5 Best Avatars

They're huge, they have incredible powers, and they are sometimes a pain in the butt to get onto the table. Yes folks, its time to run down the 5 best Avatars in Spellfire! Let's do it.

#5 (Tie) - Bonemaster (Powers, 41/100)

He can't be rated higher, because of his very narrow usage conditions. But in the right deck - an undead deck, obviously - he can make your champions almost unstoppable. The Bonemaster is easy to get out (discard any old cleric), and grants your undead a laundry list of immunities, including offensive spells and events. Bam.                          

#5 (Tie) - Kiri (Powers, 79/100)

I've already written about this guy here. He's overrated, but in the right situation he can be a game-breaker. The ability to take away all special powers of all champions is primo. Unfortunately, it also affects your own champions. I've seen him used well, but not often. The fact that Kiri can be summoned by simply discarding a cleric gains him a few points. He's good enough to be rated #5 on this list.

#4 - Iuz (4th Edition, 488/500)

Point 1 - any undead deck can summon this dude, he's easy to get out (simply discard 10 levels of undead). Point 2 - he casts wizard spells. Point 3 - Once per turn, you can raze one of your own lands to force an opponent to raze or discard one of their lands. A useful ability if someone is getting a tad too close to having six unrazed. For sheer versatility, Iuz is hard to beat.

#3 - Istus (Powers, 42/100)

I've written about this primo card here, and I can hardly believe she is only #3 on this list. This Avatar has plagued me more than any other over the years, as several of my arch-enemies use her routinely in their decks. Her discard effect is truly devastating, and that's based on rueful experience. Istus is also a breeze to summon: just discard a cleric and she pops into existence. You can't really go wrong by adding her to a deck. But the next two Avatars are even better.

#2 - Gib Drawsemaj (Nightstalkers chase, 22/25)

I've written about this guy here, in my "favorite cards" post. He's huge (level 20) and has one of the best powers in the game. When he appears, he gains the powers of any two non-avatar champions in play. Words can't describe how crazy that ability is...would you like to take on a champion with the special powers of The Living Wall and Shayira, for example? I thought not. The only downside to Gib Drawsemaj is his rather onerous summoning condition. He can only appear just after you cause an opponent's realm to be discarded. Keep those Dissolutions, Disintegrates, and Estate Transferences handy.

#1 - Remnis (4th Edition, 481/500)

I've written about this guy already as well! Here is the link. Remnis is number one on this list, and it's not close. While the other avatars are great, the "dirty bird" is flat-out phenomenal. Retrieve your used Wish, Estate Transference, Mindshatter, or Dispel Illusion over and over. This avatar is the very definition of the words "primo" and "game breaker". And while he's not the easiest champion to summon - you have to discard 16 levels of flyers - once he hits the table you are automatically on the fast track to a win.

Honorable Mention - Sirrion (Powers, 45/100)

Best looking art on a Spellfire card, bar none. Once I was playing a game and the Magic: The Gathering players at the next table came over to check out the "cool-looking demon". Some of those people eventually became Spellfire fans, all because of Sirrion's majesty. True story!

Next time: The 5 best - and 5 worst - cards from the Spellfire sticker sets.  

5 Best Fences

Yes folks, that's the Berlin Wall. And here we go with our list of the top five cards that keep your opponents at bay!

#5 - Wall of Fog (4th Edition, 371/500)    

Attacks on your realms are bad in Spellfire. They lead to realms being razed, and spoils being awarded to players other than you. It's even worse in a format like TAV, which promotes fast play and tons of instant-kill cards. A good strategy, then, is to avoid being attacked at all, especially in critical situations (like when you are within spitting distance of a sixth unrazed realm). Fences are cards that prevent attacks, therefore they are your friends. This one is a wizard spell, which means it has a drawback - it's easy to counter. It also stops you from attacking other players, which can be a problem if getting a spoils is a priority for you. Still, it's a decent card to play if you're close to winning and would rather not have to engage in combat.

#4 - Solid Fog (4th Edition, 133/500)                     

Solid Fog has got one big advantage over Wall of Fog - it's an event. As such, it's more difficult for your opponent to counter. And if he or she does stop it, that's one less precious counterspell in their hand, so it's a win-win situation. Also, since you will most likely only be using Solid Fog near the end of a game, the threat of a counter is less of a deterrent - go for the win, baby! Note that, as with Wall of Fog, using Solid Fog means you can't launch attacks of your own...unless you slap down a Calm, that is!

