JWA Tournament: Epic/legendary Skill - 10.7.2021

It’s tournament time again, and this time we’re doing the classic epic/legendary event. Everyone thankfully got a chance to play around with the new legendaries, but this time we got 2 new epics as well. So, allow me to give my thoughts on what the best creatures are this weekend and what you need to look out for.

Before we jump into the creatures, first let's go over the Tournament itself.

The rewards for this Tournament are COINS - THOUSANDS OF THEM! You'll be needing these coins to level up your creatures to do well in Advantage Tournaments and in the Arena, so be sure to get your creatures battling in this Tournament. These are the numbers of coins you'll be able to get for each placement:

First up we have the same big bad legendary from the last skill tournament: Coelhaast. High speed, fearless alert, distraction, and swap synergy. Coelhaast has a lot going for it, and with no Dracorex to ruin its day, Coelhaast will make a huge impact on the meta. Want to take on Coelhaast? Carnotarkus is great at getting rid of these feathered lizards.

Next up we got Scorpius Rex. This guy was an absolute powerhouse last tournament due to its defensive abilities and swap in synergy. Camouflage helped it a lot as Scorpius is very hard to predict as the move has no cooldown. While a particular epic does limit its strength a bit, it still has great utility on either offense or defense. Want to take down Scorpius Rex? Eremoceros is great at bypassing evasion, resisting the distraction, and cleansing the bleed Scorpius can dish out. However, the absolute best counter to Scorpius Rex is Grylenken, who is able to resist all of its debuffs while removing it buffs as well.

Another legendary we have is Carnotarkus. Carnotarkus was the creature I personally struggled with most last event as it is just does well against anything thrown at it. In order to take it down, you have to take a lot of pain in return. Also, flocks are going to be a huge part of the meta, and guess who can 2-shot all flocks? Carnotarkus can. Want to take down Carnotarkus? Good luck with that. Scorpius Rex seems to be one of the best answers thanks to its bleeding abilities and the ability to spam camouflage.

Moving on we have our first swapper: Megistocurus. Megistocurus has great damage, decent speed, and decent survivability. The main perks come with it being able to bypass shields on the swap and preventing the opponent from escaping as well. While it is a good swapper, many times it can just be taken down before it can run away, so be careful. Want to take on Megistocurus, Scutophicyon is the absolute best option thanks to it having no escape as well while also being faster and able to deal with everything Megistocurus can throw at it.

Next on the list is Eremoceros. Slothdeer is just a solid creature. The only think it cannot deal with is high armor, but luckily it doesn’t need to worry as the most armored creature this week has 30%, which is easily doable for it. You have a heal, 3 forms of speed control, evasion, shields, good resistances, and  great stats. It’s hard to stop Eremoceros when the ball is rolling. Want to take down this sloth? The easiest way is to bleed into a swap-in stunning strike creature. Thylacotator and Woolly Rhino when paired can make quick word of this beast. But if you want something that can 1v1 it, Diplovenator is the best bet you have with its immunities and moveset.

Scutophicyion seems to do better when epics are allowed due to another epic swapper that is very popular. It has a solid moveset with good resistances to back it up. While it could use some more bulk, it has great output that makes that no escape even more lethal. And with outputlike this, Scutophicyon makes for a great closer. Want to take down Scutophicyon? Scorpius Rex can just speed past it and dodge and distract it nonstop. And with no distraction resistance or precise moves, Scutophicyon cannot deal with camouflage.

Mammotherium charges in being one of the best openers around. With a moveset revolving around output and good stats and abilities, Mammotherium is a great creature to use. Mammotherium is a great swap enabler using resilient impact to help boost the amount of creatures can do on a swap with vulnerability applied via resilient impact. And for those terrifying cunnings, Mammotherium can tank their hits while dishing out a lot of damage in return. Want to take down Mammotherium? Scutophicyon can deny it to swap while also being able t take in down in a raw 1v1, especially if it has revenge protection up.

Anther creature to look out for is Indoraptor gen 2. This cunning is one of the best anti-flock creatures around, and with high speed and cautious strike, Indoraptor is an extremely defensive cunning. Indoraptor gen 2 also is able to play a bit of offense with distracting impact. It can also play around other top threats like Scorpius Rex. If you are looking for something to focus on killing flocks, Indoraptor gen 2 is the best creature around. Want to take down Indoraptor gen 2? Mammotherium can just break through any defenses Indoraptor throws at it.

No matter what, Phorasaura will always be somewhat threatening thanks to Instant rampage. Not only does it have this insane move, but it also has good stats and resistances. 130 speed is nothing to scoff at. With another priority move in sidestep, Phorasaura can be somewhat unpredictable. And finally, it has great team synergy with both a swap in and a running move. People are always using Phorasaura, so look out for it. Want to deal with Phorasaura? Scorpius Rex is a good way to combat Instant rampage because the swap allows it to easily tank that hit while allowing Scorpius to gain priority.

Rinchicyon is another speedster that is also great at keeping pesky swappers at bay. With high speed, fierce abilities, and team synergy, Rinchicyon is a great creature to consider for a team. And with a priority move that buffs speed, Rinchicyon even when slowed will outspeed most of the competition thanks to its resistances. Devious strike allows it to tank hits while giving it a chance to dish out some good damage. Watch out for this guy. Want to take down Rinchicyon? Mammotherium can do this in a pinch. Rinchicyon either dodges turn 1 to where safety rampage doesn’t allow it to swap so Mammotherium can take it down turn 2 or Rinchicyon uses impact turn 1 and Mammotherium can just swap into a swapper while still having enough hp to deal with collision when it escapes.

