This week for Brigade Basics Crimson and Evil Gold are covered.
Editor’s Note: We encourage you to use the Redemption Card Viewer as you read this article: https://thejambi.github.io/RedemptionCCGViewer/. Enter N: followed by the card name into the search to view the cards Zac is talking about.
Introduction:
These articles are meant for beginner players looking for a good place to start deck building or intermediate players looking to broaden their Redemption knowledge. This series of articles is a jumping off point to give less experienced players a manageable list of cards for each brigade and theme out there so they can have a place to start in their own research and experimentation.
There are many powerful cards in Redemption that are staples in most every deck that you won’t see mentioned here. They weren’t forgotten, but are only mentioned in decks that have specific synergy with them, otherwise every article would need to include most every dominant and useful site, artifact, and fortress in the game.
If I missed something, please let me know in the comments below! This article will be updated with each new set, so your comments could very well make it into the next update.
Crimson
Crimson is a brigade that packs a lot of power, and just like Brown, is usually run as a kind of splash defense. First let’s go over the main themes, starting with Babylonians. Your powerful characters include Babylonian Siege Army, The Babylonian Merchants, Mounted Forces, Conjurers, Nebuchadnezzar, Nergalsharezer, King Belshazzar, Nimrod, the Mighty, Babylon/The Harlot, and Astrologers. Enhancements include Seized by Babylon, Belshazzar’s Banquet, Head of Gold, Swift Horses, Desecrate the Temple, Mene, Mene, Tekeul, Upharsin, Forest Fire, and Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride. This defense has a lot of power and is one of the most prevalent in the meta, and has been for years, and shows no signs of slowing down.
Next we have Heretics, which is mostly an old Type 2 defense. They have some powerful Lost Soul protection abilities, but usually can only protect a few NT lost souls at a time, making them very hard to use in Type 1. Your main cards in this deck would include Deluders, Philetus, False Teacher, Creeping Deceiver, Simon the Magician, Impostors, Judaizers, Hermogenes, Phygellus, and Diotrephes. Unless you are playing a hardcore T2 player who hasn’t updated their deck in a while, you won’t be seeing them. However, Deluders is a character that has some relevance in the current meta with big banding chains and placed enhancements such as Spears, Sling Stones, Peace, and Faith of Abraham being prevalent.
Animals are next. You won’t see mono-animals very much, but most every deck with Crimson will have a few splashed in. There are some very powerful characters here, such as the ever-present Fire Foxes, along with Lions, Withered Plant/The Worm, Bear, Esau, the Hunter, The Serpent, Fiery Serpents, Wayward Sheep, Scapegoat, Stubborn Heifer, The Great Fish, Leviathan, and Behemoth. You also have Serpent’s Curse, Carcasses, and Honey from a Lion for support. Fourth Seal/Death works well with animals too. There is a sub-theme here of using only lions, but that’s not really a thing yet (but soon will be).
Finally we have Edomites, the newest addition to Crimson. But with that newness comes a lack of depth, so you will most likely see them with animals, because on Esau, the Hunter. Main cards include Foreign Wives, Edomite Camp, Basemath, Hadad, the Exiled, Judith, Charioteers of Seir, Edomite Captors, The King of Edom , Edomite Rebellion, Abducted Subjects, and Worship of Edom. These guys banish a lot of stuff from your opponents discard pile, you try pairing them with a Postexilic offense.
There are tons of other powerful non-theme specific cards in Crimson, such as Betrayal, Regrets, Bringing Grief, Dream, Destroying Bands, Midianite Attack, Scattered, Lacking Prophecy, Red Dragon, Sapphira, Deceit of Sapphira, Imitating Evil, Great Image, Hypocrisy, Dissension in Antioch, Disagreement over Mark, The Egyptian Rebel, Treasures of War, Deceitful Sin, Outsiders, Dragon’s Wrath, Nicolaitans’ Teaching, Turncoat, and The Wages of Sin. There are so many options for Crimson, so pick a base theme for a defense and add what looks good to you!
Evil Gold
Evil Gold is known for 1 thing in recent years: deck discard, also called milling. There are 2 main themes in Evil Gold, the first one being Herods. Herods revolve around withdraw abilities, as Herod Agrippa II and Herod’s Praetorium makes them cannot be negated. Herods can also do a fair amount of deck discard and capture. Top characters and enhancements include Salome, Herod the Great, Archelaus, Herod Philip II, Herod Agrippa I, Bernice, Rash Oath, Herod’s Treachery, Escape to Egypt, and Imprisoned. Herod’s Dungeon is a powerful support card, so cards that let you get rid of captured characters or empty a site help this deck, and Herod’s Temple helps keep your NT characters around longer. This defense pairs well with any NT human offense, particularly one with speed as this defense doesn’t have any. One cool interaction to note is Herod Agrippa II connected with Strife and Led Astray. Herod Agrippa II’s capture ability when a hero withdraws can lead to a really powerful combo in connection with these two dominants.
Next, we have the defense Evil Gold is known for: Egyptians. They come in a few different builds, focusing around Genesis and Exodus.
Genesis Egyptians is a super-fast defense focusing around Pharaoh’s Baker, Pharaoh’s Cupbearer, The Dreaming Pharaoh, and Egyptian Magicians for speed and Potiphar, Potiphar’s Wife, Egyptian Warden, Grain Tenders, and The Deceived Pharaoh for capturing power. This is very fast, but doesn’t last long as you get rid of most of your characters to use their abilities. It pairs well with a Genesis offense, as they share Seven Years of Famine, Seven Years of Plenty, and both can use/search for Storehouse.
Exodus Egyptians focus a bit more on milling, featuring The Hard-Hearted Pharaoh, Egyptian Horsemen, Pharaoh’s Servants, Egyptian Army, The Outcasts, and Taskmaster. You also have Jambres, Jannes, and Magicians Staves/Snakes (along with Egyptian Magicians) to have some Magicians in there for Magic Charms. Other notable characters include Egyptian Charioteers, Egyptian Wise Men, and Pharaoh’s Daughter. Since this defense leans on milling, you will probably add in Queen Tahpenes, Huge Egyptian, Egyptian Spear, Beheaded, Egyptian Treasures, Pithom, Sun Worship, Turn to Egypt, and Given Over to Egypt. This defense pairs well with any offense small enough to give it the card space it needs to make it work, as it can take a lot.
Other non-theme specific Evil Gold cards include Egyptian Archer, Failed Objective, Reclaimed by Egypt, Army of a Million Men, Hadad, the Exiled, Zerah, the Ethiopian, Foreign Horses, Unknown Nation, Wonders Forgotten, Besieging the City, Ruthless, The Amalekites’ Slave, Foreign Wives, Egyptian Horses, King of Tyrus, Magicians’ Snakes, Herod’s Sword, Abandonment, Stormy Seas, Revolt, Paying Taxes, No Straw!, Evicted, Outsiders, Raamses, Pharaoh’s Throne Room, Hard Bondage, and Envy.
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