I know we haven't seen all of the expansion, but I'm very excited for the new possibilities for Spy decks and I'm very much into deckbuilding. If you believe it's too early for similar speculations, I respect your opinion, but this is not the thread for you.
As new cards are revealed I'll update this post.
Analysing the archetype strategically, I'd say spies have quite a lot of potential for long rounds thanks to Seditious Aristocrats and Impera Enforcers, a finisher in Usurper and a short round/tempo option in Joachim De Wett. Moreover Nilfgaard offers top notch control and tech options, such Yennefer: Invocation, Vilgefortz or the status package.
Now let's delve deeper, looking at individuale cards:
Impera Enforcers.
3 strength. Ranged, Order: damage an enemy unit by 2. Charge: 1. Gain 1 charge whenever you play a Spying unit.
Enforcers have suffered several changes from Open Beta, but their core ability has remained pretty much unchanged. Actually, it's now possible to hold onto charges to keep them as removal power. Enforcers' first drawback is Tempo. They play for 3 points on deploy, which can be really horrible on blue coin, particularly against Monsters or pointslam decks.
Enforcers can be devastating in long rounds, *if* left unanswered. And that's unfortunately a big if. Commiting to Imperial formation can mitigate the removal problem in theory, however at 5 strength they become zapper material (Boiling oil, assassination, alzur thunder...) while at 7 they are perfect poison material (actually even at 5). Secondary problem is movement. Movement is probably going to make Enforcers almost useless in Scoia'tael matchups and Nilfgaard doesn't have movement options of its own. Strays of spalla could solve the problem, but they are not feasible for a variety of reasons (among which Devotion).
Relevant synergies:
Ramon Tyrconnel can make an additional copy of Enforcers, but outside of an hybrid soldier-spy deck it wouldn't have enough targets to be consistent.
Sacrifice. Deathblow condition is easy to fulfill for Spy decks and bringing back either Enforcers or Seditious Aristocrats could be valuable, but once again devotion stands in our way. Also, six provision is a significant commitment for any deck.
Operator and Duchess Informants allow for funny shaenenigans. Unreliable, but an option nonetheless. (Not practicable with Devotion)
Allgod to offer further protection from removal and powerful carryover in round 3. Drawback: incompatible with Devotion, very costly
Seditious Aristocrats
3 strength, 5 provisions
Deploy, Devotion: Boost self by 1 for every enemy Spying unit
Whenever an enemy unit gains Spying, boost self by 1
Another ability carried over from Beta, Seditious Aristocrats are the new old Impera Brigades.
Another powerful card in long rounds, Aristocrats are best exploited in Devotion decks, where they receive retroactivity
Relevant synergies: the Aristocrat tag can proc Masquerade Ball chapters
Assessment: Without devotion Thirsty Dames are better. They also start at 3 str, meaning that at least 4 spies are going to be required to gain 7 points (5 provision average). Retroactivity is valuable for any engine, but now emissary chains are gone so I wonder if they are going to be better than Dames. Definetely a safer option against removal.
Rot Tosser
5 strength, 5 provisions
Deploy: Spawn and play cow carcass
Relevant synergies: Thirsty dame, any poison giver, Assimilate
Assessment: great synergies with three of Nilfgaard's archetypes and can give multiple poison at once. I think it's going to be a contender for a spot in any hybrid deck. It can proc Thirsty Dames three times.
Duchess Informant
1 strength, 5 provision (Disloyal)
Spying. Deploy: Spawn and play a base copy of enemy non-spying unit
Assessment: so far Informants have been the best tools for Spy decks or better yet attempts at Spy decks. Copying the opponent's top bronzes is intriguing and sometimes can have significant tactical value, however outside of an assimilate frame I can't really see this card due to its provision cost. Furthermore they are match-up dependant and can be stopped by defenders
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Relevant synergies: Assimilate
Nilfgaardian Knight by [FG15-ISH7EG]
5 provisions, 7 strength
Deploy: Boost an enemy unit by 2.
Assessment: Using NG Knight on an Operative makes it a 9 for 5 provision play. And if you don't draw it at the right time, it could still offer value for an angry mob or combined with any of NGs killing options. (Peter, Touissant Knight Errand, Lock + Vanhemar...). Another important advantage of this card is proactivity, as it can play for 7 on an empty board. In fact, so far it seems that Spies lack cards which can be played without some sort of board set-up. Main drawback is the 5p cost.
