Riot revealed today the details for the next event and expansion to be released in Legends of Runeterra. While Aphelios was initially announced to be joining the game earlier last month, we now have a better look at the supporting cards that will also be assisting him.
For players looking to add these cards to their collection, they can obtain a free copy of each card by logging in everyday throughout the Lunar Celebration event. Aside from the free copies, they can also be crafted by their usual means with either Wildcards, Shards, or Coins.
Here are all of the cards that have been revealed for the Aphelios Champion Expansion.
Aphelios
True to his identity in League of Legends, Aphelios has the longest text in the game and rewards players that can understand all of his mechanics in and out. Aphelios has five different Moon Weapons, all of which are two mana Slow Spells, that can help turn the tide of battle in your favor if you select the best one for each situation.
Aphelios’ Moon Weapons phase in and out after each use, meaning you need to be aware of the two next Moon Weapons that you can select from since each one has a specific path it can go down. The Moon Weapons are as follows:
- Calibrum: Deal three damage to a target follower. Phase Severum or Gravitum.
- Severum: Give an ally +1/+2 and Lifesteal this round. Phase Gravitum or Infernum.
- Gravitum: Stun an enemy. If it’s a follower, stun it again at the next Round Start. Phase Infernum or Crescendum.
- Infernum: Give an ally +2/+1 and Overwhelm this round. Phase Crescendum or Calibrum.
- Crescendum: Summon a two-cost follower from your deck. If it has Nightfall, activate it. Phase Calibrum or Severum.
The Flight
Targon’s newest one-drop unit is comparable to Navori Bladescout thanks to its Elusive keyword and 2/1 stat line. While The Flight is a premium one-drop for its stats and keyword, the Nexus Strike ability makes it a notable tempo loss whenever it successfully performs a direct attack against the enemy Nexus.
Despite this offensive weakness, The Flight can also be used in a pinch as a defensive Elusive unit against early enemy Elusive units like Zoe or Teemo.
The Cloven Way
This new five-mana unit is similar to Aphelios’ Gravitum Moon Weapon, since it can stun an enemy unit if you cast it with its Nightfall Skill. In addition to this, another Stun happens the following turn if the selected enemy unit was a follower. While its stats and keyword are not the best for its cost, the effect provides control in the later stages of the game.
The Cloven Way can potentially be a tool within a Yasuo-Targon deck, as the region has been gaining a Stun identity with cards like Leona, Infinite Mindsplitter, Gravitum, and Sleepy Trouble Bubble.
The Fangs
Modeled after Severum, this new four-cost unit with Lifesteal is another card that Invokes specifically cheaper Celestial units. Similar to The Cloven Way, The Fangs doesn’t have great stats for its cost, but it can potentially help stave off aggro due to its ability to trade with units and restore your health if it reaches the combat stage.
In addition to this, The Fangs can either add to your board in a pinch with The Serpent or help ramp out your expensive cards to appear earlier with Moonsilver.
The Sky Shadows
As a new Behold requirement, this new two-mana unit from Targon will allow Aphelios’ Crescendum weapon to be a viable choice when selecting your initial weapon. This is due to the fact that The Sky Shadows can essentially refund your spell mana after being summoned thanks to Aphelios counting as a Nightfall card.
The Veiled Temple
Targon’s third Landmark helps bind Aphelios as a formidable threat as this landmark rewards you for playing multiple cards within a turn. Whenever you cast two cards within the same turn, your spell mana is refunded and you can grant your strongest ally +1/+1 in combat stats. This stat buff is a permanent one and can help boost your Aphelios to higher life totals to help keep him alive longer.
While it is currently unknown if The Veiled Temple can activate multiple times within the same turn, the new Landmark will be paramount in helping Aphelios find success.
Stress Testing
As the first non-Targon card showed off this expansion, Stress Testing has an interesting dual purpose by either allowing you to remove Fleeting from your cards in hand, or draw a card and give it Fleeting when discarded.
For the Fleeting-removing function, this pairs up well with cards from both Piltover and Zaun and Bilgewater, as both regions have a surplus of abilities that grant cards fleeting. For the discard effect, Stress Testing allows you to potentially retain card advantage in hand after paying discard costs if you’re able to play the newly drawn card.
Gluttony
This new Shadow Isles spell is similar to Glimpse Beyond since you can sacrifice units on your board for newer opportunities. Instead of giving value with card draw, Gluttony gives you an evolution chain similar to The Vaults of Helia, which can provide powerful tempo.
Troll Gifts
Troll Gifts is a part of a cycle of cards that either grants a unit a keyword or enhanced abilities if the unit already has that keyword. Regeneration is powerful for board control because giving your units the chance to heal back to full can make it difficult for opponents to remove.
Stat buffs on Regeneration units is powerful for this specific reason, and Troll Gifts accentuates that idea well as a +2/+2 can turn the tide of battles, deal more damage, and grant more bulk to be healed by the keyword.
Flurry of Fists
Flurry of Fists is the other card of the cycle similar to Troll Gifts. While +1/+0 combat stats and gaining Quick Attack can help make an attack you’re performing in your favor, the ability to have Double Attack on a surprise Burst Spell can give you immense damage opportunities out of nowhere, as dealing double damage with your units can oftentimes end the game.
Powder Pandemonium
Powder Pandemonium is expensive for its initial form, but its effectiveness increases the more you’re able to activate Plunder within a single game. If your opponent has a few blockers, you can summon Powder Monkeys to Challenge them and let your other units swing at the opponent’s Nexus and deal effect damage due to their Last Breath ability.
Wild Claws
Wild Claws is a new non-combat Strike Noxus spell that can combine with your Overwhelm units as other Strike-based Spells contain the battle within the spell and don’t spill over damage to the Nexus. Wild Claws changes this as it can let you deal that excess damage to your opponent if your unit is strong enough.
But since it’s five mana, a Slow Spell, and only gains bonuses when used with Overwhelm units, it will be difficult to use this card effectively as the opponent will have proper time to react.
Molten Breath
Similar to Wild Claws, Molten Breath is a Demacian version of a new non-Combat Striking-spell. Unlike Wild Claws which tries to go for more burn damage, Molten Breath aims for board control, since potentially removing two enemy units with your Fury will allow you to not only destroy two enemies but also buff your unit with Fury with +2/+2 in Combat Stats.
Claim all of these cards when LoR: Lunar Celebration releases tomorrow with Patch 2.1.0.
