Just reached godrank #48 in pandora and I feel it’s time to write some tips about it and get other people’s opinion on the subjects.
- Tempo and efficient trades are the key to victory :
There are 3 types of cards you really want to pick on your draft. First, tempo cards that for their cost can create a lot of value : Deathwish Ghoul, Spring Moshi, Windfall, Underground Boss, Ancient Boar, etc. Second, creatures able to create smart trades : typically, creatures that have a higher attack value than life can often “trade up” to a higher cost creature (and also Queen’s Assassin). Last, costly cards that can trade 2 for 1 usually for a greater cost to your opponent : Oak Father, King’s Faithful, Ogre Battler and Apex Predator (if lucky) comes to mind.
- Very limited use for “average creatures” :
Creatures with stats around 3-3 or 4-4 are usually not what you want, unless they offer other bonuses (like Ancient Beastmaster). If you stick one next to a Faeria well, it will take several turns to get their value back. If you challenge your opponent’s creature with it, he’s most likely to get smart trades or 2 for 1 trades against your average creature.
- Getting the first “big creature” out :
A lot of players want to rush within the first 2 turn to a Faeria well and start gathering asap. They will often use an “average creature” to do so. I often feel like this is a mistake. Taking 3 turn to get your first creature out, then pushing toward your enemy average creature with your Oak Father while leaving a small creature behind afterward to keep gathering from your well often seals the game by itself.
- The usefulness of “small creatures” :
1/1 creatures usually dont leave much useless value next to the Faeria wells they are gathering from. Creatures like Tiki Caretaker, Tiki Piper and Lore Thief are extremely good.
- Surprise your opponent, hold on to buffs :
You have a 5/5 on the board and you are holding a Campfire or a Tiki Caretaker? Wait for your opponent to drop a 5/6 before you buff your creature. Swings like that can really snowball a game. Players usually wont “over challenge” your creatures by dropping another vastly superior next to it. As a result, holding on to the slightest buff can really create great moments for you.
- Conclusion, Color imbalance :
Green : King of Pandora with big creatures making very efficient 2 for 1 trades and small 1/1 creatures that gathers Faeria while enabling your big front liner to keep pushing back your opponent. Their many taunt creatures and buffing events also protects you from unfavorable trades.
Yellow : Deathwish Ghoul is my favorite creature of Pandora. High attack for its cost and refunds itself. Other creatures usually offers great mobility and higher attack than life to trade up. Access to hard removal : a bonus. Definitely consider choosing yellow as your main color if you dont get access to green.
Red : With random Pandora effect often buffing creatures, I feel like red “burn” cards lose their edge and they leave nothing on the board after they are used. Red Faeria gathering mechanics are either random : reducing the cost of a random card by 7 thus reducing the value of the effect if it falls on a low cost card ; or they require a weak or average creature to get into combat, thus exposing you to unfavorable trades. At least their ogres are very good … still, Red lacks small creatures to leave behind gathering Faeria. Thus, it’s better to main another color and splash red for their ogres mid to late game.
Blue : While cards like Frogify and Humbling Vision can be very good, I believe blue suffers from lack of great creatures, especially early game. Just like red, I feel like it’s better to main another color (build their terrain first) and splash blue (pun intended) to use their great events mid to late game.
