A study of Perim part 1: Card Classes

Today we will be starting a 6 part series first starting with some general ideas and tips that I usually employ when making an army, and then we dive into the four tribes of Perim starting with the Overworlders and ending with Danians. In each part I will give a little background about the tribe and history, followed by a breakdown of the tribe’s features. We will then finish with a few quick strategy points to aid any tribe enthusiasts with a few quick pointers on effectively implementing the tribe’s main themes. Lastly we will compare all the tribes and discuses mixed armies.

 

First I would like to introduce you all to something I like to call the “Card classes”. For each card I have given it an unofficial label based on its stats and abilities, these “classes” help to provide a nice organized list of the different types of cards and their effectiveness when choosing a balanced army. Each card is ranked in 7 different classes of usefulness as shown below:

Mugician: Don’t be fooled by this title, creatures do not require being a Mugician to be in this class (it’s just simpler to say Mugician than mugic user). Anyhow this class focuses on the amount of mugic counters it can employ or the different kinds of Mugic it can use. Good examples of mugicians include Toxis (one of the few UWs with 2 counters) and Lore. Most mugicians should be kept far away from battle (as they are easily defeated by most classes), rather they should provide support to other more.. offensive classes.

 

Specialist: Specialists mainly focus on using their special abilities to gain an upper hand in battle, usually employing mugic counters in the process (as such a lot of specialists are considered mugicians). Vidav and Xield are great examples of a specialist creature. A Specialist should consider being also in the rear beside Mugicians as some are quite frail, likewise if a specialist is quickly defeated than you can no longer employ its ability to aid other creatures.

 

Tank: These creatures usually have high energy counts and generally good discipline scores, ideally they win by simply outlasting their opponents in a slow facedown. These cards are usually safe to play and often work against creatures with recklessness. Also because of their survivability they can easily hold the front lines and protect weaker mugicians in the rear of your army. Rothar and Chaor make expellant Tanks.  They generally take down Disciplineer’s, Scouts, and Infantry, though Elementalists are able to down Tanks with their strong element based attacks.

 

Elementalist: An Elementalist is a creature who employs multiple element types or has an element: 5 ability. These creatures usually focus on burst damage (a lot of damage in a short amount of time) with various element based cards. General weaknesses of this class is that they usually do not have a lot of energy and thus a good strategy when using an Elementalist is to strike quickly and powerfully. Magmon and Blugon are two very good examples of an Elementalist. The main problem with Elementalists are that they have low energy, thus their biggest worry are creatures who can deal a lot of damage quickly. Thusly an Elementalist’s strongest enemy are other Elementalists, they are on even grounds against Disciplineer’s, but if they can’t seem to find the right elemental cards than a Tank would also prove troublesome.

 

Disciplineer: As elements are to the Elementalist, disciplines are to a Disciplineer. This class is primarily made up of creatures who have high disciplines in 1 or more stat. Generally they have good energy (usually 40-55) and can keep up a constant amount of damage round for round (as opposed to an elementalist’s burst damage). Cards such as Frafdo and Grook would be considered Disciplineers. Disciplineer’s are usually on even ground against Elementalist’s but they fare somewhat worse against Tanks as tanks can easily shrug off such attacks as shadow strike or flashwarp.

 

Scout: The scout class is a very small class that labels creatures with tactical finesse. That is to say creatures that have the Range and swift abilities. These creatures usually have average stats but they have a lot of free movement on the field, usually able to strike mugicians from far away. Cards such as Kerric and Dractal make excellent scouts. Scouts are very much like Infantry, but usually don’t fare well against other combat focused classes. Instead they should be employed to take down Mugician and Specialists classes.

 

Infantry: lastly the Infantry class is made up of those who are generally average in all categories. They usually have around 50 energy with 60-70 disciplines, perhaps an element. These creatures are usually supported by a minor special ability such as support: X or Hive: X. They make up the bulk of larger battlefields and are basically a jack of all trades. Infantry classed creatures would include Ibiian and Velreth. They work just about equally against all types of cards, their chance of survivability is usually very situational.

 

Now that you understand the general ideas of the Card Classes we can move on the army building. For each type of gameplay (1v1, 3v3, 6v6, etc) the strategy for winning is different, thusly the strategy for building an adequate army also varies. To simply matters we will discus 1v1, 6v6, and 21,v21 armies to give an idea of how creature numbers drastically change the strategies you can use.

 

For 1v1s the most effective strategy is to use a combat focused creature such as a Tank, Elementalist, or Disciplineer as your creature. They usually fare quite well in 1v1s with each other, with the right attack deck, and a little luck they should be able to defeat any creature. Tanks should focus on their primary damage output (their highest stat, or any elements they may possess), while Elementalists should focus on their patron element, the same is said with the Disciplineer. It is unwise to use cards that fit into the Mugician or Specialists classes unless you know exactly what you are going for since they fare horribly against more combat oriented classes.

 

6v6s are a different matter; with a larger army you are allowed more creativity in creating your deck. Now Mugicians, Specialists, and Scouts excel. Throw in 2-3 combat classes and you should have a solid army. In a 6v6 mugic plays a larger role than most other game types since one or two correctly placed mugixs can quickly turn the tide in any battle (in 1v1s its often lopsided, and larger groups such as 28v28s a defeat or loss of mugic is neglectable). Scouts also shine magnificently in this battlegroup as they can literally jump over all those troublesome tanks in the front row and strike mugicians quickly. They should be used with caution but if done correctly, a scout can easily destroy an opponent’s Mugicians quickly.

 

Lastly the 21v21 battlegroup is a totally different game. This battlegroup prides tactics over individual creatures. Because you have so many creatures a loss of one or two, or even five means little to the grand scheme of things. Scouts are as useful as ever quickly jumping across the map to aid any areas that are being defeated or to make a quick push against or… rather behind the front lines. The Infantry class finally begins to make its mark in these larger battlegroups by providing support and aid to your Tanks, Elementalists, and Disciplineers. Also they help to bolster you army (as I doubt you have 21 super rares…) and generally provide efficient fodder for warfare.

 

Phew… make sure to tune in next week for the second installment of A study of Perim. Next time… I will talk about the Overworld tribe going over creatures, battlegear, locations, and mugic. Also feel free to submit a fan made strategy for our Runic grove section or post a comment if you have anything to discus or don’t understand. Until next time, ciao.