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OGS-019 and OGN-269 made the Body domain one of the best in Riftbound during the first set. Both legends featured a hold oriented play-style, focused on chunky units and great support spells. Even after OGN-160 failed to become the dominant force many anticipated, these two kept the Body domain atop the competitive metagame.
Towards the end of the origins metagame, the Fury domain had the upper-hand with OGS-017 rising to the top, so Spiritforged comes at the perfect time to reset the metagame.
Unfortunately, this new influx of cards might not pack what the domain needed.
All four new legends feature a different synergy, which leads to many cards being situational, or specifically designed for a legend. Yet, because the set had to be divided among four different strategies, none feels complete, or at least flexible in how they can be built.
If I had to pick, I'd say SFD-203 has the best shot, mostly due to her legend ability being tied to recycling runes. In this set, many cards have a power cost associated, so might as well get some benefit if forced to play that way.
These articles are focused on the cards I feel will have the most impact in the Spiritforged set within their domain. However, this doesn't necessarily mean I believe they are all powerhouses we will play in every deck.
A card can also leave its mark as a fantastic side deck option, a solid support, or be a strong fit in a precise environment. Then, I rated each card out of five stars for more clarity on their expected role :
Niche synergy contributor — Great side deck inclusion.
Great fit for the Spiritforged metagame — Playable in multiple decks
Future staple for the domain — Able to shape the Spiritforged metagame
Punch First
Recycling two runes makes this card situational at best. Indeed, we can't imagine using SFD-097 early in a match and be two runes behind from there on.
However, when we reach the later stages of a game, when points become more important than runes, five more might for just one energy is the best deal available in Riftbound. Plus, Spiritforged is designed around SFD-T03 helping us alleviate our power costs, meaning SFD-097 might not be so annoying to pay for.
Alongside SFD-112, the buff becomes a bonus 10-might spread across two targets. Plus, most Body legends either have a signature spell or a champion unit designed to help move from a battlefield to another. When it is time to go for the win, SFD-097 will often serve multiple times in a turn, as the buffed unit will be supported by another cheap spell, such as SFD-184, OGN-270 or SFD-204.
Strike Down
Most of this set is built around finding ways to equip our units, possibly without recycling all our runes doing so. However, we have very little ways to detach an equipment, except when the unit carrying it leaves the field.
As a removal, SFD-107 is quite pricey, although our unit doesn't get hit like it would with OGN-128. However, if we combine the removal part with the potential to transfer an equipment from a unit to another, the card becomes much more flexible.
This is a fairly niche situation, but whenever we have an equipped unit at a battlefield while looking to conquer the other one, SFD-107 should be very helpful. Indeed, we can use it to take out an opposing unit at that battlefield and detach our equipment from our unit we can't move there.
Attach the now available equipment to a unit at our base, and conquer that second battlefield we weakened with our now buffed unit.
Warmog Armor
I already included SFD-033 in the Calm review and SFD-064 in the Mind one. It's not that I love 1-cost equipments particularly, but these three domains will synergize with them more than the others. Plus, it just so happens that these three cheap equipments represent great utility to gear or equipment related legends, while SFD-108 also bridges with the buff synergy.
Let's take the card for what it is : pay one and recycle that same rune to grant +1. If your unit conquers, make it +2. Not +2 this turn, not +2 as the attacker or the defender. A permanent +2.
Already, that is a pretty good deal.
Then, if we also factor in cards benefitting from buffs, such as OGN-078, OGN-152, OGN-157 or SFD-047 to name a few. We figure SFD-108 is a pretty good deal for its cost.
OGN-269 and #OGN-257 focus on buffs, while SFD-183 and SFD-193 build around equipment. Unless the Body domain fails miserably in Spiritforged, SFD-108 should find a home to see play.
Here to Help
A card many have discussed already, trying to find a way to blind side our opponent with a summon during their turn. The best idea I have seen is to play OGN-026 as early as possible to prevent your opponent from playing cards during their turn. Hopefully, OGN-249 or SFD-183 become a thing in the near future for that combo to see play.
Outside a cheeky way to enrage our opponent, SFD-111 could also be regarded as a way to play any 3-cost for the cost of hiding the card. The only condition is to conquer a battlefield early on. OGN-135 did not become a staple, but saw play during the Origins metagame. Spiritforged will add a flurry of new 3-cost, and these won't be blank 3-might units :
- OGN-218 would also summon two Recruits since we played SFD-111 that same turn. This is a bonus 5-Might on the spot. Any OGS-023 enjoyers?
- The same can be done with OGN-016, for example to dodge a removal spell as we would buff our unit as a reaction.
- OGN-068 pops at our battlefield during our opponent's turn, gets ready at the start of ours, and deal 3 damages to an opposing unit on the other battlefield. I'm sure OGS-019 would appreciate.
- Summon SFD-096 to defend your battlefield, and then move it to the other one for a conquest.
