Grimdave the Unbent marches to heal the time-wounds Palifala left behind. He has the magic. He doesn't have an army. Stand with him. Your mage wagons are his fist and his shield.
Beginning on July 25, 2026, the Third Escalation Conflict introduces another exclusive Legendary Archon, giving Battle Mages a new opportunity to strengthen their collections and bring an entirely new strategy to the battlefield.
Points begin accumulating on July 25, 2026, at 12 PM ET / 4 PM UTC.
The Third Escalation Conflict introduces Grimdave the Unbent, an ancient conifite whose four thousand years of patience have finally burned away.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Rarity | Legendary |
| Mana Cost | 3 |
| Bloodline Dominion | Treefolk |
| Tactic | Incendiary, up to 2 Units |
Bloodline Dominion: Treefolk units can be summoned from any available element.
Grimdave may give Incendiary to up to 2 units.
Incendiary: At the beginning of round 2 and each following round, applies Burning. Burning has a 33% chance to spread to either adjacent unit at the beginning of each round, then all Burning units lose 2 Health. Burning can be cleansed.
Grimdave opens Treefolk strategies across every available element while giving two selected units the potential to ignite a spreading wave of persistent damage.
He does not bring gentle forest magic.
He brings fire.
Grimdave the Unbent is the Escalation Archon of Dave, one of the Top 6 finishers on the Escalation Presale Leaderboard.
As part of his rewards, Dave earned the opportunity to name a Legendary Archon, receive a max-level copy in all three foils, and claim a unique 1-of-1 Archon Skin.
Congratulations to Dave, and thank you for helping bring Grimdave the Unbent to Praetoria.
Grimdave has stood in the high forests of the Pristine Northwest for four thousand years. He is a conifite. Patience is his nature, stillness is his strength, and he has never been one to suffer fools.
Then the blight crept up from the valleys like rot through roots.
Streams flowed backward. A grove of young pines aged a century overnight, needles browning and falling, trunks splitting with false age. A meadow reverted to bare stone, the soil unmaking itself. The valley was falling into ruin.
Grimdave felt it deep in his heartwood. Time itself was sick, and the realm was breaking.
He did not act rashly. Conifites watch, weigh, and endure. But Grimdave’s patience is famously sharp, and his temper, once stoked, burns hotter than any dry-season crownfire. When the rot finally touched the oldest grove, the one where his progenitors had taken root before the Splintering, his stillness shattered.
The time for waiting was over. The forest would not be saved by prayer, nor by stillness, nor by watching another grove blacken from the edge inward.
Grimdave tore his roots from the earth with a sound like thunder.
Across the slopes, other treefolk stirred from their groves. Some had not moved in centuries. Some had never seen the ancient one walk. But when Grimdave descended, they followed. Not because he asked. Not because he pleaded. Because four thousand years of rooted will moved before them, and the forest knew its own wrath.
He is not gentle. He is not merciful. He is old, severe, and dangerously certain. But when the world darkens beneath a spreading rot, even the softest saplings look to the oldest tree.
In battle, Grimdave does not fight with gentle magic. He fights with scorching, volatile resin. His sap runs thick and angry, seeping from his ironbark in long amber ropes. He lays down suffocating barriers across forest paths that ignite the moment the corrupt set foot on them. He hurls heavy gobs of boiling pitch that splatter across bark, armor, and flesh. The flames spread and his enemies run, but the fire clings. They roll on the ground and dive into streams, but Grimdave’s wrath does not wash away.
One after another, the blighted fall.
When Grimdave advances, the younger treefolk advance with him.
Four thousand years bought him wisdom. Four thousand years taught him restraint.
But even the eldest conifite has a final season of patience...
The Third Escalation Conflict continues the established Escalation system.
Battle Mages can load eligible cards and packs into Mage Wagons, accumulate points throughout the 30-day event, and earn Chances toward Grimdave the Unbent and his premium foil versions.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligible Cards | Escalation Mini-Set and Escalation Promo cards only |
| Eligible Packs | Escalation packs only |
| Wagon Requirement | 1 existing Mage Wagon or 2 Wagon Kits |
| Conflict Duration | 30 days |
| Cooldown Periods | Standard wagon cooldowns apply |
| Reward Type | Escalation Legendary Archon cards |
| Repair Costs | 1 Wagon Kit per repair |
| New Wagon Cost | 2 Wagon Kits |
All existing and newly crafted Mage Wagons may participate in the Third Escalation Conflict, provided they are not damaged.
