2 Warrior / 1 Nimbus Priest

Discussion in 'Deck Building' started by Derek, Nov 21, 2015.

  1. Derek

    Derek Orc Soldier

    EDIT: This is a continually evolving build, that currently has me just above 1400. Please see the most recent posts for improvements made to the build over time.

    First and foremost, this is going to be a long post. I apologize. Secondly, it important for me to mention that I'm satisfied with 2 warriors and 1 priest and am considering only the items used in this post (I just don't enjoy wizards). I will list other notable rare or better items that I'm not currently using toward the end of this post, but feel free to suggest any item (barring legendaries preferably).

    Team overview: In the Halloween map pack I got to ~1350 with a similar build. In the current rotation, however, I found wizards to be more than troublesome and rushing to the victory point to be essential. Thus, I've traded out some power for movement (I have the ability to add even more). In the games I win I find that a second or third movement card is key, surprising my opponent, and leaving them out of position. Also, teams that rely on buffs are effectively negated with my nimbus priest. Again, wizard teams that run away from me and focus on board control usually beat me (perhaps an unavoidable consequence of a 2 warrior team?).

    Warrior 1
    Level 19 Human Warrior

    This first warrior started out running a standard Bejeweled weapon set. The Laser Halberd was added after reading some forum posts about how good laser blocks are and I'm starting to agree. Bejeweled is standard fare, and Rageblood gives me movement and ups my damage a bit as I lack mass frenzy. My second to last token goes into a Necalli Cap. The extra movement surprises my opponent and the AoA surprises them even more. I'm not thrilled with this cap but its one of my better minor token ones and I struggle to squeeze a major token in here (I have some good major token helmets, see below). Superb flexibility is superb flexibility...n'uff said. In general I have great human traits which is why I'm running 3 humans.

    Priest
    Level 20 Human Priest

    In the past I ran some minor token divine weapons (I have some notable ones, see below) to up my healing potential, but decided that these Nimbus Blades are just too good. If these 2 weapons stay I feel committed to a nimbus strategy which is why I'm running 2 Shielding tokens. I have more but am running Hand of Melvelous because 8 nimbus's feels like enough and the vamp healing is nice. The freed up minor token went into Mail of Succor which gives me the most heal for my buck(I wish I had more healing on this priest). I have some good tokenless and major token armor but they lack healing and I don't have room for the major token ones. Advanced command is on my priest to ensure that the team sprint is usable by both warriors. I have other minor token human skills with 2 team movements but 2 movement cards for my priest, one being flanking move, seems just as good. I'm running a 2 altruism divine skill because I have so little healing that talented healer seems less appealing than a card draw.

    Warrior 2
    Level 20 Human Warrior

    This warrior also began its journey as a Bejeweled set. I started using Powerpike because the range 2 attacks are rarely anticipated considering how Bejewel-y my warriors look when my opponent sees the thrusts and hacks. Raxcotl's hammer was chosen out of a slew of 2 minor token weapons but I like the feinting strike to phish for blocks. The bloodied block is also nice considering I'm running tokenless shields across the board (I have 2 Aegis's that I wish I could squeeze in, see below). Heavy armor is probably my weakest pool to pick from: its either Bulging Cuirass or Solid Mail. Necalli's Cap again because I can't seem to afford a major token. Superb Command finds a place here over more movement because I lack blocks..

    Notable Items: (these are only my rares or better for the most part)

    Weapons:
    Mark 2 Broadsword Seems real nice...
    The Tenderizer Haven't had much trouble with armor
    Dragonslayer Sword Eh. Here because its epic
    Trickster's Blade Used to phish for blocks but seems redundant & lacks dmg
    Infused Greatclub Used to use it. Unreliable dmg

    Helmets:
    Major's Helmet
    Shimmering Hood Tokenless mage killer?
    Terminator Mask Adv. training and mimic helm seem nice
    Crusty Helm Why do people recommend this..?
    Helm Of Alacrity Good movement
    Space Captain's Coif
    Spacediver's Face Screen
    Bubble Helmet

    Shields: (my best tokenless are equipped, these all require tokens)
    Aegis Of The Defender I have 2, and they synergize so well with themselves
    Bloody Shield
    Fang Shield
    Jaguar Buckler
    Automatic Shield
    Buckler Of Protection
    Steel-rimmed Buckler

