Hello everyone! Michael here. Today, I wanted to take a not-so-quick look at Cataclysm vs. other plot decks in the meta now, Realmstone Raiders and Edge of the Knife. Cataclysm just got nerfed which addressed some of the issues with it I described in my last article about it, so time to check if it’s actually viable to pick other plot decks against it now.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
EDGE OF VIABILITY
First I will compare Cataclysm to Edge of the Knife.
Both of these decks offer a very nice niche of ‘you don’t have to do much special things to score this deck’ in the end phase objective department. However, Cataclysm’s end phases have a glory distribution of 1/1/2/2/2/2, while Edge has 1/1/1/2/2/3. This means Cataclysm has more variety of choice for ‘high scoring’ cards.
Both decks have an ‘auto-score’ two glory card in Spread Havoc and Calm Before the Storm. Obviously, Calm Before the Storm is actually deniable unlike Spread Havoc but it’s still really easy. Calm Before the Storm is best in early game while Spread Havoc is much better in rounds two and three. Spread Havoc is obviously restricted which plays a big factor in taking it or not. Overall, I would still say Spread Havoc is better. It plays better for glory, it’s undeniable, and just generally SUPER strong and not affected that much by the nerfs.
If we compare Calm Before the Storm and Wreckers however, we can see that these two cards are MUCH closer in power. Both are deniable with a conscious effort to do so, now that Cataclysm is mandatory to advance. This means that if you are searching for precisely one two glory card, you actually have choice between Wreckers and Calm Before the Storm.
Now to take a look at the other end phases in the deck. Both Unequal Contest and Usurper are playable but typically aren’t seen. Cataclysm has another two glory end phase, in the shape of Set Explosives, which is pretty strong actually. Edge of the Knife has a big advantage in having a three glory card in the shape of Trial of the Tempered – which is typically difficult but doable.
If we compare one glory end phases, Edge of the Knife has Risky Position (x2 with Two-Pronged Assault) and All In, while Cataclysm has Hounds of War and Loaded for Bear. Risky Position and Hounds of War are pretty much auto score to be honest. Two-Pronged Assault isn’t seen often but if a warband wants end phases it’s also playable. Loaded for Bear is pretty much always scored but it’s a question of when you score it. And All In is only played in aggro decks.
End phase wise, Cataclysm brings a stronger, more reliable high-scoring package (2+ glory), while also having more reliable one glory objectives (albeit less of them). Edge of the Knife pulls ahead in power potential, with the massive three glory spike in Trial of the Tempered. What does this mean?
Well, first of all, Cataclysm isn’t actually playable ‘for the cataclysm’ while you can build a deck to play for Tempering and can also flex into it and have it as a secondary deck. Cataclysm clears Edge of the Knife as a secondary deck for End Phases pretty much any day of the week. But if you are going for a Tempered build, Edge can offer that. One more advantage Edge has is when used as a secondary deck with a deck (like Pillage) that doesn’t need much end phases. Edge allows you to take Trial of the Tempered by itself for a big glory bomb. While this is niche, it’s an advantage over Cataclysm. Let’s move onto surges.
Surge wise, Cataclysm is extremely strong while Edge requires slightly more work. First let’s discard Nowhere to Run as it hasn’t been played since its release pretty much. Cataclysm has three surges that are scored off of pure luck with attacks and don’t change your gameplay much: Perfect Cut, Overwhelming Force, and Collateral Damage (technically). Edge has only one of these – Immovable. The other two surges in Cataclysm are Shocking Assault, which requires a certain token placement but is doable after that with some luck, and Too Close for Comfort, which requires a certain fighter positioning but is super easy if you work for it. Behind Enemy Lines (from Edge), which requires some work and can be denied by an opponent, will be put in the same basket as Shocking Assault. Edge of the Knife has Aggressive Defender, which is super easy and requires minimal setup, Double Team, which is doable but requires slightly more work, Power in Numbers, which is hard but doable and can be scored by an opponent, and finally Sneak into Position, which is unexpected but is easy to deny.
