This is the third card from the “Escalation” Conflict set – Grimdave The Unbent

Best regards Splinterlovers 💚

It’s been almost two weeks since I posted my analysis of the card called “Guezira,” which was the second card released via the Airdrop format in Escalation Conflicts, since the third wave has practically just begun, and we have a new card that I want to analyze and showcase in order to determine just how valuable this card could be on the battlefield. Of course, to do this, we need to look at its utility and the stats it can provide to your team, since this is an “Archon” like the previous one, and the truth is that it’s very similar to Guezira in terms of how it’s used, but we’ll see how it goes as we go along.

So, as always with these posts, we’ll take a look at the design of these cards—not a very in-depth analysis, but rather my honest opinion on them. Of course, we’ll analyze their stats to see if they could be truly versatile cards or more situational ones, and finally, we’ll examine their abilities and the impact they might have on the battlefield. Since these cards need to be combined with certain other types of cards, I’ll be analyzing this and exploring how we can use them.

So, if you want to know everything about this new “Archon” and be ready for when it launches in about 31 days—a little over a full month—because this conflict hasn’t officially begun yet, stick around until the end of this post.

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The Design and Statistics of “Grimdave the Unbent”

The design of this card looks very familiar to me; in fact, I’m sure there’s already a lineage featuring one or maybe a couple of cards that are tree-like, although this one in particular looks like an “Ancient Pine.” in fact, if it weren’t for that card in the tree, it could easily be a “Christmas Tree.” But, setting aside these comparisons, I really like the design, illustration, and finish of this card—you can really feel its age and power.

The only thing—if I have to say so—that could be seen as a negative is that we’re talking about a “Tree,” and this card belongs to the “Water Splinter,” which is quite curious because everything about it—the text, the design, and so on—suggests it should belong to the “Earth Splinter,” and I think that would make the most sense, but there’s nothing we can do about it; However, I’d prefer it to be part of the “Earth Splinter.”

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Statistics

The statistics for this card are very similar to those for Guezira, but I'll go over them in detail anyway:

• Mana Cost: This is something we absolutely must consider when we play, and on this card—just like the one we analyzed earlier—the mana cost is extremely low, at just 3 points, making it one of the most versatile cards in “Escalation.” Keep in mind, at least in terms of mana cost; we’ll continue analyzing the rest later.

• Bloodline Dominion: Since this is something that’s practically inherent in all the Archons that have been released so far, I feel like I can list it as just another stat, but the reality is that it’s an ability deeply rooted in this type of card. What this ability—or stat, as I also call it—does is allow you to summon a card outside its element but that shares the same lineage, which in this case is “Treefolk.”

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NOTE: One additional point worth mentioning about this card is that, like the previous one, it is a “Legendary” rarity card, which in itself increases its value due to the limited supply involved in leveling up this card; however, it remains to be seen what kind of impact it might have on the battlefield.

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Grimdave the Unbent (Abilities and Gameplay)

This card is a little simpler than “Guezira,” but its debuff is a bit more useful, so to speak, although I know this sounds counterproductive, we must remember that these types of abilities in the “Archons” involve what are called summoner tactics, so we can apply them not only to ourselves but also to our opponent, depending on the situation we’re facing. So even though we might seem to have only one option, the reality is that we could gain an advantage very quickly in battle.

But let's explain it:

Abilities

• Summoner Tactics: I’ve explained this many times, but it’s my duty to include it so that everyone reading this post knows what I’m talking about. Basically, summoner tactics allow us to grant an ability or debuff to two of our cards or our opponent’s cards—in this case, two, based on the number listed under the debuff before the match begins. This means you can shift the odds of the battle even before it begins.

• Incendiary: What this “Debuff” does is cause “Burn” to be applied at the start of the second turn and then on every subsequent turn—of course, to whoever has these two debuffs. As I mentioned, this could be on your side of the field, for example, if you have a unit with “Painforge” and want to revitalize it on the offensive while using “Triage” to keep it going—or, alternatively, if it’s on your opponent’s side—this will deal damage to the cards each round and also has a 33% chance of spreading to other cards adjacent to the affected ones. As I said, all cards take damage that reduces their health by up to 2 points, although this would be impossible unless the opponent has a “Clear” ability on their side—but since we’re applying it as part of a tactic, that wouldn’t be possible.

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NOTE: This leads me to conclude that, since this card has only one debuff and nothing else, it could be more versatile than “Guezira.” We could either take a risk with an offensive play on our side, or—more simply—take our opponent by surprise, debuff them with damage, and, in theory, it would be easier to win.

Conclusion

This is undoubtedly an interesting card that should be more valuable than the previous one, since its “Weakening” effect can be used in various ways—some riskier than others. In fact, I already mentioned this, so this is definitely a conflict worth pursuing.

If you have any questions, leave a comment on this post—I'll be happy to answer them.