So as much as I want to talk about the PvE videos coming out of E3 and the announcement of Set 2 PvP, the article I have planned for this week is a very length overview of Gems and Sockets. Because of its length it took me an extra week to write this all up, but I think this will have good information for people who are in the game and looking for some good strategies with the gems. I also hope it will highlight a very unique element that Hex does with their TCG for people who aren't in the Beta yet or who are curious about the game and what makes it stand out from the others. Enjoy. (Those looking for the Pack/Draft Code giveaway should scroll down to the bottom of the article)
Gems Overview
One of the main features that Hex has implemented that really speaks to the design space opened up on the digital frontier is the Hexing Gems. For those of you unfamiliar with what they are, Hexing Gems are little jewels that can be used on cards with sockets that grant abilities to those cards, fundamentally altering what they do. Boulder Brute is a solid 4/4 Troop for 5 resources as is, but it also has a minor socket. This means that with a Sapphire of Sky he could go toe-to-toe with a Cloud Titan, or attack the turn it comes out with a Ruby of Ferocity. You can socket any minor gem into Boulder Brute that you want, but the ability granted by the gem won't actually activate unless you have the appropriate threshold for it. The Sapphire of Sky requires a Sapphire threshold for it to take off into the air, and the Ruby of Ferocity needs a Ruby threshold to bash in immediately. You can play Boulder Brute even without the gem active, but it will just be a regular 4/4 until you get the appropriate threshold.
Gems Overview
One of the main features that Hex has implemented that really speaks to the design space opened up on the digital frontier is the Hexing Gems. For those of you unfamiliar with what they are, Hexing Gems are little jewels that can be used on cards with sockets that grant abilities to those cards, fundamentally altering what they do. Boulder Brute is a solid 4/4 Troop for 5 resources as is, but it also has a minor socket. This means that with a Sapphire of Sky he could go toe-to-toe with a Cloud Titan, or attack the turn it comes out with a Ruby of Ferocity. You can socket any minor gem into Boulder Brute that you want, but the ability granted by the gem won't actually activate unless you have the appropriate threshold for it. The Sapphire of Sky requires a Sapphire threshold for it to take off into the air, and the Ruby of Ferocity needs a Ruby threshold to bash in immediately. You can play Boulder Brute even without the gem active, but it will just be a regular 4/4 until you get the appropriate threshold.
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| Depending on the shards you are using and your deck's overall strategy, Eldritch Dreamer could be anything from a necromancer to a rhinoceros summoner. |
In total there are 16 cards in Set 1 that have sockets for these gems, three in each shard and the Effigy of Nulzaan. Five of these cards have Major Sockets, which allow the use of Major Gems in addition to Minor Gems; the rest have sockets for Minor Gems only. In the rest of this article I'm going to talk about some of the specific Gems and the cards that use them, the effects these gems have on Limited and Constructed play, and the larger implications that Gems and Socketed cards have in card customization and on the game as a whole.
Minor Gems
To start with I'm going to give you a general ranking of the Minor Gems for Constructed Play. If you know nothing else about Booster Draft or Selaed this should give you an idea of what gems you should be looking at during deck construction and socketing. I'll go into the individual cards in more detail later on, discussing which gems pair best with them.
S-Tier
Sapphire of Sky (S: Flight)
Ruby of Flames (RR: This troop can't be blocked except by artifact troops and/or troops that share a shard with it.)
A-Tier
Wild Orb of Conservation (WW: Spellshield)
Diamond of Duty (D: Swiftstrike)
Blood Orb of Rage (B: Rage 1)
B-Tier
Sapphire of Mischief (SS: You may play this troop at any time you could play a quick action.)
Wild Orb of Primordium (W: +1/+1)
Blood Orb of Deception (BB: When this troop becomes blocked by a troop, that troop gets permanent -1/-1.)
C-Tier
Ruby of Ferocity (R: Speed)
Diamond of Lifedrain (DD: Lifedrain)
The S-Tier Gems are the two gems that grant evasion: Sky & Flames. Evasion is a very strong determining factor in drafting and deck construction for limited. Those who are familiar with the acronym BREAD will know evasion as the E, generally prioritized after Bombs and Removal. Sky and Flames are generally what you should be looking at if one of your shards is Sapphire or Ruby, and neither are particularly bad choices for any of the cards. Flames has a double Ruby threshold requirement, but makes it so the troop can only be blocked by other troops of the same shard or artifacts. The downside to this is that Worker Bots can be churned out by the Dwarf deck, a popular draft archetype, with some reliance. Sky just puts your troop in the air, which allows you to attack over ground guys, but also block opposing aerial troops. This can be important if you are facing off against a Skyle Griffin or Spearcliff Pegasus. The downside to this is that Feather Drifting Downriver, Phoenix Guard Trainer, and Sapphire Aura may make the flight from this socket redundant, whereas the ability on Flames cannot be generated by an Aura, Inspire, or Champion effect.
The A-Tier Gems are solid choices if you are not in Sapphire or Ruby, and which work better on particular troops or with certain strategies. Wild Orb of Conservation allows you safely dump Auras on the troop without fear of it being targeted by removal. This gem is commonly used on Boulder Brute, since it has a large body often worth protecting from kill cards. Diamond of Duty grants Swiftstrike, an important combat ability which will often make it as difficult to block the attack troop. Alternatively it could stymie your opponent's attack by threatening them with a bad trade. Blood Orb of Rage is good on cheap troops like Grim-Skull Sorcerer and Shamed Gladiator for growing their power. It's also not bad on troops with large toughness since they can attack unimpeded and gradually grow more deadly.
