JWA Tournament: Rare/Epic Skill Tournament

Oh boy, it’s week 3 of Argenteryx and I cannot wait to play in a tournament with them again. This weekend is going to feature all epic and rare creatures, which is a bit of a change and pretty good. It is my job to help you find the best team that works for you, so let’s hop right in there.

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

This Tournament is a Rare and Epic all Creature Tournament. The rewards for this Tournament are boosts, and a lot of them. These are an important resource that only comes by once in a while, so make sure to partake in this event and get as many as you can.

When it comes to rares, there are really only 4 that come to mind. Dracorex is shaping up to be the best swapper in the format with its anti-evasion abilities as well as solid speed and bulk. Many of the top threats have on escapes using evasion, so this guy is a useful asset to your team possibly.If you want a chomper, use Albertosaurus. Fierce are not looking like they’ll do well this time around with the top 2 epics in charge, but if you want a fierce, albert is your safest bet. Good stats and killer instinct make almost any creature tremble in fear. When there are rares, Suchotator is always going to make some appearance in the meta. This rare is so diverse that it can handle a multitude of scenarios and can also take on some of the toughest creatures this time around. Finally, we got Purrolyth. This guy is a great trapper to get rid of the many resilients you should expect to see in this event with no escape and its rending counter.  You have a couple other rares out there like Ornithomimus, Doedicurus, and Nasutoceratops, but these are the best ones to use.

Put Argenteryx on your team. This thing is what has the meta resting on its wings. Why are most chompers and big fierce irrelevant? Argenteryx is why. It is able to decrease damage with its dodge moves, distraction moves, absorb ability, and on escape, allowing it to rally heal at below 2 members. Fearless alert also allows it to heal at less than 2 members, causing some to call them “the birds that never die”. So unless you want to not use them out of principle or something like that, you’ll need these guys. Want to counter Argenteryx? Swap in Megalotops in on it turn 1 for the best results.

Speaking of Megalotops, this is another creature you should probably throw on the team. Megalotops has one of the best swaps in the format with a guaranteed stun on the swap. This is great for some creatures like Argenteryx. And if you want to swap on Megalotops, then you have to deal with the on escape, allowing it to gain a 30% speed boost, evasion, and a good amount of critical hit chance on top of that. With determined strike allowing it to do almost everything, it can handle fierce and cunning creatures while the counter can handle resilients and their armor to an extent. Cautious rampage is a terrifying move that Megalotops can wield with deadly effect while distracting impact is a good turn 1 option as well. Expect to see this guy. Want to take down Megalotops? Ankylodicurus is a great option with all of its moves cleansing distraction, applying some resilient effect, and hitting through evasion while also having high armor and shields, which Megalotops isn’t a fan of.

Let’s move on to Ankylodicurus. With its good bulk and decent output, Ankylodicurus is going to be a common sight to see with its great matchup with both Argenteryx and Megalotops. It’s decent damage becomes scary when paired with all the vulnerability moves it has. Superior vulnerability and superiority rampage become scary to anything with no vulnerability immunity. And with a priority shield to help mitigate incoming damage. Ankylodicurus is going to hit hard and stay bulky. Want to take down Ankylodicurus? Thylacotator is one of your best bets being able to make short work of it.

Moving on, we have Thylacotator. This cool cat can use a multitude of abilities to keep up with the newer guys. With maiming wound for big bleed damage, rending takedown, and superiority strike, every class has something to fear, especially when it gets to swap in with swap in distraction. And with good hp and deceleration and vulnerability immunity, Thylacotator will get rid of those resilients in a pinch. Want to take down Thylacotator? Megalotops will distract its big output while also cleansing its bleed and bypassing evasion with determined strike.

Next up we have our best speedster Erlikogamma. With high speed, good damage, distraction immunity, and precision, Erlikogamma can really become a thorn in the side of the top 2 epics being able to work around their abilities while also providing great synergy with strike and run. It can strike to maintain the speed advantage against something like Argenteryx or use debilitating distraction to tank an incoming hit. And when precise pounce is up, prepare for a lot of pain. Want to take Erlikogamma? Ankylodicurus is able to 2-shot it with a strike and rampage while also shielding a pounce. Also Majundaboa is able to punish Erlikogamma for its hit and run playstyle thanks to dust cloud.

Flying in now is Dimodactylus. With another hit and run playstyle, Dimodactylus is all about swap predictions and preventing your opponent from swapping out thanks to no escape and swap in wound to easily pick off any creature trying to run away. And if you are facing a creature at full hp, just swoop away or impact and run if you are able to. And if you have a Megalotops or Woolly Rhino hiding behind that swoop, your opponent can be in for some large amounts of damage over time. If you want to stop Dimodactylus, use something like Erlikogamma who will get the jump on Dimodactylus while also resisting the bleed and pin. Majundaboa can also punish the playstyle of any Dimodactylus as well.

