The League of Assassins is armed with one of the best 7-drops in the game, but Lady Shiva, Master Assassin’s uber-loyalty causes mono League decks some issues. While both Ra’s al Ghul, Master Swordsman and Ra’s al Ghul, Immortal Villain are playable, one often prioritizes them in a deck strictly because they enable the League’s ideal turn 7 play.
Today’s preview card, Ra’s al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis, takes that convention and turns it on its ear. An alternate to his previous 4-drop version, Nemesis gives us the devastatingly cutthroat, un-killable maniac we all know and love. Check it out for yourself:
Pretty amazing, huh? Dead average stats for a turn 4 drop are matched with one of the best effects ever to see play on that turn. There is no discard cost and no “reveal a League of Assassins character” condition. No 6 ATK. No loyalty (which comes in handy given the team we’re discussing). This version of Ra’s is an absolute powerhouse, joining the ranks of Pan to form the “guys you really don’t want to get hit by” club.
Arguably, the main problem challenging League decks in the past was their weak and often just confusing early game. Riddled with loyalty on their best drops, they often had problems recruiting, and turn 4 became a battle between one of the game’s best board control engines (in the form of Merlyn) and an insurance policy to allow for Lady Shiva’s recruitment without having to forego a turn 6 alternate drop (such as Mimic or Sensei). While Merlyn was the hands-down choice for most, the loss of turn 6’s better options hurt, and while Mimic requires Merlyn to be of serious use, Sensei is essentially made playable by a turn 4 Ra’s al Ghul. And now we have a better one at our disposal.
Alternatively, this Ra’s is so threatening that he can make an off-turn 4-drop on turn 5 worth considering. A single Savage Beatdown lets him jump the curve, and due to the extreme board control that both he and Merlyn can shunt out, it’s not outlandish to think that both of these characters could see play over (or in combination with) Bane, Ubu.
In short, past League players had two choices to make about their curve. Turn 4 was either Merlyn backed by Mimic on turn 6, which ruled out the use of more than one “emergency” Ra’s at each drop and made Lady Shiva a sketchy proposition at best, or going heavy on both Immortal Villain and Master Swordsman, costing that player the opportunity to use delightfully painful Merlyn tricks. While middle ground could be found in the form of Merlyn on turn 4 and Master Swordsman on turn 6, this approach was a compromise that offered the worst of both worlds.
Eternal Nemesis instead allows a player to run a balance of Merlyn, Nemesis, and Bane, Ubu and then take advantage of Mimic on turn 6 without necessitating the use of Master Swordsman. While this new Ra’s comes into play with a huge Lightning rod on his back, remember that the League has plenty of ways to keep him alive and that keeping him around from turns 5 through 7 is a lot easier than doing so from turn 4 on. He’s an incredibly good character, and though he’s complicated, this new version of Ra’s is exactly what players have been asking for! With an effect that one would think warrants drawbacks in stats and loyalty, [Ra’s al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis] is bound to shake up any metagame in which he appears.
-Jason Grabher-Meyer