I have been playing lots of Eternal lately, and with the NDA lifted, it is time to put out my thoughts on the cards! I am going to work my way through reviewing all of the cards, next up are the Elysian(Time/Primal) and Combrei(Justice/Time) factions. I am rating the cards 0.0 to 5.0, with 5.0 being the best. I will have both draft and ranked ratings. My draft ratings for multi-faction cards assume you are already in those factions. You do need to be careful first picking multi-faction cards because you sometimes will need to abandon them. Enjoy!
Reviews
Time | Primal | Shadow | Fire | Justice | Elysian – Combrei | Feln – Stonescar | Rakano – Factionless
Accelerated Evolution
Draft: 4.5
Ranked: 2.0
This card is an absolute beating in draft. It is flexible and powerful, being able to give a large unit flying or a large flier Endurance is excellent. Not to mention being able to remove any pesky Permafrosts that might be on your units. You can even Vultron up a single unit if the situation calls for it. I have seen many draft games end due to this card. This hasn’t seen much play in ranked so far, but I think it isn’t out of the question. Giving Dawnwalker or Cirso, the Great Glutton flying is nice.
Call the Ancients
Draft: 3.5
Ranked: 2.0
Given the size of draft decks, this actually is a playable card in draft. If you can build your deck to draw extra cards or go to the late game, it gets a lot better. Given the deck size in ranked, this is a lot harder to make work there.
Champion of Wisdom
Draft: 4.0
Ranked: 4.0
A super powerful card in both ranked and draft that rewards you going hard on influence from both factions. If you ever turn both halves on in draft, you have a threat that must be dealt with very quickly. Even if you only turn on one half, you get a pretty valuable unit either way. It is a cornerstone of Elysian ranked decks being able to trigger Dawnwalker and just providing a very powerful unit.
Cirso, the Great Glutton
Draft: 5.0
Ranked: 5.0
One of the best cards in the set and a strong reason to play a heavy Elysian build. The rate on this card is outrageous for what it does. It often requires your opponent to three for one themselves to try and block it fairly. On defense, no ground unit can profitably attack into it. At least in draft there are enough cheap and weak units that you can often force it to sit back on defense. Given its strength on defense, games usually devolve into a massive board stall when Cirso is involved and doesn’t run away with the game on its own. In ranked, he does have weaknesses to Assembly Line and other token producers that threaten to trade one for one with him. I wouldn’t fault anyone for crafting four Sandstorm Titan and four Circos as their first eight legendary cards.
Cocoon
Draft: 0.0
Ranked: 1.0
Unplayable in draft, but this appears to be a side deck card designed to punish burn decks. Unfortunately, the burn deck doesn’t seem eminently playable, and thus this hasn’t seen much play.
Crown of Possibilities
Draft: 3.0
Ranked: 3.5
One of the most fun cards in the game and the cornerstone of the Clockroaches deck in ranked. The deck has definitely dropped off the map from Tier 1 status, but don’t let that stop you from playing it! When it goes off, there are few decks that can compete. For those not in the Beta yet, here is how the combo works. If you have a Crown in play and draw a Clockroach, that Clockroach will get a random ability. The Echo trigger than happens, copying that Clockroach and drawing it. This means the second Clockroach has the first ability that the Crown granted and also gets a second random ability. Things get crazy when you use Sandform to copy that second Clockroach to grant a third and fourth ability to the next copies. Eventually if you copy the Clockroaches enough you end up with some absurd units. The best ability to hit is often Destiny, which causes you to immediately put the unit into play and draw a card. I have had a game where I went turn three Crown turn four draw a Twinbrood Sauropod with Destiny putting both copies into play for free and draw two cards! Crown is okay in draft, but it is a lot less reliable if you don’t have Echo units or Second Sight. Don’t take it too highly, but if you are Elysian I would play it.
Crystalline Chalice
Draft: 4.0
Ranked: 2.0
The Chalice is extremely good in draft where often a third or more of your units can be targeted by it. It is very easy to run away with the game when you are buffing units and drawing extra cards each turn. It is pretty slow for ranked, but I won’t rule it out entirely.
Curiox, the Collector
Draft: 5.0
Ranked: 3.0
Forgetting the Fate ability, which won’t always come up, Curiox will often win a draft a game on his own. In draft you are a lot more likely to draw the Dragon’s Eye ( 0 : Draw Three Cards) given the size of the decks. In ranked, Curiox is clearly playable, but has not been making the cut of most decks that can cast him it seems. It is cute to put him back on top with Second Sight to add more Dragon’s Eyes to your deck.
Elysian Banner
Draft: 3.0
Ranked: 4.5
The first of the influence fixers for each faction. These are a four of in any Elysian ranked deck that plays enough units and you clearly would never cut them from an Elysian draft deck either. The Banners can be a liability in tri+faction decks that don’t run enough units, but in any straight Elysian build you will play all four. The question is how high to draft them, and usually I would take 3.0 rated cards over it unless I was trying for an ambitious splash.
