I haven’t played for long, so I don’t have much experience with many factions, but here’s my top for what I have played: 6. Time Travelers. I love the thematic theme going on here, but I haven’t found any real synergies with them yet. They seem to be very specialized and I just haven’t discovered where they shine yet, so they can’t be very high on my list. 5. Dinosaurs. Great power, great minion abilities. The actions didn’t do it for me though. As I mention a downside to the Wizards later on, I played dinosaur wizards and ended up with a hand full of “x minions gain x power this turn”, so I ended up skipping my action on most turns. 4. Killer Plants. I love the ability of their boss minion, but a lot of their actions just didn’t hit me that well. It’s possible this is due to that I’ve only played them with zombies so their actions were often overshadowed, but this is where they are for me at the moment. 3. Steampunk. I love their play on base cards. Even in pairings where their synergies don’t really fit very well, they still work well with their allied faction to aid them in whatever unique play style they have. I haven’t won much with them, but they’re really fun to play with, which is what I value most in this game. 2. Wizards. Lots of card draws and some pretty good actions. They have great synergies with certain other factions, you just have to be careful who you pair with, as sometimes they cause you to have a hand full of extremely situational cards you may never play. 1. Zombies. They seem to do really well with most factions, so they’re nice when using a faction you’ve never played before. I also love some of their synergies, such as Zombie/Plants.
My Top Ten, (mostly) in order of how much I enjoy playing them: 1. Astroknights 2. Magical Girls 3. Superheroes 4. Itty Critters 5. Luchadors 6. Super Spies 7. Fairies 8. Russian Fairy Tales 9. Pirates 10. Clerics
7/10. Not that bad. Won't spoil which were correct and which weren't that others can guess themselves as well. I don't know how consistent my list as, as I didn't compare with last year, but there are at least 2 new factions on the list, as they didn't exist a year ago: 01. Tricksters - this may be cheated but I'm biased because they are only at the top spot because they were my first faction revision project which made them much better than they were before. However, I only do such things when I love the core concept of a faction which is the case here as well. As a very antagonistic player I like to be mean and disruptive and the Tricksters provide everything you need for it. You want to play here? Feel free to do so, but it comes at a cost and it will become more expensive the more you are willing to invest. I also love their visual design. 02. Dragons - the revamped version of the Tricksters are at the 2nd spot as they copied the Tricksters' core concept with some changes. Another mean and disruptive area control faction. They are even more effective as they don't care about opponents at their base, the punishment comes later. To differentiate them more from Tricksters and give both of them a niche, they were a logical part of a faction revision, however, it wasn't as impactful as it was for the Tricksters. 03. Russian Fairytales - the first new faction fits perfectly in the niche between all the other disruptive factions. This time, we have a completely different mechanic with the transformation mechanic which is more risky than the others, but as there isn't a reliable counter against it, it could be extremely annoying. Always appreciated. 04. Grimm's Fairytales - the second new faction and it HAD to be on the list as a representation of my country. I like their concept, even when it is sometimes hard to execute. But still very straightforward to play, great power bursts and a lot of card searching. 05. Shapeshifters - the next faction I would explain as being antagonistic as they turn the opponent's strengths against them which gives them a lot of versatility. They are often my first pick in a random draft pool which includes Shapeshifters as they could answer most opposing strategies. 06. Zombies - this may be lame, as they are a no brainer (try hard) faction. But they aren't here for their power but for their theme. It's well executed and Zombies are always nice to have in a game. It's only consequent that I have nerved them via faction revision but now I love them even more than before, they don't feel so cheap as they did before. 07. Dinosaurs - the other style of factions I like beyond annoying and disruptive factions are straightforward power factions. And the Dinosaurs - despite having some cards which didn't age well - are still my golden standard for straightforward power. Also very beginner friendly. 