Rosetta is a return to the realm of Aria. Concealed from the rest of the world, Aria is a timeless paradise where tall verdant trees and iridescent flora cover the landscape in brilliant colour, as colourful as the people who live there.
Ever changing, Aria is frequently altered by the ever shifting ‘Flow', a natural stream of magical energy that constantly changes the environment, changing mountains to valleys, and forests to plains.
But the barriers that obscure Aria from the wider world are fracturing, and Outsiders now have their sights set on the pristine vistas of fair Aria.
Below, in no particular order, you will find a run-down of the 4 Heroes of the set, Aurora, Florian, Oscilio and Verdance. Included is a brief explainer about what they do, my impressions of them and my top 5 cards from the set I would recommend you consider if you choose to play any of them. FAIR WARNING - WAIFUS AHEAD!!!!! 🤤
Table of Contents
Best Oscilio Cards - Lightning Wizard
Kicking things off with my boy, Oscilio. I won’t lie, he’s my favourite of the four heroes of Rosetta. His hero ability allows you, at Instant speed, to discard an Instant from hand to draw a card. It’s such a baller move to do at the end of an opponent's turn. I get a bit of smug satisfaction at the annoyed looks I get whenever I do it. 🤣
He relies on a few different things to get the maximum amount out of the cards within his deck. Firstly, his weapon, Volzar, requires you to play Lightning cards, and for 1 resource, allows you to Amp equal to the number of played Lightning cards. Doing this sufficiently will allow you to trigger the Surge ability on many Wizard cards within the set.
Secondly, but related to the first, Volzar's ability becomes 1 resource cheaper as long as you control an Aura card with 'Sigil' within its name. This is essential to how Oscilio plays, as most Sigils are Instant cards.
Thirdly, several cards within the set have discard abilities, and some of them allow you to Amp by doing so. These cards are a bit of a double-edged sword, however, and can sometimes limit what you can do on your turn.
See below my 5 favourite Rosetta cards for Oscilio:
1: Eternal Inferno
I bloody love this card!!! It’s possibly my favourite from this set as a whole. Dealing 4 Arcane Damage for 1 resource is decent, but add the Surge bonus? Banish itself and play it again!!!! Admittedly, it requires some setup, but for this Lightning Wizard, there are ways to get Go Again and cast Action cards at Instant speed. Throwing 8 Arcane Damage for 2 resources is good in my book, even with the added setup.
2: Current Funnel
A humble 0 cost Blue Attack Action, dealing 2 damage and blocking for 3. Not great damage, however, it isn't the damage for which the card is amazing. This card’s ability starts soooo many combos for Oscilio.
“If the last card you played this turn was Lightning, this and the next action card you play this turn gains Go Again”.
Drop one of the Lightning Sigils, Instants or Attacks before playing this, activate Volzar, then go ham with some majorly Amped Arcane Damage. A perfect option for this is the above mentioned Eternal Inferno.
3: Sigil of Brilliance
A 0 cost Lightning Instant, that destroys itself at the beginning of the action phase, and when it leaves the arena, you draw a card. Free, Instant speed card draw is god tier. Drop this before your opponent passes the turn to get an immediate replacement, or drop it at the start of your turn as a Sigil and Lightning card to allow Volzar, Oscilio’s weapon, to be played for free due to controlling a Sigil and Amp 1 due to playing a Lightning card.
4: Sigil of Aether
Another 0 cost Instant, that at the beginning of your action phase, pings your opponent for 1 arcane, then if damage is dealt, Amp 1. What’s not to like about that??? Throw it out at the end of your opponent’s turn, then snicker evilly as your combo off in your turn. Also, the Marvel version of this card is beautiful. In fact, LLS have killed it with all the Marvel cards in this set.
5: High Voltage
A simple 0 cost Lightning Instant that Amps for 1. The best thing about this card is that it’s an Instant. Throw this down just after playing a Wizard Action dealing arcane damage to hit the Surge threshold, or hold it until your opponent prevents some of your damage and use it as a trump card.
