5 Best Thief Skills

Here we go with my list of the five best thief skills for Spellfire: The Antigonish Variant.      

#5 - Use Poison (Night Stalkers, 63/100) 

Pure, instant-kill cheese! I always enjoy making my opponent "draw and discard a card". It could be their Menzoberranzan or their Good Fortune. Even better, with Use Poison if the last digit of said card is a 3, 2, 1, or 0, their champion is instantly defeated (and in TAV a realm is razed). Lastly, the poison sticks around if not successful the first time, allowing you to use it again next battle - if your champion manages to survive despite the failure of the poison. This is a great thief skill, that even gives you a +3 level-up just in case. The fact that it is only #5 on this list is sort of surprising, until you read the four cards below.

#4 - Broad Jump (Dungeons, 85/100)

Even better than a chance to kill an enemy champion in combat and raze a realm, here's a card that offers to let you skip that pesky "combat" thing. Just toss down this baby after defender has been chosen, and if it's a wizard, cleric, or psionicist, you slip around him and instantly raze a realm, earning yourself a juicy spoils in the process, while your opponent's defender stands around, wondering where that sneaky thief went. This card also gives you a +4 level up, but if you are using this against anything but a wizard, cleric, or psionicist, things probably aren't going very well for you.

#3 - Hijacking (Dungeons, 86/100)

Because it's so difficult to counter thief skills, cards like this one are uber-powerful. Let's say your opponent tosses out a Cold Cup of Calamity or a Good Fortune. Not only do you get the cards as well, but your opponent has to immediately discard his. Talk about card advantage! You simultaneously grant yourself a fat hand, while stripping up to five valuable cards from your enemy's deck and putting them straight into his discard pile. Even better, use Hijacking on a Treasure Fleet. All players draw three? Yup, except you get six, and the guy who played the Treasure Fleet gets none, after his three are discarded. Bam.

#2 - Framed (Conquest, 16/81)

Here come the sticker-set cards! Continuing the theme that these sets contain some truly primo cards is Framed. I'm choosing to go with the Brazilian version of the art since it's not stupid. Anyway, framed is a must in any deck containing thieves. As soon as any of your champions is targeted - by anything - this baby lets you redirect the spell, psionic power, blood ability, or whatever to any champion you want, regardless of immunities. For example, let's say one of your enemies tries to Ancient Curse your Bigby, who has the Star Gem of Martek: Clear Crystal attached. But you happen to have Julio, Master Thief, in your pool. Julio casts Framed, and the Ancient Curse is retargeted to your opponent's Gib Irod, who has The Throne of the Gods attached. But wait! Isn't Gib Irod immune to events? Not this event. She dies horribly, as your opponent chokes on his own bile.

Framed is truly primo, but it's only #2 on this list.

#1 - Assassination (Conquest, 14/81)

With Assassination, you don't have to wait for your opponent to target one of your champions. During phase 3, take a long look at your opponent's pool and pick the champion you'd least like to battle. Let's say a big, honking Gib Lhadsemlo. But he's immune to thief skills, right? Not this one. He goes off to the discard pile, and you attack with confidence knowing that big oaf isn't going to be available to your opponent. For pure champion removal, you can't beat this card. Plus there's what, two cards in the entire game that can cancel it? Primo. The small (very small) downside is that you have to discard the thief casting it. How will I ever get by without my Phostrek or Jamlin? :)

There's your best thief skill of all time.

Next time: The top 5 unarmed combat cards!                   

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!                      

5 Best Wizard Spells

Here are my picks for the top 5 Spellfire wizard spells. Please note that all choices were made with the particularities of the Antigonish variant in mind.

#5 - Hold Person (Ravenloft, 49/100)

Here's a way to win a level-up war in a hurry! A card that reduces the opposing champion to zero, no matter what their current adjusted level? That's primo. Hold Person is best played late in the combat round, when you can be reasonably confident that your enemy is running out of ammunition. Then...BAM, he's back to level zero. No fun, at least not for him! And when he loses, you've just won yourself a spoils (and razed a realm, if you were the attacker).

