4-Plays
So another new set has been Sneaked and full spoilers are cropping up everywhere as players band together to build an internet database for Hunt for Illidan. Some of the new power cards are obvious and have already been examined for their utility and relative meta explosiveness. These cards are generally the big rares and epics of the set, but what about the new allies in the set, the unexamined uncommons and commons. Where do they fit?
If you’re trying to find a theme that runs through the ally base in Hunt for Illidan, a good place to start would be with the allies that provide non-activation healing or that have the potential to draw you a bunch of cards if they stay in play. But the set's surprisingly lacking in a new meta defining beast like we've seen the past two sets in this block. The closest thing to a new Myriam, Doshura, Vexmaster or Ras'fari in this set is ole’ Brokentooth McCrazyeye, Brok Bloodcaller, ally killer extraordinaire. That said, he’s still an astonishing four-drop that presents one of this set's new answers to tyrannical, the untargetable reign of Myriam Starcaller.
Looking at the sub-factions, Scryer has gotten another lift with this set - perhaps the designer’s are trying to boost it up to equal footing with its opposing faction, Aldor, who thus far have seen a vast majority of the completive play. In the past, Retainer Zian gave Scryer a viable build to be in (along with Magister Ashi) but that was about it.
Most everyone saw Battlemage Vyara as the first HFI EA and mulled over the possibilities of the very strong looking card, but has she she backed up with enough lower-cost force to make Scryer viable enough to include without gimping yourself with the loss of the mighty power Inspire? She's certainly a powerful enough play on her own, especially with the slew of rare 7-cost abilities like the From the Past or Circle cycle that the casting classes picked up. At the very least, we know Scryer gave warlocks another Ripped target with Varen the Reclaimer…
But I think HFI has given Scryer a couple cards that offer it a place in a few different kinds of decks, having a bit more variable utility than its Aldor cousin.
Rogues been given a big lift in this set and while I imagine you’ll see solo rogue fade away from the main tables, other tempo and control rogues will rise to take its place. Historian Firana, for example, is a perfect fit into Dralor discard, because now your cards that aren’t Purloin (and there’s a few of them) can’t miss. She’s a 3/3 for three, which is solid enough, but she has Stealth as well, which is an often underutilized keyword in protector heavy metas.
Retainer Kai is one of my favorite new Scryer cards. When she or another Scryer ally enters play in your party, opposing heroes and allies can’t protect this turn. While I wish there was a Scryer mage who could willfully remove himself from play for a turn, Kai presents another solid answer to Myriam Starcaller for decks that run a few other Scryer allies in their curve. Kai can completely negate the control lock that Xanata, Antikron or the new Defender Nagalaas can have on the board. At 4/4 for four, she can kill Myriam and live to see another combat afterwards.
After spending quite a bit of time, though, looking at the new allies as a whole, here are the ones I think you’ll definitely cropping up in competitive, Constructed play.
Sexy Singles
Ra'waza Stonetusk looks strong enough to let a Horde stall deck abandon Aldor to give the Scryer cards a try. Whereas many decks now certainly pack the requisite 3-damage burn to take care of a pesky Xanata, Ra'waza's impressive five-health and free full heal power make him a much sturdier protector. His zero attack is hardly a drawback, if stalling is your point, as Xanata rarely traded with an opposing ally anyway, and you know I think she saw play a bit…
UDE must like Ripped Through the Portal. Enough to design cards that make it viable for Alliance and Obliveron in HFI. Bimble Blackout is a cool way to ramp up the draw engine in blue or demon Ripped if you’re unable to run cards like Haunted Mills (which you are). If you play Ripped with Illusionary Rod, you can remove your hand with Bimble in it every turn to draw another card, which is solid, especially when you’re trying to find the combo pieces you need to discard, remove and Rip.
If the I-Rod’s not your thing, throw him into the discard pile with your big drops after you complete whichever Donation is your poison and Battle of Darrowshire him away to draw double for the price of one. He’s also a powerful like 3-drop, if a bit fragile, for any other warlock, especially if you plan on running Invoke the Nether to deal with Starcaller or rush decks.
