Release Notes: May 18th

As one of the most significant changes made to Kingdoms CCG, this release impacts most areas of the game. Most significantly, the early sets of Eve, Rise and Tribes are no longer available. Some of the cards from these sets have been moved to our new "Core" set, while the rest (and any cards removed from the old Core) now make up a new set called "Legacy". Please refer to our previous blog posts for more information on this change.

Important Note: Decks that had been in the Beginner's Arena are still currently listed as being in that Arena. We are working on a fix for this and to remove any deck that is not Standard/Limited legal from the AI side of these arenas. We decided not to hold back the release any longer to fix this issue. We will have this fixed as soon as possible.

RELEASE NOTES: May 18, 2016

CARD BUFFS
Rak'Mul is now 3/5 and deals 1` damage to enemy creatures on attack.
Hose Down has been reduced in cost from 3 to 2 mana.
Beastmaster now has the subtype Beast, but will not tutor for other copies of itself.
Birth of a New God has been reduced in cost from 3 to 2.
Return to Elements reduced in cost from 5 to 4.
Cursed Reanimation has been reduced in cost from 4 to 3.
Rotfeeder now has Corpsecraft.
Vulgrath's Staff of Repression now triggers on Enter as well.
Regen is now "Holy Armor" and grants both Regeneration and Armor
Recoil has been reduced in cost from 3 to 2.
Firespout Dragon's health has been increased from 3 to 4

GAME CHANGES
Gear cap implemented. Heroes can have a maximum of 8 gear in play at any time.
Standard and Limited formats are now only made of Core, Light Ascending, Descent into Darkness, Gods Reborn, and all Arsenal, Guild, Promo and Premium (aka Holiday) cards.
All cards from Eve, Rise, Tribes and the old Core that are not in the new core are now in the Legacy expansion, and are only legal for Legacy play.
NOTE: Alternate Art promo cards of cards that are in Legacy are NOT Standard legal. The expansion of the original version takes precedent.
Tribes Two has been split. 2 rares from each Kingdom have been moved to Premium, and will remain Limited/Standard Legal. The Epic and Essence card from each Kingdom will remain in Tribes Two and will only be legal in Legacy.
New Player decks have been updated to be Standard/Limited legal.
New Player icons have been added at the 2000 and 5000 win levels.
Player Profile pop up now shows cards collected from LA, DiD, Reborn and Legacy.
The Volume of all of the Battle Music has been reduced to a more pleasing level. Try it out, you might even leave it on now ;).

STORE CHANGES
"Holiday" cards are now called "Premium"
Meta Pack cards now added to Premium section
Beachball is available now in Promo Singles. It unlocks when you have 10 wins.
Core Packs have been updated. Basic packs have 10 cards, including a guaranteed rare, Epic, or Legendary. Core Premium packs have a better chance at Epic and Legendary cards PLUS may include multiple rares.
Eve, Rise, Tribes packs have been removed from the store.
Starter Decks updated to only include cards in the new Core.
"Featured" Kingdom-specific packs are now 10 cards and include cards from Light Ascending and Descent into Darkness
Descent into Darkness and Light Ascending cards will now appear in the hourly gold Singles sale

ARENA CHANGES
Legacy Arena added, Beginner Arena removed. Arena prizes adjusted for all Arenas.
Beachball is now the Top 50 Promo card for the Standard arena. Nimble Fae is now the top 100 Promo card for Limited and Legacy arenas.
Arena Prize levels have been adjusted.
NOTE: Limited and Legacy arenas are showing the Standard prizing in their Leaderboards. Limited and Legacy prizes award fewer gems and the Alt Art uncommon rather than the Premium Promo.

BUG FIXES
Grovenhold's War March triumph bug has been fixed. Thanks to Mordoc for pointing this issue out to us.

TOURNAMENT CHANGES
The Tournament Schedule has received a full overhaul. Constructed Tournaments are now just Limited, Standard, and Legacy. Sealed and Draft are just Core and New Age. Yes, we now have New Age draft. Enjoy.

