Primordial Knowledge – Shake it up

by Varranis | Twitch | Twitter | Team Fade 2 Karma

Few things are more exciting for competitive PVP than the release of a new set, and Primal Dawn is poised to shake up the meta in a big way. While there are sure to be a myriad of successful new decks within the month, experienced players can gain an early edge by self-identifying the new cards likely to make the biggest impact on the format. Today we’re going to talk about touch upon that process as well as discuss the cards I think will most impact the constructed meta.

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

Bad cards don’t stay that way forever. A deck’s success is predicated upon how it interacts with the cards around it – both those in your own deck and those in your opponent’s deck. Though rare, even textless troops can see play if they sport a strong enough cost to stat ratio and match up well against other popular troops. It’s important to look back at old, underplayed cards (or long forgotten all stars) to see how they interact with the new cards or match-up against troops rising in popularity.

For example, take Archon of Nulzann, a card long destined to rot in HEX’s metaphorical bulk rare bins. When combined with the new Primordial Caves, you now have the repeatable, uncounterable ability to pay four resources to put a random Dinosaur into play at quick speed. Not bad. Is it viable for constructed play? Unlikely, but it’s a powerful combo worth keeping an eye on if the meta becomes littered with Winter Moon opponents taking the game long by looking to go infinite with Starlight Pathfinder, Harvest Moon, and Replicator’s Gambit (Hey! Another combo using an old, rarely played card). Heart of Fire has also seen a surge in play due to its interaction with the new constant, Fury Chant.

While I don’t expect any of the interactions mentioned above to warp the meta anytime soon, each is illustrative of a new expansion’s ability to unlock potential in old treasures. Perhaps the most important thing to do with a new expansion is playtest, playtest, playtest. Many of the conclusions I came to upon initially reviewing Primal Dawn were thrown out the window once I got my hands on the cards and started playing. No matter how much experience you have, you don’t know just how effective a particular interaction is until you see it in play. In order to focus your playtesting, it’s important to create a list of decks, interactions, and cards which you feel are powerful and take each of them to their extreme.

My list looked something like this:

-Rune Ear Hierophant

-Ruby/Wild Aggro

-Forbidden Tomeseeker

-High Infinitrix

-Primordial Caves and Archon of Nulzann

-Visage of the Masquerade

-Necrotic aggro utilizing Force of the Tomb and Rally of Kings

-Reanimator

This list is comprised of cards I felt were inherently powerful (Rune Ear Hierophant, Visage of the Masquerade, and High Infinitrix), archetypes that have historically been powerful in TCGs and appeared to gain significant tools in Primal Dawn (Ruby/Wild Aggro, Token Aggro, and Reanimator), cards I liked (Forbidden Tomeseeker), and even just things I thought would be fun (Primordial Caves). Delving into playtesting with this starting point, I was pulled in a myriad of unexpected directions and feel I have discovered quite a bit about where the new constructed meta is headed. From my experience, I’d like to share what I believe to be five of the new cards most likely to shake up the constructed meta.

HONORABLE MENTION

Before we begin in earnest, I want to give an honorable mention to the new resource cards in Primal Dawn. I could easily fill our list with Carloth Cobblestone, Monsagi Lily Pad, Quash Ridge Rubble, Scrios Limestone, and Shard Prism as all of these cards will see extensive play (likely more than any of the other cards we discuss). However, that wouldn’t make for a very interesting list. These cards will form the cornerstone on which new decks and archetypes are built and may even enable decks that were too inconsistent in the past. Never underestimate some good threshold fixing. It’s worth noting that Quash Ridge Rubble should see immediate inclusion as a four of in the popular Urgnock Ruby Aggro deck. You will always meet its allegiance, making it strictly better than a Ruby Shard. The only resource card I am uncertain on is Primal Essence. It strikes me as somewhat unreliable since you have to draw two copies of it in a game to have any effect. That said, the effect is incredibly powerful (almost worth a full card – Chlorophylia being a case in point). I am curious if some decks will opt for Primal Essence over other threshold-less resources like Starsphere or Crackling Vortex, which both have an immediate effect.

SHAKE IT UP

HIGH INFINITRIX

Let’s jump straight to the big guns and start with the set’s chase Legendary, High Infinitrix. For those new to HEX and wondering why folks are excited about a 0/1, let me clarify what this card does. This card enters play as a 3/4 with Flight, Steadfast, and Lifedrain. Shift allows you to pay one resource as a basic action to give High Infinitrix -1/-1 and lose one of its keywords in order to give another troop +1/+1 and the keyword you removed from High Infinitrix. When you play another Necrotic troop, you can restore High Infinitrix to being a 3/4 with Flight, Steadfast, and Lifedrain while all the troops you previously buffed keep those benefits. Needless to say, this card has a very high power ceiling (she’s not an Infinitrix for nothing).

Much of the excitement around High Infinitrix stems from the precedent set by Vampire King , another four cost 3/4 flier and historically one of HEX’s most powerful troops. After playing with the card a fair amount, I have to say those expectations were warranted. I played the card in both a Necrotic aggro deck and a non-tribal Diamond/Sapphire aggro deck built by HEX Invitational player, Cyriius. Check out my variant of the Diamond/Sapphire Aggro deck piloted to multiple 5-win gauntlet runs by myself and several other players.

