I RANKED Every ROOT FACTION in the game!

[@LordoftheBoard]

Remember! this is all my opinion. The lines between each faction is honestly pretty close, every faction can win. Keep gaming friends!

[@scatter_brain]

This got me hyped to get back into root! I haven't had much time lately and haven't even opened up underworld or the newest one. Is woodland alliance still your favorite or are you cooling on them? As always, thanks for the quality content!

[@LordoftheBoard]

@@scatter_brain woodland alliance is still my fav faction in the game :) I will be releasing a personal list here soon!

[@scatter_brain]

@@LordoftheBoard love your opinion on the game. Can't wait!

[@LordoftheBoard]

@@scatter_brain thank you!!! I appreciate that so much :)

[@Razs0111]

Bro can you help me with something? I'm going to print this game, including all factions, why I'm supposed to make for sure? Which is the most necessary map? I need all of them? I need to print all cards or I'm good with the E&P card expansion? I want all factions, so idk how to play effectively without printing the whole game and expansions items. Thanks for reading and thanks if you can help me.

[@ThefamousMrcroissant]

The Vagebond is awkward for everyone but the Vagebond. I think the reason they get away with wins so often is because nobody really wants to deal with him. You can lose a lot of pawns clubbing the rat for absolutely no gain. It is without a doubt one of the biggest problems with Root in my opinion. Someone has to sacrifice occasional turns and pawns to break his items, but there is no incentive to do so.

[@mr.horseshoe2301]

Yeah, we banned the vagabond. They ruin the game.

[@GuyanVs]

@@mr.horseshoe2301 same here

[@Novcheck]

That’s actually so sad. I feel like the vagabond is the most iconic little boi in the game. But agree, he’s broken. We changed the rule for him to only get 1 point each battle to slow his win but it’s still so unattractive to attack him.

[@pickcollins9910]

I believe that once the Keepers get added to the digital version of the game, and more people can casually access them and learn how to play them, we will begin to see a lot of strategic diversity with them. They're probably one of the coolest factions imo.

[@loserorangeorvoremonster8047]

And the option for 5-6 player games making cult, company, and corvid have a more decent chance at the game

[@honeycomblord9384]

Have they been added yet? If so, has the online meta been kind to them?

[@dg_yorick6814]

@@honeycomblord9384 not yet

[@Tablenauts]

LOVE the new rankings, despite my beloved Lizards getting so low haha. Weirdly, in our group I feel like because we focus hard on Vagabond, the Birds win the most! The meta definitely changes over time though, and that shows how fantastic this game really is. Great job Sam! 🧡 - Doolin

[@LordoftheBoard]

AYEEEEE. Glad you enjoyed it friend! Can’t wait to play more root with you this year :)

[@mrsteve4569]

I agree. I don’t know why the lizards get so little love. They are my favorite faction.

[@LordoftheBoard]

@@mrsteve4569 they are my second fav personally! 🔥

[@kaworusergio]

I think BIRDS are much much better in 3 players game.

[@ocramfeather756]

Lizards don't get enough love they are my favourites too!

[@GIVEPAUSEhobby]

Just so freaking well done. I love the animated bits (the chubby pointer hand moving around!?) and the layouts of the title cards so much. This is required watching for all Root players, new and seasoned. Awesome work, Root brother!!

[@LordoftheBoard]

Appreciate you man 🔥

[@kylemckell]

I've been going back and forth on keepers or vagabond being the best faction, and I think that you are correct in putting the keepers on top. Since advanced setup gives a random vb class, it hinders some games for them. I do think, however, that the strongest vagabonds, namely Tinker and Harrier, are the best faction in the game. But some games you'll get Scoundrel, Arbiter, Ronin, etc. which aren't quite as powerful. Also, no surprise that the burst factions are stacked in the top 3 lmao.

[@LordoftheBoard]

Seems like we’re on the same page! Appreciate this comment 🔥

[@gjb0202]

Dude, you genuinely may be one of the best board game channels on KZbin. Your attention to detail and excellently edited videos stand out in a very saturated content space. Really excited to see you continue to grow.