Honourable Mentions
Comet Storm / Shock is one of the new Meld cards. Costing 2 to play either side, or 4 to play both. Comet Storm is an Action, dealing 5 Arcane Damage, and Shock is an Instant, dealing 1 Arcane Damage.
Eclectic Magnetism is a 1 cost Red Lightning Attack Action, dealing 5 damage, blocks 3 and has:
“When this attacks, you may play a non-attack action card this chain link as though it were an Instant.”
This allows you to circumvent the need for Go Again to play some high damaging Wizard cards. This will also force your opponent to decide whether to block the physical damage or pitch cards to prevent the Arcane Damage with equipment pieces with Spell Barrier.
Dishonourable Mentions
Exploding Aether is a bad card, and I’ll tell you why, to quote the late, great Admiral Akbar: “IT’S A TRAP!!!”
It looks good, sitting pretty, offering you Amp 1,2 or 3 depending on the colour, but that’s the trap; it entices you with a sweet pay off, distracting you from its cost….. 2 resources!!! In my not so humble opinion, the cost far outweighs the gain. There are cheaper ways to Amp within the set, and most only require you to discard the card as an Instant, no less!
Null / Shock, unlike the above mentioned, isn’t a bad card by any means. I just think it's very circumstantial. Negating an Instant could be pivotal against some heroes, just not many. Countering Kano’s big play or preventing some damage prevention is all I can see this card offering outside of the Limited (i.e. draft and sealed) environment.
Best Aurora Cards - Lightning Runeblade
WAIFU ALERT!!!! 🤣 Aurora is my 2nd favourite overall, but my preferred of the two Runeblades. As opposed to Florian (see further below), Aurora is far more flexible in regard to deck building. Her Hero ability to make Embodiment of Lightning tokens practically gives you on demand Go Again, making her a tricky Hero to face but an interesting and fun one to play. She’s a Runeblade, which usually means Runechants and blah blah blah. However, in my last draft, one of my opponents built an Aurora deck without a single Runeblade card, a build made entirely out of Lightning cards. And yes, I get that in a Limited environment, such things are possible, but I think it's viable in both Blitz and Classic Constructed.
1: Arc Lightning
An Aurora Specialisation, 0 cost Non-attack action card, that:
“Whenever you Go Again, deal 1 Arcane Damage to ANY target”
It also gives your next Attack action Go Again and itself has Go Again. Start a turn off with this or just after cracking the Lightning Greaves (mentioned below), and your opponent is in for a load of hurt. With proper setup and the right cards, I can see a turn with this card at the start of the combat chain, dealing 20 combined damage easily.
2: Gone in a Flash
This is a sound card if you want to get multiple attacks off in a turn. A 0 cost Red Attack Action, dealing 4 damage, defending for 3 and:
“When this attacks, the next time you play an Instant the chain link, you may return this to its owner’s hand.”
This is the perfect card for long combat chains. Throw an Instant buffing target attack (Lightning Press), the next attack (Electrostatic Discharge) or something like the below mentioned Electromagnetic Somersault to continue hammering your opponent.
3: Electromagnetic Somersault
This 0 cost Instant is an excellent addition to any Aurora deck. It allows you to choose any 2 attack action cards from the combat chain in which it's played and return them to hand. The restriction depends on the played card's colour. Red returns 2 cards costing 0 or more, Yellow, 1 or more, and Blue is 2 or more. I’ll admit, the Blue version is less likely to make it into decks unless you’re running some of the higher cost Runeblade or Generic attacks.
4: Lightning Greaves
Yes, these are one of the Legendary equipment pieces from the set; however, if you want to play Aurora to any competitive standard, these are essential. That's not me telling you to go buy them to play her, she is playable without them, the Greaves just make her better. That said, the Greaves only defend for 1, but have the Battleworn keyword, meaning they get a minus defence counter rather than being destroyed at the end of the combat chain.
