Rise of the Underworlds LoR Card Impressions: Lurk (Fallen Feline, Xer’Sai Hatchling, and More)

Day 1 of Rise of the Underworlds Card Reveals

Hey, it’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here and today’s the day we jump into the first reveals for Rise of the Underworld!

These cards are like nothing else we’ve seen before and introduce a new mechanic; Lurk.

We’re revealing new Rise of the Underworld cards every day at our spoiler page.

To build decks with the new cards, head to our Deck Builder.

Here are the new LoR cards for Shurima, Bilgewater, and PnZ from Rise of the Underworld:

• Xer’sai Hatchling (Shurima follower)
• Snapjaw Swarm (Bilgewater follower)
• Fallen Feline (PnZ follower)
• Hexite Crystal (PnZ spell)

New Keyword: Lurk

Lurk: When you attack while I’m on top of your deck, I Lurk, granting Lurker allies everywhere +1|+0. Max once per round.

We now have a mechanic that synergizes with Predict’s top-deck manipulation.

The nature of this mechanic will want a good number of Lurkers for it to be active consistently. However, having Predict cards should help maintain your Lurk buff each round.

Here’s a couple of interesting thoughts to consider.

When it comes to open attacking, Lurk will be at the mercy of the deck. Additionally, we must plan carefully whenever we attack as the Lurk ability can only trigger once per round.

This should lead to some interesting decision-making and play patterns from both players!

Xer’sai Hatchling

• Xer’sai Hatchling
  • 1 Mana, 1|1 follower, Fearsome, Lurk

Here’s our first card that utilizes the new Lurk mechanic. Most 1|1’s for one mana have functioned poorly in the past, but there’s potential to be had with this one.

Fearsome has proven itself time and time again to be a very relevant keyword even in later parts of the game.

Don’t be fooled by this guy. Similar to Baccai Reaper, this card does not realistically have just 1 Attack.

A turn one Fearsome attacker nearly always goes unblocked, and right out of the gate there’s a chance we trigger a permanent +1 buff and become immediately on-par with Precious Pet.

Then with help from Bone Skewers or Predict cards he’ll continuously grow even bigger.

Simply having the Lurk keyword and Lurker unit type helps keep the card relevant even in the game’s later stages. This is a trait most one-drops can never have!

Snapjaw Swarm

• Snapjaw Swarm
  • 2 Mana, 0|2 follower, Lurk
  • Text: Play: I start a free attack.

Our next Lurker is an interesting one. On the surface, 0|2 is a completely worthless statline. Without added support, this guy can only trade with an Ephemeral unit.

Okay yes, there’s some pretty relevant text I’m missing. It’s those dreaded words; “I start a free attack”.

This gives us all the attack triggers like Crackshot Corsair, Miss Fortune, or Emperor’s Dais. Being in Bilgewater is already a good fit and could push MF or even Scouts to a new level.

However, going back to the statline, we’re likely to want some additional Lurker support.

Otherwise, we’ll often play Snapjaw Swarm only to have him eaten by basically anything. We’ll have to see how the rest of Bilgewater shapes out.

As it stands I’m not convinced, but there’s a ton of combo potential with this one!

Fallen Feline and Hexite Crystal

• Fallen Feline
  • 1 Mana, 2|1 follower
  • Text: When I’m summoned, create a Hexite Crystal in the bottom 10 cards of your deck.

• Hexite Crystal
  • 2 Mana Fast Spell
  • Text: If you see me in a Prediction, draw me. Deal 2 damage to enemies and the enemy Nexus.

Today’s final reveal is Fallen Feline and its token card Hexite Crystal. This brings even more support to the Predict archetype and leads us towards exploring the combination of PnZ + Shurima.

As a 2|1 for one mana, Fallen Feline is already on par to be playable. Then on top of that, you’re given an extremely powerful AoE of 2 damage for 2 mana at FAST SPEED.

While the card is added to the bottom 10 of your deck, you can dig for it with Predict and utilize other shuffle effects to potentially draw it sooner.

Zap Sprayfin or Deep Meditation could potentially draw it as well but at the cost of losing Shurima as a Region.

Hexite Crystal also introduces the ability to be drawn during a Prediction. This means you can pick another card to put on top and immediately draw it to your hand.

Perhaps we’ll see other cards with the same text, and if we do, that’s an incredible buff to Predict decks.

Bonus Deck: Zilean Ezreal

Here’s a bonus deck concept for PnZ Shurima that includes Fallen Feline!

Deck Code: CECQKBAHAEGRYJ3HAECAIAQDAECACJBUAEBQIBIBAICAMAQBAQDU6AIBAQPQEAQEA4WVCAIDAQGQ

[See Zilean Ezreal deck details]

Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day

Prioritize your tasks in order of importance.

You could spend all day working on tasks and feeling productive, but in reality, you’re avoiding the most important one of all.

Don’t try and trick yourself into thinking otherwise.

We’re revealing new Rise of the Underworld cards every day at our spoiler page. To build decks with the new cards, head to our Deck Builder.