Use this opening if:

  • Ranging hunt is not going to be as effective, either because of Health increase or too much Blight on the island (for Base Fangs, at least).
  • You want to play Major Powers while still using Ranging hunt often and reaching 3 CP.
    • Majors give Fangs an alternative way to deal with blighted lands (the other one being drafting Minors with effects such as Dahan movement + Defend, or blight movement/removal), as with its starting hand Fangs can only deal with blighted lands via Terrifying chase if they don’t have any City.

Consider this opening especially against:

  • [Base] England, Sweden, Habsburg Livestock, Habsburg Mining.

Unique Powers reminder

    

Opening

Growth

Turn 1

G2 top; G3 Minor.

Play 2.

Turn 2

G2 top; G3 Minor.

Play 1 and 1 . Ranging hunt damage.

Turn 3

Reclaim, gain Major (cost 2-5); G2 top.

Play 1 and 1 . Ranging hunt damage.

Turn 4

G2 bottom; G4.

Play the Major and another card.

Turn 5 onwards

G2 bottom to 3CP; G3 Minor.

Play 3.

From turn 6 on, select growth according to needs. Keep playing 1 and 1 every turn to activate Ranging hunt, except Major turns if the Major is off-element.

Remarks

If the Major is bad, it might be worth playing 1 and 1 for Ranging hunt damage on turn 4, and Reclaim on turn 5 to replace it (it could be replaced with G3, but this would leave no options on what to play on turn 5).

It’s a good idea to unlock the Reclaim 1 on your bottom track on turn 6 or 7, but outside of that you won’t normally need the rest of your tracks – 4 CP will likely cost too much to be sustained when paired with a Major, and the rest of your top track is not too useful. Therefore, G3 or G4 will generally be better options than G2. It may be worth to take multiple G1+G4 to keep playing the Major, especially if you can threshold it.

Stats

Turn Growths Owned cards Cards in hand CE
1 2, 3 5 5 2
2 2, 3 6 4 4
3 1, 2 6 6 5
4 2, 4 6 4 10
5 2, 3 7 3 13

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Ranging Hunt is used (with damage) every turn from turn 2 onwards, outside perhaps one turn when playing the Major on 2 CP.
    • It is even possible to use it on turn 1, if a is found.
  • Gaining 2 Minors in the first 2 turns improves the chances to find good ones early on (e.g blight control or good elements).

Cons:

  • Only 2CP until turn 5, and no reclaim 1 until turn 6 at the earliest.
  • If the first Major is bad, it cannot be replaced until turn 5 without sacrificing Energy gain.

Variant: early Major (Major Powers)

Growth

  1. G2 top; G3 Minor. Play the Minor/Terrifying chase and 1 more.
  2. G2 top; G3 Major (cost 2-5). Play 1 and 1 .
  3. G2 top to to 2E; G4. Play the Major and 1 more.
  4. Reclaim, gain Minor (or replace Major); G2 bottom. Play 1 and 1 .
  5. G2 bottom to 3CP; G4 (or G3 Minor if Energy is not needed). Play the Major and 2 more.

From turn 6 onwards, select growth as needed.

Remarks

When you gain the Major on turn 2, Forget from discard. The best options are usually either the Minor gained on turn 1, or Terrifying chase. If the Major does not have , this will make activating Ranging hunt on turn 3 impossible, but playing a Major should compensate for it.

If the first Major is bad, consider Reclaiming on turn 3 to replace it sooner, rather than playing it.

Optionally, presence can be taken from the top track until turn 5 to unlock 3 Energy (“Full” top track). This is generally not recommended, as it delays 3 CP until very late and the second is not too useful; extra Energy can be gained using G4, if needed.

Stats

Turn Growths Owned cards Cards in hand CE
1 2, 3 5 5 2
2 2, 3 5 4 4
3 2, 4 5 2 9
4 1, 2 6 6 10
5 2, 4 6 4 15

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Getting a Major on turn 2 means that it can be played on turn 3, or redrawn on turn 4.

Cons:

  • Less reliable at activating Ranging hunt.