LKP's Axie Log #30: Standard/Classic Team Prices (featuring Bird-Beast-Plant)
Hello there axie pips!
It's really exciting that as time goes by alot of cheaper but still competitive builds are becoming successful in the higher MMR. Take the Double Anemone + Backline Bird for example which now goes for as low as 0.22 ETH. A pure double anemone with Lam for mouth and Nimo for it's tail is now priced at 0.074 ETH, while a pure backdoor bird with Dark Swoop, Egg Bomb, Blackmail and Post Fight is now going for as low as 0.072 ETH. If we opted to go for more burst damage to the opponent's front we can choose a pure Bird with Soothing Song which is currently priced at 0.089 ETH. Of course, going for something with Hare Dagger will almost double the price but it's not that bad to go for pure ones. They are already proven reliable in the higher MMR and most importantly it doesn't really break bank compared to buying something uber premium like those fast and bulky 'Jumping Poison' teams.
This post would actually be continuation of our series from Log #26 in which we try to learn more about the prices, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of some of the most popular axie teams in the arena. Starting from the classic pure bred axies to their variations, we will try to learn and understand the reason for the huge jump in prices by just switching one card or one part of an axie. I'm not really a BBP user so this might be a little inaccurate for some but I do have alot of experiences facing them in the arena. So without further ado let's start our list.
The Bird-Beast-Plant (BBP)
The BBP is one of the most classic team composition we will encounter in the arena. It's more of a glass canon build, capable of demolishing tanks even in round 1. But like other builds they have their own flaws. BBP's, especially the pure ones are generally weak against AAP teams for two common reasons. One is that the tail card 'Koi' let aquas outspeed birds. As long as the speed is not below 52, birds will find it really hard to go against aquas with Koi. Another reason is that affinity-wise beasts are weak against aquas. With it's low health and mediocre speed exposing a beast very early against an AAP team is just like making it a sitting duck. Well, there surely are exceptions. Some BBP variations are pricier than others because they offer more versatility in terms of both offensive and defensive capabilities. And it's not really just reliant on the bird and the beast. Sometimes tweaking the tank is also an option. For example, instead of Pumpkin getting a tank with Watering Can is a better choice with this team composition. Anyway, before we go deeper with counters and such we might as well start with the first component of this team which is the bird.
The Birdies
Disregarding speed buffs provided by cards like Acro, Koi and Goldfish birds are the fastest units in the game with the pure ones having as much as max inherent 61 speed. Dark Swoop or backdoor birds are one of the most common builds we can see in the arena. It's a strong backline especially in early to mid game. With a four card combo it can potentially kill squishy enemies like aquas, beast, mech and other birds. One drawback of this backline for me is that it's card reliant. The efficiency of having this one as a backline most of the time relies in completing a 4 card combo to backdoor the fastest enemy. Another drawback would be it's weak against a chucky team. 2k+ MMR is highly populated by reptile, dusk and plants. Aside from having high health these guys are nemesis for birds affinity-wise. Although the damage is there, most of the time it's not really enough for a pure backdoor birds to take them down even with full combo.
The Egg Bomb-Blackmail combo is a staple card combination because it can literally perform outplays even against stronger opponents. Like we said earlier backdoor birds most of the time are reliant a full card combo but with this combo a follow up attack from the beast or even the plant can deal the killing blow to the target. Egg bomb is also a lifesaver when played right. It can divert bulk damage targeting beast or plant. Sacrificing a bird might sound outrageous but sometimes it's the only way to achieve victory.
Another common build for birds would be the Soothing Song build which is very effective in frontal assaults. It doesn't really matter how much armor or shield an axie have when dealing with this pesky card. A plant or reptile might survive but trust me a full card combo from this one can demolish even aquas in one round. Well, there would be some exceptions like having Anesthetic Bait for defending but that's very rare for aquas, mechs and beasts. Bugs have higher survival rate because of this card but they can still pretty much be destroyed if the bird has sufficient cards the following turn. Because they couldn't take down chunky opponents like plants and reptiles getting the tail card Hare Dagger has become prevalent in the upper brackets. It deals lot of damage and complements both backdoor and front door birds play style because the draw card effect. Beast cards like Sinister strike, revenge arrow and Hare dagger might sacrifice some speed but these cards just make the bird build more versatile, especially against plants reptiles and dusks opponents. Also, this is the reason why they are pricier than the pure builds we discussed earlier.
