Tom'S Epic Gaming

Resurrection and Final Task are able to bring back all of my powerful champions. Brave Squire and Priest of Kalnor can give a champion I return with Final Task unbreakable. This prevents that champion from breaking at the end of the turn.

This can be disrupted by fast discard removal. Since a player maintains the initiative until they pass it, they can break one of my champions and then play Guilt Demon or Amnesia. Final Task and Resurrection can’t return a banished champion.

To best make use of this effect, I included incredibly powerful tribute champions. Kong is big and deals big damage. The rest (The Gudgeon, Winter Fairy, Thought Plucker, and Knight of Shadows) all either draw multiple cards or force my opponent to discard cards. One of the strongest plays in this deck is to ambush Thought Plucker in on your opponent’s turn after they spent their gold. Then, if they break it on your turn, you can Final Task it and Priest of Kalnor/Brave Squire it and attack. Assuming it does damage, the Thought Plucker has drawn you 3 cards and forced your opponent to discard 3. It also doesn’t break to Final Task because it is unbreakable.

Due to the incredible card draw in this deck, I included Feeding Frenzies (triggered by Forcemage Apprentices) and Vanishings to facilitate powerful tempo plays.

Royal Escort is interesting in that it helps protect my smaller defense champions, but it does also disrupt my own plans. While Royal Escort is in play, I can’t target my champions either. So, if I Final Task a minion, I can’t target it to give it unbreakable. I do really like the idea of Royal Escort and The Gudgeon though. You can’t target me while The Gudgeon is in play, and you can’t target my The Gudgeon while my Royal Escort is in play.

Since I have such strong discard, I included the Psionic Assault to up the ante. Heinous Feasts help me control my opponent’s discard. All of my board clears are banishment based because I want to shut down my opponent’s available resources as much as possible.

Mighty Blows are primarily included as finishers since they work excellently with unblockable champions like Thought Plucker.

Biblios Review

Foreword

Biblios is an intriguing, partial-information card game that has basically nothing to do with religion.

How to Play

Goal

The goal of the game is to score the most points by collecting a plurality in at least one category.

Types of Cards

The game consists of Category cards, Gold cards, and Church cards.

Category Cards

Collecting Category cards is how you score points to win the game. The 5 categories are Pigments (blue), Monks (brown), Holy Books (green), Manuscripts (orange), and Forbidden Tomes (red).

The Pigments and Monks categories consist of four 2-value cards, three 3-value cards, and two 4-value cards. So, there is a combined total value of 25 for each of these categories. If you collect at least 13 value in either category, you are guaranteed to win that category.

The Holy Books, Manuscripts, and Forbidden Tomes categories have seven 1-value cards and two 2-value cards. So there is a combined total value of 11 for each of these categories. If you collect at least 6 value in any of these categories, you are guaranteed to win that category.

If, at the end of the game, there is a tie for the amount of value in a category, the player with the letter closest to A (in the bottom right hand corner) wins the tie.

Gold Cards

Gold cards have a value of either 1, 2, or 3. These cards are used in the auction phase to bid for cards.

Church Cards

Church cards can raise or lower the point value for winning specific categories. For example, say you get the +1 Church card and you have collected 12 value in Pigments. You can choose to increase the Pigments die by 1. At the end of the game, if you have the most Pigments value, you take the blue die with the increased point total.

Immediately when you gain a church card you resolve it. So, if you get the -1 for 2 dice, you must immediately discard the Church card and decrease 2 dice by 1.

Setup

At the start of the game, place the Scriptorium board in the center of the table with each die starting on 3. Then, based on the number of players in the game, remove a number of cards from the deck. Do not look at the removed cards.

For a 4 player game, remove 7 cards randomly.
For a 3 player game, remove 1 of each type of Gold card and then remove 12 additional random cards.
For a 2 player game, remove 2 of each type of Gold card and then remove 21 additional random cards.

Due to the removing of cards, you never know exactly which cards will be in the game. For instance, it is possible that both 4-value Pigments cards will be removed so there would only be a combined value of 14 available.

The Turn

The game is divided into 2 phases: the gift phase and the auction phase.

Gift Phase

In the gift phase, each player takes turns drawing cards and distributing them between themselves, everyone else, and a separate pile to be used in the auction phase. Each card is drawn individually and placed in a pile before drawing the next card. You draw a number of cards equal to the number of players plus one.