CHAMPION: Rutherford Banks

4 Protectorate Defender socketed with Major Diamond of Solidarity

While the deck performed well, High Infinitrix carried hard. Its baseline stats are already above average, but the card shines due to its flexibility. Need to make a specific troop big enough to enter combat? Infinitrix has you covered. Need to give your The Killipede Flight? High Infinitrix is there for you. I was also surprised how few Necrotic you need to play alongside her to make the card useful. This particular brew plays no other Necrotic, yet I was able to revert her at least once in nearly every game just by running four copies of High Infinitrix. I expect High Infinitrix to end up in some really powerful mid-range and tempo lists as the meta develops.

William Rowan is of honorable mention. While I don’t think he’s going to make as big of a splash as the other cards we highlight, he will definitely see a reasonable amount of constructed play. Successfully fishing Rowan from your deck can lead to some serious blowouts and tempo. Grace of Tiaanost is another interesting card. You need to play it carefully so as not to lose it to quick removal, but it provides a significant buff and insurance against Extinction. In the right meta, I could see it as a role player in order to contest opponents’ Vampire Kings and High Infinitrixs while also protecting from popular removal.

RUNE EAR HIEROPHANT

Rune Ear Hierophant is another card everyone expected to be powerful. And boy, oh boy is it powerful. Not only is it the cheapest troop to have both a major and minor socket, but its ability allows it to scale well into the late game. As I postulated in my first installment of Primordial Knowledge, Major Wild Orb of Dominance is the most popular power for Rune Ear Hierophant. While I have had success pairing the Rhinoceros generating orb with Minor Ruby of Ferocity, Minor Wild Orb of Conservation unsurprisingly seems to be the next most popular power for the mighty rodent.

So what sort of deck wants to play this card? According to players I’ve talked to, essentially every deck wants to play this guy. I’ve heard and seen everything ranging from splashing him in Sapphire to playing him in a Mono-Wild beats brew. Speaking of Mono-Wild, take a gander at this list which Jinous piloted to no less than two perfect 5-0 gauntlet runs.

CHAMPION: Warmaster Fuzzuko

4 Rune Ear Hierophant socketed with Major Wild Orb of Dominance and Minor Wild Orb of Conservation

Rune Ear Hierophant is more than at home in this troop heavy aggressive deck. While I expect him to be a four of staple in decks of this ilk, he will almost certainly show up in a myriad of other brews. In many ways, I expect Rune Ear Hierophant to be this format’s Azurefate Sorcoress and then some.

Before we move on to our next card, it’s worth taking a look at a few of the other Primal Dawn cards in this Mono-Wild brew. I expect Cottontail Explorer to be a very influential card post Primal Dawn. While it seems most at home in reanimator style decks, it is already seeing inclusion in other archetypes merely for being a cheap body which provides card advantage and consistency. Similarly, Young Seer is a surprisingly powerful enabler. While most (including myself) likely wrote the Coyotle off as draft chaff, he serves as a potentially more powerful Howling Brave in a troop centric deck. He is especially powerful with Empower troops. Let me know how it feels the first time you play an 8/8 Justicar of Aryndel for two resources.

Speaking of Justicar of Aryndel, I can’t imagine a better deck for him than the one above. In testing, I’ve found his triple Wild threshold to be brutally restricting. However, when successfully played, Justicar has always been incredibly powerful. Similarly, we see that Jinous has included the venerable Artisanal Cheesesmythe in his brew. The Cheesesmythe provides a great answer to control decks as well as a (literally) lethal body for blocking or forcing through attacks.

Here’s another card which I plan to run in my own variants of Mono-Wild Aggro.

GREENPAW EMANCIPATOR

I’ll admit, I wrote off Greenpaw Emancipator as a boring pile of stats when I first saw him. However, I underestimated just how good 8/7 worth of stats across three bodies is for five resources. And that’s not all this card does. Similar to High Infinitrix, you benefit greatly from playing multiple copies of Greenpaw Emancipator since each provides an additional buff to your Shroompin. Since Greenpaw Emancipator has a powerful enters play ability, he is not an ideal Time Ripple target and still provides some amount of value even if he falls to a Kill or Crackling Bolt.

I’ve already said I would play Greenpaw Emancipator in an aggressive Wild deck, but what other archetype wants to play this Coyotle? Look no further than Jeff Hoogland’s 5-win gauntlet Blood/Wild Reanimator deck.

CHAMPION: Kagulichu

4 Arborean Rootfather socketed with Major Blood Orb of Brutality and Minor Wild Orb of Conservation

Greenpaw Emancipator is not only a powerful turn five play in Reanimator, but a perfect target for Rise Again or Rotten Rancor. You can even Empower him before discarding him with Giant Corpse Fly or, in some builds, the new Gemsoul Deathblade and then reanimate 14/12 worth of stats. Greenpaw Emancipator has enough generic power that he will see play in a wide variety of competitive deck lists.

