Ironfist Champion Builds List (updated: Rise of Serkan)

Ashkenaz · #1 05-26-2009, 02:39 PM

Introduction by the Great Bearded One

“These are some fairly popular champion builds or simply ones I suggest. Disclaimer: these are NOT THE ONLY GOOD builds. I'm not telling you what to do, simply giving advice. Each deck is different, each person has their own playstyle, and the best way to upgrade is to find out what works for you. Also not all of these builds are mine: many are taken from other veterans of the community, or they are my variations of their builds. Ironfist has a strong, helpful community and this is the result of their hard work as much as mine.

Some basic rules to remember when upgrading champions:

1) Speed is the most important, so upgrade this first. All units except for deep miner and maybe armorers or battleragers should be at 9 or 11 speed. This is because AP gained each turn is rounded up: so 10 speed gets 5 ap per turn, while 11 speed gets 6 ap per turn. Note: the first 2 speed upgrades are always +4 nora each, the next 2 are +5 nora each, and the next 2 are +6 nora each. So, upgrading from 7 spd to 11 spd is always 18 nora (4+4+5+5).

2) Its usually worth it to add 3 hp upgrades to everything. The first 3 hp upgrades give +2 hp for 1 nora, as such it's often a good investment.

3) Cooldowns: Cooldowns increase every multiple of 5. If your dude is at 49 nora and you add an hp upgrade to make him 50, he will get +1 CD. Personally I ignore cooldowns in these upgrades, I find its more important to make sure my champs stay alive, and rarely do my games go so long at such a stalemate that I have to worry about this. The times a unit lives from having 1 or 2 hp is far more common than the times I recast champs after cooldown. Personal preference though.

4) Do NOT upgrade attack or defense. It is a waste of nora- upgrading speed, damage, or hp is more efficient.

5) I'm not generally including damage upgrades, as they are a matter of personal preference. If you have a 9 speed champion with more damage and an 11 speed champion with normal damage the 11 speed champion is going to average out more damage simply because it is capable of making more attacks over its lifespan. Note: damage upgrades cost 3,3,4,4 nora. Therefore, the first 2 are most efficient.”

I went through GreatBeard's list and tried my best to update the champion costs and add the newer champions to the list. I did my best to make sure the champion build costs are accurate but if you find that I erred then PM me or post in here. Also feel free to post your own builds. If I find that they are noteworthy then I will add them to the list.

Also, a new feature to this list is the addition of hyperlinks to various rune discussions held on the Poxnora Forums. These links are completely safe and will not cause your computer or your pox account any harm.

Now without any further ado:

THE IRONFIST CHAMPION BUILDS:

Page 1 A-C
Page 2 D-F
Page 3 G-R
Page 4 S-Z

Ashkenaz · #2 05-26-2009, 02:40 PM

Angel of Protection

The Angel of Protection is a nice ranged support unit for Ironfist. She has two very nice advantages: Righteous Shield and Intensify. Righteous Shield on a champion is great because you don't have to use a rune slot for impervious making more room for other things. Also, Righteous Shield does NOT cause skirmisher like impervious does.

Aerial - 100 nora; 11 speed, +2 HP, Aerial Supremacy
Aggro - 100 nora; 11 speed, +1 damage, +8 HP

Armorer

Generally considered the definition of a true phalanx, this style of play is rare now due its slow speed, and units like Tormented Priest and Nora Leeches that greatly hinder the deck. However, there is something to be said for a 50 def DKing coming after you with an army of 40 def beaters. And if you are on the receiving end of that, the 'something to be said' is usually "oh ****."

Cheap - 59 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP
Defender - 69 nora; 9 speed +6 HP, Defender 3

Barbarian Archer

The barbarian archer makes another great addition to Ironfist's ranged support. With high ground added into the equation the difference between running a sharpshooter and an archer is +2 nora for the archer and that isn't counting revenge. I would personally recommend using one sharpshooter and one archer. Obviously the archer is a must have in any barbarian deck.

Cheap - 74 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP
Efficient - 76 nora; 9 speed,+6 HP and Farshot 1

Barbarian Commander

Past its glory days when enrage and battlemaster stacked (sigh), but still a solid dude. Due to battlemaster not stacking I would not suggest running 2. Note that battlemaster 3 is only 2 nora so always upgrade it, and dmg upgrades are generally more efficent than upgrading enrage. Block is a matter of personal preference, but it works great with Granite Bracers.