CRAFTING UPDATE
Max Essence has been increased based on your crafting level. Level 10 can now use up to 350 Essence for a better chance at getting an Epic.
The Elara's War crafting stone has been added to the game. Use it to craft any card from Light Ascending and Descent into Darkness
Basic stones: Creatures, Spells, and Gear can now craft any card from Legacy, Core, Light Ascending or Descent into Darkness. The Rune Word stone will no longer be created in the game. Existing stones have not been adjusted.
Eve, Rise and Tribes stones will now craft any card from the Legacy set.

CAMPAIGN CHANGES
Single Card reward packs now only reward cards from Core, Ascend, Descent and Reborn
Full rework of the prizes/vendors in the campaign to align with New Core/Standard

New Core: Full Card List

And here it is! We had been hoping to tell you that "we're live" at the same time, but issues with the iOS build have delayed our release. We will keep you posted with when the release will be.

In the meantime, the list you are all waiting to see. Introducing the full 229 cards that make up the new Core. We will be running numerous Sealed (now 6 packs) and Draft (now 4 packs) tournaments for both Core and New Age when the release it out.

At the end of the list we will show you FIVE additional card buffs included in this release.

Holy	Ancient	Mystical
	Epics
Master Tutor	Eternal Dragon	Pegasus
Blessed Champion	Skybreaker Giant	Dryad of the Mist
Seraphim Guardian	Echo Blast	Fae Trickster
Divine Expulsion	Ancient's Will	Mass Polymorph
	Rares
Cladded Cavalier	Priestess of War	Dryad of the Watch
Captain of the Guard	Ground Shatterer	Mana Sprite
Slayer of the Damned	Titan General	Fae Protector
King's Herald	Vengeful Titan	Chronomancer
Call to Arms	Command Creature	Illusionist
Arrow Volley	Titan's Might	Deep Thought
Raise the Banner	Crush the Meek	Essence Shift
Divine Wrath	Horde of Wyrms	Reclaim
Exalted Enforcements	Firespout Dragon	Fae's Charm
	Uncommons
Holy Knight	Ancient Priestess	Nimble Fae
Armorsmith	Steel Crusher	Fairy Mage
Squad Commander	Steel Titan	Dream Conjuror
Hexlifter Cleric	War Mammoth	Forest Scout
Virtuous Light	Relinquish	Spirit Soul Dryad
Allegiant Warrior	Oust	Spiritual Gathering
Cease Fire	Frightwing Drake	Dwindle
Pacify	Smother	Rebound
Angel's Feather	Temple Stone	Time Bolt
	Commons
Blessed Peacock	Dragon Worshipper	Hauntless Ghost
Village Guard	Wood Chopper	Round Harvest
Field Recruiter	Whelp	Diviner
Weathered Knight	Dragon	Knowledge Seeker
Devote Abettor	Fissure Wyrm	Spirit Drifter
Militia Training	Mountain Giant	Roaming Spirit
Holy Bolt	Shrivel	Clear Thought
Cleanse	Titan's Stomp	Wonder
Holy Armor	Smack	Disarm
Soldier's Kit	Brawl	Spirit Sceptre