08. Steampunks - Steampunks is a great theme and they are still my favourite "play on base action" faction. Again, straightforward to play. Slow, but versatile. The power drop with Mechanic and moved in minions with Zeppelin is always fun. 09. Super Spies - I have to admit that I don't like their deck searching for thematic reasons. So currently I'm trying something different which is feels more like a "spy" mechanic. However, this is completely independent from their ranking as the cards which are the reason for them being on the list aren't debatable in this case. Secret Agent and their disruptive actions are very annoying. You have to ged rid off Secret Agents as far as possible. At least as long as you aren't Zombies or Ghosts and don't need to care. 10. Minions of Cthulhu - another faction which can be annoying as hell. Their alternative path to victory isn't as lame as the Aliens' path but still something different. Lovecraft is also a nice theme to have. And spamming Madness is anyway. Honorable mentions: Elder Things (are too fiddly to play for me), All Stars (as they are a mix of other cards I didn't want them to kick out another faction on this list, but they are also a faction I want to grab in a draft pool), Geeks (I like their playstyle but compared to the other factions they are a bit too fiddly. You need some timing which is something I don't care that much about), Innsmouth (now they are mainstream, I liked them more without Dagon as they were underdogs at that time), Bear Cavalry (area control with a cool theme, but the others were simply better), Time Travelers (for their theme only), Mounties (cool mechanic), Luchadores (cool mechanic, but I like the others better), Teddybears (I like their Shapeshifter elements but I prefer the original), Vigilantes (almost were in the top 10 for their versatility, but I had too often the situation that their cards were useless as their ability would have been wasted otherwise), Orcs (a great partner for any faction - as long as you can get your hands on Sword Lord), Cowboys (for their theme and dueling mechanic only, I don't play them that much otherwise) and finally Penguins (their mechanic is simply hilarious).
As you approached 1st, I was thinking you’d say Ghosts more than Rock Stars. Creampuff Man is undoubtedly one of the strongest titans, and I didn’t think Ghosts needed a titan to begin with. Was surprised to see Elves. Was surprised that Grimms’ Fairy Tales didn’t make it, as I thought you really liked them.
Samuel Friedbaum Thanks for asking! My list wasn’t necessarily in any order because I was just listing them as I thought of them 😅 But, I’ll try to answer as succinctly as possibly your question about how to make them work. The whole theme is about transformation and they accomplish this mainly by shuffling a minion into the deck and playing one off the top of the deck. Admittedly, this can be weird. But the Tsar’s Eagle and foolish magician are both good candidates. Tsar’s eagle lets you draw a card and then it’s only a power two so you can shuffle it back in and will likely get something with more power out on the base. The foolish magician let’s you draw three cards then place three cards back on the top and/or bottom of the deck in any order. This lets you place cards on the bottom that you may not really want (honestly don’t really use that very often) but it also lets you strategically plan what minion will be played off the top of the deck. Once that ability is used, the foolish magician becomes a good target to shuffle back in so you can use its ability again later. Baba Yaga can also get rid of other player’s high power minions for a (probably) lower power minion OR she can help your own transformation engine. (And if you plan your Tsar’s eagle play just right, you can actually determine exactly what minion will come out for your opponent). Finist the Falcon is just cool. The Birch and The Birch Woman is a potential infinite loop (which is kinda sweet). And the gray wolf helps give your minions a little boost when they come out that can be used over and over again. Finally, the toad can also force your opponent to get rid of key minions. I haven’t even really talked about the actions but hopefully this sparks some ideas 😁👍
10 Astroknights: I love their power increasing play style; 9 Shapeshifters: G.E.L.F. rules and copycats can copy great abilities; 8 Luchadores: intriguing faction with a new play style; 7 Ancient Egyptians: burying mechanic is very powerful, you have to think your future moves very carefully, it’s stimulating; 6 Musketeers; power output extreme, you can chain tons of cards to break bases solo; 5 Kitty Cats: because I’m bad; 4 Grimm Fairy Tales: complete faction, very complete; 3 Rockstars: great card draw, easy high power output, recursion, what else; 2 Itty Critters: temporary low power minions with functional on play abilities, for all necessities; 1 Aliens: I love the Invaders !!!