Their lacklustre defensive capability aside, the Greaves also boast Arcane Barrier 1, allowing you to prevent 1 Arcane Damage per Resource pitched, good when versus other Runeblades and Wizards. However, where the Greaves shines is with its one and done Instant effect. Pay 1 Resource and destroy the Greaves, and every Instant you play this turn has Go Again! This ability confused me for a while when I first cracked the booster with it in. It wasn’t until I pulled my first Gone in a Flash (mentioned above) that I finally understood this card's place. For 1 turn, it removes your reliance on Embodiment of Lightning tokens for Go Again on cards that don’t have it naturally.
5: Flash
Similar to Electromagnetic Somersault, this also 0 cost, Action card cares about the resource costs of the cards you are playing; however this one simply grants the following card: Go Again. With Red affecting 0 or more, Yellow 1 or more and Blue 2 or more cost cards. Flash, itself, also has Go Again. I’m sure you will be seeing a pattern emerging with the Lightning cards of this set. 😅
Honourable Mentions:
Lightning Form on hit makes an Embodiment of Lightning token. The key words there are ‘On Hit’. It also lacks natural Go Again, so landing it without an Embodiment of Lightning token won’t do your combat chain any favours this turn. Hence Lightning form is here, as an honourable mention.
Fry is a solid, hard working Attack action card. 0 cost, hitting for 3 (R), 2 (Y) or 1 (B) and has natural Go Again. So why isn’t it on the list? 0 defensive value! I've been slapped out of a game more than once for having a hand full of these cards. Fry is good, but very much a double edged sword.
Channel Lightning Valley is a card I’m in two minds about. Drawing a card on the first instance of damage per turn is pretty OP. However, this is balanced out by needing to have pitched Lightning cards equal to the increasing number of Flow counters, or the card is destroyed.
Dishonourable Mentions
Oath of the Arknight, an argument can be made for the Red version of this card being worth the 2 resource cost, but the Yellow and Blue are a con! And I will die on this hill I've planted my flag of bad cards into! Buffing your next Runeblade attack by 3 (R), 2 (Y) or 1 (B) and making a Runechant token for 2 resources. Like I said, Red, yeah, maybe, but the other 2, not a chance, not in my decks! 😝
Best Verdance Cards - Earth Wizard
2nd WAIFU ALERT!!! This one’s dirty too, scrabbling around in the dirt as any good Earth Wizard should. 🤣
Of all the Heroes from Rosetta, Verdance is the one that gives me the most trouble, on and off the table. As an opponent, she’s annoying, especially when her Hero Ability is active.
“If there are 4 (Blitz)/ 8 (Classic Constructed) or more Earth cards in your Banished zone, Verdance gets ‘Whenever you would gain Life, deal 1 Arcane Damage to any opposing target.’
Gain life; ping for damage! I felt like ripping my eyes out the first time I was facing someone using her. It felt so oppressive. I have had good experiences against her, too; the person who chose to use her didn’t draft any of the Decompose cards that allow you to banish cards from your graveyard. Therefore, she couldn’t get her Hero Ability to activate. What was funny was that they didn’t realise this until game 2. 😂
1: Heartbeat of Candlehold
A Verdance specialisation card. This thing, when her Hero Ability is active, is nuts! A 1 cost, Heal 1, Heal 1, Heal 1 and Go Again! Gain 3 life, deal 3 Arcane damage, then Go Again! For 1 resource!! Absolutely crazy card, if you’re building her, get 2 (Blitz)/ 3 (CC) copies!
2: Rampant Growth / Life
I like this card. Not only does it share a name with an MTG card, but it’s also really good. So, it’s a Meld card, and it is split into 2 halves. One half is an Action, Rampant Growth, and the other is an Instant, Life. It’s 0 cost so you can play either side for 0 or both sides for 0. Crazy! Rampant Growth Amps you equal to the amount of Life gain that turn, and Life gains you 1 life. So, at minimum, you’ll Amp 1 when playing this card.
