Legends of Norrath Preview: Cyndra the Scout Starter Deck

Legends of Norrath Preview: Cyndra the Scout Starter Deck
by Chuck Kallenbach, Game Designer

The Scout archetype provides lots of surprises. Clever tactics and comes-into-play effects on abilities simulate stealth. Scouts are all about damage bonuses and mixing it up mano-a-mano. (That's Spanish for 'attacking your opponent's avatar.' Sort of.)

Ruthless, deadly, lovely Cyndra is the avatar in your Scout starter deck. She does lots of nasty things to your opponent. To play this deck well, you'll have to master some main phase combos and combat tricks.

When you play this ability, you may destroy a damaged unit.

Agonizing Wound is a great ability, destroying an enemy unit with any amount of health if you play it at the right time. Your job is to leave a wake of damaged units behind you -- wounded with your tactics, items, and abilities -- and then finish them off.

Dirty Tricks makes your opponent damage one of his own units, so the coolest combo is following that with Agonizing Wound, playing both abilities on the same turn.

Your opponent's Howling Frost Giant got you down? Poke it with your Darkwood Shortbow or Pick Off and then Agonizing Wound lets the gangrene take effect.

Even your units can damage the enemy, with the activated actions on Gnoll Archer and Gnoll Shaman. Keep in mind that when you're playing this deck, you can quickly turn a damaged unit into a dead unit.

A simple weapon made powerful by the Hidden keyword, you can play Steel Dagger as a surprise during combat. Let's say your avatar is exerted and you have no abilities. You're rolling into a pile of units in your Quest Phase that have 1 defense. When the combat begins, play the dagger, exert it for 2 attack, and then play Vicious Flurry to ready your avatar. That's a combat win with two damage, and all from surprises you played during combat.

When you play this ability, choose an opponent. He destroys one of his own abilities.

You'll get most of your wins with this deck by cleaning out units and killing your opponent's avatar. Thief's Vengeance slows down your opponent's questing, but its main virtue is to get rid of abilities that provide defense.

If you're the kind of player that enjoys beatdown decks, designed to mix it up with your opponent, then Cyndra's deck is the deck for you. Abilities that allow avatar combat and cards providing damage bonuses mean that this Scout deck can defeat your opponent's avatar before she can complete four quests.

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