For example, in a 4 player game, each player draws a total of 5 cards on their turn. The current player takes 1 of those cards, places 3 of those cards into a communal pile, and places 1 in the auction pile.

Example Turn

I draw a 1-value Gold card as my first card. I don’t want to keep it, and I don’t want to put it up for auction later. So, I put it in the communal pile.
Then, I draw a 4(H) Pigments Category card. I decide to keep it for myself. Now I can’t take another card for myself this turn.
For my 3rd draw, I get a 3 Gold card. Since I can’t take it, I decide to put it in the communal pile. There is now 1 spot remaining in the communal pile and 1 spot remaining in the auction pile.
For my 4th draw, I draw a Church card that can raise 2 dice by 1 each. I want to potentially get this card later, so I put it into the auction pile.
My final draw for the turn is a Manuscripts 1(B) Category card. I must put it into the communal pile.
Once all of the cards have been assigned, the remaining players each take one of the cards from the communal pile. This is done in clockwise order.
After every card from the communal pile is claimed, the next player takes their turn.

This repeats until the original deck of cards is depleted. At this point, the game moves into the auction phase.

Auction Phase

Once the gift phase is completed, shuffle the created auction deck. Beginning with the starting player, each player takes turns putting a card up for auction. Bidding starts with the player to the left of the current player. To win a bid, you need to have a corresponding amount of gold to cover the cost.

For example, it is my turn to auction a card, and I reveal the Church card that can raise 2 dice by 1. The player to my left (Becky) bids 1 gold. The next player (Carl) bids 2 gold. The final player before me (Diane) passes. I want the card and only have 2 2-value Gold cards, so I bid 4 gold. Becky passes. Carl bids 5 gold. I pass. Carl only has 2 3-value Gold cards, so he must use both of them. He does not receive a refund even though he overpaid by 1.

There is a rule for penalizing a player if they bid more than they have and win the auction. Each other player takes a random card from that player, and then the card is re-auctioned. The penalized player may not participate in that re-auction. This rule does allow people to bluff, especially if they have no Gold cards left. If you are playing with incredibly competitive people who all know what they are doing, then you can use this rule. Otherwise, I would just recommend re-auctioning the card if someone accidentally makes that mistake. Even in this scenario, everyone now knows approximately how much gold that player has to spend, which I see as a penalty.

When a gold card comes up for auction, players bid a number of cards in their hand instead of bidding gold. So, the first person might bid 1 card. The second person might bid 2 cards, etc. If you win the bid, you must discard face-down a number of cards equal to your bid. These could be Gold cards or Category cards. (Church cards will never be in your hand.)

Once the auction pile is depleted, the game is over.

Game End

At the end of the game, each person reveals the total value they have collected for each category. I recommend revealing 1 category at a time for suspense. Whoever has the highest value in that category wins the corresponding die and gains that many points. In case of a tie, the player with the card closest to A wins the die and the points.

Whoever has the most points at the end is the winner. In the case of a tie, the player with the most gold remaining wins. If still tied, the winner is the tied player with the highest value in the Monks category (the leftmost category on the Scriptorium). If still tied, the player with the card closest to A in the Monks category wins. If still tied, because none of the players had Monks cards, repeat this process with the next category on the Scriptorium (Pigments). Continue this process until there is a winner.

Conclusion

At first when I played this game I wasn’t a huge fan. I liked the concept, but it seemed too easy so I didn’t play much more of it. Recently, however, I played some 2 player games, and they were quite interesting. I also lost which really gets me thinking about a game.

In a 2 player game, you see 66% of the cards during the gift phase. In a 4 player game you see 70% of the cards. This is why I call it a partial-information card game, since you don’t have complete knowledge about all of the cards in play, but you do know most of them. Due to this, you can guess what categories the other players are collecting. With this information, you can determine how strongly you want to pursue each category. For example, if you never see anyone take any Pigments and you already have a 4-value and a 3-value, you know there is a pretty good chance you could win that category.

The second aspect of the game that gives you information is the Church cards. If someone boosts a certain category, you know that they almost certainly have a lot of value in that category. So, if you have little to no value in that category, you can just ignore that category going forward. You can also target that category with negative Church cards. In a two-player game this is very interesting because you can feed those Church cards to your opponent to figure out what they are chasing. The actual value changes haven’t been that relevant in my 2 player games because the winner has always been the player to win 3 of the 5 dice regardless.