3: Channel the Millennium Tree
The Druid aesthetic wouldn’t be complete with a giant honking tree, would it? It’s good too, Amp 3 when it enters the Arena and at the beginning of your Action phase. It makes your first ‘Spell’ slap hard. The ‘down’ side to the card is the Channel Earth ability, meaning you must have pitched an Earth card for each Flow counter on Channel the Millennium Tree. Flow counters are added at the beginning of your End Phase. I say ‘down’ side because if you haven’t pitched enough Earth cards, Channel the Millennium Tree is destroyed. So, it isn’t going to stay around forever, but a bad hand could see it gone prematurely.
4: Trailblazing Aether
I added this to Verdance’s list because she has some easy ways to Amp. Her weapon, Staff of Verdant Shoots, has Pay 3: "Amp 1. If 1 or more Earth cards were pitched this way, the next time you deal Arcane damage this turn, create an Embodiment of Earth token.” This will allow you to trigger the Surge ability on Trailblazing Aether, granting it Go Again, something lacking on many Earth cards.
5: Blossoming Decay
A physical attack? For a Wizard? What nonsense is this!! Jokes aside, this card is here not for the physical damage, which is decent, but for the Decompose effect:
“When this attacks, Banish 2 earth cards and an action card from your graveyard. If you do, gain 1 life.”
Not only does this card help towards activating Verdance’s Hero ability, but it also synergises by gaining you life. If banishing cards with this one triggers the Hero ability, you gain life and deal free damage. Win! 👍
Honourable Mentions
Fruits of the Forest is a 3 cost Attack Action, hitting for 7 (R), 6 (Y), 5 (B), and blocking for 2. It's a bit meh in my opinion. However, you can discard this at Instant speed and gain 2 life. For that, it gets an Honourable mention.
Fertile Ground, a 2 cost Earth Instant that when played, gains you 2 life. What’s better is that if you have 4 or more Earth cards in your Banishment zone, gain 5 (R), 4 (Y) and 3 (B) life. Need I say more?
Dishonourable Mentions:
Sigil of Earth is a 0 cost, Blue Earth Action - Aura that destroys itself at the beginning of the action phase, and when it leaves the Arena, creates an Embodiment of Earth. It's not a bad card, but to me, it just doesn’t fit anywhere. Embodiment of Earth tokens only stays in the Arena for 1 turn, limiting their usefulness, at least for Verdance.
Best Florian Cards - Earth Runeblade
Unlike Aurora, Florian requires a more fine balance between his Talent (Earth) and his Class (Runeblade) cards. Earth cards, when banished with Decompose cards, active his Hero Ability:
“If there are 4 (Blitz) / 8 (CC) or more Earth cards in your Banished zone, Florian gets:
‘Whenever you would make 1 or more Aura token, instead create that many plus 1 of each of those tokens.’
This ability is the core of what Florian needs to quickly whittle his opponent's health away with Runechant tokens, bolstering his defences with Embodiment of Earth tokens and beating them down with heavy Earth and Runeblade Attacks.
1: Arcane Cussing + Deadwood Dirge
Here’s a two-fer. These two cards combo together brilliantly, especially the Red versions.
Arcane Cussing is a 1 cost Runeblade Action that enters as an Aura, has:
‘Whenever you deal or are dealt damage, destroy this.’ and ‘When this leaves the Arena during your turn, create 3 (R), 2 (Y), or 1 (B) Runechant token(s).’
Even by itself, this card can generate a good amount of Runechants whenever you land an attack. However, add Deadwood Dirge to the mix, and crap gets real!
Deadwood Dirge is a 0 cost Runeblade Action that, when played, lets you destroy an Aura you control and, in doing so, lets you create 3 (R), 2 (Y), or 1 (B) Runechant tokens.
Drop Arcane Cussing (R), then Deadwood Dirge (R), and you’ll have at least 6 Runechant tokens!!! Each ready to pop when you attack with a weapon or Attack Action, dealing 1 Arcane damage each. Excellent burst damage!
2: Machinations of Dominion
This is precisely what Runeblades needed in a card! A 0 cost Action card that grants your next Runeblade Attack Overpower, meaning that attack can only be defended by only 1 Action card from hand, and if you have created or played an Aura, this turn Go Again. Machinations also has natural Go Again.
