Let's take a look at my Top 5 Shadows Reprints from Keyforge's newest 5th set, Dark Tidings. If you are just joining me, you can check out previous analysis of the Houses, Logos, Sanctum, and Saurian. I shall start as I always do with a list of all the reprinted cards Shadows gets in Dark Tidings, alongside their card number and rarity.
Deipno Spymaster - 194 - R
Finch Cloak - 197 - R
Finishing Blow - 198 - R
Mack the Knife - 199 - R
Mastermindy - 200 - R
Master Plan - 201 - R
Mole - 202 -R
Ring of Invisibility - 204 - R
Sack of Coins - 205 - R
Scowly Caper - 206 - R
Smiling Ruth - 207 - R
The Shadow Council - 209 - R
Booby Trap - 212 -U
"Borrow" - 213 - U
Brend the Fanatic - 214 - U
Little Niff - 217 - U
Miasma Bomb - 218 - U
Old Bruno - 220 - U
Ransack - 221 - U
Whisper 226 - U
Francis the "Economist" - 228 - C
Mug - 236 - C
Seeker Needle - 240 - C
Shoulder Id - 241 - C
Ok, sneaking into the Shadows to take a better look at Shadows reprints. In general, I think most people agree that Shadows hasn't been the same since AoA. They got hit pretty hard with the nerf hammer in WC, and they haven't really recovered. I think they have improved a little in this set, but we'll have to see how consistent the Tide mechanic is to keep these guys competitive. But, for now let's look at the reprints Shadows gets. I was tempted to put in Brend the Fanatic, as I love that little guy, but without some good self-killing cards or copious amounts of Hazardous creatures, he is more unreliable in this set. But I do think there are some solid reprints to look out for. I also debated on Masterplan, but I liked other cards, and I felt like Masterplan was never as good as just archiving, which this set has in spades. But anyway, onto the list!
#5 Mug
Like the drinking receptacle that houses some delectable hot chocolate with marshmallows on a cold, winter's night, this Shadows' version of Mug takes us back to when Shadows ruled the land. We may not have all the same toys that we had back then, but Mug has always felt pretty close. Moving amber rather than capturing or stealing, gets around a lot of annoying cards. Dealing 2 damage can be useful to remove something, but it mostly was good at getting rid of wards. The amber bonus however pushes this card nicely into amber rush territory. You can also play it on your own creatures in a pinch to prevent your opponent from getting back their captured amber. This is a card that I always welcome in my decks.
#4 Scowly Caper
I will probably get some flak for this placement, but I think Scowly Caper could be an invaluable tool in the Shadows arsenal. I think board control will be very important, and between Unfathomable exhausting and Sanctum stunning (or giant creatures in Saurian and Untamed), it's very possible Shadows could find themselves unable to deal with an opponent's board. Luckily, Scowly Caper is here to sabotage an opponent's plans. I don't like giving my opponent a free amber every turn for reaping, but I've seen Scowly single handedly win games due to my opponent never being able to get a board going. If they don't have self removal (no Pawn Sarifice of Life for a Life), or you don't have a bunch of creatures with Hazardous, your opponent will actually find Scowly hard to deal with. I remember I almost lost in Day 2 of a Vault Tour against former team member Team SAS's Erich Taylor due to stupid Scowly. Luckily I had a ton of creatures in my deck. But still, he can win games, and I expect him to be very good in this set.
#3 Miasma Bomb
I think I will always prefer Miasma, but if I can't have that, Miasma Bomb is a fine substitute. I do like the bonus damage icon and the fact that it is an artifact and therefore won't clog my hand. Having this around to buy yourself time, especially in the end game, is quite frequently game deciding. Just hope your opponent doesn't get rid of it or steal it themselves. But I will take that risk if it allows me to have this in a Shadows deck.
#2 Old Bruno
I remember when Old Bruno was very good, but not broken, probably due to how amazing the rest of Shadows was. Then I remember Old Bruno getting better when Saurian came around, throwing wrenches in stealing strategies. And so I continue to remember that Old Bruno is an amazing card to have in one's deck. He is truly getting old 5 sets in, but old age isn't diminishing his returns at all.
#1 "Borrow"
I feel pretty good about this pick. Artifact hate has always been important to Keyforge, and Shadows has had the best cards for that. I am sad that we don't also have Hock or Sneklifter, but Borrow is a fine substitute because it is Sneklifter but with a bonus amber! Artifacts seem to be just as important, if not moreso in this set than others. There are some really scary combos out there that rely on Artifacts, and if you can remove them or use them yourself, you will have a serious advantage. I have felt like most of my best decks, if they are missing something, it's usually in the realm of artifact hate. The only "hate" that is harder to come by in Keyforge I feel is archiving. Borrow is something that could easily turn a lackluster Shadows component, into something competitive.
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And that's it for Shadows. Although I think Shadows got some really good reprints, I still think the House overall is not as good as some of the other Houses, and it doesn't hold a candle to Shadows as it was in the first 2 sets. I do think they will be better than the previous 2 sets, so it's a step in the right direction. Do you think I missed the mark, or have I finally created a list that people agree with? It's fine if you don't agree though. Actually, I'd love to hear how I'm wrong, so please feel free to inform me in the comments. Thanks for reading and happy gaming!
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