If we analyze the surges as a whole, we see Cataclysm have a clear lead in ‘secondary deck’ surges. Three of its cards require 0 effort to score and two of them are also easy with either Hold or Aggro. Edge of the Knife only has ONE surge that can be scored without changing your gameplan. Unfortunately, all surges are worth the same amount, so Edge does not have an advantage with its harder surges being worth more glory. It is criminally simple – Cataclysm is simply a better deck than Edge of the Knife for surges. Even if you are a warband who starts almost all Tempered, like Grymwatch, you actually have to put effort in to score surges with Edge, while Cataclysm lets you focus on whatever your other deck wants. If you are focusing on Tempering, then sure, you can play the surges in Edge. But that is the only case you would want them and even then, would you not be wishing for Cataclysm’s super simple surges instead? One can argue that Edge’s surges are more consistent as Cataclysm requires dice luck to be scored and this is definitely true. Still, the amount of luck require to score them isn’t that high.
Now let’s do ploys!
First of all – Edge of the Knife has two ploys to make the deck work better and do nothing else – Running Riot and The Uprising!. Cataclysm does not. I will split the ploys in four categories: mobility, damaging/accuracy, mess with opponent, and other.
Mobility wise, Cataclysm has Countercharge and Violent Blast. Edge has Sidestep and Synchronized Effort. Sidestep and Violent Blast could be compared – Sidestep is just super universal and really helpful in almost any case. Violent Blast on the other hand can displace opponents but is also more limiting while being able to affect multiple people. This means that 90% of the time, you will be wanting a Sidestep. However, Violent Blast has a significantly higher power potential. In the battle of Countercharge vs. Synchronized Effort (CC vs. SE), both cards have a limiting factor – for CC it’s the attack requirement, for SE it’s the tempering. Neither is too harsh. Countercharge arguably has higher potential power as you can actually reposition fighters with it allowing you to maybe grab a token or just get extra supports and keep a fighter you should have lost, while SE is a huge surprise factor for your opponent and also has great power potential but in a more offense-sided way than CC. This means both decks are actually strong in the mobility department with ploys – Cataclysm being more ‘explosive’ and defensive while Edge being more reliable and offensive.
Now for damage/accuracy. Countdown SHINES here – having Sunder the Realm, Total Collapse, Improvised Attack, Savage Blow, and Raging Tremors. Edge has Opportunity Strikes and Fake Out. Pings wise, Fake Out’s only advantage over any Cataclysm ping is in Round 1 when the Cataclysm pings all roll one die. Then, it is more accurate than Total Collapse/Improvised Attack and more targeted than Sunder the Realm. Otherwise, each of these three pings is better. Sunder the Realm is more accurate and does massive damage, Total Collapse literally cannot be dodged and is more accurate late game, and Improvised Attack can drive back and is also typically more accurate while counting as an attack for stuff like Hostile Takeover and has higher range. Accuracy wise, Opportunity Strikes is most of the time better than Savage Blow. Savage Blow only really shines in 3-4 dice warbands – otherwise +1 dice is almost always better. Raging Tremors affects more targets than Opportunity Strikes and can be used several times, as Stagger lasts the whole round, but provides less of a benefit as +1 dice is better than a re-roll. Opportunity Strikes also requires you to be tempered. As a result, we can see that Cataclysm is clearly the better deck if you want to consider offensive/accuracy ploys, with Edge only sometimes pulling ahead in Round 1.
Now let’s talk Disruption with your opponent. Countdown has The End is Nigh and Growing Concerns while Edge has Death Throes, Final Stand, and Spiteful Traps. In terms of denying mobility, Edge actually beats Cataclysm, as Growing Concerns is usually weaker than a simple move token from Spiteful Traps! It is important to note that a Cataclysm 3 Growing Concerns is still stronger most of the time, but for Growing Concerns to be stronger it has to have a REALLY high cataclysm count. Final Stand in Edge is nice and can help you score a couple of objectives, but isn’t really used often. Death Throes (also Edge) is SUPER good disruption and helps a lot with survivability. Cataclysm has The End is Nigh, which is one of the only forced discard in the game, and it’s major drawback is it lets your opponent force YOU to discard cards as well. While on paper it’s really good, in practice the threat of losing cards makes the card slightly worse. It is also important to note that Violent Blast can also be counted as disruption but is in the mobility section. All said, Edge of the Knife is arguably stronger here! Its card effects are more reliable and WILL get the job done when you need them to. Countdown is much more swingy, having better potential but also having lower lows – they just aren’t as consistent as Edge.
Now for the rest of the ploys. Countdown still has Do or Die while Edge has Power from Death and Running Riot and The Uprising!, which I already talked about. Do or Die sees little to no play due to having a major downside in not letting you be inspired for the rest of the game after the fact ends. It has a really small niche which no warband needs yet – it fits warbands who NEED to be inspired but have a tough condition. Power from Death, on the other hand, is cracked. Getting to draw 3 cards is huge and the only requirement is being tempered beforehand and having 1+ bounty. This isn’t that big of a requirement for Edge, making Edge have slightly better ‘other’ ploys (though it is hard to directly compare).