In these post-Vexmaster days, a lot of decks have turned to running 3/2 two-drops with solid powers in order to at least trade with the powerful Nar’jo when he comes into play. I like Instructor Giralo for this reason. The immediate play that comes to mind is Inspiring a normally aggressive-only Bloodsoul into a 3/2 killing protector at the start of your opponent’s turn. Nice.
At the very least, Giralo is another 2-cost inspire ally card that could replace Vindicator Kaldel. With three health instead of two and a more powerful inspire ability, that might not be a bad idea.
Dawn Rivensdale is going to be a good two or three of in a lot of Horde decks – loyal and traitor. Horde Heroes with powerful, tempo swinging flips like Lionar, Bulkas, Omedus or the new Horde Fire mage Phosphus get second tries at dealing big damage or destroying one of your expensive allies for cheap. You may just see Omedus rush decks again because if you let your hand empty Omedus can flip and burn you for it twice and I don’t think most decks can deal with ten-fourteen damage and try and stave off a solid rush – the latter task only sets you up for the former.
High Instructor Campbell I really like and he's been fairly under the radar so far. At four cost, he's merely an adequate 3/3 ally but his come into play power allows you to retrieve a Talent card from your graveyard into your hand. Talent card usually means ability. It's specific (moreso than the in some ways comparable Whitemane's Chapeau), but his power is nothing to scoff at.
Played once, powerful cards like Shadowfury, Blast Wave, Silencing Shot, Holy Shock and Forces of Nature can be retrieved to wreak havoc on the board once again. You can only draw any given 4-of card so often. Campbell insures that you'll get double use out of the powerful Talent cards that your deck is packing, and I think he'll see play for that reason.
Vindicator Javlo is the one card I'm not 100% sure that we'll see, but with the amount of viable Inspire (allies and the new Aldor ring) going around, he's a five cost draw engine with powerful stats. At 4/5 he won't die to Rasfari and can kill Myriam (two important checkpoints for an ally) and with his power will almost invariably beat least a 2-for-1 (assuming you've only got one Inspire: Ally power out and you're opponent ices him on the next turn with a spot removal).
Plus he looks pretty cool riding that bird, eh?
Lord Cindervein has a very abusable power in allowing you to return abilities to their owner's hand at the end of your turn. Druids can recur Cyclone or Typhoon before the counters run out as can mage with Brain Lock and priest can bounce Shadow Word: Pain around if they'd like getting the 1-damage dot every turn along with making the controlling player discard every time it's placed back down. Form players can even rebound Shred, Claw or Swipe at the end of their turns to keep the damage output on with abilities or to be able to Cyclone opposing characters on the opponent's turn without sending valuable forms to the graveyard.
The Big and the Nasty
Man, what is it with my section headings today. They’re all making me feel vaguely uncomfortable after I write them…
Anyway, let’s finally go back and look at the big drops.
HFI is overloaded with rare and epic big, beefy allies. Some of them, like Azaloth, have players scrambling to unsleeve that Plague Demonsoul deck and resleeve Ripped Through the Portal in blue. He's not the only compelling new Ripped target, however. There's the Doomwalker, who provides Alliance Ripped with a better Lok'holar, and epic naaru Xi'ri if demon hero decks even show a hint of being popular. Not that we should forget that Obliveron is waiting in the wings to show off his version of Ripped as well.
But I'd go as far to say that the HFI meta is going to end up being a battleground of the mighty end-game allies. There is now no longer one but three resurrection style cards that do not require you to have resources equal to the casting cost of the targeted ally to put it into play. Along with Ripped, there's now Full Circle and Vicious Circle.
The new epic Scryer is a rather disappointing janky win-more card (with marginal viable as a turn 5 Rip, saying basically draw an answer for me or concede), but the new Aldor epic shows a bit more promise, being basically a Smite and Greater Heal on a stick.
Edward the Odd can be a real sideboard-surprise thrown into the plans of a mage control deck and Akama will be a true powerhouse in any environment that goes too heavy on Traitor.
So there are a lot of new big drops, you say? So what? Are they as good as Ishanah or the Greench?
No other epic allies affect the game the way that those two cards do. Nothing else demands to be answered immediately or the other players wins. And if UDE printed anything more powerful than Greeshanah, it'd probably break the game.
But what if they were hated out? That would leave a high-cost ally vacuum for the less used allies that are less potentially damning if your plans go awry. What if there were decks that made those allies too dangerous or too inconsistent to play?
