JWA Tournament: Rare/Epic No Hybrid Skill 08.20.2021

So everyone, it’s that time of the season. We got a standard rare and epic nonhybrid skill tournament and there are some new faces to this format. Also new to this format is the whole resilience overhaul, so now matchups will be quite different this time around so make sure that you remember that resilience moves no longer slow. So what should you use this time around? Well it’s my job to help you. Let's jump in, shall we?

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

This tournament has rare and epic nonhybrids. This is one of the most common formats, so you shouldn't be surprised to see it. The rewards are boosts, so you'll want these. And thankfully, everyone to my knowledge can actually play the game, so that's great. But hopefully my advice helps you place high to get those oh, so precious boosts.

Let's get the tiny elephant in the room out of the way. Compsognathus is going to be a threat to take into account. And with so few group attackers to start, it's going to be a hard creature to beat. And those group attackers are all not really good anyways, so the compies are going to be living the life. With good resistances, good stats, and absorb, these guys are going to be an issue

Now if 3 compies are a party, is 6 a crowd? Compsognathus gen 2 is here and can create some chaos. While not as good as its gen 1 counterpart, courageous alert and impact and run allow for team synergy and the inability to be revenge killed easily. And with alert the flock, the compies can just keep going back and forth. YAY!

Another rare to look out for is Albertosaurus. Ol' Albert has its classic deadly back to back impact with the second one having priority. Not only that, but it's resistances are nothing to sneeze at. With good stats and this good kit, Albert is probably the best fierce around.

Another classic creature to prepare for is Titanoboa. This snake needs no introduction. Everyone knows why you use boa. On escape rampage PLUS all the resistances and it make this a deadly threat.

Another epic that needs no introduction is Woolly Rhino. Swap in stunning strike and 1500 damage is something everyone fears. And with an impact and nice bulk to back it up, it's going to be a common sight, so prepare for it.

One of the newest kids on the block is Megalonyx. This sloth has good output, defenses, and some moves that keep it ahead of the game like cautious rampage, and with an on escape move, those pesky swappers won't know what hit them. Be careful though, as it's NOT immune to stun, so don't get mad when the stun lands.

One resilient creature that's really gone up with the resilience change is Scutosaurus. With a slowing ability, great bulk, good immunities, decent damage, and good speed, scuto can now take center stage. Not only are its abilities good, but it's spot in the meta really suits it as is can take out other big resilients, can resist stun, and counters the compies as well as other big threats like titanoboa. Scuto is a big threat.

Another big tank is Brachiosaurus. Brachi has great bulk, stun resistance, and decent output that's now strengthened with the resilience change. Unless you have some sort of fierce, brachi is going to eat away at your team.

Another fierce to expect is Andrewsarchus. Andrew is still pretty good with its 1-2 impact to rending takedown. And with no escape, swappers aren't as big of a threat. And it's got a 40% crit chance, so expect to see critical hits.

Andrew's fierce rending partner is Marsupial Lion which also has the classic 1-2 that's more reliable, and with a priority dodge move, you can evade an Albert killer instinct while also easily taking down scuto and brachi.

The compies may be fast, but you can go faster. And one of the fastest creatures around is Ornithomimus. With high speed, attack, and great team synergy, ornithomimus is going to be in and out. And paired with Woolly Rhino, that’s a hefty 4700 damage. Also, with resilience moves not slowing, ornith will be able to keep ahead of the game, but remember to watch out for enemy swappers.

Another flock to watch out for is Archaeopteryx. With on escape evasion, it's a closer that can punish you like testacornibus by rally healing. It's also got high speed and good attack. And being a flock, it'll probably be able to get that delayed cunning rampage off, especially with evasive impact making it even harder to take down. But with delayed cunning rampage being behind a 2 turn delay, it takes a bit for Archaeopteryx to get off the ground.

Antarctopelta is a resilient that can fly under the radar, and with it’s ability to keep slowing and it’s decent output, it looks promising for taking down the compies as it will always stay faster than them. And it’s just another solid resilient to watch out for.

We’ll end things off with Diplodocus. Diplodocus has fallen off a bit, especially with it being unable to slow you down, but with bulk and swap in slow, it can still manage. Not to mention the fact it can deal 6000 in 2 turns with strike to rampage. And shield advantage allows it to bypass shields and armor, which is a good niche as a tank.

There are other good cunnings like the epic raptors, especially Blue who's the third fastest creature allowed in the format. She also has stun immunity and good output. And with the resilience change, she can't be slowed that often. And if you are a big fan of flocks, you have the Dodos at your fingertips. With deceleration immunity and team synergy, the dodos can be deadly.

For other fierce options, you got Baryonyx, Allosaurus gen 2, Acrocanthosaur, and Edaphosaurus. Edaph has the immunities and persistent ferocious strike, helping to negate distraction effects. Bary has speed, and a good amount, and has the ability to gain the jump on many top creatures, especially Andrew who can be 1-shot by baryonyx with ease. And then you have allo and acro, who have big damage and cleansing abilities.

There are some other good resilients out there. You have the bulky Giraffatitan who can slow and dish out big damage turn 1. You have the counter-attackers like Concavenator, who can hide behind shields while also bypassing them AND inflicting vulnerability. You also have the speedy Stygimoloch, who can constantly shield, has great output, has a great get-off-me option with instant charge, and has decent team synergy as well.

There are many other creatures to consider. You could go with another swapper like Nasutoceratops, Sinoceratops, and Dracorex. Nasutoceratops has the bulk and pin immunity, dracorex has the 1v1s down, and sinoceratops can unleash a devastating instant charge with the resilience changes.

So with all that, I hope you have an idea as to what you'll be expecting this weekend. Prepare for flocks. Flocks are going to dominate the tournament, so get ready to face them. Hopefully the group attackers in this rarity get some love, because they need it. The ones we have are just subpar. I hope to see you all and may the RNG be with you.