Gaining Overpower and Go Again from 1 card is almost God Tier!
3: Felling of the Crown
A 3 cost Earth Attack Action that hits for 4, blocks 3 and has, if you have 4 or more Earth cards in your Banished zone has +4 Strength. It also has Decompose, meaning you can banish 2 Earth and 1 Action card from your graveyard to get an effect. The Decompose effect of Felling of the Crown is for each player puts a card from their hand on the bottom of their deck. The Decompose trigger is on Attack, so if banishing 2 Earth cards takes you over the 4 threshold, the +4 applies to your attack, hitting for 8!
4: Arcane Seeds / Life
This card shines when Florian’s Hero Ability is active. This is another Meld card, and another 0 cost one, too. Arcane Seeds creates 2 individual Runechant tokens, which, if Florian’s hero ability is active, create 4 Runechants. It also had Go Again.
Life, three guesses what this does, gains you 1 life, at Instant speed.
Honourable Mentions
Runerager Swarm is a must have card for all Runeblades. A 0 cost, hitting for 3 (R), 2 (Y), or 1 (B), Runeblade Attack action, that if you’ve created or played an Aura, this turn gains Go Again - a simple card with a simple style. Pummel your opponent repeatedly!
Cadaverous Tilling is a 3 cost, hits for 6 (R), 5 (Y), or 4 (B), defends for 2, Earth Attack Action card with Decompose. The Decompose trigger, after banishing 2 Earth cards and an Action card from your graveyard, is to increase the attack strength by 2. Another simple card but a heavy payoff, should you be able to pay the Decompose cost.
Face Purgatory is the 2nd piece of Legendary equipment on this list a good reason. It has a decent defence value of 2 and has the keyword Blade Break, meaning it gets destroyed at the end of the combat chain within which it blocks, but that doesn’t matter because the effect of blocking with this armour piece is excellent. When blocking with Face Purgatory, if you also block with an Attack and Non-attack action, your opponent discards a card, and you draw one. Forced discarding is amazing in this game; it can close off entire attacks due to a lack of cards to pitch. The recouping of a card to your hand is also nice, but having to shell out a piece of equipment and 2 other cards is why this is just an Honourable mention and not a main entry.
Dishonourable Mentions
Arcanic Spike has all the hallmarks of a sound card, with one major drawback. Swinging for 5 (R), 4 (Y), or 3 (B) and defending for 3 is decent. Its ability grants +2 strength if you’ve dealt Arcane Damage this turn. It's a simple matter for most Runeblades. However, this neat little package comes at a cost…. A cost of 2. A cost of 2 without natural Go Again! It’s too much, hence why it’s here.
Final Thoughts
I hope my mad ramblings have, at least in some small way, helped you all understand this amazing new set a little better. Rosetta has been my favourite set to date. To those who know me, it's no secret that the Runeblade class is my all time fav. Viserai for Life!!!! Before Rosetta, Runeblade, especially my guy Viserai (that rhyme is criminal 😞), who has no Talent, fell behind due to a lack of card variety. Those like Vynnset, who has the Shadow Talent, were slightly better off due to having a large card pool to choose from when deck building, but poor Viserai had to make do with what Runeblade cards were available from past sets, some of which are not easy to get hold of on the secondary market.
Now with Rosetta, Runeblade players have a new playground to run around in, finding new combos and interaction to hopefully push some of the (in my opinion) more exciting heroes to the forefront and have more people interested in playing this (criminally) overlooked class. Rosetta also gave me a new appreciation of Wizards, Oscilio chief amongst them. He’s tricky to get right but fun to play, more so than other Wizards I've played before, namely Kano. It’s also great to say you're hitting your opponent for 8+ Arcane Damage, and they don’t have any Arcane Barrier or similar defences, so you have to face-tank a massive chunk of damage. I hope the things I like from Rosetta are visions of things to come in future sets.
If you're looking to pick up some Rosetta or Flesh and Blood TCG, why not check out our online store right here at Gathering Games?
Til next time.
