. You can get a free attack and destroy an opponent's own figures! You can move the Planeswalker to lower ground or to a better position from where you can attack en mass. The possibilities are endless, all for a decent chance at a roll of 16+ on a D20.

The Leyline Phantoms - They have Phantom Walk which allows them to move through anyone without taking disengagement attacks. You are never safe behind a screen of creatures with these guys around. They boast the highest default toughness of anyone, decent power, and combine this with Jace's spells you have the chance to one-hit kill Planeswalkers on their turn fairly easily.

Illusionary Projections - These guys have pretty weak stats. It's nice to get some more range but 2 toughness and 2 life is very easy to dispatch. But still, like a good blue, these guys try to make up for in their tricky abilities. Obviously their card drawing thing is great, but only for the short game which is ironic for blue control. It is nice that if they get unsummoned they could allow another draw when you summon them again. Their secondary ability is nice as it allows for crazy move options for themselves and Jace.

Jace's Spells - These are devastatingly annoying right now. True to blue form, Jace can counter spells and enchantments as well as creatures. If Jace bounces back the creatures while they have enchantments on them then those are destroyed. Yes, an opponent can just bring them back, but they have to be summoned with their sickness again, and that gives you a chance to take them out before they come back. Jace doesn't have any healing but then again he can steal an opponent's spell from their graveyard so anything is possible. He is pretty much guaranteed to make your opponent have to hurt his brain figuring out how to beat you and the mental anguish you will cause his what-if questioning will keep you entertained for days.

Jace also stands the best chance of destroying or at least delaying the Chandra combo.

Jace will also stand to gain a lot from deckbuilding. Jace could grab even more counters to an enemy's deck, or more ways of manipulating an opponent's deck or stealing other spells. Heck, if there is no limit, you could just take 12 of the card that discards 2 of an opponent's spells and try to create a fighting ground without having to worry about spells.

#3 Nissa (Green)
Nissa boasts the best ranged opportunities in the game, and since this game is similar to Heroscape, we know that range is a huge advantage. Being able to shoot at someone with them not able to to hit you back is a big advantage. Nissa is the only Planeswalker that can move, attack, then move again, allowing her to do all sorts of hit and run shenanigans. Her Keen Sight ability right now just boosts her elves, but it makes them better able to shoot from far away and not be shot back.

Elf Rangers - For what these elves lack in toughness, they make up in shear power and movement. They have the greatest range in the game, and with 3 power, they pack quite a punch. Add on top their synergy with Nissa, and similar hit and run shenanigans, and you'll find that most Nissa players will be relying on these guys to take you out. They also surprisingly have decent life, which I would not have guessed.

Pummelroot Elementals - With 4 base attack these things have the chance to be the hardest hitting unit in the game. Of course that only happens if they can actually get up to an opponent. Luckily Nissa has some spells that can help with their lack of movement. I personally don't think Trample will end up being a very good ability for anyone to have in this game. Most likely a good opponent is going to be able to avoid being stuck together. There are obvious exceptions, and this will at least make them wary of being adjacent, but all in all Trample is not a huge deal.

Nissa's Spells - These help her do what she already does pretty well: move and attack. A lot of them allow either her or her squads to get around the battlefield, and true to green form, makes them much bigger and hit harder. Nissa also has some spells that allow you to counter enchantments, which not everyone else has. She has some good enchantment wipes that can clear everything off the board. Any opponent will have to keep that in mind when playing Nissa, because that can be devastating.

#4 Liliana (Black)
Liliana is ok at everything she does. She has decent power and range but the lowest defense. Her Zombie Toughness is mediocre. Yes it boosts the defense of all zombies but only zombies and only within 4 spaces. That is not a huge aura, and with so many ranged enemies in this game I don't think it's reliable. It's also not great in that there are so many ways to get around high defense with direct wounds. I also don't like that it pigeonholes you into having to have zombies in your army. Obviously right now there are only zombies available for black but that is most likely not going to continue, and so her worth will continue to decline. Snuff Out is a great ability though, so it at least makes her more competitive. I don't think that highly of her squads since they are all melee and slow, and most of her spells require you to destroy your own stuff.

Restless Zombies - Who doesn't love zombies? These guys hit hard if they ever get next to you, although they crumble easily. They do have the hilarious ability of coming back from the dead, but you do have to get a 12+ on the roll, and then survive a turn of attacks. But still, bringing back dead squads is a big deal since most Planeswalkers can't do it.