Undead	Alchemy	Elemental
	Epics
Soul Grinder	Gnomish Infiltrator	Rolling Fires
Undead Doomsayer	Scrapheap of War	Maelstrom Champion
Dark Spectre	Gob Hog Blazer	Maelstrom
Soul Drain	Goblin Cannon	Lava Blade
	Rares
Hell Hound	Perpetual Machine	Shuttershock Elf
Spiteful Demon	Toxic Immobilizer	Sylph Assassin
Undying Acolyte	Anti-Air Cannon	Firestorm Shaman
Grave Chanter	Dwarven Battle Rig	Rage Invoker
Looming Dread	Explosives Expert	Thunder Cat
Woeful Misery	Study Gear	Channel
Wicked Blasphemor	Mechanize	Fireball
Unholy Rampage	Master Forger	Lightning Blitz
Cursed Reanimation	Hose Down	Flamespire Dagger
	Uncommons
Plague Beetle	Charge Orb	Air Elemental
Swift Ghoul	Splosive Gnome	Elvish Shanker
Undead Knight	Big Game Hunter	Warpath Elf
Reeking Fleshbag	Demolition Golem	Shaman of the Earth
Gravedigger	Pub Crawler	Lightning Elemental
Demonic Thoughts	Dirty Fuel	Disintegrate
Whispering Geist	Smelt	Flashfires
Soulless Crown	Golemnify	Return to the Elements
Spiked Bludgeon	Keg of Ale	Elemental  Totem
	Commons
Rotted Remains	Gnomish Brute	Bolt Blaze
Zombie Thug	Bomb Strapper	Invoked Elf
Warrior Remnants	Inefficient Contraption	Elvish Battler
Flesh Seeker	Learning Construct	Fireshot Archer
Graverobber	Dwarven Sot	Hellion
Fester Vermin	Mana Flask	Burning Desire
Baleful Mist	Charge Potion	Puncture Blast
Dark Missile	Pillage	Lightning Bolt
Dark Apparition	Spilled vial	Enraged Elf
Cursed Arsenal	Dwarven Battle Stein	Elvish Armaments

Unaligned	Legendaries
Epics
Epic Battle Axe	Diryam
Omni Cloak	Army of the Abyss
Recoil	Caindra
Atomic Smasher	Rak Mul
Rares	Vulgrath's Staff of Repression
Charge Thief
Raging Vines
Doppelganger
Giant Slime
Hero Ring
Living Sword
Sanity Tapper
Silence
Torture
Uncommons
Dire Wolf
Scrapper Troll
Steel Beak
Hired Shield
Concealed Dagger
Essence Mantle
Mage's Mantle
Poverty
Powerless
Commons
Black Bear
Puzzle Mage
Mindpierce Ranger
Rabid Wolf
Short Staff
Iron Shield
Long Sword
Delay
Mindfly
Wandering Giant

BUFFS

Over the last few sets we have been working to make gear removal more efficient. This mana buff makes Return to Elements more in line with our current costing, taking out two random gear for just 1 more mana than removing a gear of your choice.

We knew we needed a rare Dragon to appear in Core as dragons are a key element of the Ancient Kingdom. Firespout is more exciting that Deathless, but the 3/3 stat line made it less than impressive in the modern environment. We've improved this by giving Firespout an extra point of health.

With our push for more creature interaction Recoil might be an odd choice, but the fact that it can be played both offensively and defensively in creature battles, and its role wasn't solely to fuel oppressive combo decks, Recoil was the clear choice. That said, it needed a boost, so its mana cost was reduced from 3 to 2.

A minor, but important change. Rotfeeder has been given Corpsecraft. First off, it just makes sense (he's eating the dead in his picture) and second, by playing him on a corpse he immediately puts another creature into his discard pile getting you closer to that magic number 10.

And last but not least, we've dropped the base cost of BoaNG to 2. We recognized that our previous nerf went too far, but knew that having a scaling cost was still the way to go. That one mana can make a big difference. Paying 9 mana for a 7/7 with 7 abilities is really good. And you might now... you know... want to play with some Scroll Makers in your Birth deck.

New Core: The Difficult Decisions

Reducing almost 700 cards down to 229 cards was no easy task. Each Kingdom had to considered separately and together. How well did the Kingdom's cards work together? How well did they play in Sealed deck? Where was their power in Constructed?

Beyond this there was the overall power level of Constructed to consider. If the goal was to create more strategic, interactive battles, what should the role of gear be? Removal? How powerful should combo decks be?

All of these questions led to some very difficult decisions that needed to be made. For every card added in, 2 had to leave, so the cards added had to result in an exciting, fun environment. Here is a look at a few of these decisions and the reasoning behind them.

