A Review of LoN Pet Cards From a Veteran Everquest and LoN Pet User

Why a pet guide?

As a longtime magician (the primary pet class of Everquest) and someone who has followed LoN since its announcement at the 2007 Fan Faire, I knew the first thing I wanted to do when I got my hands on the beta of the game was to construct myself a pet deck.

The purpose of this guide

I'm not going to build a deck and show you how to play it. Instead, I'm going to review the pet cards and their supporting abilities, discuss some of their merits and their strategies. I hope after reading this guide that you have a better understanding of the power of pets, which ones are effective in which kinds of decks, and are able to implement these tactics into your current strategies. I will be using a five star ***** rating system to rate the cards.

Firstly, what constitutes a pet deck?

Well, it has to be a mage deck. No choice here, all the pet cards/abilities are mage cards. A pet deck will, of course, involve several pet units, and some abilities that interact with them. Pet cards can be used to supplement another strategy, or used exclusively to their own ends.

Why use a pet deck?

If you're not someone who just enjoys playing pets like I do, you may not see much of a point in creating a pet deck. Indeed, with all the types of decks to make, you may feel that a pet deck isn't worth the time. However, pets (depending on type) can be some of the most powerful offensive units in the game, can stop an attack in its tracks, or even assist questing. Another important reason to consider pets is out of simple necessity. Mages are a low-defense archetype by nature, a good combination of pets can remedy this to a large degree.

The pet cards themselves

I'll be seperating the pets based on their element. Oathbound included 6 different pets. 2 earth, 2 fire, 2 air. Forsworn added to the pet arsenal with three undead pets and another earth pet. Additionally, there are 3 pet-based abilities in Oathbound, and 2 in Forsworn.

Air

Aery Outrider

A very statistically weak pet, but also at a relatively low cost. Aery Outriders should not be used unsupported. There is often a desire to play them early due to their low cost, but I'd advise that you keep them and use them in a much more potent combination with other units. Two or more of these can really halt opposing defense, especially if they're supported with a stance or other units. Their lack of a damage bonus is unfortunate, but forgivable given their relatively low cost, four total stats, and wide-range ability.

Rating: ****

Aery Stalker

The only Oathbound pet not actually tooled for combat. The Aery Stalker is quite potent, again, when used in numbers. The effect fully stacks, and three or four stalkers can make completing quests with even one-experience abilities a breeze (pun intended). However, this difference in function means that the Aery Stalker may not find its place with other pets in a conventional pet deck. The cost of 3 is relatively high if you're not going to benefit much from the ability. However, it still benefits from pet-based abilities and may be worth including, even in a non-quest deck, if you need to fill out your units.

Rating: ***

Fire

Igneous Adept

Moreso than any other pet, Igneous Adept cannot function alone and without ability assistance. It has a single HP and its main ability is not usable when it is going into combat alone (unless you intend for it to kill itself with a 0/0 draw). However, when coupled with other units (or Provocation, which I'll talk about later) to give it the ability to win a fight, its 3 damage bonus while attacking becomes very potent, and is one of the main offensive powers of the pet arsenal. Resist the urge to play this card early and you'll be rewarded with a powerful damage bonus once you have some other units on the field. Be prepared for this unit to be the target of all manner of "deal 1 damage" attacks and accept that, to a wise opponent, your adept will likely not get in many strikes before being obliterated.

Rating: ****

Igneous Savant

The powerhouse of the mage arsenal, and indeed one of the most potentially dangerous units in the entire game. Your opponent will tremble should you ever manage to land an open hit with a boosted Igneous Savant. The 5-power cost makes it clear that this is not an early game card, but it does have the stats to back up its high-power cost. 3 HP puts it on the upper side of survivability, and 3 attack gives it the ability to assist when its damage bonus isn't required. The true power of this card, however, is revealed through careful planning and seeding of the field with fire-trait cards. A prepared playfield is what transforms the Igneous Savant from a simple pet force to be reckoned with, to a one-shot-killing machine capable of wiping out multiple enemy units, or even destroying a foe in one strike. The downside with the Savant is, of course, the same as the downside to all high-power high-cost units: it will quickly come under fire by everything your opponent has to stop it from being able to use its incredible damage potential.

