Overview
This will be as in depth a guide as I can give to Forge. There is already a “small guide” so I will dispense with the beginnings to it and direct you there to get you started. Here, I’ll go into the various decks you’ll go up against, cards that are great in forge, but probably not in Ranked/casual, and what factions are the best to select.
Selecting Factions
You will be using 2 colors in your forge deck regardless. You can wait until your 6th selection for your 2nd color but on that turn, all 3 choices will be something other than your original color.
The top 4 all have one thing in common. Justice. Select Justice if at all possible.
The best, and I mean it’s almost alone at the top, is Hooru. This is Primal/Justice. It won’t blow them away aggressively but can win because it’s reliable and consistent. It contains many of the things you need to win at Forge:
1. Flyers. Mostly you’ll select Valkyrie but there are many other options. It’s a good rule of thumb to know the better flyers from the ..ahem…crud when selecting from 2 flyers on the same choice but those should be readily apparent. Even flyers you’d normally turn up your nose at are gold here.
2. Defensive Ground units. You will probably not be attacking any with them but you need them to basically hold off the enemy AI while your flyers hit them hard. When looking at ground units, note defense waaaaay over attack. Here in Forge, a 2/4 is far better than a 4/2 unit.
3. Control type removal/combat tricks. Granted, hooru is the worst choice for direct removal. However, it possesses very good control removal and some great combat tricks.
4. Good weapons. Don’t get too many, 3 or 4 should be your limit. However, when selecting them, you need to keep the format you’re in in mind. For example, Stalwart Shield(giving endurance) is far better than a 4/1 anything. The AI uses a LOT of stun spells and endurance can win you matches vs these outright. Consider that when selecting units as well.
5. Draw. Again, don’t get too much. However, Primal has the best and you can often select just what you need. Strongly consider getting 2 power “fixes” such as Eilyn’s or Rolant’s Favor. No more than 2 of these though.
6. Lifegain. You will not win going lifegain/lifeforce in Forge but you need to try to get a little or get enough to be “well rounded”. Spiritblade Stalker, an unseen, has become a go to unit of choice for this.
Next. 2nd. Rakano. to be continued.
Ok, I outlined a lot of what you need to look for in the Hooru discussion so the rest of the factions I’ll highlight specific things to look for each.
Rakano (Fire/Justice) has jumped into 2nd despite being in the bottom 4 in past sets. The reason? It’s become more diverse. Look for specific removal in it and you’ll find it. Entrapment, btw, a set 3 spell, really works well in Forge and comes up as a choice often so keep that in mind(I’ll cover more on these cards in a different section of this guide). Also, look for some gunslinger symmetry as you get some very good choices of commons and uncommons. DO NOT GO AGGRO. Aggro falters after the 3rd match for the most part. Yeah, I know of players bragging about how they went to 7 wins easily but it rarely happens. Go tempo and control. That means you need to seek some late game hitters as well and yes, both colors possess this. Again, find some flyers!(mostly Justice)
Combrei (Time/Justice) has also jumped up into third. Basically you’ll be looking for a “Ground and Pound” mix as flyers get hard to come by(although grab as many as you can). To play this well, you need to learn that the AI will trade off with you and it just can’t keep up with Combrei. Also, if nothing else, you can defensively play Combrei and get a win out of sheer letting the AI mill itself to death. Therefore, when playing Combrei, do NOT SEEK DRAW. oh, favors are still a help but nothing else. Silence, as it is in ranked/casual play for this combo, is gold in Forge as well and you should focus it and what removal you can on the AI flyers.
Argenport (Justice/Shadow) has dropped from 2nd to 4th and I’m still not convinced it shouldn’t be lower. Why? Set 3 did give them good stuff but…It made the selection for these two TOO diverse. No longer can you rely on getting good straight removal from Shadow as it’s too dispersed now. It’s flyers were always iffy as witness most good flyers(and Shadow has a lot) are rares or mythics! You probably won’t get any of these. Try to offset it’s gaps with some lifegain if at all possible.