Rolling Fires vs. Maelstrom Phoenix

One of the goals in New Core was to tone down the aggressive, haste based builds. Haste is by far the most powerful creature ability, and as the number of creatures with Haste grew, the deck became more and more difficult to handle. Even with four anti-haste cards in the game, haste-based decks regularly won both Limited and Standard tournaments.

One of the best ways to beat haste is with a board of blockers. Sure they'll die, but at least the creature doesn't hit your face. Except Maelstrom Phoenix. Combining flying with haste, and throwing in the ability to resurrect for free, turned the Phoenix into a constantly repeatable source of damage that laughed off creature combat and most removal. It was time for Phoenix to go.

Rolling Fires on the other hand is a popular, powerful haster that has found its way into many top decks over the years. With Phoenix out, we suspect that it will quickly become the replacement of choice.

IN!

Firestorm Shaman vs. Lord of Flames

Staying with Elemental, which by far had the most "good" options to choose from, came this dilemma. Undead and Holy already had their "lords" in the set, so Lord of Flames was the obvious choice to include. Obvious, though a little boring.

The other "Four Mana 2/3 Rare" choice was the very powerful Firestorm Shaman. At points in KCCG's history Shaman decks dominated like few others. Those days have changed though. Now we have tougher creatures overall, significant options with Resist, and the core problem deck - Dravkas turning Manacycle Wizards into Shamans - is impossible to build outside of Legacy.

So we've put the Shaman into Core. Combined with the other changes to Elemental, we felt that she will remain a very powerful option, but be no stronger than other top rares. Let the Shaman brews begin!

 IN!

Cursed Reanimation vs. Dreadful Return

Reanimation is a core tenet of the Undead arsenal, and I knew that I wanted the effect as part of the new Core. The issue was which rare should it be? Dreadful Return still saw play since hitting 3 mana, but was solely used for cheating milled big creatures into play on the dead backs of little creatures (like turning rats into legendary demons). Cursed Reanimation was actually closer to what Undead is meant to achieve, but it was largely unplayed. In the end we decided that cheating mana costs was something that we were moving away from, so Cursed Reanimation was the choice, but we needed to make it better. The effect was fine, so a quick mana cost buff and we had our card.

IN!

Realm Crusher vs. Epic Battle Axe

This was the most difficult decision of the whole set. Both of these cards are loved by those who play them, and hated by those who have to play opposed to it. Both are huge threats, but Realm Crusher isn't just a threat, he's also a solution.

In a CCG cards generally are either a threat, or a solution. Mindshocker is a threat. Disintegrate is a solution. Threats are more powerful overall than Solutions. That Mindshocker will win you the game if left unchecked. That Disintegrate does nothing until your opponent plays something to kill. Realm Crusher combines both of these attributes into a single card. It clears nearly any board state, and leaves behind a massive threat that isn't easy to deal with. Essentially, it does too much.

Additionally its place in the environment overrides every other mass kill card in the game. Why play Divine Wrath or Stone Barrage when for 2 or 3 more mana, you can have a 5/5 monster ready to attack back?

For these reasons, Epic Battle Axe was the final decision. Removing Realm Crusher takes pressure off creature based strategies, and EBA does best in those environments.

IN!

Vulgrath's Staff of Repression vs. Beckoning

This was another tough decision. Beckoning started on the list, but as we refined our goals, it began to lose its luster.  Beckoning is the kind of card that is perfect for the top tiers of Guild play, but that has little value to players who are just starting out with their collections. As well, it is the very definition of cheating mana costs. It became clear that this was a perfect Legacy card.

On the other hand, Vul'Grath's Staff wasn't quite up to the level that we wanted in New Core. I have a soft spot for the card as it was the very first Legendary that I opened when I was a new player. Even then I realized that the card was a little underpowered, as it had no impact when it was first played. We've fixed this long standing issue by adding an "On Enter" to its effect. Now it's a Legendary worth a spot on the list.