The gift phase is also interesting because of the whole ‘push your luck’ element. Do you take that early 3-value Pigment card, or do you hold out for something even better. If you take something pretty good early, you know you got something solid. But, when you see a better card come up in a later draw that turn, you have to let it go. In addition, deciding what to put in the auction is just as interesting. Frequently, you just put in a strong card you couldn’t take because you already took a card. Sometimes, though, you get something early like a Church card you want to throw into the auction. Each individual choice on your turn is fairly limited, but the implications and thought behind those choices can be quite interesting.

Overall, I think this is an excellently designed/developed game. I can put a lot of thought into my play, and I really enjoy that aspect. More importantly though, I can still lose the game even when I put the most thought into it. Even in the games I lose, I enjoy the journey and don’t mind the loss. Due to this, I group it with other games like Dominion, Camel Up, and Ninjato.

Epic Tyrants Rating Update (Good)

I have just updated my ratings for Epic cards to include the Tyrants Good cards. In addition, I have actually tweaked a few of the base Good cards’ ratings as well. (The original ratings and explanations are still there, I just added a section for Tyrants updates.) The updated post can be found here. I will be updating Evil soon. In general, the Tyrants cards seem very strong.

Sushi Go! Review

Foreword

Sushi Go! is one of the simplest drafting games.

Drafting

There are 2 major forms of drafting: simultaneous hidden drafting and sequential open drafting. Sushi Go! uses simultaneous hidden drafting.

Simultaneous Hidden Drafting

In this form of drafting, every player starts with an equal number of hidden resources, usually cards. Each player simultaneously picks a resource (keeping it hidden) and then passes the remaining resources to the player on their left (sometimes right). This then continues until there are no resources remaining to pass.

For example, in a 4 player Sushi Go! game each player starts with 8 cards. Everyone picks a card and passes the remaining 7 to the player on their left. Then everyone picks a card from the 7 passed to them, followed by the remaining 6 cards being passed, etc.

Simultaneous hidden drafting is also used in Epic’s cube draft and dark draft formats, Magic: The Gathering’s 8 player draft, Medieval Academy, Seasons, and 7 Wonders.

Sequential Open Drafting (Not used in Sushi Go!)

Click for Sequential Open Drafting Explanation

How to Play

Goal

The goal of the game is to score the most points over 3 rounds of drafting.

The Round

Sushi Go! uses Simultaneous Hidden Drafting, described above, for each round.

For a 2 player game, 10 cards are dealt to each player.
For a 3 player game, 9 cards are dealt to each player.
For a 4 player game, 8 cards are dealt to each player.
For a 5 player game, 7 cards are dealt to each player.

Since this is Simultaneous Hidden Drafting, each player simultaneously picks a card from their hand, and then all players reveal their chosen card at the same time. Afterwards, the remaining cards from each players’ hand are passed to the player on their left. The round completes after the last card of hand is picked.

After the 3rd round, the player with the most points wins.

The Cards

Nigiri (Egg, Salmon, and Squid)

Nigri is worth a set number of points at the end of the round. Egg Nigiri is worth 1. Salmon Nigiri is worth 2. Squid Nigiri is worth 3.

Wasabi

Wasabi triples the value of the next Nigiri card you draft. So, say you draft a Wasabi card on turn 1. Then, on turn 3 you draft your first Nigiri card, a Squid Nigiri. That Squid Nigiri goes on top of your Wasabi and those cards together are worth 9 points total. You may not use multiple Wasabi cards on a single Nigiri card, and you may not use a single Wasabi card with multiple Nigiri cards.

Tempura and Sashimi

Both Tempura and Sashimi require a set of cards to be worth any points. A set of 2 Tempura is worth 5 points. A set of 3 Sashimi is worth 10 points. If you do not have a full set, you score no points from those cards. If you have 2 complete sets, you score full points for both. So, say you have 5 Tempura and 2 Sashimi. You have 2 complete sets of Tempura so you score 10 points from Tempura. You do not have a complete set of Sashimi so you score 0 points from Sashimi.

Dumplings

The more Dumplings you have, the more points you score per Dumpling. If you have 1 Dumpling, your Dumplings are worth 1 point (1 point per Dumpling). If you have 5 or more Dumplings, you Dumplings are worth 15 points (3 points per Dumpling).

