For myself, and most of the Indianapolis wowtcg community, we're on casual mode until the Illidan pre-release tournament, June 21st. We have a good amount of local players, so we'll draft or just play tournaments with fun decks... Totemic Focus & Aurastone Hammers aside though, a large part of the player community is getting ready for DMF Seattle.

Lyon introduced a lot of tweaks to the metagame, and I was more than happy to see traitor Ressa come out and get 2 of the top 8 positions. I want to analyze the changes made in the decks which made top 8, but first I’ll introduce some of my own changes which I’ve made after getting more experience from Realms and further playing.

4 Orders from Lady Vashj

3 Dr. Boom!

3 One Draenei's Junk

2 Corki's Ransom

3 Vindicator Kaldel

4 Apprentice Merry

3 Jeleane Nightbreeze

4 Zandar Shadesprocket

4 Myriam Starcaller

3 Marksman Glous

4 Lowdown Luppo Shadefizzle

3 Gut Shot

4 Purloin

3 Pick Pocket

3 Jacknife

3 Prey on the Weak

4 Perdition's Blade

3 Whispering Blade of Slaying

SB: 3 Chipper Ironbane

SB: 3 Dismantle

SB: 4 Gouge

You spoke, I listened… Luppo is amazing in the deck. Chipper moved to the side, there were a few times he came in handy main, but I think his utilization isn’t as great against the faster meta. Chips McGee (as he’s referred to around here) comes in vs. pally, warlock, and boomkin. You could argue that he comes in vs. form of the serpent decks, but I’ve found gouge and dismantle are enough to keep them at bay while you try and myriam/rush/swing/burn them to death. Overall, this is not much different than the build I took to RCs, and while I’ll talk about the changes brought forth in Europe, I think this is the way I’d play it.

Remi Lacorre is a Frenchman, and a newcomer in the spotlight as far as wowtcg is concerned. He was 1 of 2 to pilot our Leper friend to top 8. The changes he introduced were to include 4 gouge maindeck, 1 leeroy & 3 kick, at the sacrifice of -1 chipper, -1 kaldel, and NO pickpockets. I can agree with 4 gouge, as Desecrator and Mythen are both houses that you need to control, and could show up in quite the abundance. Leeroy isn’t a bad card, though I am not a fan of 1 ofs without a tutor (search) ability. I don’t feel kick should go main, even in a Deafening shout heavy environment, because by turn 7 if you’re not so close that any finisher you top deck gets the win, you’re probably in bad shape anyway. Sure I would side it in against a warrior control deck, possibly, but not main. Also – pickpocket can be INSANE!! I have had way too many games won by turn 2 when I purloin & pickpocketed my way through 3 or 4 cards to ever think that this card is not maindeck material. Worst case, you get to see their hand… and in a defined meta, you can almost surely tell what someone is playing by just glancing the hero.

Remi’s sideboard seemed a little out there, to me. I understand a lot of it, but I don’t jive with 2 felstriker (late game ally control), 2 narthadus (late game form of the serpent control?), and 1 Eviscerate (when did this come in, and with 1 it just seems filler). Evasion is one that seems a little hit and miss, what with all the ongoing ability hate in the field, but it could be a game winner.

Jan Palys is a German, and has had some high places in previous large tournies. He stuck to the “established” build more, with a sideboard that I feel fit the deck and complemented it’s weaker matchups. I still think that Gouge in the side would’ve helped out, but burn away might shear up the form of the serpent matchup just as well.

Jan ran Andiss, and I think that’s a bold move because it cures one of the most annoying things with having the weapons. In the end, the daggers are secondary to your primary kill (Myriam/Kaldel) and your finisher (gutshot) so I’m not sold on Andiss. I haven’t tested it, just analyzing results… maybe Andiss is the 1 card that pushes this over the top.

So that being said – I think Ressa is a great deck for DMF Seattle. Purloin & Pickpocket are amazing forces of discard, Myriam/Kaldel has been proven, and the usual slew of untargettable/elusive guys backed up by gut shot really pack some heat. Jackknife & prey on the weak help sure up the protector walls, and the deck is just blazing. If I were to go to Seattle, I would be playing the version detailed above.