IN!

Divine Ascension vs. Divine Expulsion

To be honest, this wasn't that difficult, but it was changed during development based on your feedback. Divine Ascension was the pick, as it is an iconic Kingdoms CCG card. I wasn't 100% happy with the pick though as since it was nerfed back in 2013, the card has rarely seen competitive play. When players started posting their picks for Holy Epics in the forums, one of the most consistent choices was Divine Expulsion. So I listened to the community and Ascension became Expulsion.

IN!

Rejuve Potion: In or Out

And finally, the card you're all wondering about. It doesn't need to compete with anything else, as it is in a league of its own. The "best card in Kingdoms" has long been a four of in any deck that could play it, and often pulled playing to Alchemy just so that they'd have access to its free, powerful effect.

The answer...

It's time to try a Standard that operates without this staple card. Rejuve will remain a powerful part of Legacy and Guild Wars though - a must have for anyone who plays in these formats. So much so that we've left it as the grand prize for defeating Nemesis once and for all.

The Final Legendary

I doubt this will be a surprise to anyone. Since being buffed out of Lightning Bolt range, Caindra has seen play in both the Arena and in Tournament play. Just an incredible presence on the battlefield, Caindra can completely change the course of a battle. She makes for a powerful Legend that new players will be excited to open.

To recap, the five Legendary cards in Core are:

1. Diryam, the Dementor
2. Army of the Abyss
3. Rak'Mul (buffed)
4. Vul'Grath's Staff of Repression
5. Caindra, Exiled War Strategist

Stay tuned for the full card list reveal, coming shortly!

Discover the Formats of Kingdoms CCG

Kingdoms CCG is a highly competitive collectable strategy game. To make the game enjoyable for players of all skill levels, we have created three formats for you to choose from when building decks. Check out our video, and find out more details below.

Limited

The Limited format is a great way for new players to get into the competitive side of Kingdoms CCG. Limited decks have a number of restrictions that make them easier to build for players with small collections. These restrictions are:

1. A maximum of 8 rare cards, 2 Epic rarity cards, and no Legendaries. This is the core of Limited. These restrictions force Limited decks to be primarily built around good commons and uncommons, with the rares and epics providing the heavy hitters of the deck. If you are just starting out, your new player decks and a single Starter from the store will give you more than enough to build your first Limited Deck.
2. Standard Format sets only. These include Core, Light Ascending, Descent into Darkness, Gods Reborn, and the promotional sets of Promo, Arsenal, Premium and Guild (Tribes Two and Legacy are excluded).
3. Maximum of 2 Kingdoms. Your deck can only contain cards from the Kingdom of your chosen Hero, another Kingdom of your choice, and unaligned cards. The Kingdom you choose must not be the enemy Kingdom of your hero (i.e. Holy and Undead). Unaligned Heros can choose any two Kingdoms, including enemy Kingdoms.
4. No Banned cards. Right now there is only one banned card in Limited: Deploy Cannons, but there may be others in the future. This card can not be played in Limited, but can be played in Standard and Legacy. Sometimes cards unbalance one format, but are fine in another. Having the ability to ban cards allows us to leave such format issues without nerfing the offending card.

Now don't misinterpret these rules as suggesting that Limited play is easy. Many of our top players enjoy Limited for its deck building challenge. But if you do go up against a top Limited deck that you really like, you can know that building the deck for yourself will be much less difficult.

Standard

This is our core format for competitive play. Decks here are filled with the most powerful cards of your Hero's kingdom. Standard has deck building rules, but they are far less restrictive that Limited. These restrictions are:

1. A maximum of 4 Legendaries. You may play any number of rares and Epics (maximum 4 of any one card), and you may include the incredibly powerful Legendary cards in your deck. Each Legendary is unique though. Only one of each in your deck, and a maximum of 4 total.
2. Standard Format sets only. As with Limited, Standard removes Tribes Two and Legacy cards.
3. Maximum of 2 Kingdoms. Standard uses the same rule as Limited here.