Explorer Emeritus
Draft: 4.5
Ranked: 2.0
It is very hard to lose a draft game where you cast Explorer Emeritus and it lives for more than a few turns. The card advantage snowballs very quickly. In ranked he is too fragile for the cost in most cases, but I won’t rule him out entirely.
False Prince
Draft: 3.0
Ranked: 4.0
Another key part of the Elysian ranked midrange deck. This combos very well with Dawnwalker and it provides a powerful undercosted threat. It does fail against Torch, but the amount of damage it can do if they don’t have the Torch makes it a no brainer to play in Elysian ranked decks. There are definitely solid answers to it if people want to beat the card, such as Vara’s Favor or Temper, but these aren’t SO popular that you don’t want to gamble with the Prince. He is a little weaker in draft because people play so many other types of spells that can render him pretty weak.
Fortunate Stranger
Draft: 2.5
Ranked: 1.5
If you happen to have a lot of strangers, I wouldn’t mind playing this in draft. We have talked a lot about the theoretical stranger deck and I think this would be a part of one if it existed.
Gemini Ritual
Draft: 4.0
Ranked: 2.0
I imagine it is hard to lose if you resolve this in draft on any reasonable unit. I haven’t seen it in action yet, but that is probably more due to its rarity and expensiveness than anything else. People often rare draft Legendaries which means that unless the person happens to be in the faction of a legendary, they will usually end up unplayed. This is probably too slow for ranked, but it is powerful and you get your power’s worth of stats.
Hunting Pteriax
Draft: 4.0
Ranked: 3.5
An absolute beating in draft that can sometimes net you a card by ambushing a smaller flier. This even sees play in ranked sometimes as another way to bring back Dawnwalker, and at fast speed!
Psionic Savant
Draft: 3.5
Ranked: 1.0
This is a fine finisher in draft, though it can be slow to get going. This is far too slow for ranked where it matches up very poorly with Torch and most of the other removal.
Pteriax Hatchling
Draft: 3.5
Ranked: 3.0
One of the better reasons to be Elysian in draft. Playing a large number of fliers is a good way to win, and this card provides two! This is probably too slow for ranked, but the rate is there.
Seat of Wisdom
Draft: 3.0 (currently not in the draft pool)
Ranked: 5.0
Similar to the Banners, but the Seats require that you play a certain number of Sigils in order to not be depleted. Luckily a number of effects search up Sigils which can help these come into play as normal. Elysian decks tend to run four of these in ranked and Seats play nicer in tri+faction decks assuming you have enough Sigils.
Shimmerpack
Draft: 4.5
Ranked: 2.0
I have lost enough times to this in draft to say that is probably just a bomb. There are enough cheap units that you want to play anyway for your curve that this ends up being a sizeable bonus when cast. You can do some cute things with this in ranked as well, but likely it is too slow overall.
Storm Lynx
Draft: 3.5
Ranked: 3.5
Strong unit on rate that will often net you a card if you have it early. It is not totally nuts because its value decreases dramatically as you get past turn two. One of the better answers to an Oni Ronin in either format.
Traveling Camel
Draft: 2.5
Ranked: 3.0
Not the best card in draft, this doesn’t impact the board quite enough to be an automatic playable, but you can include it in a pinch. In ranked this was a big part of control decks early in the beta, and I have tried it in a Clockroaches deck, but it suffers from not impacting the board enough and failing to Torch.
Unexpected Arrival
Draft: 4.0
Ranked: 3.5
Flexible card that can be quite powerful as a power sink late in the game. Has definitely seen play in ranked as well.
A New Tomorrow
Draft: 0.0
Ranked: 2.0
This is completely unnecessary in draft but you can do some sweet combo things in ranked with this card. It goes well with Empower units and can let you go nuts with a single Siraf, Crownwatch Hero. Usually this isn’t played, but I won’t rule it out entirely.
Awakened Student
Draft: 4.0
Ranked: 3.5
One of the best two drops in draft if you can cast it right away. It demands an answer quickly or it will run away with the game. Certainly seen play in ranked as well.
Champion of Progress
Draft: 4.0
Ranked: 2.0
Hard to turn on in draft, but the base size is big enough to be playable. If you ever get there, it becomes very hard to deal with. In ranked, there are better things to do normally.
Combrei Banner
Draft: 3.0
Ranked: 4.5
These are a four of in any Combrei ranked deck that plays enough units and you clearly would never cut them from an Combrei draft deck either. The Banners can be a liability in tri+faction decks that don’t run enough units, but in any straight Combrei build you will play all four. The question is how high to draft them, and usually I would take 3.0 rated cards over it unless I was trying for an ambitious splash.
Combrei Healer
Draft: 3.5
Ranked: 3.5
Rock solid unit in both formats. One of the better ways to stabilize against an aggressive deck. It also has added flexibility to target another unit that might benefit more from the pump.
