One of the things that irritates me when reading card reviews is when people say to disenchant a card because it is bad without any explanation why. Obviously, it is nice to have some sort of explanation but in my experience with these types of games, I’ve learned that sometimes these seemingly “bad” cards can become very good in the future. So clearly that does not mean that they were bad! There was just a lack of support in the current card pool. Or maybe a future rotation gets rid of a bunch of cards that powercrept this card, and it now gets a chance to shine.
In any case, I really like the card design in Shadowverse as there are very few cards that are blatantly bad. So I wanted to write about the legendaries and how they can be used, without just saying keep or liquefy.
Forestcraft
Ancient Elf – A 3 cost 2/3 Ward with a fanfare effect that returns all allied followers to hand, while gaining +1/+1 for every follower returned. Easily the most important Forestcraft legendary and one of the best legendary cards in the game. A 3x auto-include in every combo style Forest deck, which are all over the meta right now. Since Forest runs a lot of followers that have strong on play effects, Ancient Elf is an important way to bounce them for re-use later. And even in the worst case scenario where you play her on an empty board on Turn 3, she has optimal stats for a 3 drop and Ward on top of it.
Fairy Princess – 6 cost 4/4 that fills your hand with 1 cost 1/1 fairies until it is full. A decently strong card but is not currently run in the meta because Forest usually has no problems with fairy generation. She is mainly run in niche combo Forest decks that utilize Silverbolt and/or Rose Queen.
Rose Queen – 8 cost 5/5 that turns every fairy in your hand into the spell Thorn Burst, which is a 2 cost spell that deals 3 damage to an enemy. Her effect is quite strong to set up burst damage, but she is considered to be too slow. The main reason is that a 5/5 on Turn 8 is quite poor and the class already has access to burst damage through Rhinoceroach. But if you do like her and want to try her out, be sure to play her with Fairy Princess.
Crystalia Tia – 5 cost 1/1 that summons a 4/4 with an additional effect: if you had played at least two cards earlier this turn, then the 4/4 automatically evolves into a 6/6 and gains Ward. A staple of all combo style Forest decks. There are a lot of reasons why Tia is so strong. First off, she is a 5 mana 5/5 worth of stats spread across two bodies, which is already insane in this game. And then Forest has no trouble activating her effect with fairy generators. On top of that, she has great synergy with Nature’s Guidance, which allows you to bounce her repeatedly for free tempo swings. And yes, she essentially allows you to evolve twice in a single turn, since proccing the effect does not use up an evolve orb. If you do run Tia, be sure to also run the 4 drop Elven Princess Mage as they have amazing synergy together.
Swordcraft
Aurelia, Regal Saber – A 5 cost 2/6 Ward Commander with an additional effect: gain +1 attack for every enemy follower in play, and if there are at least 3 enemy followers, then she becomes untargetable by enemy spells and effects. Pretty much a stronger version of the neutral Angelic Sword Maiden. A very strong defensive card for Swordcraft. The class has no real board clear outside of the very expensive Alexander, so the way they deal with big boards is to put up this huge Ward that forces the opponent to trade their whole board into it. A staple in Midrange and Control style Sword decks.
Sea Queen Otohime – 6 cost 3/4 Commander that summons 1/2 Bodyguard Officers until your board is full. One of the strongest legendaries in the game, the amount of value packed into this card is ridiculous. She is essentially 6 mana 7/12 worth of stats in one card, spread across an entire board. So she allows you to instantly build a board with just one card. As such, most classes do not have an efficient way of answering her. An unanswered Otohime into a followup Sage Commander is often game winning. Even though this card is so strong, she is surprisingly not run in all Sword builds. She does not fit into the aggro decks and is mainly run in Midrange and Control lists.
Tsubaki – 6 cost 4/3 Officer with Ambush with a Fanfare effect of destroying an enemy follower with 5 or more attack. She weaves in and out of the meta depending on how many decks are playing big minions. In any case, she is an important source of removal and can even get buffed because she is an Officer.