Really Cheap - 69 nora; 9 speed, Battlemaster 3 OR 9 speed +4 HP
Efficient - 72 nora; 9 speed, Battlemaster 3, +6 HP
Big Boy - 88 nora; 11 speed, Battlemaster 3, Block 1, +6 HP

Barbarian Elite- Barbarian Elite Explained

Out-of-the-Box - 69 nora
Cheap - 74 nora; +4HP, Blood Frenzy 1
‘Alpha Striker’ 82 nora; +4HP, Blood Frenzy 2, Exertion 2
Big Boy- 89 nora; 9 speed, Blood Frenzy 3, Exertion 3
Havoc Build - 100 nora; 11 spd, +6HP, Blood Frenzy 3, Exertion 3

Barbarian Guardian

Cheap - 79 nora; 7 speed, +4 HP
Efficient - 88 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP
Barb Synergy Cheap - 95 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Camaraderie
Aggro - 98 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP

Barbarian Shaman

Barbie is halfway between a healer and fighter. That is, she does neither well, but does both ok.

Cheap Healer) 64 nora: Heal Champ 2
Standard) 73 nora: Heal Champ 2, Chain Lightning, +6 hp
Combat Shaman) 89 nora: 11 speed, Heal champ 2, +2 Damage, Chain Lightning +8 hp

Battle Mage

An incredibly versatile unit, he can attack both at melee or range, with multiple damage types. When run cheap, he's one of our most efficient champions. With high damage/Deflect he is a great combat champ in all situations. With immunities he can be a huge thorn in the side of some strategies (e.g. ST with Frost amp or ST/UD with Fire amp). Also mention his damage versatility to often do extra dmg by taking advantage of an enemy weakness or ignoring a resistance.

The most common builds for the BM are the cheap build, beater build and the lately the “magic-resistant” build, which can be either the cheap or beater build but with Magic Resistance, primarily for facing against FW or KF. It is tempting to go for all the immunities, but it tends to get expensive, and IS already has too many expensive champions as-is.

Cheap - 66 nora: 9 speed, +6 HP
Harasser - 77 nora: 9 speed, +6 HP, Deflect
Beater - 85 nora: 11 speed, +3 damage, +6 HP
Deflect Beater - 92 nora: 11 speed, +2 damage, +6 HP. Deflect
Full Immune - 100 nora: 11 speed, Magical Immunity, Frost Immunity, Fire Immunity, +4 HP

Battle Matron

Extremely versatile unit. She can play support unit with cleanse, inspire, first aid, or a frontline combat unit with enough dwarves to trigger surge. Note the support version is capable of combat in the right deck and the combat version is still a good support unit, they each just have a different focus.

Combat Momma) 85 nora: 11 speed, +1 Damage, Cleanse, First Aid 2, +6 HP
Support) 76 nora: 9 speed, Cleanse, First Aid 3, +6 HP

Battle Rager

The trick here is that with 11 speed and Berserk 3, he gets 11 ap = 8 ap/turn = 2 attacks/turn (ONLY if he does not have to move). Best way to pull this off is to end his turn next to a stunned unit or against a shrine, but regardless he's still a decently costed beater. Whirlwind 3 is not worth the nora.

Cheap - 68 nora; 9 speed, Berserker 3, +6 HP
Standard - 79 nora: 11 speed, Berserker 3, +8 HP
UberRager - 95 nora: 11 speed, Berserker 3, +5 Damage, +4 HP

Brewmaster

While definitely an embodiment of Ironfist flavor, the brewmaster has lost some of his effectiveness since they nerfed antagonize down to only working on adjacent champions but he can still be a great rune to play. He is still a cheap beater and is also a great support champ.

Efficient - 69 nora; +6 HP

Conscripted Warrior

Explanation to be added later.

Cheap - 64 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP

Council Elder

Oh, for what could have been with this guy. He has cool art and a cool sprite and even 1-2 range. Sadly, he is just too expensive for normal use. By the time you have upgraded him anywhere he is simply more expensive than some of our other options. If you do feel inclined to try him here are some builds you could start with.

‘Cheap’ – 83 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Spellswallower
GroundRager - 90 nora; 11 speed, Spellswallower

Ashkenaz · #3 05-26-2009, 02:40 PM

Deep Miner

A staple of the faction, make no mistake she is VERY good. The question is whether to use 6 speed or 7, I use 7 and have never gone back. I find the extra mobility well worth it, especially for font taking and harassing enemy troops.

