I've seen a lot of discussions on the plot decks. Mostly about when to spend threat, when to bring out an agent, and what groups to use for playing an agent. What I haven't seen are any comparisons between the plot decks. Which plot deck is your favorite? Which do you think is "best"? Which is most flexible? I don't currently own any of them but I would still love to hear about people's opinions.

I've seen a lot of discussions on the plot decks. Mostly about when to spend threat, when to bring out an agent, and what groups to use for playing an agent. What I haven't seen are any comparisons between the plot decks. Which plot deck is your favorite? Which do you think is "best"? Which is most flexible? I don't currently own any of them but I would still love to hear about people's opinions.

Great question. I want to know as well. What I have to say unfortunately is not going to help you at all. I have all of the plot decks, but I have yet to use any of them.

Having said that, I really like what I saw from Skarn's plot deck that was partially revealed by FFG in a News bulletin. Unfortunately, that deck is not available yet.

I feel like I just wasted your time ... wish I could at least give you a virtual beer.

This inplies only me, but I really like Splig's deck.

Most of his card are helpfull to keep a particular monster or lieutenant alive, some can help to be aggressive, and finally, the splig agent is really cool, and maybe the better one, with "him instead" that can be use anytime, he is virtualy unkillable, and his "get them" act 2 power, he can make really big ravages on the heroes.

Imagine all attacks of Kobolds, firehounds, harpies, or any other I may have missed, having all a free surge, +1 damage, and +1 shiled, and splig himself, in exchange of only a master, making all thoses attacking again with the same bonuses ? Ok, heroes would have 3-5 fortune token, but for what use if they are all eating the ground ?

Valyndra would be my second choice. As an agent, she's a really big tank and can surprises heroes. In her deck, you will find multiple things playing with big monsters, as open groups would oftenly be big monsters, it's cool. She has multiple things for different situation, decreasing stats for test, moving heroes when a monster deploy, gaining immune to pirce and a bonus of life, attacking a hero who searches, Really usefull and summoning her is always a threat for heroes ! Really cool

finally, Alric Farrow's deck is powerfull too, boosting all master monsters. One of his card is really powerfull, some are cool but situationnal, and the agent is as much of them, too pricey to be of some use, alas. But for 3 threats, adding +2 heath, surge +2 damage AND a brown die to ALL master monsters on the map IS really cool.

I haven't tested thoses, but Verminous looks like cool since he can predict overlord cards, and even boosting draw cards as an agent, and since he is big and can take good damage, it can be of some uses. Rylan could also be cool in some scenarios as an agent to give actions to a particular monsters, as a lieutenant.

Hopes it helped !

Baron Zachareth is without question the strongest plot deck. However, it's generally best to avoid using the summon agent card at all in general, and this is why this deck is strongest (disregard the agent portion of it). If you really like summoning the agents, I'd suggest a plot deck that gives up few monsters for it (like Eliza Farrow) or an absurdly strong Agent, like Queen Ariad or Mirklace.

Raythen is probably the best deck for pissing off the heroes though, and is a great answer to the treasure hunter. Still, the power of Baron Zachareth's deck is outrageous. The ability to draw 2 overlord cards for 1 threat is hilariously powerful, as is the ability to go into a quest with a plot deck of only 13 cards rather than 15. It drastically increases the power of the infector deck, and generally allows you to always get your best cards when you want or need them. Zachareth's is, hilariously enough, also the most flexible because it focuses on getting you overlord cards: which you've tailored through xp expenditures to punish the heroes' weaknesses, and generally give you more options.

Baron Zachareth is without question the strongest plot deck. However, it's generally best to avoid using the summon agent card at all in general, and this is why. If you really like summoning the agents, I'd suggest a plot deck that gives up few monsters for it (like Eliza Farrow) or an absurdly strong Agent, like Queen Ariad or Mirklace.

Raythen is probably the best deck for pissing off the heroes though, and is a great answer to the treasure hunter. Still, the power of Baron Zachareth's deck is outrageous. The ability to draw 2 overlord cards for 1 threat is hilariously powerful, as is the ability to go into a quest with a plot deck of only 13 cards rather than 15. It drastically increases the power of the infector deck, and generally allows you to always get your best cards when you want or need them. Zachareth's is, hilariously enough, also the most flexible because it focuses on getting you overlord cards: which you've tailored through xp expenditures to punish the heroes' weaknesses, and generally give you more options.

Agreed. I haven't used Zachareth's plot deck myself, but the powerful strategic options are clear.

Belthir is probably one of the simplest Plot Decks to use as the Plot cards all synergize with the Basic 1 deck. You can practically ignore buying any OL cards and convert nearly all your Xp into extra threat to buy/use Plot cards as much as you'd like. (Of course don't overdo it, don't want to give the Heroes an advantage with Fortune tokens) There are a few exceptions, simple traps like Web Trap and early Warlord cards like Blood Rage can replace the Basic 1 cards that Belthir's plot deck doesn't interact with.

Different plot decks are best with different hero combinations... there really is no best.

Different plot decks are best with different hero combinations... there really is no best.

I was really just about to point this out. The versatility of all the plot decks makes it hard to say which is best. Similarly asking "which hero is best" is also hard to say cause they all excel in certain scenarios.

Some decks work great with a purely magic OL deck. Others work wonders off poison/diseases. Yet again, others focus on pushing big monsters down the heroes throats.

It truly comes down to play style, what kinda of OL deck you're planning to build in response to hero/class selections and other various factors. Currently, I have a campaign going using Tristayn's deck. I picked it kinda randomly but it's working out in my benefit now.

I mentioned Baron Zachareth because it doesn't matter at all what your specialty is with his: it's so outrageously good with anything. His plot deck focuses on improving your overlord deck draws.