Horde Priest might be able to do that. Mindflip gives them the edge with a very, very cheap way to take control of an ally whose mere board presence can win games. Then there's Terokk's Shadowstaff, a five cost gain control of an ally in target opponent's party, which not only priests but warlocks and mages can use too.
Then there's an epic ally drop with the power to render opposing Ishanahs and Greenchs into mere flies to be swatted away. Really, Mindflip alone is enough to threaten to hate Ishanah and Greench out of the meta as will be further elaborated below, but it’s worth while to go through one of the other options.
Blood Guard Gulmok. His power is plainly obvious. With Gulmok out any Horde ally you play is also a free Vanquish.
But he still loses to Ishanah, you might say, because unless you're playing him after turn 9, he has to be out for a turn before you can make good use of his power. By that time, Ishanah will have simply taken him away.
In this scenario then you're playing him from the graveyard. Resurrection does nicely for the priest class allowing a five-resource allowance to play that other Horde ally in your hand that'll put Ish or Greench into the opposing graveyard. Three other classes (Shaman, Druid and Paladin) can employ the same strategy.
Certainly, Gulmok is a less powerful play against a control deck that is packing its own recursion. But that's why the priest class's new abilities are so powerful. If you Mindflip their Ishanah you'll just get your own ally back at the end of their turn anyway. Mindflip their Greench and you've shut down their draw. For three resources! That’s insane.
Tags: Warcraft Hunt For Illidan
We're leaving the the double-digits after today in the countdown to the Sneak Preview and our first crack at the Hunt for Illidan. Most eyes, including my own, are stabbing daggers at WoWTCG.com daily, watching for the next preview and for hints in the forums of other cards previewed on other sites. Then there's the crafting cards coming up too... it seems there are fresh winds of change a'blowin' over the World of Warcraft TCG and those winds smell like newly printed cardboard goodness.
If you haven't had a chance to keep track properly of all the new previews, here's a handy little link that should bring you up to speed:
HFI/Crafting Previews Omnibus
With that being said, before the sun sets over SotB, I want to take a last stab at a priest build that was always right there in front of everybody but never made it in the way other archetypes did: like the lightning fast, multi-threatening Form of the Serpent druid or the dastardly draw-block of Voidfire priest.
If you're feeling like the game's gotten a little stagnant in the last days before the new release with everybody playing one form or another of the same old decks (I know a few people who are), take a look at this. It's fun, I promise you that, and though it has it's weaknesses I guarentee you that you can net a couple wins with it too.
It's name comes from the fact that an earlier build ran four-ofs of the Gingerbread Cookie from the Feast of Winterveil and though the Gingerbread was later removed the name was cool enough to stick.
Ladies and gents, the Gingerbread Eclipse:
"It's a cookbook!"
HERO
Bloodtusk
ALLIES
4x Vexmaster Nar'jo
4x Shadowfiend
3x Gur'zuk
2x Doshura Risestrider
2x Warlord Kalithresh
3x Ras'fari Bloodfrenzy
2x Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider
ABILITIES
4x Melt Face
4x Shadow Word: Death
4x Binding Heal
4x Greater Heal
4x Eclipse
EQUIPMENT
2x Whitemane's Chapeau
2x Headmaster's Charge
2x The Bringer of Death
QUEST
4x Forces of Jaedenar
3x The Name of the Beast
4x Thwarting Kolkar Aggression
3x Information Gathering
SIDEBOARD
2x The Bringer of Death
3x Silea Dawnwalker
3x Absorb Magic
2x Doshura Risestrider
* * *
This is basically a tempo/mid-range deck with an Eclipse-driven combo finisher. While you're focusing on answer your opponent's threats and getting an initial 5-10 damage on his hero, you're quietly bidding your time for a turn five EoT Eclipse.
The neat thing about Eclipse as a finisher (aside from it rather epic to heal your opponent to death) is that two-thirds of the combo pieces serve a double function as a heal to keep damage off your hero so you can work towards the end-game. Binding Heal especially is a huge health-swing when you have Eclipse on the table.
I could've made this deck a more single-minded Eclipse rush, going for a plausible turn six kill by trying to load fourteen points of damage on the opponent as quickly as possible for the win. But I don't that approach, because it's got one way to win and if the rush is stalled it's scoop. Such decks too are rather boring.