The B-Tier Gems are situational choices that might fit into a combo or be resocketed between games of a match once you know what your opponent is playing. Sapphire of Mischief allows you to play the Troop as a quick action, typically during your opponent's combat to intercept an attacker or at their end step while your resources are up to bluff at a quick action. This might be useful on troops with larger bodies like Mystic of the Tranquil Dream, which can easily kill something during combat to gain you card advantage in a shard that is short on removal. The Wild Orb of Primordium is a straight-up power boost that can be useful when you just need a that troop to be bigger. An example of this would be a Wild Mirror in which your opponent also has Boulder Brutes. By swapping from the Conservation Gem to the Primordium Gem you require your opponent to have another card in order to answer your Brute, which is just bigger. The Blood Orb of Deception can be useful against Evolved Battle Hoppers or Worker Bots, which are annoying troops that can block and trade with low-toughness Socketed troops like Mazat Ranger. The Blood Orb of Deception can also combo well with Pheromones, which in Blood-Wild can force your opponent to block a Boulder Brute or Mazat Ranger and will hinder every single one of your opponent's troops while netting you some free damage with the rest of your team.
The C-Tier Gems I advise avoiding in Limited. Ferocity may be good tempo in aggressive decks, but often the evasion provided by Flames is vastly superior in the long run. Lifedrain has double the threshold requirement that the Duty Gem and offers no combat advantage. The life may be important for triggering Righteous Paladin or the Diamond Incantation, but even then the Duty gem is probably a better socketing choice for your troops since you can run Dimid and attack with the swiftstriker.
I'll note that the power level of these gems varies from card to card, so I think it's a good idea to take a closer look at the cards that have Minor Sockets: six commons and five uncommons.
Effigy of Nulzaan
Effigy of Nulzaan is a perfect canvas to start with since it can go into any deck, and will signify the overall strength of the gems as I outlined above. The best Gems for the Effigy are the evasion gems: Sapphire of Sky and Ruby of Flames. The Ruby makes it only blockable by other artifacts, since the Effigy has no shard of its own. The Flight Gem gives it evasion while also giving you the option of blocking an opposing flying troop. Two other solid options are the Diamond of Duty (which essentially turns it into Quick Strider) and the Wild Orb of Primordium, which turn it into a rhinoceros. As an added bonus, the Effigy is resilient to Murder. Because of Effigy's versatility it makes a solid draft choice mid-pack, particularly when the shard you are in has dried up. In Constructed this guy is a hard sell, even in a Sapphire-Ruby artifact deck since he's not a robot.
Best Options: Ruby of Flames, Sapphire of Sky, Diamond of Duty, Wild Orb of Primordium.
Grim-Skull Sorcerer
Grim Skull is pretty scrawny for diamond gems. Lifedrain isn't effective enough when it's just for 1 point each turn, and Swiftstrike is unlikely to kill anything. Sapphire doesn't particularly want him since a Phoenix Guard Scout is a 1/3 flight for 2, making even the Sapphire of Sky sub-par on him. The best gems for Grim-Skull are the ones that enhance it. In Wild it can be a 2/3 for 2 which puts it on par with Rigid Buffalo at least. The Blood Orb of Rage is probably the best overall choice though. He comes down early enough for you to reasonably get in an attack or two, and he'll have a decent front end by the time the ground gets clogged. Later in the game the gem will make him a live option for permanent pump effects like Noble Citizenry or a Blood Aura.
Best Options: Blood Orb of Rage, Wild Orb of Primordium
Gem-Crazed Berserker
Three-power for three with the potential for evasion is solid, so Sky & Flames again are powerful choices with this guy. The weakness with Flames is that Worker Bots will come out from Bertram just in time to block him, and with flight he quickly gets outclassed. Swiftstrike is an equally strong in Ruby-Diamond, and his cost is high enough to trigger several Inspire effects like Ruby Pyromancer and Protectorate Clergyman. In an Orc deck you will probably start Flames, and potentially swap to the Blood Orb of Deception against Dwarves so Worker Bots can't chump him. This guy could also see legitimate Constructed play in a Ruby Deck with the Ferocity Gem so it can beat in right away. Flames is a fine choice in this situation too for consistent evasive attacks.
Best Options: Ruby of Flames, Sapphire of Sky, Diamond of Duty, Blood Orb of Deception, Ruby of Ferocity (Constructed).
Mazat Ranger
Mazat is like super Gem-Crazed Berserker. Flames, Sky & Duty are top choices based on the color combination you choose. Sky is slightly better on him than the Berserker since he can trade with a 2/4 with flight for the same resource cost. Flames for Blood-Ruby Orcs is par for the course. The pivot to the Deception Gem is all the more important against Blood and Dwarves since not only does it neutralize Worker Bots but also any annoying Darkspire Priestess you weren't able to scoop up in the draft. Unfortunately he has some stiff competition in Constructed for 4-drops, including Xentoth's Inquisitor & Vampire King. Even in an Orc deck either of these is much stronger than a 4/1.
Best Options: Ruby of Flames, Sapphire of Sky, Diamond of Duty, Blood Orb of Deception.
