My rankings of the Ihalaban units!

The second-newest faction, Ihalaban, is a faction of extremes. Ihalaban boasts some of the biggest monsters, most powerful spellcasters, speediest units, and highest ranked units. All of this comes at a cost- as Ihalaban is among the most expensive factions. The statistical dominance allows Ihalaban to have the potential to crush every possible enemy, but the high unit cost and resource dependency also makes Ihalaban a faction that can find itself getting routed quickly. This cost/power balance makes Ihalaban units some of the most fun to rank!

Here is my Ihalaban tier list! (Tiermaker link here)

• Superb Tier: Zepodom Usurper, Camazotz Sorcerorlord, Grand Bakunawa
• A Tier: Tikbalang Blazestrider, Naga Archon, Regal Minokawa, Savage Mameleu
• B Tier: Ojj Archer, Ihalaban General, Ihalaban Salamangkero
• C Tier: Feroxxus Ravager
• D Tier: Ihalaban Berbalang, Ihalaban Reaver, Feral Gowrow, Kobekumpo Rivertyrant

D TIER: Ihalaban Berbalang, Ihalaban Reaver, Feral Gowrow, Kobekumpo Rivertyrant

The biggest area of weakness for Ihalaban is evident in their cheapest units. The problem isn’t necessarily their attributes and what they bring to the battleground, but the fact that they each fall about a cost slot up from where they’d be great. Ihalaban Berbalang is a basic aerial unit that generates mana, nothing exciting. Ihalaban Reaver would be an awesome cheap frontline attacker for 1 less gold. Instead it’s an average payoff. Feral Gowrow is in the exact same boat but as a defensive unit (although Amphibious helps). Kobekumpo Rivertyrant is fine, and can bring some big payoff with Championslayer, but is a little underwhelming for 6 gold.

C TIER: Feroxxus Ravager

Feroxxus Ravager is a great representation statistically of an Ihalaban unit- It has good attack and defense, as well as a powerful spell in Cataclysm that can hit multiple targets in the right situation. Multi-Attack enables hitting multiple targets as well in close quarters. The issue is that Cataclysm is expensive and not always necessary, which describes the Feroxxus Ravager overall as well!

B TIER: Ojj Archer, Ihalaban General, Ihalaban Salamangkero

Ihalaban has some decent support units. These units seem unremarkable but do the dirty work that can go unnoticed. Ihalaban General is a pure commanding Captain that most of the time will break ties and command stronger units. The only area that Ihalaban does not have an elite unit is ranged (non-spell) attacking. As the only ranged unit in the faction, Ojj Archer is useful. Ihalaban Salamangkero is a basic spellcaster, but Runestone is extraordinary weapon for a faction with incredible top-end power. The three of these units are effective at what they do and will not cost you the battle should they be eliminated quickly.

A TIER: Tikbalang Blazestrider, Naga Archon, Regal Minokawa, Savage Mameleu

This is the tier where we go from supporting cast to lead roles. Tikbalang Blazestrider represents one of those “best in game” attributes- 4 movement along with Sear, which weaponizes the Blazestrider’s speed. The Tikbalang Blazestrider is excellent as a vanguard unit, capable of claiming multiple resource centers that Ihalaban desperately needs. The 3 health helps a lot as well because your enemy will have to dedicate a relatively substantial (though not all that difficult) attack to eliminate it. The Blazestrider is a steal for 5 gold. The only thing keeping it out of S-Tier is the average attack and rank. Savage Mameleu is a true surprise attack unit- Ihalaban’s Aquatic units are often not planned for. The Savage Mameleu is a good value play at 4 gold for a healthy 3 damage. It’s not hard to eliminate once it’s on the board, but it likely will take something with it before it’s killed. Regal Minokawa is the most powerful Aerial unit and has the highest damage attack in the game. The Regal Minokawa can score the majority of points needed for victory by itself and can demolish an enemy battle plan. The 10 attack can singularly elminate almost anything and the 10 health can seem insurmountable. As far as raw attributes, it’s possibly the very best overall unit in the game. Many people would put the Regal Minokawa in the S-Tier and I would not argue much. Personally, I just couldn’t get over the cost. Of course you can runestone it out and save the gold, but that depletes your mana supply and therefore significantly hampers one of Ihalaban’s big strengths. While the Minokawa will wreak havoc, as soon as it is eliminated by a savvy opponent the score almost always flips in their favor. I am probably being harsh, but I have the Regal Minokawa as an excellent A-Tier unit. Naga Archon is a personal favorite unit of mine. The Archon’s Wave of Blades is of course the highlight, and is an incredibly destructive spell, but what I like is the Naga Archon’s toughness. 6 Health makes them a durable unit, unlike a lot of fragile spellcasters. The Naga Archon brings even more versatility as a 4 rank Captain. It’s a great unit, but again, a really expensive one- costing 8 gold and then 8 mana (for Wave of Blades) to actually use it to it’s full potential.

S TIER: Zepodom Usurper, Camazotz Sorcerorlord, Grand Bakunawa

The Zepodom Usurper has 1 attack and no spells, and yet I have seen it take over so many battles. A curious combination of Aquatic and Aerial makes it surprisingly dangerous as it is not limited by any sort of movement penalty and can pop up for a key surprise attack. Diabolical is a fun ability that forces your enemy to choose between giving you gold or victory points. The effect can have a powerful long term impact. What really enables the Zepodom Usurper to take over is being a 5 rank Captain. The Zepodom can pop up on a water space during the reinforcement phase, make a quick attack, then lead off the next round and command a powerful spell or massive monster to swing the battle. It’s one of the most fun units tactically. Camazotz Sorecerorlord is also a high-rank Captain, but unlike the Zepodom Usurper that is its secondary use. Ruinous Blast is an insanely powerful spell, ripping off 3 damage to anything in range. The high rank helps the Sorcerorlord manuever into position to obliterate low-defense enemies that get too close together. Being an Aerial unit helps as well. The Sorcerorlord’s attack and defense aren’t amazing but are better than most spellcasters. Grand Bakunawa is an extremely powerful melee fighter with great durability at 9 health. Amphibious and 3 rank give it a big movment edge over some of the other monstrous melee units in the game, as the majority of them tend to have average movement and rank. The Grand Bakunawa also has Maelstorm which is a great spell for punishing enemies that are adjacent to water spaces. This spell combined with the great attack and defense makes the Grand Bakunawa an extremely dangerous enemy that can be the main point scoring unit in multiple strategies.

8 Factions down, 2 to go! The Tier Series wraps up this week with Doom Sand next and the Baazaria. You can always make your Factions: Battlegrounds unit tiers here!