This particular build doesn't even need the Eclipse combo to win. You can win with a turn nine Prince Kael'thas, or a unanswered damage rush with Ras'fari and Warlord Kalithresh.
There's a few old faces in there you might be wondering about in here. Top of the list is Whitemane's Chapeau.
Whitemane's Chapeau is the poor man's Solanian's Belongings in this deck - or should I say poor troll's. The ability retrieval quest is one of the reasons you see a lot of ability based Horde control decks sticking to blood elf characters. True, Bloodtusk is Horde so I could technically run the quest anyway, but the Chapeau is honestly much more efficient. It has that all important one armor against Voidfire Wand decks and it's an easy sacrifice to Tatulla.
Which brings me to the epic HoA staff.
It fills the role of what I'm calling the Five-Cost Draw Engines. These are the cards that you see control decks playing to generate the card advantage they need to be able to stall out and answer every threat you play until they can reach the critical resource count to play their finisher. Bloodrage and Blessing of Wisdom are the two principle examples, but Headmaster's Charge is a just as playable third that I've personally only ever seen played in a tournament decklist once.
Against a warrior, you probably want to side it out, because it's much more vulnerable in that match-up because of Smash and Puncture then Bloodrage and the Blessing are. But with exactly a third of this deck being abilities, it can net you quite a few extra cards if it goes unanswered.
The Bringer of Death is an important card against rush and solo match-ups. This caster-class board wipe is an incredible boon for the lower-health heroes of the game.
The sideboard shores up what I believe to be the more difficult match-ups for this deck (mage can still be tricky with Fizzles and Counterspells and is a bit hard to tech against), namely solo and rush. Doshura, Silea and an extra two Bringers often will more than do the trick, especially against an opposing rogue.
* * *
Traitor warrior control is the most difficult match-up for this deck, in my experience. The damage output in this deck is strictly, with one exception, ally based and the amount of targeted removal and insta-kill is rather daunting. The best bet is to try and whether the storm as best as possible. Kael'thas provides a good method to win, but they might just tick themselves into Eclipse range with Bloodrage as well...
Mage can also be a little tough for the Eclipse win-condition. The best bet here is to go for an ally based victory approach.
Red paladin control with its never-have-a-bad-match-up attitude finds itself again without a bad match-up here. Siding in Absorb Magic will fight off those Blessings of Freedom and Wisdom, however. Don't forget the former is on-going!
If you draw one or two heals, rush and rogue solo are both very managable match-ups. Of course, there's always the potential to simply lose to a nuts draw, but your chances of winning with Bloodtusk are definitely there.
Tags: Warcraft
Like a Jedi from the 80s, the Throwdown returns with another cardboard-dropping entry and another exclamation mark at the end of its name.
Feeling like we've established ourselves and the format of the article fairly well, TCGPlayer writers Borbwab and myself decided that we wanted to edge this next entry towards the bright light (or is that an oncoming train?) of competitive Constructed play, but we didn't want to just bring any old netdeck with a top 8 wreathed around its neck to the table.
This was no small task, for the meta is a formidable creature, but for the love of the game we did what we set out to do and brought two very respectable and original decks to the game.
But not all that is gold is the Spectral Tiger, and not all those who misplay are lost. The deck that is strong will not falter, a good play will recoup its cost. A new deck in the meta shall spring, and the Throwdown again shall be king (argh, my nerd-senses cry blashpemy... forgive me, Tolkein!).
So grab some popcorn, pull up a chair and clear a place at the table, for today is the day of reckoning.
This is the part where the Throwdown returns:
Borbwab's Decklist
HERO
Plague Demonsoul
ALLIES
4x Bloodsoul
4x Kagella Shadowmark
4x Tarn Darkwalker
3x Tatulla the Reclaimer
2x Dread Infernal
3x Ulrac Bloodshadow
2x Sek Grimlash
ABILITIES
4x Eye of Kilrogg
3x Cannibalize
2x Shred Soul
4x Banish to the Nether
3x Ripped Through the Portal
EQUIPMENT
4x Greatsword of Horrid Dreams
QUESTS
4x The Haunted Mills
4x Torek's Assualt
3x Finkle Einhorn, At Your Service
3x Information Gathering
SIDEBOARD
2x Silea Dawnwalker
3x The Bringer of Death
3x Shadowbolt
1x Tatulla
1x Banish to the Nether
Madjinn and I had been meaning to do another version of Throwdown for some time, but the biggest hurtle was what to play. I think everyone knows the top decks of the format. Hopefully, we’ll see something new from the DMF in the next couple of weeks, but for right now the metagame is pretty settled.