Next up is Woolly Rhino. With the highest damage on the swap allowed in the format, you shouldn’t be surprised to see this guy. And it also has decent matchups when on the field, especially with Megalotops with that resilient impact it has. High damage, good bulk, and a swap makes Woolly Rhino something to look out for or consider for yourself. If you want to stop Woolly Rhino, Argenteryx really can punish Woolly Rhino for swapping, or Thylacotatir can just take it down in 2 hits.

Charging in is Brontolasmus. With decent bulk, great output, and group moves, Brontolasmus is one of the better creatures that can handle the big 2 epics running the format. Resilient impact is nice, but if you land that decelerating rampage on Argenteryx, it will leave a mark on it. On top of that it has shields and another rampage to add a cherry on top. And with fierce not doing too well, Brontolasmus has great potential for most teams. If you want to stop this rhino, Thylacotator is a great pick.

Next up is Titanoboa. If it is allowed in any format, it will always have a role with the on escape rampage at its disposal. And on top of that, it has great output and matchups to back it up. Titanoboa can punish creatures like Erlikogamma and is one of the absolute best Megalotops counters around. Watch out for this snake. Want to take down Titanoboa? Use armored creatures like Ankylodicurus to make short work of this snake.

Wandering into battle is Antarctopelta. Antarctopelta has some great matchups in this format like with creatures like Majundaboa and even Argenteryx. With its shields, decelerating counter, and superior vulnerability, this guy can not only dish damage, but can take it too. While you may not use ferocity too often, it could come in handy. Like most resilients here, Thylacotator makes short work of Antarctopelta as well as others like Woolly Rhino and Purrolyth.

Scurrying their way in, we have Compsognathus. While not as strong as they once were, Compsognathus is always something to look out for. With many rally heals, trapping abilities, and great resistances, Compsognathus is a pain to deal with. They just swap in and out and annoy anyone and everyone. If you want to stop these guys, use an even more annoying flock in Argenteryx. They’ll shut these guys up really quick while also discouraging them from swapping out.

On the other end of the size spectrum, we have Brachiosaurus. Brachiosaurus is a good option to handle Megalotops as well as the other cunnings in this format with its good output and many resilient moves. With great bulk that is made even better with that shield, Brachiosaurus is something that can just tank damage over and over. And with decent ressistances, Brachiosaurus can get out of a sticky situation more often than not. If you want to take down this beast, use Thylacotator or Scutosaurus. Both of these 2 are immune to the vulnerability effects Brachiosaurus uses.

Scutosaurus is one of the best nonhybrid epics for a reason. Great bulk, good speed, and decent output make Scutosaurus a threat. With fierce being in trouble, not much is going to get past that revenge protection. Or, if you need to deal some damage, it has revenge decelerating impact to deal a quick 2400. And to stop threats like Megalotops, Scutosaurus has stun immunity, as well as slow immunity and vulnerability immunity. This is a nonhybrid you need to plan for. If you want to stop Scutosaurus, Thylacotator is always reliable. You also have creatures like Purrolyth that can keep Scutosaurus from leaving the field and dishing out damage with that counter.

Finally, we’ll end on a creature I keep bringing up. Majundaboa hasn’t changed since 2.0, and yet it has gone from a loser to a major threat. With fierce struggling nowadays, Majundaboa has lost some major counters, but more importantly, it can take both Megalotops and Argenteryx, as well as deter swappers with dust cloud while also putting counters like Thylacotator in range of your own swappers. It also has stun immunity, pin resitsnace, deceleration resistance, and distraction immunity. Majundaboa is going to be a major threat and I would heavily consider this for your team. If you want to stop Majundaboa, there are some options out there like Thylacotator or Antarctopelta or even Entelochops if you have to. Albertosaurus is another counter, but remember, fierce are not that great so use it as a last resort.

There are a couple others out there like Entelochops, Amargocephalus, or Sarcorixis, but these are the main threats you’ll want to look out for. They all do best with Arenteryx and Megalotops with some exceptions being used for other creatures. Just find what team you want to build and make sure you play around with your team if something doesn't work.

That's really all for this weekend. Thankfully this tournament is not heavily turned in favor of Argenteryx or Megalotops compared to the events with legendaries. Hopefully you all do well and don’t forget to get all your epic attempts in today. Also, do not forget your legendary and unique attempts this weekend either. Thanks for reading and happy playing.