#3 - Mutiny (3rd edition, 168/400)

Mutiny resembles Solid Fog, except you can end a battle which has already started. Use it when you make a mistake and realize you are about to lose, or thin out your opponent's hand by making him waste cards in combat before you slap down the Mutiny. As with Solid Fog and Wall of Fog, you can't attack either, until your next turn. Our final two cards solve this little problem, which is why they are rated ahead of Mutiny.

#2 - Forbiddance (Artifacts chase, 11/20)

Our next card is Forbiddance. It stops attacks all right - on you. Enemies are free to attack each other to their heart's content. The only possible problem this might create is allowing another player who is also close to winning the game to try for a spoils. But if you're playing this card, you've most likely got the inside track to victory, so that shouldn't be a major drawback. Oh, and if you need to raze a realm yourself, go ahead. Forbiddance is an excellent fence.

#1 - Bronze Dragons (Dragonlance, 97/100)

Our #1 card is Bronze Dragons, which combines the "everyone can be attacked but you" goodness of Forbiddance with the difficult-to-counter nature of an event. The only problem is squeezing this card into one of your 10 event slots. But, in a deck dedicated to defense, Bronze Dragons is the Great Wall of fences!

Next time: The 5 best Avatars.

P.S. Any of you Magic: The Gathering players out there check out the new Innistrad set? Or, as I like to call it, RAVENLOFT. The plundering of Spellfire concepts by Wizards of the Coast continues...

                

5 Best Allies

Let's take a look at the top 5 allies in Spellfire. As always, the list is based on the requirements of the Antigonish variant of the game.

#5 - Athasian Sloth (4th Edition, 230/500)

When the Athasian sloth is played, your champion gets a huge +8 level-up bonus, plus your opponent is forced to choose and discard two cards from his hand. Unlike our #4 pick below, it is not necessary for you to lose the round of combat to use the Sloth's power. This means you might also get a spoils, depending on how the rest of the combat goes. Card advantage for you, thinning out your opponent's hand, and a whopping +8 bonus for the duration of the combat round? Nice ally!

#4 - The Starving Artist (3rd Edition chase, 439/440)

This card is very popular among Standard Spellfire players, but not so hot for TAV (well, by "not so hot" I mean it's only the fourth best ally of all time). Card discard is just not such a big deal in a faster format with tons of instant-kill cheese. For the same reason Cold Cup of Calamity is overrated, the Starving Artist is overrated. That having been said, this is still an awesome ally. You do have to lose the battle for its power to go off, but if you get lucky it can cripple an opponent. That unlucky opponent (you get to pick if it's a multi-player game) has to get rid of all but two cards, and no-one gets a spoils for that combat round. The reason it's rated ahead of the sloth is that it can potentially discard many more of your opponent's cards, and you can force an opponent you aren't currently in combat against to lose the cards.

#3 - The Dreaded Ghost (4th Edition, 246/500)

I've already written about the Dreaded Ghost here. It's uber primo, since it gives you a gigantic +9 bonus in combat, and instantly drains 9 levels off the enemy champion (except a cleric). In most cases, that's effectively a +18 ally. And if the nine missing levels cause your opponent's champion to drop below zero? He's instantly discarded and you get a spoils. There's a reason why these babies are going for ungodly amounts of money on eBay. Awesome card, but the next two are even better!

#2 - Loup-Garou (4th Edition, 236/500)         

I've previously written about this nasty customer here. One of the best cards in the game, this guy ends combat immediately nine times out of ten. Magic items are not big in TAV, being that there are only about ten I'd even consider putting in decks. The odds that your opponent is going to have one attached to his champion or in his hand aren't good. Which means the Loup-Garou is basically an instant-kill, realm razing, spoils-granting machine! But he's not the best ally in the game, because that ally is...

#1 - Thought-Eater (Artifacts, 99/100)

That's right, folks. The only ally so powerful, they depowered it for the 4th Edition printing! He lost his ability to affect magical items, but even the 4th Edition version would be on this list. The original Artifacts Thought Eater shown above is a beast in every sense of the word. While he does have a slight downside (reducing your champion's level by 2 when he is played), even that's not too bad when playing the Antigonish variant, which is full of instant-kill cards. You actually want a lower level, so you can get off more cards before your opponent gets to play. The powers of the Thought Eater are ridiculous. Every magic item, ally, or spell played by the opposing champion has no special power (level only). The opposing champion loses the ability to cast spells altogther. And the opposing champion's special power (including all immunities) no longer functions. Turn out the lights, this battle is OVER.

Honorable Mention - Intellect Devourer (4th Edition, 213/500)

This guy didn't quite make the list, but he can be an awesome ally at times. The Intellect Devourer automatically destroys opposing champions of level 5 or less, which makes him ideal for removing Erellikas, Julios, Living Scrolls, Crawling Claws, and other annoying, low-base-level champions that seem to proliferate in Spellfire:TAV games. Slap him down, take your spoils, move on...nice and neat!