[@LordoftheBoard]

This made my day 😭 thank you! I will do my best to continue to make content I love. And I’m glad people have found enjoyment in it along the way

[@playercore7444]

I also recommend actualol he’s a lot of fun

[@kevinlane4906]

Gotta say, I think the Eyrie Dynasty deserve to be higher on here. They probably require more planning than any other faction out there, but their action economy can just get absolutely insane if you handle them properly. Factions like the Keepers, Vagabond, or Alliance can get really scary if you don't go out of your way to harry them, and that can be really tough to find the time to do . . . for pretty much any faction other than the Eyrie. So not only can you burst pretty effectively, you can do so while beating your enemies back a bit. I've found that their only serious limiting factor is committing to a given suit for building a roost too early. There are only 4 clearings of each type; unless you're 'lucky' enough to be playing someone who will destroy one of your roosts, that means you're guaranteed turmoil after 4 turns. Personally, as soon as I see that kind of commitment from someone else playing the Eyrie, I'll try make their life miserable in every way except taking out one of those roosts. But as long as you wait a couple of turns to make that commitment to the decree, I've found that the other types of actions are pretty doable to maintain if you think a turn or two ahead. And not only are they doable, they let you accomplish a crazy amount of stuff per turn. I know the Keepers and Alliance are the de facto burst factions, but I think the Eyrie deserves to be up there with their action economy. I think the Eyrie certainly walks the knife's edge more than those two, but if managed properly . . . well, I think they belong in the same conversation. All-in-all, though, I agree with the other rankings. I feel like the Alliance in particular doesn't get enough love from folks when they're starting off, but my god are they scary when they get going.

[@EmelieWaldken]

The Vagabond is my favourite faction so far (only played the basic game with Cats, Eyrie, Vagabond & WA) and I was delighted to see it ranked that high and THAT MUSIC, THAT INTRO !! =D

[@WashingMachineProductions]

I played this game for the first time with a couple friends who all told me it was fun. I chose Corvid because I like to trick and convince people. Apparently it’s the worst one, but I won against 4 others!!!

[@LordoftheBoard]

Yeah! Like I said rankings like these really don’t matter! It’s mostly for fun. But per tournament stats and personal experience this is as close to a ranking as I can see

[@cjsmith914]

I love playing the Corvids and the lizards too. Apparently I like making things difficult for myself 😂

[@KingOfShadeEmpire]

Yeah. Having fun and winning are sometimes two different things :D

[@FrederikDeDeyne]

@@cjsmith914 dito

[@Jakfusion]

Interesting classification. We don't have a Marauder expansion in France at the moment, but we can't wait to have these cool factions next year! Thank you for this video, which is also aesthetically very cool, can't wait for other gameplay videos (and can't wait for the Underworld digital extension)

[@LordoftheBoard]

Appreciate you watching :) I appreciate you.

[@gilbertorivas1017]

I quite like the river folk because I feel like I found a good strategy for surviving without people buying my services by rushing trade posts and then leaving them unprotected giving my opponents a false sense of security, and then holding up a bunch of funds. Big risk but sometimes big reward heehee

[@aldooportotejerina6108]

I randomly bought the game last Friday and I love it. Tomorrow I'm setting up a 6 player game, and after considering the available expansions in my language (no Marauders yet, so sad), I chose Underworld because the Corvid Conspiracy seemed really cool and interesting, seeing them at last place is funny lol Either way, I'm sure I'll have a blast tomorrow. Also, I've been watching your Root videos this whole week and you convinced me to buy the digital version myself, I just played my first online game and it was awfully close, it's so cool to be able to play Root anytime!

[@LordoftheBoard]

Happy to see you diving in! Welcome

[@Company_Rep]

I just ordered the physical game and the underworld expansion, let me know how the corvids have gone for you! They look super fun, but potentially I might have to invent a buff for them to make the game fair.

[@bgt2701]

Very well thought out rankings, I haven't personally played keepers that much to give it a confident ranking but it's definitely up there, seeing u ranking them highly makes me want to play them even more and dig into its potential.

[@LordoftheBoard]

Yeah I think they are a faction that has to be shut down by the entire table in order for them to not auto win. Which is kinda unfortunate. But I think most casual tables may find them over or under lowered depending on experience :)

[@mileselon1339]

ROOT. Never heard of this game. This has been quite the jumpstart, thank you

[@MonoNueron]

I was waiting for the update to the tierlist since the marauder expansion came out. Love the new rankings, keep it up!