Maki Rolls

Maki Roll cards have 1, 2, or 3 Maki Rolls on them. They are depicted at the top of the card. At the end of the round, the player with the most Maki Rolls scores 6 points. The player with the second most scores 3 points.

If players tie for the most Maki Rolls, the points are split between those tied players. In that situation, no second place points are awarded. If players tie for the 2nd most Maki Rolls, the points are split between those tied players. In both cases, ignore any leftover points after evenly splitting the points.

Puddings

Puddings are the only cards that carry over after each round (the rest are discarded). At the end of the 3rd round, the player with the most puddings scores 6 points. The player with the least puddings loses 6 points. Points are evenly split for ties.

Chopsticks

Chopsticks let you take 2 cards instead of 1 when drafting. If you have a drafted Chopsticks card in front of you, after everyone (including you) has picked their card, you say “Sushi Go!,” and you replace your chopsticks card with another card from that hand.

Conclusion

I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say it again: I love drafting. Sushi Go! is an excellent game for introducing people to drafting. The art is adorable which can attract people, it’s quick, and the drafting strategy isn’t too complex.

In general, the idea of drafting can be bit tricky to get your head around initially. This is because most of the interesting aspects of it are emergent and not directly explained in the rules. When drafting, you want to look at not only what will be the best card for you right now, but based on the other cards in the current and previous hands, what are you likely to get back later in the game. (Since, in a 4 or less player game, you will see each starting hand at least twice).

In addition, once people start taking cards, you can deduce whether you can finish Tempura or Sashimi sets, or if you need to prevent another player from getting all the Dumplings, etc. So, in other words, a large portion of a drafting game’s potential relies on reading your opponents and paying attention to what is happening around you. Although, with this game you can still have fun just working toward your own goals and enjoying the art/theme.

The game I largely want to compare this to is Medieval Academy. (Click here for my review of Medieval Academy.) I think Sushi Go! is a bit simpler, it gives a better feel for drafting with the larger starting hand sizes, and the theme can be a bit more accessible. However, I prefer Medieval Academy. I prefer playing it, and it is the game I use when introducing new players to drafting. Medieval Academy adds on a spatial racing type game-mechanism, and I feel like it can be a bit more engaging. Sushi Go! is strictly drafting. A strictly drafting game is good for teaching the mechanism, but I just don’t feel like there is enough to keep me interested. On the positive side, Sushi Go! is quicker and requires less setup than Medieval Academy.

Overall, if you are looking for a game to teach new players drafting, I would personally recommend Medieval Academy over Sushi Go!. If, however, you want a smaller, quick to play, strictly drafting game, Sushi Go! does work for that purpose. Sushi Go! is a nice game to start or wrap up a gaming session. It’s easy to break out and play since you can carry it in your pocket and you just need a little table space. But, it isn’t a game I would specifically get people together to play.

Community Forum Added

I just finished adding a community forum to this blog. Feel free to talk about anything in there, and I can always add additional specific forums as needed.

So far I do not feel the need to include forum rules. I just ask everyone to be respectful, enjoy.

Epic Tyrants Rating Update (Sage)

I have just updated my ratings for Epic cards to include the Tyrants Sage cards. In addition, I have actually tweaked a significant number of the base Sage cards’ ratings as well. (The original ratings and explanations are still there, I just added a section for Tyrants updates.) The updated post can be found here. I will be updating the rest of the factions in the coming weeks. In general, the Tyrants cards seem very strong.

Carcassonne Review

Foreword

Carcassonne is a popular game that spawned the term “meeple” used to describe wooden, humanoid game-pieces. It is also a prime example of a tile-laying game.

How To Play

Setup

Each player takes their 8 meeples. One is placed on the scoring track and the rest will be used throughout the game.

Place the starting tile in the middle of the table. The starting tile has a distinct back, and on its front, it has a castle, road, and field segment.

Mix up the rest of the tiles face down and put them into easily reachable stacks.

A Turn

On your turn you draw a tile, place the tile, and optionally place one of your meeples on that tile.

When placing a tile, you must put it orthogonally (not diagonally) adjacent to 1 or more placed tiles. Every side touching another tile must match like segments to like segments: road segments to road segments, castle segments to castle segments, and field segment to field segments.

Once you have placed the tile, you may place one of your meeples onto that specific tile. You can either place it on a city, cloister, field, or road, but you can not place it directly onto a segment that already has a meeple. For example, since the red player already has a meeple on the road, the blue player cannot extend that road and put one of their meeples on it.