Next time: Fences!                      

Dangerous Realms

Let's take a look at a few of the more perilous realms in Spellfire.

Raurin (4th Edition, 11/500)

Attack it and you die, one way or another. At least if you win the battle, you get a spoils. Hopefully it's a champion to replace the one who just croaked. On second thought, anyone got a Cataclysm?

The Forest Ridge (Artifacts, 95/100)

Same thing here, except this time the card is explicit as to why your champion dies. Apparently feral halflings eat him. Pity they wait until after the realm is razed. If they ate the attacking champion before he successfully razed the realm and gained a spoils, they'd actually be useful. Oh well, the Forest Ridge is an excellent land, in any case. Anyone got a Disintegrate?

Falkovnia (Night Stalkers, 5/100)

This realm is far better in Standard than it is in the Antigonish variant. In a Standard game you can have many champions attacking Falkovnia during one turn, all of which would die. In TAV it's going to be one champion most of the time. But this land is still just as good as the two above. No feral halflings this time; it's poison that does in your victorious champion. Nice reward for winning a battle - an agonizing death due to poison. Anyone got an Estate Transference?

The Spiderfell (Birthright, 3/100)

Okay, now we're giving the attacker a sporting chance. He's not going to instantly croak, instead a card is drawn and discarded. If the last digit of the card number is equal to or greater than the champion's base level, he's toast. And it's poison again! This time presumably delivered via giant spider. One more salient point: this all happens before the defending player blocks, so you get to wait and see if the attacker kicks the bucket before deciding which champion to risk in battle. At least no spoils is given up by the croaking champion. Anyone got a Creeping Doom?

The Scarlet Brotherhood (3rd Edition,135/400)

Well, this is different. As long as this realm is unrazed at the start of your turn you can voluntarily raze it to discard one champion in any pool. Nice! The only downside is that you have to keep the Scarlet Brotherhood from being razed through everyone else's turn, because you can't use it when you first put it down during your phase 2. The good news is almost no champions are immune to realm powers, so you can even nuke Gib Lhadsemlo and his ilk. Anyone got a Raze?

Furyondy (4th Edition, 16/500)

Finally, we have Furyondy. What a primo land. When you first play it, you get to discard any wizard in play. You can kill Bigby, Gib Irod, Midnight, Titania, anyone, since no wizard in Spellfire is immune to realm powers. Personally, I like using Furyondy to nuke Bigby, because he annoys me. Slap this realm down, and your opponents will be yelling "anyone got a Dispel Illusion?" :)

Next Time: The Top 3 Monsters.

The Luck of the Draw

Today's topic is the Good Fortune trio of events, which can make you feel very lucky, indeed!

1 - Good Fortune (4th Edition, 120/500)

This event is a staple of any Spellfire deck. The only acceptable reason not to run this card in one of your 10 event slots is that you don't own one. At any time, Good fortune lets you draw five cards. Since this happens at event speed, it can be used even before spells or powers take effect. Be warned, however: Good Fortune is always the target of event-countering cards, especially in a multi-player game. But if it goes off, you'll be feeling the luck of the Irish as you peruse your fat, fat hand.

 

2 - Unusually Good Fortune (Forgotten Realms chase, 11/25)

This event is even better than Good Fortune. When played on any player's event (except your own), it grants you three free cards. Not bad...and not many opponents will waste a Limited Wish or Intercession on this card. When played on Good Fortune, however, this event becomes truly brutal. The opponent who played Good Fortune draws no cards, and you get five instead. Talk about a counterspell! Now, with such a narrow effect, Unusually Good Fortune would be relegated to a Caravan Raiders-like level of uselessness, but that three-card draw first power makes it primo instead. I run one of these babies in my tournament deck, and I've never regretted it. As I always say, card advantage is everything in Spellfire.

3 - Insanely Good Fortune (Millenium, 47/99)

This brings us to the last member of this little triumverate, Insanely Good Fortune. This card is awesome, and not just because I co-created it for the Millenium sticker set (though that's definitely part of the reason I love it). Insanely Good Fortune can be used at any time to negate an opponent's helpful event (like the original Good Fortune, for example). Not a bad counter, as Spellfire players can always use another card that stops events. The second power rarely sees play, but when it does, it's a doozy. If an opponent plays Unusually Good Fortune, and you have Insanely Good Fortune in your hand, the effect is dramatic. The UGF is cancelled, and instead both players draw six cards. So far, so good...but then your opponent has to discard down to two cards, while you get to keep all six! You now have the fattest hand imaginable, and your opponent is about ready to pack it in and concede.