Standard play has powerful spells, devastating creatures and game changing gear. While daunting for newer players, Standard is what competitive players strive to become the best at.

Legacy

For those players who want a format that allows everything, and does away with restrictions, we have the Legacy format. Here players are not limited to the "2 Kingdom" rule, and may play any card ever created for Kingdoms CCG, from the meekest Mana Moth to the back-breaking Realm Crusher to the "what just happened" demigod Justice.

The only limits? 4 Legendaries max, and again your Hero cannot play cards of its enemy hero. Decks can contain enemy Kingdoms though, for example, an Alchemy deck could have both Mystical and Elemental cards; it just couldn't contain Ancient cards.

Note that currently Guild Wars uses the Legacy format. When you join a guild, be ready for some fearsome decks.

Sealed Deck/Draft Decks

Last but not least we have Sealed and Draft. These formats are special in that you cannot choose your Hero. All players are given a special version of Amorya for balanced play. Your deck only needs 25 cards, rather than 40, and you can play any card that you open or draft. Draft 6 Whelps? Feel free to play them all! There are no restrictions.

Update on the Update

We are currently putting the final touches on the new release and wanted to give you an update as to some of the changes you will be seeing shortly.

New Core

While we've been revealing cards in New Core since the big announcement, the number one question we get asked is "How much will it cost?" In an early reply we stated that the price might go up, but we weren't sure by how much. We are finally ready to reveal the new pricing:

We didn't raise the price after all. The new Core Basic pack contains 10 cards with a guaranteed Rare or higher, and stays at just 5000 Gold. The Core Premium packs take a cue from what we've done with our recent packs and now have a chance to open up to 3 rares in a single pack, plus a better chance at getting an Epic or Legendary card than the Basic pack.

Card Buffs

We previously announced that there would be three buffs happening with this release. Well we didn't stop there and we're now up to 9 buffs.

One of these buffs required us to attack the problem from a new direction. While some Kingdoms (like Elemental) are so chock full of good cards it was difficult to decide what was in or out, Holy was a particularly difficult Kingdom to build. Holy's commons from these four sets were so bad that we couldn't find the 10 we needed. We had to decide between the spells Regen and Armor, both of which aren't worth the 1 mana-and-a-card investment. So in the end we did this:

This is the only "new" card in Core, and it will replace all of the Regens in your current collection. No, it isn't going to have any impact in constructed, but you now have a card that is worth drafting or adding to your sealed deck.

Limited Update

After much consideration, we've decided not to change the name of Limited after all. Some players rightly pointed out that while the format does require a smaller card pool, it is just as competitive and cut-throat as Standard, so calling it Apprentice might suggest that only new players are involved.

The second change is much more significant. Legendary cards will no longer be allowed in Limited play. This has been a topic of discussion for months within the community, and as we're making such major changes to the game, we decided that it was time to make rule a reality.

This change will help new players ease into competitive play through the Limited format. There are still numerous "bombs" in Limited that will be able to swing a match, and it will remain highly competitive, but as those bombs will be in the Rare and Epic slots, they will be much easier to acquire.

Tribes Two Update

The discussion on whether to include Tribes Two in the new Standard format or not was truly split. Many lamented that some good, key cards would be lost - like Deny - while others recognized that perhaps it was time to see the threat of Manacycle Wizards and Scavenging Goblins leave the environment.

We agree with both sides. Tribes Two will not be included in Standard, but we will be keeping those key cards in Standard.

Emm... Say what?

We have decided to split Tribes Two in half. The Epics and Essences will remain in the Tribes Two mini-expansion, while the other two rares in each Kingdom will move to the new Premium (formerly Holiday) expansion.

The 14 cards now included in Premium (so stay in Standard/Limited):

• Warrior of the Cloth
• Hero's Calling
• Prophet of the Void
• Turn to Wyrm
• Fae Combatant
• Spell Link
• Bar Owner
• Engine Oil
• Harvester of Souls
• Blood Contract
• Burning Fury
• Flaming Retribution
• Deny
• Shadowed Rogue

This decision keeps some great cards in Standard without using up any of the slots in New Core.

