Advice for those new to the game . . .

[Giovachino]

Putting this right up top so everyone sees it first thing. The sample BG specific advice is outdated as the sample BG's have been drastically changed. The rest of the advice should still be good.

[CSchwarz]

I thought I'd copied this thread from the old forums to re-post here but I can't find it on my HD. Anyone else copy it before it got nuked?

Got it.

This is all the advice from my thread "Advice for the VERY new" consolidated into one post for easier reading. Scroll down to the numbered points to reach the advice. Any new tips added to this or the original will be copied and pasted up here in the first post. Some spelling errors have been corrected, some tips have been eliminated as either redundant or not applying to the free starter decks. If you see more of these let me know. Some short hand (such as Abom instead of Abomination) has been replaced to make the advice easier to use for new players. Hopefully I attributed the right advice to the right person, anything without attribution should be mine.

There are a lot of threads that offer advice on deck building and play for those who have bought their first deck, this is for the newest players who are still using the free decks. This is what I've witnessed working, and mistakes I've seen get either myself or my opponents killed in the training grounds. Additions and corrections from more experienced players is welcome, especially about anything that works in the TG but fails when used elsewhere.

RULE 0 Play the tutorial. If you do so it will teach you how to do several things that some new players have trouble figuring out such as how to deploy units and attack.

1: Go for the font closest to you as soon as possible. You could use the Nora, it allows you to field troops further out from your shrine, and you don't want your opponent taking it and summoning troops on your door step.

2: If you can contest a font that your opponent controls DO IT. It denies them an advantage and if you manage to take control of it yourself you get more Nora and a deployment zone closer to the enemy shrine.

Exception to rule 2 provided by ilves

Do not contest the enemy's font unless the champion you are doing it with is expendable, has a chance of outright winning it or escaping, or can hold the font long enough to get a lot of reinforcements there. Throwing away a champ for a one turn contestation is not worth the nora in most cases.


3: Kill missile units and healers/buffers first. If you can't kill a missile unit right away engage it to limit it's targets and mobility.

4: Large and slow units are difficult to field in time, but make excellent meat shields for your shrine. Most pack enough of a punch to kill weaker or damaged units in a few blows and deployed correctly can be difficult for your opponent to maneuver their troops around.

5: Don't bunch your troops. Area of effect attacks might wipe out your whole army. Bunching your troops can be even more tempting if you're playing SP, but remember they tend to have low HP so you have even more to loose if you bunch them.

6: Conversely, save your AOE's for when someone ignores tip number 5.

7: Save a little Nora each turn if you can. That big bruiser in your deck? He doesn't do much good if you can't afford to bring him out.

8: Be aware of what a spell does before casting it. Boil, for example, does no good on most maps. It requires troops to be in water to be effective. You don't know how many times I've seen someone try to boil my men on completely dry maps. They could have saved that Nora to summon a Ravager.

9: Also, be aware of immunities that your opponents troops have. I've seen people pour fire onto immune troops. Even more people have strengthened my Pincushion because they aren't aware that even NON-physical ranged attacks (such as fire or magic) have no effect on a Pincushion but to make it stronger.

10: Watch where you're clicking when you cast a spell or give one of your units a piece of equipment. I can't count the number of times I've seen someone use carnivorous vines on their own unit, or the times someone has given one of MY champs a choice bit of equipment. This is even more important when your opponent is using the same faction you are.

11: Three things most new players are not aware of which help a lot:

Press the "g" key to bring up the grid overlay for the map. This helps a lot counting squares for movement and spell presence. Pressing "g" a second time will bring up terrain features and any movement penalties associated with those features.

For people who find the grid distracting, you can press the "n" and terrain info will be displayed in the box where rune information normally is.

Selecting a unit and pressing "p" will show that unit's spell presence, allowing you to see how far you need to move to cast a spell that will hit what you want it to hit. (SLavode)

12: Overkill wastes valuable Nora and/or AP. If the enemy champ had five HP and you can hit him for either five damage or ten go for the five. The only exception is when you can catch MULTIPLE champs in your overkill attack. Also there is no point in using an attack that causes a special effect (such as poison or stun) on an enemy who is about to die.