Angry Mob by [FG15-ISH7EG]
4 Provision, 3 Strength
Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2. Conspiracy: Boost self by 2.
Assessment: not entirerly sure about this card. It could be an ok pick, but it has some bigger drawbacks. By killing your own spies you basically remove value from the Aristocrat deploy effect, which isn't that great. Also I expect to see more cards profiting from the number of spying enemies, which makes this card worse.
But as a filler for 4 provisions it might not too bad. In particular as the 2 damage can help against other cards as well. Decent consideration in a pointslam deck.
Mangonel
3 strength, 5 provisions
Deploy, Ranged: Damage an enemy unit by 1. For every Spying unit adjacent to it, increase damage by 2.
Assessment: It has a ceiling of 8 points, which is a bit higher than the average 5 provision card and a larger Spy pool means that it can played consistently. In some situations it can also act as removal with its 5 points of damage. However there are probably better options for the same provision cost and it's easily interefered with. Filler for a pointslam oriented Spy deck.
Experimental Remedy
Special, 6 provisions
Play a bronze unit from your opponent's graveyard.
Assessment: You either die a Hero or become a special card. Vicovaro Medics (now turned Experimental Remedy) were extremely important for Emissary chains and could become significant again if a bronze Spy of Great Power is included in the expansion. As a bonus it can also counter Graveyard interactions (which seem to be a centerpiece of this expansion). Drawbacks: 6 provision cost.
Relevant synergies: Duchess Informant, Menno Coehoorn, Triss: Telekinesis
Emissary (Disloyal)
1 strength, 5 provisions
Spying. Deploy: Boost an allied unit by 7.
Assessment: Once emissary chains were the very foundation of Spy decks. Now emissary is reduced to filler. 7 points is ok, and if the opponent doesn't immediately kill an Enforcer Emissary can boost it out of removal range. Drawback: plays into poison/tall removal
Alba Pikemen
4 strength, 5 provision
Melee: every allied turn, on turn end, damage a random enemy unit on the melee row by 1
Assessment: an odd one on this list, alba Pikemen can be used to remove Spies placed on the melee row and to force the opponent into rowstacking. Drawback: Move or remove
Relevant synergies: Impera Enforcers, Regis, Ragn-Nar-Roog, Soldiers
Van Moorlehem Hunter
3 strength, 1 armor, 4 provisions
Deploy, Melee: Give Bleeding 2 to an enemy unit
Deploy, Ranged: Lock a unit
Assessment: slow tempo as it may be 4 provision locks with a backup bleeding option and an Aristocrat tag is a good consideration in any deck
Relevant synergies: Masquerade Ball, Vincent van Moorlehem, Vanhemar, Thirsty Dames, Master of Disguise, Slaver
Infiltrator
4 strength, 4 provisions
Melee: On round end, shuffle this unit in your opponent's deck
Assessment: Infiltrator is a bad card, but if you enjoy fucking up the opponent it's funny. But most importantly it's proactive, and Spies seem to lack purely proactive options
Relevant synergies: Cynthia, Vilgefortz, Assire
Fangs of the Empire
4 strength, 4 provisions
Deploy: give poison to an enemy unit
Assessment: perhaps Nilfgaard's best 4 provisions card, we have all seen what It can do in a poison package. If poison is going to be a relevant part of Nilfgaard Spy archetype, then this is a certain inclusion. Agent tag can also trigger Usurper Emperor.
Relevant synergies: Poison package
King Cobra
3 strength, 1 armor, 5 provisions
Deploy: give poison to an enemy unit.
Assessment: another targeted poison card, this time neutral. A possibility for a poison-heavy Spy hybrid. Doesn't work with Devotion
Relevant synergies: poison package
Imperial Diviner
4 strength, 5 provisions
Assimilate. Deploy: Purify a unit.
Assessment: arguably the best bronze purify in the game, it can also become an engine in any Spy-Assimilate hybrid. It's going to be used mostly for it's tech ability against defenders though.