I have to admit that I've never seen the second power of the IGF go off. Have you? If so, tell me about it in the comments.

Next Time: The top 3 clerics.

Turn, Turn, Turn!

Today let's look at two cards that provide you with one of the most valuable things in any collectible card game - another turn.

1 - The Caravan (4th Edition - 131/500)

This event is ubiquitous - it's part of just about every Spellfire deck in existence. There's good reason for that: as I said in the intro, the power to take another turn puts you on the fast track to victory every time you are able to use it. Caravan is an event, which means it's relatively difficult to stop. You can play it only between turns, which means either before your turn begins or just after it ends in a two-player game. In a multi-player game, you can play the Caravan in between any two players' turns to sneak in a turn of your own. In TAV, two turns could easily equal two quick spoils! Be warned, however, that opponents love to cancel Caravan, by discarding Helm or using Limited Wish, Intercession, EDT, etc. I find it's safer to toss off a decoy event first, or else make sure you have a few counterspells in your hand just to be sure. 

One last point...there is a card made to specifically counter the Caravan: it's an event called Caravan Raiders (Powers, 38/100). But very few people run it in their deck. There are just too many great events to waste one of your 10 precious slots on such a narrowly-focused card.

2 - Ancient Kalidnay (Artifacts, 92/100)         

Our second card is Ancient Kalidnay, which is a realm that can be voluntarily razed to give you an extra turn. Now, razing your own realms isn't usually a great idea, but the key word in that sentence is "usually". In this case, razing Kalidnay lets you slap down another realm, attack again, and get another spoils (possibly yet another realm). It also gives you three more cards in your hand. Definitely worth it, though not as clear-cut awesome as the Caravan. On the plus side, very few cards can prevent the extra turn given by Ancient Kalidnay, compared to the relatively-more-easily-countered Caravan event.

For best results, make sure BOTH cards are in your deck. I know I do!

Next Time: The 3 best Wizard champions in the game.                        

The Mighty Hettman!

Hettman Tsurin (4th Edition, 257/500). The name strikes fear into Spellfire players everywhere. Though he's only a level 2 hero, Hettman attracts more champion-killing cards than just about anyone else. What's all the fuss about? It's about his primo power. So long as Hettman doesn't attack during your turn, he allows you to randomly draw a card from an opponent's hand and discard it.

In a two-player game, this can quickly result in card advantage being attained by Hettman's owner. In a multi-player game, Hettman can terrorize the entire table, especially since several players will potentially have him in their deck. Once he dies, someone else will slap him out, leading to multiple turns of Hettman picking away at your best cards.

Also, just by having this guy in your pool your other champions are shielded somewhat from cards like Trapped, Mindshatter, and Death Spell. Those cards will probabaly be directed at Hettman instead of other targets. It's up to you whether you invest the time and spells to protect Hettman from the champion-wrecking cards he attracts like a magnet. If you do, he can become a resource hog as you constantly strive to keep the little bugger breathing. If not, he's likely done his job anyway by stealing a card or two before he croaks.

In TAV, Hettman is even better, since you are going to be attacking only once per turn, and if you're desperate enough to use Hettman Tsurin as your one attacker...let's just say things probably aren't going well.

Mr. Tsurin would be even better if he had some sort of immunity. With protection against either events or offensive spells, he would morph from an annoying pest into a primo beast.

Next time: The Top 5 Dragons in Spellfire.                          

The Bird is the Word!

Some cards are ok in Standard Spellfire, but become awesome in the Antigonish variant (like the Headless Horseman). Other cards are great in Standard, but utterly useless in TAV (like Tithian and Gorynych). Then there are cards that are so phenomenally incredible that they transcend formats and are universally primo. Remnis (4th Edition, 481/500) is one of these cards.

The only downside to the "dirty bird" is that he's a bit hard to get into play. One or more flyers totalling 16 levels or more must be sacrificied for him to appear. Once that's done, however, Remnis will increase your chances of victory substantially. His power? Once per turn, at the end, he can fly into the discard pile, remove one non-champion card, and return that card to his controller's hand.

While this is a great power and has a multitude of possible uses, in reality the card should just say "go get your Wish spell back once per turn". I've used this guy for years, and 9 times out of 10 it's the Wish I'll go for.

Wish, do other things, Remnis gets Wish. Rinse and repeat.

Wish got countered? No problem - try again next turn. Wish worked? Great - it goes to the discard pile, where Remnis retrieves it so you can use it again next turn (or, since Wish can be cast at any time, again this turn!).