Nice list you got here. I just got the base game and some expansion. I have some questions about some rules which are not so clear. -The rule book says the players have turns and each turn has the different phases. But how do we play them out ? Me and my partner are playing the turns like I have the 5 phases and after me the opponent has the 5 phases separated? Or in the 1 first turn : We both have the Start Turn Phase the Play Cards,Score base etc and then we jump to the second turn? - And the second question is: If we have a base is ready score in the Card Play phase and we have an Action card which is playable in the “Before score base” and with that card effect we reduces the Score of the base than that base is not eligible to score right? I’m asking these because English is not our first language and these things are not so clarified or not so clear. Keep up the good work and thanks for the answers!
Thank you for your questions. Your first question is correct- you play out your turn, from start to end, then your opponent, then the next player, until the game ends. Regarding the second question, once a base begins to score in Phase 3, when the breakpoint has been met or exceeded, it will continue to score even if you remove power from the base. For example, if you are playing Pirates, and have 20 power on Mushroom Kingdom, and you play Full Sail to move all but your First Mates to another base, Mushroom Kingdom will still score, and can possibly create a double score after the First Mates move to another base
Yes, AEG intended to reveal the new expansion, but the required approvals necessary for doing so were delayed by COVID-19. I do not have an updated timeline for when they will make the announcement and am unfortunately unable to say anything about it myself
Crank It Up I think we can just tell everybody about the Golden Girls faction at least, since there were already Easter Eggs in the Grannies artwork. Oops, I guess I’m a couple days late for April Fool’s Day.
I haven’t played for long, so I don’t have much experience with many factions, but here’s my top for what I have played:
6. Time Travelers. I love the thematic theme going on here, but I haven’t found any real synergies with them yet. They seem to be very specialized and I just haven’t discovered where they shine yet, so they can’t be very high on my list.
5. Dinosaurs. Great power, great minion abilities. The actions didn’t do it for me though. As I mention a downside to the Wizards later on, I played dinosaur wizards and ended up with a hand full of “x minions gain x power this turn”, so I ended up skipping my action on most turns.
4. Killer Plants. I love the ability of their boss minion, but a lot of their actions just didn’t hit me that well. It’s possible this is due to that I’ve only played them with zombies so their actions were often overshadowed, but this is where they are for me at the moment.
3. Steampunk. I love their play on base cards. Even in pairings where their synergies don’t really fit very well, they still work well with their allied faction to aid them in whatever unique play style they have. I haven’t won much with them, but they’re really fun to play with, which is what I value most in this game.
2. Wizards. Lots of card draws and some pretty good actions. They have great synergies with certain other factions, you just have to be careful who you pair with, as sometimes they cause you to have a hand full of extremely situational cards you may never play.
1. Zombies. They seem to do really well with most factions, so they’re nice when using a faction you’ve never played before. I also love some of their synergies, such as Zombie/Plants.
CAnt wait for the 2021 version !
My Top Ten, (mostly) in order of how much I enjoy playing them:
1. Astroknights
2. Magical Girls
3. Superheroes
4. Itty Critters
5. Luchadors
6. Super Spies
7. Fairies
8. Russian Fairy Tales
9. Pirates
10. Clerics
Any advice on how to get the Russian Fairy Tales to work. I want to love them, but I can't seem to figure them out.
Halflings and Shapeshifters are two of my all-time faves, too!
7/10. Not that bad. Won't spoil which were correct and which weren't that others can guess themselves as well.
I don't know how consistent my list as, as I didn't compare with last year, but there are at least 2 new factions on the list, as they didn't exist a year ago:
01. Tricksters - this may be cheated but I'm biased because they are only at the top spot because they were my first faction revision project which made them much better than they were before.
However, I only do such things when I love the core concept of a faction which is the case here as well. As a very antagonistic player I like to be mean and disruptive and the Tricksters provide everything you need for it. You want to play here? Feel free to do so, but it comes at a cost and it will become more expensive the more you are willing to invest. I also love their visual design.
02. Dragons - the revamped version of the Tricksters are at the 2nd spot as they copied the Tricksters' core concept with some changes. Another mean and disruptive area control faction. They are even more effective as they don't care about opponents at their base, the punishment comes later. To differentiate them more from Tricksters and give both of them a niche, they were a logical part of a faction revision, however, it wasn't as impactful as it was for the Tricksters.