Finally for legendaries, we’ll end on a more niche legendary than these guys. Monostegotops is usually a sleeper pick, but it is faster than all the swappers in this event and can stop them from dealing damage when you predict a swap. It also can run after turn 1 while also better tanking damage than another swapper that can do the same thing like Dracoceratops. And finally, it is probably the best swapper on the field due to its slowing and stunning impacts putting out a good amount of damage while potentially setting up for something like Argenteryx.  Monostegotops is a great wildcard that can catch an opponent off guard in a pinch. Want to take down Monostegotops? Scutophicyon is the bane of Monostegotops. It can slow it down, not get stunned or slowed, cleanse distraction, and bypass its shields and armor.

Now there are other legendaries out there. You got good picks like Pteraquetzal, Grylenken, and Dracoceratops that all have good roles or matchups and could be other wildcards that catch opponents off guard. However there are some picks that are not so good. Despite being mid elite in the tier list, creatures like Acrocanthops do not do so well in this format as the creatures it does well against also are not so common. Then you have other creatures like Alloraptor who just gets rinsed by most of the meta threats and falls flat on its face most of the time. Make sure you check what creatures can and don’t work against the meta and avoid the ones that don’t work.

Now when it comes to epics, there is one epic that has stuck around since the beginning of 2.0. Woolly Rhino is going to be a common sight. It has the highest damage on a swapper in the format while also having good output on the field. There is not much that needs to be explained with this one. Just make sure to watch out for trappers as Woolly Rhino can get pinned easily. Want to make sure it only swaps in once? Scutophicyon is here to the rescue. Scutophicyon destroys Woolly Rhino while denying it a means of escape.

Next on the list we have another epic that has become the bane of many creatures. Compsognathus came in and essentially made a whole bunch of creatures almost obsolete. With amazing resistances, good stats, absorb, and essentially no escape, Compsognathus is a pain to most players. And on top of that, it also has the swap in that allows it to rally heal while also setting up evasion. They will constantly swap in and out to keep rally healing, so be aware of that. And for new players, this is a great epic to use as it’s easy to dart and there have been many events showcasing it. Want to take down Compsognathus? Carnotarkus and Coelhaast are able to take care of them in a pinch with their group moves.

Next up is the epic hybrid Thylacotator. This epic hybrid has a diverse range of tools in its kit. It has maiming wound to deal with those pesky tanks and flocks, superiority strike to have some speed control, rending takedown to deal with tanks, and swap in distraction to deal with big hitters like Phorasaura. And with deceleration immunity, Thylacotator has probably the biggest 1-2 punch in the format. Want to take down Thylacotator? Argenteryx has your back. With cleansing moves and absorb, Thylacotator is helpless against these tiny birds.

Speak of the devil, let’s talk about our first new epic hybrid Argenteryx. These tiny birds are looking to be the best epic in the entire format. The last time they were usable was back in the unique/epic tournament last month, and they did better than most creatures. With swap in distraction, alert on escape evasion, and absorb, this thing already is looking really good. On top of that, you have high speed, rally heal, 2 rampages, and decent attack. And, for some reason argenteryx can use fearless alert and rally heal at 2 members instead of one like Coelhaast, so that’s something to watch out for. This is looking to be the best epic in the format. Want to take on Argenteryx? Carnotarkus is probably the best option you got. With precision and group abilities, Carnotarkus is just a solid pick to take this menace down. Another pick would be Indoraptor gen 2 as well.

Another common sight to see will be Titanoboa. With the classic on escape rampage as well as good resistances and stats to back it up, Titanoboa is the ultimate swap punisher in the format.It also does fairly well against most of the faster meta being able to allow swappers to come in somewhat safely while also denying enemy swappers fromleaving, allowing sweepers to potentially run through an opponent. Want to take down this monster snake? Argenteryx is a great idea. It can cleanse Titanoboa’s deceleration while also deterring it from swapping out. And with its output, Titanoboa is as good as gone.

Finally we’ll end on Megalotops. This is another epic that may make a huge impact on the meta. Its basic move determined strike is a mashup of other moves like cunning strike and resilient strike all in one. It also has an impact, cautious rampage, and an armor piercing counter. So not only is megalotops able to play defense, but it can also excel at offense at the same time. And on top of that, Megalotops in a secure state can come in and get a 100% stun off while also having on escape camouflage. All of these abilities make for a very scary creature. Want to take down Megalotops? Titanoboa is one of the best creatures that can take down this sloth thanks to its resilient moves and immunity to distraction.

There are other good epics out there as well. Scurosaurus is a great tank while Ankylodicurus is not as tanky but more offensive. You have other hybrids too like Majungaboa to punish swaps and Sarcorixis to trap and stun. While the epics are not as good as the legendaries, there are still many that can compete.

So, there are definitely more options that are usable compared to what there used to be back in the day. There are a variety of good creatures to choose from. I hope that this guide helps you when building your team. Good luck this weekend and get as many coins as you can. Hope to see you there.