Remnis rivals Istus and Gib Drawsemaj as the greatest, most powerful, and just plain nastiest avatar ever printed. Once on the board, he attracts your opponent's champion-killing cards like a magnet. If he dies, use Silver Hands and BAM! the "dirty bird" is back.  

Paired with a Wish, an Abyssal Gateway, a Mindkiller, an Estate Transference, a Disintegrate, etc, etc, etc...Remnis is a beast.

And if you're the one who slaps him down first - you'll probably be doing the bird dance. Just don't ever, EVER attack or defend with him.

P.S. How does Remnis remain so calm with that giant tidal wave about to hit him? :)

Next Time: The best sticker-set card for TAV is....?

The Nuclear Option

Wish (4th Edition, 384/500) is one of the most powerful - and most popular - cards in Spellfire. Whether you are playing Standard or TAV, this wizard spell needs to be in your deck if you have spellcasting champions. Let's list the reasons Wish is so awesome.

1 - Wish discards any one card in play, except a realm. In reality, most players use it to rid themselves of enemy champions. 

2 - Immunities won't help against a Wish (unless your name is Lhadsemlo or Irod).

3 - It can be cast at any time, either on your turn or during an opponent's turn. This versatility allows you to respond to any developing threat on the board.

4 - Since it goes to the discard pile after use, Wish can be brought back again and again.

In TAV, Wish is best used during combat. If you are attacking, but things aren't going your way, you can always nuke the opposing champion with Wish, automatically winning the round of combat, razing the opponent's realm, and gaining you a spoils. If you are on defense, a well-timed Wish can remove the attacker, either before or after you block. Some champions - like Iuz or Istus - you will want to nuke before they get anywhere near your formation. Others you might want to block first and use the Wish to get a cheap spoils and prevent your opponent from attacking again that turn.

Don't forget, Wish is good for sweeping the board of Rule cards, Dungeons, Holdings, or anything else you don't particularly like. Wish is pretty awesome, no matter what version of Spellfire you are into.

Next time: When it's okay to Fight Dirty!                          

The Menzo Dilemma

Play it first turn, just behind your front realm.

What do you do with Menzoberranzan (4th Edition, 1/500) in TAV? It's a puzzling conundrum. This realm is far too good to leave out of your deck, but once you've added it you have to carefully examine the strategy for its use.

First of all, it's the only land that you can play at any time, allowing it to be slapped down for the win if you already have 5 lands and Menzo will be your 6th. If it hits the table in this situation, it's game over. In TAV, where lands are razed a lot more easily than in standard Spellfire, this ability is even more primo.

But Menzoberranzan has a downside. Because it's so good (and so popular), everyone is running it in their deck. If you wait too long to slap it down, odds are that one of your opponents will. Once facing a Menzo on the board, your options decrease. TAV allows you to raise realms easily, but discarding them is another matter. A raised Menzo still keeps you from placing down your own (Rule of the Cosmos). So you'll need a Cataclysm, an Estate Transference, a Dissolution, or similar to rid yourself of it.

It's a catch-22: put Menzo down too soon, you'll find it destroyed or razed. Wait, and someone else will beat you to the punch.

Finding the right balance can be tricky.

It should also be noted that Menzoberranzan is one of the worst FRONT lands possible. Besides its "play at any time" goodness, it has no powers except being immune to flyers. As one of your back lands, it's passable, but the best use of this card is as a last-turn game winner - if you can play the finesse game that will allow you to slap it down!

Next time: ...the dread Lady!           

The Dreaded Ghost!

This is my kind of ally.

The Dreaded Ghost (4th Edition, 246/500) is an unbelievable card. I only own one of these beauties, and they fetch a hefty price ($15 or so) on eBay nowadays. Can you see why?! :)

An amazing card in Standard, the Ghost is even more awesome in the Antigonish Variant. TAV games tend to move fast, with each player slamming down instant-kill cards left and right, razing realms with lightning speed. The Ghost does the job better than almost any other card. Why? Let's list the reasons:

1 - It sucks 9 levels from the opposing champion. Any reduced to -1 or below die instantly. Most champions are going to be 9 or less when pushed forward, so playing the Ghost is often a lights-out win.

2 - The Dreaded Ghost is an ally. Not very many champions are immune to ally powers. There aren't many cards that cancel or avoid allies, either.

3 - It adds +9 to your champion. Level-up wars are rarer in TAV compared to Standard, but if you get into one, the Ghost should give you a big enough boost to win.

If you've got one of these things lying around (lucky you!), slap it into your TAV deck immediately. And if you've got an extra one, drop me a line!

Next time: The best champion in TAV?