Crafting Update

The other question we've regularly heard since the New Core announcement is "what is happening with the crafting stones?"

Before we get into the details, we'll just show you this:

The new Elara's War stone will appear in both Light Ascending and Descent into Darkness premium packs, plus can be found through scrapping cards from these sets. The stone can craft any non-Legendary card in these sets.

Why start with this information? Because you'll also be able to find these cards with other stones. Here are all of the changes coming up:

• The basic Creature, Gear, and Spell stones will be able to craft any card from Core, Legacy, Light Ascending or Descent into Darkness. Legacy will include all of the cards from old Core, Eve, Rise and Tribes that didn't make it into the new Core.
• The Rune Word stone is being phased out. It will no longer drop and has not been updated.
• Eve, Rise and Tribes stones are being phased out. As there will no longer be cards in these expansions from the system's perspective, they will all be able to craft any card from the Legacy set.
• The Core stone will craft any card from the New Core set

Legendary Reveal

It wouldn't be an update without another Legendary reveal so without further ado:

'Nuff' said.

New Core: Outta My Way!

When trying to find the edge in tense creature battles, removal spells are the key to victory. Currently in Kingdoms CCG, the best removal is spread out across the expansions, making it sometimes hard to collect all of the key spells you need for all of your decks. With the creation of New Core, we are bringing many of these top spells into a single, one-stop-shopping option.

Today we're going to spotlight seven pieces of great removal that you'll find in New Core. We've already spoiled that Echo Blast and Maelstrom are in - so let's check out what else is in store!

Much to the surprise of no one, Pacify is in New Core. It's one of the defining cards of Holy, and has proven to be both popular and balanced. A hallmark of stall strategies, the card is extremely powerful against expensive or buffed creatures, yet weak against smaller creatures. Add to that it is a great pick in both Sealed Deck and Draft and the card should continue to have an impact for years to come.

Let the misery reign! Woeful Misery is one of the best cards in Tribes for good reason. At just 1 mana and having the ability to ignore both resist and armor, Woeful Misery just kills creatures dead. yes, the loss of the extra card (chosen randomly) can hurt in some games, most of the time you just want to clear an opposing slot to win the game directly, at which point that lost card doesn't matter at all.

As we've already spoiled Elemental's premier removal spell, and Lightning Bolt isn't very exciting (yes it's in), here is removal and game-winning all rolled into one. One of the most popular gears due to its unrelenting damage Lava Blade is a perfect addition to the New Core roster.

Mystical does not get direct damage, so it must find ways to subvert the opposing forces while progressing its board presence. Essence Shift does just that - it removes an opposing creature while making your creature more resilient in the process. Iconically Mystical, Essence Shift is in.

Small creatures (and gear) can be very annoying. Turn after turn they drop, while you try to collect your mana together.Oust just says "Go away". Rotted Remains pumped with 5 Reassemble? Go away. 4/5 Raging Vines? Go away. Oust is a great card to control a weenie based metagame and for that reason finds a home in New Core.

While Alchemy's removal spell might be situational, it is very good in those situations. No other rare card can take down Elara for a mere two mana, not to mention being able to efficiently deal with cards like Manacycle Wizard and... What's that? Ah yes, Hose Down is now 2 mana. This has been discussed many times, and with the release of New Core we're finally pulling the trigger.

Unaligned doesn't get many spells, but they do get some very good gear. Like this one. While not currently a force in the meta, its power is undeniable and could easily find a place in the new Standard. Every turn just smash something small and run them over while they try to recover. Speak softly and carry a big hammer!

And as we spoiled one of the 5 Legendary cards in New Core last week, how about another... with a twist!

