Hey friends, Merlin here. You’ll see me writing now and again on particularly exciting 2v2 combinations and concepts. Today though, we’re going to take a look at some cards to watch for in each of Mythgard’s six factions. Many of these cards are already strong, but in 2v2 play explode into new dimensions of power!
Norden / Blue
Norn Datacore
As a turn 2 play, datacore is hard to beat in terms of value. Norn datacore counts every single minion that dies, and with twice as many players that’s twice as many charges. Artifacts have another partial advantage in 2v2 that Norn datacore benefits from: only damage dealt directly to you reduces the durability of your artifacts. Thus, datacore grants you disproportionate advantage by gaining charges from every death across the board but only suffering damage from your half of it.
Kára Mourningwives
Kára is a force to be reckoned with anywhere, often demanding removal upon arrival or seriously upsetting the state of play. In 2v2, this becomes even more true. Like Datacore, Kára counts every single enemy minion that enters play, regardless of which side of the board it comes in on. If she’s not handled, she quickly becomes a monster.
Magnus Thorsson/Thunderclap
In 2v2, clean sweeps are paramount to any team’s success. Both Magnus and Thunderclap give midrange and control decks a means of gaining tempo by hitting every enemy minion on both sides of the board. While one player on a team clears the enemy team’s board with a clap or Magnus, their partner can focus on developing their board position.
Cataclysm
Blue is home to some big spells, and Cataclysm’s arguably the biggest, dealing five damage to every single target, players included. In 2v2 this is particularly vicious because it counts each player on a team individually. Thus, while each minion is taking five damage, each team’s life total is eating ten damage to the face. Ten damage for six mana alone is pretty scary, and alongside any other sort of burst play from your partner can easily be enough to close out a game.
Allfather’s Horn
If there is a big blue spell that can compete with Cataclysm for the title of "Most Impactful", it is Allfather’s Horn. Simply put, this card ends games. Blue ramp is particularly effective in 2v2 (see datacore above), which creates even greater opportunity for Allfather’s Horn to either swing a game or close it before your opponents have a real opportunity to build up a defense. Most notably, Allfather’s Horn treats the center lane as yours, which means you can get a free swing with something your partner plays in the center the same turn they play it (two things, if either of you have the mana for impel).
Aztlan / Yellow
Volition™
In 2v2, the goal is to synchronize your plays. You want your play to strengthen the action your partner took, or vice-versa. It’s generally better to be working along the same strategic line, rather than developing two completely different strategies side by side.
Volition™ represents the simplest, cheapest, and most direct support play: your partner drops a powerful minion on curve, and that same turn you are able to give it the ability to attack for only 2 mana. Gorgeous.
Orbital Jamming Satellite
Many of the cards in this article made the cut because of how they interact with frequency – they have effects that trigger based upon a total number of events regardless of where on the board these events occur (see Datacore and Kára above and Cadejos below for immediate examples). Orbital Jamming Satellite is also here due to frequency, but the rationale is a little different.
In a 1v1 game, satellite is a good card, but it’s not always the best. There are plenty of scary effects on minions, but there’s also plenty of minions that bring more than enough to the table by virtue of their stats alone. In 2v2 however, with two sets of minions being laid out against you, it’s far more likely that you’re going to see a clutch target you’d really like to suppress (for instance: a Boneyard Abomination).
Black & White Cadejos
As I alluded to above, the real power of many value plays in 2v2 is frequency. Like Datacore, Black Cadejo counts every single time a minion dies, and turns that into damage to your opponent (as White Cadejo gives you life for things entering play). With twice as many things entering and leaving play, this pair can get real crazy, real fast.
And that’s not all! Cadejo synergy can be further exploited in 2v2 because you don’t need to own both of them for their abilities to sync up; they just need to be in play. Thus, if both you and your partner are bringing cadejos to the table, they’re gonna stack up to be something fierce quite rapidly.
Bob “Banzai” Vaquero
Popularized by erobert in Kryptik Gaming's first 2v2 league, Bob is the only minion in the game that can consistently provide net draw to either you or your partner whilst simultaneously providing global control of the board. If you play him in the center lane, your partner gets to draw and shoot something that same turn!
While some other minions provide cycling in the center lane (Bragi, Shopworn Bull) or draws that are conditional/consumable (Insurance Broker, Skilled Hactivist, Steam Bun), every turn Bob stays on the board is guaranteed cards and damage for you or your partner, whoever needs the draw more.
Misanthropia
There simply is no more reliable board sweeper in all of Mythgard than Misanthropia, and in 2v2, where a pair of enemy players are doing their best to send forth an army of minions to consume your life, being able to reset the board is invaluable. With coordination, Misanthropia becomes even more valuable: if either you or your partner feels the time has come to wipe the board, then while one of you does the deed, the other can wait for the blight to settle before developing something new and powerful onto the field, fresh and free of blight.
