The League of Assassins has long been a team with more Golden Age potential than most. Cards like Bane, Ubu; The Demon’s Head; and Lady Shiva, Master Assassin showed that the affiliation had the necessary offensive arsenal to compete with the more talented factions. For a long time, however, the team lacked a backbone. Recently, through legacy cards and the release of a new set of starters, the League of Assassins gained a number of excellent options—it looks like times have changed. This article and its sequels will explore the affiliation in detail and hopefully will arrive at a competitive archetype to throw into the Golden Age mix.

The process of molding an affiliation into an archetype should always begin with the characters. Almost exclusively, resource points are invested in characters. This means that even where other options do exist, characters are still the basis of any strategy. Affiliations rise and fall on the strength of their characters and the synergies between them. We will need to organize an efficient character selection and make the protection of that plan our primary objective.

The League of Assassins has access to a workable army character in the form of Thuggee. Unfortunately for Thuggee, however, there exists little in the way of support for any plan surrounding a swarm strategy within the affiliation. The text of Thuggee is subtly powerful in multiples, but its power is not really effective enough in small doses to consider anything less than the devotion of an entire deck. The most potent plan for Thuggee would seem to involve some combination of Thuggee, The Demon’s Head, Birthing Chamber, and even Metropolis to maximize the weenie-enhancing cards of other teams. Similarly, Assassin Initiate offers nothing in which to consider grounding a deck. Our only other option is to consider the affiliation at different points on the curve of character recruitment and formulate a plan from that.

Turn 1

As a rule, I am generally against first turn characters in an escalating recruitment plan. The exceptions are characters with significant non-combat abilities. Without potent backup, 1-drops are generally ineffective in combat, yet they require a large investment in deck space if we hope to draw them punctually. Thuggee is not strong enough to challenge the general rule. Malaq, Money Man is another character that is simply not relevant enough to consider. Neither is Whisper A’Daire, Serpent-Tongued Seductress.

Josef Witschi, Talia’s Assistant offers a unique ability and warrants closer consideration. His inclusion would depend on two factors. Firstly, are there any decks we expect to face that are dependent on locations to beat us, and secondly, can we ever afford to drop him on turns other than the first without incurring significant structural weakness? For the moment, I don’t think these reasons are compelling enough, so I plan to stay true to the rule excluding 1-drops.

Turn 2

The League of Assassins has a plethora of options at this point on the recruitment slope. Bronze Tiger, Benjamin Turner offers us potential synergy with Lazarus Pit. Perhaps more importantly, he can both facilitate and be protected by Ubu, Ra’s Al Ghul’s Bodyguard for an excellent early game defensive posture. Hassim, Loyal Retainer capitalizes on the more dominant theme of location control, but his ability is somewhat compensatory, as controlling large amounts of locations limits the amount of deck space you can afford for combat tricks. Talia, Daughter of The Demon’s Head is excellent if we choose to make locations the centerpiece of our strategy. However, if we do not seek to rely on locations, she will generally be ineffective. Daughter of The Demon’s Head is an all or nothing card; our general strategy will decide her fate. Her other incarnation, Talia, Beloved Daughter, is playable, but it depends on how important establishing a particular incarnation of Ra’s Al Ghul is in a given matchup. Assassin Initiate is another utility card that will depend on the posture we want to adopt. Against decks that rely on 1-cost characters, Assassin Initiate combines well with Hook, Hired Killer in a delayed recruitment plan to knock out as many early characters as possible. The League is blessed with many varied options at the 2-drop slot. We will have to wait to see how our overall plan develops before we can decide which options to take.

Turn 3

The most obvious place to start would be with the unique Ubu, Ra's Al Ghul's Bodyguard. His loyalty requirement is extreme, but his text and numbers are very powerful. We must remember that Golden Age is not for the faint of heart. The loyalty requirement would demand that we recruit a 2-drop every game, so playing him would raise the number of 2-drops needed in the deck. Fortunately, we have many playable options at that slot. The subtle synergy between the Bodyguard and Bronze Tiger, Benjamin Turner should not be overlooked. If we were to take the path that the Bodyguard presents, Benjamin Turner would be our optimal recruit on turn 2. As to the alternatives, Hook is adequate. A backup if we miss our 2-drop, Hook gives us an excellent option against non-combat decks. Kyle Abbot, Demon’s Hound is a distinctly average character that is able to produce solid goods in combat if we choose to go down that path. Kyle Abbot, Wolf in Man’s Clothing is a mediocre character that, due to the quality of the other drops at this recruit slot, can be safely ignored.

