We tend to gravitate toward cards that have already proven themselves, while overlooking more niche options. Don't sleep on these cards!
Edit: Maybe you already have seen the video, but here are The Helpful Hobs again. This time sharing their thougts on underplayed cards? Do you agree, or should these cards be put to bed!
And remember; if you’re joining SorceryFest, we reward the spiciest deck of the Grand Contest!
After taking a little break from Constructed and diving into some Gothic Limited (it’s very good, give it a try if you haven’t already), I came across a handful of cards that felt surprisingly strong. It got me wondering whether some of them might have untapped potential in Constructed as well.
I think we all fall into the same trap sometimes when building decks. We tend to gravitate toward cards that have already proven themselves, while overlooking more niche options that could potentially fill a similar role. The card that really got me thinking about this was Avenging Angel.
Avenging Angel
To be honest, the card had completely slipped off my radar. Between all the exciting new additions Gothic brought to the game, Avenging Angel kind of got lost in the shuffle. It actually took a Gothic draft for me to rediscover it.
Now, to be fair, a 4-mana, 3-power airborne minion isn’t exactly the kind of card that immediately jumps out at you and demands a slot in every air deck. But the more I thought about it, the more I started comparing it to Gyre Hippogriff, a card I already run in several aggressive airborne lists.
Avenging Angel starts to look like a real contender for that slot. More often than not, its ability ends up beeing a charge minions aswell, while also offering additional flexibility and can function as a removal spell.
After testing it for a while, I found myself genuinely liking the card.
That got me thinking: what other cards are out there that deserve a little more spotlight? Cards that may have been overlooked or forgotten? So I approached Geoffrey with the idea that each of us would pick 10 cards we believe deserve more play than they’re currently seeing. As it turns out, we had three overlapping picks, which left us with a total of seventeen unique cards.
So, without further ado, here are our picks for some of the most underplayed cards in Sorcery: Contested Realm.
Chaos Twister
I know a lot of people hate this card for breaking the fourth wall of a board game and introducing what essentially amounts to a drinking-game-level dexterity check. (I always knew those colleague parties would come in handy later in life.)
Personally, I don’t have a particularly strong opinion on whether the card should be legal in tournament play. What I do know is that it has created some great memories. One of my favorites is watching Geoffrey sitting in a corner before an event, practicing Chaos Twister flips ahead of round one. The man’s dedication is second to none.
In online leagues, you rarely see this card because its outcome is determined randomly. The odds of the effect completely fizzling aren’t especially high, but it does happen, and for most players that risk is simply too much. In paper play, however, a reasonably practiced Chaos Twister flipper can use the card very effectively. You’re almost guaranteed to remove the minion you’re targeting, and with a bit of confidence you can often turn it into a two-for-one.
Sometimes it even functions as both removal and direct damage. For paper tournaments, I’d say the advantages clearly outweigh the drawbacks. That said, if the idea of a nerve-wracking dexterity challenge in the middle of a strategy game doesn’t appeal to you, I can completely understand that perspective as well.
Roots of Ygdrassil
This card is that definitely not a new discovery. For those of us who have been around since Alpha, you might remember CJ Roots Seer dominating the end of the 40/20 era.
Since the change to 60/30, however, it has become a bit too inconsistent as a primary game plan. On top of that, cards like Order of the Sacred Oak or Vindictive Nation see a lot of play and can randomly show up to hard-counter a Roots strategy out of nowhere.
That said, some Avatars can integrate a Roots of Yggdrasil strategy without having to stretch their deck too far. A Geomancer or mono-element Pathfinder, for example, can most likely include this card and still get solid value from its high ceiling.
Even if you’re not able to destroy the Roots yourself, it can still have a huge impact on how your opponent navigates the game. Simply seeing it hit the table forces them into a different line of play, often making them overly cautious every turn in fear of a potential board reset.
Shrike Orchard
Let’s continue with another site: Shrike Orchard. This is a card you rarely see played, even though Root Spider is as popular as ever.
Maybe that’s because many players don’t know you can actually target an underground unit with its effect, or simply because Atlas slots are extremely tight. Having somewhat unreliable effects is usually not the end of the world for sites, since their primary job is obviously to fix thresholds and provide mana.
But when the effect does come up, its great, especially for decks that otherwise lack access to anti–Root Spider tools, like Fire/Air Enchantress builds.
Sir Agravaine
This one falls more into the “forgotten” category, just like Roots. Sir Agravaine here is more of a representative card for Steam decks in general.
Before Gothic, Steam (Fire/Water) decks were by far the most played archetype in the game. Thanks to extremely strong unique card synergies (for example Sir Agravaine plus Plague of Frogs) on top of a solid midrange shell, these decks were extremly powerfull — especially with the Druid Avatar.
With the almost simultaneous release of Gothic and the nerf to Druid, however, the archetype has somewhat faded into the background. It doesn’t quite have the same raw power level compared to pre-Gothic versions anymore, but it is still a very respectable opponent.