Mad and I both agreed we didn’t want to just play one of the top tier decks of the format like Desecrator or Aleyah. So we decided on trying to bring something a little different to the table. I racked my brain for a while on what to play and I tested an updated version of Boomkin. The rise in popularity of Aleyah, however, makes Boomkin a somewhat dangerous play choice currently. Scratch that idea.
Well, like any good writer with a case of writer's block, I decide to steal someone else’s idea. My friend and teammate Jeff Grose (“It’s a 9 drop and it swings for free”) piloted a his version of Warlock to a local tournament win recently so I kindly asked him if it’d be alright if I “borrowed” the idea. He posted up a decklist which I copied and tweaked it to my liking.
It’s a deck I’ve seen Jeff working on for a long time. The basic idea is to get Apocanon out and abuse the fact that he makes everyone Demons. Tarn Darkwalker gives everyone Ferocity (hence the Greatsword because he gives Ferocity to the other side as well), Ulrac lets you bring guys back to hand, and Sek Grimlash can allow for a late game beating (essentially allowing you to recycle through your heaviest hitter to attack or abusing coming into play powers like Tatulla).
He’s been pretty successful with this deck and I’ve been on the receiving end of a beating from it more than once. His build is slightly different, employing Life Taps for additional draw. I cut them as I’m not a huge fan of the card but I’m wondering if they aren’t more important to the deck than I first realized.
Madjinn's Decklist
HERO
Ressa Shadeshine
ALLIES
3x Bakaar
4x Angelista
4x Arcanist Dayvana
3x Narthadus
4x Magistrix Larynna
ABILITIES
4x Purloin
4x Shiv
3x Pilfer
4x Blade Twisting
EQUIPMENT
4x Whispering Blade of Slaying
4x Perdition's Blade
3x Felstriker
3x Predatory Gloves
QUESTS
4x Totem of Coo
4x Orders from Lady Vashj
3x Preparing for War
3x Corki's Ransom
SIDEBOARD
4x Wound Poison
3x Kick
3x Gouge
You've seen this hero before but not in a build like this, though there has been much talk and musing over the potential power of Blade Twisting from various different outlets. There's a little bit that's unorthodox about this build, which I want to address first. I had for the longest time been testing a Horde version built around Daspien Bladedancer and Solanian's ability recursion but recently switched over to Alliance and Ressa for Bakaar, Corki's and Angelista/Predatory Gloves bouncing tricks.
You might think the ally selection is a little odd. Bakaar is a no-brainer and should be a four-of, though he wasn't at the time of printing. Angelista's in there for the oft-overlooked stealth as well as the ability to bounce opposing and - more importantly - friendly equipment into their owners' hand to reap the enters play benefits of Perdition's Blade and the Predatory Gloves. Arcanist Dayvana saw some hype around Preview time, but didn't see much play after that. Partly because of the power of Aldor and her pingable one-health, people left her out of their lists.
Let me try and dissuade you.
First, it's about time to break the Aldor habit. Xanata is still a beast of a two-drop, but people are main-decking answers to her left and right. On top of that, she is built only to stall. Rarely will she facilitate any kind of trade and if there aren't cards you're planning to drop turns three, four and five that are worth stalling for (read: Myriam Starcaller) you're playing a turn two that has the momentum of a very heavy rock.
An Arcanist Dayvana played on turn two can be a boon of a card against control. True, she dies to a Vexmaster, but she takes him with her. Unanswered, she's three points of damage turn three or - even better - she will bite into the opposing player's card draw. If you're on the play, a turn three stolen Information Gathering can be profitable if your hand's strong. The tempo gain, however, from stealing a Torek's Assault or throwing a Corki's Ransom back into the controller's hand is just awesome. Plus, when you're running a non-draw quest like Preparing for War - as I am - the extra draw is helpful wherever you can get it.