    Human Skill:
    Command
    Inspired Command
    Perfect Command
    Superb Command

    Divine Weapon:
    Blessed Radcannon
    Lifesuck Spear
    Cudgel Of Healing Light Gets me needed heals
    Heavy Mace Good dmg for 1 minor
    St. Well's Powermace
    Wicked Broom Good dmg output with an entangling roots
    Club Of Wrath Best tokenless

    Divine Armor:
    Armor Of Negation Might help against wizards
    Cintxotl Mail Good armor while retaining a heal
    Zod's Vile Spaceplate Cushion plus draws for warriors
    Burnished Plates
    Geneticist's Spacesuit Force field plus heals seems nice, counteracts radiation
    St. Borgun's Plate

    Divine Item:
    Golden Wings Seems helpful in current map rotation but found inconsistent draws
    Grey Charm Heals plus savage curse for warriors
    Pol's Prayer Beads To clean up volcanos
    St. Bethan's Charm Heals plus a mass frenzy
    Twilight Talisman Gives healing while retaining a nimbus
    Acolyte's Healing Ring Gives me some healing

    Feel free to make broad suggestions as well as specific changes. The items listed are just to give a feel for my position and, in part, to justify why I equipped what I did.

    Thank you ever so much for you time and brainpower!
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2015
  2. Christofff

    Christofff Guild Leader

    Ok, some nice ideas here. One thing I've learnt the hard way that synergy and, as you mentioned, movement are important.

    With regards to synergy, if you're running tonnes of nimbus for warriors then maybe you can replace the laser halberd in the first warrior with a weapon with more punch. Maybe a weapon with just one laser block? Rage blood dagger can be good but raging strike can also mean an insta-loss.

    Second warrior has punch but little movement!!
    All out attack feinting strike I like but you need more movement.

    So, I won't suggest any specific items ( that would spoil the fun!). But in general, it helps when playing warriors if you have good plans first, then adapt your build to suit the plan.

    Also, watch high-ranked warrior teams play! Once you improve your strategy and patience this will form the basis for how you build your deck.

    Then, practice with the deck at least 10-20 games to get a feel for it (swapping items as needed).

    Btw, Re- crusty helm, there is a reason why so many think its good. It streamlines your draws, gives you two quality armor cards, all for zero tokens.
     
    visak13, ParodyKnaveBob and Derek like this.
  3. Derek

    Derek Orc Soldier

    Thank you very much for the reply! Also, believe it or not, I'm really glad you gave general advice.

    Since this post I've gone to a 3rd Shielding Token on my priest and went to a tokenless armor. It just so happens this makes me a lot more comfortable implementing some of your warrior suggestions. Unfortunately, upon review, my options are pretty limited.

    For either warrior I could go with double-edge swords...this would allow me to put perfect command on one of my warriors.

    Maybe something like:

    Bejeweled Shortsword
    Raxcotl's Hammer
    Double-edge Sword
    Perfect Command

    Powerpike
    Double-edge Sword
    Double-edge Sword
    Superb Flexibility
     
  4. Christofff

    Christofff Guild Leader

    Good ideas!

    A little more advice- if you feel your item options are limited, but having trouble winning ranked games, then get good at leagues, particularly Quick Draw (QD). Steep learning curve, but can get you more chests than ranked, as you win both the chests from winning individual matches, plus the chests for how you fare in ranked overall. Note- even if you come last/don't play, you still get three magnificent chests.

    Double-Edged sword is a great sword btw. Good luck
     
  5. Derek

    Derek Orc Soldier

    Thanks again. The revised weapon caches are definitely superior. Not perfect but eh. I join every league I can :p as those bonus chests are broken lol. Unfortunately I am god awful at QD. I feel as though the secret is to pick defensive multi-purpose cards and be super patient. Patience is already the key limiting factor in my ELO...I scold myself frequently for being overly aggressive haha.
     
  6. Melancthon

    Melancthon Ogre

    It took me about a year of CONSTANTLY reminding myself not to rush in before it finally started to click. I STILL do it sometimes, and I end up kicking myself almost every time (sometimes it works).