[@LordoftheBoard]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mattjenkinscomic]

Got this for Christmas 2022 and my wife and I just opened it 3 nights ago. We are hooked! Played a 6 player game today with the River folk expansion (bought it after our first 2 games lol). Any future expansions coming soon? This game is amazing. Great channel. Very helpful!

[@LordoftheBoard]

Hey!!! Glad you found root. No news on a new expansion yet. But I know they have been seen saying they have about 2 left in mind! 🔥🔥

[@ryanwright1224]

Love this! I’ve only played the base factions on root digital, so seeing this and the potential for the board is super cool. Thanks for making great content Sam!

[@pongwong5463]

Great video, as always. My personal ranking would place keepers a bit lower, mostly because they are the hardest faction to play well and so getting those consistent wins is difficult just because playing the faction is so rigorous. That said, your reasoning was sound and made me want to try to finally get good at them.

[@LordoftheBoard]

Very true!

[@asemmel695]

I just got the game and this is really enlightening to me as I don’t really understand the game yet. Thank you.

[@LordoftheBoard]

You got it! :)

[@Okami31]

Corvids looking at number 1: “Get the snare ready, boys!”

[@LordoftheBoard]

Haha I was going to mention this! But couldn’t fit it in. I love that what I concider to be the weakest faction can literally make the game unplayable for the keepers provided certain things happen. Love this game so much

[@Toomuchmetal12]

I got into a match as Eyrie, and I got stuck in a situation where I couldn't recruit. So every single turn, my turn was skipped. Because I had maximum amount of soldiers and nobody was killing them. Was insanely bad

[@seanblake7554]

@@Toomuchmetal12 just played for the first time, you change out your leader right? So wouldn't you be able to change it so you didn't need to recruit?

[@Sebkir.]

Should have used the strategist leader and started the fights yourself

[@colesrootchannel]

AWESOME video! Definitely sharing this with all of my board gaming friends. One day my Cats will be #1...

[@LordoftheBoard]

Haha every faction in my opinion is so close. They all have a chance to win - which is great.

[@TheBlopster]

Great vid, very high quality editing, thank you!

[@mrp4242]

Great video, Sam. I was wondering when we’d see an update. I recently won a 3P game as the Corvids (Using Adset, Autumn board, no Hirelings or Landmarks, base deck, vs my 15yo daughter as Keepers in Iron and my 11yo son as Marquise, both avid Root fans and veteran players). The crows haven’t had a lot of success in our games, but more than both the Keepers and Lizards. I will agree on paper, they could use a little buff. The Badgers are a tough nut to crack and as such feature more lower on my power rankings than yours. Maybe with more practice, they’ll move up. My current power rankings: 10. Lizard Cult 9. Riverfolk 8. Corvid Conspiracy 7. Keepers in Iron 6. Woodland Alliance 5. Marquise de Cat 4. Lord of the Hundreds 3. Underground Duchy 2. Eyrie Dynasties 1. Vagabond

[@cedrycmagie]

The editing is just amazing! Congrats my lord

[@LordoftheBoard]

Thank you so much :)

[@dabonto8130]

The absolute goat of rankings!!! Thank you so much for making this

[@LordoftheBoard]

You’re welcome :) glad you enjoyed!

[@karris8445]

Yeah! I’ve been waiting for this one

[@LordoftheBoard]

Hope you like it! Thank you so much for watching!

[@josephcovell]

This is awesome. I'm hooked.

[@Reggie1408]

Hope to see you as a guest commentator on the winter tournament!

[@LordoftheBoard]

That would be so fun! I would love too if Guerric will have me 🫡💕

[@iliaskaravakos6830]

Nice video, keep going!

[@luca5371]

Great video. Really well done. Love the Keepers but really bad with them. Going to keep practicing cause they seem worth the investment.

[@LordoftheBoard]

They are a very fun one! So freakin unique

[@Razs0111]

Guys, I need tips. I'm going to print this game, including all factions, why I'm supposed to make? Which is the most necessary map? I need to print all cards or I'm good with the E&P card expansion? I want all factions, so idk how to play effectively without printing all game and expansions items. Thanks for reading

[@directassault1662]

A) I'm stunned that the WA wasn't #1. Am I watching the right channel?!?! B) Really, the Vagabond needs to be evaluated at 9 different factions.