(13-18 are from Valitiney, any tips that are unrelated to the starter decks are removed)

13: Watch your enemies/your champs conditions, if it has say 6-5 hp left and its poisoned,scoured etc don't waste ap on attacking it. let it die next turn.

14: make sure you notice units immunities,weaknesses.

15: when playing Is and using a ranged unit always attack once to see if that unit has RD on it.

16: Usually try to focus your attacks on 1 unit, dont spread out your attacks.

18: Always try to save Ap.

19: Equipment is for champions that will live long enough to use it. Very rarely is it a good idea to give a piece of equipment to a unit that will be dead in a turn or two.

Example of a good time to give a near dead unit a piece of equipment: If I give it an ice shard it will kill off the enemy champion this turn.

Example of a bad time to give a near dead unit equipment: My Champ is down to four hit points, he has one hand to hand unit attacking him and two ranged units within shooting distance. I'll give him a shield that only does damage to hand to hand units attacking him.

(20 and 21 are from RSnow)
20. Given the choice between doing damage to everything, or killing one thing, always kill that one thing. Dead units don't hit back. Wounded ones do.

21. The converse to #20. Runes by themselves are weaker than runes with support. Don't clump together, but don't send out one unit completely alone either.

A Few Words About Defense:

A few words about defense . . .

I don't care how many units you have massed at your enemies shrine or how dead you think he is, DO NOT abandon the defense of your shrine. Especially if there are still troops advancing on yours, no matter how few there are or how weak they look. Earlier today I was nearly beaten by a UD player, he lost because he didn't follow this rule. I was advancing on his shrine with a pair of Moga Slingers and an Overlord and he was massing most of the units in UD's sample deck at my shrine. He COULD have killed off my Overlord and crippled the Slingers with the Bock Guardian he had in the area but he instead chose to send the Guardian towards my shrine with the rest of his troops. Most of my other troops were just coming off cool down and I was barely able to hold off his units long enough to plink away at his shrine with those three units, without the Overlord my Slingers would have had to walk all the way up to the shrine to do even minimal damage and his massed troops would have broken through my defenses and killed my shrine off before I finished him.

Conversely, if you play PURELY defense (as I've seen some here do, to the extent of always fleeing battle - even with hand to hand units) eventually you will be overwhelmed and destroyed. It's all about a good balance between offense and defense, going overboard on either gets you killed.

[CSchwarz]

Strategies for the Protectorate and Wrath Decks from Viziroth and additions from myself.

For FW:
1. Sacrificial dagger on Abomination or executioner is one hell of a combo.
2. remember to essence drain first.(it's 1/2 of the current hp)
3. Use dark rising to contest fonts
4. Mobilization should be a last resort or a stampede. Don't use it to kill only 1 hero or to rush a font.
5. Choose your essence drain and soul cage targets carefully, essence draining a unit at 20life doesn't do much good unless it'll win you the game.
6. Your Abomination can use his Blood Rage when he's at 8hp or lower and still live long enough to attack. (Giovachino)

For SP:
1. ranged unit+ cyclops eye belt can be some very fun times
2. Don't use suicide attack unless it'll help finish off 2 champs or 1 powerful champ.
3. Don't play moga den too early or you'll screw yourself over.
4. Protect your G'hern, they are vital.
5. late game you'll have to rely on swarming with your moga and having your g'hern be big hitters.
6. Knockback (from the cyclops eye belt the cyclops mauler or avalanche spell) causes damage if the unit knocked back runs into another unit or a shrine (knocking a unit back into the opposing shrine is always fun). It can also knock enemy units into chasms and kill them instantly. (Giovachino)
7. Suicide attack can also be a good move when the unit you use it on is bound to die next turn anyway. (Giovachino)

For UD:
1. Fire shield on pincusion is one hell of a champ, not only can he not be hit by range(the counter to flame shild) but elee attacker take 12 damage, sure he's slow but he'll be there a while.
2. Use sacrafice when one of your units is almost dead.
3. Night blade can be good on ghalroon or the deep elf assassin but remember it's attack not damage.
4. Use the stealthed imp for font contesting, it can also be used to hit an unsuspecting support hero (or sneaking up on a shrine that was foolishly left unguarded - Giovachino).
5. Banish is a nice spell to either remove font contester -from their font- or to remove defending champs when your at their shrine.