Rating: *****

Earth

Tellurian Follower

The only pet that offers the protection from direct attacks a mage avatar sorely needs. When coupled with a consistent method of healing, followers can thwart consistent powerful avatar v. avatar strikes. They also make a good basic pet, and are one of the only pets I do recommend playing early in the game. Their 2 defense and 2 HP gives them good survivability and makes them a match for most other early units. Unfortunately, if your opponent doesn't favor direct attacks, their ability is somewhat crippled.

Rating: ****

Tellurian Avenger

My least favorite pet, personally. It is, stat-wise, the most base powerful of all of the pets. 3 defense and 4 HP give it very good survivability. However, as a 5-power creature I feel that it should have a good ability to back up those base stats. The damage bonus for level tokens just doesn't pull through much of the time. There are just so many ways to put a stop to leaving tokens on a quest, not to mention the fact that you can hurt your own damage potential with your own unstoppable questing. With a properly build deck, it might be fully exploitable for a nice damage bonus, but five power can usually be put to many better uses than summoning a Tellurian Avenger.

Rating: **

Tellurian Recruit

The only new elemental with Forsworn, Tellurian Recruits are an excellent pet overall. They can really wipe the smile off the face of someone who enjoys constantly playing extra weak units. Their 6 total stats for 2 power also makes them a very efficient unit, even moreso when coupled with a good stance. They suffer, as many other pets, from the lack of a damage bonus. Recruits also suffer from being simply unremarkable for the most part. However, they're still easily worth loading up four for a pet deck.

Rating: ****

Undead

Rotting Thrall

An interesting card, and the first of the new Forsworn undead pets reviewed. At first glance, its 9 total stats for 4 power put it middle-of-the-road in efficiency. It has the bulk of stats that many pets lack, but also at twice the cost of lower pets. Its ability, sadly, is extremely situational. The thrall must be defending and un-exerted, and then must be destroyed for a simple 1 damage to all enemies. While this may be worth it to destroy a horde of one-HP creatures, or work an enemy avatar just far enough down for you to land the killing blow, it is generally not the best thing to sacrifice such a substantial unit for. At least the thrall has 3 HP so you can use it throughout the first two and finally sacrifice it at the end. Still, the thrall provides necessary damage bonus, and can combo up very well with other undead-specific cards.

Rating: ***

Grim Spellbinder

The only rare pet in Forsworn, the spellbinder has a somewhat unique ability. With proper healing, the spellbinder can cause great annoyance to any deck, delaying abilities for a turn each. The cost of this is a savvy player being able to kill the unit through indirect means at an opportune time for them. This makes the pet unreliable for regular combat purposes, but decent enough as an supplement to your primary force. Again the undead tag can ensure this unit is put to use again after death, if you tune your pet deck in that direction.

Rating: ***

Restless Bones

The most interesting pet unit I saved for last. While its ability can be useful in your average pet deck, this pet really becomes interesting when used in combination with undead-enhancing/ressurecting cards. With either a necromantic orb or the use of the iksar discard-pulling ability, Restless Bones become a force to be reckoned with. Their ability allows you to quickly raise an army wherever you wish, which is not only great for when you've buffed up your units using stances/items, but gives you an expendable force for cards that require you to sacrifice units, or even just something to absorb damage. For sheer adaptibility when used in combinations and a fun mechanic, these pets are my favorite.

Rating: *****

Pet-Enhancing Abilities

Summon Servant

While questing mages will know this card for its excellent 2:3 power/exp ratio, it is also one of the main benefits of using pet units. Whether it is pulling out restless bones from your deck to grab the ones out of the graveyard, getting your igneous savant out to lay the smackdown, or simply pulling in a last-ditch Tellurian Recruit to stem the tide of enemy units, you'll love your Summon Servants.

