We’re only about half-way through the reveals for this massive set, but we have all 14 Secret Rares revealed! So which ones will break the Meta and which ones will pack the bulk box at your neighborhood card shop? Let’s dive in!
If you’re on mobile, please turn your screen sideways! Thanks!
Starting with one of my favorite symbols, Wall Maria’s Might comes in on the Order Symbol. It doesn’t really fit with any characters pre-Battle for Humanity and the only character that’s going to store up enough Wall Counters to draw you a new hand is Hannes. Erwin and Krista have too steep a cost to store up counters effectively. WMM could find a cozy spot as a 3-4 of in Hannes tho, potentially a 5-low for 12 damage that draws you 7. I expect this card to bolster Hannes chances of making a dent in the meta and, depending on what other support he gets, sitting at the top of it. It’s just sad that WMM’s lack of versatility is going to hurt this card’s value.
Meta Grade: D
Press the Advantage Indeed! The attuned symbol shows it’s complexity here. Building on Order presents a challenge when it comes to Foundations. There are only a few 1-diff F’s that carry their weight and if you aren’t Endeavor, even fewer 0-diffs. Order thrives on strong 2-3 diff F’s that manipulate your opponent’s board, and clear the way for attacks, almost like you’re pressing… your… Advantage… 🤯 But putting a 2-check in these decks is going to hurt a lot of the time. ENTER ATTUNED! I can see this finding a place in several decks like MechaGodzilla Kiryu, Endeavor III… heck this is the attack Fourth Kind has been missing since Indiscriminate Shock 1.3M Volts left the format! That being said, I think this might find a good place in a package with Walk the Dog in decks that try to stun relentlessly. Target commit is super strong and EX: 2 makes the 3 speed easier to swallow. All-in-all, a solid SR.
Meta Grade: B-
Dude… I just don’t know. Is there potential here, I mean yes. Is this a 2-cost Faith’s Shield that randomly burns your rival? Yea. Is your rival forced to block this attack or lose 1/3 of their life total? Yea. Does Byakko and Thunderous Roar make this attack INSANE? Yea. Am I impressed? Yeaaaaa… Not really. Colossus’s Steam Barrier is pretty dependent on non-character effects to really hit your opponent. The best character effect I can think of for CSB’s 0-speed is Endeavor III, and that only makes it a 2-mid for 8; nothing to write home about. This is one of those cards people will overlook in deck building, writing it off as a pipe dream or scrub fodder… But when you see it in your rival’s deck, a thick bead a sweat creeps over your brow and you sit up in your chair juuust a bit, because you know you better be careful or that card will end you.
Honorable Mention: Dabi I does make this a 20 damage Throw with Powerful: 2 for the next 6 months
Meta Grate: D+
Feels familiar doesn’t it? Fire back to doing Fire things. Mill the deck out and get rewarded for doing it. MechaGodzilla, Bionic Menace would love an attack that rewards it for pushing grace aside and choosing violence. Getting to Stun 3 is the point when Intense Heat Blast becomes worth the deck slot. Stun 2 isn’t good enough! You can’t rely on a cycle to get you there. You have about a 5% chance of a cycle removing at least 6 attacks. I don’t want to rely on the main deck to get me there either because that’s not going to be consistent over an 8-round tournament. Give me the on-face effects. Who’s the best character at that? You guessed it… WOMAN! She was already annoying, but as she gets deeper into her bag, she can stun half your board in an instant and her damage knows no limits. This one could be dangerous.
Meta Grade: C
I almost don’t even want to write a blurb for this one. High-Speed Dive clearly needs no explanation. Giving all the attacks that turn +2 speed is basically Vile Seizing‘s Deadlock ability! It comes in fast, forces your opponent to commit resources, and synergizes with a ton of decks from new kids on the block: Connie and Levi to Meta-bangers like Rodan and Amajiki. AND IT’S FREE! I’ll just give it a slight ding for making it a 6-diff, and thank heavens they did.
Meta Grade: A-
Misdirection is a core principle of magic. While you think you’re seeing something incredible, you’re just being shrouded from the truth behind the curtain. You might think Whirling Slash will allow you to play a 9-speed Walk the Dog or a 6-speed Massive Blow for basically free!? So, what are we missing? You already paid the cost to play the card! You bought the Walk the Dog at a Presale and it’s finally just come in. Committing 3F’s for 6 total speed and 1 card drawn is pretty steep. You might argue “But Shock, I’m committing Nice Try‘s! It’s basically free!” I hear you. That’s actually kind of cute, but doesn’t tip the scales for me.
Meta Grade: D
Sick. Just sick! I love it! Short Work reminds me of the way other games give players reliable play patterns by making things easy to remember. UVS’s greatest feature and greatest flaw is how you can find a new path to victory every game, but that can be tiring for a newbie trying to get their first win, just trying to find a winning line. Short Work says, “Hey! Pick me up! You can count on me!” That’s cool. You don’t need more than 2 in a deck and it can be the difference between leaving your rival at 1 and a W. The 2 check does change a lot of your deck’s math, and it’s gonna take a big ding for that, but picking itself up on command each turn is too strong to ignore!