[@LordoftheBoard]

Wa is my fav faction! But I wouldnt say the most powerful :)

[@cariboumaker2452]

Great video, great editing!

[@LordoftheBoard]

Thank you so much :)

[@JacopoSkydweller]

I really enjoy direct action battle in this game. I just played an AI game on computer with Eyrie, Cats, Moles and Otters and it was crazy fun. I don't have a group to play root with consistently enough to even consider adding any expansions to my physical board game, which is a bummer but hopefully this next year I can get a couple more people to play. I didn't even know there was a 4th expansion with Hundreds and Keepers, Keepers definitely sound pretty freaking strong. I really enjoy playing the moles, birds and vagabond because of the ability to police the more sneaky factions with action economy.

[@LordoftheBoard]

Hope you enjoy :)

[@foreversevenfold1666]

Great video! Just played my first game of Root last night knowing pretty much nothing. Went with the Eyrie Dynasties mostly based on vibes lol. Had a lot of fun playing them but I feel like now that I understand the game better I could have executed much differently. Can't wait to play again!

[@rudolfvandijk1739]

Nice list!.. Hard to win with the keepers.... Especially with 4 or more players

[@LordoftheBoard]

I think every faction becomes harder at the 4 or more player count. 🔥 hope you enjoyed!

[@scripturalmotivation]

word.

[@pabgondia]

Hi! Nice content :) It would be great if you did a video explaining the advanced setup

[@LordoftheBoard]

In my review of Maurauders expansion I talk a bit about it! :) check out this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYaraWt8hsSWhck

[@alexscott7721]

Love the video. Crazy high production value on this one. I do kind of disagree with the Keepers ranking though. When playing, I find Keepers to be pretty weak to policing and at policing with its recruit system using cards needed for action economy and crafting. And I found that their scoring is probably the best in the game but can be transparent. Both of those were key weaknesses for the Lizards and Corvid. While I still think they're stronger than those two factions, I think those keep it from first place at my table at least. Definately still one of my favourite factions. I would love to hear your thoughts on how you got around that though.

[@liberatedspirit3554]

I Agree with ur points on the keeper of iron 100%. The games I've been left alone I can burst and win fairly well. I think part of them being "good". Really just has to do with people not knowing really how to police them and when to. When I police them since I know them I can shut them down for the very reasons u mentioned. And I can shut them down extremely easily if I'm playing Lord of Hundreds, Moles, Eryie, Vagabond specific characters. They have a lot of trouble recruiting and keeping up with constant policing. If two players police them a few rounds they are nearly banished from the board. Also if u add the issue that they have a hard time policing anyone who pulls ahead and stopping them. Because the sacrifice so much of their own game by doing so. I can't see how they can be higher then mid-tier against a good table of players. They literally have to stay under the radar the whole game and try their best not to get jumped if they end up with relics sitting on the board. Cause against certain factions like the three I mentioned. They literally can't defend them. If those three factions are online and have the action count to attack them 3-4 times However if u remove those four factions they have to deal with from consideration I would consider them top tier for the very reasons he mentioned

[@Eidenhoek]

15:08 Now the underground duchy is kind of a society that lives underground in their duchy

[@JonTripp115]

It's true! The best did surprise me. I don't think I've wrapped my brain around how to use Keepers effectively yet.

[@popgas3821]

I think one more thing about the badgers' 2nd and 3rd column retinue, that is delve and recover, is that you can get around their penalty system by premeditatedly using non-bird cards as an exchange for not complying with the conditions these two requires. If I can't surround a forest were a relic is possibly a value of 3 then I just simply use a non-bird card to delve. Same goes for recovering. Ensuring to rule 3 clearings matching your waystation is quite hard but if I would just lose a non-bird card then that's totally fine. Their tanky as long as there's a relic, their waystations is possibpy the best building set-up I've seen and their card draws are not that too much of a problem. Lastly, they don't go turmoil 😂. Although I believe the Vagabond still dominates. Between 1 and 2, yeah Keepers in Iron or the Vagabonds.

[@revdavidpeters]

I’m excited about this one! Love your videos!