Rating: ****

Renew Servant

An all-around decent ability providing 2 exp or 1 defense for two power, in addition to the healing factor. This is a very nice card to have and I would've recommended four in every pet deck without fail up until Forsworn came out. The issue with Forsworn is the advent of shadow-type undead pets and abilities. Since Renew Servant is light-type and pet decks synergize much better with shadow now, Renew Servant has, sadly, fallen out of favor.

Rating: ***

Devour Health

Forsworn's shadow answer to Oathbound's Renew Servant. This card fills a deep niche in the mage archetype as a whole and makes itself well worth including. Mage archetypes lack healing as a whole, and this card provides it very effectively in the right deck. Unlike Renew Servant, this card's effect can be used many times (even more if you have multiple cards out). The exertion effect on an exp-giving ability is also desirable as a way to have exp abilities in play without being forced to quest. The average efficiency of 2 power for 2 exp/1 defense ensures that this card has no real nasty detriment and can be played effectively even without an immediate need for healing. The only time this card isn't really recommended in a pet-based deck is when the player has chosen to go with Renew Servant and other light-faction cards instead. Otherwise, this card is an excellent, and even must-have, addition to a pet deck. Combo it with Restless Bones and some sort of ability to re-play undead (Necromantic Orb/Iksar Avatar) for free healing fodder.

Rating: *****

Plague of Rats

A great tactic to use in combination with undead pets. Few other tactics can offer the return of attack-to-power that Plague of Rats does with a good amount of pets on the field. The fact that if you go all the way shadow you get some additional damage out of it is just icing on the cake.

Rating: ****

Provocation

The first of two pet stances, and an absolutely vital part of any pet deck. The innate attack bonus granted when any pet attacks can allow Igneous Savants to both win a fight and exert for their DB on their own. It is great to be able to attack and win without exerting anything as well. The downside is that the card can become very dangerous if you start losing combat. The extra damage won't do anything unless you lose though, so just keep your pet army strong and you'll do great. As an added bonus, the stance is a source of always-in-demand defense for the mage. Exerting your stance for 2 defense won't even adversely affect its main bonus. And if all that wasn't enough, if you get tired of it (or draw another and need to replace, or just really need to finish off a unit) you can destroy it for a one-damage potshot at something.

Rating: *****

Volatile Refuge

Forsworn's answer to Provocation, and the second pet stance. It is pretty much the defensive version of Provocation. Unfortunately, as cool as it would be to have an unstoppable wall of pet defense, you usually can't goad your opponent into attacking in a fight they'll lose. So the defensive bonus is almost completely negated (except as a deterrant) and there's a good chance the opponent will eventually break through and that extra damage will hurt. However, Volatile Refuge retain's Provocation's use as an excellent defensive card with a nice sacrifical bonus should you need to get rid of it, so it is still a very useful card.

Rating: ****

So that's it, the raw essentials of a pet deck. But what is the best way to use them?

Well, the basic combos should be pretty noticeable. Provocation interacts well with most of the pets, particularly Igneous Savant. Renew Servant can keep Tellurian Followers going, and Volatile Refuge can be used in conjunction with Aery Outriders and Tellurians to build up a very thick early game defense. However, some of the more dangerous combinations require a deck theme unto themselves to be grafted onto the pet base.

Igneous Savant Damage Bonus Apocalypse

The basic strategy is to 1) Amass anything with the fire trait on the field. 2) Clear a path for a good shot at the enemy. 3) Draw or use Summon Servant to get ahold of an Igneous Savant. 4) Use a very high damage bonus Igneous Savant to either instantly kill your opponent, or at least severely cripple them.

The best cards to facilitate this? Well, you already have Igneous Adepts, but what else to flesh it out? Fire goblins. They're cheap, fire-trait units, and if they do die several of them can take enemies with them. Notable fire cards good to include in a Savant Burn Deck are as follows.

