If you’ve ever played another TCG, undoubtedly the first jarring thing you notice when you logged into Elder Scrolls: Legends the first time is the introduction of a secondary battlefield. With other games, even a single battlefield can often lead to complex game states where hasty decisions can equate into wins and losses. As I’ve climbed to legend this month in ES:L, I’ve won plenty of games leveraging strategical advantages in lanes over my opponents. Let’s take a look at how the two lane system can affect your game and win percentage.

1.) The Normal Lane is the Aggressive Lane:

The Scenario: You’ve got the elixir in the Archer Midrange Mirror. You’re on the play and your opening hand is Ungolim, The Listener, Daring Cutpurse, and Fighter’s Guild Recruit. What do you do?

Let’s all be honest, we have all either done or seen our opponent do the following: Turn 1, Elixir of Magicka into Daring Cutpurse in the shadow lane. Then turn 2, baring relevent draws, turn 2 will turn into Fighter’s Guild Recruit into the Shadow Lane to protect your 3/3 Cutpurse. Why? Daring Cutpurse cannot be attacked in either lane the first turn on an empty board (barring charge, which isn’t very common in this meta). So the advantage of placing the Cutpurse in the Shadow Lane to protect it is negated. However, your opponent now has the option to challenge it in the shadow lane, and, after clearing the Fighter’s Guild Recruit, your opponent can set up a protected creature to deal with your threat.

A better line could be Turn 1, Ungolim, the Listener into the Normal lane followed by Turn 2, Daring Cutpurse into the Normal lane. The Ungolim contests your opponent’s creatures, trading up, and opening the lane for the Daring Cutpurse. The Fighter’s Guild Recruit can come down the following turn, and protect the now beefy Cutpurse. An alternative line can be to Turn 1 Elixir the Cutpurse into the Field Lane and then Turn 2, Fighter’s Guild Recruit and Elixir of Magicka into Ungolim into the Field Lane. This line is more aggressive, and more Magicka efficient and this article isn’t about which of the two lines is better, but do you see what they have in common? They both have you placing minions into the Field Lane.

By being in the Field Lane you allow your creatures to leverage advantageous trades. Ungolim can now trade into a 3/2 the following turn. The beefed up Cutpurse has the option to take a good trade when facing an opposing creature placed in the Field Lane. Either way you play out the hand, the common denominator is that your hand should be played out in the Field Lane.

2.) Pressuring Your Non-controlled Lane

The Scenario: You’re playing a Crusader (Red/Yellow) aggressive deck. The first three turns, you’ve built a solid board of T1, Fiery Imp, T2, Orc Clan Captain, T3 (Triggered) Resolute Ally. You’re opponent is on Control Mage (Blue/Yellow), but it seems they’ve had a clunky start and you have them down to 18 and their board is empty. You’re turn 4, you have Bog Lurcher and a Triumphant Jarl in hand. Where do you play the Bog Lurcher?

The Bog Lurcher is best suited in the Shadow Lane following your attack. Your opponent’s options are limited now. Firestorm isn’t a viable play. If targeted in the Shadow Lane, they have no Magicka available to prevent lethal from the Field Lane after they kill the Lurker. They also cannot protect themselves with a taunt creature such as Hive Defender, as they are going to take damage from the other lane. If they found a way to clear the Field Lane, they are staring down 9 damage the following turn. Even if they find an efficient answer such as Firebolt’ing the Lurcher, the best Guard they can play is a Camlorn Sentinel.

If the Bog Lurcher is played in the normal lane, firestorm kills both the Lurcher and your Fiery Imp. The following turn, your opponent can attempt to stabilize. By establishing pressure in the other lane, you ensure an aggressive play on the following turn.

3.) Guards in the Shadow Lane Force Interaction

When in a top deck situation, when your opponent is low on health, hiding your creature in the Shadow Lane give you a higher chance to survive for the last points on damage. Control decks should prioritize Guards in the Shadow Lane to prevent damage from slipping through while other creatures can deal with the normal lane. Guards in the Shadow Lane make it more difficult for threats to slip through and deal those last crucial points of damage.

Disclaimer: Each game is different and board states and game situations require optimal plays to shift and change on the fly. None of these rules of thumb is set in stone, but the lines of thought applied in this article can allow you to plan out moves taking full advantage of Legends two battlefields.