Epic: Dark Draft Decisions (13)

Here is the 13th Epic Dark Draft Decisions. For the new readers, here is what I'm doing:

I use a random card generator to generate a hand of 5 cards from a complete singleton set of Epic, which includes the Core, the Tyrants, and new Uprising sets. I will then analyze the hand and decide what I would tend to pick if I were to draw that hand in the Dark Draft format of play. I will decide which card to pick if I got that pack, as well as which 2 cards I'd pick if I got the remaining 4. For the sake of consistency, I will assume this is the first pack I open.

For your information and as a reminder, here are the Dark Draft rules from the official website:

Dark Draft (2 players)

• Shuffle a stack of at least 120 cards. Deal 5 to each player.
• Each player takes 1 card out of their hand of five cards and drafts it, then passes the other 4 to the other (at the same time).
• Each player takes 2 cards out of their new hand of four cards and drafts them, then discards the remaining two cards into a shared face-down discard pile.

Both players now have drafted three cards. Repeat nine times to get to a 30-card deck, shuffle and play.

This is a fun, fast, and skill-testing draft format for two players. Many of our competitive events use this format in the playoff rounds. This format is used in our World Championship. Source: http://www.epiccardgame.com/formats-draft/

This is our 13th pack.

 

 

Huh, what a coincidence. Every single title champion from Uprising and one of the worst regarded cards in Epic. What are the chances? Let's just gloss over that and dive into this crazy pack.

Chamberlain Kark - Well, this is the one format where Kark is actually not great. He's a solid body that could possibly give you some extra health but there is a greater chance of you seeing this exact pack than getting his win condition I'd say.

The Risen - If you are desperate for chump blockers then maybe this can save you, but that's about it. Perhaps if you brought a Soul Hunter into play this turn you could give him +1/1 and Blitz, but this card is just outshown by so many other Epic cards. It doesn't even have a draw 2 option.

Scarros, Hound of Draka - This guy really scared me when he first came out. I have since calmed down a bit but he's definitely still a threat. Even with minimal loyalty reveal, he can wipe the opponent's board of most weenie blockers, AND deal a little damage to your opponent. If you manage to go hard into Wild, then this guy really ramps up in power. He doesn't have Ambush or Blitz, but your opponent will most likely have to spend gold to get rid of him, or at least be afraid or him coming in and wrecking your day.

Velden, Frost Titan - Besides having the best art of the leaders in Uprising (setting aside the controversial possibility that the art was stolen online), he's a very solid character. Sitting comfortably in one of the most sought after factions in Epic, you will most likely be trying to draft other Sage cards, making him that much better. He is a huge Blitzing body that can easily wipe away defenders, and really punish your opponent for spending gold first. I love using him to wipe my opponent's pesky tokens off the board for good, but in a pinch putting several gold costing champions in my opponent's hand can set them back a lot too.

Zannos, Corpse Lord - I was most excited about this guy when he was first revealed. I love themed decks and making a zombie deck got me very excited. He is also in Evil, which is probably my favorite faction. He's also a very solid champion. Putting out several bodies that cannot easily be removed is an amazing ability in Epic. Giving you a health swing can also be life saving, and then also having a huge body to cause your opponent harm is icing on the cake. He does require more loyalty to be at his best, even more so than the some of the other title Uprising leaders, but I am never sad going into Evil in a Dark Draft.

For me I think this boils down to Velden vs Zannos. Scarros is very decent and I like Wild a lot, but I think Velden and Zannos are better and more devastating, especially in Limited. My play style swings towards the aggressive which would favor Velden over Zannos because of his Blitz. I do really love the possible health swing and established chump blockers though, since Limited sees more of the large champions without Breakthrough. Plus, I generally favor Evil over Sage, simply due to preference. So with that in mind I think I would be going for Zannos. I really wouldn't blame anyone for taking Scarros or Velden though, as they are both very good. I think it might come down to which faction you generally like to go after in a Dark Draft.

I would definitely be looking for some single card removal spells for the inevitable Scarros and Velden picks that my opponent would get though. Needless to say those two would easily be my choice if I were to receive that pack.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed the lucky 13th Dark Draft Decisions. Let me know if you agree in the comments and happy gaming!