However, you can place meeples in such a way that they will eventually be on the same segment. In the case above, if the blue player places the tile one to the right as its own road, they could place a meeple on it. Then, if the blue player later draws a tile that would connect the two roads, it is legal to connect them creating a situation where both players have a meeple on the same road.

If multiple players have an equal number of meeples in a segment, all of those players score full points. If one player has more than anyone else in that segment, only that player scores points.

Trying to sideways take over other people’s segments is the most interesting part of this game.

Scoring

After a tile has been placed and the player has a chance to put a meeple on it, if the placement completes a segment, that segment scores. The player(s) with the most meeples on that segment score points based on the system below, and all players on that segment get those meeples back to reuse. Cities, cloisters, and roads can be completed throughout the course of the game. Farms only score points at the end of the game. (So, once you place a meeple on a farm, you will never get that meeple back.)

Cities: A completed city is worth 2 points per tile in the city. Each pennant in that city is worth a bonus 2 points. If a city is only two tiles, that city is only worth 1 point per tile. At the end of the game, if you have the most meeples in an uncompleted city, you score 1 point per tile and 1 point per pennant for that city.

The first 4-tile city with 1 pennant is worth 4 x 2 + 2 x 1 = 10 points.
The second 2-tile city is worth 2 points.
The third 3-tile uncompleted city with 1 pennant is worth 3 x 1 + 1 x 1 = 4 points.

Cloisters: A cloister is worth 1 point for every tile around the cloister including itself. So, a completed cloister is worth 9 points. Uncompleted cloisters at the end of the game still reward 1 point for every tile around the cloister.

Roads: A road is worth 1 point per tile in the road. At the end of the game, uncompleted roads are still worth 1 point per tile in the road.

Farms: Farms score 4 points at the end of the game for each completed castle they touch. The size of the castle is irrelevant. Since the field segments that connect castles can sprawl all over the place, farms can score a lot of points at the end of the game.

Game End

The game ends when the last tile is placed. All remaining points are scored. The winner is the player with the most points.

Conclusion

The fun in Carcassonne comes from the tile drawing. Whether you are trying to complete your segments or take over another player’s, it all rides on drawing certain tiles. And, since you generally won’t draw the tile(s) you need immediately, the anticipation continues to grow throughout as you hope to draw the tiles you need and hope your opponent(s) don’t draw the ones they need. In addition, most of the time the tiles you draw will have some value, even if it isn’t the one you are desperately waiting for. You need a double sided castle, but you draw an always appreciated cloister instead. On your next turn, instead of that double sided castle, you draw a tile to help solidify your control over the mega farm. Once the game gets going, each tile draw is exciting and suspenseful.

With that in mind, Carcassonne is not one of my personal favorite games. People I play it with really enjoy it, and it is a very popular game, but it doesn’t do much for me. While it feels great when you get that tile you’ve been wanting for for the last 10 turns, it is incredibly frustrating if you never draw it. Getting your segments snatched from beneath you is also frustrating if you can’t prevent them from doing it. This aspect of the game is also the most enjoyable part when you are on the snatching side, so it is attempted a decent amount in games. (I am usually the one attempting it.)

The game also does not offer a lot of strategy, and I like a lot of strategy options in my games, usually. As a power gamer, I feel like most of the time there is a “correct” place to put a tile, and the game-contrarian in me really rebels from that idea.

Unlike Camel Up, that also relies a lot on luck, this game’s luck can be lopsided and this can be unpleasant. If someone gets all of the cloisters, or they constantly get the tiles they need, the luck element can really pile up.

With all of that said, I am still willing to play it occasionally. The rules are fairly simple and aren’t too bad to teach. Most people seem to enjoy it, especially the first time they play it. In addition, this is an excellent gateway into other current board games. For the people that enjoy this game, there are also plenty of expansions and re-themed versions, some significantly better than others from what I’ve heard.

I definitely think this game is worth playing. If you really enjoy it, grab a copy. If not, it’s a good game to know something about.

Axis and Allies Europe 1940 Second Edition Preview

Axis and Allies is a strategy-driven, option-rich game. The Axis player(s) devise a strategy for conquest. The Allies must stop it. Both sides utilize 14 types of units, national objectives, and a bit of luck to defeat their opponent(s); anticipating and adapting is crucial. While the goals are fairly constant, each game can unfold in radically different ways.