Fire Goblins

• Fire Goblin Shaman
• Fire Goblin Scout
• Fire Goblin Warrior
• Fire Goblin Wizard

Fire Items

• Fiery Twisted Earring Mage FS Item
• Red Glowing Robe Mage FS Item
• Flamepaw Staff Mage FS Item
• Fire Crafted Belt Generic OB Item
• Necklace of Fiery Gazes Generic OB Item (Not the greatest idea, due to a very high cost, better off playing several cheaper fire cards)
• Cloak of Flames Generic FS Item (Again, high cost, although the CoF has a nice effect if you're questing on the side)

Fire Abilities

• Fiery Inferno Mage OB Ability (High cost made up for by being an excellent defensive ability, burn ability, and game-ending trump card)
• Shock of Fire Mage OB Ability
• Lavastorm Mage OB Ability (Expensive)
• Sunstrike Mage OB Ability (Way too expensive)
• Fiery Grandeur Mage FS Ability (Excellent with your hopefully large goblin army)
• Ball of Incineration Mage FS Ability (Costly)
• Immolation Mage FS Ability (Expensive, but worth keeping one around simply to get rid of troublesome uberunits)

Other

• Fire Drake
• Fire Giant

I usually like to include a good amount of goblins, a couple abilities, and at least one of each of the fire items. It is all worth it to see the look on your opponent's face when you exert a Igneous Savant for an incredible damage bonus. With the fire goblin route, you're also free to branch off into other shadow-related cards, perhaps building a goblin deck and taking only the fire pets/summon and a provocation, then using sacrifice and other things to great effect. The Iksar shadow-digging avatar could be put to great use here, although not perhaps not as well as in...

Skeletal Hordes using Restless Bones

The awesome part about Restless Bones is their ability to have all four of them come into play with just one summoning. A pet deck built around Restless Bones would likely be strongly weighted towards shadow, and would definitely make full use of the Iksar avatar's ability. A Necromantic Orb will not only facilitate the cheap revival of your hordes, but will make them even more substantial as well. Not only will your pets benefit from Provocation, but also from undead-enhancing abilities such as those on Fallen Chieftan or Undead tide. And your opponent is really in trouble if you somehow manage to pull together enough power to drop a Rage Filled Gem (an early Bloodwine Cask is excellent at this, by the way). Lacking damage bonus? No problem, have your Dark Vampire devour your undead hordes, only to have them rise again immediately. Simply want to do some direct damage? You'll have no lack of targets for Sacrifice (which you'll be able to re-use if you want to pull it back from discard with your avatar). The possibilities are simply endless with this awesome unit.

Restless Bones also make excellent Devour Health fodder, consume your hordes (hopefully with multiple devours) and then bring them back for easily the most efficient healing available to the mage archetype. The two scenario-reward Forsworn cards Undead Tide and Quill of the Arch Lich also add to the unlimited potential of this skeletal deck. The former can make undead truly a force to be reckoned with, while the latter is yet another card that can make use of your expendable minions to bring abilities back into play (and without the power cost of the Iksar exertion effect). Use both in tandem to achieve multiple damage bonus increases on your undead by getting several tides into play.

And if all this simply isn't enough for you, supplement your undead pet hordes with undead orcs. Fallen Chieftan will facilitate this synergy, immediately benefitting fellow orcs and then later (once you reach shadow faction) supplementing your other undead units. The chieftan himself as well as his fellow undead orcs Fallen Berserker (a possible DB monster) and Fallen Orc (an excellent low-cost unit) will in turn benefit from the undead-enhancing cards already present in your deck.

I'm sure there are many other ways to inventively use pets, and I hope this guide has given you some insight and desire to come up with combinations of your own using this interesting set of cards.

Please let me know what you think of the article, you can comment publically here, or if you want to give me feedback directly, drop me an email.