Praxis (Time/Fire) This used to be very low on the totem pole but it’s gotten better. It can flat blow the AI away if you get enough Sentinel/removal/explorers. However, you’ll still suffer from lack of flyer quality and enough removal although Fire has some good spot removal. Try to offset it’s lacks with some quality lifegain but don’t even try for lifeforce as you’ll fall short. Try again to select some defensive units and do try to get draw for it(mostly Time)
Feln(Primal/Shadow) It suffers from the same thing Argenport does…too diverse. You won’t be able to rely on infiltrate ever happening as the options are too spaced out and you simply won’t get enough. You can’t get quality removal in enough amounts, nor flyers in enough quality either. You have to actually try to draw your way to victory now and that can be very hard.
Skycrag- (Fire/Primal) for some reason, it’s gotten better and I can’t put my finger on why. The colors lack silence, lifegain, armor, good defensive units…yet it can still win. You have to select carefully and go for units that are diverse, meaning they do more than one thing. You can also get a good synergy with some yeti. Get flyers too.
Elysian- (TIme/Primal) try as hard as you can for dinos/explorers and it can win. If you don’t, you’ll struggle along hoping for miracles that rarely come. You won’t get enough flyers and low quality ones at that. You won’t get enough removal to scare a paranoid schizophrenic…and having a ton of draw is depressing when you draw into crap over and over again. Play this at your own risk.
Stonescar- (Fire/Shadow) for ranked/casual play it’s gotten a LOT stronger. For Forge, it’s gotten worse. too diverse as is all combos with Shadow in it. You won’t get enough Grenadin, gunslingers, etc. You’ll get bottom of the barrel removal. You’ll get crappy flyers if any. Play this one only if you’re masochistic and like losing.
Xenan-Get enough Lifegain/Lifeforce and you’ll blow the competition away!! However, you’ll come up short and end up with a pile of absolute crap. It’s a trap!(Admiral Akbar) You could do this before set 3 and often get it. Now, …just hum the mission impossible music as you play. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
FAQs, tricks, attrition
What is the best 2 color faction to select? Hooru. Without a doubt.
Do you get Legends in Forge? yes. Much more often than draft. This is nothing against draft, as it’s the most fun format imo, but I get Legends offered far more often. Just last night I got 2 in one. Rindra, the Duskblade and Magus of the Mist(screenshot available on request).
Is Draft better for my gold? If you’re an expert in Draft. I mean, you can win with a pile of crap as well as the god draws, then Draft is the better option. If you’re average or below in draft, Forge will reward you a lot better. If you can ALWAYS win 4 or more in Draft, then that should be your choice. If you win 3 or less, forge is more economical. With my guide and your own common sense, you can routinely win 5 or more in Forge.
Winning by Attrition-
This is where you outlast the enemy AI and beat it by exposing or forcing a weakness or having it mill itself. Win by any means necessary should be your motto.
Some units, if powerful ground units and you have several ground units on the field, you can use the powerful ones to “clear a path”. The AI will often trade you blow for blow and this exposes weaknesses. Let’s say you ram down his throat with an Adaptive Predator(8/8 has reckless and gets a random skill when it hits the enemy player). It will stop it as best it can. Take care of the most bothersome units to your board situation, especially flyers or highly defensive units. This can often force a break for you to exploit with your remaining units.
There are several AI decks that have a bit too much draw. Elysian ones mainly. They can be beaten by simply outlasting them. Play defensively, stop it’s best threats, and watch it kill itself by mill. This is just a choice on your part when no other way of winning presents itself. The AI can be very defensive too(which is why I strongly suggest not doing Aggro) and this option will come up eventually. Combrei is the best at actually forcing mills. Yeah, it may not be as exciting but a win is a win.
Combating Specific AI Decks
This section will be on the various decks the AI uses and what to watch out for. If there is one not mentioned that you struggle with please mention it and I’ll include it.
***Once you hit Masters Forge, sometimes you’ll encounter “God” versions of the usual AI decks. These will have more legends and rares and be hard as hell to beat. But they CAN be beaten. I’m hoping to help you along as much as I can.
I’ll start with the hardest:
1. Ancient Excavations. Holy hell can this be tough in normal mode, but it’s god mode can beat you like a government mule. It’s basically tough explorers leading into tougher sentinels. It can even play, in God mode, 2 of the Kiln Titans and get them out very early.
What does it lack? Removal. It relies on busting through you. It has ample draw, but it’s the Harvester so it’s situational and can remove what little removal it does have. It mostly uses “Purify” for it’s removal. It also has very limited flight. It has zero lifegain.
