Greetings everyone,
The current meta as we see it, is full of annoying, strong relics. Be that from war, death, Light or any other god. Now this might be insignificant for any new player, or player that have not faced or played a lot of matches and did not struggle against them.
This makes the importance of relic removal cards as they are either unknown or underrated for a lot of players so they do not keep in mind adding one in their decks.
On the other hand, a lot of player may count on the sanctum to get the relic removal needed since at the moment it holds 2 relic removal cards which are the Wiccan Trapper and the Bronze Servant.
Now this move might be good for decks that counts a lot of getting favor all around the match, decks like the Aether Synergy for example which allows the player to go through the sanctum a lot.
However, in decks that may or may not be able to control the sanctum depending on how the game is going, the sanctum has 5 categories in which the 2 relic removal cards are in the same one, and with such type of deck you might not be able to go through a lot of cards in the sanctum, which makes it a huge situation of luck to find and get the relic removal at the perfect timing.
So in this post we will go through why is it important to run at least 1 relic removal card, and the best choices when it comes to this! I will divide it into categories against each god and the best options for each one.
Why take Relic Removal
Against God of Death
Now despite this god having a lot of relics just like any other god, I will only mention one and only reason which you probably all figured out and guessed by now and yes it is the Necroscepter
Now everyone has faced this relic in some match at this point except maybe for very new players which you will also face eventually. I only mentioned this relic out of all death relics because it is the most frequently seen out of all of them.
Now taking relic removal in your deck is so important against it because first of all, you can remove one of the main card of a zombie deck and two stop your opponent from infinitely getting 2/2 creature and 2 leech.
Now counting on the sanctum to get the relic removals against a zombie deck is even more difficult because the zombies will make it even more difficult to get favor and that is why having a relic removal here is so crucial.
Against God of War
War is the king of relics simply. It is so rare to see a war deck and not see a relic of some type in it. However, I will be listing the most famous, frequently faced annoying ones.
Now there are other relics that you might face against war like Magic Missile Launcher for example in control decks, but these are the most common.
Now most of the times these relics are the ones that helps aggro war decks take control of the game and deal more and more damage to your face and helps them a lot. So imagine a Wiccan Trapper or a Bronze Servant removing one of them at 2 or 3 mana against war this can turn the tides of the game around!
Against God of Nature
Now you do not usually face relics against nature as much as other gods, however, there are still situations where relic removals can make a difference for you against a nature player!
Faeflame and Moonlight Charm are the most common ones that you might face against nature.(or Staff of Roots). Now mostly having a relic removal at hand benefits you most against relic that have early to mid game mana cost because later on most of the times the tides of the game would have been decided and you would be able to get one from the sanctum if you were winning.
With the new rework of Moonlight Charm cutting out 1 or 2 durability from it is so effective as well as removing a faeflame at 3 mana and keeping your creatures safe.
Now Selena's Bow is not faced a lot, however it is so annoying when you play against it especially since it can stay there forever because of it's effect, so removing it when your opponent does not expect it will turn the tides of the game around.
God of Magic
Now just like nature, you do not face a lot of relics against magic, however, some decks now run several relics that are game changing which are:
Whenever these 2 relics are present mostly in tempo decks, they make the biggest difference. It is important to have a big relic removal against them which I will mention some of them in a little to not allow your opponent to dominate the match.
However, this all depends on how much are these relics being played and depends on the meta, and the rank as well so could be better sometime to not have relic removal and have a better card for your deck instead.
Against God of Deception
Now personally, I have not faced a lot of deception gods that usually use relic. So it might be okay not to have one most of the times against deception, however there are two of them that you might face as well one is decent and the other is strong if left alone:
The Makeshift Shiv to me is decent but if left alone I do not think it can make much of a problem, also it has 5 durability so removing 1 is not going to make much of a difference otherwise you going to have to spend 3 or 4 mana to remove more which is a bad trade.
However, the Orfeo's Mask which is not faced a lot but can be found sometimes in Mill decks, is so dangerous if left alone. So removing it with a 3 or 4 mana card can be so good for you to win the game!
