Foreword
Below are the 264 currently-legal cards for Epic constructed divided into 9 tiers (Core, Tyrants, Uprising, and 4 of 6 Pantheon packs [not yet available for retail]). In constructed, the power level of each card is heavily influenced by the other cards that are being played, the “meta.” For example, if everyone is playing untargetable champions, non-targeted removal (Scara’s Will and Winged Death) are effectively better while targeted removal (Erase and Drain Essence) are effectively worthless.
Therefore, since I want this first rating to be relevant for as long as possible, I have tried to keep it as meta-agnostic as reasonable. Instead of rating the cards based on their power level at this exact moment, I have grouped them by relative power level that can fluctuate based on the meta. From these tier groupings, I plan on making around 9 videos (about 1 per tier) to explain the cards’ strengths and weaknesses and my rationale for their placements [edit: first video is up going over all of the top tier cards, future videos will be broken up into small packages of similar cards]. The videos also go over community terminology and key Epic concepts. I recommend focusing on tiers 1-5 when building decks. (I might also write a meta-based ranking to accompany this article that I can update as the meta shifts.)
If you disagree or want clarification on any of the cards’ positions below, let me know in the comments. I’ll plan on spending a bit more time talking about those cards in my videos. Also, I know this clashes with most players’ views on at least a few cards, so tell me why I’m wrong!
Since limited formats (like Dark Draft) are entirely different animals, I have a separate Dark Draft Card Ratings as well.
Videos
Below are the videos I have produced so far broken up by tier.
Top Tier
Top Tier Constructed Cards (I’ve set it to start on Muse, my rant.)
This video goes over a significant amount of the terminology and key Epic concepts. For the rest of these videos, I’ll assume that knowledge:
- Slow/Fast champions
- Card Advantage
- Board
- Bad Attack
- Buffs
- Chump Blocked
- Cycle
- Tempo (Swing)
- Meta
- Gold Punisher (On-turn/Off-turn)
- Board Clear
- Face
- Burn
- (will come back to the rest)
Ratings Formatting
The below formatting is as follow
Tier Name (# of cards in tier / # of cards total legal cards)
Brief description of tier
Alignment (# of cards in alignment in tier / # of legal cards of that alignment total) [# of cards in the alignment for this and all previous tiers]
Individual cards are searchable with ctrl + f / cmd + f. Clicking on a card name will currently open the card’s linked image in a new tab. Once the videos are up I’ll, ideally, switch the link to the timestamped video where I discuss it (this has begun).
Banned Cards (3/264)
These cards were banned from constructed largely because of their interaction with Chamberlain Kark Combo/Control decks.
Good (2/66)
Sage (1/66)
Tier 1: Meta Shaping (28/261) [31]
These cards are absurdly powerful and/or have heavily influenced the meta at some point.
Evil (12/66)
Angel of Death, Demonic Rising, Drain Essence, Drinker of Blood, Medusa, Necromancer Lord, Raxxa’s Curse, Rift Summoner, Scara’s Gift, Scara’s Will, Soul Hunter, Zannos Corpse Lord
Good (4/64) [4]
Angel of Light, Chamberlain Kark, Noble Unicorn, Silver Wing Savior
Sage (9/65) [9]
Amnesia, Ancient Chant, Erase, Lesson Learned, Mist Guide Herald, Muse, Sea Titan, Thought Plucker, Wave of Transformation
Wild (7/66)
Brachiosaurus, Draka Dragon Tyrant, Kong, Raging T-Rex, Smash and Burn, Strafing Dragon, Surprise Attack
Tier 2: Powerful Support (31/261) [62]
These are cards that play important roles in powerful decks and/or cards not quite strong enough to make tier 1.
Evil (4/66) [16]
Dark One’s Fury, Dirge of Scara, Eager Necromancer, Guilt Demon, Street Swindler, Zombie Apocalypse
Good (12/64) [16]
Bodyguard, Brave Squire, Cast Out, Divine Judgement, Inheritance of the Meek, Inner Peace, Insurgency, Martial Law, Priest of Kalnor, Second Wind, Silver Wing Guardian, Silver Wing Lancer
Sage (5/65) [14]
Disappearing Act, Forcemage Apprentice, Force Lance, Frantic Digging, Hasty Retreat, Ice Drake
Wild (10/66) [17]
Draka’s Enforcer, Feeding Frenzy, Flame Spike, Hunting Pack, Hunting Wyvern, Kalani Woodreader, Lightning Strike, Rage, Scarros Hound of Draka, Spore Beast, Whirlwind, Wolf’s Bite
Tier 3: Powerful Filler (45/261) [107]
These are powerful cards that fill very specific roles for very specific decks.