SL:
1. -poison fang only works for melee-
2. Because of charge crokadar guardian has 1 less space to move in order to attack, don't forget this
3. don't under estimate the skeezick trapper, those poison traps can cause insane amounts of damage if an opponent moves thro them.
4. if you revel ravager 1st turn PLAY HIM OVER ANYTHING, inititive is invaluable to cap fonts.
5. Rember with both traps and krikkinwing's poison cloud, they hurt your units too, so keep them away.

IS:
1: Desperate heal is just what it states, desperate it's a last resort.
2: Sigil can be placed on both your own champs and the enemy
3: Deflection is great is your oppoent has a lot of range, or if they assaign all their attacks at once.(if you notice your oppoentts attack happen incredibly fast, you might get 2 or 3 deflections insteada just 1)
4: This is a very slow BG, so your probably going to end up turtling for much of the early game.
5: Earthquake doesn't hit flyers
(breaking style)
6: use your healers!
7: Hamerstrike can save your ass, don't waste it, but don't under use it

FS:
1. Use marsh song whenever its off CD.
2. Evolve only works on aquatics! (mirevixen and razorfin only)
3. Try to keep your own units away from the slipworm and muck dragon, their auras will damage your units.
4. Use slipworm to contest fonts, take out ranged units, and harass the hell out of your enemy, he's a little weak for direct combat.
5. Remember to attack with the units that cause poison first because poison lowers defence.
(I'm a wrath player why am I give more advice for the protectorate?)6. Rejuvinating fountain works for both players, but it can still contest the font if it needs too.

KF:
1. CLairvoiance is usually a waste of mana. Unless you revel it on turn 1 or 2 you usually shouldn't bother playing it.
2. If you plan on usinging nature's wrath this turn, use it first, the lowered defence will buff all other damage.
3. Don't use Carnivorous vines and Brambles on the same unit on the same turn. They both do pretty much the same thing.
4. Champions stealthed from invisible can't restealth so be carefull where you move them.
5. Save Avenging angel for when it's favor will do the most good.

ST:
1:Yes, the freeze bug has 17 dmg. If you can attack with it DO IT!
2: Cleasning storm removes negative buffs from all champs, that includes the chill you put on your oppoents champs.(so use it before you cause the chill)
3: Crystal Spike only works for melee
4: Don't forget to use nora beasts ability evry turn
5: Ice statue affects your units too.
6: Arctic wail only damages relics, but the -10 def to all the units will hella buff all other damage you deal.

VS (Giovachino):

VS SP: Kill the G'hern and the Moga become useless (unless the player pulls out a G'hern helm). Watch for those Bats, used correctly that one unit can turn into ten very quickly. If they're about to kill a unit of yours KILL IT YOURSELF IF YOU CAN.

VS FW: All the units are immune to poison and disease. The Aura of FS's Muck Dragon will not work against them, nor will the poison attacks that are the only available attack of some units in FS and KF. As long as you keep the Muck Dragon away from your own units he can still be of use, but if the unit only does poison damage save Nora and don't play it.

[Giovachino]

Thanks. Quite a few people have said the advice was helpful I didn't want it lost.

[Viziroth]

Yeah I put a lot of hard work and time into coming up with those sample group strategies!...

ok not rly I sorta just typed whatever came to mind.

[mrobviousj]

Yeah I put a lot of hard work and time into coming up with those sample group strategies!...

ok not rly I sorta just typed whatever came to mind.
For the sample groups, and generic strategies for the factions, it's a pretty good list. ;)

[CSchwarz]

oh, and I just noticed: VS SP: Kill the G'hern and the Moga become useless (unless the player pulls out a G'hern helm). Watch for those Bats, used correctly that one unit can turn into ten very quickly. If they're about to kill a unit of yours KILL IT YOURSELF IF YOU CAN.

It's very important to note that the G'helm, at least currently, does NOT affect the unit it is equipped on.

Thus, if your opponent has three moga, no other champs, and a G'helm to play, only two of the moga will be un-G'hernbound, making it easier to kill the G'helmed moga.

[Giovachino]

oh, and I just noticed:

It's very important to note that the G'helm, at least currently, does NOT affect the unit it is equipped on.

Thus, if your opponent has three moga, no other champs, and a G'helm to play, only two of the moga will be un-G'hernbound, making it easier to kill the G'helmed moga.