Oberos / Red
Dashing Ringmaster
Out front and center, let’s talk about Dashing Ringmaster. “Other FRIENDLY minions” means that all your partner’s minions of strength 4 or lower are also coming into play with Rush once Ringmaster makes its appearance. Where in 1v1, ringmaster often represents a loss of tempo on the turn it is played, in 2v2 your partner can immediately take advantage of it the very same turn it enters play. This makes Ringmaster a staple for most aggro and tempo combinations in 2v2.
For crazy shenanigans, try pairing with a piquant Hopeless Necromantic, or a finely aged Stubborn Tengu.
Red Carnival
Here I go again, harping on frequency. With twice as many minions in the game and twice as many things dying, Red Carnival’s far more able and likely to have a real impact on the game.
Like Ringmaster, Carnival often loses you tempo in 1v1. However, like Ringmaster and other cards on this list, if you can sync up with your partner by playing it center to allow one of their minions to gain the benefit that same turn, or to rely on them to kill some minions with their plays, your team can get some immediate use out of Carnival the turn it enters play.
Enyo, Murder’s Muse
Twice as many minions, twice as many deaths, blah blah blah. Like Kára, Enyo grows far more quickly in 2v2 than in 1v1, and while a big Kára is scary, a big Enyo is nearly unstoppable, and twice as dangerous.
Gigantomachia
On a big board, sweeps are essential. In 2v2, where the increased starting life means that games often go longer and more high end minions have a chance to come out, a sweep that exclusively clears major threats is all the more valuable.
Máni, Queen of Tides
Yes, I know Máni is technically Norden, but thematically she has more in common with the Oberos entries in my list than the Norden. Like both Ringmaster and Carnival, she suffers from slowing her owner down in 1v1 play. However, 2v2 offers several opportunities to not just negate that loss of tempo, but often allow her to be the burst that closes a game. If you play Máni center, your partner can be the one to activate her, giving any minion on your team’s side some extra actions. Alternately, if your partner already has a fattie with a line to attack, you can use Máni to push several swings through.
Dreni / Green
Detained/Deported
Detained/Deported is one of the most commonly run Green cards because of the sheer amount of flexibility and utility it provides, a two-for-one play that often lets you avoid an early trade to maintain pressure and steal some much-needed tempo in the mid or late-game.
In 2v2, all of these things are still true, and there are twice as many targets that need locking down, twice as many ephemeral creatures just begging to be deported and never come back.
It is within your power to save your partner’s Strigoi pup from a grisly trade, and force your opponents to put that much more energy into beating out the fires you set in the first couple turns.
Leshy Greene
One of the most highly debated cards in 2v2, there’s no question that Leshy Greene is certainly one of the strongest. It’s not uncommon for a turn 3 Leshy to come out swinging with 8+ power and health, and with something that big on your side, your opponents better hope they have an answer and fast.
NOTE: At time of publication, Leshy Greene is banned from Kryptik Gaming's 2v2 League & Tournament play, due to its’ ability to thoroughly derail the early & midgame. If you wish to enjoy the unbridled might of Leshy Greene in 2v2, please do so responsibly outside of official KG play.
Plague Maidens
I can honestly say that of all the things I’ve come across in 2v2, running up against a team of well coordinated Plague Maidens can be one of the most terrifying. Between you and your partner, it’s pretty easy to get her either armored or warded, and if she’s on the center lane then both of you can pump as much into her as you want, clearing anything else without similar protections from the board with ease.
Additionally, each activation of her ability deals 2 damage to each team, as it counts each player individually. Thus, she’s arguably the cheapest and most consistent direct damage engine.
Traitorous Murmur
What can I say? Murmur is a game-changer. And with twice as many minions to choose from, there’s almost always going to be something you and your partner would rather be in possession of than your opponents.
For a particularly potent pairing, try murmuring something to your partner’s side of the field right before they drop an Allfather’s Horn.
Boneyard Abomination
Leshy Greene’s dark mirror. With four boneyards to count from, this guy earns its abominable apellation, regularly hitting the board with well over 20 power & health. Given its low cost, it’s relatively easy to combine with cards and effects granting it extra actions or Rush (Freki Sidecar, Allfather’s Horn, Volition™, even Ringmaster due to what some consider a glitch in coding), thus allowing you to drop something very big and then hit very hard on the same turn.
Note: like Leshy Greene, Boneyard Abomination is currently banned in KG 2v2 play. With two players to bring Abominations and action accelerants to the table, it’s been ruled too easy to win with, and suppressive to the meta.
Parsa / Orange
Insurance Broker
Getting a card draw out of Insurance Broker the turn she comes into play isn’t usually that difficult. In 2v2, however, it’s almost guaranteed. With the number of things that die, you’ll be getting an extra card from her more turns than not – as long as she sticks around.
