Rebellion Core Set Tier List | Splinterlands

On the heels of a few other tier lists I recently did, I wanted to get to the Rebellion core set (a set I'm very familiar with!) to further help guide new players (and discuss with existing players) which of the cards in this set are the strongest and most viable.

As usual, a few things to note (primarily directed at new players) before looking at the tiers:

1. Rent vs Buy: Rebellion cards are quite expensive, particularly if you're looking at Legendaries and summoners. As a result, you may be inclined to begin by renting, which I think is a good choice, particularly as you test out different cards and splinters. However, some of these cards also have quite high rental costs (sometimes >20% ROA) and in those cases if you find a good deal you may consider buying.
2. Future-proof: Unlike Chaos Legion, Rebellion will stay in Modern for one more set rotation. This means that these have more longevity in that format, which is partly what gives them additional value.
3. What about price targets? I didn't put price targets on these because there's a good amount of volatility here and it's very hard to say if the current prices are "good". That means I'll let you be the judge of that. You can look at price history (either on Peakmonsters or Splintercards) or look at the cost of the cheapest card and see how the price escalates and use those as some of your guides.

Rebellion Core: Summoners

• S Tier: Tofu, Cryptic, and Lorkus make up the S tier. Each is amazing in their own right, with Tofu and Cryptic getting a slight edge. Lorkus's versatility with Life Leech, however, puts him firmly in this tier in my opinion.
• A Tier: EMP and Drath both belong in the A tier in my opinion. While they're more circumstantial than the S tier legendary summoner, they both have great use cases and can be used to surprise your opponents (as they see them less often). Avina, with her self-heal tactic, is also firmly in the A tier. Lastly, I put three of the 3-mana Common summoners in the A-tier, specifically those with access to Life and Water, which in my opinion are the strongest Splinters in Rebellion.
• B Tier: Akane leads the B tier with her Ambush tactic, and the other two Common dual-element summoners come right after. After consideration, I put Nid at the back of the the B tier summoners. While his debilitation is very bad, he can dominate Blast rulesets (using execute) and pairs well with Blast monsters (hope to see more of those in CA).
• C Tier: Reklah gets C tier placement for his Reflection Shield ability, while Fabino comes in with an occasional surprise with poison and also occasional utility on the +2 melee. Both are very, very situational.
• D/F Tier: Sadly, @clayboyn's favorite summoner Nomos is a D (or even F) tier summoner at the moment, hanging out with @thepeoplesguild's Old Man Dallan. Rosa join Nomos in the D tier as there simply isn't enough utility for those tactics, and she barely edges out Nomos as she'll occasionally be usable in Ranged-only rulesets.

Rebellion Core: Legendary Units

• S Tier: I put 4 Legendary units in the S Tier. Mantaroth and Venka probably need no introduction as they're obvious. Daarg gets in there with a massive kit that includes Weapons Training and several other terrific abilities. Rage is there due to his Life Leech and Weapons Training combo.
• A Tier: Sevaya's support kit is almost unequalled. Nalara is terrific in magic-heavy rulesets. Goff revives and buffs the team. Bera's an all-around massive tank who pairs well with various Rebellion promos such as Fizbo and Meriput Mossmender. And Endura Brune's another terrific support card.
• B Tier: Rush works well to surprise the enemy and try to end things early. Pairs well with Drath. Solace is a solid tank choice at 4 mana. Sturdy and shielded to the elements.
• C Tier: Kei gets C tier as she's a bit squishy. Ambush/Shatter is cool, but if only she was a bit faster she could out-shoot Venka. Thanalor's too expensive. Chaos Golem looks great on paper but I find it hard to spot him. Faust is squishy and slow. Barashkukor is a beast in Bronze/Silver but at max level he doesn't offer enough for 13 mana.
• D/F Tier: Zebajin. I've found a spot for him maybe twice since Rebellion launched. Just not worth it. Bummer because Last Stand is such a cool ability, but his base stats just aren't compelling enough.

Rebellion Core: Epic Units

• S Tier: The only epic card in the Rebellion set I've put in the S Tier is Captain Fellblade. She's an amazing sneak monsters, and one of only 4 in the game today (the others being Coral Wraith, Shin-Lo, and Goblin Sorcerer) to have Magic sneak. Her dual attack makes her deadly, and the fact that she's on the Water team is even more reason to love her.
• A Tier: For the A Tier I've put in Satha Toledo. Great tank healer who also brings some support utility with Lookout.
• B Tier: Lots in the B Tier for the Epics. Croire's Weapons Training is good, but he's squishy. The Scion is interesting with the high armor and Void Armor, though of course susceptible to shatter; interesting to pair with EMP & Armored Strike. Avarisdeus is a good poisoner with Waka or Cryptic with the doule scattershot. Dalthin's a nice ranged option for WT. Infernal Firestorm's nice to have as a flanker, though expensive. Redwyrm Dragon can be a nice choice with Sthispa to try to get un unhittable tank. Great Porcupine's got nice stats for low mana, but is also squishy.
• C Tier: Kraan's a good tank due to the Void Armor, but that's his primary utility. Harbinger of Chaos is nice to have with Immunity but other than that dies easily. Both may find more utility when CL rotates out.
• D/F Tier: Karst Harpy is cheap, but the 3 ranged scattershot is rarely the best option. Redwyrm Hatchling has a weird kit that really only makes it viable in Reverse Speed. And Pallus...sadly even with the synergy with Rik he's rarely used.