[@LordoftheBoard]

Thank you David 🔥

[@TimChuon]

DUDE these animations are so epic! btw I was expecting number 3 to be 1! looks like I got another faction to learn 🔥

[@LordoftheBoard]

Glad you appreciated them! Ayeeeeee got you with a surprise ✌🏽🫡

[@Marinealver]

I think Corvid is stronger in large games of 4+ players where their traps are sprung more often and they can "sell" their abilities. Lizzards are probably the opposite in terms of smaller games. The problem with the cats is that they are spread out and lone warriors are easy pickings. They have to give ground early in the game Otters are a mid ground, small games they can't generate money, and large games they have no cards. 3-4 player games is where they are at their best The Birds have 2 combinations that don't have visors. Also with the build decree you are guaranteed to go into turmoil after 3 turns unless you play a bird(wild) The Rats are the Zerg rush but have an interesting dynamic (although a bit hostile) with the vagabonds. The Moles have a sanctuary but like most factions that start with a presence off the board it is hard to get onto the board. I do like how the digital game uses the foxes as warriors instead of the mice. Again with no board presence and the fewest warriors it makes the finishing very difficult Vagabonds as a faction or 2 is a bit of a controversy. The 2nd Vagabond tends to be weaker than if there were only 1. Still their alliance ability almost makes them kingmakers but not as elegant as the Bene Geseret in Dune Next up, Armello

[@nestlenightmare]

Man, the only faction I can consistently win as is the corvids. I guess I’m just a sneaky little bastard at heart

[@LordoftheBoard]

Great work! :)

[@MunkeyBrewster]

I hope the vagabond are strong, as a newbie they seem the most fun!

[@stephandemedts8894]

I have a friend who's a Corvid maniac, and I've never seen lose a game. Even when we know his strategy he actually can count turns until when he can release his potential by observing the map. I find them really strong when eyries or LotH are in the game. Because they both create a lot of mess around the forest it's much easier for corvid players to disappear and then take the victory out of you. And they are evil when a vagabond is aiding them. XD I've been on the receiving end and it's not fun. But i agree with the 10th place. Corvid are really hard to pull off and they require a much more advanced understanding of the game because the skill cap in terms of strategy thinking is very high. The Corvid are shady, so you have to be shady in the way you play them to win.

[@aleckermit]

As Eyrie if youre lucky enough to draw mostly bird suit cards you can really dominate.

[@LordoftheBoard]

Completely agree!

[@eishikibahamut]

played a few games where someone played keepers and they couldnt seem to get anything done. we unironically sent a friend our ranking today listing them as the worst. Vagabond was still listed highest though and I feel like they should give other factions more incentive to fight them besides they will win if you don't. Because of that I feel like games without the vagabond are just more enjoyable to play right now.

[@LordoftheBoard]

At the moment if you have a good badgers player they will win if the whole table doesn’t deny them. Which is why I put them at the top in power. I think they are oddly similar to Vagabond in that way. Thanks for watching!

[@JasperLane]

I have never played or even heard of this game, but sure I will watch this

[@LordoftheBoard]

Thanks for watching!! It’s a really fun game :)

[@rehmanmir7865]

As a member of the Keepers in Iron's PR team I support this video!

[@seanvalenzuela6815]

Awesome video! Could you make a faction list of which is most fun to play? :)

[@SFuruli]

I love the Corvid, but agree on all points about their systemic issues. Exposure is so powerful against them too, and they don't really have a great use for all the excess cards they might gain. Plots are so fun though. Just a few changes to the Corvid could fix their issues and make them a great insurgency faction that's easy to learn, but still offer lots of depth and fun interactions between players. 😊😊

[@EmperorUsul]

Every time I watch one of your videos it reignites my love for this game. Your passion is contagious 😂

[@LordoftheBoard]

Happy to help! :)

[@daret9056]

6:15 "spot number 8" big 7 on the screen. whoops!

[@LordoftheBoard]

That sucks! Haha oops

[@scripturalmotivation]

my Friday just got even better

[@LordoftheBoard]

Hope you enjoy! :)

[@gilbertorivas1017]

You look like AU Andrew Tate where he just chilled and played board games instead of going into mma and… other stuff lmao.