Beasties, Mechs, and Aqua Beasts
Now, beasts are there to complement the Birds against plants and reptiles. They have uber high critical rate and majority of their cards focus more on destroying the opponent's frontline. Pure beasts are squishy, have average speed and very high morale. It is not absolute but in a BBP set they are usually placed in the midline. There are several build we would see in the arena but the most common one is the RIMP (Ronin+Imp)+ DONUT (Double Nutcracker). It's very painful and effective against plants and reptiles (and dusks). Ronin when combo-ed with two other cards deal damage with 100% crit rate which amounts to around 190+ damage just for ronin alone. Imp gains one energy for every crit so it's a great energy gainer combo that can also generate lots of energy. The Donut combo just needs two cards and deal 165(330 for two, 660 for a four card combo) damage each to plant and reptiles.
The pure beast Ronin-Imp is currently priced at 0.052 Eth ($214) which alot cheaper compared to the prices months ago. A more premium version of this build would be having aqua or bird parts for the ears and eyes which raises the speed from 41 to 45. But this variation costs more obviously with lowest price now at 0.066 Eth ($274). That's almost 30% difference there. But what can we do, sacrificing morale for speed is very efficient in the current meta. It's a good way to deal with terminators and slower dusks.
Most mechs are bred in line with beasts skills rather than bugs because their innate attributes complement the beast skill sets really well. Although they have lower morale and most of the time only have two bars of last stands compared to beasts and bugs, their speed are perfect against speedy dusk builds in the current meta. For a 49 speed Mech with the Ronin-Donut skill set the lowest you can get one for now is around 0.09-0.1 Eth (372-411 USD). that's almost double the price of your classic 41 speed beast with the same skill set. And if you consider those other 49 speed build with skill/card sets like risky beast, sinister strike and hare dagger then better prepare more.
Another variation of the beast midline is the aqua beast or even sometimes dusk beast build. Although it lowers the damage by a certain degree people tend to put beast skill set to aqua or dusk because they have alot higher survival rate against birds and other aquas. Beasts in general are very easy kill. Most of the time opponents can easily destroy them with just a 3 card combo of bird or aqua cards. This variation sacrifices a bit of that high damage output for a greater chance of survival and potential outplays. One particular player I watch doing this for quite a while now is the youtuber ShinJonZoieF2P. His aqua beast is not ultra premium as the eyes and ears are from plant and beast(?) but look at him wrecking the higher bracket with this unique beast variation.
The Plantitos
Plants are just as important as the birds and beasts in BBP line ups. BBP players need to have a hold of the right amount of cards and energy before letting their plant go. Like other line ups a plants role most of the time is to stall the game for the midline and backline to have enough time to prepare their combos. Of course, there those offensive types with bug and beast cards but they are quite rare. For BBP's having a decent tank is very essential to thrive in their target bracket. A very classic Pumpkin, Cactus, Serious and Carrot might be one the most economical choice. But if a you have budget something with Watering Can for back and Cattail for tail is pick that complements this build really well. Having Watering Can greatly increases survival rate against double aquas which are the natural nemesis of this build. The classic CCPS plant goes for 0.053 Eth (219 USD) while something with Watering Can and Cattail is currently priced at 0.08 Eth (331 USD). It's your choice but if you're planning to go with BBP I suggest get a tank with Watering Can. You can change the Cat tail for cheaper build but watering can is a must based on what I've seen in the top players playing BBP.
For as low as 700 USD (excluding fees) we can start a pure BBP line up but be sure to stretch your budget if you opted to go for the premium variations.
And that's all for today. See you around next time.
Ciao~
