Written by ForceofPhil

Persecutor’s ability to brand the opponent’s material as though it were evil was obviously, recognizably powerful when Gothic spoilers hit the World Wide Web.

The inherent level-up of meeting a conditional need (i.e., evil) increases the power level of cards designed with that conditional need as a functional check on power. The conditional need allows for more aggressive abilities or casting costs.

Persecutor — “Your Avatar stops at nothing.”

Once on your turn, Persecutor may step toward the closest Evil, or brand an enemy so your cards treat them as Evil this turn.

It was clear that the combination of Accusation and Begone! was a potent shell for Persecutor. The former is guaranteed to always banish the opponent’s best spell in hand. The latter banishes any minion of your choice in the Realm. Persecutor, inherently, can ignore the conditions each requires to maximize their effects. Since both are Exceptional, their presence in every match is reliable to build around.

Accusation

Target opponent reveals their hand and banishes a card. If any of their cards or allies are Evil, you may choose which.

Begone!

Banish an Evil minion anywhere in the realm.

The package of Accusation and Begone! makes it obvious that Persecutor should primarily be -based. also offers Persecutor Archangel Samael, Day of Judgment, and Purgatory, among other potent effects. Holy Water is an artifact that banishes any evil in its line of sight, a potent pairing with Begone! in the removal suite.

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Asymmetrical Information

Within all those cards, there is one aspect that might not seem obvious at first glace. The asymmetrical information generated by Accusation in addition to what its effect offers at face value shouldn’t be understated.

Accusation allowing you to look at your opponent’s hand can also improve the quality of your actions and other spells. If you know your opponent’s best threat will be the casualty of your removal spell in hand, then you don’t need to take it with Accusation. Accusation has loaded your removal spell’s responsibility, such that you maximize its impact.

Of course, your opponent could read that you didn’t take the impending threat because you intend to create a favorable trade, but that is also asymmetrical information benefitting you. They don’t know that you have the removal spell, they can only infer it from your actions, which you made with perfect information.

Are they not going to deploy their threat? Or delay when they cast it in an attempt to limit how unfavorable of an exchange they presume is impending? Will they voluntarily make suboptimal plays in an attempt to devalue the removal in your hand that was suggested to them from the Accusation? That’s all favorable for you.

In this example, Accustaion has commanded the narrative of the game in a way that is extremely difficult for the opponent to recapture. It is not implicitly written in Accusation’s effect that it can affect the game in this way, but it most certainly can.

Asymmetrical information is where Persecutor can generate more value than any other Avatar. Accusation has a distinctive effect in Sorcery: Contested Realm at the time of this article’s publication, and Persecutor leverages it best at a baseline.

So, that begs the question: what other effects are similar to Accusation to compliment the plan of asymmetrical information?

Pair with [Air]

Pith Imp is a two-mana, Ordinary minion that also can pull a card from the opponent’s hand, albeit without perfect information.

Pith Imp

Airborne
Genesis → Steals a random spell from your opponent’s hand until it leaves the realm.

Since the genesis steals a random card, it doesn’t reveal the opponent’s hand. You will, however, get to see what card the Pith Imp stole, which can, of course, inform your decision with Accusation.

There is a combo with Pith Imp that has not gotten the attention is should given how powerful it can be.

Wiccan Tools

Sacrifice → Draw a spell. This turn, bearer gains Spellcaster and their spells require no threshold.

If Pith Imp is the bearer who sacrifices the Wiccan Tools, then they can cast whatever spell they stole. Per Pith Imp’s Curiosa.io FAQ:

If Pith Imp somehow gains Spellcaster, can it pretty please cast the spell it stole?

Yes, that does seem fun!

With all that information, Feast for Crows, which is a Unique spell can function as an additional Accusation or prevent the opponent from pairing anything critical with the known information in their hand.

sites that provide value are Lookout, which create more informed timing of Accusation and Pith Imp, and, of course, Defiler Spire, which is heavy burn every turn when the opponent’s minions are on opposing sites.

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The Worth of

Once Pith Imp and Feast of Crows have made the splash worthwhile, supplements the primary plan. Deliverance is a Unique haymaker that speaks for itself.

Subtler, yet still potent, effects in are Town Priest, another Exceptional tempo minion that can power-up Pith Imp, Accusation, or Feast for Crows. Crucifix is an Elite artifact that functions as an additional Town Priest. Don’t Sleep on bouncing your own Pith Imps to get additional geneses after casting the spell it stole.

Smite is not as strong as Begone!, but at Ordinary, it’s a great finish to the removal suite that should prevent the opponent from ever sticking a bomby threat.

Consecrated Ground is an easy way to strip the opponent’s minions of their power for swingy plays that are booned by whatever movement spells you prefer.

First Draft — Assymetrical Persecutor

Artifacts (15)

• 1 Ring of Morrigan
• 1 Philosopher Stone
• 1 Ruby Core
• 1 Amethyst Core
• 1 Onyx Core
• 4 Wiccan Tools
• 3 Toolbox
• 3 Holy Water

Minions (15)

• 3 Town Priest
• 4 Pith Imp
• 1 Highland Princess
• 1 Morgana le Fey
• 1 Sir Galahad
• 1 Archangel Samael
• 1 Archangel Michael
• 2 Grandmaster Wizard
• 1 Sir Pellinore

Magics (30)

• 1 Browse
• 1 Pendragon Legacy
• 4 Common Sense
• 2 Consecrate
• 1 Dispel
• 3 Accusation
• 3 Begone!
• 3 Searing Truth
• 1 Deliverance
• 1 Feast for Crows
• 1 Bury
• 1 Minor Explosion
• 2 Infiltrate
• 2 Smite
• 1 Pact with the Devil
• 2 Earthquake
• 1 Day of Judgment

Sites (30)

• 3 Ruins
• 3 Steppe
• 3 Windmill
• 2 Gnome Hollows
• 2 The Base of Babel
• 2 Crossroads
• 2 Observatory
• 2 Active Volcano
• 1 Pillar of Zeiros
• 1 Mount Ussar Sanctuary
• 1 Fields of Camlann
• 1 Purgatory
• 1 River of Flame
• 1 The Apex of Babel
• 1 Lone Tower
• 1 Dark Tower
• 1 Gothic Tower
• 1 Defiler Spire
• 1 Glastonbury Tor

Collection (10)

• 2 Consecrated Ground
• 1 Just a Rock
• 1 Zap!
• 1 Disenchant
• 1 Boil
• 1 Bury
• 1 Minor Explosion
• 1 Murder of Crows
• 1 Smite

Of course, this is a first draft, but it has the makings of a lean, consistent control shell with a ton of play to leverage asymmetrical information into winning positions.

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Featured image: Accusation by Heidi Taillefer