Yeah I knew that, but for some reason it never occurred to me to point it out to others, thanks.

[maccshop]

This is very good advise

[CSchwarz]

Was reading over it to get a sense of the other sample decks (currently in a guild tournament using randomly assigned samples only), and I noticed this:


1:Yes, the freeze bug has 17 dmg. If you can attack with it DO IT!
2: Cleasning storm removes negative buffs from all champs, that includes the chill you put on your oppoents champs.(so use it before you cause the chill)
3: Crystal Spike only works for melee
4: Don't forget to use nora beasts ability evry turn
5: Ice statue affects your units too.
6: Arctic wail only damages relics, but the -10 def to all the units will hella buff all other damage you deal.

This is actually not quite accurate.
Crystal Spike's CHILL only applies on melee attacks.

BUT

The +3 Atk/Dam affects the user regardless, and can be used to great effect on the shardmasters as well, especially considering two attacks with their multiattack 2 takes 5 AP--the same amount that they get every turn.

However, 3-2-1 DoT damage also shouldn't be brushed off (effectively +3 immediate damage), and since the shardmasters are very self-sufficient, it may be just as effective to use the Spike on a merely average unit (SP sample seems to have quite a few) to make it a strong melee contributor.

It also may be used well on the Frost Wolf because it has an AoE 2 ability based on its dam (8 becomes 11, not sure if Frost Cone 1's 50% rounds up or down), and additionally has good speed for a started champion (9), and a weaker melee attack that is signifigantly helped by +3 atk/dam (to 8 atk/8 dam) and the chill damage.

[Gharik]

couple more pointers :P

(For SP)

1) The Ghern thrower is extremely useful for throwing slingers into range with 8 AP, getting a healer to an injured unit, or to help your bat swarm get that last hit on a far away enemy and his range means he'll usually stay away from all the carnage, keeping your mogas boosted.

2) use the spawn moga technique from the birthmother before having a ghern attack, along with the illusions (the fake mogas also count toward strength in numbers and generally make the other player freak at seeing so many slingers!)

3) yes, a big enough zerg will make any player scared. and most every single SP unit is killed quite easily, so swarm swarm swarm!!

(for anyone) unless your playing a friend/family member/significant other, finish off the other person's shrine asap (without mercy, or it may come back to haunt you horribly)

[Viziroth]

couple more pointers :P

1) The Ghern thrower is extremely useful for throwing slingers into range with 8 AP, getting a healer to an injured unit, or to help your bat swarm get that last hit on a far away enemy and his range means he'll usually stay away from all the carnage, keeping your mogas boosted.

2) use the spawn moga technique from the birthmother before having a ghern attack, along with the illusions (the fake mogas also count toward strength in numbers and generally make the other player freak at seeing so many slingers!)

3) yes, a big enough zerg will make any player scared. and most every single SP unit is killed quite easily, so swarm swarm swarm!!

(for anyone) unless your playing a friend/family member/significant other, finish off the other person's shrine asap (without mercy, or it may come back to haunt you horribly)

The tips were for the training ground BG's thrower isn't in the training ground BG

Also, sometimes asap isn't the best answer... there have been plenty of games where I rushed the shrine and they made a comeback that wouldn't have happened if I waited a turn or 2.


Aso why isn 't this stickied?

[Gharik]

when I said finish off I meant keep focusing on it once you already started attacking their shrine, not just flat out bum rushing it :P and ya i realized the thrower wasn't in the starter decks but still...

[Viziroth]

well then that's a good point.... lol.

[Giovachino]

couple more pointers :P

(For SP)

1) The Ghern thrower is extremely useful for throwing slingers into range with 8 AP, getting a healer to an injured unit, or to help your bat swarm get that last hit on a far away enemy and his range means he'll usually stay away from all the carnage, keeping your mogas boosted.

As has already been pointed out this was intended for training grounds tips.

Also I like to chuck my Bucketheads into the middle of a group of enemy champs and let their damage aura do it's work.

[Giovachino]

Bump to the top.

Stratagies for the sample BG's are now outdated as the BG's have been changed. The rest of the advice should still be good.

Anyone who's willing to update the sample BG specific advice please help.