Constructed Epic: After You

Foreword

The goal of this deck is to force your opponent to spend their gold first as often as possible.

First Shot Deck List

Evil (0)

Good (0)

Sage (34)

Slow (11)
3x Elara, The Lycomancer
3x Juggernaut
3x Sea Titan
2x Time Walker

Fast (12)
3x Helion, the Dominator
3x Memory Spirit
3x Temporal Enforcer
3x Turn

0-Cost (11)
3x Forcemage Apprentice
2x Fumble
3x Hasty Retreat
3x Muse

Wild (26)

Slow (6)
3x Kong
3x Raging T-Rex

Fast (12)
3x Draka’s Enforcer
3x Hurricane
3x Strafing Dragon
3x Surprise Attack

0-Cost (8)
2x Feeding Frenzy
2x Flash Fire
1x Lash
3x Lightning Strike

First Shot Explanation

In Epic, it is frequently advantageous if you can get your opponent to spend their gold before you do in a turn. For instance, say it is your turn and you pass holding your gold. Your opponent then ambushes in Lurking Giant. After that enters play, you then spend your gold to play Kong and break their Lurking Giant. If you would have played Kong first, a Lash, Flash Fire, etc. would have been able to finish off your Kong, and then your opponent would still be able to play Lurking Giant unanswered.

Another example of this is when your opponent immediately spends their gold on their turn to use a “if it is your turn” board wipe like Apocalypse. If you still have your gold, once Apocalypse finishes, you can slam down a Draka’s Enforcer. You draw a card and have a 7/7 airborne champion ready to attack face next turn unopposed. On your next turn, you attack before spending your gold, and if they Surprise Attack in a Thundarus to block, you can play your Turn to permanently gain control of that Thundarus, or possibly just take it for the turn with blitz and attack face with it since they spent their gold.

So, since the goal is to get your opponent to play their gold first, I have included a lot of high-impact 0-cost cards and ambush champions. Hasty Retreat and Lightning Strike are solid 0-cost cards for dealing with threats. With a 0-cost card, you can potentially remove a 1-cost card leaving your opponent in a neutral or behind position. They can either play a 1-cost card (depleting their gold) or pass holding on to their gold. If they pass, you can let their turn end and just move into your turn denying them a chance to play their slow champions. If they play a 1-cost card, you have a significant advantage in deciding which card you will play afterwards. Fumble works similarly in that it can completely negate an attack while still recycling. Feeding Frenzy, Lash, and Forcemage Apprentice are generally much more devastating on your turn. Almost all of the 0-cost cards included can also be used to draw 2 if needed. Most of the 1-cost cards in this deck don’t have an or draw 2 option.

Helion the Dominator, Memory Spirit, Temporal Enforcer, Draka’s Enforcer, and Strafing Dragon are all excellent ambush plays. They can all do something worthwhile on your opponent’s turn, in order: stop an attack/use one of your opponent’s other champions to block their own attack, return an event to your hand (particularly a 0-cost event to immediately play), bounce a champion, block a champion, or deal 5 damage and potentially block. Memory Spirit, Temporal Enforcer, Draka’s Enforcer, and Strafing Dragon also all have evasion (airborne or unblockable) for attacking your opponent. Whether you attack or expend/hold your Helion depends on the board state, cards in hand, etc. In addition, Helion is an excellent answer to an opponent’s ambushed in champion on your turn.

I am very interested to really try out this deck, since I’m not sure how strong it will be in practice. If it can consistently draw out your opponent’s gold, I think it could really do work. The cards you would want to play on your turn to a neutral board are generally Juggernaut, Sea Titan, Forcemage Apprentice (enough of a threat that it needs to be eventually answered), and Raging T-Rex.

I am not sure how this deck will do with hand management generally, since it relies a lot on single use 0-cost cards and I don’t have events like Ceasefire and Erase. Juggernaut, Memory Spirit, Raging T-Rex, and Draka’s Enforcer due provide some card draw, but if you use all of your 0-cost cards for their effects, you might get into trouble.

As a final note, Surprise Attack into Time Walker is an excellent way to stop token strategies. It can also disrupt most other non 0-cost blitz champion strategies for at least a turn. Swinging in with a 10/10 on your next turn with a probably empty board is also a huge perk.