It’s worth noting that Kagulichu, the aforementioned Cottontail Explorer, and Rotten Rancor give us enough tools to seriously consider reanimation strategies. While we had been sorely missing enablers like Kagulichu and Cottontail Explorer, Rotten Rancor is a powerful payoff card which is sure to see its fair share of play.

The last two cards are part of this week’s Primordial Brew.

OUR PRIMORDIAL BREW

Remember my article about tempo? I found a better Servant of Shathak.

While Forbidden Tomeseeker appears unassuming at first glance, this small Sapphire troop holds a tome of potential. That potential is unlocked by old Sapphire standbys The Ancestor’s Chosen and Oracle Song . Not only do those cards set up for a massive Tomeseeker, but can be played on curve. Forbidden Tomeseeker can often even contest a turn three Justicar of Aryndel , but costs one resource less. Tomeseeker also scales incredibly well into the late game, towering over even the game’s largest troops. The card gets especially crazy if you hit a string of Ancestral Specter s late in the game. What pushes Tomeseeker over the top is that its ability can be Shifted. This provides incredible flexibility, allowing you to grow a flier or just create a second massive threat once the Tomeseeker itself is large enough to battle any of your opponent’s troops.

Forbidden Tomeseeker stands out as an incredibly aggressive troop in a shard which rarely gets powerful early threats. This truth of sorts is a form of balancing due to the card selection and flexible answers Sapphire is often afforded in the form of actions.

Transmogrifade is the epitome of that Sapphire flexibility. I was not too excited by this card when it was first spoiled, but playing with it for a few weeks has completely changed my mind. After, Rune Ear Hierophant , Transmogrifade will likely be the next most influential card of the set. It provides what is essentially one cost removal to aggressive and midrange Sapphire decks and is incentive for those styles of decks to splash into Sapphire.

I’m sure some of you aren’t convinced, and I can’t blame you. Transmogrifade is an incredibly difficult card to assess due to its random effect. What didn’t quite sink in for me, and seems obvious in retrospect, is that the cards you will be using this on are leaps and bounds stronger than the majority of cards which exist in the game. I had erroneously assumed that Transmogrifade would be more akin to giving a troop -2/-2 than being straight removal. But when it turns a Windsinger, Master of the Hunt into an Earthcaller or Volcannon (both of these have happened for me), you may just have well as cast Kill. Granted, it could turn the Windsinger into a Filk Ape (unfortunately, this also happened to me – when I had a 13/13 Forbidden Tomeseeker in play no less), but the number of options that are essentially removal far outweigh the potential repercussions. Cards that see play in constructed are really just that much better than run of the mill troops. This is before even addressing the fact that Transmogrifade can turn those troops into artifacts or constants. Turning Windsinger into Volcannon was better than using Kill. And it cost one third of the resources. My Winter Moon opponent had no way to utilize the Volcannon and didn’t even have a Windsinger to shuffle back into her deck. I expect Transmogrifade to change the way HEX players think about removal and for it to be one of the game’s premium actions for the foreseeable future.

Tempo is often one of the most oppressive archetypes in TCGs due to its flexibility to be either a control or aggro deck depending on the situation. Tempo decks also typically present a player with a myriad of decisions from turn to turn, allowing skill to be a more pronounced differentiator (conversely, tempo decks also tend to punish you for misplaying more than other archetypes). Due to this historical TCG trend and the new tools Primal Dawn has afforded us, I have been furiously brewing away with a Mono Sapphire Tempo deck.

CHAMPION: Wyatt the Sapper

I’m incredibly excited to continue to work with this deck. Not only can the deck have some brutally fast openers, but it can go big with Mastery of Time paired with Thunderfield Elder and Indigo Dreamwalker. To top it all off, Sapphire’s removal has been fleshed out nicely with the addition of Transmogrifade.

Be sure to tune into my stream tonight at 6:30 PM EST on https://www.twitch.tv/varranis to check out my latest build of Mono Sapphire as we pilot it in the Constructed Gauntlet. As always, there will Primal Pack and free draft or Evolving Gauntlet code giveaways.

A PRIMAL DAWN

The possibilities for new strategies and exciting decks are nearly endless with the dawn of HEX’s latest expansion. While I hope my thoughts have given insight into some up and coming strategies, there are many powerful cards I didn’t even touch upon. Visage of the Masquerade is brimming with potential and could secretly be the set’s most powerful card. Tribunal Magistrate has already spawned a terrifying Spiderling centric Vennen deck. Many were (and still are) excited by Voice of the Ashwood as the second coming of Puck, the Dream Bringer.

Don’t let your dreams be dreams. Get out there and brew!

See you in the gauntlet,

Varranis | Twitch | Twitter | Team Fade 2 Karma

Varranis is an analyst for professional gaming organization Fade 2 Karma. He has played countless TCGs over the last eighteen years and brings a unique lens to HEX theory crafting and deck building based on his historical experience. Varranis has numerous tournament wins and top finishes to his name across several popular TCGs and has coached and supported players in world championship level events.



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