The excitement of the class of Conclave Arcana is still very fresh, and I've had a chance to play with many, though not all, cards in the set. In particular, I do have all Legendary cards maxed out, so I'm starting off my tier ratings with the Legendary cards.
Note that Sheng-Xiao (the Archon) is excluded as I'll be doing a separate one for the Archons.
Without further ado, here are my ratings, followed below by an explanation for each placement and brief analysis of the cards:
S Tier
#1. Gramel: I'm fairly confident Gramel is the top Legendary card in the set, although there's an argument for the next guy as well and the gap between the two is small. Gramel is an offensive beast with his triple attack and Relentless Strike (which ignores Shield/Void and even adds more damage to those cards). His Scattershot pairs very well with some Archons (particularly Cryptic w/ Poison) as well as Nidhoggr (either Blast or Execute can work). And Shapeshift is a meta-ability, with the ability to synergize with abilities like Bloodline Tribute as well as the new dominion Archons. It'll only get stronger when the Legendary Archons come on-board, as they're likely to have dominion-based abilities as well. Lastly, while he's rather expensive (11 mana), the fact that he's neutral does give him some versatility.
#2. Oridum Graybrow: Graybrow is an absolute beast. Some are calling him the "Venka-killer", which alone would put him towards the top of the list given how powerful Venka is (he's a Venka killer thanks to his Thorns/Piercing/Resurgence/Spite combo). While he's particularly strong against Melee units, he brings in Magic Reflect as a bonus. The Resurgence/Spite combo, with good starting melee damage, makes him likely to kill whoever kills him, and then he comes back for another round. Pair him with cards that Inspire to increase the chances of a kill with Spite. He works well with multiple Archons including Drath (for True Strike) and Lorkus (either ability, depending on the battle). Also a possible match for Sheng-Xiao (with Poison Burst) or Nidhoggr (with either Execute or Blast). Absolute beast and quite versatile too at 7 mana.
#3. Inept Healer: 3 mana with Corrupted Healing? Yes please! Think about how strong the Weaver is - Inept Healer is even better in some respects. More defensive, but also cheaper (3 mana vs 5). And in magic-only rulesets, the Magic Reflect / Phase / Void combo is one of the best in the game. Those alone, without Corrupted Healing, would already put this card up there for 3 mana. It also works REALLY well with Lorkus (Life Leech and +1 Magic). This little dwarf is far, far from being inept.
#4. Jicarilla The Rime: Jicarilla might be my favorite card in the set (the look and the sustain abilities, which I love). Jicarilla will heal the tank and cleanse the back line TWICE (thanks to Echo) each round, which is ridiculous on its own. And to boot, she gives phase to the card in front of her (perfect for Cryptic teams with a tank up and Jicarilla in position 2). She can also work amazingly with EMP, where you can give her Cleanse/Repair so that she does those two things TWICE each turn as well!
#5. Moribund Arrowbait: Bait those arrows, because this guy wants to fall to give a Bloodline Tribute to fellow Ulund and Shapeshifters. For 4 mana, you get a double attack (really not the draw here), Relentless Strike (kind of odd), and Bloodline Tribute (that's the draw). Stick it in front in regular matches, second position in Snipe rulesets, last position in Super Sneak or Opportunity. Combine it with revivers (e.g. Goff or the new Treefolk reviver from Earth if using Tofu) to get additional Bloodline Tributes. And then stick as many common Dominion cards in there (particularly the promo cards, and in particular Gramel) and watch them go off.
#6. Bren Palesworn: So for 6 mana you get a double attack with True Strike and Sneak and you get Shapeshift, which we've already established is amazing... AND you get Weapons Training! Oh and it's a neutral card, which makes it highly versatile. Only downside it it's a bit squishy at 5 health, so it might kill itself depending on who's in the back line, and could get targeted by Opportunity. Also the Melee/Ranged combo will typically require a particular ruleset to enable the Weapon Trained card to do both attacks. With that said, Bren is still an S tier in my book.
