The Ruination LoR Card Impressions: Dragons (Kadregrin the Ruined, Crawling Viperwyrm, and More)

The Ruination LoR Spoilers Day 2

Hey, it’s Trevor “Shugo” Yung here and we’re back with another four reveals for the upcoming Ruination event.

Today we get more support for one of our favorite unit types, Dragons!

Except for this time they’ve come to the Shadow Isles? Let’s find out!

Here are the new LoR cards for Demacia and the Shadow Isles from The Ruination:

• Kadregrin the Ruined (Demacia follower)
• Ruined Dragonguard (Demacia follower)
• Crawling Viperwyrm (Shadow Isles follower)
• Camavoran Dragon (Shadow Isles follower)

We’re revealing new Ruination cards every day on our spoiler page.

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

Kadregrin the Ruined

• Kadregrin the Ruined
  • 6 Mana, 6|6 Demacia Follower, Dragon, Fury
  • Text: Play: Grant an allied Champion or Dragon Challenger.

First up is a new 6-drop Dragon. At face value, we have a 6|6 Fury for six, which is passable on its own. With its ability to grant Challenger to another unit there’s potential to gain great value and board control. Six mana is right where we’d want this card as Shyvana and Screeching Dragon fill out turns four and five.

Garen could be a consideration as putting Challenger on a 5|5 body with Regeneration is very strong. Additionally, Fused Firebrand would be a safe target as Spellshield makes it hard to interact with.

While these effects are typically too slow to see competitive play, it fits well with the Midrange Dragons play style. The curve point is ideal and will help turn more units into effective Screeching Dragons. Fury + Challenger is an effective combination of removal and cumulative pressure.

As an added bonus, Egghead Researcher becomes better as the pool expands with stronger Dragons. Now with more Dragons as a whole, it’s possible we could see a more dedicated tribal version, compared to the current iterations that truly only focus around Shyvana, Screeching Dragon, and Aurelion Sol.

Ruined Dragonguard

• Ruined Dragonguard
  • 3 Mana 2|4, Demacia Follower
  • Text: When an ally with Fury kills a unit, grant it an additional +1|+1.

Next, we have an interesting support card for Dragons that brings a new effect to the archetype. While not a Dragon itself, Ruined Dragonguard makes every Fury slay doubled in terms of effectiveness.

This has scary potential, as even one Fury trigger can put units out of removal range. An additional +1|+1 could help snowball their growth even more.

Once again we’re right on the money with the mana cost. A 3-drop is exactly where we’d want this card as this can curve right into Shyvana and Screeching Dragon.

Its 2|4 statline isn’t amazing but does serve well defensively into the multiple 2|1’s and 3|2’s.

I’m not certain this card will replace Laurent Protege, but in certain metagames, with fewer targets to Challenge, it could certainly provide a lot more value.

Crawling Viperwyrm

• Crawling Viperwyrm
  • 2 Mana, 3|2, Shadow Isles Follower, Dragon, Fury
  • Text: Play: I strike an ally or deal 3 to your Nexus.

Wow, we finally have a cheap, 2-drop Dragon with Fury! At base as a 3|2, it will be tough for Crawling Viperwyrm to grow naturally. Your opponent isn’t going to attack or block with a one-attack unit, so you’ll have to do a bit of work yourself. However, with its unique Playability, it’s possible to trigger Fury right from the start and grow to a 4|3.

This could synergize well with 1-drops like Hapless Aristocrat, The Wings, and the Wave, and most obviously Dragon Chow. It can also be played later with units that want to die such as Cursed Keeper or The Undying. At worst without any synergy, you’ll just have to take the three damage to your Nexus.

While an effective 4|3 for two mana is quite strong, it still trades easily into the multitude of 3|2’s. There may be times when Crawling Viperwyrm can’t reliably attack without dying. Try to trade up if possible when you can. At the very least you’ll discourage units with less than three power to attack; serving as an effective blocker against some aggressive decks.

Overall, Crawling Viperwyrm should be a solid considerable option and helps bring more early game to the Dragon archetype. Unfortunately being in Shadow Isles, we’re likely going to have to give up Dragon’s Clutch; Unless we see more Targon Dragons, there’s almost no way we don’t pair with Demacia.

Camavoran Dragon

• Camavoran Dragon
  • 4 Mana, 4|3 Shadow Isles Follower, Dragon, Fearsome, Fury
  • Text: Play: I strike an ally or deal 3 to your Nexus. When I slay a unit, drain 1 from the enemy Nexus.

This is a strange one. Fearsome and Fury are a weird combination. Without striking an ally to trigger Fury, Camavoran Dragon is only a 4|3. Fearsome means that any unit blocking it would require three power, which is enough to kill it and make Fury irrelevant. This sounds pretty bad, but there’s more to consider.

We’ll often aim to make this a 5|4. On turn four that’s a powerful statline to contest. What really makes this scary is the threat of buffs. This is even more reason we’ll be leaning towards Demacia. Sharpsight is incredibly difficult to play around and Single Combat can eliminate a smaller unit to trigger Fury mid-combat. We’ve already seen this interaction in Midrange Dragons and it’s a big part of why the deck was so strong.

On its own, this card leaves much to be desired, but with even just a touch of support, there’s potential to be a huge threat. On top of the Fearsome + Fury, any time it slays a unit you’ll drain 1 from the enemy Nexus. This will leave some difficult decisions for the opponent as in some situations they can’t afford to let you heal; even just one point of health.

We’ll have to see how the Demacia + Shadow Isles Dragons deck comes together, but if it does, we’re definitely going to see Camavoran Dragon!

Here’s a look at Demacia + Shadow Isles Dragons!

Bonus Deck: SI Dragons

Deck Code: CECQGBAABYIBIAQBAUVTCAQEAUKRYBADAADAQCYOAEAQAGQCAEBQABIBAIAACAA

[See SI Dragons deck details]

Our curve looks pretty solid overall. We’re a bit light on 3-drops, but we want to float mana for our premier interactive spells. Sharpsight, Single Combat, and Glimpse Beyond are all top of their region staples. Alongside our abundance of Challengers, we’ll maintain total board control and punish the opponent as our units grow massive!

Shugo’s Productivity Thought of the Day

When you follow your passion, it can take a long time to be rewarded for your effort. Days, weeks, and months can go by. It’s all just a small part of the journey.

What’s important is you enjoy the journey. Focus on the process, not the reward. When you’re fulfilled by your passion, the results will come naturally. The reward is simply a byproduct.