6 speeder- 34 nora; Nora Miner 3
7 speeder - 38 nora; 7 speed, Nora Miner 3
Aggrominer - 47 nora; 9 speed, Nora Miner 3

Demolition Team

Doesn’t really have a place in any deck, generally too expensive and lackluster, but he is playable. Lots of HP due to Team and Fire damage is nice against ST, though not against UD. Even so, make sure you use a Dwarven King or Barb Commander with him since he has low attack. Damage is more efficient than explosive attack.

Supposed some form of ranged attacker, this champion suffers from being very expensive, having a very restricted range it can attack at (2-3 boxes) and lacking a punch. It does however have two lives, thus making it irritating to kill. It is also one of Ironfist’s few sources of fire damage outside of Siege Engine’s Fire Bomb (1 turn cooldown), Battlemage (1 turn cooldown), Open the Earth’s lava (8 turn cooldown) and Terraformer’s lava (~3 turn cooldown depending on the level).

Cheap - 80 nora; 9 speed, +6 hp
Excessive - 106 nora; 11 speed, +6 hp, +3 damage, Multiattack 2

Drunken Thug

Generally outclassed by Nightwatch. Playing this guy is purely for coolness points. I suggested an intoxicate ability (using the condition created by mead trap), and there is talk this may be implemented in the future.

Stunner - 69 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP, Stun
Beater - 79 nora; 11 speed, +5 Damage, +8 HP

Dwarven Axeguard

Nice little melee dude, though generally not good enough for higher ranked play. He is fun though: note the sunder is written wrong, it is better than printed. Levels 1,2,3 do -10 def, -15 def, -20 def and at level 3 this lasts a whopping 5 turns! (3 turns of -20 def!) Nice against SL but units meant to do well in melee usually die by range.

Standard - 68 nora; 9 speed, Sunder 3
Beater - 69 nora; 9 speed, +2 Damage, +4 HP
Aggro - 79 nora; 11 speed, +2 Damage, +8 HP

Dwarven Catapult - Nahoya's Definitive Catapult Guide

Standard - 62 nora; Ashkenaz/Nahoya suggested build

Dwarven Defender

Now somewhat useful as a bodyguarder, he doesnt have enough combat effectiveness to be worth the nora. Could be a decent defender with bodyguard, defender 3, possibly 9 spd, but he is probably too expensive to warrant inclusion. Don't have an exact build for him.

Bodyguard - 72 nora; Bodyguard, Defender 3

Dwarven Handler

Used either as a base for drive or groble supporter, he probably isnt worth the slot for high ranked play. I've tried using him as a combat/support hybrid and it works alright.

Cheap Support - 54 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP
Aggro Support - 64 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP
Construct Support - 61 nora; 9 speed, Boost: Construct, +6 HP

Dwarven King

An iconic champion of the Stronghold, he can no longer be used in duplicate to stack War Cry on units but that’s fine since its hard to have two kings out together anyway. Not great in the early game due to his high cost and the fact that he needs other units to help him out, but if you can get 2-3 units to benefit from War Cry and can catch the enemy in melee, he is extremely powerful.

Cheap - 95 nora; 9 speed, War Cry 3, Melee Specialist 2
Standard - 100 nora; 11 speed, War Cry 3
Combat King - 106 nora; 11 speed, War Cry 3, Melee Specialist 2, +2 HP

Dwarven Magister

This guy's place is next to the terraformer and the tundra barbarian at the losers lunch table. I have no builds at this time.

Dwarven Mogaslicer

The Mogaslicer has been unpopular recently now that there are other excellent champs to use since it was released, however it is still a strong unit. Dam aura often does 5 damage, so between aura and rend you can add +10 damage to every attack, +14/round if you count the rend trigger on your turn. Charge is amazing. He is a good font grabber and a good stand alone unit since his aura hurts your champs when he is around.

Cheap - 74 nora; Rend 3, +6 HP
Aggro - 84 nora; 11 speed, Rend 3, +6 HP

Dwarven Sharpshooter

Very efficient range rune, in conjunction with the barbarian archer and/or griffin rider this is generally Ironfists's range support. Hindering shot is generally ignored. I like piercing shot 2, but think Piercing Shot 3 is too expensive and damage upgrades are more efficient. 9 speed builds are meant to be nora efficient so as to combine with nora miners to get as many units on the field as possible. 11 speed builds are meant for power; due to Ironfist's lack of range options, having our sharpshooters and griffins upgraded heavily helps to offset this.

