With a few of these expert tricks, you can bedazzle an opponent and really make the difference. Best of all, if someone says "You can't do that!", just cite this article!

Run and Mount
Typically, to mount, you have two units in the same location that, once able, mount and can move out. In this scenario, let's say you have a steed, beast, or dragon that is able and in the battlefield. If you have a unit with the appropriate mount ability, you can actually move that unit out and mount! Bear in mind that you won't be able to assault this term with the mounted unit--the same rules apply to the unit that moved out: either attack, guard, or be disabled.

Oh yeah, I've got options.

Dismount
Like mounting, dismounting can only be done when the mounted unit is able, but it doesn't disable either unit. So, if you have a mounted unit able in the battlefield and your opponent has few or no defenders, rather than simply assaulting one location, you can dismount and assault two locations! Similarly, you can dismount, assault with your originally mounting unit, and then bring a new unit to come and mount the now open steed.

Multiple Directions on One Unit
If you haven't read the rules, resources such as dissever, Omakin archimage, quickshot assassin, and others might seem restricted on how many directions they can hit. But, don't be deceived: with these resources, you can hit the same unit multiple times. So, dissever can deal 15 to one unit and 20 to another; Omakin archimage and quickshot assassin can double-blast the same unit. Just remember that if the resource says "different" (e.g., lash with flame), then each direction has to be a different unit.

Un-guard!
Ever think expose and bloom of jellyfish are worthless resources? Consider this: Let's say your opponent has a 50/50 unit in the battlefield on guard, so now a 50/100 that cannot counterattack. If you deal that unit 55 damage, and then engage it with a jellyfish (or cast expose), that unit will be ruined. Best of all, your jellyfish will never be dealt damage.

Pop!!

One-term Assault
It's true that a unit can only move or assault once per term. However, if another force moves that unit, that doesn't count as that unit moving. For example, if you have an able unit in your location and a Viroz conduit, you can move that unit to battlefield with the conduit, and it can still assault this term. Paired with a fervent anrace, this is a total surprise 50-damage assault.

Item Transfer or Discard
Don't forget that on your term, your mercenaries have the ability to discard and transfer items. When transferring, your mercenary disables and can transfer as many items it wants to local mercenaries (as long as the transfers are legal--you can't transfer a sword of ancient sects to a wizard). With discarding, you can simply ruin an item, as long as you're not in the middle of an engagement (this doesn't require your unit to disable).

Wait to Pay Sustain Costs
While it's easy to get in the default of automatically paying sustain costs, beware: since acquiring resources counts as income, you technically get to acquire your resources for income before you pay your sustain costs. If you're strapped for income, it's a good idea to get in the habit of taking your income, acquiring your resources, planning a quick strategy, and then deciding if you'll pay your sustain costs. It could come in handy.

These certainly aren't all of the expert tricks out there, but they should give you some food for thought. Do you have any expert tricks you've used? This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it