[@Thungon]

Swap moles with keepers, and swap otters with lizards, and you'll have my list as of today :)

[@junbeomski]

Hi, I am a Korean who loves Root. Your video is very interesting!! I am sad that the marauder expansion have not yet been translated into Korean.... But the underworld expansion has been translated. Should I buy it?

[@absentchronicler9063]

it adds two really fun factions and 2 really cool maps. i think it is worth it

[@junbeomski]

@@absentchronicler9063 thx I bought it we are the world

[@ezzardeyethief]

The cats have the number 7 despite being number 8. how crafty of them.

[@LordoftheBoard]

So damn crafty! Haha

[@robinsmith6847]

Wait... The WA get the higher roll even when attacking? I thought it was only if they're defending...

[@LordoftheBoard]

Every faction gets the higher roll when attacking! Even WA :)

[@robinsmith6847]

@@LordoftheBoard ahhhh of course 😅😅😅 Great work on all the vids by the way. Helped me fully understand the game. Got hooked on the digital version once it clicked. Base and all expansions arrived on Tuesday and just played the first coop game today with the Mrs to help with the teach. Defo my favourite game now too!

[@KingWooolly]

I dont know if this has already been addressed but will we be seeing any more villainous guides now that Venom, Doc Oc, Kang, and Titania are added? I would love a venom guide

[@LordoftheBoard]

They will all release in due time! Sorry for the delay

[@Tchousssman54]

Is it me or did you repaint some of your meeples with mettalic paint ?

[@LordoftheBoard]

Nope! The only metallic meeple is Keepers and Keepers Hirelings

[@Tchousssman54]

@ well lucky you because in France, our french boxes comes with basic paint for those meeples

[@kaworusergio]

KZbin recommended me this video. What are your thoughts after the tournament?. Are riverfolck as bad as it seems? What kind of buff does they need?. And what do you think about eyrie dinasty?

[@jdmc9538]

Do you have a house rule you use to balance the vagabond because it always seems like the person who goes exactly before vagabond has to deal with him. I thought that making you get a point for fighting the vagabond would be too harsh and that would prevent the vagabond from having fun. But wasting a whole turn on fighting the vagabond and losing precious warriors feels horrible. I also wish there was a way to make questing a more viable strategy over infamy idk what to do so i just dont play with the vagabond anymore. Vagabond and lord of the hundreds in the same game is also a horrible idea that no one should ever try. I was lord of the hundreds in that and i could do nothing.

[@Nevakanezah_]

Finally, the clickbait I have so richly deserved.

[@LordoftheBoard]

It worked 🔥 haha jk. I think for the most part. People who are not into competitive root won’t see the number 1 coming. Lol

[@Nevakanezah_]

@@LordoftheBoard It's pretty sneaky, as all clickbait ought to be. I was gonna say - feel free to hmu if you're looking for input on future animation work; I'm more than happy to offer what insights I possess. Insights like: At 0:37, your outlines on the lizard/VB are wigging out pretty hard.

[@LordoftheBoard]

@@Nevakanezah_ yeah I realized they were too close - didn’t show up while I was editing. But something to learn for next time! Just learning as I go. I’ll def hit you up if I need some help!

[@plo7035]

The builder of the Eyrie is my favorite leader to start.

[@BolteRacku-on3rx]

Otters ahead of cats and eyrie not in top 3 is unhinged work

[@josharko111]

I would have to disagree with the vagabond having low crafting capability, I've won games before because I was able to craft one or more "favor of the..." cards and really mess up the opponents. Additionally crafting is one of the best ways to get your inventory into a good place.

[@LordoftheBoard]

Thanks for commenting! The only vagabonds able to craft favor cards are Tinker and Adventurer. The others can’t access 3 hammers. Also we don’t play with standard deck due to those favor cards as they are a bit broken. So we don’t run into that with any faction. Crafting is great on that we agree!

