New Redemption Grab Bag now includes an assortment of 500 cards from five (5) different expansion sets. Available at Cactus website.
We don't have a Meta Defense anymore. 8 card defense is practically dead.
Canaanites...
According to Redemption Metagaming, it's going to have a lot of Pharisees.
They also have zero chance of beating any decks with angel support, and they just don't have enough good character abilities outside of Woman of Thebez and Abimelech to do much good.
Quote from: Prof Underwood on August 05, 2013, 03:06:13 PMAccording to Redemption Metagaming, it's going to have a lot of Pharisees.I sort of agree. But I think that it's not just Pharisees, but rather gray as a whole (Pharisees and non-Pharisees) that will see a lot of play. I see a pretty common defense going along these lines:Foreign WivesScribeEmperor VitelliusEmperor TiberiusSabbath BreakerPharisees (1/3 Generic)Proud PhariseeThe Entrapping PhariseeSo only half of the defense (including Scribe) is really part of a true Pharisees defense, but I think that the Emperors, SB and FW are much better choices than any of the other Pharisees (Hard Hearted Religious Leaders, Stone Throwers, Saul, or more than one of the three generic variants).I also expect a lot of offenses with King David to ignore 3 of those characters. What will be interesting is if people throw in Nicodemus just to ignore 3 of the others (and get initiative vs. the rest except Sabbath Breaker)...doubtful, but I think that would be an epic anti-meta choice for anyone who is so daring.Otherwise, I think Magicians and Babylonians will be the next two popular defenses. I'm not a believer in Canaanites for T1, as Westy/Olijar said they are very predictable. They also have zero chance of beating any decks with angel support, and they just don't have enough good character abilities outside of Woman of Thebez and Abimelech to do much good. Magicians have tons of tricks up their sleeves (pun intended) and are great at stalling to complement a solid but perhaps a bit slower offense. And Babylonians if played right can be downright vicious. Assyrians I believe are outclassed by their Pale Green counterparts in Magicians, Egyptians aren't good at too much outside of speed and some stall blocks (and are probably outclassed in the meta by Herods, who are much better vs. Disciples). Herods will be another good choice, but will be tripped up by King David. I could see Kings of Judah being a dark horse choice, but they would also have serious problems with King David. Demons still need a bit more help to be viable outside of a supporting role. Then again, take everything I say with a grain of salt. I'm not a T1 player, and I won't be at Nats. But I'm just telling it as I sees it.