Evil (16/66) [32]
Apocalypse, Army of the Apocalypse, Consume, Final Task, Forbidden Research, Hands from Below, Murderous Necromancer, Plague, Plentiful Dead, Raxxa Demon Tyrant, Reaper, Steed of Zaltessa, The Gudgeon, Unquenchable Thirst, Wake the Dead, Winged Death, Wither
Good (11/64) [27]
Brand Rebel Fighter, Faithful Pegasus, Gold Dragon, Justice Prevails, Markus Watch Captain, Rescue Griffin, Resurrection, Revolt, Secret Legion, Urgent Messengers, Watchful Gargoyle
Sage (12/65) [26]
Crystal Golem, Garbage Golem, Helion the Dominator, Juggernaut, Keeper of Secrets, Knight of Shadows, Shadow Imp, Siren’s Song, Soul Storm, Steel Titan, Vanishing, Velden Frost Titan, War Machine, Warrior Golem
Wild (10/66) [27]
Brak Fist of Lashnok, Fiery Demise, Fires of Rebellion, Flames of Furios, Flash Fire, Go Wild, Greater Lightning Wurm, Herald of Lashnok, Hunting Pterosaur, Hurricane
Tier 4: Tech Cards (44/261) [150]
These cards fill even narrower roles based on the meta and/or are linchpins in specialized decks.
Evil (9/66) [41]
Corpsemonger, Endbringer Ritualist, Heinous Feast, Little Devil, Necrovirus, Plague Zombies, Raxxa’s Displeasure, Scarred Cultist, Scarred Priestess, Spawning Demon, The Risen
Good (9/64) [36]
Absolve, Ambush Party, Angeline’s Will, Angel of the Gate, Arm, Courageous Soul, Imperial Cavalry, Master Zo, New Dawn, Noble Martyr, Paros Rebel Leader, War Priest, White Dragon
Sage (13/65) [39]
Aerial Assassin, Arcane Research, Citadel Raven, Deadly Raid, Djinn of the Sands, Elara the Lycomancer, Ethereal Dragon, Evict, Knight of Elara, Memory Spirit, Reset, Reusable Knowledge, Spike Trap, Steel Golem, Time Walker
Wild (12/66) [39]
Ascendant Pyromancer, Cave Troll, Draka’s Fire, Fire Shaman, Fire Spirit, Flame Strike, Flood of Fire, Forked Jolt, Hunting Raptors, Lash, Lashnok’s Will, Pyromancer, Pyrosaur, Savage Uprising, Stampeding Einiosaur
Tier 5: Reasonably Powerful (36/261) [187]
These are okay cards on their own. They might make it into competitive decks or find homes in highly synergistic decks.
Evil (7/66) [48]
Anguish Demon, Dark Knight, From Beyond, Grave Demon, Herald of Scara, Necromancer Apprentice, No Escape, Raxxa’s Enforcer, Word of Summoning, Zealous Necromancer
Good (10/64) [46]
Avenger of Covenant, Avenging Angel, Banishment, Dragonling, Helena’s Chosen, High King, Knight of the Dawn, Lord of the Arena, Palace Guard, Quell, White Knight
Sage (9/65) [48]
Erratic Research, Force Field, Frost Giant, Gareth’s Juggernaut, Gareth’s Will, Master Forcemage, Psionic Assault, Temporal Enforcer, Temporal Shift
Wild (7/66) [46]
Den Mother, Entangling Vines, Forest Dweller, Keira Wolf Caller, Rybas Canopy Sniper, Triceratops, Wolf’s Call, Wurm Hatchling
Tier 6: Might Play (22/261) [209]
These are the weakest cards I can feasibly see myself playing in a competitive deck.
Evil (6/66) [54]
Corpse Taker, Dark Offering, Dark One’s Apprentice, Deathbringer, Infest, Krieg Dark One’s Chosen, Reap or Sow, Run Riot, Thrasher Demon
Good (5/64) [51]
Angeline’s Favor, Angel of Mercy, Priestess of Angeline, Royal Escort, Silver Dragon
Sage (7/65) [55]
Alchemist Assassin, Fairy Entrancer, Mystic Researcher, Scrap Golem, Stand Alone, Teleport, Winter Fairy
Wild (5/66) [51]
Fireball, Howl, Lightning Storm, Mighty Blow, Mythic Monster, Rain of Fire
Tier 7: Might Experiment (26/261) [235]
These cards are the bottom of the barrel of cards I would theoretically play.
Evil (5/66) [59]
Demon Breach, Devour, Inner Demon, Succubus
Good (8/64) [59]
Angelic Protector, Feint, Hand of Angeline, Herald of Angeline, Imperial Commander, Standard Bearer, The People’s Champion, Thundarus, Village Protector
Sage (7/65) [62]
Blue Dragon, Citadel Scholar, Erwin Architect of War, Fairy Trickster, Helion’s Fury, Lying in Wait, Turn
Wild (9/66) [60]
Ankylosarus, Battle Cry, Bruger the Pathfinder, Burrowing Wurm, Forest Giant, Great Horned Lizard, Jungle Queen, Lurking Giant, Pack Alpha, Winds of Change
Tier 8: Effectively Unplayable (20/261) [255]
I can’t see myself ever playing these cards in constructed at this point.
