Top 10 Cards & Complete Ratings of Shurima Set

10. Dunekeeper

Summoning two bodies instantly is something we’ve never seen before on a 1-cost unit. The stats he provides are also good! Dunekeeper is a really impressive card, and will be very strong on the offense – he pushes up to 4 Nexus damage – but also on defense to create 2 bodies in 1 action at a cheap cost.

Dunekeeper is looking to be the premium Shurima 1-drop, and I expect him to see a lot of play. He might really help hyper-aggro strategies, but should also fit outside of them for any deck looking for a 1-drop. He also finds extra synergies with the Sand Soldier archetype, Ephemerals, swarm, and synergies involving units dying (like Lucian or Kalista).

9. Spirit Fire

Spirit Fire is a premium board-clear. It will help you survive the opponent’s attack, and is a great removal, especially against board-swarm strategies.

This spell being castable at burst speed is the icing on the cake. Its cost is expensive, but the effect is strong – we’ve seen how much a spell like Withering Wail can impact the meta.

8. Ice Shard

Ice Shard has a pretty impressive effect for its cost. Dealing 1 damage to everything is a great way to completely stop swarm strategies, and you can combine it with other damage-based spells to remove bigger units.

Ice Shard looks like a great fit for control Frejlord decks, and could also help to bring some life to the Crimson archetype.

7. Blighted Ravine

Blighted Ravine is very comparable to Avalanche, which is a premium control spell. The heal 2 (heal 4 but then deal 2 to your Nexus) is an important upside, and getting the board-wipe effect only after the turn ends can actually be a big upside.

For example, if you play Avalanche during your turn, the opponent can re-develop a board and open-attack on the next turn. Blighted Ravine doesn’t allow that because it will also deal damage to the units your opponent plays AFTER you played it, encouraging him to not develop any more units.

6. Ancient Hourglass

Ancient Hourglass is an impressive protection spell. Being able to dodge a removal or undesirable combat at such a cheap cost is really good when you compare it to other options like Deny or Bastion.

The cheap cost is very relevant to this kind of reactive spells, because it allows you to tap lower on mana every turn without giving the opponent the opportunity to remove your unit when your defenses are down.

Ancient Hourglass however is a bit less flexible than those spells and does remove your own unit for the turn, so it won’t help you for example to secure a lethal. I’m still confident it will sway many games thanks to its lower mana cost.

5. Rite of Negation

When compared to Deny, Rite of Negation does have an extra cost – but it can often be mitigated, either by sacrificing a very weak unit while the opponent is tapped down or mostly by paying the mana gem cost once you’re late into the game (or when you’re playing Rite of Negation to end the game immediately).

Its upside – being able to counter multiple spells and skills at a time – is very important, especially for proactive archetypes that can force the opponent to put several reactive spells on the stack during your attack step. Rite of Negation will be a key spell of the new region, and while it is meta-dependant, it will incentivize the opponent to play around it even if it’s not in your deck!

4. Rampaging Baccai

Rampaging Baccai is looking very strong and should be featured in a lot of Shurima decks! He has good stats for a 5 drop, the Overwhelm keyword is a nice addition, but what really makes him shine is his ‘Play’ ability.

Rampaging Baccai comes with a Single Combat attached if you’ve slain 4+ units, which doesn’t look like a hard condition to meet even when your deck isn’t particularly built around it. This ability makes him a perfect 5-drop to remove the opponent’s early champion while developing your own board.

3. Renekton

Over the past seasons, Overwhelm clearly stood out as an offensive keyword, and numerous aggressive archetypes emerged as an answer to it.

A 4/4 Overwhelm for 4 mana is already something worth looking at for that kind of decks, but Renekton also brings a very valuable self-buff when he challenges a unit, allowing him to push even more Overwhelm damage.

His level up isn’t easy to achieve, but Renekton becomes a terrifying Overwhelm threat once the transformation is complete. I expect Renekton, alongside some other cards, to make Shurima one of the premium regions for the Overwhelm archetype.

2. Kindred

Kindred is an impressive value engine, which tends to be a recipe for success. Even without considering their level up, the value, control, and tempo they bring are impressive.

Slaying 1 unit is a very easy task, and you can use a small removal to deal with the weakest enemy so Kindred remove a bigger one. Kindred really shine when they can remove the opponent’s champion without even putting themselves at risk.

While their level up doesn’t bring that much more, it still offers a considerable boost to finish the game, especially when considering that Kindred remove chump blockers with their ability.

Kindred have some flaws, as they are somewhat slow and can be a bit clunky because the opponent still has the rest of his turn to use the marked unit, but overall Kindred is looking like the strongest champion of the expansion.

1. Ruin Runner

Ruin Runner is an impressive Overwhelm unit, and I expect her to really push the Overwhelm Aggro Shurima archetype on the top.

Spellshield makes her very hard to stop, and 6 attack with the Overwhelm keyword is a lot.

Spellshield also makes her a perfect target for buffs to help her survive and push even more damage.