03. Russian Fairytales - the first new faction fits perfectly in the niche between all the other disruptive factions. This time, we have a completely different mechanic with the transformation mechanic which is more risky than the others, but as there isn't a reliable counter against it, it could be extremely annoying. Always appreciated.
04. Grimm's Fairytales - the second new faction and it HAD to be on the list as a representation of my country. I like their concept, even when it is sometimes hard to execute. But still very straightforward to play, great power bursts and a lot of card searching.
05. Shapeshifters - the next faction I would explain as being antagonistic as they turn the opponent's strengths against them which gives them a lot of versatility. They are often my first pick in a random draft pool which includes Shapeshifters as they could answer most opposing strategies.
06. Zombies - this may be lame, as they are a no brainer (try hard) faction. But they aren't here for their power but for their theme. It's well executed and Zombies are always nice to have in a game. It's only consequent that I have nerved them via faction revision but now I love them even more than before, they don't feel so cheap as they did before.
07. Dinosaurs - the other style of factions I like beyond annoying and disruptive factions are straightforward power factions. And the Dinosaurs - despite having some cards which didn't age well - are still my golden standard for straightforward power. Also very beginner friendly.
08. Steampunks - Steampunks is a great theme and they are still my favourite "play on base action" faction. Again, straightforward to play. Slow, but versatile. The power drop with Mechanic and moved in minions with Zeppelin is always fun.
09. Super Spies - I have to admit that I don't like their deck searching for thematic reasons. So currently I'm trying something different which is feels more like a "spy" mechanic. However, this is completely independent from their ranking as the cards which are the reason for them being on the list aren't debatable in this case. Secret Agent and their disruptive actions are very annoying. You have to ged rid off Secret Agents as far as possible. At least as long as you aren't Zombies or Ghosts and don't need to care.
10. Minions of Cthulhu - another faction which can be annoying as hell. Their alternative path to victory isn't as lame as the Aliens' path but still something different. Lovecraft is also a nice theme to have. And spamming Madness is anyway.
Honorable mentions: Elder Things (are too fiddly to play for me), All Stars (as they are a mix of other cards I didn't want them to kick out another faction on this list, but they are also a faction I want to grab in a draft pool), Geeks (I like their playstyle but compared to the other factions they are a bit too fiddly. You need some timing which is something I don't care that much about), Innsmouth (now they are mainstream, I liked them more without Dagon as they were underdogs at that time), Bear Cavalry (area control with a cool theme, but the others were simply better), Time Travelers (for their theme only), Mounties (cool mechanic), Luchadores (cool mechanic, but I like the others better), Teddybears (I like their Shapeshifter elements but I prefer the original), Vigilantes (almost were in the top 10 for their versatility, but I had too often the situation that their cards were useless as their ability would have been wasted otherwise), Orcs (a great partner for any faction - as long as you can get your hands on Sword Lord), Cowboys (for their theme and dueling mechanic only, I don't play them that much otherwise) and finally Penguins (their mechanic is simply hilarious).
As you approached 1st, I was thinking you’d say Ghosts more than Rock Stars. Creampuff Man is undoubtedly one of the strongest titans, and I didn’t think Ghosts needed a titan to begin with.
Was surprised to see Elves. Was surprised that Grimms’ Fairy Tales didn’t make it, as I thought you really liked them.
I would love to see an update on your top 10 to see if it has changed.
I will put a 2023 version on the schedule!
@@CrankItUp sweet!
Loved the video! Here’s my top 10 in no particular order:
1. Superheroes
2. Steampunks
3. Pirates
4. Grimm Fairy Tales
5. Polynesian Voyagers
6. Fairies
7. Cyborg Apes
8. Russian Fairy Tales
9. Mega Troopers
10. Shapeshifters
I want to love the Russian Fairy Tales, but haven't been able to figure them out. What is it that makes you put them at number 8?