#4 - Takhisis's Abyssal Gateway (Dragonlance chase, 13/25)

Much better than Mindkiller, because it can put an avatar into the Abyss just as easily as a regular champion. "The gate" gets rid of an unwanted enemy champion in a hurry. And it's a lot tougher to get back into play from the Abyss than it is from the discard pile. For being an almost essential champion-removal tool, Takhisis's Abyssal Gateway grabs the #4 spot on this list.

#3 - Estate Transference (3rd Edition chase, 437/440)       

Disintegrate and Cataclysm are fine and dandy, as far as land-destruction cards go, but to really eliminate a realm from play, nothing beats Estate Transference. Unlike the aforementioned cards, Estate Transference puts the tageted realm directly into the Abyss (it's sort of the "Takhisis's Abyssal Gateway" of land destruction cards). Slight downside in that, if the spell is countered by Spell Turning or Reflection, the caster is put into the Abyss instead, but that's not enough to lower Estate Transference's #3 position.
 
#2 - Wish (4th Edition, 384/500)

As I mentioned last month in my post on this card, Wish is pretty well the ultimate wizard spell. So why is it at #2 instead of #1? Blame those crazy Spellfire sticker sets! Aside from that, Wish is everything you want in a badass wizard spell. It destroys any card except realms, regardless of immunities. When you want something gone, Wish does the job better than any other card in the game.
 
#1 - Dispel Illusion (Inquisition, 83/99)

As mentioned in my previous posting on this card, Dispel Illusion is the most powerful Spellfire card ever printed. It has to be #1 on this list. It can "roll back time", making sure that a played card wasn't played after all. The person who tried to play it can't do so until their next turn. Many times, stopping a Caer Allison or a Menzoberranzan can mean the difference between winning and losing a game. The fact that you can also stop events, champions, or any one of a dozen nasty pieces of cheese with this card is just icing on the cake. When all is said and done, you won't find a better wizard spell (or a better card of any type) in the game.

Agree or disagree with my top 5? Let me know in the comments.

Next Time: An extra turn is a priceless thing!
                

5 Best Dragons

Okay, let's run down the five best dragon champions for Spellfire: TAV! Please note that I have excluded dragon avatars from this list.

#5 - Glimmer, the Brass Dragon (Draconomicon chase, 16/25)

Glimmer is a flyer and an earthwalker, a pretty rare combination (I can't think of another Spellfire champion who has both abilities off the top of my head...are there any?). If Glimmer wins a battle, you can return one magic item or artifact from your discard pile and attach it directly to him - and that's on top of the instantly-playable spoil you will also be collecting. A neat little power, and one that gives Glimmer the edge over Dregoth, Sparkle, and the other dragon champions all clawing at the #5 position on this list.

#4 - Sleet (Draconomicon, 39/100)

Non-flying allies can't be played against him, which rules out Noble Djinni, Athasian Sloth, Loup-Garou, and the Dreaded Ghost (among others). Sleet is himself a flyer, so he can hit back realms and avoid movement restrictions up front. If killed by any cheese (Vorpal Blade, Use Poison, etc.), Sleet is not discarded, returning to his pool instead. These abilities make him a fantastic TAV champion. His downsides include being a monster (vulnerable to events & spells that specifically target monsters), being unable to cast spells, and being of relatively high level, which allows your enemies to play first when opposing him in combat. Still, a very solid dragon champion.             

#3 - Lareth, King of Justice (Draconomicon, 31/100)

A dragon who can cast wizard spells, prevents all other dragons in play from casting wizard spells, and doesn't have to ask Midnight, Goddess of Magic's permission to do anything? And this dragon is also immune to every single offensive card in the game? Sounds like the #3 champion on this list to me.