I mentioned Baron Zachareth because it doesn't matter at all what your specialty is with his: it's so outrageously good with anything. His plot deck focuses on improving your overlord deck draws.

You're right, but that depends too on what you search on plot deck. Personnaly, the agent is the only reason why I play them, and I must say that plenty of them are useless, and I would have loved plot decks would have been made different in the first place, but it's too late ...

So, Zachareth as an agent is weak and really disapointing. So, if, like me, you like to play agents, there's not many of them.

I mentioned Baron Zachareth because it doesn't matter at all what your specialty is with his: it's so outrageously good with anything. His plot deck focuses on improving your overlord deck draws.

You're right, but that depends too on what you search on plot deck. Personnaly, the agent is the only reason why I play them, and I must say that plenty of them are useless, and I would have loved plot decks would have been made different in the first place, but it's too late ...

So, Zachareth as an agent is weak and really disapointing. So, if, like me, you like to play agents, there's not many of them.

That's why I left that qualifier in my inital post. I personally think you're better off going for the raw power of the cards and ignoring the agent (they're too expensive to summon and aren't usually much, if any, of a power gain, given how many monsters you have to give up for them to hit the field). If you're looking only at agents, Queen Ariad or Mirklace (or an agent like Eliza Farrow which gives up only the master monster of a group) are the better choices.

If you're looking only at agents, Queen Ariad or Mirklace (or an agent like Eliza Farrow which gives up only the master monster of a group) are the better choices.

I don't think so ! Mirklace replace a full group, and it's usually better to have 2 monsters, 2 targets of attacks and two possibilities of attack, if not more, than only one. I don't see the point of replacing giants with Mirklace for exemple.

Queen Ariad has the same trouble, and she is weaker, except if you play many trap to make her move a lot and let her have a hope to make an attack. And same here, replacing giants with Queen ariad doesn't seems good, except if you're playing at 3 heroes.

and Eliza is not the strongest one. As I said before, Splig is a killer, Rylan is really cool since he can give actions (and I think since the monsters activates outside of his own turn, he can make an attack action)

Eliza gives up only the master monster, and no others, so you can have 4 goblin archers and her. Splig never interested me, but if he only replaces the master, then he'd be good too.

You can't always use giants as your open group. I don't see the point of ever replacing giants with a lieutenant either, regardless of the lieutenant.

I don't have my plot decks handy, but to have Eliza replace a Master Goblin, wouldn't she need to spend extra threat to turn the Goblins into Dark-trait creatures? (IE, I thought Eliza has to choose a group with Dark, but I may be thinking of something else).

I don't have my plot decks handy, but to have Eliza replace a Master Goblin, wouldn't she need to spend extra threat to turn the Goblins into Dark-trait creatures? (IE, I thought Eliza has to choose a group with Dark, but I may be thinking of something else).

I'm 99% certain that this is not the case, but I'd have to check.

Whatever the summon card, the replacement is never about a monster trait.

Just checked over her card and no, she doesn't require a Dark trait on the open group. Just to replace an open group's master monster in order to bring her out.

Obviously, Eliza is not a good replacement for large based monsters, but smaller ones sure. Even better to do so when you're pulling out a master with less HP than she has for the number of heroes. If you were using larger monsters to begin with, you'd probably be using a different plot deck, Valyndra or Bol'Goreth for example.

If you're looking for raw power of the plot deck and don't care about the agent much, I'd absolutely say Baron Zachareth.

If you want a plot deck for the agent and the rest is just icing on the cake, a super powerful agent like Mirklace or an agent that only replaces 1 monster is the way to go. Eliza Farrow and 4 minion goblin archers is pretty strong. Anytime you'd want to use large monsters though for your open group, you aren't going to want to bring in agents at all.

Generally speaking, summoning agents works best with large groups of weaker monsters like Kobolds (if using the conversion kit) or goblin archers/fire imps if not. The main reason is that the agent replaces a finite number of monsters (I.E. Bel'thir replacing 1 master and 1 minion). The bigger the monsters, the more the replacement hurts you. Valyndra as an agent is unfortunately bad for this reason: you want to use big monsters with her deck, but actually summoning her replaces a lot of big monsters. For that reason, agents that replace entire groups are good (because of their insane power and the fact that what group you choose doesn't matter), and agents that replace only 1 monster are good because you aren't sacrificing actions or number of attacks to get the power increase of the agent.

Valyndra as an agent is unfortunately bad for this reason: you want to use big monsters with her deck, but actually summoning her replaces a lot of big monsters.

You miscalculating.

Imagine you're using a big monster group, so 2 monsters in 4 heroes play, or only 1 in 3. Since the rules states that if there's not enough monsters, you replace the entire group. Replacing 1 or 2 big monsters buy 1 really big (and replacing 2 attacks by one finally) is not a big problem. And Valyndra plays with big monters, so herself. So she is really a good choice

Valyndra as an agent is unfortunately bad for this reason: you want to use big monsters with her deck, but actually summoning her replaces a lot of big monsters.

You miscalculating.

Imagine you're using a big monster group, so 2 monsters in 4 heroes play, or only 1 in 3. Since the rules states that if there's not enough monsters, you replace the entire group. Replacing 1 or 2 big monsters buy 1 really big (and replacing 2 attacks by one finally) is not a big problem. And Valyndra plays with big monters, so herself. So she is really a good choice

The optimal choice is to replace the fewest percentage of your group as possible. Choosing a large monster group to replace with valyndra replaces 100% of the group. Choosing a small monster group to replace with valyndra replaces less than 100% of the group, thereby giving you more monsters. It is better however to just choose a big group and not summon valyndra period.