Today I would like to share a fun Nidhoggr matchup in the Bracket Four of the Modern Champion League.
The Matchup
This 54-mana battle used the Heavy Hitters ruleset, and we both selected Nidhoggr as our summoner. The mirrored summoners made the monster choices especially interesting: I fielded Ironcoil Bulwark, Baron Fyatt, Arachne Weaver, Kelan Gaines, Zyrx the Emberglace, and Calamity. Jesterago answered with Dar 'Gottem' Gearnut, Ironcoil Bulwark, Zarin the Scorch, Silverleaf Warlock, Ujurak Elder, and Calamity.
There are a couple of useful comparisons in those teams. Both lineups included Ironcoil Bulwark and Calamity, while my Kelan Gaines and Jesterago's Silverleaf Warlock shared several listed abilities, including Snipe, Phase, Backfire, and Double Strike. In the pre-battle you can see that we selected different Nidhoggr modifiers for the two sides: Death Blast for me and Speedy Execute for Jesterago.
The rest of the lineups add more contrast. My Baron Fyatt comes with Halving, Scattershot, Ambush, and Blind, while Arachne Weaver brings Corrupted Healing, Scavenger, and Poison. On Jesterago's side, Dar 'Gottem' Gearnut has Trample, Flank, Inspire, and Void; Ujurak Elder is listed with Camouflage, Divine Shield, Strengthen, and Swiftness.
Round One
The first kill went to Kelan Gaines, which took out Jesterago's Silverleaf Warlock. That's a significant early exchange because Silverleaf Warlock was one of the opposing backline cards, and gave a key speed boost and blind support to Jesterago's team.
This was a clean first-round kill and a fast reduction in Jesterago's lineup. Since we are both using Nidhoggr, the difference was not the summoner choice itself; it was how the selected monsters and their recorded abilities played out once the battle began.
Round Two
At the start of the round two another monster on Jesterago's team was eliminated. Ujurak Elder died thanks to the Electrified negative ability damage from his own teamate: Calamity. Then my Ironcoil Bulwark eliminated Dar 'Gottem' Gearnut, then Ironcoil eliminated Jesterago's Ironcoil Bulwark and Zarin the Scorch:
That sequence makes the two Ironcoil Bulwarks a natural point of comparison. The replay lists Enrage, Retaliate, Trample, and Knock Out for both cards. SeattleA's Ironcoil is explicitly credited with eliminating the opposing copy, along with two other opposing units in the same round. The evidence supports describing the sequence; it doesn't tell us whether those eliminations were planned in advance.
My Zyrx the Emberglace recorded the final kill, taking out Jesterago’s Calamity. That card was also a mirror match: both teams fielded a level 4 Calamity with the same listed abilities. The recorded result is a win for me, and Zyrx’s elimination of the opposing Calamity was the final winning shot.
What Stood Out
The sequence is what stands out to me in this battle. Kelan Gaines eliminated Silverleaf Warlock in round one. Then, in round two, there were five more kills: Ujurak Elder, Dar 'Gottem' Gearnut, Ironcoil Bulwark, Zarin the Scorch, and Calamity. My Ironcoil Bulwark did three of the round-two kills, and Zyrx the Emberglace killed the last monster standing.
The teams also shared Nidhoggr, Ironcoil Bulwark, and Calamity, so the matchup included a few direct comparisons alongside the cards unique to each lineup. Taking advantage of the Heavy Hitters ruleset resulted in a win for me against @jesterago, my Ironcoil Bulwark in round two was the key to winning this battle. I’m glad to have the mirrored cards in the lineup because they make the result of the monster selection and positioning easy to follow. The sudden death from Ironcoil Bulwark kills is a really fun aspect of this battle!
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