Two colors often trump one color. Culdcept beginsBut this only works if you can share your boards well. Placement restrictions mean that certain elements actively block each other, so developed land ends up trapping its own creatures.
The bottom pair work against that limit instead, and the bottom two are traps you'll need to spot before spending 50 slots to find them the hard way. Pick a combo here, add your favorite neutrals, spells, etc. and you're off to a good start.
The best combination of elements
- fire and earth. Fire wins an unbearable fight, and Earth holds an unwinnable position. Pair them up to cover each other's failures, and Fire's first strikers clear the squares for Earth's walls to take hold. The designers seem to agree, as Grimalkin is the only creature in the set that supports two elements at once, and those elements are fire and earth.
- water and air. Air gains territory faster than any color, then passes it to Water's wall of negation to keep it. Water's card draw feeds the swarm, which is important for the element of burning cheap bodies at a rapid rate. Neither side limits the other's placement, so the board doesn't fight itself.
-
fire and air. The two offensive colors are stacked, attacking first on almost every body and with a tempo that no defensive build can match. The problem is the missing back line. This allows your weak opponent to outlast you if a weak attacker trades.
- miasma of death It punishes this pairing harder than anything else in the game.
- water and land. Once established, a fortress is virtually unbreakable. The Earth's regeneration tank and the water's negativity combine to create a square that no one in their right mind can invade. The matter is being closed. The land approaches slowly and is won by toll rather than force. It requires a bit of luck, but is very effective in the right circumstances.
- All colors and a splash of deep neutrals. Neutral creatures are placed anywhere without penalty, so they don't collide with primitives. The small package involves tasks that your color doesn't handle well, but whether it means the economy of the Golden Totems or the answer to the fat neutral anchor of the Cleric, going all-in on a neutral as a secondary is more than viable. In our neutral selection, you'll find great options to suit any deck.
Combinations to Avoid
- fire and water. This is almost too obvious. Some fire creatures can't be placed in water lands, and some water creatures can't be placed in fire lands. So every square you develop blocks part of the book. The Kraken goes further and loses HP if it holds any Firelands.
- earth and air. Less obvious than fire and water, but still clear. There is an identical trap on the opposite axis, and a worse one. Air has the longest “cannot be placed on Earth” list in the set, so Earth-heavy boards tie flyers to their hands and tanks reject Air squares.