Edit: And please take a moment to really look at the amazing details Drew Tucker included in the painting. If you ever have a chance, ask him about the research he did for the painting!
Peasant Revolt
If you haven’t cast Peasant Revolt even once, you haven’t really played Sorcery in my opinion.
This card is so cool in terms of flavor and effect. It’s especially strong at the beginning of every new set, when players are excited to try out all the flashy Elites and Uniques , only to lose them all out of nowhere. I would argue there is no other card in the game with the same blowout potential for just 5 mana. The number of games this card has single-handedly won me is honestly insane.
It can be the ultimate turnaround when your opponent is ahead and feels safe.
Of course, the card does require you to cut down on a powerful site here and there in favor of something more conservative, but I think that trade-off is completely fine.
Primordial Spring
This card is a bit of a meta call and probably one of the spiciest takes in this article.
Right now, we’re seeing a lot of decks running Landmass and/or Imperial Road. As a result, you’ll often find yourself falling behind on sites during the early stages of the game. That naturally creates the perfect spot for Primordial Spring, allowing you to trigger its Tithe effect for what is essentially free value. Needless to say, that’s an incredibly powerful play.
That being said, Primordial Spring being colorless doesn’t do it any favors when it comes to finding a home in existing decklists. At the moment, I don’t have a build that feels particularly excited to include it. Still, I think there’s enough potential here that the card deserves a bit more exploration. It may simply be waiting for the right shell or meta to truly shine.
Haystack
Haystack was one of the very first Gothic spoilers we saw, and back then the community reaction was pretty much: “This is a playset in every Earth deck. Archimago is dead. The world is ending.”
Funny enough, the card has struggled to find a real home in the current metagame. It seems to be a recurring theme that powerful sites which only provide value by interacting with your opponent’s cards have a harder time making the cut than expected. Most players, quite reasonably, prioritize sources that help fix thresholds and ensure their decks function smoothly before looking at cards with more situational upside.
That said, I still believe Haystack deserves serious consideration whenever you can afford the slot. The card can be an absolute nightmare for certain strategies and has the potential to completely shut down an opponent’s game plan.
Imagine opening with a Haystack and then following it up with an aggressively deployed Pudge Butcher. If your opponent suddenly grimaces because they realize their Common Sense can no longer fetch the removal spell they were counting on, there’s a decent chance you’ve already won the game on the spot.
Haystack may not have lived up to the apocalypse-level expectations people had during spoiler season, but it’s still a uniquely powerful effect that many players may be overlooking.
Meat Hook
This is another card I first learned to appreciate through the Gothic Limited format. When I initially saw it, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Its basically budget version of Butcher without the powerful 5-power body that makes Butcher such a threatening card.
After seeing it in action, however, I realized I had seriously underestimated the surprise factor. Midrange decks with a decent number of beefy minions may want to take a closer look at Meat Hook, as it can create massive swings in stale board states. This is especially true in matchups where pulling an opponent’s avatar can be game changing, such as against Archimago or Imposter.
You probably don’t want to run a full playset of this card, and in most cases a single copy is enough. Still, having access to the effect can be incredibly valuable when the right situation presents itself.
That said, be aware that Meat Hook has a lot in common with Whirling Blades in that it requires you to already have a reasonably strong board presence to get the most out of it. The upside isn’t quite as high as Whirling Blades, but the floor is often respectable enough to justify consideration.
The Rack
Not only does The Rack have some of the funniest card text around, but its power shouldn’t be underestimated. Sometimes a single trigger is all it takes to completely change the course of a game. If you’re able to get it going, things can quickly snowball out of control and put them under immense pressure.
The card naturally synergizes with movement-based strategies, making it a solid consideration for avatars like Avatar of Air. It also fits nicely into more aggressive “face-bonk” decks such as Battlemage, where every point of damage matters.
Every now and then you’ll even get to pull off some truly nasty combinations. Landing a Quarrelsome Kobolds on your opponent’s avatar with a Blink or Grapple Shot and then following up with The Rack will cause it to trigger twice, which is every bit as painful for your opponent as it sounds.
Perhaps most importantly, winning a game with The Rack earns you style points. There are plenty of ways to win a game of Sorcery, but few feel quite as satisfying as watching your opponent slowly get tortured to death by a medieval torture device. (Maybe there is something wrong with me).
Jack the Ripper
Maybe it’s because Air is currently the least played element, but Jack the Ripper feels like a card that should see significantly more play than it currently does.
At first glance, it might look too conditional to compete. Cards with narrow requirements usually struggle to find consistent slots in competitive decks.
However, Jack the Ripper is different. Its strength comes from the fact that it specifically targets the most impactful minion type in the game, which makes it relevant in a wide range of matchups.
Most decks naturally include high-value Mortal units, which is also one of the reasons why cards like Bower of Bliss rarly make the cut. But for Jack the Ripper, this means there are almost always meaningful targets available.
From early to late game, you consistently find valuable targets, ranging from cards like Morgana le Fey to Order of the Sacred Oak. This makes it a surprisingly flexible tool that can swing board states in your favor much more often than people expect.