Cheap - 65 nora; 9 spd, +6 hp
GB Cheap - 69 nora: 9 spd, +6 hp, Piercing Shot 2
Beatstick - 84 nora - 11 spd, +2 damage, +6 hp, Piercing Shot 2

Dwarven Windfury

Dwarven Windfury is more of a eccentric choice for range due to his lack of nora efficiency. If you are running a chasm deck he can be a nice choice due to sweep but he really is lacking when it comes to usefulness. The only abilities really worth mentioning are sweep which does 8 damage and 2 knockback and the ranged stun which can be awesome but again on a champ that is too expensive its awesomeness rating is decreased somewhat.

Stunner - 89 nora; Berserker 3, Stun
Efficient - 79 nora; 7 speed, +4 HP, Berserker 3
Heavy - 95 nora; 11 speed, Berserker 3

Earth Elemental

He's just a very solid, efficient beater for 88 nora. The tunnel makes up a lot for the awkwardness of a melee unit (though 1-2 range helps too), and he's tough, especially against FS. If Forglar becomes popular, I imagine this guy will too, but in other matchups he is still good. For the record, 9 speed just doesn’t cut it with this guy. 11 speed is the only really good way to run him.

Aggro - 88 nora; 11 speed, +4 HP, Domain: Rock, Tunnel Earth 3

Earth Golem

I suppose he is useful in construct decks or IS/KF rush decks but overall I think we have better options for tough dudes. Lumbering and melee is too easy to avoid. In a construct deck I would put 11 spd on him, but I dont have a build.

Cheap - 79 nora; 10 speed, +1 damage, +4 HP
Big Boy - 93 nora; 10 speed, +2 damage, +2 HP, Power Attack 3

Earthmover

A better roadblock than E Golem (fontblocker, usually), his effectiveness greatly depends on your opponent's deck. There is a lot of non-physical damage out there. Still, against the right opponent he can be a real pain especially with battlemaster support. Another thing that the Earthmover is used for is the Chasm/Knockback BG. With chasm and earthshaker you can effectively move opposing champions into chasms. Very hard to avoid as long as you keep the earthmover well protected.

Roadblock - 86 nora: 9 speed, Resist Physical 3, Knockback 1, +6 HP
Aggro - 91 nora; 11 speed, Resist Physical 3, Knockback 1, +6 HP

Ethereal Priestess

Decent healer, as heal mass 3 is the best way to heal multiple units. Lots of upgrade options: charm and phase shift make her better able to survive in combat, but if you keep her behind your front lines they are unneccessary. Soften is alright, best against SL.

Cheap - 59 nora; +2 HP, Heal Mass 3, Vulerability Magical
Standard - 69 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Heal Mass 3, Vulnerability Magical
Combat - 85 nora; 9 speed, +3 damage, +6 HP, Heal Mass 3

Euan Ironfist

“Talgar is more of a hammer, while Euan is more of a scalpel.” - Kyzrin

Euan is the definition of versatile. Find a build that works best for you and then clobber all in your midst.

105 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP, Emboldened, Battlemaster 3
109 nora; 11 speed, +2 HP, Prestige, Emboldened, Battlemaster 3
111 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP, Impact Strike, Emboldened, Battlemaster 3.
115 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP, Emboldened, Impenetrable
120 nora, 11 speed, +1 damage, +2 HP, Battle Master 3, Impact Strike, Impenetrable, Prestige

Exorcist

Exorcist is a fantastic unit to run if you know for some reason you would be facing FW. Conduit makes fighting them so much more pleasant. He may also be useful if you are putting together a CtE deck but there probably better choices than this guy.

Cheap – 69 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Heal Self, 3, Conduit
Standard - 74 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Heal Self 3, Conduit 2

Faultbreaker

Ah the Faultbreaker. This guy is a beast when it comes to melee combat but is a little lacking when you are running him against FW or KF or ST and they are dropping ranged champs. That being said, if you anticipate some serious melee combat this guy is one of the ones you want to put down. If you support him with a well placed DH and/or other forms of healing its just brutal.

Kyzrin - 140 nora; +2 HP, Physical Resistance 3, Tremor, Immunity Fire
Pouna - 133 nora; +4 HP, Physical Resistance 3, Immunity Fire

Favored Nomad

Nomad is a decent ranged magic damage champ. Probably best used in a CtE though not that great at anything but if you feel you can finesse her into working well for you then give her a try.