Evil (4/66) [63]
Bitten, Dark Assassin, Drifting Terror, Saren Night Stalker, Vampire Lord
Good (4/64) [63]
Bounty Hunter, Forced Exile, Gladius the Defender, Rabble Rouser, Vital Mission
Sage (3/65) [65]
Chronicler, Ogre Mercenary, Time Bender, Transform
Wild (3/66) [63]
Canopy Ranger, Chomp!, Rampaging Wurm, Sea Hydra
Tier 9: Nothing to See Here (9/261) [264]
You can basically forget these cards exist for constructed.
Evil (3/66) [66]
Dark Leader, Infernal Gatekeeper, Trihorror
Good (1/64) [64]
Sage (0/65) [65]
Wild (3/66) [66]
Bellowing Minotaur, Forked Lightning, Rampaging Cyclops, Wolf Companion
Disclaimer
I am a better limited player than a constructed player. I tried to factor out my personal biases for these rankings as much as possible, but doing so completely is impossible and ultimately undesirable.
**Update 10/21/20: I am a much better constructed player now**
I’m inclined to disagree with the Brak placement. He’s got enough raw power to not necessarily need a specific deck to shine. While not format-warping, I see him becoming a core tool of the wild faction for the foreseeable future. Tier 2 would fit IMO.
While Brak is indeed a powerful card, it is fighting for some tightly contested spots in decks. At this point, 3x Raging T-Rex and 3x Brachiosaurus is basically mandatory.
That means you only have around 12 slow (non-ambush) slots left, and only about 3 more of those can be devoted to establishing champions (since Draka almost always wins 3 slots and the other 6 slots are fought over by other blitzing and or utility champions: Kong, Scarros, Mist Guide Herald, Silver Wing Lancer, etc).
Therefore, Brak fights for those slots against primarily Herald of Lashnok and Lightning Wurm. I think different champions win that fight in different decks and different metas. For example, bounce effects like Erase and Hasty Retreat can make Brak too unimpactful against other tempo based decks, but Lightning Wurm can work. Herald of Lashnok doubles as an on-turn gold-punisher in control heavy matchups. However, in a more midrange value deck, Brak can really shine (Sam Black/Mike Sigrist’s deck for instance).
This has convinced me to drop Herald of Lashnok to a tier 3 card though, and I might still be convinced to move Brak (or Herald) back up to a tier 2 card.
Thank you NerdyGamer and everyone else across all of the different places I link to this for commenting. Each comment can only possibly make the videos to come better.
tier 5: dark knight and spike trap?
tier 7: word of summoning!?
ehh what do I know
All 3 of these are amazing in limited formats where you can have an unlimited number of 0’s, but when they have to fight for slots against other more powerful/synergistic 0’s they falter.
Word of Summoning is incredibly difficult to find spots for because it is competing directly against Raxxa’s Curse and Spawning Demon (a bit less directly with Plentiful Dead, Guilt Demon, and Little Devil). For constructed, since 0-cost cards are limited to 20, I’m much more interested in gaining maximum impact out of my 0’s as opposed to minimal impact and an approximate 2/3 chance at drawing a 1-cost card (as opposed to another 0-cost). Therefore, Curse to remove a threatening 0 and establish (largely cancel an opponent’s 0-cost and give me a partial 0-cost in addition) is incredibly powerful, and Spawning Demon to give me 2 demons and a must remove threat are much more what I want.
Dark Knight consistently feels underwhelming recently, and this one is a bit more meta-dependent than some of the other ratings. Against Wild, a 5/2 body generally can’t get past the Brachiosauruses/T-Rex’s that they incidentally get on the board, and then it can get incidentally swept off later. Against Evil, it can also get chumped for days with tokens, Zannos, or Medusa. If the rest of the Dark Knight deck can be built to extract maximum value from an opponent spending a gold first on your turn, it might be worth it, but in that spot I’d rather have the evasion and 4 defense from Little Devil.
I am bumping Spike Trap up to tier 4 (from 5) though, since it can function as a strong tech card in certain metas. The fact that it can deal 5 as a 0-cost (and recycle) can be incredibly powerful if people are running 5 or less defense champions that attack, Thought Plucker for instance. However, I wouldn’t expect this to happen generically (except for Plucker) and would therefore only include it as a response to a metashift, since many of the 5 or less defense champions I expect don’t attack/don’t care like Rift Summoner. Could be nice against Angel of Deaths or Little Devil/Guilt Demons.
My brother suggested I might like this blog. He was once totally right.
This put up actually made my day. You can not consider just how a lot
time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
You’re welcome. Glad you and your brother enjoy the content. Let me know if there is anything specific you want to see moving forward.
Thinking to update this with the new cards?
I’ve definitely been thinking about writing full reviews of all of the cards, I have the images for them. I think I’ll start doing them this weekend, and probably post one card a day starting Monday October 5th, adding them to this list at that time. I will also have to update the cards currently in the tier lists too now (won’t be able to not once I get started), at minimum Wolf’s Call needs to jump up a few tiers from the unplayables.