Rebellion Core: Rare Units

• S Tier: Starting with Grimbardun Smith, the OG of S Tiers and mister sustainability himself. One of the greatest (and most annoying) survivors in all of Praetoria. Next, Moxian Rebel could be considered an S+ Tier if I had one. She's amazingly versatile as a 4-mana neutral rare, and the Weapons Training pairs with a ton of other Rebellion cards (particularly in the Commons). She's also particularly good with Lorkus. Of course we have our favorite unpronounceable Anasth Soothsayer next. Say that 3 times fast. Heals, cleanses, has lookout and dispel, and even protects itself with Dodge. Unbeatable support kit. Finally in the S Tier there's Anachron Bolter, who has a tremendous kit with dual attack, headwinds, and repair.
• A Tier: Silverblade Fighter's one of the best flank cards in the game, great with Mantaroth or Jared Scar. Next is Drybone Bowdog whose Ambush/Scattershot combo comes in handy in many occasions, and the fact that he's a 4-mana neutral makes him very versatile. Argarux Magus pairs well with Cryptic's poison and Bloodlust occasionally makes him pop off. Blackmoor Nymph is great value at 3 mana and the Immunity works well in many situations. Chaos Jailer's got a strong kit and Ambush/Poison is solid.
• B Tier: Torch Vizier is a strong deeplurker-like unit. Torch Myrmidon does a decent job as a flank unit. Ulundin Regulator is a poor man's Runi. Helheim Demon's a useful back-line tank. Wailing Wraith could be amazing with that kit but is just a bit too squishy and slow. Daigendark Hunter's interesting, particularly due to the Sneak. And Pirate of Eight is great if he can land a few hits before getting targeted.
• C Tier: Flame Mephit is kind of a fire-only Xenith Archer that grew wings, meh. Thanalorian Archer has a weirdly put-together kit that typically isn't the best choice. Lookout's odd in particular. Sea Dog of Eight could be great with that Heal, but rarely is the best choice. Lioceros has great stats - maybe he'd be better if Tofu wasn't in Earth. Swell Spore Beast has a nice hit with True Strike but is too expensive. Gobson Sniper's just ok.
• D/F Tier: Muspelheim demon got kicked out of hell for not being very useful. Scattershot and Oppress is just a useless pairing.

Rebellion Core: Common Units

• S Tier: Lots of S Tier commons! I put Meriput Magician up there as a must-have, especially when CL rotates out, due to the Tank Heal. Albahoo Forester, Daigendark Surveyor, and Lurking Puffer are all incredible value at 2 mana and can be Weapon Trained by numerous other cards. Gobalano Soldier is in there as a perfect one-two punch with other Sneak cards like Night Stalker with the Ambush/Shatter combo and is just a really strong card at 3 mana. Finally there's the Smith's own bro Grimbardun Fighter as one of the most useful melee cards in Modern. Perfect in Tofu matches and melee-heavy battles.
• A Tier: I put Nimbledook Scout in A vs S because I feel her secondary abilities (Inspire and Backfire) are just not as good as the S Tier ones, and she's a little squishier at 6 Health. Chaos Rear Guard is a terrific melee tank for 4 mana.
• B Tier: The Botanist is nice, but weaker than his other 2-mana counterparts. Fenmoor Haunt is versatile with the Sneak, Void, and Scavenger at 3 mana. Ujurak Mystic is great in Magic-heavy rulesets, and don't ignore that 6 speed. Blackmoor Trickster's a good cheap tank for Ranged rulesets. Aria Bandit's speed and Dodge is solid in Ranged matches.
• C Tier: Nimbledook Ranger's a tad too weak, though he pairs nicely with Drath. Mar Toren Seeker can make a great tank, but it's weird for a sniping Ranged unit. Chaos Animator is 1 mana too expensive... and her kit also doesn't synergize. Chaos Orc doesn't get much usage at the moment, but might do when CL rotates out. Skyspire Yak has two great abilities but they don't synergize at all. The Hippo is just too expensive. Endless Ape endlessly apes. He's just ok.
• D/F Tier: Forgot to take "Aiming 101". New Sskah Drudge probably not as good as the old Sskah Drudge. Sultry Barmaid is New Sskah Drudge's watery sister. Kha'zi Fire Mage is a quasi-mage. Chaos Lackey's useless. Sorry, not much to say about these other than "avoid them".