The Vs. SP advice to kill the G'hern is still valid, however Moga Cannons are NOT G'hern bound and will suffer no reduction in capability from the loss of G'hern.

[CSchwarz]

Sticky this Now.

[Agroagro]

There seems to be a typo in KF rule 3.

And yeah the spike give the +3 to atk and damage on ranged attack. its only the chill you lose out on.


Good tips

[CSchwarz]

There seems to be a typo in KF rule 3.

And yeah the spike give the +3 to atk and damage on ranged attack. its only the chill you lose out on.


Good tips

Ah, hadn't noticed *just copied it directly, it was Gio's thread*

Actually, I'd, uh. I forgot that I had posted them and Gio couldn't change them. Completely forgot.

So, if someone could gather up some points made, I'll edit up the main posts.

(And the fac-specifics say 'I added things' but that's Gio, from the orig).

Fixed carnivorous

[Agroagro]

The grammars still bad on Kf# 3.

I think your trying to say dont use brambles and vines on the same champs in the same turn.

[CSchwarz]

The grammars still bad on Kf# 3.

I think your trying to say dont use brambles and vines on the same champs in the same turn.

Oh, grammar. I just saw carniverous.

I didn't make these, just preserved & copypasted. Let me look at that one again.

Fudge icing? ~SL

[SLavode]

Sticky this Now.

Yes dear.

As soon as I have more time I'll come back to this and merge the advice together. And once it gets updated as well.

[CSchwarz]

Yes dear.

As soon as I have more time I'll come back to this and merge the advice together. And once it gets updated as well.

Actually, if you could merge them into Gio's post, that might work as well--I really don't have the mental capacity right now to go over the new TG's and rewrite something I didn't write in the first place.
But then, I haven't even seen Gio on at all. Ggghhhg.


The first post (non-faction-specific) is the still-valid one. My morale for this thread kinda hit rock bottom when I realized that the new TG decks tosses half of this out the window.

It'll probably involve some faction-forum-borrows, as well, considering there's FF in FS, and Gale Force in ST...and all that kinda stuff. It's just looking like a huge headache...

*cough* ...Though all the 2xs that clog the TG decks now should make learning them a little easier... -_-

Fudge icing, SLav, just...fudge.

[ProstImens]

good one:)

[jarzium]

hey, new player here. currently starting on KF. thanks for this guide, it's really useful!

[CSchwarz]

hey, new player here. currently starting on KF. thanks for this guide, it's really useful!

Welcome to PoxNora!
If you're interested in KF, you might find it useful to visit http://forums.poxnora.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9, the people in there are usually friendly, and there's a good set of guides at the top~
If you're going to be buying runes, please read over http://forums.poxnora.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31 before you considering trading runes, to make you get the most of what you get!

[47JK]

Just wanted to say thanks. This post was really helpful for a n00b like me. Especially the g- grid button and n- terrain info button. :-)

~47JK

[Glimi1]

hey still somewhat noob and learned most of the game on my own and yea i know about the equipment thing i had a guy put a cursed blade on his best unit one time. and the boil thing really needs to stop its annoying jus wastes time and funny at the same time becuz there goes his nora that turn. But also another hot key that some may not know about i came up on it on accident is the -s key to sort your runes in order.

and there is a some kind of throwing in the starter deck i saw people say that there wasnt ive pretty sure ive seen some one that can throw a guy in it for the ghern

[TauTime]

thanks for the help guys.

[Xaduk]

hey still somewhat noob and learned most of the game on my own and yea i know about the equipment thing i had a guy put a cursed blade on his best unit one time. and the boil thing really needs to stop its annoying jus wastes time and funny at the same time becuz there goes his nora that turn. But also another hot key that some may not know about i came up on it on accident is the -s key to sort your runes in order.

and there is a some kind of throwing in the starter deck i saw people say that there wasnt ive pretty sure ive seen some one that can throw a guy in it for the ghern

There is a unit in the Shatterd Peaks faction called "Ghern Thrower" (or somthing similar I'm too lazy to check right now and not even sure how I ended up here..) that can "throw" friendlies a good distance.

This is also true for a unit in Ironfist Stronghold called "Dwarven Catapult" which does much the same thing, check out the "Rune checklist" on the poxnora site for further details.

/end random helpful hint?