Blighted Reavers - These bruisers can hit fairly hard, but since a lot of Lilian's good spells that could boost them require you to destroy them, I don't think they are as good. Their stench is definitely very useful though(especially in multiplayer). If you can boost them and reanimate them then they are a very hard hitting unit.

Liliana's Spells - Her spells are pretty decent, although it makes me sad that you have to destroy your own guys to do a lot of them (but then again what is a black deck that doesn't have a little self hurt?). She boasts the highest healing in the game and she will need it. She also disrupts the opponent pretty well by forcing spell discards, which could cripple certain armies. Killing Wave takes the cake with the ability to auto kill any creature in the game right now, and multiples if you can happen to get adjacent to several.

Liliana probably gains the most from deckbuilding IMO. She has several different ways she could deckbuild, from healing decks to discard decks, to direct damage decks, all of which are viable. If Liliana can get multiple Corrupts in her deck I think that would be best. Combine that card with her ability and you are auto killing any creature in the game AND healing 1 wound. That is huge.

Gideon (White)
Gideon definitely ranks the worst. I don't think the contest is close. He is the only Planeswalker without range. Everyone else can move and then attack SOMEONE on their turn, while Gideon stands a good chance of just getting a little closer. He has the lowest health but at least has the highest defense. He will also always have at least 4 power when attacking which isn't even the highest, but it's at least better. If he gets adjacent to you he is very decent though. unless you are willing to disengage, that Counterstrike can wreck you. However, anyone that has played Heroscape knows that Counterstrike is never that competitive.

Rhox Veterans - These guys are probably the worst in the game IMO. They have Trample, which I have already talked about most likely not being a great ability. And their other ability actually encourages people to use Trample against them! They actually make Trample useful, but only against themselves! They have weak stats to begin with and have to rely on enchantments (which can be taken away by Green and Blue), or just ignored with auto wounds (Red and Black).

Kor Hookmasters - I did not like these guys at first but compared to the Rhinos they are much better. Their one ability to stop an opponent's squad from activating is nice, but it's only a one time thing. It's nice they have range but it's the lowest range (besides 1) in the game. They also rely on enchantments to reach the standards of any other squad and I've already said why that's not good.

Gideon's Spells - His spells are also not that good. Several of them do rather confusing things at this point in the game, like granting toughness on your turn or power on an opponent's (neither of which is currently useful, and is actually detrimental in the latter with some Planeswalkers having the ability to steal your own guys). Most of them simply boost attack or defense. Yeah they can hit hard and take punishment, but they are dead to auto wounds, and there are a lot of of auto wounds available to Planeswalkers (Red and Black). Those that don't have auto wounds have ways of removing enchantments easily (Blue and Green). Both of those options wreck White, and unfortunately that's everyone. I suppose Gideon players have to rely on their opponent's not drawing those cards, or have to rely on 5 toughness saving them.

I'm not sure what deckbuilding will do for Gideon. On one hand it would be great to include more healing spells, but on the other that would mean that other Planeswalkers could get even more counters and auto wounds to crush you.
 
I think when you summon the firecats you have to make the haste attack immediately and you don't have a chance to play spells first.
 
I think when you summon the firecats you have to make the haste attack immediately and you don't have a chance to play spells first.

Hmmmm, you may be onto something. The cats' card does say after summoning, you may immediately attack.

The timing is a little confusing since you can play spell cards before step 3, just like summoning. The rulebook doesn't establish technical timing and stacking like the card game does.

In the card game, you summon a haste creature and you can attack, but you'd have a window to play anything, and then even another window to play instants. I guess I was assuming this was similar. Now I'm not sure. Another question for the Hasbro FAQ I'm sure.
 
I think when you summon the firecats you have to make the haste attack immediately and you don't have a chance to play spells first.

Hmmmm, you may be onto something. The cats' card does say after summoning, you may immediately attack.

The timing is a little confusing since you can play spell cards before step 3, just like summoning. The rulebook doesn't establish technical timing and stacking like the card game does.

In the card game, you summon a haste creature and you can attack, but you'd have a window to play anything, and then even another window to play instants. I guess I was assuming this was similar. Now I'm not sure. Another question for the Hasbro FAQ I'm sure.

I don't think I like the new game. Its not Heroscape. The rules aren't as tight either.
 
Any thoughts on new rankings with the new Planeswalkers?

Also, I think Jace > Chandra. Jace + Eldrazi Ruiner is a nasty army and I think it is better than Chandra armies.
 
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