Standard - 69 nora; 9 speed

Ashkenaz · #4 05-26-2009, 02:41 PM

Ghoulhunter

Generally outclassed by better options. The ghoul is surprisingly annoying- at no cost to your enemies he can contest your font, force you to spend nora on font defense, do damage to your guys, or simply soak damage. Against UD its a shielded 15 damage problem. Just not worth it in my opinion.

Beater - 68 nora; 11 speed, +2 damage, +6 HP
Anti FW - 75 nora: 11 speed, +2 damage,+6 HP, rend 3, smite unholy 2

Griffin Rider

Competes for primary range spot with sharpshooter and Barbarian Archer. He's more expensive, but more mobile and independant: mobility and flying allows him to operate independently and on difficult terrain: griffin is particularly helpful on maps like FS, UD, ST, and SP. Again, can be run at a cheaper 9 spd version, or if you want to take advantage of the little range you have, can be run more expensively.

Cheap - 79 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP
Cheap Mobility - 83 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Mobility
Standard - 98 nora; 11 speed, +2 damage, +6 HP, Mobility
Skyrager - 110 nora; 11 speed, +5 damage, +4 HP, Mobility

Groble

Well, he has fury, so... thats something. Well, if he hits about 6 or 7 times it becomes something. I was hoping the last ironfist update would give him more... I dont think fury along with such terrible stats make him playable.

Pouna's Build - 73 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Pulverize 2

Groble Piledriver

A solid melee beater; decent damage and tough to take down. With block he wears bracers very well.

Cheap - 71 nora; 9 speed, +6 hp
Uber) 100 nora; 11 speed, +2 damage, +4 HP, Multiattack 2, Pulverize 3,
Pulverizer) 80 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Pulverize 3
Pouna’s Build 1) 88 nora; 9 speed, +1 damage, +6 hp, Block 3, Multiattack 2
Pouna’s Build 2) 88 nora; 11 speed, +1 damage, +2 HP, Multiattack 2

Groble Rock Eater

Essentially an improved Earth Golem, this guy can wreck havoc on heavy physical decks. Doesn't deal a lot of damage, but enough to be a consideration. With the low attack he really wants a Commander or DK to help with damage. Also there is a lot of magic damage out there, so be careful: he is a situational rune that is terribly overpriced in some games, and an out-and-out game winner in others.

Cheap - 74 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP
Rawr - 98 nora; 11 speed, +4 damage, +6 HP
Pouna’s Build - 81 nora; 11 speed, +6 hp, Vulnerability Psychic

Gronk Rider

Growl! It's a midget riding a llama...frightening. If you like to drive your units this guy is for you. A nice bonus is that he is a team so when your llama dies the Dwarven Handler is still around to drive more units. Nothing else really noteworthy about him.

Standard - 74 nora; +6 HP

Half Skeezick

I dont really think this guy has a place outside of IS/SL skeezick decks... if you want a multiattack dude, go for the piledriver. There just isnt much to reccommend him... maybe you'd play him if you really have problems with SL.

IS/SL - 79 nora; 9 spd, +1 damage, +6 hp, Skeezick Warcry 2

High Mason

Useful with Desperate Heal, but fortify is a better shrine rush defense option. He can heal constructs, but traditional healers do it better. If you are running 2x DH in your groble deck maybe he would be useful.

Standard Shrine Repair - 52 nora; 7 speed, Mason 3

Houndmaster

IS's best non spell form of detection. If you want to run with hounds, you need a warbanner. It makes a huge difference in this case. Traps are optional, I wont list them. Note that upgrading traps really does make a difference; lvl 3 traps slow for a whopping 6 rounds, but getting them to trigger is easier said than done.

Standard - 79 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP, Summon Hound 3
Trapper - 84 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP, Frost Trap 2, Summon Hound 3

Interrogator

She is an alpha striker: her first attack hits hard from pummel, but wont do the same dmg over time as some other runes. Poison is a great ability though, all DoTs are solid and poison's -5 atk / -5 def is certainly helpful, and helps make up for her naturally low defense. DoT's do great damage for cheap: always worth the 2 or 3 nora per upgrade in my opinion. Sapping blow 2 is a waste of nora.