Turn 4

Ra’s Al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis is the real standout here. Without a serious weakness, Eternal Nemesis is a card around which a deck can build a strategy. Eternal Nemesis is a compelling enough reason to push for a combat-based archetype that builds on the foundation provided by Bronze Tiger and Ubu, Ra’s Al Ghul’s Bodyguard. The lack of flight (and range, for that matter) within the affiliation could pose a problem in maximizing his ability. So long as we keep that issue in mind, we will hopefully be able to deal with it later.

Merlyn, Deadly Archer has a difficult ability to bring online, but the mere threat of it will scare many opponents into compromising their plans to take him out. His range makes him a valued commodity in this affiliation, adding more value to the investment in Ubu, Ra’s Al Ghul’s Bodyguard. Merlyn is an able alternative to Ra’s Al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis.

Dr. Tzin-Tzin, Master of Hypnosis is a terrible character. In a metagame filled with pumps, his unusual ability is rarely relevant and his stats are too low to take the risk. Ra’s Al Ghul, Immortal Villain is not up to task, either. His ability is made irrelevant when he’s stunned and his loyalty requirement doesn’t really justify its cost. Bronze Tiger, Brainwashed Assassin provides a powerful ability on a malnourished body. However, if we go with Ra’s Al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis, we are likely to opt for Ubu, Ra’s Al Ghul’s Bodyguard and Bronze Tiger, Benjamin Turner as our drops of choice to precede him. Thus, even as an alternate, it is probably too risky to include Bronze Tiger, Brainwashed Assassin.

Turn 5

Much like Ra’s Al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis, Bane, Ubu is a character around which an entire strategy can be built. To the uninitiated, if you can procure the fifth turn initiative, the plan with Bane, Ubu is to attack and stun the opponent’s 4-drop, preserving Bane, Ubu unstunned to keep his game text active. Then, through a combination of team-attacks or pumps, find a way to stun your opponent’s 5-drop with your remaining characters. At recovery, Bane, Ubu then KO’s the 5-drop. Even given remarkable ballast by the power of Ra’s Al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis, who makes it possible to KO both of your opponent’s largest characters in one turn, this plan is nonetheless difficult to pull off when we consider the lack of flight (and again, range) by which the League of Assassins is burdened. This issue seems to be emerging as the dominant concern when we consider our non-character selections.

Ubu, One of Many is another decent character that, like Bronze Tiger, Brainwashed Assassin, suffers more from the strength of an earlier version than any deep inadequacy of its own. With a commitment to Bane, Ubu as a centerpiece of the natural plan of the deck, the earlier Ubu, Ra’s Al Ghul’s Bodyguard better fulfils the objectives of such a deck—to be prominent in combat and to protect vital characters on non-initiative turns. Our need to drop him in the vast majority of games, or at least to preserve that option, nudges his later version from selection.

Lady Shiva, The Destroyer seems powerful but not really necessary to our theme, and she is likely to be an intolerable liability when defending. She, like the others, could prove problematic if we want to incorporate the powerful later version, Lady Shiva, Master Assassin, into our plan. Thus, the alternate 5-drop seems to have fallen to the much-maligned Whisper A’Daire, Cold-Blooded Manipulator. All is not as bad as it seems, however, as her synergy with Sensei, Martial Arts Master makes her relevant against many non-combat decks. While it would be negligent to pretend that she has anywhere near the strength of Bane, Ubu, she is no longer a hopeless case. It will be a rare game indeed when we will not want to drop Bane, Ubu, anyway, so the alternate 5-drop is not as important as some other drops.

Turn 6

Sensei is the clear-cut best choice, combining great combat stats with an understated yet effective ability. With this League of Assassins build necessarily moving toward characters who can hold their own in combat, Sensei provides enough punch to maintain the pressure we are looking to establish with our mid-game powerhouses Ra’s Al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis and Bane, Ubu.

Merlyn, Archer Assassin is fairly weak, and as we are playing for board control though KO effects, we are not in need of his endurance-draining ability, particularly when its drawback is an insufferable 10 DEF. That his earlier version will make the cut is just another nail in his coffin. The other option, Ra’s Al Ghul, Master Swordsman, seems necessary, but it's an awkward card. There are times when we will want to play Lady Shiva, Master Assassin, and her reliance on Ra’s Al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis being in play is extreme. However, apart from that extreme case, we do not want to replace our excellent 4-drop with a distinctly average 6-drop. Fortunately, the plan surrounding Lady Shiva, Master Assassin is so narrow that devoting substantial slots is unnecessary; one copy of Ra’s Al Ghul, Master Swordsman will suffice. His ability can net you fresh options when you’re up against quicker decks, and Ra’s al Ghul’s power-ups are more than gravy (the 4-drop becomes insane when powered up, and the 8-drop lacks size). However, his ability can be disastrous if not prepared for, so make sure that if your plan requires any characters for the late game, they are in your hand when it goes off.

