JWA Tournament: rare all skill

It’s tournament time again, and this time we got a format that hasn’t been seen since summer. This tournament will be a rare only tournament and will include hybrids as well. So, it’s my job to help you find the best rares for your team for this weekend. So, let’s get into it.

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’ll start with the resilients. And you cannot get more resilient than Doedicurus. With a high 50% armor and a shielding move, no cunning can dream of taking down this beast. And with a solid attack stat of 1200 and resilient strike combined with decelerating rampage, it really hurts as well. Just a solid tank and can dish out major hurt. Just a solid rare that you should take into account. Want to take the armadillo down? Use any chomper or something like Purrolyth to trap it and eat away at it.

Another rare to not discount off the bat is the new moose Cervalces. With distraction immunity, a shielded decelerating impact that is also precise, dig in, and resilient strike, every flock is in range of this guy. And unlike its other deer counterparts, it has just enough attack to take out a member of every flock every turn. This rare is something people are sleeping on and should get ready for. Want to take the deer down? Use something like Albertosaurus, who can 1-shot the poor thing. Or use Purrolyth, who can eat away at its hp while also throwing up its own shields.

Another rare that is a good trapper is Titanoboa gen 2. With dust cloud at its disposal and stun immunity, you don’t want to swap out on this guy. Also, not a single swapper in the format has a way to break shields on the swap. Titanoboa has great immunities like stun and pin while also having methods of speed control in shielded decelerating strike. This rare is a great closer and can really punish your opponents if they swap. If you want to take this snake down, use something like Albertosaurus or Doedicurus. One can eat right through it while the other can just tank it and hit it harder in return.

Finally, we have Dracorex. With 1100 damage and swap in resilient strike, there is a reason why people use it. It also has a good 1v1 kit with resilient impact and instant charge. Now combine that with its high hp and good speed and you get Dracorex, which should be on the majority of teams. It’s beefy, hits hard, and is a swapper. It’s good. If you want to take down Dracorex, use something like Purrolyth to keep it on the field and eat away at it.

There are some more resilients you can choose from, but these are the big ones. You have more niche creatures like Elasmotherium or Einiasuchus that are not bad, but just not as threatening as these guys. But now, let’s continue on with the fierce creatures.

Starting off is the fierce and resilient Purrolyth. With no escape, ferocious strike, short defense, and a rending counter, Purrolyth covers its bases pretty well. It really takes down most creatures, and with no escape, they really cannot swap out of it. And with both ferocity and heal, Purroltyh can easily heal up after taking substantial damage. Want to take down Purrolyth? Albertosaurus can take it down in a pinch while getting the jump on with higher speed and priority damage. While not as reliable, Suchotator is also one of your best options to take down this land crocodile.

Let’s talk about Albertosaurus. With decent hp, decent speed for a chomper, high attack, and killer instinct, Albertosaurus is a powerhouse. It also has really good resistances like pin and bleed, which are nice to have. This is a solid fierce and should be expected. If you want to take down Albertosaurus GUARENTEED, only Dilophosaurus can do the job. While creatures like Archaeopteryx and Compsognathus gen 2 usually kill it, Albertosaurus always has a chance of winning. Be careful.

With Camp Cretaceous season 4, Spinosaurus was thrown into the spotlight. In this format, Spinosaurus is again a creature that stands out above the rest being one of the best leads in the format. With no escape, lethal wound, and good speed, Spinosaurus is a great way to come in and test the waters with whatever your opponent has or get a quick kill off the bat. And with resilience no longer slowing, odds are Spinosaurus is getting in 2 turns of bleed guaranteed. Also, with flocks being weak to bleed, Spinosaurus can really punch a hole in them and take them down. Want to take Spinosaurus down? Albertosaurus can get 2 hits in before Spinosaurus and can also resist the bleed. Ornithomimus can easily hit Spinosaurus and run out of there. Also, if you need to take it down for a final KO, usually it goes down with the ship so creatures like Doedicurus will go down, but it will take Spinosaurus down with it.

These are the main fierce you will probably see. You have a few others out there like Andrewsarchus, Marsupial Lion, or Diplotator who all have their own niche, but just don’t size up the the rest of the competition. The reason why most fierce are struggling is because of the cunnings. And what type of cunning is dominating the meta?

Flocks are here and are here to stay. And the first rare flock was Compsognathus gen 2. These Compsognathus differ from their epic counterpart because they come packed with their own priority strike in courageous alert, which is one of the best basic attacks you can find. You also have hop and mock, which is a decent priority move that can allow Compsognathus to regain speed control. Finally, you have impact and run, which allows Compsognathus to develop synergy with the rest of the team. On top of all that, you have alert swarm, which is no escape when they are at 2 or 3 members. And if they are at 1 member, they can swap in with alert the flock and get back up to 2. These guys are annoying and will be seen frequently. If you want to take Compsognathus down, Suchotator can hit through them with ease and reduce them to nothing. While they can run on Suchotator, they cannot run on Spinosaurus, who can easily put them in swap range. Doedicurus and Dracorex can also deal with them quite nicely as well.

The other rare flock you should see is Archaeopteryx. With decent stats and a decent moveset, the main appeal comes with the on escape ability. With on escape evasion, Archaeopteryx can rally heal when in the threatened state, which occurs at 2 members. With evasion, distraction, and the ability to deter swaps, Archaeopteryx is going to be a common sight. Want to take down these early birds? Cervalces and Doedicurus should make short work of them.

Another cunning who will be a common sight is the speedy Ornithomimus. With high speed, great attack, and good immunities, Ornithomimus is something that can come in time and time again. With evasive strike, it can tank a hit before using rampage and run to deal massive damage while potentially setting up another creature or bringing in a swapper to finish the job. It has distraction, pin, and stun immunity, which allows it to cover its bases well. Also, deceleration isn’t as common anymore, allowing Ornithomimus to retain priority most of the time. And if it does lose it or just wants to stall for a rampage and run, instant distraction is a great way to do either. If you want to stop this speedster, Titanoboa gen 2 can stop it dead in its tracks. It has precision, distraction immunity, and enough to 2-shot Ornithomimus. Cervalces can also do the same with an impact and a strike.

That’s really all for cunnings. You have a few others out there like Megalonyx, Argentavis, or Dilophosaurus who all have their own niches in one way or another, but probably will not be as common as these cunnings due to some flaw they may have whether it be low speed or the inability to gain momentum.

Finally, we’ll end on 2 wild cards. First up is the monster known as Suchotator. It can distract big fierce hits, bleed resilients, and slow cunnings down while nullifying any or all positive effects they may have. It has good damage, good hp, and decent speed. Suchotator is one of those creatures who will never do nothing. It always will contribute a decent amount and should be heavily considered for your team. Want to take Suchotator down? Spinosaurus can take it down with it if they face off. Purrolyth can also take down Suchotator as can Ornithomimus and Albertosaurus.

And for the last wildcard you should consider, we have the other big rare swapper Nasutoceratops. With great bulk prolonged by distraction, one of the best swaps in the game, and a decent kit, Nasutoceratops is something that is hard to take down. It can bypass armor, distract fierce, and can stun opponents for a safe swap. It also cannot get pinned by any pesky Compsognathus or Purrolyth either. It’s a solid rare and is something that can mess up a team.

That’s all for rares. Make sure you battle to get as many coins as you can while also working towards more alliance points to get all the Arctops you can get. Also don’t forget to go out and dart your rares today as you have 1 day for 18 attempts. Get all the Ornithomimus you can get. Good luck and thanks for reading.