    I've found that one of the best ways to improve a build is to try to always keep in mind the things in a given match that make things go bad and try to keep track of them. For example, if you lose one match due to lack of movement, it might have been a bad draw. But if you keep finding that one more move card might have won you the game, it's probably time to reconsider your boots.

    For the record, the thing that taught me the most about taking my time and passing aggressively was playing a Volcano deck for a brief time :p
     
  7. Han Lee

    Han Lee Guild Leader

    May want to consider switching to elf warriors for the cautious mobility, since you have 5 solid step attacks that deal 7 damage each. Would recommend nova axe (if you have it) for the violent spin (control wins games) and purging strike (since you don't run purges on your priest). Run nimbus if you must, but I feel that having 2 bubble helmets on your warriors and replacing nimbus with buffs is a better option if you want to go with the invincibility route.
     
    Melancthon likes this.
  8. Derek

    Derek Orc Soldier

    Thanks for the good advice everyone. I've recovered back to just under 1300 with the changes I've made. Might not seem too high, but I finally feel I'm at the ELO my skill justifies. I no longer feel my builds are my limiting factor. This makes the wins all the more rewarding and the loses become lessons learned.

    I've never ran a Volcano deck but whenever I play wizards in QD I feel this. I think I was afraid of discarding quality cards, but this post has helped me learn my lesson. Its surprising how often your opponent makes "mistakes" when you're willing to throw away 2 or 3 cards and they're not.

    I really like this idea...unfortunately I dont have a Nova Axe and I dont even have 1 cautious mobility let alone 2. I feel this strategy is in a slightly different vein from mine. While perhaps better, I think trying to implement it here would detract from my focus. Im also lacking decent buffing items for my priest, but if I ever got some, and moved away from nimbus's, I think the control the elf warrior brings would be desirable. I am going to experiment with a second double edge sword on my first warrior so I can run bubble helmet. Dont have enough games under my belt with it to comment on it yet.
     
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  9. SlowComputer

    SlowComputer Kobold

    You nailed it. You're in the right track to became a great player. Ofc you will improve (with my tips) but you realized quickly how wizards are not playable by peasents :p
    So 2+1 (or 1+2 priests) is the solution. And yes, 'shielding token' is the best :)
    Healing only justify after 'cushion armor'... otherwise 2x Nimbus Blade is a solid option. I would try to change one (or two) priest from human to dwarf... (but it doesn't matter much).
    Now, what really matters: Warrior(s).
    Elves and Dwarves have super tokenless racial skills... Humans need to spend a token, that will cripple defenses badly.
    Superb Command is the only choice I recommend (Flexibility seems the worst cause it injures your card draw).
    Call me "old fashioned" but anything different of 2x Bejeweled makes no sence to me. Specially for an AoA fan.
    ...and that brings me to the helmet: quickness aura is useless in rough terrain maps :/ use Tough Leather Cap instead.
    Or, a rare type of fighters sometimes drop tokens of weapons, and try to tank themselves (epic heavy armor, Force field, or Parrying Bucler) or safety Boots ;)
     
  10. Derek

    Derek Orc Soldier

    Im not a fan of healing unless I was running 2 priests. I would prefer to run buffs.
    Unfortunately I dont have any great tokenless racial skills for Elves or Dwarves. Dwarves make the most sense on my team, as far as I can tell, due to my team sprints and movement cards.
    Not sure what you mean by flexibility hurting my card draw? It makes for some bad hands some turns, yes, but getting a card draw out of escaping run is really quite easy.
    I wish I was running double Bejeweled on my first warrior. I quite agree here how my racial skill is limiting my overall build. But the major token for team movement is necessary in the current map rotation which brings me to my next point..
    There's really only 1 map (the one with only 1 victory square) in which quickness aura hurts my deck. Even on this map the card is great turn 1. On the other maps it allows me to chase down and kill wizards who stay on the outside ring of the rough terrain. This feels like a good place to note that I removed the bubble helmet I was testing. The Necalli cap, on this team and this map rotation, is just better. I did just get my first tough leather cap recently; Ill keep it in mind.