Mystic of the Tranquil Dream
Nine time out of ten you will want the Flight Gem on this guy. A 2/4 with flight isn't super impressive, but it's on par with Skyle Griffin and is hard to kill. Rage isn't a bad option either, though in Blood-Sapphire you probably want as much flight as you can get. One trick you might be able to get away with is to run the Sapphire of Mischief to sneak him out and snipe an attacking troop, then change it out between games to Sapphire of Sky. Your opponent might play on the defensive when you have 4 up. This doesn't work as well with the weaker troops since they likely won't survive, but the Mystic's durable vitality allows you to make cagey plays like this more often.
Best Options: Sapphire of Sky, Blood Orb of Rage, Sapphire of Mischief
Boulder Brute
Boulder Brute is probably the best common in Wild, which says something about it's power. Just about every Gem works well with him, though the one that sees the most play is the Wild Orb of Conservation, since a 4/4 is worth protecting from Inner Conflicts and Murders. Spellshield also allows you to put Wild Aura on it safely, turning it into a 6/6 Crush machine that can swiftly end games (other Auras work just as well). Sky turns it into a common Cloud Titan, but most Wild-Sapphire decks will run Feather. At that point it's worth considering the Mischief Gem since a timely placed Boulder Brute mid-attack can win the game on its own. Flames isn't as strong on Boulder Brute since Monika'shin & Bertram can both squirt out chump blockers. At that point the Conservation Gem is probably better for insurance against removal. In Diamond-Wild the Duty Gem makes him almost impossible to block. Another clutch play (as mentioned above) is to run Deception-Pheromones on this guy to decimate the opposing team.
Best Options: Wild Orb of Conservation, Sapphire of Sky, Sapphire of Mischief, Blood Orb of Deception.
Shamed Gladiator
The uncommons have a bit more relevancy in Constructed when compared to their common cousins. Shamed Gladiator is an aggressive drop that is a strong addition in a Ruby-Blood Orc Deck. Rage and Ferocity Gems are solid options, both poised do deal a good chunk of damage on a clear field. He's also potentially a 3/3 for 2 with the Wild Orb of Primordium or a 2/2 with flight in Sapphire. One of the difficulties at the moment for this guy in Constructed is that the resource base for multi-shard decks has limited fixing. Shards of Fate causes you to miss a turn for resources and a champion charge, and in an aggressive deck this can be a death knell. Even as a 3/3 on turn 2, having both a Blood & Wild Shard on the second turn can be difficult, not including the double-resource requirements of 3 and 4 drops the deck might want to run, like Wild Root Dancer or Vampire King. In Limited this guy gets outclassed swiftly with Sky Gem and can get chumped by Darkspire Priestess when gemmed with Flames. I ran this guy with Swiftstrike in Diamond-Blood for a potentially earlier Quick Strider and it worked fine, though he was far from spectacular.
Best Options: Wild Orb of Primordium, Diamond of Duty, Sapphire of Sky.
Nelebrin Skirmisher
Evasion is probably more important on the Skirmisher than any other card in this set. After a couple of connections he can get out of hand, though the same can be said of Thunderbird or any card with Rage really; the bonus with the Skirmisher is that he actually gets beefier Defense as well. This is the one card I would consider running the Ferocity Gem on just so you can ensure he gets that initial trigger when your opponent is open. The problem is after that he's basically just a Feral Ogre, and you could get the same body with the +1/+1 gem, so you really need a strong compliment of removal to work around him. Wild Aura is good on him if you go Spellshield, but other than that stick to the evasion package.
Best Options: Ruby of Flames, Sapphire of Sky, Wild Orb of Conservation, Ruby of Ferocity.
Phoenix Guard Aeronaut
Both of the Sapphire Gems are pretty poor on this guy since he already has flight and you more than likely won't want to intercept an attacking troop with a 2-defense guy. Since he already has evasion, Ruby of Flames is slightly redundant. Swiftstrike is good, but has muted effect on him since Skyle Griffin and Mystic are 2/4, which trumps a 3/2 even with Swiftstrike. Blood is a solid pairing with him since the Rage Gem can end the game incredibly quickly and allow it to trade with the 2/4s. Wild Orb of Conservation is incredibly powerful with buff effects that come from Diamond & Wild, particularly the Auras, which basically turn your deck into Build-a-Beast Workshop. Deception and Primordium Gems can also be used to counter Griffin & Mystic.
Best Options: Wild Orb of Conservation, Diamond of Duty, Blood Orb of Rage.
Mistborn Wendigo
Wendigo is a bit weird since it has a couple different modes it can play: glorified blocker or assault machine. Flight is an excellent fit for Wendigo for both of these reasons. It can attack for 5 when skies are clear and block a Skyle with a Noble Citizenry pump and live to tell the tale. Swiftstrike makes him incredibly hard to both block and attack into, since a couple pumps gives him enough strength to skewer most troops. Blood Orb of Rage is decent since he can swing with relative impunity, but he can already get to lethal range fairly quick. Wild Orb of Conservation could protect him from Inner Conflict and Murder, but what he wants most is flight so he can own the skies, so unless you have Feather/Phoenix Guard Trainer/Sapphire Auras to ensure this guy drinks his Red Bull, slap the Sky Gem in him.
Best Options: Sapphire of Sky, Diamond of Duty, Wild Orb of Conservation
Hellhound
Hellhound is a first pick. He costs one most than Boulder Brute for the same stats, but the pump ability is simply devastating. He's also in Ruby which means he has direct access to the Ruby of Flames without any extra threshold requirements. Sapphire of Sky may be slightly better if you are in Ruby-Sapphire since he can stop attacks from the air the turn you play him. If your opponent does block to kill him it will cost him other flight Troops. Ruby-Wild can socket the Conservation Gem, strap Ruby/Wild Aura on, and enjoy the ride. Swiftstrike works well, but evasion needs will often trump combat advantage. Spellshield is the only other viable option if you feel the need to protect him.