Against God of Light
Now the god of light is not played as much as other gods at the moment. But you will most likely find a relic in every good or strong light deck because I would say light is the hidden god of relics unlike the god of war which is the clear god of relics. Now these are the most common ones you might face:
Now the Ritual Rod and the Cudgel of Atonement are two good relics that would be nice to have durability one or two removed from them.
However, the Writ of Law or the Lysander's Spear are the most dangerous ones. The Write of Law can make the opponent freeze a strong frontline for you even on 7 or 8 mana, and the Lysander's Spear can make an infinitely strong cards for your opponent. So having a strong relic removal for it can make the difference in any of these matches!
Now after seeing the importance of having relic removals, when is the time to best have it and what are the best relic removal options?
Best Relic Removal Options
For God of Death
Most of the time besides BWD decks, for the god of death, zombie decks are used, now it might be better to run more useful cards than a relic removal, but I would advice sticking a 1 small very effective relic removal and that it the Iron-tooth Goblin.
A small very effective relic removal for only 2 mana, and it can be used as a creature to defend the Cursed Obeslisks
For God of War
Now for late game control war deck, it would be useful to keep a certain mid game relic removal in there, and I would advise the Bronze Servant since it is so effective and a decent 2/4 creature.
As for aggro war decks, I would advice not having a relic removal because you needs better faster cards to be able to finish the game as fast as you can.
For God of Nature
For a Zoo fast type of deck for nature, Chiron, the Teacher is an excellent choice since it is a 1 mana card with a +1/1 buff which can help a lot.
As for a mid-game or a late game, the Nefarious Briar is a very good go to choice as a relic removal for nature!
For God of War
It is a bit unusual to hold relic removals for mage decks, however, you never know when you might need one. So for war in general, since most decks are slow paced, I would advise keeping either a Bronze Servant or Iron-tooth Goblin as a backup.
For God of Deception
Since most of the times people are playing hidden rush deception nowadays, a good relic removal choice would be a Wiccan Trapper especially against war since they will have sacrifice a creature to kill it.
Also the flank can be an excellent addition to get an extra 3 face damage in and finish the game faster.
For God of Light
Since the god of light is all about buffing the troops, and there are several buffs that needs the cards to be at 2 strength, sticking with either Bronze Servant or Iron-tooth Goblin would also be a good choice just like magic.
Conclusion
So as we can see, relic removals are very important in this game; they can turn the tides of the game around especially with how much of a threat a lot of relic do in this meta. Now there are some decks that have all cards very important, but you never know when sticking even 1 relic removal card might come in handy and get you the win!
So every time you are trying to build a certain deck, try not to overlook and keep in mind adding that relic removal in there because you never know when his moment of shine may be and it can be closer than you expect especially with how much relics there are!
Hope this post was helpful in any way, leave a comment with your opinion about it and about relic removals in general, and if you like this post make sure to drop a follow I would really appreciate it!
Hope everyone a very good life and gaming and see you on the next one!
Mad Love, Peace out <3
I always forget to bring relic removal and I always regret it. Great write up!
!PIZZA
Thank you! We all learn with times I also sometimes forget XD
Funny enough directly after leaving that comment I decided to play a match before bed. Got ABSOLUTELY wrecked by Necroscepter. Bronze Servant now has a permanent spot in my deck
HAHAHAH good luck in future matches my man!
You forgot about the Jaguar Staff which is pretty popular with Nature. As well, Svart Basilisk is a decent option and I ran that in my Nature deck, as it not only helps with relics, it also removes sleep as well.
Oh I thought I put the Svart for mid-range decks for nature now I noticed that I did not my bad :p
I have not really faced jaguar staffs a lot but it is certainly a relic to be careful of also! Thanks for commenting
I purchased Iron-tooth goblin a couple of weeks back and it's money well spent. I run it in most of my decks and have really been very useful in most of my WR matches
It fucked me up also several times the enemy use it out of nowhere and my relic is nowhere to be found :p
Nice post, I agree that relic removal is definitely necessary. Perhaps I missed it, but have you looked at Counterfeit? I've won a couple games by yeeting scepter, selena's and moonlights on turn 3.
Just got into deception today and saw this card! Did not know such card existed seemed so useful
This one card destroys zombie death:)) stealing a necroscepter feels great and they never play weapon removal
I can imagine that! So satisfying :,)
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