[@liberatedspirit3554]

Love your channel bro but I do have to disagree on the keepers of iron faction. They're one of my favorites and I play them a lot. I think they lack two major factors that really prevent them from being top tier even though they have great burst ability. For one if they're policed by factions that have a strong battle action economy they can fall apart very easily and quickly. With such factions as the Moles, Eyrie, Lord of the Hundreds, even Vagabond if you have the right character. Vega and Moles can easily sabotage them at key moments and at their weak points. While the Lord of the Hundreds and Eyrie with both of their leaders that give an extra hit in battle torcher the Marauders very easily. With the Rats and Birds leaders they nullify their defensive relic buff. Which essentially allows those two factions to clean a full clearing of a relic building and 4 warriors in just two rolls! Of course this is if they're lucky. But these two factions easily can obtain the action economy to wipe Mauraders with 3-4 attacks in a single turn. Netting them 3 victory points while shutting them down. Which makes for a very lucrative move. This forces the maurder to only acquire relics they can score in the same turn. So they don't become a prime target, which slows their burst potential as well. If you add another faction attacking them this gets even worse which is obvious. Also they have trouble recruiting and keeping up with attacks. They just cannot handle being targeted from my experience. That's the first problem. Then the second is like the bottom tier factions they can't police other players easily without entirely setting back their own game plan.

[@LordoftheBoard]

Interesting. I think In tournament settings this may be the case. But my videos are trying to keep everyone in mind. For me - keepers raw power of scoring puts them at the top. I understand what you’re saying. Also in competitive scenarios the fact that they have to be completely shut down by everyone at the table so that they don’t win every game is in my opinion what describes a powerful faction. Thanks for watching!

[@liberatedspirit3554]

​​@@LordoftheBoard Fair point! You're completely right! The fact that they actually HAVE to be policed is in fact a reason that would push them to the top. Didn't think about that perspective thanks!

[@BeyondTheLineProductions]

Best starting expansion with4-5 player count?

[@LordoftheBoard]

Riverfolk expansion! It adds insurgent factions and a second vagabond. Good for higher player counts

[@Aliuzha17]

My beloved crows got the tail of it! We will show them!

[@dabonto8130]

What vagabond is the best in your opinion?

[@LordoftheBoard]

Harrier and Tinker 🔥

[@ioannispaxinos5171]

I don't necessarily disagree with this ranking in a vacuum but it's so contextual that I wouldn't depend much on it. Assuming 4 players, which is the optimal number for Root, it comes down to how healthy is the reach level. So in a game with cats, birds and a vagabond the conspiracy can actually be really powerful. I've personally won multiple times with it (not that that's indicative) and there are many factors that go into it's success like reach, players underestimating you and how well you can bluff. It's an extremely difficult faction to play so in that sense it's weaker because you have to play it optimally to be successful and demands a lot from you. Likewise, in a game with the rebels and the lizards, the rebels don't stand a chance because the lizards can so effortlessly destroy their bases. And both factions have such low reach that it can really throw the game off balance. There are many other similar examples but end of the day, like all these games, it comes down to who will snowball ahead so much that no one will be able to stop them and no faction has a distinct advantage because that comes purely down to players priorities and neglects. That's what makes this game so great. Anything is possible but it doesn't last long so you can take out your frustration in the next game.

[@el_dani]

How is the Lizard cult able to put down a lot of cards at the end of his turn?

[@ChristianDall-p2j]

If evry Lord gives 3 points, every shire 1 point, and every noble 2 points, then you Can score at most 18 points from crowns, theyve Got to have some other Way of scoring points!

[@kaworusergio]

Same factions that needed a buff in ADV.Settup keep being weak¿? Isn´t it ¿maddening for you? ¿Do you think that creators will introduce new buffs in the future?

[@LordoftheBoard]

I don’t think they are that weak - I think they require more from the player. I also thing it’s a good think do I personally don’t feel they need to do more balancing.

[@andrewmancini46]

What sleeves do you use for the game?

[@RoxNotKiddo]

Great video! I need to play Root with human players in tournaments. I’m pretty good against AI

[@andrewdemauro2401]

Who is your favorite faction personally to play as?

[@LordoftheBoard]

I think it’s Woodland Alliance. But lately I’ve been really enjoying Riverfolk Company !

[@artfuldodgr42]

Would you consider the lower ranking factions unplayable in most cases or does it all depend on the other factions in play?

[@LordoftheBoard]

None of the factions I would deem unplayable. And a players skill matters a lot but also negotiation at the table :)

[@kelliealanis9485]

Will there be more future expansions???