Best Options: Sapphire of Sky, Ruby of Flames, Wild Orb of Conservation.
Major Gems
Major Gems are much more involved than their minor counterparts. There are still ten of them, two in each color, but rather than granting static abilities like Flight and Lifedrain they have abilities that either trigger upon the troop entering play or upon them dealing damage to an opponent. Since there are only 5 cards that can use Major Gems, and they are all rare, their impact on limited is diminished. So instead of ranking them by their usefulness in draft of limited I'll instead divide them into two categories: the Combat Gems which trigger off the troop dealing damage to your opponent, and the Action Gems which trigger a particular effect when the troop enters play.
Combat Gems
Action Gems
Before I get into Protectorate Defender I want to talk a bit about the history of this card, since it has changed greatly over it's time in Alpha. The first version of Protectorate Defender was a 2/4 for 4 resources that had a One-Shot ability for 1 resource that would bounce it back to its owner's hand. This early version gave you a much more reliable way trigger Action Gems twice. I played a Wild-Diamond deck with Wild Root Dancer and the early Protectorate Defender socketed with Empowerment. The first time it hit the field it would only give +2/+4, but after a few pumps with Wild Root Dancer you could return it to your hand and give a massive pump to a Crush troop to finish the game. It was also difficult for your opponent to kill since at any point in time you can just bounce it to your hand. This would diminish the power of the next pump, but it would force your opponent to waste a kill-card.
Minor Gems
To start with I'm going to give you a general ranking of the Minor Gems for Constructed Play. If you know nothing else about Booster Draft or Selaed this should give you an idea of what gems you should be looking at during deck construction and socketing. I'll go into the individual cards in more detail later on, discussing which gems pair best with them.
S-Tier
Sapphire of Sky (S: Flight)
Ruby of Flames (RR: This troop can't be blocked except by artifact troops and/or troops that share a shard with it.)
A-Tier
Wild Orb of Conservation (WW: Spellshield)
Diamond of Duty (D: Swiftstrike)
Blood Orb of Rage (B: Rage 1)
B-Tier
Sapphire of Mischief (SS: You may play this troop at any time you could play a quick action.)
Wild Orb of Primordium (W: +1/+1)
Blood Orb of Deception (BB: When this troop becomes blocked by a troop, that troop gets permanent -1/-1.)
C-Tier
Ruby of Ferocity (R: Speed)
Diamond of Lifedrain (DD: Lifedrain)
The S-Tier Gems are the two gems that grant evasion: Sky & Flames. Evasion is a very strong determining factor in drafting and deck construction for limited. Those who are familiar with the acronym BREAD will know evasion as the E, generally prioritized after Bombs and Removal. Sky and Flames are generally what you should be looking at if one of your shards is Sapphire or Ruby, and neither are particularly bad choices for any of the cards. Flames has a double Ruby threshold requirement, but makes it so the troop can only be blocked by other troops of the same shard or artifacts. The downside to this is that Worker Bots can be churned out by the Dwarf deck, a popular draft archetype, with some reliance. Sky just puts your troop in the air, which allows you to attack over ground guys, but also block opposing aerial troops. This can be important if you are facing off against a Skyle Griffin or Spearcliff Pegasus. The downside to this is that Feather Drifting Downriver, Phoenix Guard Trainer, and Sapphire Aura may make the flight from this socket redundant, whereas the ability on Flames cannot be generated by an Aura, Inspire, or Champion effect.
The A-Tier Gems are solid choices if you are not in Sapphire or Ruby, and which work better on particular troops or with certain strategies. Wild Orb of Conservation allows you safely dump Auras on the troop without fear of it being targeted by removal. This gem is commonly used on Boulder Brute, since it has a large body often worth protecting from kill cards. Diamond of Duty grants Swiftstrike, an important combat ability which will often make it as difficult to block the attack troop. Alternatively it could stymie your opponent's attack by threatening them with a bad trade. Blood Orb of Rage is good on cheap troops like Grim-Skull Sorcerer and Shamed Gladiator for growing their power. It's also not bad on troops with large toughness since they can attack unimpeded and gradually grow more deadly.
The B-Tier Gems are situational choices that might fit into a combo or be resocketed between games of a match once you know what your opponent is playing. Sapphire of Mischief allows you to play the Troop as a quick action, typically during your opponent's combat to intercept an attacker or at their end step while your resources are up to bluff at a quick action. This might be useful on troops with larger bodies like Mystic of the Tranquil Dream, which can easily kill something during combat to gain you card advantage in a shard that is short on removal. The Wild Orb of Primordium is a straight-up power boost that can be useful when you just need a that troop to be bigger. An example of this would be a Wild Mirror in which your opponent also has Boulder Brutes. By swapping from the Conservation Gem to the Primordium Gem you require your opponent to have another card in order to answer your Brute, which is just bigger. The Blood Orb of Deception can be useful against Evolved Battle Hoppers or Worker Bots, which are annoying troops that can block and trade with low-toughness Socketed troops like Mazat Ranger. The Blood Orb of Deception can also combo well with Pheromones, which in Blood-Wild can force your opponent to block a Boulder Brute or Mazat Ranger and will hinder every single one of your opponent's troops while netting you some free damage with the rest of your team.
