GrumpCat’s Guide to Positioning Units

Most of you will already be aware of basic strategic positioning, such as gaining control of the middle lane. However, positioning units goes beyond simply placing a unit on a particular lane. I’ve seen a fair amount of players putting strong units in harm’s way, when this could be completely prevented. This guide will hopefully provide you with a basic understanding on keeping your units alive.

Structures

 

There are certain structures which are used as “blockers” and some which are used as “attackers”, although attackers can be used as both. An example of a “blocker” would be Eternal Statue, this type of structure should always be placed on the front row, furthest away from your idols. This is because your creatures will be protected behind it, so the structure protects both the idol and your other units.

Attackers such as a Mangonel can be a bit more flexible, you may want to place one in the middle of a lane to damage a particular set of opponent units. Although you should be aware that this will limit your own units movements around the board, and should be prepared to play around this. You can work around this problem with other movement scrolls such as transposition.

An example of a structure which can be used as both would be the Hellspitter Mortar. This should always be placed on the front row due to the high health of this unit. It’s random attack is not consistent, but when it does land it can be an unexpected nightmare for your enemy. Have more than one of these down, and you increase your chances even more.

There may also be some structures you’d rather protect, such as the Ancestral Totem. This should be placed on the opposite side of the board from your opponents units, where possible of course. Otherwise, you may want to place a larger unit in front of it, such as a Brother of the Wolf with Dryadic Power.

One important thing I feel I should mention is, don’t think that something is safe just because it’s hiding behind a structure. Scrolls such as Pother and Flip can bring out things from behind them, or put your structures in awkward places. In this case you will have to work on building your defences back up, this may require you moving up a lane if a structure such as a Waking Stone has been moved.

Small creatures (those with 2 or less health)

  

Each of the resources have small creatures among their repertoire, and each of them will be played differently depending on the creature and the aim of your deck. For example, in a Mono Growth deck the Sister of Fox is used to draw, and then used again as food for Fertile Soil. In the early turns of the game you want to keep her alive for this purpose, so you should play her away from opponent units.

Later on in the game you may want to use her to protect a unit against an attacker without relentless. This play style is particularly prominent in the GO draw deck. Therefore, she can be placed on the front row in place of a structure. While she serves little threat with one attack, if you play God Hand she can easily take out something with 3 health, clearing the way for your other units.

Then there are the more aggressive small creatures, such as Crossbowmen and Scattergunner. This can be played early game to put on pressure while you ramp for more resources. Although they can be killed easily, if your opponent gets unlucky draws or ignores them for too long, your board presence can become overwhelming.

You also need to be prepared for board sweeps when playing small creatures. Scrolls such as Thundersurge and Inferno Blast will wipe out small creatures. Even Decimation can be deadly, if you play three Vaettr of the Wild on the same lane for example. Unfortunately, Energy also has Spark and Burn – which are perfect for the removal of small and medium creatures.

 

Medium creatures (3- 4 health)
 

Medium creatures are the most flexible in terms of placement, however you should always be conscious of Kinfolk Veterans when playing against Growth. If you are playing Order, Spearmen should always be on the front row and sometimes you may want to play two of them on the same lane, which is perfectly acceptable.

Skirmishers can be played in the front or middle lane while you are waiting to draw into something defensive, but as these are your main attackers you really want to look after them. Even putting an Infantryman in front of them is much safer.

When playing Growth, your medium Creatures such as Brother of the Wolf and Mangy wolf are more often used as blockers for the Great Wolf or Ancestral Totem. They can be placed on the front row or the middle, depending on how many small creatures you have available. Smaller creatures should be in front of medium ones where possible.

For Energy, the Gun Automatons and Gravelocks should be kept behind something defensive such as a Hellspitter mortar where possible. Otherwise they can be used to protect your more important units such as the Gravelock Elders. Using bombard with small and medium creatures can catch your opponent off-guard, this allow you more time to get your larger creatures down.

 

Large Creatures (5 or more health)

 

Where you place large creatures will depend on your resource and the creatures ability. For example, if you are playing Order and want to play an Honourable General – you should place him behind something defensive such as a Spearman, and as close to other attacking units as possible, so that you can make use of his cooldown reset ability. You should be wary of placing a useful unit like this on the front row as they will be crucial for building your attacking force.

The Great Wolf is not one of the largest creatures by itself, but due to the buff it receives from other wolves it is a major threat. For a Growth player, keeping one of these alive is key for victory. Therefore, they should be shielded from harm using the smaller wolves if no structures are in the deck. 

This differs entirely from the Cannon Automaton in Energy. Due to its Armour 1 ability, it’s best played on the front or middle row so that it can soak up damage while still being used as an attacker. Place an enchantment such as Potion of Resistance or Plating on this creature, and you’ve created a huge threat on the board.