Copperhall Elite
Draft: 3.5
Ranked: 3.5
Another rock solid playable that can be hard to deal with. It faces stiff competition with Sandstorm Titan in ranked, but has found a home in the Divining Rod Overwhelm deck.
Desert Marshal
Draft: 3.5
Ranked: 4.5
A solid playable in draft, but one of the better cards in the set for ranked play. There are number of juicy silence targets and being able to ambush a Killer trigger or Relic Weapon can be huge. A very solid reason to play Combrei altogether.
Enlightened Stranger
Draft: 3.0
Ranked: 1.5
This is pretty risky in draft, but if you have a large amount of strangers you can consider it. Could be a thing in ranked if strangers evolves into a playable deck.
Karmic Guardian
Draft: 4.0
Ranked: 3.5
One of the best things to put a weapon on in draft. You can run away with a game very quickly with this card. This is one of the key parts of the Divining Rod fliers deck in ranked but otherwise doesn’t usually see play.
Minotaur Ambassador
Draft: 3.0
Ranked: 2.0
Not exactly what you want in draft, you rarely need 8+ power, but I probably wouldn’t cut it from most Combrei decks. Combos well with Empower in ranked, but probably too slow.
Reality Warden
Draft: 4.5
Ranked: 4.0
An absurdly large body for the cost with a relevant ability makes this one of the better five drops in the game. A solid answer to Dawnwalker and other shenanigans in ranked, but normally you are playing this to return your own Dawnwalkers or to pair with a Sauropod Wrangler or Initiate of the Sands to drop a huge body early in the game. This does face competition from Marshall Ironthorn and most Combrei decks play a mix of both.
Safe Return
Draft: 2.5
Ranked: 1.0
This won’t usually make the cut in my draft decks, but it is not the worst to play. The problem is that it is situational and a negative tempo play a lot of the time. There probably isn’t room for this in ranked.
Scepter of Nobility
Draft: 4.5
Ranked: 2.0
I imagine it is very hard to beat this in draft, but it does require you have a stable board for it to do anything. A great way to end a stalemate. This is too slow and fragile for ranked. I imagine people prefer playing the safer Xenan Obelisk which impacts the board immediately and is harder to remove.
Seat of Progress
Draft: 3.0 (currently not in the draft pool)
Ranked: 5.0
Similar to the Banners, but the Seats require that you play a certain number of Sigils in order to not be depleted. Luckily a number of effects search up Sigils which can help these come into play as normal. Elysian decks tend to run four of these in ranked and Seats play nicer in tri+faction decks assuming you have enough Sigils.
Siraf, Crownwatch Hero
Draft: 5.0
Ranked: 5.0
One of the best cards in the set in either format. As purely a three drop it is one of the most efficient in the game, but the real payoff is in the late game where you can cleanly take things over by generating large threats each turn at no card loss. There are a handful of bad hits, but these are mostly outweighed by how dominating most of the hits are. It is crucial to save silence or removal effects for these in ranked!
Squad Strategist
Draft: 4.0
Ranked: 3.5
A part of the Divining Rod Overwhelm deck, this is playable in ranked but usually doesn’t make the cut. In draft it is a powerful play, especially with fliers.
Stand Together
Draft: 4.5
Ranked: 4.5
A devastating trick that can counter a removal spell, or even Harsh Rule, while pumping your team. You can net a lot of cards with this one card, not to mention the lasting buffs. This is a little bit underplayed in ranked, but I strongly recommend at least two in most Combrei decks.
Stronghold’s Visage
Draft: 3.5
Ranked: 4.0
A cornerstone of the T/J/P control decks in ranked, this is also playable in draft. If you can protect your Relic Weapons with this in play, the armor gain each turn will give lasting effect to your Relic Weapon. This is especially powerful in ranked with Staff of Stories.
The Great Parliament
Draft: 5.0
Ranked: 4.5
It is hard to imagine a better thing to do on turn four in draft that also is insane on turn eight and beyond. A clear cut game winner all the way around. In ranked you can combo this with Stand Together when at 8 power in order to get two fliers and protect them from Harsh Rule. The only thing keeping the Parliament from running away with things in Ranked is how popular Sandstorm Titan is.
Vodakhan’s Staff
Draft: 4.5
Ranked: 3.0
This is an absolute beating in draft that will often win the game without needing to be recurred later, but it is nice to have the option. Plenty powerful for ranked as well, but not seeing as much play lately.
Vodakhan, Temple Speaker
Draft: 4.0
Ranked: 4.0
One of the more fun units in the game. Turning every future power draw into ramp and an extra card is an absurd effect. Combos VERY well with anything that tutors up power. Combos amazingly with any Empower cards in general. You can do some truly broken things in ranked with this, but its cost keeps it from dominating ranked.
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-Ben @bchap55