The C-Tier Gems I advise avoiding in Limited. Ferocity may be good tempo in aggressive decks, but often the evasion provided by Flames is vastly superior in the long run. Lifedrain has double the threshold requirement that the Duty Gem and offers no combat advantage. The life may be important for triggering Righteous Paladin or the Diamond Incantation, but even then the Duty gem is probably a better socketing choice for your troops since you can run Dimid and attack with the swiftstriker.
I'll note that the power level of these gems varies from card to card, so I think it's a good idea to take a closer look at the cards that have Minor Sockets: six commons and five uncommons.
Effigy of Nulzaan
Effigy of Nulzaan is a perfect canvas to start with since it can go into any deck, and will signify the overall strength of the gems as I outlined above. The best Gems for the Effigy are the evasion gems: Sapphire of Sky and Ruby of Flames. The Ruby makes it only blockable by other artifacts, since the Effigy has no shard of its own. The Flight Gem gives it evasion while also giving you the option of blocking an opposing flying troop. Two other solid options are the Diamond of Duty (which essentially turns it into Quick Strider) and the Wild Orb of Primordium, which turn it into a rhinoceros. As an added bonus, the Effigy is resilient to Murder. Because of Effigy's versatility it makes a solid draft choice mid-pack, particularly when the shard you are in has dried up. In Constructed this guy is a hard sell, even in a Sapphire-Ruby artifact deck since he's not a robot.
Best Options: Ruby of Flames, Sapphire of Sky, Diamond of Duty, Wild Orb of Primordium.
Grim-Skull Sorcerer
Grim Skull is pretty scrawny for diamond gems. Lifedrain isn't effective enough when it's just for 1 point each turn, and Swiftstrike is unlikely to kill anything. Sapphire doesn't particularly want him since a Phoenix Guard Scout is a 1/3 flight for 2, making even the Sapphire of Sky sub-par on him. The best gems for Grim-Skull are the ones that enhance it. In Wild it can be a 2/3 for 2 which puts it on par with Rigid Buffalo at least. The Blood Orb of Rage is probably the best overall choice though. He comes down early enough for you to reasonably get in an attack or two, and he'll have a decent front end by the time the ground gets clogged. Later in the game the gem will make him a live option for permanent pump effects like Noble Citizenry or a Blood Aura.
Best Options: Blood Orb of Rage, Wild Orb of Primordium
Gem-Crazed Berserker
Three-power for three with the potential for evasion is solid, so Sky & Flames again are powerful choices with this guy. The weakness with Flames is that Worker Bots will come out from Bertram just in time to block him, and with flight he quickly gets outclassed. Swiftstrike is an equally strong in Ruby-Diamond, and his cost is high enough to trigger several Inspire effects like Ruby Pyromancer and Protectorate Clergyman. In an Orc deck you will probably start Flames, and potentially swap to the Blood Orb of Deception against Dwarves so Worker Bots can't chump him. This guy could also see legitimate Constructed play in a Ruby Deck with the Ferocity Gem so it can beat in right away. Flames is a fine choice in this situation too for consistent evasive attacks.
Best Options: Ruby of Flames, Sapphire of Sky, Diamond of Duty, Blood Orb of Deception, Ruby of Ferocity (Constructed).
Mazat Ranger
Mazat is like super Gem-Crazed Berserker. Flames, Sky & Duty are top choices based on the color combination you choose. Sky is slightly better on him than the Berserker since he can trade with a 2/4 with flight for the same resource cost. Flames for Blood-Ruby Orcs is par for the course. The pivot to the Deception Gem is all the more important against Blood and Dwarves since not only does it neutralize Worker Bots but also any annoying Darkspire Priestess you weren't able to scoop up in the draft. Unfortunately he has some stiff competition in Constructed for 4-drops, including Xentoth's Inquisitor & Vampire King. Even in an Orc deck either of these is much stronger than a 4/1.
Best Options: Ruby of Flames, Sapphire of Sky, Diamond of Duty, Blood Orb of Deception.
Mystic of the Tranquil Dream
Nine time out of ten you will want the Flight Gem on this guy. A 2/4 with flight isn't super impressive, but it's on par with Skyle Griffin and is hard to kill. Rage isn't a bad option either, though in Blood-Sapphire you probably want as much flight as you can get. One trick you might be able to get away with is to run the Sapphire of Mischief to sneak him out and snipe an attacking troop, then change it out between games to Sapphire of Sky. Your opponent might play on the defensive when you have 4 up. This doesn't work as well with the weaker troops since they likely won't survive, but the Mystic's durable vitality allows you to make cagey plays like this more often.
Best Options: Sapphire of Sky, Blood Orb of Rage, Sapphire of Mischief
Boulder Brute
Boulder Brute is probably the best common in Wild, which says something about it's power. Just about every Gem works well with him, though the one that sees the most play is the Wild Orb of Conservation, since a 4/4 is worth protecting from Inner Conflicts and Murders. Spellshield also allows you to put Wild Aura on it safely, turning it into a 6/6 Crush machine that can swiftly end games (other Auras work just as well). Sky turns it into a common Cloud Titan, but most Wild-Sapphire decks will run Feather. At that point it's worth considering the Mischief Gem since a timely placed Boulder Brute mid-attack can win the game on its own. Flames isn't as strong on Boulder Brute since Monika'shin & Bertram can both squirt out chump blockers. At that point the Conservation Gem is probably better for insurance against removal. In Diamond-Wild the Duty Gem makes him almost impossible to block. Another clutch play (as mentioned above) is to run Deception-Pheromones on this guy to decimate the opposing team.