Radiant Vessel
I felt a need to include Radiant Vessel, as it is currently the only card in the game with an ability that costs 0 to activate and has no limit on the number of times it can be activated. While this is ostensibly unnecessary given that it drains all your available Orange gems, it does mean that a center lane Radiant Vessel could be empowered first by your gems, then by your partner’s, to create an especially powerful creature.
Combine this with some overrun, or strike some real fear by dropping an Allfather’s Horn to reset your Orange gems for boosting AND give this guy an extra attack. L0gick discovered this particular combination, calculating an ability to drop over 200 damage directly from hand between two players.
Mardykhor
Mardykhor is already a solid play; 5 for a 4/4 that deals damage while entering play and often while exiting as well. In 2v2, the ability to reach across the aisle to deal that damage wherever your team needs it most makes Mardykhor an excellent inclusion in many builds.
Armageddon Angel
A total sweep that leaves you with a powerful minion is just as good in 2v2 as 1v1. Except wait, here it’s even better because after you sweep the board leaving nothing but your angel of death, your partner still has their whole turn to repopulate their board!
One small advisory: keep track of how many minions your opponents have before dropping this lady on the table. It’s far easier for two players to have the 7 minions necessary to set her health to 0, leaving you with no minion for the 7 mana you just spent.
Temptation
Orange has some of the best removal/responses in the game. For most 1v1 scenarios, Seal of Exile is the 4-drop removal spell of choice as it provides some real security from ever having to deal with the targeted minion again. In many ways, Temptation is the exact opposite. Not only does it fail to destroy the targeted minion, it makes it cheaper to play.
That said, 2v2 offers a greater frequency of opportunities to truly capitalize on the flexibility and potential of this card. Play it offensively to remove an enemy blocker and swing in with 2-3 minions at once, or play it defensively to trade one enemy minion with another, removing both from the board for good. With a big board, there will always be opportunities on one side or the other.
Harmony
Defy Death
In 2v2, once things get going, they can get going fast. A team with momentum can combo out into a kill a lot sooner or for a lot more damage than you might expect. OTK strategies are quite common amongst experienced teams. If that happens, it only takes you OR your partner having this card and the available gems to keep you in the game.
And, even if it only buys you one more turn, that might be just the time you need to set up your own OTK, or cut your enemies’ engines.
Imperative Bell
Imperative Bell is yet another card that takes advantage of the frequency of events in 2v2 play to overcome the initial loss in tempo. Being able to choose any minion on the board each turn, it’s very easy to get your bell to ring for that extra card and extra 2 mana. There’s nothing more satisfying than getting out a 5-drop on turn 3 because someone decided they really needed that trade.
Hot tip: If anyone at the table is running Yellow, you can get some easy rings out of targeting enemy minions that are blighted. As soon as their turn starts, you’ll be getting a card.
Red Cliffs
The dread gatekeeper, Red Cliffs shuts down Rush for both your opponent and their partner. While they will likely have something to deal with whatever you put on the cliffs, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Aggressive strats will have to spend their removal on whatever insignificant things you put down on the cliffs, leaving you free to develop real threats elsewhere.
War Fan
At some point, I plan to write an article on the absurdity of War Fan and the number of interactions it opens up in 2v2. As this article is more of a primer than anything, let me simply say here that War Fan represents the ultimate get-ahead maneuver in terms of supporting your partner in gaining tempo. Where in 1v1 you spend your turn playing War Fan and then your opponent gets to be the first in line to reap the benefits, in 2v2 the first person to enjoy that sweet sweet discount is your partner. With a little preparation for the Fan drop, things can get crazy.
Daigoju Supreme
Purple is full of amazing high-end mythics, and I love all of them. That said, Daigoju Supreme is particularly well-suited to 2v2. Its ability is amazing but expensive but one that both you and your partner can activate when Daigoju occupies the center lane. Thus, the turn you play it Daigoju can clear a minion of 4, or even 8 health across the center line as well as dealing 8 damage directly, without even making an attack.
If it survives past that first turn, well, things are only going to get worse for your opponents (to say nothing of the havoc you or your partner can wreak with a couple of Datacores).
Conclusion
This is by no means an exhaustive list of cards worth playing in 2v2 – most cards that are powerful and game-changing in 1v1 are just as scary and usable in 2v2. That being said, the real power of 2v2 comes from combining and compounding effects, making the individual contributions of you and your partner’s cards add up to something far greater than either of you could accomplish alone in a similar space of time.
Thanks for reading! I hope this gives you some grounding in ways to really exploit the Melee format, maybe even find a partner to build some decks with and take the 2v2 queue by storm! If you’re already a 2v2 veteran, post your favorite combo or favorite 2v2 play in the comments below or let us know on our discord.