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!                   

10 Best Sticker Set Cards

The sticker sets were created by Spellfire fans after the game had been discontinued by Wizards of the Coast in 1997. Four sets were produced in all, named Millennium, Inquisition, Chaos, and Conquest. Because they were fan-designed, some of the cards were amazingly primo and some were amazingly crappy. They were all meant to be printed on sticker paper (which you can get at any office supply company) and stuck onto unwanted Spellfire cards such as 1st edition "blanks", Ravenloft commons, and Dragonlance commons.

This time I'm picking the 10 best cards from these sticker sets. Later on I'll take a trip through the worst of the bunch, as well. As always, my choices are based on the needs of the Antigonish variant, not Standard Spellfire.

Without further ado, lets go!

#10 - Kiri Allavesse (Inquisition, 29/99)

Kiri Allavesse is sort of like a poor man's Remnis. She can retrieve a used non-land card for you once a turn, but unlike the "dirty bird", she can do it only after she's razed a realm. Plus, you lose your spoils. She gets bonus points for the fact that she is a cleric able to cast wizard spells, reducing your need to add freaks like Bengoukee to your deck. Still, Kiri barely squeezes into this list at #10.

#9 - Realm (Conquest, 66/81)

This land is immune to the Rule of the Cosmos. It can't be destroyed outside of phase 4, so no Disintegrates or Estate Transferences need apply. Realm does what it does quite nicely...it stays on the board like glue and contributes to your 6-land win. Realm is good enough for place #9 on this list.

#8 -Sacred Flame (Millennium, 37/99)

There is a lack of good cleric spells in the game, and this is the second-best cleric spell provided by the sticker sets. If only it could be used in combat, it might jump a few spots on this list. Unfortunately, Sacred Flame can only be used before (phase 3) or after (phase 5) combat. This limits its usefulness, but the ability to send any one card attached to a champion to the discard pile, regardless of its immunities, is still pretty awesome.

#7 - Bastion (Inquisition, 7/99)

This land can send any non-realm card to the void during phase zero. Sounds great, and it would be #1 or #2 on this list if it didn't have such large disadvantages. First of all, you have to also discard Bastion to the void. Secondly, you have to raze another realm in your formation at the same time. So you lose two unrazed realms, to get rid of one of your opponent's cards. Is this ever a good trade-off? Only in the most dire of situations. Because it is great as a last-ditch-effort card, I'll give Bastion the #7 position on this list.

#6 - Burned At The Stake (Chaos, 55/72)

Although there won't be tons of opportunities to use this nifty little event, when it does go off it's so sweet that it deserves spot #6 on the list. Just after Helm, Gib Reltub, Phridge, or some other loser champion casts a spell, you can slap this baby down. So long as the spellcasting champion isn't a wizard or cleric, Burned at the Stake will send them to the abyss, unless they want to discard three cards - at random, which probably isn't happening. Nice card!

#5 - Zakhata, the False God (Conquest, 63/81)

One of the best avatar-nuking cards in Spellfire. Zakhata comes into play with a level equal to the combined level of all avatars on the table, which, in a multi-player game, could give you a level 25+ false god. She also makes all avatars in play vanilla. If I were you, I'd find a place in my deck for this card, especially if you're plagued by avatars the way I am.

#4 - Domination (Conquest, 19/81)

This card is almost as good as Tyranthraxus, which is really saying something. Your opponent has a troublesome champion? Pow! He's yours. Only problem is, he becomes a useless, drooling idiot who can take no action. But...so what? At least your enemy is deprived of his services. Plus you can still sacrifice him to bring out an avatar. Domination gains extra points from me for being a psionic power, which are notoriously difficult to counter.

#3 - Dispel Evil (Millennium, 43/95)

Okay, here we go with the top 3 sticker set cards! At #3 we find Dispel Evil. Why's it so great? Well there are some really powerful, pain-in-the-butt monsters floating around out there. Gib Lhadsemlo, for example. The Gorgon. Maybe even The Living Wall. This handy spell gets rid of them all, regardless of their immunities. Quick, reliable removal like this rates highly in my book.

#2 - Kronos the Titan (Millennium, 62/99)

I've already written about this guy here, naming him the best monster champion ever printed. He can swim. He can earthwalk. He casts just about every sort of spell. Plus he shuts down all other monsters' special powers. Oh, and in case you forgot, he's level 11. Yeah, Kronos is pretty decent! In fact, only one card from the sticker sets can exceed his primo-ness...

#1 - Dispel Illusion (Inquisition, 83/99)

I've already written about this card here, naming it the best wizard spell of all time. Not only that, but it's the best sticker-set card, as well as my personal choice of the most powerful Spellfire card ever printed. It can be cast at any time, allowing you to stop one card - ANY card - from being played. It also keeps your opponent from playing that card again until his or her next turn. So that Menzo or Caer Alison they were about to use to win? No dice. The champion they were about to slap down? See you next turn. The counterspell you baited from their hand? Gone. The sixth realm? Not so fast! This card is incredible, and every deck that has wizard spellcasting needs one.

Well, I managed to do a top 10 sticker cards list without mentioning any of the three cards I designed or co-designed. Although The Forgotten Idol (Millennium, 34/99), Insanely Good Fortune (Millenium, 47/99), and Gib Cram (Chaos, 5/72) are decent cards and fun to play with (I hope), they just can't measure up to the awesomeness that is present in the top 10 cards above.

