So, in case you haven’t heard, the next two packs of the Pantheon set are now available at your local game stores and on the Wise Wizard Games store. Angeline vs Scara and Gareth vs Lashnok. I’ve been so excited to get my hands on them, and I am sure you have too. This release gets me reinvigorated in the game and I am really looking forward to hearing more news about the remaining packs from Pantheon. I thought it might be nice to go over some highlights from these two packs.

First, let’s go over Scarra vs Angeline: The cards I am most excited about from this pack are Silver Wing Guardian, Force Lance, Steel Titan, and Keira, Wolf Caller.

Silver Wing Guardian

What’s not to love about this card? Airborne, Ambush, Righteous, an automatic 4 health boost upon entry, and a solid 6/6 statline. Not to mention this is an angel, who happen to be one of my favorite races in the game, but this card also happens to be one of the best pieces of art as well. I love the dark boots and buckles to contrast the white and gold that is typically associated with angel art. But the pose is suitably epic and action-oriented, and it feels like a compelling story just within the art. Everything is so beautiful. I love the card in play as well. Team Pluck You used this card to great effect during the Epic Championship last year. It is just so versatile and can fit in any deck due to not requiring any loyalty. It obviously is best used when your opponent has spent gold on their turn and attacked you, and then you ambush this battle bird in for a potential +10 health, or more if you have events. Then you get to attack with it on your turn and do the same thing. It can really help you stay alive when you need to, and it provides enough offense to be threatening. This card is amazing in Constructed and Limited formats, and I expect it will be a favorite of many. This might be my favorite card of the whole set at least.

Force Lance

Speaking of the Pluck You team, you might have noticed they also used Force Lance in their decks, which also happened to be my pack MVP when I first reviewed this set. It’s an amazing event that can fit in any deck as well, provided you have the 1-cost Sage cards as well for deck legality. The +2 damage is nice, but the real thing is getting Unbreakable and a Recycle trigger. This is a huge help to aggressive decks, who rely on doing a lot of damage quickly and usually require cheap card draw as well. Plus, unlike Brave Squire, which serves a similar purpose, it is a Sage card, which is generally more favorable to splash in aggressive decks. This card works wonders in both Constructed and Limited play as well. I also really like the art of this card, although I do wish that some of those orcs could make it into Epic.

Steel Titan

This card packs some serious power. All of the Unblockable giants in Pantheon are game changers, and this one continues the trend. That Untargetable alongside a monster statline makes this guy really hard to get rid of. Although he may be a little too slow for Constructed (Final Task, anyone?), he is ridiculous in Limited, and can single handedly win you the game if your opponent is not prepared or does not have a good counter. Plus, once again, that art is amazing. Who doesn’t love a rampaging, gold infused golem with incandescent purple magic flowing through it, smashing some poor castle wall, while trebuchets fling meaningless pebbles at it? Epic indeed.

Keira, Wolf Caller

I have been really looking forward to this card since it was first released as part of the Kickstarter edition of this game as a promo. I have a soft spot for themed, mass minion decks, and the wolves have been needing this piece of the puzzle. She can help the wolves hit fast and hard. If you are not prepared for her removal, or mass removal, she can end your game really quick. I also like how she just gives you some wolves upon entry, so she is still decent in the drafting Limited format as well.

 

Now, let’s go over Gareth vs Lashnok: The cards I am most excited about from this pack are Brak, Fist of Lashnok, Master Forcemage, and New Dawn.

Brak, Fist of Lashnok

What’s not to love about this guy? He’s one of the hardest hitting champions out there, Unblockable except for guys as strong as him, which by the way without outside buffs are just 2 other cards besides him, none of which have Ambush, He can draw you a card and be Unbreakable on the turn you play him, and of course the best part; he’s a Minotaur! I was so excited for him coming to play because one of my favorite decks are big Wild champions with sneaky events, and this guy fits so well. My sneakiest tactic? Play Final Task while he is in a discard pile, and all of a sudden he is a Blitzing 14/11, Unblockable by weaker champions, and with Loyalty he is Unbreakable (take that Final Task) and draws me a card! Unless your opponent has a bouncing effect or banish, they are in for a world of hurt.

Master Forcemage

Somewhere in between Helion and the Forcemage Apprentice with a dash of Pyromancer you will find this guy, which I think is fitting. He is a master of tiny removal and plinking your opponent’s health down. Every Sage 1-cost card you play, he untaps, allowing for more hits. He requires no Loyalty and has Ambush with a decent statline. Combine this with Gareth’s Will for even more shenanigans! I have really enjoyed him in my 0-cost weenie attack deck with Sage trickery. It uses cards like Shadow Imp and Little Devil to provide a lot of hard-to-deal-with attackers, and then cards like Master Forcemage and Forcemage Apprentice to plink an opponent’s health down. It’s a lot of fun when it works.

New Dawn

Despite it being on turn, this is still a solid removal card. Plus, you can get a champion on the board as well! Now you have to be careful, since your opponent can also do it, but combine this with a Sea Titan who can bounce back whatever champion they put out? Fun stuff. Not to mention, you can always Draw 2, which is one of the most important abilities a card can have. Also, you have your choice between two pieces of art, both of which are beautiful.

 

I am so excited about these packs. Wise Wizard Games has continued to make amazing cards with amazing art, without power creep, and have contributed to Epic retaining its position as my favorite card game. I hope everyone else is as excited as I am. What cards are you most looking forward to? What’s your favorite art?

This is a guest blogpost from Brad Minnigh. Brad is married with 3 kids, and plays a variety of board games/card games/video games. He is an avid boardgamegeek and has been very active on a number of game forums as well as a Senior Playtester and guest designer for the successful Summoner Wars card game by Plaid Hat Games. For Epic, he has managed to organize two World Qualifiers at his local gaming store, and he is looking forward to more events!