Alteil Set 10 Final Confrontation: Elgandi

Final Confrontation is the latest release of cards from Alteil. This Set is the 10th major expansion since the 3 years that Alteil US Online Card Battle has been available to the International Gaming Community. A new set usually introduces around 15 new cards per color (Red - Gowen, Blue - Falkow, Black - Lawtia, and Yellow - Refess), but this expansion promises to bring new multi-sphere cards similar to Verlaat & Eskatia, Dilate & Ibert, Esria & Astaforse and Summer & Fellana from Set 9.

So there will be a lot of new cards to review and new strategies will come into play, and I would like to start with what to me seems to be one of the more interesting cards from this new set, Elgandi. Elgandi is supposedly an Iczer (that's Alteil slang for a Player). Perhaps he was a card player sucked into the world of Alteil like Captain N was sucked into the world of Nintendo. Check out his stats and skills below.

His open and start skills remind me of pixie deck lockouts. Putting him on the field might be an SP challenge since 4 Refess and 4 Lawtia levels combine for 8 SP. The Refess-Lawtia Proxy might work, but you still need an SS or an extra 2 SP to bring those Lawtia levels up. Perhaps Stronghold and Galdirea SS based decks won't find this a problem. Even Gangadore-Miffyre-Bulerigid SS decks might be the key to playing Elgandi.

Disposing of him on the turn he comes into play is next to impossible if the field has been cleared of units. Imagine Cyclone, and then Elgandi. Or Afel/Zu and then Elgandi. He might actually be great for discarder deck strategies. Or play him with pixies, if you can generate the SP.

I am excited to see what strategies players will come up with using this new card. I have a feeling that Play by my Rules will actually be Elgandi's downfall since 4 cards represents way too many options in my opinion. It would be better if it was only one card per player, but with Fire Arrow, Sakura, Deathmaker, Wrath of the Sea Lord, Like the Hand, etc., a lot of cards can actually mess up an Elgandi set up in an instant. And SS cards can send him to the graveyard / return him too. I guess it would have been too much to ask for SS / Grim immunity like Zalzagul.