10 of the Best New Cards in The Elder Scrolls: Legends ‘Isle of Madness’ Expansion
The most recent story expansion for The Elder Scrolls: Legends arrived on January 24, taking us back to the Shivering Isles to keep up with the misadventures of our old pal Sheogorath. For anyone whose forgotten, he’s the daedric prince of madness, and this story is all about the chaos and mania that inevitably ensues. With three new story acts, new game-changing mechanics and a brand new deck of cards, Isle of Madness delivers polished content that adds a fresh aspect to the game. I had a field day checking out the expansion, and though we’ve visited the Shivering Isles in the Elder Scrolls before, I never tire of the hilarity and ridiculousness of Sheogorath’s antics. The new deck of cards remains on brand, with cards such as the Giant Chicken that summons a group of Confused Villagers and Tayvar the Knight/Rayvat the Mage, which is really just the same madman chasing himself around. I compiled a list of my favorite cards from the new deck, and grouped them by their rarity. Here are my picks for 10 of the best new cards in the Isle of Madness expansion.
Common Cards
1. Cloak/DaggerÂ
Isle of Madness introduces double cards to the game — that is, one card that splits apart when drawn to become two separate and playable ones. Cloak/Dagger is a simple double card that made the list due to its low cost and helpful boost it can lend at the beginning of a match. When drawn, the card splits into two different item cards: Cloak and Dagger. The Cloak card adds a +2 modifier to a chosen creature’s health, while the Dagger card adds +2 to any creature’s power. While this isn’t the flashiest card in the deck, it can be useful if drawn at the start of the match when magicka is low and you already have a creature or two on the board.
2. Drive Mad
This card is one of my favorite common cards because of its versatility. With the Drive Mad card, a creature battles itself, meaning many times you can eliminate enemy cards by having them wear themselves out, or you can trigger Drain and Slay abilities with chain reactions. The cost isn’t too expensive, so it can be used towards the beginning to take out an enemy guard or creature, or even later on in the match if you need a quick Hail Mary.
Rare Cards
3. Lady Syl’s Cruelty
Lady Syl’s Cruelty is an action card that allows you to sacrifice a creature in order to gain magicka equal to its power for that particular turn. At a cost of only 2 magicka points, it can be the make or break between playing a powerful card in your hand that you just can’t afford yet and waiting another couple of turns.
4. Seducer Darkfire
This high-cost, high-impact card can be a pretty strong force if used correctly. When played, the Seducer Darkfire prompts you to choose a cost, and then prohibits your opponent from playing cards with that chosen cost. This card definitely takes a little more experience to grasp, as you must know which cards will likely cause you the most damage and which cost to choose to keep those cards from coming into play. Regardless of this ability, the Seducer Darkfire is also pretty strong with 7 power and 7 health. Arcing back to the previously mentioned card, the Seducer Darkfire may even help edge out your opponent’s options earlier in the match if used in conjunction with Lady Syl’s Cruelty.
5. Mad Dash
Mad Dash can be an excellent little action card when used later in a match. It allows you to move one of your creatures and then add on +1 power and +1 health for each enemy creature in that respective lane. This card can be useful when you and your opponent have taken to stacking cards in opposite lanes, and when you want to make either a powerful creature more powerful or improve one of your weaker guys.
An Honorable Mention in this category goes to the Gnarl Rootbender, which is a creature with a cost of 5 magicka that enables you to draw a card whenever an action targets it. While this is a decent mid-cost card with 5 power, it didn’t quite make the list because its 4 health value keeps it from staying in play for too long.