Alexander – 8 cost 6/7 Commander with Rush who can attack 14 times per turn, but cannot attack the enemy leader. Essentially the only board clear for Swordcraft. A very slow card so he is only run in Control Swordcraft decks.
Runecraft
Merlin – 4 cost 3/2 who draws a random Spellboost card from your deck, and when evolved turns into a 4/3 and draws another Spellboost card. She also spellboosts your entire hand every time she attacks. By far the most important Runecraft legendary and a 3x auto-include in all Spellboost centered Runecraft decks. If you are able to get her evolve effect off, she essentially draws two cards and spellboosts your hand. Now that is value incarnate for this type of deck.
Arch Summoner Erasmus – 8 cost 5/6 who deals 5 damage to a random enemy follower at the end of your turn, and if evolved turns into a 7/8 who deals 7 damage to a random enemy follower at the end of your turn. His effect is insane, but he is not currently run in the meta because he does not fit into the general combo Rune playstyle. If a tempo/midrange or heavy control Rune ever became a thing, he would be an auto-include in those types of decks.
Mythril Golem – 9 cost 6/7 who deals 1 damage to all enemy followers as a Fanfare, and deals +1 damage for every Spellboost. Just like Erasmus, his effect is insane but he is not run in the current meta. The Spellboost combo Rune deck aims to win on Turn 8-9, so Mythril Golem is too slow for that type of deck. If a grindy control Rune deck with Spellboost cards ever became a thing, he would probably be played in that.
Sun Oracle Pascale – 5 cost 4/5 who doubles the attack and health of all allied followers at the end of your turn if you have an Earth Sigil. Another card like Erasmus where her effect is insane but not run in the meta. The issue with Pascale is that she is way too slow. She would be so much better if her effect triggered instantly instead of end of turn. But on top of that, Earth Runecraft tends to be a slow deck that often does not have the board on Turn 5. So it is very difficult to get value from her Earthrite effect. If you are in a position where you can get good value from her Earthrite, you were winning anyways. So she is pretty much a win more card.
Dragoncraft
Dark Dragoon Forte – 6 cost 5/1 with Storm who cannot be attacked by enemy followers if Overflow is active. Pretty much a better Leeroy Jenkins. An important source of burst damage for Dragoncraft and definitely the most important legendary for the class. She is run in both the aggro and midrange builds. She also has great synergy with Urd who allows you to deal 10 damage from hand.
Zirnitra – 8 cost 3/1 with Storm who summons a 5/5 Dragon as a Fanfare effect, and if evolved summons another Dragon. She provides insane value when evolved, essentially 13/11 worth of stats for 8 mana. Generally run in slower, value oriented Dragoncraft builds.
Fafnir – 9 cost 8/10 who deals 2 damage to all other followers as a Fanfare effect. One of the largest followers in the game and provides a great tempo swing on 9. Really strong since he cleans up the board for you at a time when both players are usually out of evolve points. While he does do 2 damage to the entire board, it is usually worse for the opponent because most Dragoncraft followers have high HP. An auto-include in all midrange Dragoncraft decks.
Dragonsong Flute – A 3 mana amulet which transforms every card in your hand that costs 3 or less into a 4/3 Hellflame Dragon with Rush if Overflow is active for you. It also transforms every card you draw that is 3 or less into Hellflame Dragons. A very strange card that does not currently see play in the meta because it is too conflicted. To make best use of its effect you need to have a deck with a lot of cheap cards, which naturally leads towards making an aggro deck. But Dragonsong Flute is a value oriented card so it does not work.
Shadowcraft
Cerberus – 5 cost 3/3 who puts two 1 cost spells in your hand. One is Coco who gives +2 attack to an allied follower and the other is Mimi who does 2 damage to any enemy. By far the most important legendary card in the Shadowcraft class. An easy 3x auto-include in every Shadow deck, no matter if it is aggro, midrange, or control. The amount of value she provides is insane, as the spells are an important source of reach. Every time you play her you are basically adding an easy way of dealing 4 extra damage in a given turn. On top of that, she provides 3 shadows from the body and 2 spells.
