Rise of the Underworlds ‘Variety Drop’: Ratings and Theorycrafts

Field Promotion – 4.0

This is a very interesting card. Having the ability to grant Scout to any card definitely makes for exciting deck brewing.

The way I see this work can be in some kind of all-in deck based on giving Scout to a high-value unit. In the early days of Legends of Runeterra, there was a deck called ‘Stand Alone OTK’, when the namesake spell Stand Alone was costed at 3 mana.

This gives somewhat similar vibes because giving Scout to a card like Zed will make him into a crazy threat. However, you will also need a few ‘backup’ targets for this spell and a cohesive strategy in case you don’t draw Field Promotions. The deck that I think makes the most sense to just slot this card in would be Demacia Sivir Renekton with some adjustments.

Fabled Poro – 3.0

My favorite card out of this reveal. Who doesn’t like poros? Poro decks have been less bad than most people think. Having your whole deck gain stats for cheap with Poro Snax is pretty good. A while ago, Poros were actually seeing reasonable success in Masters and this card also just makes sense for the archetype.

The stats on the unit are very good because you value health more than attack. After a few Poro Snax casts this card will become a heavy, hard to remove, body – and it buffs your board. It is also a great unit to be drawn with Poro Herder.

While this card might not be making Poros meta, it definitely helps the archetype.

Abominable Guardian – 3.5

This is the hardest card to evaluate out of this batch. It has some insane potential: you could be summoning three Abominable Guardians on turn 2 and attacking with all of them on turn 3. No deck would be able to deal with that kind of opener.

However, there aren’t that many Yeti’s in the game and I’m unsure if bundling them together at this time makes sense. While this deck could have insane openers, it lacks ways to finish games unlike Legion Marauder with ever-increasing stats.

Abominable Guardian could make it into some deck that just uses the tempo gains of it and snowballs to victory. A deck like Ashe LeBlanc can possibly consider using it, but that comes with the risk of bricking your hand.

Defiant Dance – 3.0

Azir Irelia is probably going to be nerfed hard – but if it doesn’t, this card could see some play.

It’s true that Slow speed makes any spell feel quite restricted, and this case is no exception. It can’t exactly replace Lead and Follow, because you won’t be able to protect your own units, which is crucial for Irelia and Azir. Homecoming might not Blade Dance, but it is Fast speed which, again, protects your own units while gaining tempo by recalling the opponent’s threat.

Still, I think Defiant Dance has some chance of finding a place because recalling while blade-dancing is something that the deck likes to do in the later stages of the game. And if it found a slot in the deck, it probably would be over Blossoming Blade.

Heavens Aligned – 1.5

This spell just feels awkward. Spending mana to generate a random card is not what any competitive deck wants to do.

There is a small chance this card might be used as a Nightfall activator, but I think there are better options out there to serve that role.

Heavens Aligned being at Focus speed is also a small downside – you won’t be able to fish for Fast and Burst spells like Unspeakable Horror or Pale Cascade.

Starlit Epiphany – 1.0

This card just doesn’t make sense to play. It is effectively a 3-mana Behold the Infinite. It does in addition fill up your library with 20 copies of it, but Behold the Infinite isn’t a spell people are currently excited to put in their deck in the first place.

It was mentioned that this technically counters the Watcher trigger – but would it really help you? After you’ve cast Starlit Epiphany, you still have to deal with Watcher (and its copies) or it will just Obliterate your deck once again.

Starlit Epiphany could be justified in extreme late-game scenarios if you are running out of cards naturally. However, Targon tends to handle the late game pretty well already.

Thorned Blade – 0.0

This might be one of the worst cards ever printed. Giving +5 power for 4 mana – and only for the round?

You want a spell that gives power and is flexible for a low mana cost? Play Elixir of Wrath. You want a finisher spell to cast on a high-power unit? Play Might. Need permanent buffs – and on two units at once? Here’s Brothers’ Bond.

All these cards are in Noxus as well, so you won’t need to go out of your way to find a better card for your deck.

Atakhan, Bringer of Ruin – 1.0

The card is super expensive at 10 mana. We currently only have two followers which cost 10 mana (not counting Plaza Guardian and the likes that come with a self-discounting effect).

Cithria, Lady of Clouds is only played in a deck that uses Spectral Matron. She Who Wanders saw a little bit of play in Warmother’s Call decks of the past. Both cards are similar in the sense that they make sense only when they can be cheated out.

Atakhan is different – while he might be a good finisher when cheated out, he is too easy to disrupt. Once disrupted, he does not provide the benefit that a card like Cithria, Lady of Clouds offers for the entire board.

The Twisted Treeline – 1.5

I don’t think this card will work out – it is too slow. The absolute earliest when Vilemaw can attack is turn 6. This would require you to attack with 3 Fearsome units on turn 4.

That is a lot that needs to go right. While you might be saving some mana on a 6/6 Fearsome, you are sacrificing a lot of tempo for it. I don’t think a Fearsome deck will be able to afford it as they usually are all about tempo.

Astral Fox – 4.5

Overall this card looks really promising – it is like Shadow Isles gained their own Imperial Demolitionist. It does cost more, but Shadow Isles is a region that can use this kind of effect better.

Shadow Isles has plenty of sacrifice fodder. Astral Fox also can be found through Stalking Shadows which further increases your burn reach. The Fearsome tag is also nothing to ignore.

This can fit in the current SI early-game package. In a deck that would prioritize burn over drawing cards, the Fox will be a straight-up replacement for Spirit Leech.