Overall: Cataclysm has better damaging ploys and is typically more swingy in terms of power while Edge has better disruptive ploys while being much more consistent in power. What does this mean for the decks? Well, both decks are good. The issue for Edge is Countdown’s ‘swinginess’ will not vary on a game-to-game basis but really on a round-to-round: realistically, you will always be at least on Cataclysm 2 or 3 by Round 3, making it MUCH stronger there. This means warband going for a blitzkrieg-esque play style will definitely love Edge more, as Cataclysm just isn’t up to par in Round 1, while warbands who like to play the long game and score big-time in late rounds (which fits most warbands playstyle) will love Cataclysm more. This means that ploys wise, both decks are good – it’s up to your play style as a player and a warband. Let’s go to upgrades!
Once again, there will be 4 categories: accuracy, damage, survivability, and other.
Accuracy wise, Cataclysm has Inescapable Grasp and… that’s it. Edge of the Knife already wins in this category just because of Deadly Aim being objectively better than Inescapable Grasp but it also has Sharpened Points, allowing for a more flexible approach in deck building. It also has Mobbed!, which is restricted, but is absolutely one of the best accuracy cards in the game. It is important to note that Cataclysm does have stronger ploys for accuracy, but if you are looking for good accuracy upgrades, Edge is your friend over Cataclysm.
Damage wise, Cataclysm has Desperate Rage and Hurled Weapon, and Edge has Great Strength and Fueled by Pain as well as Parting Shot. First, let’s talk about Parting Shot – it’s a really nice deterrent to attacks making it pretty good as a survivability card. Now, Desperate Rage and Great Strength fill the niche of getting a fighter more damage (usually to 3 damage). Great Strength does this almost exclusively better than Rage. Desperate Rage locks you to two hammers of accuracy, and has backlash damage, while Great Strength only restricts you from other rune marks as well as has a more expensive price. This means for most warbands Great Strength is better but in a Ranged warband like Thundrik it may be worth running Desperate Rage more, as Great Strength doesn’t affect ranged attacks. Finally, Fueled by Pain vs Hurled Weapon – Fueled by Pain is much better for power spiking due to it’s scaling-with-damage nature but is pretty insignificant on anyone with 3 wounds or less (who often plays Edge). Hurled Weapon is loved by almost any warband, and is pretty accurate as well, while doing less damage. Overall, Cataclysm offers a more strict damage increase because of Desperate Rage and Hurled Weapon ‘overwriting’ old attacks while Edge offers damage buffs to people with already good attacks who just want more. This means Edge will usually be better, but for warbands who SERIOUSLY lack damage (ahem Spiteclaw ahem) Cataclysm is often stronger.
Survivability! Both decks have Great Fortitude, then Countdown brings Utter Conviction and technically Driven by Pain, while Edge has Impervious and technically Lash Out. Utter Conviction is the best defensive upgrade in the game, hands down. There are few warbands who choose not to take it, and they can be counted on a hand that had an unfortunate run-in with a shredder. Impervious isn’t bad per se, but Utter Conviction is almost always stronger. Ironically, Impervious is good for most warbands who DON’T want Utter Conviction. Driven by Pain sucks defensively as 90% of the time you won’t be getting driven back but if you do it is pretty good, potentially providing +2 or even 3 health (but very rarely). Lash Out is mainly used as deterrent and on its own does nothing defensively. Out of the two ‘deterrents’, neither is good as both of them have a flaw. Driven by Pain can literally be said ‘no’ to and Lash Out has the issue of a Charge often being the killing blow, meaning a move token isn’t detrimental anymore. This means it comes down to Countdown being the better Defensive deck as Utter Conviction exists. Although both decks are strong, the sheer power of 2 or even 3 Save cannot be understated.