Bomb Heaver
4 strength, 5 provisions
Deploy: destroy an artifact
Assessment: if Scenarios remain important in the meta, then it's going to be a great tech card and a loss for any Devotion deck
As new cards are revealed I'll update this post.
Analysing the archetype strategically, I'd say spies have quite a lot of potential for long rounds thanks to Seditious Aristocrats and Impera Enforcers, a finisher in Usurper and a short round/tempo option in Joachim De Wett. Moreover Nilfgaard offers top notch control and tech options, such Yennefer: Invocation, Vilgefortz or the status package.
Now let's delve deeper, looking at individuale cards:
Impera Enforcers.
3 strength. Ranged, Order: damage an enemy unit by 2. Charge: 1. Gain 1 charge whenever you play a Spying unit.
Enforcers have suffered several changes from Open Beta, but their core ability has remained pretty much unchanged. Actually, it's now possible to hold onto charges to keep them as removal power. Enforcers' first drawback is Tempo. They play for 3 points on deploy, which can be really horrible on blue coin, particularly against Monsters or pointslam decks.
Enforcers can be devastating in long rounds, *if* left unanswered. And that's unfortunately a big if. Commiting to Imperial formation can mitigate the removal problem in theory, however at 5 strength they become zapper material (Boiling oil, assassination, alzur thunder...) while at 7 they are perfect poison material (actually even at 5). Secondary problem is movement. Movement is probably going to make Enforcers almost useless in Scoia'tael matchups and Nilfgaard doesn't have movement options of its own. Strays of spalla could solve the problem, but they are not feasible for a variety of reasons (among which Devotion).
Relevant synergies:
Ramon Tyrconnel can make an additional copy of Enforcers, but outside of an hybrid soldier-spy deck it wouldn't have enough targets to be consistent.
Sacrifice. Deathblow condition is easy to fulfill for Spy decks and bringing back either Enforcers or Seditious Aristocrats could be valuable, but once again devotion stands in our way. Also, six provision is a significant commitment for any deck.
Operator and Duchess Informants allow for funny shaenenigans. Unreliable, but an option nonetheless. (Not practicable with Devotion)
Allgod to offer further protection from removal and powerful carryover in round 3. Drawback: incompatible with Devotion, very costly
Seditious Aristocrats
3 strength, 5 provisions
Deploy, Devotion: Boost self by 1 for every enemy Spying unit
Whenever an enemy unit gains Spying, boost self by 1
Another ability carried over from Beta, Seditious Aristocrats are the new old Impera Brigades.
Another powerful card in long rounds, Aristocrats are best exploited in Devotion decks, where they receive retroactivity
Relevant synergies: the Aristocrat tag can proc Masquerade Ball chapters
Assessment: Without devotion Thirsty Dames are better. They also start at 3 str, meaning that at least 4 spies are going to be required to gain 7 points (5 provision average). Retroactivity is valuable for any engine, but now emissary chains are gone so I wonder if they are going to be better than Dames. Definetely a safer option against removal.
Rot Tosser
5 strength, 5 provisions
Deploy: Spawn and play cow carcass
Relevant synergies: Thirsty dame, any poison giver, Assimilate
Assessment: great synergies with three of Nilfgaard's archetypes and can give multiple poison at once. I think it's going to be a contender for a spot in any hybrid deck. It can proc Thirsty Dames three times.
Duchess Informant
1 strength, 5 provision (Disloyal)
Spying. Deploy: Spawn and play a base copy of enemy non-spying unit
Assessment: so far Informants have been the best tools for Spy decks or better yet attempts at Spy decks. Copying the opponent's top bronzes is intriguing and sometimes can have significant tactical value, however outside of an assimilate frame I can't really see this card due to its provision cost. Furthermore they are match-up dependant and can be stopped by defenders
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Relevant synergies: Assimilate
Nilfgaardian Knight by [FG15-ISH7EG]
5 provisions, 7 strength
Deploy: Boost an enemy unit by 2.
Assessment: Using NG Knight on an Operative makes it a 9 for 5 provision play. And if you don't draw it at the right time, it could still offer value for an angry mob or combined with any of NGs killing options. (Peter, Touissant Knight Errand, Lock + Vanhemar...). Another important advantage of this card is proactivity, as it can play for 7 on an empty board. In fact, so far it seems that Spies lack cards which can be played without some sort of board set-up. Main drawback is the 5p cost.
