Challenge all who oppose you with Percival Alexian, a chivalrous tank who can duel in the middle of multiple opponents.

Backstory

“Stand and face me, or fall before me!”

The 37th king of the mountain nation of Jeffreys, a hero of war and beloved in peacetime, Percival Alexian is renowned far and wide. The ancient line of Alexian monarchs are said to be descended from giants, and Percival towers over other soldiers on the field of battle, challenging his opponents to honorable tests of might and skill.

Now aged past the glory days of his youth, Percival is preparing his kingdom for what will come next. He fears conflict from the south—there are rumors of the return of the undead overlord, an ancient villain whom he must take up arms once more to protect his country against.

Pros

• The most self-reliant Warden in the entire game.
• Powerful and seemingly-unfair attacks.
• One of the best point-holders in the game, able to comfortably 1v3.

Cons

• Straightforward attacks with little to no range and mobility.
• Does not play well with others, even his own team.

Gameplay

Percival may be a Tank, but he plays nothing like your typical Tank. While most Tanks serve as frontliners who protect and work with their allies, Percival would rather fight alone. When he is declared the Attacker or the Defender, the strike turns into an honorable duel between him and the enemy Warden. This means that he turns off ALL Assist abilities—the opponent’s and his own team’s. Doing so gives Percival the unparalleled ability to control space without any help from his allies. Even at an extreme numbers disadvantage, Percival is effectively still fighting 1v1. Coupled with his high printed power values, Percival can comfortably stand in the middle of multiple enemy Wardens for extended periods of time without fear of losing combat.

Of course, his ability goes both ways. Percival himself can never receive Assists from his own team mates, making grouping-up with Percival virtually useless. Team mates would be better-served contesting other points of the map lest they get in his way.

Team Role

Percival is classified as a Tank but effectively plays more like a Bruiser-Tank hybrid. He’s basically a Tank with the combat prowess of a Bruiser, but without any of the conventional team-based protection a Tank usually provides. This makes him probably the best space-controller in the game. Once Percival gets into position, it will take his opponents a considerable amount of effort to remove him from that position. If you need a Warden to sit and control a specific area of the map, then look no further than Percival.

However, that’s pretty much all he’s good at. Percival is essentially a one-trick pony and, while the trick is obscenely powerful, there are many ways around it. His lack of wide ranges and straightforward game plan make him easy to dodge and ignore, especially if the space he’s controlling isn’t particularly valuable. Wardens that give Percival more mobility or can support him from far away, where his lack of Assists wouldn’t matter, are always much appreciated on any Percival team.

Card Preview

Gestalt Crusher

This is Percival’s fastest attack and emphasizes his ability to hold control over his immediate vicinity. Thanks to its insanely large reposition and high speed, Gestalt Crusher lets Percival bully almost anyone off a control point if he wanted to. While its printed power seems weak, the Push or Shunt up to M often lets Percival move his target into almost any piece of terrain he wants, shoving them off a valuable point while also granting him bonus power. If they still somehow hit Perceival after getting sent flying back, the added collision power means that Gestalt Crusher is often a 4 Power attack (6 Power if Percival shoves them into spikes).

Gambler’s Badge on Percival plays a bit differently compared to many other users. Thanks to his powerful attacks, Percival can easily win combats anyway, letting his team use their artifact to replenish cards instead buffing his attacks.

Fortress Demolisher

This is Percival’s only source of mobility and even then it’s not that much movement. Regardless, Fortress Demolisher proves to be quite useful for the simple fact that its printed power is 7 with no strings attached. All Percival has to do is hit with it. This, in addition to its slow speed, makes Fortress Demolisher great as a defensive tool. If Percival hits, its high power will let him win the power war and avoid a wound. If he misses, he gets the sweet consolation of being able to move himself into a more advantageous position.

Earthmover is a uniquely powerful artifact that gives Percival’s team the ability to remove terrain from the battlefield. This can allow for some very nasty surprises against opponents who abuse cover to make their attacks safe. Even if it doesn’t help out during the current engagement, the ability to permanently open up the battlefield will certainly prove useful in the long run.

Worthy Challenge

Percival’s lack of range makes him quite vulnerable to ranged enemies who take potshots at him from far away. This is Percival’s answer to that. With a massive Pull up to L attached to it, Worthy Challenge lets Percival force any enemy into melee so long as there’s a clear path between him and them. This lets Percival engage them on his terms. A common side-effect of this would be that the opponent now gets more Assists because this Warden is now in melee—an issue that Percival need not worry about thanks to his ability. Worthy Challenge is also Percival’s sole “trick” up his sleeve. The Pull on this attack can be used even if Percival is halfway across the map just to force an enemy Warden away from their intended target, causing them to miss as a result.

Ram’s Pauldrons gives Percival’s team even more power to win combat with, even in cases where they’re outnumbered. Since all of Percival’s attacks are melee range, he will almost always get the +3 Power from this artifact.

Divider (Normal)

Divider is a straightforward Normal with really powerful stats and effects for an option that most of your team can use. With decent speed and high power, every member of your team can temporarily gain access to Percival’s absurd statlines and point control. Of course, they also get his inability to utilize Assists as a result. Note that Divider is not the same as Percival’s ability—opponents are still able to use their Assist effects, so be careful when using Divider in the middle of the enemy team.

Portal Scroll gives Percival some much needed team-play options. The added mobility not only helps him confirm his own attacks but also gives him some way to stay combat-relevant even if he’s “stuck” defending an isolated point.

Conclusion

Percival is the king of point-control. You’d sooner move a mountain off the earth than Percival. With powerful attacks and unrivaled 1v3 potential, Percival is a valuable addition to any team that needs a frontliner who’s not afraid to be alone for extended periods of time. If you can only afford to have one melee combatant on your team, Percival is who you’re looking for.

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