Next Time: ...er....Psionic Power cards! :)

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!                      

Top 3: Clerics

Today I unveil my choices for the top three clerics in Spellfire. As always, my picks are based on the TAV format requirements. No avatars or gibs were considered.

#3 (Tie) - Delsenora (1st Edition chase, 10/25)

Upon further review, we have a tie at #3. Delsenora's ability to cancel an event as she is discarded is so powerful that she simply has to be on this top 3 list. Delsenora's effect can be a literal game-changer. She can stop an opponent's Caer Allison, Caravan, or Good Fortune, potentially crippling their hand or stopping a game-winning play. She can also safeguard your own interests by stopping an enemy Calm, Cataclysm, or Ambush. Events are so powerful (and important) in this game that any card able to mess with them has to be respected and planned for. Just having Delsenora in your pool can make other players wary and nervous about playing events. Their hesitation is your gain!
 
#3 (Tie) - Shayira (4th Edition, 286/500)

Just edging out Tyvorg, Ting Ling, and a few others we have Shayira, whom I have already written about here. The ability to ignore the special powers of all cards played against her in combat is just primo. She can't be killed by cheese, so must either be nuked in her pool by cards like Finger of Death and Drain Will, or beat in a level-up war. The downside to Shayira is her low level. Ordinarily, a level 3 champion is great for getting your own instant-kill cards off before your opponent does, but since Shayira is immune to them anyway a higher level would have made her even better. Oh, well. She's still good enough to take #3 on this list.
 
#2 -  Goldmoon (Artifacts, 83/100)

Now this is a powerhouse champion! Once per turn, at any time, she can grab a cleric spell from an opponent's discard pile and cast it. What an awesome ability! So, your enemy is pleased with himself after casting that Mindshatter, Creeping Doom, or Mindkiller? Wait until Goldmoon grabs it and beats him over the head with it. In a multi-player game, this champion is even better. Each turn there is likely to be a card to take out of an opponent's graveyard and cast. Another great use of Goldmoon is to wait until someone casts something you don't like, then instantly grab a Dispel from a player's discard pile. If it's an event you don't like, check around for an Intercession! See how great this champion is? Be warned, however, that Goldmoon has no immunities and attracts champion-killing cards like a magnet. 
 
#1 -  The Arch-Druid (4th Edition, 285/500)

So how can a cleric champion be better than Goldmoon? Well, if the Arch-Druid is around, Goldmoon won't be doing anything at all except taking up table space. This guy can neutralize all other clerics on the board, at the same time. Unless it's something you want to go off (like maybe a Creeping Doom against an enemy who is dangerously close to six realms), no cleric in play will be casting spells until the Druid is gone. Amazingly, his second power is also primo: he stops all avatars from being played while he's on the table. Note that he doesn't get rid of avatars already in play, so the best thing to do is slap down your own avatar, *then* play the Arch-Druid. If only this guy had some immunities, he'd be the best champion in the game! As it is he easily grabs the #1 spot on this list, and it's not close.

Disagree with my picks? Tell me how I messed up in the comments.

Next Time: Instant-kill realms! 

Top 3: Wizards

Okay folks, here's my list of the top 3 wizard champions in Spellfire. As always, my picks are designed with the Antigonish variant rules in mind.

No avatars and no Gibs were considered for this list. No Bigby, either.

#3 - Manshoon of the Zhentarim (Runes & Ruins chase, 6/25)

This guy is a great attacking champion. Launch an attack with Manshoon and take your best shot at defeating your opponent's blocker. If you win, great - you've just razed a realm and gained yourself a spoils. If you lose, just discard one card from your hand and Manshoon returns to your pool. He can't be used again until your next turn, but technically he hasn't been defeated, which means your opponent doesn't get a spoils. Manshoon also cannot be discarded by a Drain Will or other targeted champion-killing card. Definitely a primo wizard (I use him in my tournament deck), and worthy of the #3 spot on this list, just edging out Maldraedior.

#2 - Ellorelloran (The Underdark, 93/100)

Rule cards are tough to get rid of. Besides Wish and the Genie Bottle, there are precious few cards that can remove them. Slapping down your own rule card works, but what if you don't have one, or its already been played? Ellorelloran is one solution. She's level 9, can cast cleric spells, and can destroy any rule card when she is played. Later in the game she can be discarded to destroy a second rule card. The fact that she is immune to psionic powers is just icing on the cake. A high-level, versatile wizard with a unique power (that can be used twice) and a useful immunity - add it all up, you've got the #2 wizard in Spellfire.

#1 - Prismal the Outrageous (3rd Edition chase, 431/440)

There's no question this guy looks silly. Kind of a cross between Ron Weasley and the Incredible Hulk. But in a game of Spellfire, Prismal is no joke. First off, he's able to cast cleric spells as well as wizard. Secondly, he's immune to offensive magic items, so Vorpal Blade and the Rod of Seven Parts are useless against him. Thirdly, he can attack any Forgotten Realms land (and take his allies with him) regardless of where the realm is in the formation or what movement restriction it has. Lastly, if you win with Prismal, you get TWO spoils. Yes, you read that correctly. Can you say "card advantage"? Prismal is the real deal, which is why he's nestled snugly into both my tournament deck and the #1 spot on this list.

Disagree with my choices? Let me know in the comments.

Next time: When luck shines on you!

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.                        

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.