Ehren, Enduring Paladin opening strategies

[Borg]

I'm sure people will be coming up with a variety of ways to bring Ehren into play and heal him up asap.

Some thoughts about that,

A. Incantations

I don't like to bring him along using Incantations like Mend, Minor Heal or even Heal for that matter as
1- Their cost just adds to Ehren's cost
2- They feel like wasted SBP's, but most of all
3- They are rather unreliable

Example : using "Regenerate 2" two times ( with Regrowth ) and then going for a Mend can really backfire if you roll just 2 or less.
On average you should roll 3 and do the job ... but ... if you roll 2 or 1 that's two mana wasted, 1SBP wasted and probably even more damaging to your winning chances : 1 QC wasted.


B. Renewing Spring

Renewing Spring is a much better option ( 2 x Regrowth + 1 x Spring should do it on average ) but this also means your strategy would have to be built around the Renewing Spring as well imo, thus, a rather "static" strategy. If you just cast the Spring to heal Ehren and then abandon it, that's not optimal use of your resources.
Seems best suited for a Priestess build, I think.


C. The Malakai Priest opening

This one took me quite some time to figure out because I wanted to have

1- Ehren totally healed and ready to go in two rounds
2- No Healing Incantations used
3- Play nothing but quality spells which fit into the overall strategy
4- Improve Channeling and Actions in the process
5- Be able to stand up to R3 or even R2 aggression


Here goes


R1 19

QC Mana Crystal ( 1 zone up )
Move left
Battle Forge ( in your zone )

R2 16+1

Deploy Wispwillow Amulet
FC Guardian Angel
QC Defend

R3 10+1+1

Deploy Enchanter's Ring
FC Ehren 7 dam
QC Regrowth

R4 11+1+1

Upkeep : Regrowth 2
Deploy Asyran Robes
QC Hand of Bim Shalla ( in Starting Zone ) and heal Ehren 1
FD Bear Strength on Ehren

Ehren with 4 dam

R5 12+1+1

Upkeep : Regrowth 2 and move 1 dam to mage through Robes = at 1 dam
Deploy Leather Chausses
Bim Shalla Heal Ehren : 0 dam
QC FD Regrowth on Priest

Full action left
11 Mana left
Ehren at full Strength with Regrowth and FD Bear Strength
Guarding Angel
Priest with Aegis 1 and FD Regrowth
Battle Forge and Bim Shalla Active
3 more mana to come from Amulet.
White Cloak Knight Avenger possible next round

Comments are welcome.

[Coshade]

This sounds like a pretty good way to hit a timing with a potent force. Personally I've been leaning toward the new Holy Mage armor since it combos well with the HA ability. It might also be because I favor the 2 armor over the 1 aegis since the enchantment is inschool for holy mages to gain Aegis (can't remember the card name), while Rhino Hide is out of school.

We have a different method probably because I use a Temple instead of a Battle Forge. How I've been activating Ehren is by Lifelink and Bim shalla. Cassiel can cast Life Link and I cast Bim round 3 and if they choose to engage early, I consecrated ground to add another regenerate to the zone (so it could heal the remaining life on Ehren, but also starts healing you mage back up). I've also prepped Martyr's Restoration in the past when they try to super rush him because he's so intimidating.

But all around your method definitely rocks! How has it fared in games? I imagine once your GA dies it could become problematic action wise unless you transition into high equipment Priest.

[Puddnhead]

This sounds like a pretty good way to hit a timing with a potent force. Personally I've been leaning toward the new Holy Mage armor since it combos well with the HA ability. It might also be because I favor the 2 armor over the 1 aegis since the enchantment is inschool for holy mages to gain Aegis (can't remember the card name), while Rhino Hide is out of school.

We have a different method probably because I use a Temple instead of a Battle Forge. How I've been activating Ehren is by Lifelink and Bim shalla. Cassiel can cast Life Link and I cast Bim round 3 and if they choose to engage early, I consecrated ground to add another regenerate to the zone (so it could heal the remaining life on Ehren, but also starts healing you mage back up). I've also prepped Martyr's Restoration in the past when they try to super rush him because he's so intimidating.

But all around your method definitely rocks! How has it fared in games? I imagine once your GA dies it could become problematic action wise unless you transition into high equipment Priest.

Hate to break it to you, Coshade, but Life Link is Magecast.  Although it is a great way to get some guaranteed healing on the old hate-magnet Ehren.

Also, I prefer Healing Charm and Temple of Bim-Shalla to heal up Ehren.  Cassiel can cast Healing Charm and with a Ring of Asyra you get 4 dice for 3 mana at exactly the right time as well as gain a life with your Priestess.

I would think the Regrowth would be better placed on the Mage and then Life Link heals Ehren.  I still think you get better positioning and better long term benefits from Cassiel and Ring of Asyra.  If you throw in some Disciples of Radiance you can get more mileage out of the incantations.

[Coshade]

Ah yeah I forgot I use my mage for casting Life Link. Only done it like twice but it's very fun. I could see if you're using a Priestess that the Disciples would be a good choice with Healing Charm. As a main Priest player though I tend to avoid it. I used to have one but I think I replaced it with a Restore Life (I think that's the name of it?)