Cheap - 66 nora; 9 speed, Poison 1
Aggro - 79 nora; 11 speed, +6HP, Poison 1
Aggro2 - 79 nora; 11 speed, Poison 2

Ironfist Brawler

Obviously this guy is made to be equipped with a brew, whether that be via the equip rune directly or through a brewmaster, he's not worth using without it. However with the brew he is a very nice unit, I get the sense that the 84 nora build is most popular, I think it probably gets you the most bang for your buck. Combining evasive and assault is great against range, and physical resist is great against melee. If you are using brews extensively, definitely consider him.

Cheap - 74 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP
Cheap Aggro - 84 nora; 11 speed, +4 HP
Rugged Build - 84 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Evasive 1, Resistance: Physical1
Evasive - 87 nora; 9speed, +6 HP, Evasive 2, Resistance: Physical 1

Ironfist Collector

Affectionately referred to as the Ironfist Hobo, all enemies shall fear his mighty powers to skulk around and collect things. I dont see any reason to play him apart from humor value. If you want a stealth unit to rid you of equipment woes, go with the nightwatch. Maybe if you really love earthgod sigils and you want your nora back before you kill the unit that was equipping them... but that doesnt even cover the nora you wasted playing the hobo. So yeah, I'm at a loss with this guy.

Cheap - 58 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP

Ironfist Glider

This rune makes me think of Return of the Jedi and the Ewoks using their gliders against the Imperial AT-STs. This rune is about as effective as the Ewoks'.

Cheap - 59 nora; +4 HP, Stone Bomb 3

Ironfist Minister

He's good, trust me. Battle drum is very nice, and if you need to influence a battle thats far away from a deployment zone, it can be your answer. His magic damage is a great answer to Vindrax. Overall, a versatile unit that gives you a lot of options. I like revitalize, but don't bother with resistance - magic. Immunity - magical probably wouldn't be worth it, and if you upgrade all the resistances all you get is half the effect at twice the cost. That said, if you do want a champ that you don't have to worry about magic damage...go get a Battlemage and upgrade immunity magical.

Cheap - 73 nora; +6 HP
Versatile - 87 nora, 9 speed; +3 damage, +6 HP, Revitalize
Aggro - 87 nora, 11 speed, +1 damage, +6 HP
Uber - 99 nora, 11 speed, +4 damage, +6 HP

Ironfist Paladin

Very nice support/combat hybrid. Not the best damage dealer out there, but he does enough to be a decent fighter. Cleanse, Righteous Shield, and lay on hands are very helpful support abilities. You should upgrade either cleanse, shield, or both: theres really no point in running him as a pure combat unit. Lay on hands is nice but has a huge cooldown; his uniqueness lies in his support abilities.

Basic - 71 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP
Slow Support - 77 nora; Cleanse, Righteous Shield

Ironfist Warsaint

The warsaint in my opinion is kin to the interrogator. Both are first strike champions capable of dealing large amounts of damage in their first two rounds of combat. What the warsaint lacks in DoT damage when compared to the interrogator it gains with the introduction of duel. Where the interrogators full damage doesn't proc on your turn the warsaints does. Also, as he is a paladin he is able to be cleansed and healed with CtE, Euan's consecrate, and the holy blade of valdac.

Aggro - 79 nora; 11 speed, +4 HP

Lodestone Construct

This guy had his time in the sun before Rugolth's Fist got nerfed. Now he is just another mostly worthless construct. Still half decent in an equip deck but on the whole there are better options for equipment control.

Cheap - 57 nora; Out-of-the-Box
Standard - 68 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP

Master Axeman -Master Axeman Explained

Cheap - 74 nora; 9 speed
Rugged - 86 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Evasive 3
Ripped - 95 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP, Evasive 3
Brewmaster - 90 Nora; 10 speed, +6 HP, Evasive 3

Medic

Medic is a very cheap healing option if you are looking for that. His worth lies in somewhat the same venue as the Exorcist with the grant immunity disease. All in all, its probably better to use battle matron compared to this guy as she is able to fight as well as heal and she has surge.

Out-of-the-Box - 39 nora
Versatile - 53 nora, Cleanse, Ready

Mountain Sentry

The mountain chicken's eggs make killer omlets if you dont have a captive broodqueen handy...does anyone really use this rune?