The only downside to this card is the fact we can't summon our champion unit, since the target needs to be in our hand. Otherwise, any deck able to conquer a battlefield relatively early in a match should have a fantastic tempo burst available through SFD-111.
Expect some shenanigans to happen.
Lucian - Merciless
I don't have much faith in SFD-183, but its champion unit is a superb turn one play when going second. Indeed, the card would either force the opponent to remove it, which prevents them from using their initiative to develop a 4-cost unit, or accept we will poke at one battlefield every turn.
Alongside OGS-019 for example, we could attack with a 5-might unit every turn, forcing a reaction from our opponent if they want to keep their unit alive. With OGN-267, we can grant SFD-113 Ganking and contest both battlefields in the same turn. Even OGN-249 could be interested to use the 3-cost as a removal, dealing 3 damages at a battlefield until it is removed.
It likely won't become a metagame staple through its affiliated legend, but I could picture this card as a nice side option when going second.
Ruin Runner
This card cannot be removed except if you beat it in a showdown. In those showdowns, the only way to impact the battle is to buff your cards, since you can't target this one. I anticipate OGN-247 to step down from her pedestal in Spiritforged. Yet, if she were to remain dominant, this card would be a nightmare to deal with.
Plus, the Body domain is a place of buffs, and soon equipments as well, meaning this card will rarely stay at 5-might.
A probably too expensive synergy would be to equip SFD-105 with SFD-115 and see if our opponent can beat it without ever targeting it. I'm sure OGS-019 could make that work.
Overall, I expect this card to be at her best when the opponent is behind on the scoreboard, and forced to remove our units to prevent us from scoring. In that scenario, SFD-105 would allow preparing the perfect assault to close the match, certain the opponent can't interfere with our plan, except if they create an even stronger combatant.
If an aggressive build of OGN-267 or SFD-183 would emerge, these two could use the new 6-cost as a top-end threat.
Yone - Blademaster
I just have a thing for cards which force your opponent to play a certain way. Typically, they are just good once we find how to play them.
For SFD-116, it will take mostly a good early game, to prevent the opponent from being able to target our 5-cost as soon as we play it. To be fair, the Weaponmaster keyword should make the card fairly resilient just looking at the equipments in the Body domain, SFD-102, SFD-095 or SFD-108.
Once able to move, various synergies open to leverage SFD-116's ability :
- Chaos cards or OGN-043 depending on our legend, to punish a sole unit defending a battlefield. Move it to its base, conquer with SFD-116, and remove the unit in the process.
- Play the long game with SFD-116 preventing our opponent from retreating to base. Every turn, they have to leave a unit on a battlefield, or we get to take out a unit in their base. Until they have something big enough to contest our 5-cost, we get to remove a unit per turn, guaranteed.
- We are now happy with a tie, as this would leave the battlefield open to be conquered by SFD-116. This makes most of our support cards stronger, as the threshold for them to be considered good is slightly lower.
Show of Strength
When you play a hold strategy, you typically look to protect your units and routinely have multiple mid-sized cards sitting at one battlefield towards the end of a match.
In that scenario, SFD-106 could represent two to four draws, perfect to refill your hand before the final showdowns determine the winner.
As a situational card, I expect SFD-106 to suffice with just one copy. The goal isn't to out-value our opponent through running them out of cards. Rather, to know we can invest in the mid-game, even if it means our hand will run dry. Eventually, we will just pay two runes, get our refill, and be good for another few turns.
We saw how important it was to draw during the Origins metagame, with OGN-155 and OGN-039 both becoming crucial cards for their domain. If we want to run other champion units, we have to find some draw from other cards, which SFD-106 provides.
Akshan - Mischevious
When played early in a match, the additional cost will probably set us too far back to pull the trigger. Although most gears used to anchor certain strategies, such as OGN-124, might still be worth stealing.
It must be so devastating to see your turn one 3-cost gear go to your opponent, even if you have more runes to work with going forward.
However, once SFD-130 moved a couple of times when playing SFD-203, or just when one has enough runes for immediate tempo to be worth more than resources available, SFD-109 will then be nothing be a huge tempo swing.
Most likely, the card will spend most of its time riding the side-deck, only coming out against opponents with a worthy target. Still, SFD-109 is a card certain decks will have to respect when playing against Body legends. Anyone wants to play OGN-160?
Closing Words
Overall, I'm not a big fan of the Spiritforged set for the Body domain. Indeed, I feel like the new legends got incredible signature spells, but will lack some strong proactive plays to create the situation for those spells to shine. Plus, plenty of cards have a break cost associated, which will be even more punishing when we fall behind early on.
I hope I'm wrong on this one, but I fear the situation for this domain will remain fairly similar to what we knew during Origins. OGS-019 will be the best option based on being the more flexible legend to build around, while we will keep looking for strong standalone cards to include in its deck.
Good Game Everyone