Wait, Preparing for War?
It looks to be a very control heavy meta today (though, I admit, I'm not always the best reader of the pulse of the game) and red pally control in particular is seeing a bit of a popularity boom. Recursion cards like Chasing A-Me 01, Redemption and Sunken Treasure target the card they're trying to pick out of the graveyard. One resource and a Preparing for War locks those cards out of the game.
This deck is its strongest against control. Rush matches are definitely winnable, especially if you draw into Blade Twisting and some daggers. The mirror match is tougher, because other solo decks are built faster than this. I think, right now, that's those decks are Gnome Twisting's weakest match-ups, but I look to shore those up with a little more creative deck building.
The sideboard, as usual, is the toughest part for me. I found that Greater Heal and Lay on Hands were the absolute deck killers for me in the testing I did, so Wound Poison is in there to help shore up that match-up. Gouge and Kick are in there against solo and ability heavy decks, but I know there are better choices out there... I'll just need time to get those straightened away.
Return of the Throwdown! Game 1
Borbwab wins the dice roll.
vs. 
Borbwab's Opening Hand:
Banish to the Nether, Kagella Shadowmark, Information Gathering ,Tatulla the Reclaimer x2 ,Eye of Kilrogg ,Greatsword of Horrid Dreams
I like the Tatullas against rogue and the Eye is sure to help. I'll try to keep this one.
Madjinn's Opening Hand:
Whispering Blade of Slaying, Predatory Gloves, Purloin x2, Perdition's Blade, Arcanist Dayvana, Orders from Lady Vashj
Double Purloin, two daggers, a quest and Dayvana… that’s a nice opening line-up. I'll keep this, now I just need to ponder what'll be a better opening play on the draw... Purloin or Whispering...
Borbwab, turn 1: Drop my Information Gathering and pass.
Madjinn, turn 1: Draw a Blade Twisting, which is most excellent. I'll be able to start netting myself some card advantage in a few turns if I play this right. That's going to be my game plan, I think. I imagine he's playing some kind of control and Blade Twisting will gain me both card advantage and tempo. I drop Orders and play Purloin to take a peek at his hand and grab any Eye of Kilroggs that I'm sure he's packing, which are certain to give me fits. He shows me a Greatsword and Banish to the Nether among other things, but it;s the Eye that concerns me the most. I ship it to his graveyard and pass.
Borb, turn 2: I bet he's got something he doesn't want me to see. I draw Sek Grimlash. Sek isn't a huge help right now so down he goes. I drop a Kagella.
Mad, turn 2: I draw a third Purloin, which I don't need to keep around. I row it, then play Whispering Blade and another Purloin. This time I opt to take out a Banish from the Nether. The Greatsword doesn't worry me overmuch.
Borb, turn 3: Draw Eye of Kilrogg. Well, I'll use that. I row the Greatsword as I haven't seen any allies yet. I drop the Eye on him. He's got Arcanist Dayvana, Perdition's Blade, Predatory Gloves, and Blade Twisting. Tough choice but I gotta grab the Twisting as that'll give him too much card advantage against me. The Gloves will probably knock one of my Tatullas out next turn but, ah well. Kagella attacks for two.
Mad, turn 3: Losing Blade Twisting was most unfortunate. I top-deck another Dayvana and play the Perdition's Blade to ping his hero and then swing to kill Kagella with my Whiserpering-boosted P-Blade. At this point, I know there's a Tatulla coming my way next turn, so I brace myself for the Reclaimer.
Borb, turn 4: Draw: Tarn Darkwalker. Sorry, Tarn, but I need you face down and hope he again doesn't play the Gloves. I drop my first Tatulla and net the destruction of his Perdition's Blade. Hmm, does that mean he has another Perdition's? We'll see. I pass.
Mad, turn 4: I pull a Perdition's, which is very nice to see, but I don’t know if he’s holding that other Tatulla still or not. One way to find out is by dropping the Predatory Gloves and turn him to top decking. The Gloves go down and I pick up an Angelista, which I facedown a little too quickly without, I realize after I place it, thinking that through enough. He was holding onto the second Tatulla, though, and I happily see it dropped away into his graveyard. At this point, I'm still holding onto another Perdition's and an Arcanist Dayvana, but with only one resource left open I swing into his hero for one.