[farkas1]

Yea seems like a real effective way to get Ehren out.  I brought him out after having a temple of asyra and two asyran clerics.  I casted a minor heal luckily and maxed him out of health, keeping my clerics at by in case they needed to add some heals. Thinking about it tho it may have been better to just get the clerics out and start healing Ehren without the minor heal.  Either way I lucked out that game.

 He was a pain for the Wizard.  early on as I unleashed Ehren and 3 disciples of radiance wreaking havoc across the board. 

in the same game I one shot a devouring jelly with a temple of light.  It was awesome!!!

[Coshade]

Yea seems like a real effective way to get Ehren out.  I brought him out after having a temple of asyra and two asyran clerics.  I casted a minor heal luckily and maxed him out of health, keeping my clerics at by in case they needed to add some heals. Thinking about it tho it may have been better to just get the clerics out and start healing Ehren without the minor heal.  Either way I lucked out that game.

 He was a pain for the Wizard.  early on as I unleashed Ehren and 3 disciples of radiance wreaking havoc across the board. 

in the same game I one shot a devouring jelly with a temple of light.  It was awesome!!!

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[Kharhaz]

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[Biblofilter]

I never really did my homework in regard to Ehren.

From the Priest book i build while i was "on the road" based on the German Priestess build "Westward Crusade" so no spawnpoint.

R1 19

        Ehren
QC   Regrowth (reveal on Ehren)

(5 damage on Ehren)

R2 18

       Lowland Unicorn (HA)
QC   Hand of Bim-Shalla

(1 damage on Ehren)

R3  13

using HoB Ehren is ready from round 3.

Mana might be a problem from here on.

Asyrian Cleric as HA in round 2 should be just as good.

[bigfatchef]

I have a book starting
1) 19 : qc Temple (10) , Ehren (5) = 4
2) 13+1 : deploy Broken Wing Angel (6) , cleric or mana crystal (5) , FD ench (2) = 1
3) 10+1 or 11+1 : deploy broken wing angel, .....

Deploying a broken wing angel heals ehren 3 dice. After 2 angels he is possibly ready. Depending on your strategie and how quick you need him you can heal one more die from a cleric if summoned round2. Or invest in a longer game with a crystal and summon a cleric round 3. Or drop one if both for hand of bim shala.

In all ways ehren is ready at least round 4 with a small army supporting him and saving the temple.

[Mystery]

Honestly everything that has no permanent effect (like regrowth, renewing spring) is not worth it, then just cast a KoW beforehand instead. Ehren brings not that much to the Table as the Warlock Demon which has Elusive and costs a non-Mana ressource.

[Halewijn]

Honestly everything that has no permanent effect (like regrowth, renewing spring) is not worth it, then just cast a KoW beforehand instead. Ehren brings not that much to the Table as the Warlock Demon which has Elusive and costs a non-Mana ressource.

Agreed that's why I think this is one of the only cards that is actually much better in Arena than Academy!
In academy, you will probably have to heal him with "one time use"-spells anyway. In arena, there are many ways to heal him with permanent effects. (Regrowth, Life link, Hand of Bim shalla, Renewing spring, ...)

My Ehren opening in academy:
T1: Ehren + faith healer staff
T2: Broken wing angel (3 dice) + mend (3 dice) (During upkeep, use the healer staff if necesarry for 1 dice)

Mend: 1 spellbookpoint, 2 mana
Broken wing angel: 2 mana for the heal, 4 mana for the creature
Faith healer staff: 1 mana for the heal

In total you have a weaker creature (Angel), have spend 5 extra mana on Ehren (10 mana total) and spend 1 spellbookpoint on him (mend)

Not bad, not great.

[Coshade]

I have a book starting
1) 19 : qc Temple (10) , Ehren (5) = 4
2) 13+1 : deploy Broken Wing Angel (6) , cleric or mana crystal (5) , FD ench (2) = 1
3) 10+1 or 11+1 : deploy broken wing angel, .....

Deploying a broken wing angel heals ehren 3 dice. After 2 angels he is possibly ready. Depending on your strategie and how quick you need him you can heal one more die from a cleric if summoned round2. Or invest in a longer game with a crystal and summon a cleric round 3. Or drop one if both for hand of bim shala.

In all ways ehren is ready at least round 4 with a small army supporting him and saving the temple.

Just so you know - you need 2 mana on the temple to deploy from the temple.

[iNano78]

In an Academy match, my spouse led with Ehren + Mend, rolled 5 with her Mend, then Broken Wing Angel on round 2 did the job. But that's above average. Of course, having another Mend in hand on turn 2 pretty much guarantees it, if you don't mind putting that many actions, sbps and mana into a fully-equipped Ehren + BW Angel.

If you have promos, then following Ehren with a couple of Messengers of Bim-Shalla is pretty effective. There is evidence that Messenger of Bim-Shalla will be released in Lost Grimoires v1.

[Brian VanAlstyne]

Cassiel with a minor heal does wonders too since you're not technically using your own mana if you get her out a round or two before Ehren. Plus if you get her out with a temple, while she's building mana during upkeep, she can pray to the temple to help build mana there as well.