Constructed Epic: Bounce Aggro

Foreword

This is the spiritual successor to Bouncing Chip which can be found here. Since only 20 cards are the same between the decks, I decided to just start a fresh deck post.

First Shot Deck List

Evil (9)

Slow (0)

Fast (6)
3x Bitten
3x Inner Demon

0-Cost (3)
3x Dark Knight

Good (9)

Slow (0)

Fast (6)
3x Ceasefire
3x Urgent Messengers

0-Cost (3)
3x Brave Squire

Sage (33)

Slow (9)
3x Juggernaut
3x Mist Guide Herald
3x Time Walker

Fast (15)
3x Helion, the Dominator
3x Memory Spirit
3x Temporal Enforcer
3x Thought Plucker
3x Turn

0-Cost (9)
3x Forcemage Apprentice
3x Shadow Imp
3x Warrior Golem

Wild (9)

Slow (0)

Fast (6)
3x Flame Strike
3x Mighty Blow

0-Cost (3)
3x Rage

First Shot Explanation

This is an aggro deck. I did say previously that I thought aggro decks wouldn’t really be a successful archetype in Epic, aside from Burn, but I was wrong. This deck can output a lot of damage quickly. A large chunk of that damage comes from the 0-cost cards.

Each 0-cost card is either a blitz champion or a 4+ offense buff. Shadow Imp is especially dangerous because it is unblockable, and it can either attack twice in one turn or be held onto to protect it/use it as a free chump block. For blocking, you would ambush it in, pass initiative, declare it as a blocker if it lives, and then play a fast 1-cost Sage card to return it to hand if it lived through your opponent’s post-block initiative. Shadow Imp is also an ideal target for Rage, Brave Squire, and Mighty Blow.

The Wild is included because I wanted the highest single damage events in the game, Flame Strike and Mighty Blow. Rage was a nice bonus.

The Good is included because I wanted 3 Brave Squires. Ceasefire and Urgent Messengers are excellent for a bit of defense and draw.

The Evil is included because I needed 3 Dark Knights. I decided to take Bitten and Inner Demon because it’s helpful to have more than just bounce for removal. Drain Essence could also work for removal and some health gain. Final Task is a definite possibility because it works well with Juggernaut (unbreakable on your turn), Mist Guide Herald (you still get the tribute ability), Time Walker (fast defensive board bounce), Helion, the Dominator (8 blitz offense and a partial Turn), Memory Spirit (can return that final Flame Strike etc.), Temporal Enforcer (bounce and 6 unblockable offense), Thought Plucker (strong tribute, strong damage effect, and unblockable), and I am already running 3 Brave Squires which could prevent that Final Tasked champion from breaking at the end of the turn. After some more testing, I might exchange some of the Bittens and Inner Demons for Final Tasks.

The Sage cards are just solid aggro cards. Helion, the Dominator and Turn give me solid (temporary) removal + a (temporary) threat. Juggernaut and the unblockable champions are excellent for inflicting damage.

Bounce is solid for both defense and offense, as was the original intention of the deck. For offense, I can play and attack with a Dark Knight, bounce it, and then play/attack with it again that turn. For defense, there is the obvious bounce a threat, but you can also bounce one of your blocking champions as well. For example, your opponent attacks with a blitzing Steel Golem. You block with your Mist Guide Herald, and then, assuming it lives to your post-block initiative, you ambush in Temporal Enforcer and return Mist Guide Herald to your hand. Since Steel Golem was blocked (even though the blocker is no longer in play), the Steel Golem does no damage that turn. Temporal Enforcer can also use its ally ability to bounce Dark Knights or Warrior Golems for a second attack.

Mist Guide Herald is a strong card for this deck because it can bring any of your other threat champions directly into play. Taking that Juggernaut out of the top 5 cards of your deck and putting into play is crazy. Even just taking a Shadow Imp is solid. Also, since this deck has so much bounce, you can potentially replay your Mist Guide Herald multiple times for significant value.

Helion, the Dominator is excellent to steal an opponent’s ambushed in blocker and attack with it that turn, or to steal an opponent’s blitzing attacker to prevent the attack that turn. In addition, you can always use its loyalty ability on itself to be able to immediately use its expend ability. That 2 damage to 2 targets should not be underestimated.

As you can tell, I am experimenting with the card images in the explanation. Feel free to let me know in the comments below if you think this is helpful or just annoying.