Each wagon can hold:
| Wagon Capacity | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cards per Wagon | 5 |
| Packs per Wagon | 100 |
Every loaded wagon contributes toward your Conflict point total and the number of reward Chances you earn.
Existing Mage Wagons from the previous Escalation Conflicts remain eligible. Any damaged wagon must be repaired before it can participate again.
| Card Type | Conflict Points |
|---|---|
| Regular Foil | Collection Power equals Points |
| Gold Foil | Collection Power equals Points |
| Gold Foil Arcane | Collection Power equals Points |
| Black Foil | Collection Power × 0.6 |
| Black Foil Arcane | Collection Power × 0.6 |
| Pack Type | Points |
|---|---|
| Escalation Standard Pack | 125 |
Battle Mages looking to expand their war effort have two ways to acquire additional wagons.
Two Wagon Kits are required to construct one Mage Wagon.
Each Wagon Kit requires:
| Resource | Amount |
|---|---|
| Wood | 17,500 |
| Stone | 7,000 |
| Iron | 1,750 |
| Aura | 1,250 |
Wagon Kits are tradeable and may be bought or sold through the non-card market.
Wagon Kits may also be acquired using DEC or Credits. The system uses DEC behind the scenes to purchase the required kits from the market.
Every airdropped Conflict card damages one Mage Wagon.
This applies to your full wagon inventory, not only the wagons actively participating in the current Conflict.
One Wagon Kit is required to repair each damaged wagon.
A player owns 100 Mage Wagons and loads 30 of them for the Conflict.
If that player receives 40 Grimdave cards from the airdrop, 40 of their 100 total wagons will become damaged and require repairs before they can be used again.
Every 100,000 points earns you 1 entry toward the Conflict airdrop.
Each entry has a 0.266667% chance to receive the Conflict card.
A guaranteed drop is awarded after 375 entries.
⚠️ Gold Foils, Black Foils, Gold Foil Arcanes, and Black Foil Arcanes are not obtainable through the initial Conflict claims.
Premium foil versions are distributed through the Leaderboard and Foil Draw systems.
Premium Grimdave rewards will be distributed through:
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10 Gold Foils and 1 Limited Edition Skin |
| 2 | 9 Gold Foils and 1 Limited Edition Skin |
| 3 | 8 Gold Foils and 1 Limited Edition Skin |
| 4 | 7 Gold Foils and 1 Limited Edition Skin |
| 5 | 6 Gold Foils and 1 Limited Edition Skin |
| 6–10 | 3 Gold Foils and 1 Limited Edition Skin |
Total Leaderboard Distribution:
| Draw | Requirement | Prizes |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Foil | Own at least 1 BCX, with no mint restriction | 60 Cards and 50 Skins |
| Black Foil | Own a max-level copy | 9 Cards and 50 Skins |
| Gold Foil Arcane | Own a max-level copy | 5 Cards and 50 Skins |
| Black Foil Arcane | Own a max-level copy | 1 Card and 50 Skins |
Total Foil Fortune Draw Distribution:
Every Chance earned through the Conflict event also acts as a draw entry that can be allocated toward special Foil Fortune Draws for premium versions of the Conflict card.
Players may:
After each Conflict ends, players will have a two-day allocation period to decide how their Chances will be distributed among the available Foil Fortune Draws.
Once the allocation period ends, the Foil Fortune Draws will be conducted and rewards distributed.
Potions may be used to increase the number of Foil Fortune Draw entries, up to double the number of Chances allocated to a specific draw.
A player allocates 100 Chances to the Black Foil Fortune Draw.
That player may use up to 100 Midnight Potions, increasing their total to 200 Black Foil draw entries.
| Foil Fortune Draw | Potion Required per Bonus Entry |
|---|---|
| Gold Foil | 1 Alchemy Potion |
| Black Foil | 1 Midnight Potion |
| Gold Foil Arcane | 1 Lustrous Potion |
| Black Foil Arcane | 1 Lustrous Potion |
During this period, Battle Mages can:
Wagon preparation operates independently from the Foil Fortune Draw process. Players may prepare wagons for the next Conflict while Foil Fortune Draw allocations are taking place.
Grimdave the Unbent brings a dangerous new tool to the battlefield.
He opens Treefolk combinations across every available element.
He gives Incendiary to two units.
And once the flames begin to spread, even the battlefield itself may struggle to contain them.
For four thousand years, Grimdave stood still.
Now, he advances.
Prepare your wagons.
The Third Escalation Conflict begins July 25.
The forest has waited long enough.