Best Options: Wild Orb of Conservation, Sapphire of Sky, Sapphire of Mischief, Blood Orb of Deception.
Shamed Gladiator
The uncommons have a bit more relevancy in Constructed when compared to their common cousins. Shamed Gladiator is an aggressive drop that is a strong addition in a Ruby-Blood Orc Deck. Rage and Ferocity Gems are solid options, both poised do deal a good chunk of damage on a clear field. He's also potentially a 3/3 for 2 with the Wild Orb of Primordium or a 2/2 with flight in Sapphire. One of the difficulties at the moment for this guy in Constructed is that the resource base for multi-shard decks has limited fixing. Shards of Fate causes you to miss a turn for resources and a champion charge, and in an aggressive deck this can be a death knell. Even as a 3/3 on turn 2, having both a Blood & Wild Shard on the second turn can be difficult, not including the double-resource requirements of 3 and 4 drops the deck might want to run, like Wild Root Dancer or Vampire King. In Limited this guy gets outclassed swiftly with Sky Gem and can get chumped by Darkspire Priestess when gemmed with Flames. I ran this guy with Swiftstrike in Diamond-Blood for a potentially earlier Quick Strider and it worked fine, though he was far from spectacular.
Best Options: Wild Orb of Primordium, Diamond of Duty, Sapphire of Sky.
Nelebrin Skirmisher
Evasion is probably more important on the Skirmisher than any other card in this set. After a couple of connections he can get out of hand, though the same can be said of Thunderbird or any card with Rage really; the bonus with the Skirmisher is that he actually gets beefier Defense as well. This is the one card I would consider running the Ferocity Gem on just so you can ensure he gets that initial trigger when your opponent is open. The problem is after that he's basically just a Feral Ogre, and you could get the same body with the +1/+1 gem, so you really need a strong compliment of removal to work around him. Wild Aura is good on him if you go Spellshield, but other than that stick to the evasion package.
Best Options: Ruby of Flames, Sapphire of Sky, Wild Orb of Conservation, Ruby of Ferocity.
Phoenix Guard Aeronaut
Both of the Sapphire Gems are pretty poor on this guy since he already has flight and you more than likely won't want to intercept an attacking troop with a 2-defense guy. Since he already has evasion, Ruby of Flames is slightly redundant. Swiftstrike is good, but has muted effect on him since Skyle Griffin and Mystic are 2/4, which trumps a 3/2 even with Swiftstrike. Blood is a solid pairing with him since the Rage Gem can end the game incredibly quickly and allow it to trade with the 2/4s. Wild Orb of Conservation is incredibly powerful with buff effects that come from Diamond & Wild, particularly the Auras, which basically turn your deck into Build-a-Beast Workshop. Deception and Primordium Gems can also be used to counter Griffin & Mystic.
Best Options: Wild Orb of Conservation, Diamond of Duty, Blood Orb of Rage.
Mistborn Wendigo
Wendigo is a bit weird since it has a couple different modes it can play: glorified blocker or assault machine. Flight is an excellent fit for Wendigo for both of these reasons. It can attack for 5 when skies are clear and block a Skyle with a Noble Citizenry pump and live to tell the tale. Swiftstrike makes him incredibly hard to both block and attack into, since a couple pumps gives him enough strength to skewer most troops. Blood Orb of Rage is decent since he can swing with relative impunity, but he can already get to lethal range fairly quick. Wild Orb of Conservation could protect him from Inner Conflict and Murder, but what he wants most is flight so he can own the skies, so unless you have Feather/Phoenix Guard Trainer/Sapphire Auras to ensure this guy drinks his Red Bull, slap the Sky Gem in him.
Best Options: Sapphire of Sky, Diamond of Duty, Wild Orb of Conservation
Hellhound
Hellhound is a first pick. He costs one most than Boulder Brute for the same stats, but the pump ability is simply devastating. He's also in Ruby which means he has direct access to the Ruby of Flames without any extra threshold requirements. Sapphire of Sky may be slightly better if you are in Ruby-Sapphire since he can stop attacks from the air the turn you play him. If your opponent does block to kill him it will cost him other flight Troops. Ruby-Wild can socket the Conservation Gem, strap Ruby/Wild Aura on, and enjoy the ride. Swiftstrike works well, but evasion needs will often trump combat advantage. Spellshield is the only other viable option if you feel the need to protect him.
Best Options: Sapphire of Sky, Ruby of Flames, Wild Orb of Conservation.
Major Gems
Major Gems are much more involved than their minor counterparts. There are still ten of them, two in each color, but rather than granting static abilities like Flight and Lifedrain they have abilities that either trigger upon the troop entering play or upon them dealing damage to an opponent. Since there are only 5 cards that can use Major Gems, and they are all rare, their impact on limited is diminished. So instead of ranking them by their usefulness in draft of limited I'll instead divide them into two categories: the Combat Gems which trigger off the troop dealing damage to your opponent, and the Action Gems which trigger a particular effect when the troop enters play.
Combat Gems
- Prime Blood Orb of Cruelty (BB: When this troop deals damage to an opposing champion, you may put target troop from your graveyard to your hand.)
- Prime Diamond of Solidarity (DD: When this troop deals damage to an opposing champion, troops you control get permanent +1/+1.)
- Prime Ruby of Intensity (RR: When this troop deals damage to an opposing champion, each champion discards their hand and draws three cards.)
- Prime Sapphire of Mind (SS: When this troop deals damage to an opposing champion, draw a card.)
