Post by TopCat on Sept 21, 2007 14:54:25 GMT -5
I posted what I thought were the 10 best cards in another thread some time back. After getting a ton more play under my belt I thought I'd chime in with a new list.
One thing I'll note is that I mean "best" as in "providing the most utility to the most amounts of books". These are cards that can stand highly on their own in addition to comboing with other cards. I'm also excluding E cards.
In no particular order:
1) Trespass
Still one of the most used cards. In the games I've been in, I can almost count the number of books that didn't have this card with my fingers. This card can completely turn a game around; in fact it did in a game I played this morning. If you can manage to gain the tolls of three other players and dump it into your lands, you can easily go from last to first in a blink.
2) Drain Magic
Stealing 30% of another cepter's magic is just far too useful to not be considered for every book. It's also the best counter/combo for Trespass as you amass a ton of wealth in just a round or two.
3) Goblin's Lair
Definitely one of those spells that gets people's attention. On a mid to large map, for very little cost, you can swamp the stage with creatures to meet land requirements, deprive space to the opponents, or boost your other creatures. It is unaffected by Marble Idol so you can lay down Goblins no matter what.
4) Telekinesis
This card can really open up creature manipulation combos. Just a couple of things you can do are push a creature off of a big land to deprive them of land effects so you can kill them (Intrusion with an Immediate creature is a great combo here) or push them into another creature that they'll kill or get hurt/killed by so you can take the space. It's the kind of spell that can really take you to the top in those last rounds, giving you the win or time to regroup.
5) Chariot
Allows you to move your creatures two spaces, past special lands, and recycles back to the book. It even allows you to move defense-type creatures and allows movement even if Lead Idol is in play. An extremely useful utility spell that deserves consideration for any book.
6) Reincarnation
The only true "compression" spell since it not only will give you new cards from the book but will allow you to use them immediately. The only drawback is that it costs your current hand, but if you've been having a bad draw this can be the difference between staying in the game or petering out and just waiting to lose. The other good thing is that the new cards are unexpected and you can play one (or more) before they can be responded to. Great for last-ditch efforts.
7) Territory Command Cards: Revelation and Telegnosis
It's hard to pick a better one as it'll depend on the book. For instance, a Hive Queen based book will Revelation as it's important to get more ants out sooner than just getting more potential ants with a recycling Telegnosis. It's fairly obvious why these are top ten cards so I'll leave it at that.
8) Revival
The lifesaver card. This will reshuffle your book and give you back all of your cards. If an essential spell has been supressed, items lost, or you're run out of creatures, this is the card you'll need to get back in shape. I try and thow one or two in any book that focuses on a small number of cards such as any Goblin book.
9) Element Changing Cards: Wild Growth, Sink, Weathering, Upheaval
A fairly obvious choice. They're all equal except in the color they'll change the land. A bit pricey, but unlike Sakuya or Ahuizotl's ability they can be used on any territory. Unlike Influence they can also more easily be used to the detriment of your enemy or to start chains before you've gotten more of your desired land color. Changing an enemy cepter's level 5 land to a color you need and taking the land is a great strategy.
10) Crusher
It was hard to choose between this and Theft/Capture. They have better utility but in the end, Crusher is not only cheaper but it works on both spells and items. In most cases I'd say depriving an enemy of a spell/item is more imiportant than using one.
One thing I'll note is that I mean "best" as in "providing the most utility to the most amounts of books". These are cards that can stand highly on their own in addition to comboing with other cards. I'm also excluding E cards.
In no particular order:
1) Trespass
Still one of the most used cards. In the games I've been in, I can almost count the number of books that didn't have this card with my fingers. This card can completely turn a game around; in fact it did in a game I played this morning. If you can manage to gain the tolls of three other players and dump it into your lands, you can easily go from last to first in a blink.
2) Drain Magic
Stealing 30% of another cepter's magic is just far too useful to not be considered for every book. It's also the best counter/combo for Trespass as you amass a ton of wealth in just a round or two.
3) Goblin's Lair
Definitely one of those spells that gets people's attention. On a mid to large map, for very little cost, you can swamp the stage with creatures to meet land requirements, deprive space to the opponents, or boost your other creatures. It is unaffected by Marble Idol so you can lay down Goblins no matter what.
4) Telekinesis
This card can really open up creature manipulation combos. Just a couple of things you can do are push a creature off of a big land to deprive them of land effects so you can kill them (Intrusion with an Immediate creature is a great combo here) or push them into another creature that they'll kill or get hurt/killed by so you can take the space. It's the kind of spell that can really take you to the top in those last rounds, giving you the win or time to regroup.
5) Chariot
Allows you to move your creatures two spaces, past special lands, and recycles back to the book. It even allows you to move defense-type creatures and allows movement even if Lead Idol is in play. An extremely useful utility spell that deserves consideration for any book.
6) Reincarnation
The only true "compression" spell since it not only will give you new cards from the book but will allow you to use them immediately. The only drawback is that it costs your current hand, but if you've been having a bad draw this can be the difference between staying in the game or petering out and just waiting to lose. The other good thing is that the new cards are unexpected and you can play one (or more) before they can be responded to. Great for last-ditch efforts.
7) Territory Command Cards: Revelation and Telegnosis
It's hard to pick a better one as it'll depend on the book. For instance, a Hive Queen based book will Revelation as it's important to get more ants out sooner than just getting more potential ants with a recycling Telegnosis. It's fairly obvious why these are top ten cards so I'll leave it at that.
8) Revival
The lifesaver card. This will reshuffle your book and give you back all of your cards. If an essential spell has been supressed, items lost, or you're run out of creatures, this is the card you'll need to get back in shape. I try and thow one or two in any book that focuses on a small number of cards such as any Goblin book.
9) Element Changing Cards: Wild Growth, Sink, Weathering, Upheaval
A fairly obvious choice. They're all equal except in the color they'll change the land. A bit pricey, but unlike Sakuya or Ahuizotl's ability they can be used on any territory. Unlike Influence they can also more easily be used to the detriment of your enemy or to start chains before you've gotten more of your desired land color. Changing an enemy cepter's level 5 land to a color you need and taking the land is a great strategy.
10) Crusher
It was hard to choose between this and Theft/Capture. They have better utility but in the end, Crusher is not only cheaper but it works on both spells and items. In most cases I'd say depriving an enemy of a spell/item is more imiportant than using one.
crusher sets up great invades -- you can combo it with intrusion to nab a defense card then invade a land, or crusher + curse + territory invade.
but I don't think that would work. I don't see the same player chosing weapon and armor, and you normally don't have the option to attack yourself.