JWA Tournament: Rare/Epic No Stun Skill Tournament

At the start of the new year, Ludia announced that there will be new restricted formats in tournaments that bar or only allow certain creatures based off their abilities, and that day has finally come. This weekend, we’ll have a tournament without stunners as any creatures that rely on stuns are banned. That restriction has also removed something else from the format: swap in damage. All the creatures minus Dracorex with swap in damage have swap in stunning strike, which is a stun move. And Dracorex may not stun on the swap, but has instant charge, so is also banned. So, with no swappers, this format is shaping up to be something interesting. It’s my job to try and help you find creatures that will do well this weekend. So, with that said, let’s jump in.

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

This tournament has rare and epic creatures without stunning abilities. This is a brand new format and this type of tournament is a welcome change by many players like myself to mix things up a bit. The rewards are boosts, so you'll want these. Boosts are a hot commodity, and with some leaked information about the update today, it is a good idea to stock up on as many as you can.

First up, here are all the BANNED creatures. They are Bumpy, Gryposuchus, Megalotops, Pachycephalosaurus, Sarcorixis, Scorpios Rex gen 2, Sinoceratops, Stygimoloch, Stegoceras, Stegoceratops, Woolly Rhino, Arctodus, Dracorex, Einiosuchus, Nasutoceratops, and Triceratops. So, while most of them like Arctodus and Triceratops are not great anyways, there are some big players gone like Megalotops and Woolly Rhino.

To start off things, let’s discuss a hybrid that has flown to the top of the epic pecking order. Dimodactylus is really the closest thing we have to damage on the swap this weekend thanks to swap in wound. With pin immunity, short defense, a counter, and cleansing swoop, it may not be a 1v1 creature, but it is an absolute pain to kill due to these attributes. And thanks to no escape, it makes sure that the bleed will stick. If you want to take down Dimodactylus, there isn’t much that can really kill it per say as it has the ability to swoop away. However, Albertosaurus, Argenteryx, Majundaboa can heavily punish it when it swoops away. And as long as it uses a slowing move, Ankylodicurus can also punish Dimodactylus swapping in.

Another epic that snuck its way to the top of the epic ranks is Majundaboa. While it may not have the best stats, it makes up for that with its resistances and kit. And with all its attributes, it’s the biggest swap punisher in the format. Nothing can switch in on Majundaboa and live to tell the tale thanks to dust cloud. And with shielded decelerating strike, it has ways to help extend its bulk to stick around longer and dish out damage with its counter. And with precise impact and cleansing impact, it can work around some other creatures and cleanse some negative effects left behind by some creatures. If you want to fight this snake, there are a few options. Purrolyth and Antarctopelta are some of the best counters as they have attributes that allow them to take down this snake with ease. However, Majundaboa can always swap to Dimodactylus, so be careful when using these two counters.

Next up we have Argenteryx. This is probably the best flock around and really appreciates the lack of Megalotops this weekend. With a rally heal on escape, evasion, and distraction, Argenteryx doesn’t go down that easily. And with fearless alert not bypassing evasion, the mirrors are no longer as painful. Also, it can swap in with swap in distraction. And after turn 2, it can start to spam the 3 turn cycle of fearless alert, evasive rampage, and cunning rampage, which can be hard for some creatures to start. And if you are slowed down, you have alert buff strike to help you out. Want to take out these ugly birds? Today there are a few counters out there like Suchotator, Majundaboa, Ankylodicurus, Antarctopelta, and Erlikogamma. However, with a setup, many of those counters can be put in a much rougher spot.

Let’s talk about another creature with swap in distraction. Thylacotator is an epic with one of the strongest “one two” hits in the game. Maiming wound is one of the best moves in the format and can deal massive damage to anything unfortunate enough to resist bleed. And if you do resist bleed, then you have to deal with a following rending takedown. And with 117 speed and slow immunity, it can usually outspeed most creatures in the format. And if you’re faster? It has superiority strike to regain speed control and then it can either bleed or rend. Want to take down Thylacotator, Albertosaurus makes short work of this bleeder thanks to its priority and output.