Turn 7

Even though we have established some powerful options so far and our deck is leaning heavily toward board control through combat, turn 7 offers some interesting choices. It would be criminal not to include Lady Shiva, Master Assassin, as she fits perfectly with our emerging theme. That said, she is only worthwhile on our initiative, as she is too small to risk before then, particularly with Magneto, Master of Magnetism so prominent in decks that aim to reach turn 7 (we won’t be able to recover her). One copy is probably all we can afford, leaving us with two other options.

Ra’s Al Ghul, Undying is decent, but he seems more equipped to enhance a stalling strategy designed to reach Ra’s Al Ghul, The Demon’s Head than anything else. As Ra’s Al Ghul, The Demon’s Head is still small in comparison to other 8-drops, I would think this a risky plan to embark on. The safer choice seems to be Dr. Ebenezer Darrk, Original Leader of the League. With optional concealed, Dr. Ebenezer is flexible enough for our plan, particularly when we are forced to rely on a non-initiative turn 7. When concealed, Ebenezer will be able to build up his ATK value as the other characters fall. The result will be a lot of endurance and board loss, but in the current metagame, combats on turn 7 are dominated by Magneto, Master of Magnetism, often in conjunction with Bastion. At the very least, Dr. Ebenezer will be able to survive that combat, and in many situations, he will be able to go toe-to-toe with Magneto, Master of Magnetism or other large characters.

Turn 8

There is only one option here— Ra’s Al Ghul, The Demon’s Head. He will more often than not simply end the game for any deck that wins outside of combat when allowed to resolve, even if he is at a distinct disadvantage against other 8-drops. There are Ra’s Al Ghul power-ups throughout the deck, but to ensure that Ra’s Al Ghul, The Demon’s Head is the final word, we will at least need to make him relevant in combat through pumps or adequate support.

To summarize thus far, the optimal League of Assassins character base seems to lean heavily toward the ability to control the board through KO effects in the mid to late game. The characters have powerful text and will need supplementary ATK/DEF support to ensure those abilities are made relevant. Cards that give flight and/or range should also be considered highly. Where characters stand out on the recruitment curve for their natural combat superiority, they should be selected to protect the overall plan of dominance through combat rather than for any superfluous abilities that seek to dictate the terms of the game in other ways. Thus, I would recommend the following recruitment curve as optimal:

Turn 1: Nothing

Turn 2: Bronze Tiger, Benjamin Turner

Turn 3: Ubu, Ra’s Al Ghul’s Bodyguard

Turn 4: Ra’s Al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis

Turn 5: Bane, Ubu

Turn 6: Sensei, Martial Arts Master

Turn 7: Dr. Ebenezer Darrk, Original Leader of the League

Turn 8: Ra’s Al Ghul, The Demon’s Head

When looking to fill out the rest of the curve, a number of issues need confronting. The League of Assassins is fortunate enough to have one of the best character search cards available in the form of Mountain Stronghold (and vicariously The Demon’s Head), which is not only a natural complement to any plan that wants to recruit a single character a turn, but also allows us to diversify our options at each drop (which spreads our ability to confront threats). That we are playing the maximum number of Mountain Strongholds and The Demon’s Heads should be kept in mind.

Ubu, Ra’s Al Ghul’s Bodyguard requires a substantial commitment to recruitment on turn 2. Fortunately for us, we have a number of viable options at that slot, so I would recommend adding two copies of Talia, Beloved Daughter and an Assassin Initiate. Talia, Daughter of the Demon’s Head is not really supportive of any of our plans, as we at least want to be able to compete in combat at that stage. Although Ubu, Ra’s Al Ghul’s Bodyguard will nearly always be our drop of choice, Hook is the best backup, and with Mountain Stronghold/The Demon’s Head, we can afford to have just one copy.

Merlyn, Deadly Archer and Whisper A’Daire, Cold-Blooded Manipulator are flexible alternatives at their respective recruit costs, giving us more options against varied opposing strategies. Finally, adding a copy each of Ra’s Al Ghul, Master Swordsman and Lady Shiva, Master Assassin will lead us to the following projected character count:

4 Bronze Tiger, Benjamin Turner

2 Talia, Beloved Daughter

1 Assassin Initiate

4 Ubu, Ra’s Al Ghul’s Bodyguard

1 Hook, Hired Killer

4 Ra’s Al Ghul, Eternal Nemesis

1 Merlyn, Deadly Archer

4 Bane, Ubu

1 Whisper A’Daire, Cold-Blooded Manipulator

3 Sensei, Martial Arts Master

1 Ra’s Al Ghul, Master Swordsman

2 Dr. Ebenezer Darrk, Original Leader of the League

1 Lady Shiva, Master Assassin

1 Ra’s Al Ghul, The Demon’s Head

4 Mountain Stronghold

4 The Demon’s Head

The next article will cover the non-character cards, including an explanation of why The Demon’s Head is listed as a character.