#2 - Borys the Dragon (4th Edition, 268/500)

Borys is rated higher than Lareth because of his versatility. He can cast wizard and cleric spells, as well as use psionic powers. He's a flyer. And (since he is in direct competition with Lareth for this #2 position) Borys is also immune to Midnight, Goddess of Magic's spellcasting ban, since he's a monster and she can only affect wizards. Borys (like Lareth) is also immune to psionic power cards such as Inflict Pain and Drain Will. All things being equal, I say Borys's extreme versatility is worth more in your pool than Lareth's immunity to all offensive cards. He gets the #2 spot.

#1 - T'chaar, Dragon of Flame (Draconomicon chase, 1/25)

Unlike spots 4-3 and 3-2, there was never really any doubt in my mind as to which dragon champion would be #1. T'chaar is one of the best attacking champions in Spellfire, period. In TAV, where you only get one attack per turn in most cases, the Dragon of Flame is even more awesome. T'chaar is a flyer, and he can use any offensive card. Doesn't matter if it's an unarmed combat card, a thief skill, a psionic power, blood ability, or spell. If it's offensive, he can use it. This gives you an incredible amount of choice as to which cards to hammer your opponent with during battle. As for T'chaar's "downside" (defensive cards are doubled in level against him)...well, that's not much of a downside at all.

Next time: A noble piece of cheese.
    

5 Best Cleric Spells

Okay, folks. Let's rundown my choices for the five best cleric spells. Please remember that all my "top five" and  "top three" lists are made with the specific needs of TAV decks in mind. 

#5 - Divine Intervention (Dragonlance, 81/100) 

After combat, during phase 5, this powerful spell allows you to return any one champion and ally from the discard pile. You can get a champion (including an avatar) and ally that died during the current turn or those who were discarded a few turns ago, or a mixture of each. This spell probably would exclude avatars if it were printed when they existed, but it doesn't because it wasn't! Because there are so many great champions that happen to succumb to instant-kill cheese in TAV, the ability to bring one back is huge. And to get a Dreaded Ghost or Loup-Garou back with it? Awesome spell.  

#4 - Intercession (Runes & Ruins, 48/100)  

There's really not a lot of explaining to do here. Intercession is a cleric spell that stops an event. Events are big in Spellfire. They're even bigger in TAV, a format in which 10 events in your deck is an absolute must. The cards that cancel events can be listed on your fingers. Therefore, intercession comes in at the #4 position on this list.

#3 - Mindkiller (The Underdark, 56/100)    

What? Mindkiller at #3? I can almost hear the howls of outrage. But yes, #3 is where Mindkiller fits. It's a tad overrated, because of its one glaring weakness - it can't eliminate Avatars for more than one turn. You might scoff, but when Istus is staring you in the face you'll regret not having card #2 on this list instead of a Mindkiller in your hand. Besides that one flaw, Mindkiller is great. The affected champion is off to the (almost) inaccessible Abyss, and as we all know "out of sight, out of mind"!

#2 - Mindshatter (The Underdark chase, 25/25)

Don't talk to me about Mindkiller! This is from the SAME SET and blows it out of the water. Look at this primo card. Primo, primo, primo. This is what I want to see in my hand when you slap down Istus or Iuz or the Living Wall. Once this baby hits the table, your vaunted champion isn't doing anything at all for a good long time - provided said champion isn't immune to offensive spells. Also provided the Mindshatter isn't countered somehow...like with card #1 on this list.

#1 - Dispel (4th Edition, 400/500) 

There it is, the best cleric spell ever printed. The third edition version (which can only stop wizard and cleric spells) might have had a chance to make this list, that's how valuable "counterspells" (to borrow a term from Magic: The Gathering) are in Spellfire. The fact that the 4th edition version of Dispel also counters blood abilities and psionic powers puts this card over the top and secures its claim to the #1 spot on this list. Dispel needs to be in ANY deck with champions able to cast cleric spells, in any format, period.

Next time: Disaster strikes!