[Damage Totals: BORB, 2 ; MAD, 4]
Borb, turn 5: I draw the Eye of Kilrogg and attack in with Tatulla for 2 (gloves!!!) and finish Information Gathering. I see a Dread Infernal, Information Gathering and a Banish to the Nether. Nether goes to the bottom and Infernal goes to the top. I drop the freshly drawn Info and then Eye him again. I choose the Perdition's to RFG.
Mad, turn 5: Even when I was planning for it, the Eye of Kilrogg still wrecks havoc on my gameplan. Hmm, well, I draw a Pilfer but Borb’s out of cards for that, so Pilfer gets rowed and I put down Dayvana to complete Orders for my now empty hand, which draws me another Whispering blade and Dayvana, which makes me a relatively happy gnome. I swing into his hero for another measly one and pass over to him, a glimmer of hope beginning to show on my horizon, despite all his hand disruption.
Borb, turn 6: I draw the expected Dread Infernal, attack with Tatulla and play Infernal to kill the Arcanist and ping his hero with the Infernal's coming into play ability. I pass and hope he hasn't found another Blade Twisting. That one card will give him a huge advantage right now. If I can avoid that card, I think I'm in good shape.
Mad, turn 6: My draw is Corki's, which I play and follow it up with a Whispering Blade from my hand. At this point, I really need a Blade Twisting, or a Shiv or Perdition's Blade to do an extra point of damage after I would swing into the Dread Infernal for four. I complete Corki's and hold my breath. But all I get is another Whiserping Blade, damn. I swing into Tatualla to kill that it, then await with dread the Infernal smacking.
Borb, turn 7: I draw a lucky third Tatulla. I attack with Dread Infernal and then the Reclaimer. He pitches a Whispering Blade over the Predatory Gloves. which leads me to believe he's got another...
Mad, turn 7: Bah, things are looking grim. I draw a Purloin, which does me little worth talking about. I put Corki's back out, play Dayvana and a Whispering, then swing into his ridiculously good third Tatulla to kill it, taking another two damage (preventing one with the gloves).
[Damage Totals: BORB, 3 ; MAD, 18]
Borb, turn 8: Draw: Shred Soul. I don't really want to Shred the Arcanist, but I will if I have too. I attack with Infernal to bring him to 23 and I insure he can't attack Infernal on his turn and live. I complete Information Gathering and take a Banish to the Nether. I put a Finkle on top then pass. I'm holding back on the Banish in case he's got a Blade Twisting. I can hero flip to prevent any damage to my Infernal.
Mad, turn 8: I draw another Corki's. I've taken way too much of a beating from his allies this game, especially Dread Infernal, to live, which is something to keep in mind for the next game. I try to attack the Infernal with Dayvana but Borb just flips on me to keep Dread Infernal untouched. Not even a Bakaar could save me at this point. That is, as they say, game.
Winner: Borbwab
Return of the Throwdown! Game 2
Madjinn: I don't see any point for sideboarding this game. The Gouges might be nice against his bigger threats, but I like the elusive, health total and ability destruction on Narthadus more.
Borbwab: I side out the Shred Souls as I didn't see many targets for that as well as siding out the Greatswords for Bringers of Death. Bringers are a Rogue's worst enemy.
Madjinn's Opening Hand:
Felstriker x2, Pilfer, Orders from Lady Vashj, Shiv, Arcanist Dayvana
Ugh, that's pretty ugly. I definitely don't need to see two Felstrikers in my opening hand. And what good is a Shiv going to do me with Blade Twisting, which I'm hoping to find with this mulligan.
Madjinn's Second Hand:
Bakaar, Blade Twisting, Shiv, Magistrix Larynna x2, Predatory Gloves, Perdition’s Blade
I'm questless, but I found my Blade Twisting. Now I just hope he doesn't play any Eye of Kilroggs so I can keep it.
Borbwab's Opening Hand:
The Haunted Mills, Finkle Einhorn, At Your Service!, Information Gathering, Tatulla the Reclaimer, Bloodsoul, Kagella Shadowmark, Banish to the Nether
Wow, that's pretty good. I've gotta keep it.
Madjinn, turn 1: I face-down one Larynna and almost play Bakaar, but I want to keep him for later so I can wreck some Blade Twisting havoc without taking damage in return.
