Otyugh:
Devour is one of the most powerful abilities in the game, and the Otyugh is the premier example of its power. It is a reusable creature control ability for only 1:gravity. Its only restriction is that you can only kill creatures with HP lower than its own, but since it gains +1/+1 after each devour, this becomes less of a factor over time. The more it eats, not only is it more powerful, it's harder to get rid of as well. This card is a must in almost any deck that has a reliable source of
for its excellent creature control. Most rainbow decks feature it.
If your opponent is playing elements that don't have strong creature control, you will want to get the Otyugh out as soon as possible. This will set up a defense against their creatures while you work on your own offense. If you're lucky, this will slow him down long enough to have a commanding lead.
If you know they have creature control, you'll want to find a way to protect it. Quintessence is a very popular combo, as this makes the Otyugh twice as deadly and almost unstoppable aside from Thorn Shield and Fire Shield, or just delayed with Permafrost or Turtle Shield. The Quintessence+Otyugh combo is a key element to most False God Killer Rainbows. Heavy Armor is also effective, since it gives it 9 HP and the ability to take a few hits. This increases its killing potential out of the gate and enough survivability to get itself established. Any other HP buff type cards help in the same manor. When buffing its HP, doing so right before you eat a card that was (formally) to large to eat is a good surprise tactic. The Otyugh is vulnerable to other creature control, so always have a backup plan or a way to buff it if things start going wrong. If you're playing a human and they know what they're doing, it WILL be the first target.
Note: Eating a 1/1 creature of your own is a net gain to your side, or a wash at worst. More so when bone wall, bone yard, or scavengers are on the field.
Cards to combine with Otyugh
A) Quintessence - as explained above. Can substitute with other buffs if necessary.
B) Bone wall - Continually eating things will set up an almost impenetrable defense
C) Vulture - Kill things, it gets bigger.
2) Black Hole
Black Hole is a relativly new card on the scene that's focused on denial. It drains 3 quanta from every pool of your opponent, and heals yourself 1HP for each one drained. As expected, it can absolutely destroy Rainbow decks, as their quanta generation is spread out and it heals 1/3 of your life.
The card is mainly used in
heavy decks, usually monos, as they are generally best used in numbers. Only one Black Hole is just a minor speedbump to your opponent, so a gravity mono is the best way to support multiple black holes, though a duo is feasible as well.
Remember that the main draw of this card is quanta denial, so don't be afraid to use it at full health. But is better to use them when maximum quanta can be drained, especially early in the game when quanta production is slow. With monos and duos this is easy as you only have one pool to watch, but with rainbows you can don't have to wait for all the pools to reach 3.
Cards to combine with Black Hole
A) Pests - A Dark/Gravity duo might be odd, but BH plus Pests will help shut down quanta well
B) Pulverizer - Target their pillars to cement the quanta denial. Pulv uses
already, so that's an added bonus
C) Earthquake - Same as above, but three times as effective. Earth/Grav is an effective duo.
3) Momentum
Momentum is a great card, as its cheep and a great form of offense. Not only does it give a small stat boost, in completely ignores shields - a primary form of defense. It can be used practically anywhere that can use
, but mostly in decks that feature high power creatures, or creatures with crucial abilities, as these are hit hard by most shields.
In general, this is an offensive defense card. Momentum should be played on key creatures that you don't want shut down or killed by a shield. That's pretty much all there is to say on the matter. However, remember that Momentum bypasses everything, including Gravity Pull, so be careful. Be careful against
decks, as buffs do not get refunded when rewound. Though for only 1
, it's not that bad a loss.
Cards to combine with Momentum
A) Otyugh - the extra 1 HP can be all the difference sometimes, as well as shield defense
B) Growth Creatures - The sky is the limit with their attack, so don't let a bone wall or permafrost stop them in their tracks
C) Blessing - Buff up your creature and make sure the buff doesn't go to waste...