- Prime Wild Orb of Dominance (WW: When this troop deals damage to an opposing champion, create a Rhinoceros and put it into play.)
Action Gems
- Prime Blood Orb of Brutality (B: When this troop enters play, target opposing troop gets permanent -ATK equal to this troop's ATK.)
- Prime Diamond of Endurance (D: When this troop enters play, your champion gains health equal to this troop's DEF.)
- Prime Ruby of Destruction (R: When this troop enters play, it deals damage equal to its ATK to target opposing champion.)
- Prime Sapphire of Subterfuge (S: When this troop enters play, each opposing champion buries cards from the top of their deck equal to this troop's combined ATK & DEF.)
- Prime Wild Orb of Empowerment (W: When this troop enters play, target troop you control gets +ATK/+DEF equal to this troop's ATK & DEF this turn.)
You'll note that all the Combat Gems have double threshold requirements, and all the Action Gems have single threshold requirements. The combat gems have the potential to be stronger over the long run since they can be triggered multiple times. As such it's important from a design standpoint that the deck running them is deep enough into that shard to generate two threshold to activate it. The action gems tend to work better on troops that can enter the field multiple times so you can trigger the abilities again. Devoted Emissary is an example of a card that can let you replay troops with Action Gems.
With these individual cards I will talk more about Constructed than Limited play (though I will touch on the latter). I'm mostly going to talk about the ways to get the most out of the gems slots an ignore the card's individual power level (Xentoth's Inquisitor with a Rage Gem is probably an individually better card than a Protectorate Defender with Solidarity). It's also difficult to go into every deck type since Constructed Deck strategies will vary more than Limited: any deck destruction archetype will likely want to run the Subterfuge Gem over any other. So the "Best Options" are really more generalized here than in the previous section.
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| The new version of protectorate defender looks to be a fan of House Stark. |
The current version of Protectorate Defender is the cheapest Major Socketable troop at two resources. It still has an effect which would allow you to get the Major Socket effect again, but rather than return to your hand, it is shuffled into the deck, which makes you much less likely to find it again. In fact the recursion ability is overshadowed now by it's resource cost, since it is the cheapest way to get a Major Gem effect on the field early. The shard-fixing in two-shard is lackluster, so playing him turn-two with an off shard Action Gem does require a little more luck than I would like. His stats make him poorly suited for gems that rely on attack of defense like Subterfuge or Endurance, since burying three cards or gaining one life seems a waste of the Socket. Empowerment and Destruction are probably the best options in a Ruby-Diamond or Wild-Diamond deck since it gives you an extra two damage that turn. The Destruction Gem seems better among the two since you can clear the way for him to attack and if your opponent bounces him with Buccaneer you can chunk him down on the replay instead of having to swing through. The Solidarity Gem is good on him in a Diamond rush deck, but the cards for this archetype don't seem to be prevalent yet. The lack of evasion on this guy makes me hesitant to run many other Combat Gems on him, particularly since you both have to curve very well on your first three shard drops to get the Gem active in time for your third attack AND you have to clear the way for him. Prime Wild Orb of Dominance isn't horrible since it would net you a 3/3 early enough for it to pressure the field, and Howling Brave can help ensure your second Wild threshold. Prime Sapphire of Mind could also work in a Diamond-Sapphire Tempo deck with Buccaneers and Time Spirals to clear the way, but again the shard fixing hurts the most. Lixil is a possible turn-three follow up to ensure you get your Combat Gems online, unfortunately at that point you have no more resources to Solitary Exile/Bounce your opponent's blockers. Protectorate Defender is also extremely fragile, so you're probably best not dedicating many slots in your deck to ensure the Combat Gem is active on your third turn attack. Overall I would suggest sticking with Solidarity for Diamond unless you have an aggressive deck and want to run this guy with Destruction alongside Pyromancers. In Limited, Solidarity is basically a better version of the Rage Gem and if your opponent doesn't answer this guy it can generate enough to pressure for your field to win. Swiftstrike isn't a bad option either, but the 1 toughness gives this guy a bulls-eye for Bombsmith, so attacking early is my recommended protocol.
Best Options: Prime Diamond of Solidarity, Prime Ruby of Destruction, Prime Wild Orb or Dominance.
This guy is the most evasive card that exists right now, so he's practically made for the Combat Gems. Prime Sapphire of Mind is a natural fit since it will generate you more cards to keep him safe. Dominance is cute, but another 3/3 is probably subpar to just giving it Spellshield with the minor Conservation Gem to ensure your opponent can't kill it. Prime Blood Orb of Cruelty works similar to Mind, but allows you to target specific troops that died earlier like Buccaneer and Corpse Fly. Prime Ruby of Intensity could generate you massive card advantage if you actually connect with this guy. I topped off my curve with Dreamer in a Skarn Deck I posted a while ago and it basically turns Time Spirals into Murders since they will discard any bounced troops afterwards. Crimson Clarity helps you get the Ruby Threshold while also ridding your hand of cards that would otherwise be discarded from the trigger. This plan is very risky, but the deck has so many other cards that attract removal (Cerulean Mirror Knight and the Skarn itself) that the Dreamer can sometimes skate by the early removal and dominate the mid-game. In limited Mind is probably the gem you go to. Anything else requires you to be very optimistic about your shard draws, though Spellshield might be worth it if you're in Wild and he's your main win condition.
Best Options: Prime Sapphire of Mind, Wild Orb of Conservation, Prime Ruby of Intensity, Prime Blood Orb of Cruelty.