A Tier
#7. Filthy Scavenger: This guy's my first A Tier Legendary card in the set because of the value you get at 4 mana (4 damage Opportunity card with Ambush!) as well as the terrific synergy he'll give other Gnomes via Bloodline Tribute. You need to be thoughtful about where to place him if you want the Tribute to play, but even if it doesn't the rest of his stats are terrific.
#8. Bellowmancer: I had Bellomancer a bit lower initially, but the reality is that this is a highly versatile Taunt/Tank. It can go in the back as it deals Magic damage, is resistant to both Magic (with Void Armor) and non-Magic (with Shield), and the fact that it's neutral gives it a ton of versality. Pair it with some revivers like Goff and that Void Armor will play a huge role. It's doesn't synergize well with the Ulund summoner as it already has Shield however. The Reveal here is just a plus - not sure quite how to value that in this case.
#9. Taye Loreswift: Taye is a great little card. At 3 mana, you get Inspire which already makes her valuable in many lineups. Then you have Reach & Piercing with 3 Melee damage (which goes up to 4 from her own Inspire) and that's a huge damage-to-mana ratio. She's Neutral to boot, making her highly versatile. Only thing is she's very squishy and not very fast.
#10. Craniax The Quick: Craniax may be meta, but it's not clear yet. He'll also be one of those extremely HARD-to-play cards. All that is due to Final Rest, which disables abilities that trigger after death. To use Craniax well you need to be mindful about not relying on any such abilities in your own lineup. However you can absolutely neuter opponents who may rely on those abilities. The rest of his kit is interesting, albeit a bit oddly matched. He'll hurt nearby allies when attacking which can help trigger Painforge, and besides that he brings a medley of secondary abilities that, in my opinion, don't dramatically affect his value.
#11. Zargrul: Zargrul's primary value comes from dying to give Bloodline Tribute to Orcs and Shapeshifters. On the Orcs side there are a few decent winner - in particular I like Argarux Magus, who has Bloodlust and getting some extra attack from Zargrul's tribute can help him get closer to popping off. Warborn Shaman (the promo) also benefits a lot. But the main two takers are the two CA promos - Gramel and the Skinwalker - thanks to their Shapeshift. The rest of Zargrul's kit is weird though, as neither Painforge nor Execute will likely play given that, once again, his primary role is to die!
#12. Palifala Weslinath: This card is just vastly inferior to Olivia. And yes, Olivia's S+ Tier. Palifala's Sneak/Relentless Strike combo is cool, but then Close Range makes Sneak feel like a throwaway. 3 ranged damage at 2 speed (literally the worst speed possible, as it's not even best in Reverse Speed) is mediocre. Buuut Mimic saves it some, as that's an ability that can always turn the tide in battle. Low A Tier in my opinion.
#13. Mahkah Hemlig: This card's a bit expensive when you look at the initial stats, BUT that Opportunity/Scavenger combo can be fantastic. Assuming it can survive a few rounds, Hemlig can be quite the sniper.
B Tier
#14. Desolation: I would love to love this card...but I just don't see it. Ranged is very unfortunate here, as the Enraged doesn't really help (only gives it speed). Wingbreak is very situational. Piercing is nice, but really the least he could do. And Spite is good, but with this particular kit I wouldn't call it great. If it was melee it would easily have been an A Tier.
C Tier
#15. Decrepit Windseer: Just a really weird kit to be honest. What does Echo even do here? Of course Tofu can give it Triage, so that might work, but then it has Bloodline Tribute which means you kind of want it to die. BUT even if it does give a tribute, it's Ranged so unless you're using a Bloodline Dominion summoner to get someone like Anachron Bolter in, I don't feel you'll get much value from the Windseer's tribute. And Reveal and Thorns just feel like odd throw-ins.
Overall, the Legendary class of Conclave Arcana is very powerful and, in my opinion, well balanced. I'm confident the Legendaries are the best cards in this set, which is exactly how you want it to be. Also, no D/F Tier cards, which is awesome to see. Good work to the product & design team (and the community!) on these.
Let me know what you think in the comments, particularly if you think I got any of these ratings wrong.
<3
