It's a very exciting time to be playing standard.
With previous sets we've had access to ghost cards that included all the common and rare cards from the most recent set. We didn't get that with this set, so my first recommendation is that you pick up your own copy of each common and rare card from the set.
I'll introduce some of the epic and legendary cards from Conclave Arcana like I did when Rebellion came out. I'll use a 5 star rating system. Here's what each of those ratings represent. These ratings are based on level 1 cards with a single BCX as we're getting used to the set.
5/5 stars
These are cards that I expect to be staples. These are generally great cards starting at level 1 and should work well in a wide variety of situations. Think cards like Mantaroth from Rebellion, Djinn Oshannus, Cursed Windeku and pretty much all the cards with the protect ability that get used like they're going out of style.
4/5 stars
These cards are good generally and great situationally. Think cards like Ash Mirage and Tinderlock in the going the distance ruleset.
3/5 stars
These are decent cards that are mostly filler if you don't have anything better. They'll be strong contributors in the right situations. Think cards like Corsair Bosun, Runic Skyclaw and Igor Darkspear. Solid cards that you may not think to use unless the mana cost is just right.
2/5 stars
These are cards that have the potential to be useful in the right situation, like if the ruleset and the mana line up you might give them a try and you might feel disappointment that this was the best you could come up with. Think cards like Biceratops or Goblin Tower.
1/5 stars
These are cards that you can't think of a good use for. Maybe I could just burn this card for DEC or maybe they just haven't come up with the right ruleset for it yet. Think level 1 Venari Heatsmith before they came up with weapons training or Goblin Chef. If you aren't familiar with those cards, it may be that you've never used them and/or never bothered to pick up a copy.
So, here we go.
Auroral Elemental
3/5 stars
I nearly gave this 2 stars, but with 4 health and 4 armor it should soak up a couple/few hits.
Leolin Sifu
4/5 stars
This is no Drybone Barbarian, but 3 melee damage is nothing to scoff at in the current modern environment. True Strike is also a nice touch.
Palifala Weslinath
4/5 stars
I've been using less of the life splinter since rotation, but this looks like a strict upgrade to the Daigendark Hunter and Aranduriel.
I'm still planning to buy Aranduriel first because it's less expensive as an epic and I use the dragon splinter more often than Life in this format. A big part of that is just the levels of the summoners I'm currently playing.
5/5 stars
Arrowbait looks like a better version of the martyrs that just rotated out of standard. With 2 attack types it's also putting in work before it dies. I think the bloodline tribute is a more flavorful mechanic than the martyr mechanic and it begs you to utilize the other Ulund synergies in the life splinter. I can't wait to see this in action.
What do you think of my ratings? What do you think of the new set?
I hope this post has been helpful and informative. Thanks for reading and thanks for all the upvotes, reblogs, comments and follows. I'll see you in the game. If you're interested in starting your own Splinterlands adventure feel free to use my affiliate link to get started https://splinterlands.com?ref=jingo-submo PeakD is a terrific site for learning more about the game and the market.