While backfire is not an ability you see much of in the lower leagues, it does tend to make an initial appearance in Gold on occasion. Similar to Magic Reflect, Thorns and Return Fire, it deals damage to the attacker. But the clear difference is Backfire relies on high speed, evasiveness and other abilities to be at its peak.
"If an enemy misses this Monster with an attack, the attacker takes 2 damage" - Splintercards
The List of Backfire cards:
So which cards do you need to make certain of hitting to avoid Backfire coming to haunt you?
All prices as per Peakmonsters at the time of writing.
Tenyii Striker
| Cost Regular Foil BCX | Regular Foil Cost Backfire | Total BCX Required |
|---|---|---|
| $0.21 | $16.973 | 85 |
| Cost Gold Foil BCX | Gold Foil Cost Backfire | Total Gold BCX Required |
| $ 1.834 | $33.238 | 16 |
A really solid card almost every level. Adding Backfire to this card makes it quite a nightmare to fight against due to the earlier gained Dodge ability. With 4 damage and 4 speed the Striker really does do some serious damage for only 5 mana cost. At the lower levels Tenyii Striker is good value and is certainly a Gold Foil card worth owning.
Flying Squid
| Cost Regular Foil BCX | Regular Foil Cost Backfire | Total BCX Required |
|---|---|---|
| $0.063 | $19.890 | 400 |
| Cost Gold Foil BCX | Gold Foil Cost Backfire | Total Gold BCX Required |
| $ 0.80 | $27.048 | 38 |
Looking at the price difference alone I'd say there is a bargain to be had here. With only an eight dollar difference between the Regular and Gold versions of a max level Flying Squid, I'd say it is well worth it given the abilities and stats on offer. For seven mana you receive ten health which is excellent for a secondary Tank who is pretty quick at five speed. But the real benefits are the abities, Reach which allows this monster to attack from the second position and Blind; which reduces the accuracy of the opposing lineup. And of course, Backfire which when combined with Blind is a nasty combination making this well worth the investment. Hopefully it won't take me too long to get to max level on this because I will certainly pick this up.
Aquatus
| Cost Regular Foil BCX | Regular Foil Cost Backfire | Total BCX Required |
|---|---|---|
| $1.150 | $1.150 | 1 |
| Cost Gold Foil BCX | Gold Foil Cost Backfire | Total Gold BCX Required |
| $13.78 | $13.78 | 1 |
Aquatus is the only Summoner to offer Backfire which puts them in a very unique position. For four mana the cost is good and being an Epic, there are some benefits compared to the standard level limits of a Rare summoner but I am not seeing enough to warrant a switch from Kelya Frendul. Overall, if I picked one up in a pack, I'd keep it but I would not personally go out of my way to buy this card even at its current price. Am I wrong on this? Let me know your thoughts.
Noa The Just
| Cost Regular Foil BCX | Regular Foil Cost Backfire | Total BCX Required |
|---|---|---|
| $ 0 | $ 0 | 32 |
| Cost Gold Foil BCX | Gold Foil Cost Backfire | Total Gold BCX Required |
| $ 0 | $ 0 | 7 |
Noa The Just is a great card but I feel it really must be at the highest levels to truly enjoy the collection of abilities on offer. At 32 BCX for Backfire, it will take me some time to get there as a player in Silver/ Gold. The ability combination is there with Dodge and Backfire offering a nasty synergy and with Rust, there is a nice added bonus. But the real star here is the high stats for the 5 mana. While there is no attack, six speed is nasty with Dodge and seven health will ensure Noa stays standing for a little while into the battle. Overall a good card but a hefty BCX cost. Worth the wait- I think so!
Venari Knifer
| Cost Regular Foil BCX | Regular Foil Cost Backfire | Total BCX Required |
|---|---|---|
| $0.027 | $2.485 | 100 |
| Cost Gold Foil BCX | Gold Foil Cost Backfire | Total Gold BCX Required |
| $0.41 | $4.194 | 9 |
I always find the Venari Knifer deceptively fast. So when it came to checking out cards for this list I found myself surprised to see it on this list. With a solid five speed and seven health this card is pretty nasty. That 3 damage is great alongside Thorns, but what I love is how Backfire turns this card into a killing machine. The price difference and overall low cost of Regular Foil versus Gold Foil make this an excellent option and one I'd push toward getting Gold if I can.
