# Individual Card Reviews: Champions
In every Expedition run, your Champions will form the backbone of your strategy. Even the worst Champion is better than the average card, and the top-tier Champions can be gamebreaking, so it's worth thinking deeply about how you can build your deck to play to your Champion's strengths and offset its weaknesses. Here, we discuss how powerful each particular Champion is, as well as ideal card pairings and deck archetypes for each one.
| Card | Review |
|---|---|
 | Rating: S- The Queen of Shadow Isles aggro, Elise comes down and punishes your opponent hard for missing a turn 2 play. If they do manage to mount a defense, then she threatens to completely control the board, with larger spiders eating opposing units, and smaller spiders attacking through for damage or pulling away large blockers. All that she asks is that you count up to 3 spider bodies at once, which is a pretty reasonable ask, given that most spiders are quite solid on their own. Obviously, the cards that make multiple Spiders synergize well with her (House Spider, Brood Awakerning) -- and in turn, mass pump effects like Decisive Maneuver get much better. A tuned Elise deck is the most terrifying (fearsome?) thing to face on an Expedition run; your opponent is locked out of the game as you decide how combat happens, every single turn. |
 | Rating: S- Zed is a paragon of mana efficiency. 6 recurring damage across two bodies, coming down on turn 3! Not to mention his very first attack already presents a lose-lose situation to your opponent: throw away a unit, or allow Zed grow into a 4/3. It should come as no surprise that I have Zed rated as one of the best champions in the entire game. You can play a pretty wide variety of decks with Zed, which is another hallmark of a strong champion. Obviously he does a lot of work in aggro and midrange, but even controlling decks can use him to create favorable board positions just with the threat of ending the game much faster. If you'd like to find some synergies, though, cards that care about more units like Sparring Student and Greenglade Duo are one place to start. Additionally, tempo-positive plays like Will of Ionia will ensure that your Zed gets to attack with impunity. |
 | Rating: S- With a single copy of Anivia in your deck, you are almost guaranteed to win the late game. Anivia comes down and cleans up your opponent's board, while being a recurrent threat that demands two pieces of removal. With that in mind, you should look for other cards that will keep you alive to get to the late game -- think Bull Elnuk rather than Alpha Wildclaw. Although ramp spells like Catalyst of Aeons do let you play and level her faster, they are by no means necessary; you'll hit 10 mana as long as you can figure out how not to die. Notably, her Last Breath also combos well with Ephemeral Copies -- Splinter Twin, Spectral Matron, and Dawn to Dusk are quite sweet in concert with Anivia. Don't get too cute, though. One copy of Anivia on board is usually enough to carry the game. |
 | Rating: A+ Jinx sports a pretty respectable 4/3 Quick Attack body -- a bad blocker but reasonable attacker in the midgame, though quickly outclassed late. Where she really shines is in granting you a steady stream of card advantage if you can level her up: not just the additional card each round, but also the Super Mega Death Rocket! she makes afterwards. Accordingly, your Jinx decks should aim to curve low, and try and knock your opponent down to where a Rocket or two will close the game. Be warned: Just because you have a Jinx, doesn't mean you should go deep into the Scrapyard cards that want you to discard your hand (Flame Chompers!, Rummage), as those are mostly a pile of horsecrap. However, Jinx does pair quite amazingly with Draven as a free source of discard, giving you control both over the board and also your hand size. |
 | Rating: A+ Garen warrants inclusion just for his ginormous body. Seriously, a 5/5 beats up on 90% of the units in the game, and Regeneration means that he'll do it again, and again, and again. The threat of leveling up is also a nice bonus, both for the stats and the Rally effect. Note that the Rally doesn't stack with your regular attack token, though (unlike e.g. Lucian or Katarina) so if you level him up by blocking, you won't really see the bonus until a bit later. The main thing to build around with Garen is not to pick up too many other 5-mana units; yes, Swiftwing Lancer and Vanguard Cavalry and Radiant Guardian are all great, but if you play them all you run the real risk of losing too much board presence in the early game. Garen is also notable for his extremely powerful Champion spell, Judgment -- in fact, I'm tempted to say that Judgment is even better than Garen is. As such, you should be happy to have multiple copies in your deck. |
 | Rating: A+ Sejauni comes in and eats an opposing unit for breakfast -- what's not to like? Stat-wise, her closest point of comparison is Alpha Wildclaw, which is pretty good place to be. Where Sejuani shines is in her ability to play defensively as well. Freljord does not lack for expensive creatures that can end the game, but Sejauni can play double-duty as an Icevale Archer, if necessary. I'd caution against relying on her level up; it'll be turn 9 or 10 by default, and if you've hit your opponent 5 times you're usually winning already. But at least you don't have to warp your deck around her, just... attack. Overall, I'd rank her as the second or third best Freljordian champ: not Anivia-tier, but neck to neck with Tryndamere. |
 | Rating: A+ Twisted Fate is quite flexible, offering a choice between Shadow Assassin, Chempunk Shredder, and... Arachnoid Sentry? What you gain in flexibility, though, you lose in raw inefficiency; Quick Attack is not super meaningful on unit with only 2 power. Drawing 8+ cards is not that easy to achieve, either; if you get down Twisted Fate on turn 4 and pick the Blue Card, it'll still take you until turn 11 before you get to his (admittedly powerful) other side. And while you're working on that plan, you've got a body that's incredibly vulnerable to all kinds of removal and challengers; the fates would have to smile on you to get all the way there. |