Inquisitor has also changed since alpha, though not as drastically as Protectorate Defender. One of the original Ruby Gems dealt damage to a random opposing troop equal to the socketed troop's power, and Inquisitor abused that gem greatly. That gem was eventually scrapped and Xentoth's cost was increased increased from 3 to 4 as a safeguard. You'll probably get to play him a couple times throughout the course of the game, so the Action Gems will benefit you greatly as you can activate them multiple times. Destruction and Brutality are probably the best options: one will chunk your opponent for 3 each time it enters play and the other will neuter one of your opponent's troops for -3 ATK. As an alternative to the Subterfuge Gem some Blood-Sapphire options just started running the Sapphire of Sky on him, since a 3/1 with flight that keeps coming back is an annoyingly effective finisher. In Limited this guy is a bomb, and it really depends on the shards you are in when you are determining what to play with him. Swiftstrike is good on a 3/1 in Blood-Diamond and he makes a great target for Auras and Noble Citizenry pumps since he retains these bonuses through death. Spellshield isn't as strong on him as other bombs since your opponent is losing card advantage whenever they point a kill card at him, which in the long run is good for you.
Best Options: Prime Blood Orb of Brutality, Prime Ruby of Destruction, Sapphire of Sky, Diamond of Duty (Limited).
Theorycrafter is another card that you want to abuse Action Gems since the War Bots have the Gem's ability. Prime Ruby of Destruction lets you deal a guaranteed three damage every turn, including two the turn you play the Theorycrafter itself. Subterfuge is also surprisingly efficient in draft since the War Bots will bury 6 cards each turn, and the Dwarf deck is Sapphire-Ruby anyways. This allows you to skewer their deck with three or four activations while generating a decent sized robot to protect you, though Destruction is probably a more straightforward win condition. Empowerment isn't bad either, but the bonus damage is basically what you'd be doing with Destruction anyways, with the drawback that you might have to attack and possibly run into a Repel. The War Bots don't have evasion and the Theorycrafter has to exhaust to make one, so Combat Gems have a muted effect. Endurance and Brutality don't have the game-winning power of the other games, so you're best sticking with Destruction or Subterfuge.
Best Options: Prime Ruby of Destruction, Prime Sapphire of Subterfuge.
Battle Beetle has a big enough body to work fine with most of the gems that work off your Attack and Defense. Empowerment and Destruction both provide a massive spike the turn it comes into play. Brutality also offers a huge Attack nerf to an opposing guy if you are racing, which the Beetle can do well since for two resources it gets flight for the turn. This added evasion benefit also makes some of the Combat Gems work well with it. The difficulty here is that when you connect with this guy he deals so much damage that most of these effects won't matter, since a couple of successful attacks will probably kill your opponent at that point in time. The Wild Orb of Conservation is solid to protect him from targeted removal, particularly in Limited since he is such a big threat.
Best Options: Prime Wild Orb of Empowerment, Prime Ruby of Destruction, Wild Orb of Conservation.
Card Customization
Hex announced yesterday the launch of their second PvP set Shattered Destiny this August. Regardless of your particular feelings towards this announcement, one of the features of this set will be cards that can have two gems socketed into it at once. As the game moves forward and new sets come out the developers will likely be finding new ways to use Gems and Sockets. Additionally the number of Gems will likely grow as time moves on: Wild could get a Crush Gem or Ruby a Tunneling Gem, which is another mechanic hinted at in the announcement. There could be Race or Class specific Gems that only Rangers or Necrotic troops can use. There are countless possibilities to what sort of tools we might get in the future, and every new Gem that's introduced could have an effect on older cards.
And that concludes my look at the initial batch of Gems in Hex. Also, for those of you who are in the Hex Beta right now, I received a small batch of Packs & Draft Codes that I'll be giving out at the end of a few of my articles and also on my Twitch stream (subscriptions appreciated). To enter for your chance to win one of these Packs & Draft Codes, simply leave comment with your favorite Card-Gem combination. It can be one that won you a draft, or a wacky combo you're trying out in the proving grounds, or just a personal favorite like the Rhinoceros Summoner Eldritch Dreamer. I'll announce the winner next week.
Until next time, may your gems be truly outrageous! (I had to)
Card Customization
Hex announced yesterday the launch of their second PvP set Shattered Destiny this August. Regardless of your particular feelings towards this announcement, one of the features of this set will be cards that can have two gems socketed into it at once. As the game moves forward and new sets come out the developers will likely be finding new ways to use Gems and Sockets. Additionally the number of Gems will likely grow as time moves on: Wild could get a Crush Gem or Ruby a Tunneling Gem, which is another mechanic hinted at in the announcement. There could be Race or Class specific Gems that only Rangers or Necrotic troops can use. There are countless possibilities to what sort of tools we might get in the future, and every new Gem that's introduced could have an effect on older cards.
And that concludes my look at the initial batch of Gems in Hex. Also, for those of you who are in the Hex Beta right now, I received a small batch of Packs & Draft Codes that I'll be giving out at the end of a few of my articles and also on my Twitch stream (subscriptions appreciated). To enter for your chance to win one of these Packs & Draft Codes, simply leave comment with your favorite Card-Gem combination. It can be one that won you a draft, or a wacky combo you're trying out in the proving grounds, or just a personal favorite like the Rhinoceros Summoner Eldritch Dreamer. I'll announce the winner next week.
Until next time, may your gems be truly outrageous! (I had to)