Pluto – 8 mana 1/1 who destroys an enemy follower as a Fanfare effect, and then has that follower’s attack and life added to own base stats. A source of removal and a potential tempo swing on Turn 8, but not played in the current meta. The reason is that the effect is redundant, as Shadowcraft already has access to cheap single target removal in the form of Undying Resentment and Deathbrand. Even slightly more expensive cards like Call of the Void and Dance of Death end up being more efficient.
Lord Atomy – A 9 cost 8/8 with a special effect: if you currently have 4 cards in play on the board, then Atomy can be played for FREE but he destroys everything on your side of the board. While the stats for Atomy are decent for a 9 drop, the main reason to play this card is to cheat him out early. Doing this is very difficult and inconsistent so he is not run in the meta. So he is mainly run in niche decks that aim to play Atomy as early as Turn 4 typically with the assistance of amulets, Bone Chimera, Urd, and Phantom Howl.
Lord of the Flies – 7 cost 4/4 who randomly summons one of 3 possible followers: Velocious Beetle(2/3 Storm and Drain), Virulent Hornet(3/2 Rush and Bane), Vicious Scorpion(4/4 Ward). Additionally, he randomly summons one of the 3 at the start of the turn if he lives. Very similar to Animal Companion, the 3 minions are extremely strong but are balanced out by the RNG. A very strong card who can blow your opponent out of the game if he is unanswered. Mainly played in Midrange and Control Shadow decks.
Bloodcraft
Soul Dealer – 4 cost 6/4 Ward with a fanfare that deals damage to your own face so that you are at 50% life, rounded up. A very high risk card that instantly puts you into Vengeance. Not currently run in the meta because he is too risky. Many decks have decent amounts of burst damage after Turn 4, and Soul Dealer’s 6/4 stats is actually not as good as it seems. It would be much better as a 4/6. Mainly run in niche decks that combo him with Bloody Mary.
Beast Dominator – 5 cost 6/6 who has an ongoing effect which checks if you are in Vengeance or not at the start of turn. If not, then it deals 2 damage to your own face and then gets -2 attack. A gigantic pile of stats that helps put you into Vengeance, but gets weaker every turn that you are not in Vengeance. Potentially strong, but not played at all in the current meta. The issue is that Beast Dominator is mainly fit for a board focused midrange Blood deck, which does not have enough support to be viable at the moment. Her stats are quite good though. 5 mana 6/6 is insane, and even if you’re not in Vengeance 4/6 is not bad either.
Queen Vampire – 6 cost 4/4 who summons two bats, and then gives Ward to all friendly bats on the field. A strong defensive card that has great synergy with Summon Bloodkin and Night Horde. Evolving her is a great Turn 6 play, as if she survives, there is a good chance the opponent will not be able to get rid of her immediately since she is protected by 2 bats. A staple of Control Bloodcraft decks.
Bloody Mary – 5 cost 4/5 with an ongoing effect of taking all damage dealt to your leader on your turn to the enemy leader instead. Has become a staple in Control Bloodcraft because of its flexibility. The dream is to play it on Turn 10 or later combined with Blood Wolf and Razory Claw for a ton of burst damage, but it can be played on curve as a 4/5 is optimal stats for the cost. The card is pretty much a soft taunt since its potential reach is so threatening.
Havencraft
Moon Al-mi’raj – 6 cost 3/5 Storm who fully restores her own health at the end of your turn. A super flexible card and a staple of Control Haven. She can be used to control the board and is quite difficult to remove if the opponent has no evolve points. The opponent will usually have to use hard removal on her or risk losing all of their followers for free in the following turns. Or she can be used to push for face damage, which is why some variants of Storm Haven run her as a 1-of.