Samuel Friedbaum Thanks for asking! My list wasn’t necessarily in any order because I was just listing them as I thought of them 😅 But, I’ll try to answer as succinctly as possibly your question about how to make them work. The whole theme is about transformation and they accomplish this mainly by shuffling a minion into the deck and playing one off the top of the deck. Admittedly, this can be weird. But the Tsar’s Eagle and foolish magician are both good candidates. Tsar’s eagle lets you draw a card and then it’s only a power two so you can shuffle it back in and will likely get something with more power out on the base. The foolish magician let’s you draw three cards then place three cards back on the top and/or bottom of the deck in any order. This lets you place cards on the bottom that you may not really want (honestly don’t really use that very often) but it also lets you strategically plan what minion will be played off the top of the deck. Once that ability is used, the foolish magician becomes a good target to shuffle back in so you can use its ability again later. Baba Yaga can also get rid of other player’s high power minions for a (probably) lower power minion OR she can help your own transformation engine. (And if you plan your Tsar’s eagle play just right, you can actually determine exactly what minion will come out for your opponent). Finist the Falcon is just cool. The Birch and The Birch Woman is a potential infinite loop (which is kinda sweet). And the gray wolf helps give your minions a little boost when they come out that can be used over and over again. Finally, the toad can also force your opponent to get rid of key minions. I haven’t even really talked about the actions but hopefully this sparks some ideas 😁👍
10 Astroknights: I love their power increasing play style;
9 Shapeshifters: G.E.L.F. rules and copycats can copy great abilities;
8 Luchadores: intriguing faction with a new play style;
7 Ancient Egyptians: burying mechanic is very powerful, you have to think your future moves very carefully, it’s stimulating;
6 Musketeers; power output extreme, you can chain tons of cards to break bases solo;
5 Kitty Cats: because I’m bad;
4 Grimm Fairy Tales: complete faction, very complete;
3 Rockstars: great card draw, easy high power output, recursion, what else;
2 Itty Critters: temporary low power minions with functional on play abilities, for all necessities;
1 Aliens: I love the Invaders !!!
I think top 5 for me are: 5 Robots, 4 Super Spies, 3 Shapeshifters , 2 Killer Plants, 1 Ghosts
Nice list you got here. I just got the base game and some expansion.
I have some questions about some rules which are not so clear.
-The rule book says the players have turns and each turn has the different phases.
But how do we play them out ? Me and my partner are playing the turns like I have the 5 phases and after me the opponent has the 5 phases separated?
Or in the 1 first turn : We both have the Start Turn Phase the Play Cards,Score base etc and then we jump to the second turn?
- And the second question is: If we have a base is ready score in the Card Play phase and we have an Action card which is playable in the “Before score base” and with that card effect we reduces the Score of the base than that base is not eligible to score right?
I’m asking these because English is not our first language and these things are not so clarified or not so clear.
Keep up the good work and thanks for the answers!
Thank you for your questions. Your first question is correct- you play out your turn, from start to end, then your opponent, then the next player, until the game ends.
Regarding the second question, once a base begins to score in Phase 3, when the breakpoint has been met or exceeded, it will continue to score even if you remove power from the base. For example, if you are playing Pirates, and have 20 power on Mushroom Kingdom, and you play Full Sail to move all but your First Mates to another base, Mushroom Kingdom will still score, and can possibly create a double score after the First Mates move to another base
Hey, I see no one mention zombies, I always feel safe playing with them, as I do not care losing any card. I can restore it easily
Wasnt there suppose to be a new expansion reveal? What ever happened to that?
Yes, AEG intended to reveal the new expansion, but the required approvals necessary for doing so were delayed by COVID-19. I do not have an updated timeline for when they will make the announcement and am unfortunately unable to say anything about it myself
@@CrankItUp Thank you for this. I've been wondering why there still has been no announcement.
Crank It Up I think we can just tell everybody about the Golden Girls faction at least, since there were already Easter Eggs in the Grannies artwork.
Oops, I guess I’m a couple days late for April Fool’s Day.
@@Cheddarific I mean, I thought the Golden Girls expansion for Funkoverse was a joke and I saw how that turned out sooo...
Ninja/ MegaTroopers will always be my top 2 fav. AKA Power Rangers Ninja Storm.