Meta Grade: B
Just when you thought Blast Rush Turbo was gone, it comes back with a VENGENCE! Coordinated Strike is insane! It fits neatly in characters that were looking for more damage like Toga III and Levi. Heck, Nicholas D Wolfwood probably plays CS better than anyone else. With 20 attacks in your deck, this attack maxes out at 20 damage, and a nice little Deadlock on top. Keyword locked, but very dangerous, and every face gives it the speed it needs. You’re been warned!
Meta Grade: A
I think Well-Orchestrated Attack is the most intriguing card thus far on the list. On one hand, you have a 5-High for 10 or 11, that replaces itself with a solid block mod, AT WORST. At Best, it lets you draw your kill turn, or cuts your rival’s life in half. On the other hand, you’ve got a 2-check that really only wants to be played first in the string and could end up being a ‘draw 1, block on a 6, check a 5, no harm done’ play pattern. Also, you might check it. 😅 The risk vs reward is high. I’ll be interested to see how WOA (is that really the acronym?) is used because it’s fun for sure!
Meta Grade: B-
Move over Genkai’s Guidance! There’s a new side deck sheriff in town! Fortitude of the Armored Titan can slow down quite a few play patterns out there. While not a complete shutdown for an attack like Genkai’s, FAT (ok, who’s doin this? 😂) can stop things like Mina II that like to play 5+ attacks in a string, or basically turning off City Rampage’s +2 to the check effect. I think it’ll do it’s most damage in the middle tables against players struggling to know how far to push their attack turn. I’m not sold on it as a mainstay of the format, but it deserves a shot in a few side decks depending on who you’re worried about.
Meta Grade: C+
The more you look into Stomp of the Female Titan… the more you see how big it could become. Black Abyss, Breaking the Cuffs, Constantly Improving, Smiling Titan… I was ready to write this card off when I first read it but the more I see, the more I believe there’s something here. 3mid for 3 + Smiling Titan = 9mid for 9 + Breaking the Cuffs = 15mid for 15 + Constantly Improving = 21mid for 15 without breaking a sweat.
Meta Grade: B
Play patterns are important. They’re how players predict what’s the correct line to take and the most probable way to win. Cards that have unpredictable play patterns are typically not very good. Midst of Despair seems to hinge on it’s ability to do damage. You can bank on it being a 5-High for 6 most of the time, and for a 4-diff that’s pretty strong. Jamming it as the 3rd attack in the string will get you some big points with the EV (Expected Value) crowd. If you still have gas in your hand, you can hit your rival for whatever’s in your hand. But when it’s blocked, this feels a lot more like a… well honestly a Midst of Despair washing over you.
Meta Grade: D-
Most people don’t take a 13 diff seriously. In most situations, I’d agree. You’ll have to have some serious brewing going on if you’re going to play a 13 difficulty attack. You can’t just check a 3, commit 10! 🤣 But, in the side deck of a long matchup, one where the rival builds to an insane number… Colessus’s Therman Blast could be a great weapon to punch a hole in a rival’s stage. What deck can side it and reliably play it on Turn 6? That’s a question I won’t even attepmt to answer. At least it looks fun to brew.
Meta Grade: D
You won’t find this guy in the same slot as the rest of the SRs. The Beast Titan is the only SR character for AoT1, and really has a rarity all his own. However, since he says SR so he gets a blurp!
People tell me the Beast Titan is bad. I say, “Ok. Give me the list of characters that have had similar effects.” …Younger Toguro, Overhaul, Kirishima I, Kirishima II… “OK! Stop! I’m not sayin he’s broken, but you just named 4 Monsters!” While Beast Titan is clearly not Kirishima I, his ability to cheat progressive, build a free Foundation, and use many of the best cards in the set are strengths you can’t just ignore. However, with actual Monsters in the format (Kiryu, etc.) I think Beast Titan will take a back seat until AoT 2 hits the shelves.
Meta Grade: C
The SRs in this set are largely stronger than most sets we’ve seen thus far. Girl Power showed off what seems to be the new direction for SRs, strong effects gated behind architypes instead of anchored by horrible checks. Power levels for the Top Rarirty have risen since Undaunted Raid and seem to have found a fair balance. Some SRs will be “Only break in case of [Enter Char name here]”. Others will be near staple level. No matter the card, there is a deck that will play it so you won’t be pulling duds on the level of Aggressive Clash. On the other hand, even though some cards are incredible, you won’t have to break the bank on them to compete as the format is so wide.
UVS Games seems to be going out of their way to not gouge players by making the hardest to find cards the best ones, and that’s really appreciated. With the influx of new players, card values are rising and it’s getting more expensive to play the game. Just simple supply and demand. I’ll be starting a new series talking about the dollars and cents of the game, but until then I’ll see you on the tables!
My Hero Meta 
Leave a comment