MoonRazor's Build - 79 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP, Stealth

Ashkenaz · #5 05-26-2009, 02:43 PM

Nightwatch

Great aggro rune, even after the +5 nora bump. He can really give some enemies hell, funny watching enemies burn AoEs trying to find him, but watch out for detection units. In any case, as a stunner, it works ok in 1 on 1 battles, but really shines if you have another unit or 2 to take advantage of it. Disarm definitely worth it.

Cheap - 69 nora; 9 speed, +2 HP
Stealthy- 84 nora; 9 speed, +8 HP, Disarm, Stealth
Aggro) 84 nora; 11 speed, Disarm 1, +4 HP
Beatstick - 91 nora: 11 speed, +2 damage, +6 hp, Disarm

Paladin Commander Exo/LE

You either love him or you hate him. He is an interesting rune and probably is best used in a CtE deck. If he was a 1x1 unit he would be better, or if his commands weren't all linked on the same cooldown, or if he dropped an Ironfist Paladin when he died. Alas, he is rarely used. If you have a golden goat as compared to the normal rune that is perhaps another reason to run him...he looks so shiny in LE. All in all the Paladin Commander is a finesse based rune...if you find that you can use him to good effect then by all means run him...for most of us though there are just better options. Also, KF's Combined Arms...WTH! It makes Paladin Commander look like a pansy.

Cheap - 69 nora; +6 HP

Plains Savage

The plains savage is in a way an upgraded form of the old dwarven mogaslicer. It is an improvement because trample doesn't damage friendly units, it is used every time it moves, and there is no damage aura that makes it annoying to run in a group.

Aggro - 84 nora; 11 speed, Charge 3

Pox Harbinger

Not much to say about her...she is a ranged init flying champ. What isnt to like? Oh yes, the $140+ price tag. :)

Cheap - 71 nora; 9 speed
Aggro - 89 nora; 11 speed, +2 damage, +6 HP
Sigrun - 99 nora; 11 speed, +3 damage, +12 HP

Priest of Valdac

Always an effective healer. Been around forever and will probably be around forever. Heal champ 3 now has lost the crown of being the single best healing ability in the game, due to other competing options, but its still very effective. Divine Favor is expensive, but often worth it. I prefer Favor rank 2; rank 1 doesnt do enough to warrant the cost, and I find Favor 3 too expensive for the extra hp. At one point it was somewhat ok to upgrade him as a battle priest but now IS has better options for ranged magical damage so I dropped the upgrade from the list.

Cheap Healer - 72 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Heal Champion 3
A Favorable Option - 75 nora, 7 speed, +6 HP, Heal Champion 3, Divine Favor 2
Full Healer - 83 nora - 9 speed, + 6 HP, Heal Champion 3, Divine Favor 2
Slow Superheal - 79 nora, 7 speed, Heal Champion 3, Divine Favor 3

Renegade

Also known as Tarth, after the longtime champion of barbarian rights and unofficial owner of the renegade avatar, this guy has seen a renaissance with melee specialist buffs and the addition of exertion. As the healing faction, we are well suited to make up for the hp damage from exertion. Here are Tarth's various builds:

Core Build - 78 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP, Power Attack 3
Power Hitter - 88 nora; 11 speed, 12 damage, +6 HP, Power Attack 3, Melee Specialist 2
Exertion Build – 77 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP, Exertion 3, Melee Specialist 2
All Purpose Build - 88 nora; 11 speed, +2 HP, Exertion 3, Power Attack 2, Melee Specialist 2

Rock Guardian

Well this guy is supposedly a shrine defender, though I'm not convinced he does that job particularly well. He doesn't really do much damage to kill enemies in your shrine zone and he doesn't constrict or anything. He's just kind of a big roadblock, and we are NOT lacking in the "big roadblock" department. Best I can tell, he is fairly mobile phys resist unit. He is a shaman though so he works well in CtE decks.

Shrine Defender - 74 nora; 9 speed, +1 damage, +6 HP
Shrine Monster - 95 nora; 9 speed, +5 damage, +6 HP

Savage Shieldman

Rather lackluster and unwieldy, this unit is a barbarian and thus a good choice for barbarian theme decks but now that his shield allies ability comes with an animation its just too obvious that you have shielded the surrounding champs and as shield allies doesnt shield the shieldman himself he is still open to unabated ranged assault.

Cheap - 69 nora; 9 speed, +2 HP
Versatile - 74 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP, Shove

Siege Engine

Long ranged shrine/avatar assault rune. It's bombs make it quite useful in supporting a group of melee champs as well. Each upgrade of Stone Bomb or Fire Bomb increases the range of the ability by one.