    ~~

    Question for those more experienced on these forums: Would it be appropriate for me to continue to use this thread to track and discuss my build's evolution (so long as it remains 2 warrior/1 priest)? If its preferred this section's posts remain about premeditated "builds" I'd understand, just curious.
     
    Sir Veza likes this.
  11. Sir Veza

    Sir Veza Farming Deity

    It would be quite appropriate. :)
    p.s. I'm a fan of Necalli Cap myself. Also, when team moves are less of an issue I like Advanced Flexibility on my priest. It can either cycle through weak/dead cards, or give a very nice power surge if your warriors use Officer's Harnesses.
     
  12. Han Lee

    Han Lee Guild Leader

    You can easily get cautious mobility from the stores (check the lvl 7 one every day). As for raging battler, you're going to be waiting a while xD (or not long at all if your luck is good!)
     
  13. Derek

    Derek Orc Soldier

    A couple dozen games more under my belt and I'm finally resting comfortably above 1300. I snagged some legendary boots, which has prompted some minor shifts; I thought I'd keep this thread updated. I've also changed the title to more accurately reflect where this thread is headed.

    Warrior 1
    Level 19 Human Warrior

    This warrior hasn't changed.

    Priest
    Level 20 Human Priest

    Now running Bleneth's Frenzy Tome over a 3rd shielding token. The nimbi are still reliable enough and the frenzy is REALLY worth it..its important to realize you may only be able to safely unleash 1 or 2 attacks a turn and frenzy makes them hit so much harder. I've settled for a tokenless armor but it gives me 2 ace in the hole purges which have been situationally helpful.

    Warrior 2
    Level 20 Human Warrior

    Since adding Kelharin's Clogs I've gone on a several game winning streak, with at least 1 game owed to the added bulk on this warrior. I was able to charge the victory point and shrug off several attacks with 2 officers harnesses and my mail, but I'm not yet fully convinced they're worth running. I'd like input on this matter. The tokenless human skill feels...'meh' but its the best I've got.

    Edit: I've gone back to skipping boots and superb flexibility. What was I thinking.. I just see 'legendary' and get overly excited.
     
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2015
  14. Deepweed

    Deepweed Thaumaturge

    Congratulations to you, Derek, for not picking Wizards because they're incredibly frustrating in this meta.

    And congratulations to everyone else in this thread for giving advice. Now almost all the items in the build are staple ones...
     
  15. Derek

    Derek Orc Soldier

    So a similar party now has me in the 1400s. Ill wait to post the updated builds until I settle into the new map rotation.
     
    Sir Veza likes this.
  16. Derek

    Derek Orc Soldier

    New build for the new map rotation! I fell some 200 points when it first changed, but have fully recovered and am closing in on 1500. My game/strategy is more reliable; as are these builds.

    Nimbus Blade is standard for me. God, I'm glad I have 2 of them. With an increase in warriors the Shielding Token has become a old reliable friend. Even the small drain attack is perfect for revealing blocks and parrys. The level 1 common armor is laughable, yes, but Surestrike is nothing to laugh at when I bypass your warrior's multiple blocks and parrys. Inspired command is put to best use here for card draws.
    Priest
    Level 20 Human Priest

    As if a Nimbus priest wasn't enough, insert Bejeweled Elf. All of these items are standard faire. The Elven Maneuvers is key for movement but also to get the opponent to hesitate, giving my priest a turn to cast Nimbus. This elf also synergizes well with my more tanky human warrior, cleaning up where he leaves off. Immovable really lets me hit mages hard in addition to cycling cards.
    Warrior 1
    Level 18 Elf Warrior

    This warrior hits hard. Period. Bulging Cuirass with Duncan's Chain Cap is a really nice item combo I lucked into. I wish I had better tokenless for both item slots but all these armor cards let me sponge hits for days when I don't draw attacks. Red Jon's Boots instead of Skipping Boots because flanking moves let me pass first to end the round (more often than not). I dont miss the Healing Sprint as it can rarely be put to use in tight quarters with so many warriors this map rotation, and the armor synergy is nice. Advanced Command adds movement to this warrior and allows my team to sprint to the pivotal victory locations.
    Warrior 2
    Level 19 Human Warrior

    This build has me to ~1450
     

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