Therefore the goal is to contain the deck on the ground and hit as much and as often as you can with your flyers. You’ll often have to use up 2 of your units to stop 1 sentinel. You need to watch as the explorers can get out of hand as well. High defensive ground units on your part can help a ton as well.
2. Darkness(The Feln one). The feln one(Hiding in Darkness) is harder than the xenan one. I don’t even sweat the Xenan one. However, if you’re not careful, the Feln one can knock you out in record time. It likes to stun your units and get nightfall as often as it can. It’ll just pound on you then.
The goal then is to really utilize everything you can and stop it early. If you can halt it’s assault early, same as any other aggro, then it falters and the nightfall fills YOUR hand nicely. Get endurance units out there as fast as you can. Prepare to block off it’s units as best you can, losing one for one when you can. Try to keep quality units alive if possible so they can counterattack once the initial blitz is over with.
3. Wings of the Valkyrie- Aerial assault at it’s AI finest. Valkyrie have enormous Symmetry if you haven’t noticed yet by making your own. Here’s where your “defensive ground units” will actually be taking the offensive as the main weakness of the entire Valkyrie army is…low defensive stats. Here you will be blocking with flight as well, getting the most out of them. The Valkyrie deck loves to use tricks as well so be wary of them and watch the AI’s power/influence carefully. It doesn’t use much removal which is a plus for your efforts.
4. Merciless Stonescar-One that has been with us since the beginning, NEVER take this deck lightly. You can beat it 9 times in a row but still be careful on that 10th as if you’re not clever or aware, it can knock your lights out.
**I know it’s a rare and thus rarely gotten in Forge, but Crownwatch Quartermaster, with a few Valkyrie in your Forge deck, can be havoc. It gives +/- to one of your units for every unit you have on the field and it’s no temp buff, it’s permanent. With it’s “Valkyrie ally” it will also add 2 2/2 soldiers to the field and that, of course, enhances the buff it gives. Also, it can give that buff once every turn as it’s not an ultimate.
Forge vs Draft comparison
Forge:
-2500 Gold investment
+2000 Picking Packs(average cost of pack is 1k)
+ 800 Average money gained after average 5 win Forge
+1000 Value of Pack
= A net gain of 1300 gold and 100 shiftstone
(lets also not forget that Forge matches as are all matches vs the AI are a lot faster)
Draft:
-5000 Gold Investment
+4000 Picking packs
+ 800 average money
+1000 For average pack wins
= a Net gain of 800 gold and 500 Shiftstone
Now, if you’re really good at draft and there are already a ton of experts in there that love to school new players as they’re easy victories, you can easily make more. Also, if you’re really good at Forge you will regularly win all 7(but not every time). It still, on average, pans out Forge is a better investment.
Winning 7 matches in Draft WILL net you more gold than winning 7 in Forge. However, that is not going to happen very often.
Now, will the draft people please shut up and let new players learn skills faster AT THEIR OWN PACE before you throw them in the lion’s den?
After you become very adept at Forge, and learn all you can about how cards work and interact, then consider draft. It will be a huge initial investment where you’ll lose very often in the early going but I can swear you’ll get better and better. It’s all up to you.
Hidden Gems
These are units and spells that may not be ranked/casual playable but excel in Forge(and often Draft). Since you only get a couple of rares and Legends offered in both formats, this will only be commons and uncommons.
I’ll start with the color that you should seek out over others.
Justice:
1 drop units.
1. Minotaur Oathkeeper- 1/1 Gives +1/+1 to a unit attacking alone. Excels at giving that little extra boost to get a unit through.
2. District Infantry- 1/1 Empower: gain 2/2 til end of turn.
Using Forge to graduate into Draft
One thing any draft expert will tell you(and I’m not a draft expert) is you have to KNOW EVERY CARD AND WHAT IT CAN DO.
Where is a good place to learn? Forge. Cards that are good in Forge tend to be good in draft and vice versa.
When you’re selecting for draft, you’re not always going to get the same cards or the same options to get the cards you want. You have to know how to get the best out of sheer crap or “meh” cards as you’ll also be dealing with a lot of commons and uncommons. With enough knowledge, you can turn a terrible draft into a few wins.
But before you get to Draft, you need to know the cards and interactions. Not only is playing Forge a way to learn, but watching the AI will also tell you tricks even the experts don’t know. Also, if you use my guide, Forge is profitable so learning while earning is great for you.