Next is probably the best nonhybrid in the format. Antarctopelta may not look like much, but it can put in a lot of work and is just one of the best counters to a lot of the meta. It sits at a comfortable 111 speed, allowing it to outspeed all the slower shielders and tanky creatures like Majundaboa and Ankylodicurus. And with its bulk, shields, counter, superior vulnerability, and slow resistance, it can take hits and dish out big damage in return. And if you need to, it always has revenge instant ferocity for those niche scenarios. If you want to take down this armored menace, Albertosaurus, Thylacotator, and especially Purrolyth can easily 1v1 this guy. Also, if you swap it in on a superior vulnerability, Dimodactylus can really screw with Antarctopelta being able to double bleed while trapping it and swapping for free.

Now for the first rare to heavily consider. Purrolyth has a great set of attributes that makes it a force to be reckoned with. First up, it has ferocity, which is really strong when paired up with a healing move and a rending counter. And when it comes to playing defense, Purrolyth has short defense to better absorb hits to get more counters off. And unfortunately for you, you cannot leave thanks to no escape. While it does lack resistances and some stats, in a meta where many counter attackers thrive, Purrolyth can readily deal with them. Want to take down Purrolyth? Albertosaurus can use its raw power and speed to hit it once and then again before it can heal. Argenteryx is another great option with its rally heal, cunning ability, evasion, and rend resistance. And again, Dimodactylus can pose a serios issue being able to swap out of it for free.

Next up is the other big rare hybrid. Suchotator is a Swiss army knife of a creature as it has abilities from every class. If it’s against a cunning, it can slow them down, hit through evasion, and cleanse distraction with superiority strike, bleed tanks with lethal wound, nullify positive effects with null impact, and stall turns or tank a big hit with instant distraction. While it may not be the best 1v1 creature out there, it has the tools to deal with all sorts of scenarios that it comes up against. Want to take down Suchotator? It’s superhybrid Thylacotator can take it down handily. Also, other creatures like Ankylodicurus as well as swapping into Dimodactylus can really screw with Suchotator.

Next up is a resilient that can hit hard. Ankylodicurus is a pretty reliable epic. With superior vulnerability and superiority rampage, it can strike fear into any cunning and many other creatures as well. And if it needs a bit more power, it has resilient impact to help it deal that extra bit of damage with that vulnerability. And while it’s good offensively, it also has some great defenses like slow resistance, vulnerability immunity, and bleed resistance as well as a priority shield to soak up some big hits. Want to take down this epic tank? Majundaboa, Thylacotator, and Albertosaurus eat right through it thanks to their abilities that can all bypass armor.

Next is the other nonhybrid to look out for. Albertosaurus has one job: come in and hit something as hard as you can. And this is something Albertosaurus can do really well. With good stats across the board, 2 shattering impacts (one of which having priority), and a great set of resistances that include pin, bleed, and slow, Albertosaurus fits really well within this format. And with a lot of frail counter attackers, Albert can just eat away. Want to take down the Canadian Killer? Argenteryx can swap in on Albertosaurus and win. Also other cunnings like Erlikogamma can take it down. However, Albertosaurus has one of the best 1v1 matchup spreads in the format and has a chance to kill almost everything in an ideal scenario where it’s set up, so be careful.

Finally, we’ll end on an option that may help in this meta without swappers. While it may be the weakest of these 10, Erlikogamma still looks like it has what it takes to keep up with the rest of the pack. With a big turn 1 option, high speed, a good resistance set, and a lot of distraction, Erlikogamma has some good use in this format being able to pick off a large number of creatures in the format, especially Dimodactylus. And with impact and run, it can always run away from a matchup it isn’t a fan of. And for the creatures than can speed past it, it can regain priority with minimal speedup strike. Want to take down this feathered beast? Majundaboa can usually punish Erlikogamma pretty hard. Also other creatures like Ankylodicurus can easily mess with Erlikogamma too.

This format is still new, and many creatures could shape up to be good. Creatures like Diplodocus, Indominus Rex gen 2, Megalogaia, and Brontolasmus all have the potential to make a splash.

That's it for this tournament. There can be definite changes as the community is still very new to this and some testing and adjustments are needed, but most of those are the creatures you really need to watch out for. Hopefully there are more unique formats coming that can really shift up a specific meta. I wish you all the best of luck and don't forget to dart your epics and legendaries this weekend. Happy Playing!