Patch 4.8.0: Full Analysis of the New Cards

Patch 4.8.0, the variety patch, is here, and new cards to boost everyone's gameplay are also here. As usual, in this article, I bring you an analysis on the new Patch's new cards.

Let's check out the analysis! Keep in mind that my opinions are all based on my 3-year experience playing and casting LoR tournaments. If you agree or disagree, I welcome you in the comment section below.

During the analysis, I'll grade the cards from ★★★★★ (five stars) to ★☆☆☆☆ (one star).

★★★★★ = Very strong card: can appear in multiple decks, and even define the game's meta.

★★★★☆ = Strong card: can appear in meta decks frequently.

★★★☆☆= Good card: can complement a list well, and appear in specific archetypes.

★★☆☆☆= Bad card: can perform badly in decks, and show up in specific archetypes.

★☆☆☆☆= Terrible card: this card makes no sense in any deck, and can even make a list worse in case it is considered in an archetype.

Divine Draft - ★★★★☆

Divine Draft reaffirms Piltover & Zaun's region identity, bringing a cheap removal which can be flexible and used as a Burn element as well. A direct comparison to this card is with the spell Timewinder, which basically does the same, but with the additional effect of discarding a card from your hand.

I don't believe this card is a power creep to Timewinder, even more so as many times it is even better to discard a card in your hand than to not discard any card. But discarding matches aggressive lists better, and now slower decks can benefit from this effect without having to discard a valuable card from their hands.

Divine Draft can appear in Seraphine lists as a one-of, and in other dynamic Piltover & Zaun archetypes, such as Aphelios Viktor.

Crystalline Stormraptor - ★★★★☆

This card might be the removal Freljord needed. Avalanche fell down in use, but this card brings the same effect on a unit with the Bird subtype, which can be interesting. Crystalline Stormraptor opens up an array of interesting synergies with some Standard cards, such as Glacial Saurian, but I believe this card will really shine in the Eternal format, with Concurrent Timelines.

I believe that, for the Standard format, this card might perform as a ★★★☆☆ (three star) card, as its stats are a bit too low, and synergies there aren't that great when compared to Eternal.

Tidal Invocation - ★★☆☆☆

This card is interesting, but its real potential can only be explored with Powder Kegs. Other cards which increase spell damage, such as Funsmith and Tybaulk, do enhance Tidal Invocation's effect, but, even then, I don't think they are enough to make Invocation good.

This card really matches Kegs, and can even make sense in some Midrange Bilgewater deck, but I believe Illaoi's archetype will benefit very little from this card, and Nami lists won't be able to use this card well also. There are much better things in the game, such as Heavy Metal.

Proliferating Darkwraith - ★★☆☆☆

By far, this was the hardest card to evaluate, as, historically, this type of effect, of giving global stats to specific cards, has never been very consistent, and has only been strong with spiders. What sold me this card, is that it costs 1 mana, which means, you can have a gigantic unit for just 1 cost, eventually.

However, the deck in which it might show up is still shrouded in mystery, and I believe it will be easier to make it work in Eternal.

Crimson Banquet Hall - ★★★★☆

This card is very interesting: reducing the cost of units is an extremely strong effect in Runeterra. It really matches Swain, and can even be a combo tool in lists which want to slay their own units. However, the truth strength of this card will be in Eternal, alongside Vladimir's change, as this card enables, once again, the Crimson archetype fully, and can even be a card which will incite the creation and exploration of new combos in Noxus again.

I am excited to play with this landmark, as Noxus has always needed its own signature landmark again after the nerfs to Ravenbloom Conservatory, and this card might be the new face of this region in Eternal.

Mister Thrift - ★★★★★

This card really fixes the curve in Norra lists, and can spice up Teemo archetypes even more. Being able to shuffle shrooms and Norra's portals is a very strong effect for such a cheap unit. Mister Thrift is a constant threat on board, and can be an extremely popular card in the next few days. This card alone might reaffirm the Quietus' stay in meta decks again.

This card will certainly play well in Norra lists, and Teemo shroom lists.

Cosmic Call - ★★★★☆

It is impossible to refrain myself from comparing this card to Behold the Infinite, but don't be mistaken, as Cosmic Call isn't a power creep to Behold the Infinite. Though they are quite similar, Cosmic Call has a clear goal of being useful only to create value late game, unlike Behold the Infinite, which is more flexible and can be useful for situations early and mid-game too.

With that in mind, I still think Cosmic Call is much better, as it is a cad with which we can easily build lists, and it really makes it easier for us to find a Targon win condition by invoking big finisher units. The second effect of reducing the cost of Celestials might be too slow, but it doesn't prevent it from being played at a high-level just for its first effect.

Airis - ★★★☆☆

This card is a strong support card for the Evelynn archetype, which was extensively nerfed in the last few patches. This card really matches Evelynn Kai'Sa lists, but keep in mind that these are recently nerfed champions, so this card might not perform as well, though I particularly find it great.

Other than Evelynn decks, I can't see a use for Airis.

Balen The Benevolent - ★★★★☆

Galio Udyr's archetype is still one of the best options to deal with Control and Midrange lists. Balen comes with a mana cost which isn't disputed by many units in that archetype, and it also brings a very strong effect which really makes this deck's life easier. Certainly, this card only works in Galio decks, but I believe it is strong enough to put this archetype back on the competitive radar.

Valley of Imitation - ★★★★☆

This card reaffirms Shurima's region identity as the transformation region. This card brings a very strong and continuous effect, which makes Curious Changelings obsolete. I believe this card's role is literally the same as Changelings in Nidalee lists, but better. There's not much besides that; maybe in a nearby future a new combo or interaction with this card will be discovered, but, until then, it will surely fit Nidalee decks like a glove.

If you've read this far, now you got the complete analysis on the new cards on Patch 4.8.0.

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