Other o’clock! First, I will compare Visions of Ruin (CtC) to Great Speed (Edge). Great Speed is 0 glory and gives 1 move at no downside, while Visions costs glory but can give a MUCH higher speed boost while at the downside of being Staggered. This comes down to warband preference – three to four move warbands will enjoy Great Speed more, as 4-5 move already gets you everywhere you need, while two move warbands will love Visions of Ruin. But neither deck is a clear winner here. Cataclysm now has two upgrades that are just to advance Cataclysm: Bringer of Doom, and Extinction’s Edge. Neither of these cards is played often and are arguably detrimental to the deck as they make Wreckers harder. Still, they do exist. Cataclysm also has Burnt Out, which allows for some card draw, but is overshadowed by the fact that taking the Focus action and discarding Burnt Out yields the same amount of cards as equipping it if you aren’t the Underdog. Now, Edge of the Knife has Dark Horse, which is WAY stronger than Extinction’s Edge and Bringer of Doom as it actually enables a lot of scoring (especially Trial of the Tempered) and cards. Edge also has Pesky Nuisance, which can be really strong but is also often avoided by simply charging, making it not a common pick. Still, in this category I would argue that Edge is better simply because of Dark Horse.
Overall – which deck is better for upgrades? Well, Edge of the Knife probably wins here. Great Strength/Fortitude/Speed are invaluable, Sharpened Points and Deadly Aim are also super strong, Mobbed and Dark Horse are also not overlookable. I would argue Cataclysm does pull ahead in the defensive aspect of upgrades, but in any other case, Edge is actually stronger. Although hordes with bad attacks may enjoy Cataclysm too because of the better weapons.
Now time for the final verdict! Let’s do a ‘quick’ overview of EDGE vs CATACLYSM!
| Card Type | Cataclysm | Edge |
| Objectives | – More reliable – More ‘scorable’ end phases worth 2+glory – No deviation from gameplan required for surges | – More swing potential – End phases require more work. – Surges require setup to be scored, albeit little. |
| Ploys | – More swing potential – Much better for damage/killing things – Late game, significantly stronger in each aspect. | – Consistently good – Better in messing with opponent – Arguably only better in the early game (low cataclysm) |
| Upgrades | – Godly defensive upgrades – Has good weapons – Has several ‘dead’ upgrades | – Strong defensive upgrades – Has good buff potential for already strong attacks. – Each upgrade is playable. |
So overall, Cataclysm is significantly stronger on the objectives and late-game ploys while Edge of the Knife beats Cataclysm on upgrades and early game ploys. Unfortunately for Edge, the ease of objectives in Cataclysm even post nerf is just too good to pass up on. While a deck like Pillage who already has several super good objectives may consider running Edge simply for its strong power cards, most decks enjoy the ease and fluidity of the Cataclysm objectives. Still, it is important to note that there is a case for Edge!
RAIDING THE META
Now let’s talk about Realmstone Raiders! While Cataclysm is good as a secondary deck, Realmstone is used best as a primary deck – where you play specifically for raiding. Often times it is paired with Blazing Assault for extra accuracy. Both Raiders and Cataclysm have the same glory point distribution in the objectives.
For end phases, Realmstone has one pretty easy card: Realmstone Raid. This card is scored basically off of hitting two attacks with different fighters. Certain Aggression can be put in the same basket of ‘hit stuff’ but there is also the added condition of ‘pray your opponent ignores your territory’. Realmstone Raid is arguably stronger than Wreckers post-nerf, as a lot of the times you will be needing to damage three guys for Wreckers unlike the two or even one for Realmstone Raid. However for Wreckers, it is possible an opponent can score it for you by damaging themselves. Spread Havoc obviously is just unbeatable in the end phase department while Certain Aggression is super easy to deny. If we take a look into the ‘flex’ aspect of the objectives, Cataclysm has Unequal Contest and Set Explosives while Raiders has Roused Violence and Hoarder’s Hovel. Both of the Raiders cards are actually played quite often, while Unequal Contest is usually passed on. Set Explosives is much more consistent than Hoarder’s Hovel, as you need to hold two objectives with very few limitations. Hoarder’s Hovel has the luck element of having a token with a specific number in a safe place for you. Roused Violence on paper is super strong, but it has the issue of needing a bit of luck and having an Emberstone card you can repeatedly raid on top of the deck. Two glory end phase wise, I would say Cataclysm is the stronger deck, being much more consistent while needing less luck to pull off. Realmstone Raiders is also super easy, but needs a lot more luck (though not an absurd amount) to score, making it less desirable. Still – the gap is much closer than with Edge of the Knife.
If we look at one glory end phases, Cataclysm has Hounds of War and Loaded for Bear (both are trivial) and Raiders has Invade and Emberstone Stash. So, both the Raiders cards require luck and Invade requires your opponent to do stuff for you. Hounds of War requires simply a kill and a damage on one other guy while Loaded for Bear will be scored – just a matter of when. Emberstone Stash requires a HUGE amount of successful attacks into high bounty targets in order to raid four different Emberstone cards while Invade needs your opponent to do stuff first. Cataclysm end phases are clearly stronger here.
