Lulu and New Ionia Cards: Analysis and Ratings

Whimsy – 4.0

We have our second card ever with Silence keyword, Purify is no longer alone! This card seems like an incredible combat trick, but slightly expensive and specific in targeting since he can only hit followers and not champions. Silencing and turning any follower into a 1/1 during combat will allow you to get the kill pretty easily. Obviously the top end of this is using it on massive units such as They Who Endure, but it also has a lot of value silencing something with Last Breath before killing it, such as Commander Ledros. Another use of this spell is just transforming some large unit that is about to hit your Nexus to save you some health. This will find use out of combat as well, as long as you have a way to secure the kill. The huge downside to this card is that both the Silence and the transformation will revert on the next turn, bringing the unit back to normal after spending some time as a Squirrel. There are a lot of options and flexibility on this spell, and that is why I am scoring it so high. It will for sure find a place in quite a few decks. 

Pix! – 1.0

Fae Guide – 3.5

This card obviously feels very similar to Sumpsnipe Scavenger, which I know saw no play and was one of the worst Allegiance units. The problem with that card was not its effect – in fact it had a very strong effect because giving units Elusive can be game changing. The problem was Piltover and Zaun not having enough good cards to make a solid Allegiance deck. The Fae Guide however, does not make you follow any deck building restrictions. It also happens to be in the region that historically has had the most meta success with Elusive decks.

Comparing this to cards like Ghost and Sumpworks Map is interesting. One problem with those spells, is they take up a deckbuilding slot and provide no board presence by themselves. They can feel dead in hand if you don’t have a good target for it. Their advantage though is being played at Burst speed. I think Fae Guide overcomes that advantage by being a 3/3 body on turn 4. You won’t run into as many situations when you’re waiting for your perfect combo – making anything Elusive is a solid option. Especially if you are giving Elusive to Lulu or other weaker Support units. This card is going to find a home in a few different spots. 

Young Witch – 2.0

A known downside to support units is the vulnerability they have as they attack. Having high health can help protect them from trades, but Elusive keyword can do even a better job of it. Her stats are very lacking, but we are used to Elusive units having weaker stats. Her Support ability is interesting, but again is only a temporary buff. Giving Quick Attack is interesting and will cause your opponent problems as they block, in the most scary scenario giving your Challenger units the buff to allow for great trading. There are really only 2 archetypes this can fit in, and that is a Support deck and an Elusive deck. I don’t really see the value of Young Witch over other Elusive units, and I don’t think you need to run an insane amount of Support units in a Support-focused deck either. That makes me put her at a 2.0 because she can be a flex option for these decks but overall I think she is too weak.

Flower Child – 3.0

I love Flower Child. It gives me the exact vibes as the Greenglade Caretaker. They have the same stats and grow the same amount in similar ways. I can absolutely see a really strong curve of Flower Child on 1, Tyari the Traveler on 2, and then Lulu on 3 to make a crazy powerful board state that can quickly get out of hand. On top of that, there are other units that can fill in the Support curve on turn 2 and 3 and still allow your board state to grow. I’m rating Flower Child at a 3.0, because I think in any deck that ends up using Support cards will want to run 3 of this. Only time will tell if this archetype will find success, but if it does, you’ll end up seeing a lot of the Flower Child. 

Fuzzy Caretaker – 2.5

Here we have yet another 4-drop with a 3|3 statline, but this time with some crazy Support synergy. This follower, similarly to the Mountain Sojourners, wants to get a conga line of Support units on the board. Even though the buffs this Fuzzy boy gives are temporary, they are significant. Getting +3 health can really save him from downtrades, meanwhile giving +3 power can create a pretty big threat. I’m putting this at a 2.5 instead of a 3 because the 4-drop is a hotly contested spot for Support decks already. We have Taric and Shen, and there are some other really solid 4-drops in this reveal season already. I do think if you are going the huge board conga line style of support, then Fuzzy will find a place.

Tasty Faefolk – 3.0

Lifesteal is a very important thing to have in control decks. It can come in the form of actual units with Lifesteal or in the form of spells/abilities with Drain. This card is very similar to the Deadbloom Wanderer, who found a great home in the Deep archetype due to its ability to sustain you through early game. Tasty Faefolk will play a similar role, except in a wider range of decks. Being in Ionia, which is a region we often see in control decks, makes this card have some solid value. The other thing Ionia has to it is unit protection, so keeping this follower alive in order to get a strike or two off can be enough to stabilize you.

Swole Squirrel – 2.0

I wish I could give this meme lord a 5.0, but I simply cannot. I do however think the Swole Squirrel will find a home in some very niche decks. There has been so much excitement around this card already, we are bound to see it pop up. Using spells such as Single Combat or Whirling Death, you get to double this beefy boy’s power repeatedly. Buffing this unit is another way for him to stay alive longer and ramp into a scary state, but I still believe he will see play only in very weird builds. This does not mean I am not absolutely obsessed with this card like everybody else. 

Startled Stomper – 1.5

So they snuck a Targon card into these reveals? The Startled Stomper is not terrible, it is just not great. Overwhelm on a follower with only 2 power is not great, unless you are trying to make sure you get a damage through on turn 2, to level Gangplank or Sejuani. Even if that is the case, there are better options than this. So the use for this has to be buffing either with spells or support. Again for spells, there are better buff targets than this. But for an ally being supported, this isn’t bad. Giving this card some buffs early can create a strong unit that will get some damage through consistently. Maybe this card finds a home in some of those conga line support decks I mentioned before, but I wouldn’t put my money on it.