You asked for a buff. You get a buff. Rak'Mul has carried that axe for a long time, now let's see him use it! When attacking, Rak'Mul how deals 1 physical damage to each opposing creature. If that kills an opposing creature... his second ability triggers. Attack into a wall of 1/1s and he gains 3 abilities before hitting the opponent in the face! He can also now attack into a 4/4 and come out unscathed! Long due for a buff, we think that this new version is more than worthy of that orange frame!

Stay tuned for more spoilers and news!

New Core, Old Friends

Today we're going to look at a number of the rare cards that will be a part of the new meta when New Core is released later this month.

As announced in our last blog post, there will be 9 rares in each of the seven Kingdoms, for 63 rares in the set. These cards have been pruned down from a list of 185 options, so basically we're removing 2/3's of the rares from the current environment to make a more streamlined and more easily accessible game.

Removing the dregs was relatively easy. There was no way that Nethergods Will had any chance of making it into New Core, and there were many cards like Goblin Strip Miner and Nature's Retribution that while not completely ineffective, didn't live up to the standard we were trying to build.

The more difficult decision was to pick which of the "tournament tier" cards would make it into the new set. New Core has also been planned as a chance to adjust the meta in a positive way, with the hope of expanding the range of cards that see play. To do this, some strategies needed to be strengthened, others needed to be weakened.

In the future we'll look at some of the top cards that didn't make it into New Core, but today we'll look at some of the great rare cards that ARE in New Core, and why they made it.

Holy's "Board Clear with a Bonus" is one of Holy's best and most unique spells. At its worst it resets the ground game when you fall behind, at its best it clears your opponent's board while leaving your Blessed or Indestructible creatures unscathed and ready to attack. Long considered one of the weakest Kingdoms, Holy stands to gain the most from the set rotation and this powerful spell may be the backbone of that resurgence.

The original set card that helped define the Mystical kingdom, Fae's Charm will keep on stealing the hearts of enemy creatures in the upcoming meta. In a game where 2-3 mana cost creatures can have so much impact at all stages of a game, the Charm helps to keep these decks honest. Just killed my Scroll Maker with a Nightstalker and given it +2 Attack? Thank you, I'll take that. You're so kind.

Command Creature is a surprisingly powerful spell that feels perfectly Ancient. Play it on any larger creature and it's opposing creature will crumple into a corpse while you rush across unimpeded. Add in the tribal bonus and the amazing artwork and Command Creature was a no brainer to add to the set.

If Spiteful Demon didn't have it's On Turn penalty, it would be a 4-of in every deck, as every Kingdom would pair with Undead just to play it. While its penalty is steep, the card will likely form the cornerstone of future all-in aggro decks of all flavours (and yes, Undead got some very good spells as well).

Board kill and face damage, all rolled into a nice, balanced package. In many ways a Fireball that can kill you if left unchecked, Thunder Cat provides great value in a simply designed card. Haste decks will be losing some of their cards, but Thunder Cat is too iconic to let go.

Hi Ravinova. When you stop making Chalice copies, perhaps you can lend a Goblin a hand a make a few more of me? Alchemy's role as the poison kings of Euna is being played up in New Core, and the poster child for this strategy is the Immobilizer. Combined with Alchemy Charm, our toxic friend can lock and inevitably remove all of your opponent's key creatures. Combine with Noran or the mystical spell Aether Walk to keep Toxic Immobilizer poisoning as your opponent tries to replace their fallen.

One of the best sideboard cards in the game, that has even seen main deck play in the arena, Silence will be in New Core to provide added protection against the many powerful spells remaining in the game.

And finally, as an added bonus, as the first revealed Legendary card that you will be able to find in the new set...

That's right. Army is in. Back when Dirty Fuel's "downside" was 99% upside, the Army found its way into every deck - whether it was combo, control or aggro. Rushing a 5/5 Overrun creature out of the blue closed out a large number of games. While weakened by Dirty Fuel's new card text, the Army remains a powerful late game threat, and hard to kill early drop if you need it.

Stay tuned for more reveals!