JWA Tournament: Rare Epic Hybrid only

Man, if there is one creature that the community cannot seem to get enough of, it's Stegoceratops. I mean what are we on, attempt number 3 for Ludia to try and get Stegoceras to appear under a green drop. And what better way to end the week of Stegoceratops shenanigans with a tournament allowing the mighty beast! Unfortunately, Stegoceratops will not make a great showing, but I will inform you as to what probably will make a big showing this week. So let's hop in.

Before we jump into the creatures, first let's go over the tournament itself. This tournament will allow Rare and Epic hybrids only, so not the biggest pool out there. The prize this week will be Coins which there never seems to be enough of.

First up we have the big bad pain in the rear everyone hates to go up against in this format. Argenteryx is the only flock legal in the format, and it's not fun to play against. While it's going to take a few turns to get off the ground, once it does, have fun trying to stop it. You have the annoying on escape that gives it evasion as well as rally heals when threatened, 2 rampages, and fearless alert. It's a must have for this format.

Megalotops is the only thing stopping Argenteryx from running away with the format. With stunning alert, you have almost a free swap when secure. And when you're on the field, it's hard to take Megalotops off of it. With solid output, decent defenses, and the best strike in the game, Megalotops is also a must have for this format. Your best bets against the horned sloth will probably be creatures like Ankylodicurus with armor and resilient attacks.

These 2 creatures are annoying to remove from the field. However, it's hard to keep Dimodactylus on the field. Dimodactylus is a classic pivot that provides synergy while dealing big damage in a meta where bleed resistance isn't too common. And with the counter and shields, keeping it on the field may not be the most fun thing ever. There is no counter to Dimodactylus as it can just swoop away, but there are ways around its playstyle, like Majundaboa with dust cloud or Megalotops with determined strike and on escape camouflage. But if you want synergy, you won't do better than this guy

Next up is Majundaboa. This snake is still in it with its raking counter, solid output, speed control, and shields. And with ferocious strike, Majundaboa can pick up a revenge kill and then really become a threat for the poor creature that has to face up against it. And swapping against this snake isn't that great of an idea thanks to dust cloud. And while there are a few fierce creatures in this meta, they mostly use bleed, with can be cleansed. Luckily your hp isn't the highest, so Majundaboa is susceptible to being worn down, even in a winning matchup.

Ankylodicurus is up next. Antarctopelta has kind of taken this hybrid's spot, but it's banned now so Ankylodicurus is here to take on both Argenteryx and Megalotops. It's a bit slow, but with great stats, a solid kit, and one of the best sets of resistances in the format, it's something to look out for. It may lose hard to fierce like Purrolyth, but let's just say nothing gets off easy from this tank.

Thylacotator is another epic you'll probably encounter this weekend. With solid hp, the best bleed move in the format, rending takedown, and swap in distraction, Thylacotator has options to choose from. It's not the best thing ever this time around without big meaty Diplodocus to destroy, but it's still a problem for anything that can't speed past it. And even if you do, you're still taking a chunk of damage.

Despite being the rare component of Thylacotator, the best rare in the game is probably a better option this time around. With an even more diverse kit, Suchotator will never get shut down by anything. It may not win, but anything facing it will expect to take a big hit. The best counter is Ankylodicurus, but it's still got 2 turns of bleed after it takes this rare down. Argenteryx will lose to Suchotator and creatures like Purrolyth are set up fodder after Suchotator goes down. This is a creature you heavily want to consider and take into account.

If you want to use another rare, really only one other rare should be used. Purrolyth is a solid trapper that can deal with the big resilients that are a threat to creatures like Megalotops. It is slow, but it's a good thing to be slow when you have no escape, allowing you to keep those tanks on the field. And with its counter, ferocity, and heal, it's going to deal a good chunk of damage to most opponents. However, your 2 big dogs do kind of rinse it as does Dimodactylus, so don't depend on this rare compared to something like one of those 3.

The last creature you should expect to see a good amount of is Sarcorixis. Now Sarcorixis is a creature that hasn't seen a lot of play, but it's got a great deal of opportunity for itself now. It doesn't have to deal with stuff like Diplodocus, it has one of the biggest turn 1 outputs in the format, sits at a decent speed tier, and can take advantage of the lack of stun immunity. The only real stun immune creature is Ankylodicurus, which is vulnerable to pin. It can deal with popular picks like Megalotops and can work around Argenteryx better than most creatures thanks to stunning strike. While it has seen better days, this epic crocodile is a creature to consider.

There are a few other good epics out there. Stegoceratops and Eniasuchus do provide swap in damage which is always nice (and if you work at Ludia, Stegoceratops is basically a requirement for your teams). Megalogaia is an interesting epic that can be annoying to remove. You also have your speedsters like Erlikogamma and Velosrhacos as well. But Brontolasmus may be the best of the extra creatures being able to take on a multitude of creatures quite well.

That's all for this weekend really. not a big pool to choose from, but at the end of the day, all these tournaments really center around one or two creatures. And besides, compared to Compsoraptor-mania that we're getting in 2 weeks, I'll take this format over it any day. Thank you all for reading and don't forget your Stegoceratops. And if you do, odds are they will put more out for us tomorrow, so make sure you get those Stegoceratops too. Have a great weekend!