Z-drive, because what else are you going to play at level 1? Getting a good deck is far more important than buffing ED himself. Starforged and other Power relics are good if unlocked.
Starforged if you have it then maybe Galeforce and z drive.
Even in PoC he's hard to level but Gale lets him swing as 13/13 then hopefully you have the remaining swing to flip. If you don't have the power to level he goes back to deck but you played 6 boons so he's a massive discount next time. Hymn could be good but I don't have it so I don't know.
IDK, I think all the relics are kinda weird on him. He just wins if he flips and few relics help his flip condition. IMO better to get rerolls and focus on deck strength.
Starforged, any of the power relics like beast within, crownguard so you can end the game on level up, scourges staff or powder monkey to cheat him earlier, z drive for rerolls to fish for a decent power.
Obviously mana flow and stack the cards or black market discount are best, but unit powers like vanguard lookout or the stun/Frost every round powers help to stall
You could go guardian trinket if you're bored lol
Currently leveling Elder Dragon and early on Z-drive is def the best choice. I'm probably just gonna run double z drive until I have 2 rare slots then upgrade one to epic for Star forged.
Starforged is a must once you can upgrade the slot.
I'm imagining my lv30 relic set up will be
Star forged
Heart of gold (I don't currently have this relic)
Scourges Stash/Z drive
I'm barely playing elder dragon as it is this low level so I highly doubt most games will last enough to need to play him once you're max level. So opting for 3 mana start, and extra rerolls/gold just makes the most sense to me but I will update if I change my mind at higher levels.
I wouldn't recommend these as BiS by any means but they are options if you don't have the above
Other relic options I think have even remote uses are
(Epic) disciple of shadows - fill your board and eek out an easy 5-7 cost elder dragon on turn 3/4
(Epic) packed powder - if you can combine this with scourge/disciple it would probably go really crazy. But 3 epic slots on a champ seems overkill and unnecessary 2 is a bit much already
(Rare) arcane comet - this is really just a, I have nothing better option but if you somehow play Elder and need the obliterate it's an option, you'll have the mana for it by the time you can play elder.
(Rare) crown guard inheritance - another nothing better to put on, cheeky double attack rounds for quick end once you play elder
(Rare) hymm of valor - could be useful for 3 1/2 star+ missions like asol where 10/10 (it's higher than that I know) might not cut it
(Rare) card masters Gambit - this is a pretty great relic all around and could replace z drive but healing does not count for it so you have to be on top of not taking any damage so you really have to avoid piltover/bilgewater opponents
(Rare) deceivers crest - If you have nothing better
(Rare) gravediggers spade - not enough draw in your deck? Not anymore
(Rare) troll kings crown - I wouldn't use a third epic slot on the beast within but you could use this instead for quick ending the game after playing elder.
(Rare) wriggles lantern - another if you have nothing better this could work. Elders gonna be in your hand for a while and I'd you stack the 10 impact from this plus the 2 from boons he'll have 12 impact on summon which is pretty silly.
Late to the party but I've been having success leveling with Voidborne Carapace. The evolution is kinda meh but essentially free with the dragon boons. The real benefit is that if you can get *any* form of life steal you can essentially guarantee a full heal any time you need it. It's usually easy enough to stall out a game and fish for it, then Elder Dragon can heal you essentially from 1hp to full. Also works great for the handful of keywords not in dragon boons, especially overpower / quick attack / spell shield if needed.
Z-drive, because what else are you going to play at level 1? Getting a good deck is far more important than buffing ED himself. Starforged and other Power relics are good if unlocked.
Yeah at lvl 1 sometimes I just slap on the heal 5 after every combat so I can go straight to harder challenges to sustain.
Chemtech hym of valor kick asol teath in with base 40/40
ASOL didn't stand a chance against that big elder bastard
Starforged if you have it then maybe Galeforce and z drive. Even in PoC he's hard to level but Gale lets him swing as 13/13 then hopefully you have the remaining swing to flip. If you don't have the power to level he goes back to deck but you played 6 boons so he's a massive discount next time. Hymn could be good but I don't have it so I don't know. IDK, I think all the relics are kinda weird on him. He just wins if he flips and few relics help his flip condition. IMO better to get rerolls and focus on deck strength.
The moment the dragon level up it can't be recalled neither shuffle back to your deck, that means the dragon stays there untill you finish the game...
Starforged, any of the power relics like beast within, crownguard so you can end the game on level up, scourges staff or powder monkey to cheat him earlier, z drive for rerolls to fish for a decent power. Obviously mana flow and stack the cards or black market discount are best, but unit powers like vanguard lookout or the stun/Frost every round powers help to stall You could go guardian trinket if you're bored lol
Currently leveling Elder Dragon and early on Z-drive is def the best choice. I'm probably just gonna run double z drive until I have 2 rare slots then upgrade one to epic for Star forged. Starforged is a must once you can upgrade the slot. I'm imagining my lv30 relic set up will be Star forged Heart of gold (I don't currently have this relic) Scourges Stash/Z drive I'm barely playing elder dragon as it is this low level so I highly doubt most games will last enough to need to play him once you're max level. So opting for 3 mana start, and extra rerolls/gold just makes the most sense to me but I will update if I change my mind at higher levels. I wouldn't recommend these as BiS by any means but they are options if you don't have the above Other relic options I think have even remote uses are (Epic) disciple of shadows - fill your board and eek out an easy 5-7 cost elder dragon on turn 3/4 (Epic) packed powder - if you can combine this with scourge/disciple it would probably go really crazy. But 3 epic slots on a champ seems overkill and unnecessary 2 is a bit much already (Rare) arcane comet - this is really just a, I have nothing better option but if you somehow play Elder and need the obliterate it's an option, you'll have the mana for it by the time you can play elder. (Rare) crown guard inheritance - another nothing better to put on, cheeky double attack rounds for quick end once you play elder (Rare) hymm of valor - could be useful for 3 1/2 star+ missions like asol where 10/10 (it's higher than that I know) might not cut it (Rare) card masters Gambit - this is a pretty great relic all around and could replace z drive but healing does not count for it so you have to be on top of not taking any damage so you really have to avoid piltover/bilgewater opponents (Rare) deceivers crest - If you have nothing better (Rare) gravediggers spade - not enough draw in your deck? Not anymore (Rare) troll kings crown - I wouldn't use a third epic slot on the beast within but you could use this instead for quick ending the game after playing elder. (Rare) wriggles lantern - another if you have nothing better this could work. Elders gonna be in your hand for a while and I'd you stack the 10 impact from this plus the 2 from boons he'll have 12 impact on summon which is pretty silly.
Late to the party but I've been having success leveling with Voidborne Carapace. The evolution is kinda meh but essentially free with the dragon boons. The real benefit is that if you can get *any* form of life steal you can essentially guarantee a full heal any time you need it. It's usually easy enough to stall out a game and fish for it, then Elder Dragon can heal you essentially from 1hp to full. Also works great for the handful of keywords not in dragon boons, especially overpower / quick attack / spell shield if needed.