[6/25 UPDATE] NEW TIER LISTS HERE: @bravetofu/conclave-arcana-tier-updates
Here's the second edition of Conclave Arcana Tier Lists - this time focusing on the Epic units. I'm fortunate to have had a chance to play a good amount with these cards, so I'm pretty confident with the ballpark they're each in, though of course in a month or two I may promote or demote some of them. In the meantime, here's where I'd slot each one and why.
S Tier
#1. Lucky Longshot: Double attack for 3 mana would likely make this A tier on its own, however the Lucky Longshot also has Weapons Training and Weaken. The WT is awesome and works very well with cheap (2-mana) Rebellion no-attack cards, particularly in low mana matches. Her 5 health is good as well, however the 2 speed is obviously bad. She's also only available to Death, which does limit her viability compared to for example Moxian Rebel (who is still a stronger card IMO). Longshot works very well with Lorkus (for the +1 Magic and Life Leech) and is also a good match with Cryptic (ability to give double Expose on 2-attack units is great).
#2. Leolin Sifu: Leolin has a tremendous offensive kit. The combination of True Strike with Relentless Strike (which ignores Void/Shield and does +1 damage to those units) and Execute is amazing. She pairs extremely well with EMP (for that Piercing/Armored Strike combo) and with the Silverblade Fighter who gives her Flank so she can attack from the 2nd position, and also extra Armor for that EMP combo. She's susceptible to Tofu, so can benefit from a Deflection Shroud (e.g. Fizbo). The speed buff is a bonus. I'd put her in the low S Tier (so if you were to compare her with every other S Tier card in the game she'd be in the lower end), but she's definitely one of the strongest offensive weapons in the set when used properly.
A Tier
#3. Silvaran Sentinel: I'm guessing this one will be controversial as the Sentinel is currently one of the cheaper Epic cards in the set, however I think we're still fully in price (and card) discovery and I think the value of this card hasn't been factored in sufficiently. I will say that it gets a bonus in MODERN vs WILD, and that's specifically because of the Resurrect. The Sentinel is now one of only TWO cards in Modern with Resurrect (the other one is Goff), and you get it for 6 mana on an EPIC card. It is also the first and currently ONLY non-Legendary card in the game with Resurrect, AND one of the cheapest in terms of mana cost. Besides that, it has great stats (4 damage and 4 speed makes it a great attacker), pairs well with Drath (the Squirrel), camouflages itself (pretty much ensuring it won't be killed before it does a Resurrect), and has slow to boot. Very good card.
#4. Blazebeard Merc: At 3 mana and with 5 damage, Charge, Piercing, and Bloodlust, the Blazebeard Merc is a total offensive powerhouse. The Incendiary makes it pretty volatile, but in my opinion the biggest thing that takes him from S to A is the 3 speed, which is just a tad too low. Sure you can stick True Strike on him with Drath, but then you'll have to worry about Incendiary taking him down. If you give him Life Leech with Lorkus you'll need to worry about whether or not he hits. Overall the liabilities pull him down a notch, and may even get him lower in the As in the future as I get more playtime with him. However, he's definitely a very fun card and can sometimes take over a match.
#5. Ferrous Brewer: A 4 Mana Neutral means the Brewer is highly versatile, and his Charge/Relentless Strike/True Strike combo makes him a very solid pick in many rulesets. Of course he's particularly good in Reverse Speed, but the True Strike means he's still viable in other rulesets as well. Immunity is a bit odd and I can't really find a lot of value for it, but it certainly doesn't hurt the kit.
#6. Abyssal Elemental: 3 magic damage with Blast for 6 mana is already pretty good, but that would be a mid B Tier without Resurgence, which is a meta ability that brings this Elemental back to full health the first time it dies.
#7. Umbral Elemental: Right behind the Abyssal Elemental I stick the Umbral. He's an A Tier for the Taunt and the Deflection Shroud in my mind. The Shroud in particular is extremely useful against the likes of Eternal Tofu and in any match where there's likely to be a lot of Blast or reflections. Having him Taunt with the Deflection Shroud also means any Blast units that attack him won't be able to deal Blast damage. The Void makes him terrific for magic-only rulesets, and the Swiftness is a bonus.
B Tier
#8. Warwall Juggernaut: With Reach and Armored Strike, this guy can be a beast in the second position. However he doesn't have Piercing so he's susceptible to run into Armor, the Painforge is decent but only increases his attack (not armor) and doesn't have a perfectly synergistic partner to go with him (e.g. not like the Wayfinder+Giraffe), and then his Amplify is just a very weird throw-in in my opinion. He's a high B who could get into the A class with the right combo, but otherwise somewhat average for 9 mana.
#9. Songale: Taunt with Bloodline Tribute is a terrific combo, BUT there just aren't enough Drakoshan at the moment for Songale to get much use out of the Tribute. His BFFs are the Shapeshifters (namely the two promo cards and Bren). Besides that, he's a decent Taunt for 7 mana and the Redemption gives an extra little boost. Reckless won't often play a factor, not will Enrage.
#10. Molten Elemental: The Molten Elemental's got an impressive kit on paper. 2 attacks and 5 abilities. However upon closer inspection his kit doesn't synergize very well. He's squishy for 9 mana, so if you put him in the first position he'll need a Taunt in the back line to stay alive. Otherwise you can put him in the second position with a Flank unit in the front. In both cases, you hope he'll go off before he starts getting targeted. His 5 speed is huge, and he's also useful if you expect lots of Magic on the other side, though he can't be used in Magic-only unfortunately. I like him with Lorkus in 2nd position behind a flank, to try to get him to go off with Life Leech before reaching the first position.
#11. Hodlor: Other than having one of the best names in the set (Skychonk probably wins that battle), Hodlor is also a pretty interesting card in certain situations. His double attack (both of which are pretty strong) and Reach is solid and pairs EXTREMELY well with Lorkus. He's a low B Tier for me because he's super squishy at 5 health, making it a bit hard to get him going, and because the Dispel/Phase part of the kit really doesn't synergize with the rest of what he does.
C Tier
#12. Auroral Elemental: The Auroral is the weakest of the Elementals in my opinion. It's definitely not terrible, particularly with the Protect, and Reach gives it the ability to stay out of immediate danger with its 4 health, but it's just not great at anything.
#13. Aranduriel: I love Life Leech, and Ranged sneak is rare (but has debatable utility, outside of surprising the enemy in a Ranged-only ruleset or stacking with Melee sneak units). My biggest issue is I don't see great Archon options for this card yet. If it was Fire or Earth and could be used with Drath, it might be one tier higher.
#14. Folen Flameye: This is another one where I feel it just doesn't have good Archon pairings. With Eternal Tofu, Flank is less of a big factor and Thorns is wasted. With Drath, there's no obvious synergy. Divine Shield and the high health make it a pretty good tank, but there are lots of better options. Overall it's just highly mediocre.
One last note here is you'll see that I put nothing in D/F, which was great to see. This follows there being no D/F in the Legendary class, which makes me feel so far that there are no complete throwaway cards in this set. Well done team.