[@astod7792]

Moles are OP. No question

[@LordoftheBoard]

Pretty good! 💕🔥

[@scripturalmotivation]

my thoughts on your rankings: #10 - CC - never played :( but I can see why they're low #9 - LC - facts lol #8 - MdC - huh, never thought of them as this low but I feel it. Dom ftw #7 - RC - yes w/o LC in game it's really tough to make it through a game #6 - ED - sure, but the leader change is amazing nonetheless. But they are weaker than LotH for sure. #5 - LotH - high player count = HARD, low player count = easy win lol #4 - UD - never played :( but surprised you put them so high! now i itch for them. #3 - WA - ... just fell out of my chair. do you need to look up tattoo removal services now? kidding :D #2 - V - first, that intro was amazing. now I want an animated short of a LOTB and LOTR mashup haha. but also, vagabond at #2, facts #1 - KI - YES! so happy you put this on top because I agree. The action economy not only is strong but the fact that you can plan your next turn and rearrange the Retinue is boss level amazing. The Badger Ball strategy is phenomenal btw. I also used your tips from the last vid to carry 1vp relics with my at all times haha. the only issue I've had is higher player counts - trying to rule 3 matching clearings as the one with your waystation in order to recover relics is VERY hard. But, with the ease of recruiting, it's possible and deadly.

[@LordoftheBoard]

I feel like keepers are a high risk high reward: their highs are certainly the largest in the game cause of that scoring potential 🔥 happy to see you enjoying the video and mostly agreeing? 🔥

[@arthurhornig3785]

Imagine the lizards crafting royal claim 😨

[@lexgc]

Are those faction mottos official?

[@LordoftheBoard]

No I just thought them up to help people understand general play-styles and thought processes. :)

[@-Commit-arson-]

Vagabond will always be my number one

[@holschermarc]

My friends and i boght the Steam Version yesterday and played 3 games for 4 hours straight. I personally love the woodland alliance. In the second game i accidently won because i didnt read a card right. I thought the "Remove all enemy from a X clearing" would let me choose one clearing. But it just wiped out all Mouse Clearings giving 16 Victorypoints in 1 Turn xD was the shortest of the 3 rounds.

[@Spilzu]

Now THIS is some high quality content

[@LordoftheBoard]

Why thank you :)

[@asorlokirunarsson9864]

Naaah the lizards are worse than the corvid conspiracy. I actually think corvid is pretty good

[@gideonpepys]

Surely it is to the detriment of a game like Root that its factions can be ranked?

[@LordoftheBoard]

Rankings are just for fun. And no not at all. Players can win with any of these factions. Root ultimately is a political game so being good at swaying conversation is typically your most important skill to win. But there are factions easier to pilot and some more difficult and I think that’s great!

[@riconade4431]

Cant believe my two favs are dead last and first place 😂

[@Vafaiavdjdvs]

Underated af

[@LordoftheBoard]

Thank you :)

[@xanadu1215]

Nice hair style

[@LordoftheBoard]

Why thank you :)

[@StuffByBez]

Great visuals. Did you do the animations? They are so good and so much fun, working well to illustrate exactly what you're talking about! I do wish you had also talked about how much you personally enjoy them - that was a nice part of the previous vid.. Also, I hate the clickbaity title. Anyway, it was a fun video to watch and you did a great job of talking about the WHY. 🙂

[@LordoftheBoard]

Yea I do all the visuals myself! Thank you. I was thinking of creating a separate video this time as the runtime was something I was conscious of. Appreciate them at! Sorry to hear that, I don’t like clickbait either, and I guess I didn’t even think of this title as being clickbait because I know the majority of players misunderstand Keepers and I felt like it’s a surprise to most. Glad you enjoyed!

[@j.prt.979]

It’s not really clickbait if it’s true.

[@StuffByBez]

@@j.prt.979 Certainly didn't surprise me. I mean, there weren't that many options. There were 2 new factions since the last vid. I was slightly wondering if it'd be a 'weird/wacky' choice, like a fan-made faction, or counting the hirelings as a 'faction' somehow. But if it's only the official factions and we assume that there hasn't been a major shift in the old stuff, then there were only really 3 possible contenders, leaving negligible room for surprise imo.

[@SabazitoLab]

i get my ass whooped by corvids so many times in online games

[@radonradonite]

guy looks like a minor villain from Mayans MC

[@LordoftheBoard]

Haha me? Lol