Pelacor Deceiver
| Cost Regular Foil BCX | Regular Foil Cost Backfire | Total BCX Required |
|---|---|---|
| $0.013 | $ 1.263 | 100 |
| Cost Gold Foil BCX | Gold Foil Cost Backfire | Total Gold BCX Required |
| $0.355 | $3.165 | 9 |
At 6th level Pelacor Deceiver picks up Backfire which adds some real value to this card. Having been a reward card for some time, you will likely have a good number of these stocked up so fill in the missing gaps in the overall BCX for a pretty cheap overall cost. 5 mana, 4 speed 9 health and 2 attack makes this a good value tank in the first spot, especially with Flying making this 4 speed monster that bit harder to hit as well. At just over $3 this card makes sense in Gold Foil. But if DEC is tight, for $1.26 you can grab this in a regular foil copy. Good value super cheap. It is on the shopping list.
Riftwing
| Cost Regular Foil BCX | Regular Foil Cost Backfire | Total BCX Required |
|---|---|---|
| $0.04 | $2.555 | 60 |
| Cost Gold Foil BCX | Gold Foil Cost Backfire | Total Gold BCX Required |
| $ 0.498 | $2.507 | 5 |
As I have pushed further into Gold from Silver, I have noticed Backfire making an appearance with Riftwing. At times it has been a key difference considering my own copy is below the 5th level threshold. For 4 mana you get 6 health 4 speed and flying which is excellent. But alongside Scavenger and Backfire you get quite an annoying and resilient mini tank for your line up. Relatively cheap to push to 5th level considering other cards on this list. A must buy for me at Gold level for sure! Especially as it appears cheaper than Regular Foil!
Naga Assassin
| Cost Regular Foil BCX | Regular Foil Cost Backfire | Total BCX Required |
|---|---|---|
| $0.047 | $1.167 | 25 |
| Cost Gold Foil BCX | Gold Foil Cost Backfire | Total Gold BCX Required |
| $1.948 | $7.888 | 4 |
For its low mana cost, this is a decent offering from the Dragon deck. With five speed this card will dodge a good amount of damage and Backfire makes it hurt for the enemy. For the mana cost it is comparable to Xenith Archer but where this card excels is its speed. At 4th level Naga Assassin is playable in Gold with Backfire and it makes a good alternative for the two mana spot. Its four health is equally useful to allow it to be placed as a fairly decent buffer in the backline, plugging any gaps behind the lineup. While I do not consider this card essential, it is quite cheap and a good alternative especially considering it was a previous reward edition. At near eight dollars, I'd consider the Gold Foil on the expensive side for a non-essential card considering the Regular Foil version can be had for a little more than one dollar.
Chaos Agent
| Cost Regular Foil BCX | Regular Foil Cost Backfire | Total BCX Required |
|---|---|---|
| $0.101 | $43.543 | 400 |
| Cost Gold Foil BCX | Gold Foil Cost Backfire | Total Gold BCX Required |
| $1.310 | $ 56.374 | 38 |
For the single mana cost, Chaos Agent does an outstanding job. Backfire is an awesome ability here as it combines every strength that this monster has and ties it all together. Dodge makes evasion of attacks more likely, Phase makes evasion of magic attacks possible and Backfire makes every miss deal damage. At tenth level is really where Chaos Agent begins to shine. For a relatively inexpensive card it is very effective. Being Neutral as well, it allows you to utilise it more frequently than most cards the Chaos Agent is a must buy for most levels anyway. When I can utilise a level 10, I will certainly buy this. Highly recommended. At the price difference between the two and the fact it is Neutral, I'd likely pluck for the Gold Foil, funds pending of course.
Do you agree with these recommendations or have I missed a trick here?
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