Angry Mob by [FG15-ISH7EG]
4 Provision, 3 Strength
Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 2. Conspiracy: Boost self by 2.
Assessment: not entirerly sure about this card. It could be an ok pick, but it has some bigger drawbacks. By killing your own spies you basically remove value from the Aristocrat deploy effect, which isn't that great. Also I expect to see more cards profiting from the number of spying enemies, which makes this card worse.
But as a filler for 4 provisions it might not too bad. In particular as the 2 damage can help against other cards as well. Decent consideration in a pointslam deck.
Mangonel
3 strength, 5 provisions
Deploy, Ranged: Damage an enemy unit by 1. For every Spying unit adjacent to it, increase damage by 2.
Assessment: It has a ceiling of 8 points, which is a bit higher than the average 5 provision card and a larger Spy pool means that it can played consistently. In some situations it can also act as removal with its 5 points of damage. However there are probably better options for the same provision cost and it's easily interefered with. Filler for a pointslam oriented Spy deck.
Experimental Remedy
Special, 6 provisions
Play a bronze unit from your opponent's graveyard.
Assessment: You either die a Hero or become a special card. Vicovaro Medics (now turned Experimental Remedy) were extremely important for Emissary chains and could become significant again if a bronze Spy of Great Power is included in the expansion. As a bonus it can also counter Graveyard interactions (which seem to be a centerpiece of this expansion). Drawbacks: 6 provision cost.
Relevant synergies: Duchess Informant, Menno Coehoorn, Triss: Telekinesis
Emissary (Disloyal)
1 strength, 5 provisions
Spying. Deploy: Boost an allied unit by 7.
Assessment: Once emissary chains were the very foundation of Spy decks. Now emissary is reduced to filler. 7 points is ok, and if the opponent doesn't immediately kill an Enforcer Emissary can boost it out of removal range. Drawback: plays into poison/tall removal
Alba Pikemen
4 strength, 5 provision
Melee: every allied turn, on turn end, damage a random enemy unit on the melee row by 1
Assessment: an odd one on this list, alba Pikemen can be used to remove Spies placed on the melee row and to force the opponent into rowstacking. Drawback: Move or remove
Relevant synergies: Impera Enforcers, Regis, Ragn-Nar-Roog, Soldiers
Van Moorlehem Hunter
3 strength, 1 armor, 4 provisions
Deploy, Melee: Give Bleeding 2 to an enemy unit
Deploy, Ranged: Lock a unit
Assessment: slow tempo as it may be 4 provision locks with a backup bleeding option and an Aristocrat tag is a good consideration in any deck
Relevant synergies: Masquerade Ball, Vincent van Moorlehem, Vanhemar, Thirsty Dames, Master of Disguise, Slaver
Infiltrator
4 strength, 4 provisions
Melee: On round end, shuffle this unit in your opponent's deck
Assessment: Infiltrator is a bad card, but if you enjoy fucking up the opponent it's funny. But most importantly it's proactive, and Spies seem to lack purely proactive options
Relevant synergies: Cynthia, Vilgefortz, Assire
Fangs of the Empire
4 strength, 4 provisions
Deploy: give poison to an enemy unit
Assessment: perhaps Nilfgaard's best 4 provisions card, we have all seen what It can do in a poison package. If poison is going to be a relevant part of Nilfgaard Spy archetype, then this is a certain inclusion. Agent tag can also trigger Usurper Emperor.
Relevant synergies: Poison package
King Cobra
3 strength, 1 armor, 5 provisions
Deploy: give poison to an enemy unit.
Assessment: another targeted poison card, this time neutral. A possibility for a poison-heavy Spy hybrid. Doesn't work with Devotion
Relevant synergies: poison package
Imperial Diviner
4 strength, 5 provisions
Assimilate. Deploy: Purify a unit.
Assessment: arguably the best bronze purify in the game, it can also become an engine in any Spy-Assimilate hybrid. It's going to be used mostly for it's tech ability against defenders though.
Bomb Heaver
4 strength, 5 provisions
Deploy: destroy an artifact
Assessment: if Scenarios remain important in the meta, then it's going to be a great tech card and a loss for any Devotion deck
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