Surge wise, I won’t repeat my logic for Cataclysm being just absolutely cracked at Surge objectives. Realmstone Raiders needs a lot more luck to score but doesn’t deviate from your gameplan that much. It has A Sure Bet and Critical Risk, both of which can be put in the same basket as Overwhelming Force/Perfect Cut, with the added condition of needing an Emberstone card on top of the deck. Looted Realmstone is just the lottery – and cannot be scored at all in horde matchups (without Raider’s Rapture). Pillage (the card) is a worse version of Looted Realmstone (somehow). Ragerock Strike is arguably the best surge in the deck, requiring one successful attack and one Emberstone card on top, but it forces decisions. Reckless Gambit is scorable but not ideal as it needs luck with Emberstone cards on top. A pattern in the Raiders deck – all cards need an Emberstone card on top to be scored! Without this condition, it is a really good surge deck, but with it, it’s pretty much a worse version of Cataclysm’s surges, making Cataclysm better here as well.
Now let’s go to the ploys! The categories this time will be the same: accuracy/damage, mobility, disruption, and other.
Damage/accuracy wise, Cataclysm has Sunder the Realm, Total Collapse, Savage Blow, Improvised Attack, and Raging Tremors. Realmstone Raiders has Fortune Faded and Misstep. Misstep is just a worse Raging Tremors, but it can be Raided, which allows for some cheeky staggering at an unexpected time. Still, I would take Raging Tremors in almost all cases anyway. Fortune Faded has the advantage over any Cataclysm ping in that it is guaranteed to happen. Still, it cannot kill, and it backlashes you. There is an argument to be made for it, though. Cataclysm wins in this category still, because it has not one but three pings and the one accuracy card in Raiders is a worse version of one of the two cards in the Cataclysm.
Mobility time! Countdown has Countercharge and Violent Blast while Raiders has A Step Ahead. Countercharge beats A Step Ahead in the fact that it has a higher range, but A Step Ahead does have more universality and more control over where you can push yourself. Violent Blast has even more control over where you can go, but it is much more restricting than A Step Ahead. A Step Ahead also has the advantage of being raidable, meaning it can come up at any time. What this means is Cataclysm has arguably more impactful mobility ploys, but Raiders has more control and reliability while also having some surprise potential.
Disruption wise, Cataclysm has Growing Concerns and The End is Nigh. Raiders has Hidden Knowledge. So the issue with Hidden Knowledge is that you have to be adjacent to a fighter to give them a move token. While this is great in Round 2 and 3, in Round 1 it is entirely pointless as you have to get close to an enemy to move-token them – which means they can hit you for doing so. At least in Rounds 2 and 3 you can always run away after doing so. Growing Concerns does what Hidden Knowledge does but slightly safer and arguably better, for a shorter duration. It is also extremely strong in Rounds 2-3 and has the added benefit of denying simple move actions onto tokens and such. The End is Nigh really can’t be compared to anything. What I would say is Countdown wins in the majority of matchups, Raiders does have the edge in elite matchups where the enemy has one super powerful fighter who needs to be locked down. Still, Countdown is probably better here.
Other ploys – Countdown has Do or Die so it automatically loses. Raiders has Ambush, which is a nice quality of life card but if you are playing Raiders then you probably are a melee exclusive warband so this card fills a niche that doesn’t really exist. Angered Focus is a nice consistent raiding tech but it doesn’t score you any cards (which is pretty bad) while also being the most constrained ploy in the game. Intoxicated with Rage is pretty good and a survivability ploy, something that Cataclysm doesn’t have. It prevents pushes from a position you already hold meaning it fills a decent niche. Manipulated Fate is busted and is also super good for survivability. Raider’s Rapture makes the luck aspect of the objectives better, but doesn’t help with accuracy. While strong, it’s not game changing. Raider’s Premonition is super good and helps a lot with cycling your bad objectives.
Overall, I would say the decks fill two completely different purposes ploys wise. Countdown is clearly the more aggressive of the decks, which is ironic, as Raiders as a deck literally revolves around being aggro. Raiders does have superior survivability in the ploys department making it nice for passive or hold warbands. If you are looking for anything other than survivability, Cataclysm is the way to go. If you are looking into staying alive (with ploys), Raiders actually is better than Cataclysm and by a noticeable margin.
