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.  

The Gibs Are Coming!

When I first started playing Spellfire, I was confronted by three rather oddly-named champions: Gib Ekim, Gib Evets, and Gib Htimsen.
 
It actually took me quite awhile to realize that "Gib" was "Big" backwards, and we were actually dealing with "Big Steve", "Big Nesmith", and "Big Mike" (names of TSR game designers who worked on Spellfire). Over the years, more Gibs have been printed, some of which are among the most powerful champions in the game.

Here's a shot of my current Gib deck, followed by a rundown of what's in it.   

Realms (12): Front Lines, Cormyr, Avanil, Temple of Elemental Evil, Ruins of Zhentil Keep, Tyr, Mithas, Ancient Kalidnay, Euripis, Menzoberranzan, Duchy of Tenh, Urik.                                                 

Champions (12): Gib Drawsemaj, Gib Aklem, Gib Lhadsemlo, Gib Reltub, Gib Sinned, Gib Hcivonad, Gib Irod, Gib Occav, Gib Thiaf, Gib Kcir, Gib Cram, Gatekeeper.

Wizard Spells (9): Disintegrate, Hold Person, Wish, Dissolution, Limited Wish, Estate Transference, Dispel Magic, Spell Turning, Reincarnate.

Magic Items (2): Star Gem of Martek: Clear Crystal, Wyrm of Earthwalking.      

Allies (9): Loup-Garou, Undead Dragonrider, Death Knight, Gnasher, The White Weird, Glass Golem, Skull Tumor, Hero Slayer.    

Events (10): Cataclysm, Good Fortune, Wine of Eternity, The Genie Bottle, Trapped, Deflection, Caravan, Caer Allison, Dodge, Coming of the Phoenix.

Dungeon: Undermountain.

Rule Card: Inverted Pyramid.

Tell me what you think!

Next time: The top 5 cleric spells.

P.S. Check this out for an awesome Gib-related story (start at the bottom of the page). Who IS this guy? http://gibspellfire.blogspot.com/

Gib, Gib Trouble!

Yes, my choice of the best Gib is Gib Irod (Night Stalkers chase, 21/25). She just edges out Gib Lhadsemlo, who is also primo.

Both Lhadsemlo and Irod have a laundry list of immunities. But what puts Irod over the top is her card-drawing ability. When in combat, her controller can discard up to three cards and draw replacements. With TAV being a fast format filled with instant-kill cheese, the odds of drawing said cheese are quite good. Given that you have three chances, the odds get even better.

Irod is also immune to the powers of allies (such as the Loup-Garou) and harmful events (Trapped, Takhisis' Mirror, Wine of Eternity, etc). As well, the Wish spell does nothing to her. Did I mention that she casts both wizard and cleric spells? And she's level 13? Primo.

Why anyone wouldn't run a Gib Irod in their deck is one of life's great mysteries. This card rocks, in both Standard and TAV.

Next time: 5 overrated cards (for TAV).