Cheap - 59 nora; Firebomb 3, Stone Bomb 3, Vulnerability Fire
Dura-build - 68 nora; +6 HP, Firebomb 3, Stone Bomb 3

Stalwart Defender

Shorty is a rune designed for one purpose and he excels at it. Hold the font. This little guy makes it so that an opponent cannot enter and contest your font. When he is in the font zone he has increased damage and health as well. He is excellent when run with a catapult for quick font grabbing. His only downside is that he really only has one function and thus isnt much good at fighting or supporting outside of the font. I personally love this guy and put him in most BGs I have as he fits the style I play very well.

Efficient - 59 nora; 9 speed, +2 HP

Stone Colossus

What isn't to love? The colossus is a big armored high damage tank. He is the fattest fatty out there and he hits people with a big hammer. Fairly straightforward. Just make sure you do NOT deploy him first turn, or he will be beating your shrine. It's easy to forget about dwarfbound. Believe me, I know. Oh man, do I know. The only thing about the colossus is that we have other options for our beaters so there is probably a better choice out there than this guy.

Cheap 69 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP, Vulnerability Magical
Aggro 87 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP

Stone Dragon

Up in the Rock Guardian and Earth Golem captions where it was said that we have better options for road blocks...well this is one of the guys is who I was talking about. Theres really no point in running him cheap, he is not nora effecient no matter how you shake him (and I dare you to try and shake him). He is supposed to be an expensive monster. He works against the right deck, but psychic, frost, and fire are problems for him. Just pay attention to who your opponent is before you play him.

'Cheap' - 86 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Physical Resistance 2, Magical Resistance 3
Roadblock - 99 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Physical Resistance 3, Magical Resistance 3, Unstoppable
Alternate Roadblock - 99 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Block 1, Physical Resistance 3, Magical Resistance 3

Ashkenaz · #6 05-26-2009, 02:53 PM

Talgar Ironfist

An excellent hammer-in-your-face option. Can be run cheaply at 9 speed or expensive at 11 an excellent tank and now that you can run two heroes in a BG there is no reason why talgar should not be a part of your battlegroup. Unless you dont have him that is...in which case, GET him.

Standard - 100 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP, Vulnerability Electricity
Shielded - 115 nora; 11 speed, + 6 HP, Shielded, Vulnerability Electricity
Cleansegar- 121 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP, Cleanse, Shielded, Vulnerability Electricity

Terraformer

This guy sits alone at the lunch table. He is just completely shoebox.

Pathmaker - 67 nora; 9 speed, Terraform Dirt 1

Tundra Barbarian

Ok. So when I said the terreformer was alone at his lunch table I forgot about the tundra barb. Another lifetime shoebox rune.

Slow Build - 90 nora; 9 speed, +5 damage, +6 HP, Power Attack 3
Fast Build - 91 nora: 11 speed, +5 damage, +4 HP
Massive Tank - 66 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Frost Armor 3

Turret Team

Turret Team is a fun rune and would probably be best served in an IS/X deck where you are running fire or frost amp. His turret attacks are nice but he is too unwieldy to be put in common use. 2X2 base is annoying and he is expensive.

Out-of-the-box - 79 nora
Versatile - 89 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP

Veteran Barbarian

A cheap beater unit, and a must have in a barbarian deck. Motivate is a nice ability and extra nice if you have two vet barbs down at one time.

Cheap - 64 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP
Standard - 69 nora; 9 speed, +4 HP, Melee Specialist 2
Versatile - 74 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP, Melee Specialist 3
Aggro - 79 nora; 11 speed, +6 HP, Specialist 2

Weaponsmith

Another unit with a million possible builds. My suggestion is to leave riposte off of him and pair him with some granite bracers. I dont actually use his enhance weapon ability much so dont let that distract you, its mostly either for a) anti-SL, or b) boosting low atk units like priests or stone dragons. He is mostly just a decent beater with a couple good support abilities. Here are a couple of ideas:

Cheap - 61 nora; 9 speed, +6 HP
Defensive - 78 nora; 9 speed, +2 damage, +6 HP, Block 1, Melee Specialist 2
Aggro - 83 nora; 11 speed, +2 damage, +6 HP, Block 1
Uber - 88 nora; 11 speed, , +2 damage, +6 HP, Block 1, Melee Specialist 2