Now time for upgrades. The categories will remain the same: Accuracy, damage, survivability, and other.
Accuracy wise, Countdown has just Inescapable Grasp while Raiders has Armor Piercer (technically?) and Keen Eye. Keen Eye is one of the best accuracy cards in the game, making Raiders already better for accuracy in the upgrades. Armor Piercer exists and is rarely played but it fills a nice niche of having potentially failed attacks be half-successful.
Damage wise, Raiders has Great Strength and Emberstone Edge while Cataclysm has Desperate Rage and Hurled Weapon. This is extremely similar to the Edge of the Knife part, where warbands who have already strong and accurate attacks will prefer Raiders for Great Strength, and warbands who want complete overhauls of their attacks will prefer Cataclysm because of Desperate Rage. Emberstone Edge isn’t really a good attack and is a lot worse than Desperate Rage (for damage), while Hurled Weapon is just a nice weapon in general but isn’t played for the damage aspect.
Survivability wise, Cataclysm has Utter Conviction and Driven by Pain while Raiders has Brightstone Vigor (both decks have Great Fortitude). Brightstone Vigor is good for warbands who already have a high health stat that can benefit from the heal. The issue with this is Utter Conviction is also REALLY good for high health fighters as getting through 2-3 save multiple times is an absolute pain. Driven by Pain is just kind of there, it’s a nice option but is really bad at making someone more tanky. Still, Cataclysm wins in this category for having a cheaper and stronger alternative for the same case where Raiders would be useful.
Now for other cards. Cataclysm once again begins with Edge of Extinction and Bringer of Doom, which do something that you might not really want. We can actually compare Burnt Out to something now, and that is Call to Power from Raiders. Both upgrades yield more cards, but Call to Power does it better, as it doesn’t take a dedicated action. Mobility wise, Visions of Ruin from Cataclysm once again is competing with Great Speed, so here is a copy paste from the Edge of the Knife section: Great Speed is 0 glory and gives 1 move at no downside, while Visions costs glory but can give a MUCH higher speed boost while at the downside of being Staggered. This comes down to warband preference – three to four move warbands will enjoy Great Speed more, as 4-5 move already gets you everywhere you need, while two move warbands will love Visions of Ruin. But neither deck is a clear winner here. Now, Raiders still has two cards: Reforged Aid and Forgotten Fortune. These upgrades let you recycle old Emberstone cards, and with some of the ploys being actually not too bad, they are both pretty strong. Overall, Realmstone Raiders is probably stronger in this category but mainly because they have more cards to choose from.
Now time for the final verdict! Here is the TLDR for Cataclysm vs. Raiders:
| Card Type | Cataclysm | Raiders |
| Objectives | – Super reliable – 1 glory end phases are easier – No deviation from gameplan required for surges | – SUPER luck based – Unplayable one glory end phases – Surges are all very luck based, but otherwise very simple. |
| Ploys | – More swing potential – Much better for damage/killing things – Late game, significantly stronger in each aspect. | – Consistently decent – Better for defensive stuff – Decent all game, added advantage of being Raidable. |
| Upgrades | – Godly defensive upgrades – Has good weapons – Has several ‘dead’ upgrades – Not Raidable – No card recycling. | – Fine defensive upgrades – Has good buff potential for already strong attacks. – Almost every upgrade is playable. – Raidable – Allows card reusing |
Overall, Cataclysm is WAYYY better in the objective department while filling a different niche in the power card department. Ploys wise, Countdown is better for aggression and killing things while Raiders ironically is better for sitting back and defending and staying alive. Upgrades wise, Countdown has better weapons allowing for more significant changes to stats of a fighter while Raiders buffs already strong fighters even more with the ‘Four Horsemen of +1 Something’. Still, a lot of decks already have good power cards and lack in the objective department, making Cataclysm still the stronger deck.
WRAP UP
Overall, Cataclysm is still the strongest option for objectives for sure. The nerfs to Wreckers and Spread Havoc were not enough for it to fall behind in that department. However, both Edge and Raiders pose a decent alternative if you wish to acquire some better upgrades. On the ploy side, Cataclysm is better for more offense-oriented warbands, Edge is better for disruption, and Raiders is best for survivability. What deck would you pick? You can discuss this with me on the Staggerers discord server, where I am often active. With that, I hope you enjoyed, and wish to see you again soon!
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