Skullfane – 7 cost 4/4 that destroys all allied amulets as a Fanfare effect. Not run at all in the meta because it is too inconsistent and slow. While amulets are widely run in most Havencraft builds, they are always the low cost ones that usually resolve before Turn 7. It is also extremely difficult to set up situations where Skullfane’s fanfare gets great value, at least enough value to offset its poor stats.
Jeanne D’Arc – 8 cost 5/5 who has a Fanfare effect of dealing 2 damage to all enemy followers while simultaneously giving all allied followers +2 health. An extremely strong defensive card and a staple of Control Havencraft. She has great synergy in that deck as she gets Ward from Guardian Sun and provides another AoE effect alongside Themis Decree. Unfortunately Control Haven is out of the meta at the moment, but if it does come back Jeanne will for sure be a part of it.
Enstatued Seraph – An 8 cost amulet with a countdown of 1 who summons a series of Seraph amulets, who all have countdowns of 1. The sequence is Enstatued Seraph->Awakened Seraph->Renascent Seraph->Seraph Lapis, Glory Be. The final amulet has Last Words: Win the game. Obviously a very powerful amulet that allows you to win the game regardless of board state and enemy health. She is primarily run in slower decks that run a lot of countdown reducers like Hallowed Dogma and Sister Initiate. Since she wins the game if her effect goes off, the opponent’s health is irrelevant so you don’t worry about doing damage and instead only focus on staying alive through a slew of defensive cards. She is also run in some variants of Elana Heal Haven as an alternate win condition.
Neutral
Gabriel – 7 cost 3/4 that gives +4/+3 to an allied follower. Has extremely poor stats for the cost, but provides great value if you get her Fanfare off. She provides surprise reach and is a great addition to any Midrange board centric deck, like Midrange Swordcraft.
Lucifer – 8 cost 6/7 that heals your leader for 4 at the end of your turn. However if you evolve him, he turns into a 9/8 who now deals 4 damage to the opponent leader at the end of your turn. The coolest legendary, and in my opinion the best designed card in all of Shadowverse. He is unique in that he gets +3/+1 on evolve, while he is also one of the only followers who has an ongoing effect that changes when he evolves. And everything from his voice lines to his effect changing on evolve is just so flavorful. He is really flexible since he can be played defensively for the heal or offensively for the 4 face damage. In both cases he becomes a soft taunt since the value he provides gets out of control if left unanswered. An auto include in almost every Midrange and Control deck.
Prince of Darkness – AKA Satan, he is a 10 cost 6/6 who destroys your deck and replaces it with an Apocalypse Deck. The Apocalypse Deck is 3x Servant of Darkness(5 pp 13/13), 3x Silent Rider(6pp 8/8 Storm), 3x Dis’s Damnation(7pp spell Deal 7 damage to enemy, Restore 7 Health to leader), 1x Astaroth’s Reckoning(10pp spell Deal damage to enemy leader until their HP is 1). The Apocalypse Deck is completely broken, but is offset by Satan’s poor stats and expensive cost. Many times you cannot afford to spend your entire Turn 10 just playing a 6/6, so he is best played when you are either ahead or if you have successfully grinded your opponent out of resources. He is generally run as a finisher in slower Midrange and Control decks.
Odin – 8 cost 4/3 who banishes an enemy follower or amulet as a Fanfare. Stats are extremely poor for an 8 drop, but he is the only neutral banish option in the game. And as a bonus, he can even target amulets. He is a very important tech card for control decks against Path to Purgatory and Seraph Haven decks.
Dark Angel Olivia – 9 cost 4/4 who restores your evolution points to 3. Stats are abysmal for a 9 drop, but her fanfare effect is insane as evolutions are the best way to swing the board state. Keep in mind that she restores evolution orbs to 3 no matter what(even if going 1st), so be sure to use them all up before playing her. She is great in almost every Midrange and Control deck.
Lovers Arcana Yamada Lvl99 