Borbwab, turn 1: He started with a face-down resource. That can't be good. For him, I mean. I draw The Bringer of Death and Finkle and drop Bloodsoul. His missed 1 drop could be costly.
Mad, turn 2: I draw a Whispering Blade. I don't want to do it, but I row the Predatory Gloves because everything else in my hand is an important piece of my strategy. So I play the Whispering Blade and swing into his hero for 1. Hey, at least I drew first blood...
Borb, turn 2: I draw a Finkle, place it and play Kagella. I attack with Bloodsoul in for two and pass over to Mad.
Mad, turn 3: I pull up an Angelista which gets rowed, then I play Perdition's, ping his hero and swing into Kagella to take her out. I'm worried about Borb drawing into all of his Tatullas again, what me without any card draw and all, but if he doesn't I'm at least in pretty good shape on the board right now, with a Blade Twisting and Bakaar to come out soon.
Borb, turn 3: I draw into the Eye of Kilrogg. I could Banish his Perdition's, but killing a possible Blade Twisting he might have is more important. I Eye and I score. I get the Twisting I've always wanted. He's also got Bakar, Magistrix Larynna, and Shiv. Bloodsoul goes in again for 2.
Mad, turn 4: Still questless, I pull up a Felstriker. Damn his Eyes. I'm thinking there must be some sort of curse on me for being the originator of this Throwdown thing - ever doomed to fail in the public eye. I'm keeping the Felstriker around in my hand for the inevitable Tatulla and Shiv is little good to me now so I row it. I play Bakaar for long-range and swing into his Bloodsoul for three.
Borb, turn 4: My draw is Ripped Through the Portal. I play my fourth quest and drop Tatulla, to which Mad sacks his Perdition's Blade. End my turn.
[Damage Totals: BORB, 1 ; MAD, 6]
Mad, turn 5: Ah, Orders from the Lady! My first quest! I drop Felstriker after placing Orders and swing into Tatulla for three (still long-range). Bakaar then goes into his hero for two.
Borb, turn 5: I draw the Eye of Kilrogg. Hmm. I've very quickly fallen behind and he's only holding one card. I haven't seen much hate, so do I risk a turn 5 Bringer? Eh what the heck. If it works, it might just swing things my way. Plus he might Purloin it before turn 8 anyways. I drop the Bringer and pass.
Mad, turn 6: Hmm, the Bringer, eh? Well, I don't have anything to hate against it, so after drawing and placing a Preparing for War I swing into his hero for full force then pass over to him.
Borb, turn 6: I draw Kagella Shadowmark. He's still holding one card which I think is his 7-drop. Hmm... I don't really want to place a resource as I think Banish and Ripped is a good answer to his Magistrix. But I blow the Bringer and drop Kagella face down in the resource row. I Finkle my other Kagella and pass the turn.
Mad, turn 7: Well, I hope I didn’t just hit a patch of quests as I pull up Corki's and place it. I play Larynna (his Finkle-ing Kagella last turn makes me think/hope that he doesn’t have any better plays right now and was hoping to stall me out with a BoD). I hope I can get in a turn or two of Laryanna, though with only four cards in his graveyard she's not going to be doing much to his hero. But her eight health is awesome and she can start wrecking any allies he decides to play by sabotaging and directing the damage to them until I can get myself back into a position to win.
Borb, turn 7: I draw another Banish to the Nether. I attack with Kagella and then complete Information Gathering. There's a Bloodsoul and my other 2 Banish to the Nethers. I take 1 to my hand and put the other on top. I've got answers a-plenty now... I Banish the Magistrix and pass the turn over to Mad.
Mad, turn 8: Banish to the Nether banishes my hopes for Larynna, but I complete Orders before I draw and pull up two Purloins and then a Felstriker shows up as my turn draw. I use the Purloin first and Borb shows me a hand of three Banish to the Nethers and a Ripped. Hah, well, I bet he was planning on trying to Rip the Magistrix. I take Ripped with my first Purloin and a Banish with my second, then I Corki's and put out a freshly drawn Angelista.
Borb, turn 8: I draw my fourth Banish and complete Haunted Mills. Tatulla gets RFGed and I draw an Information Gathering. I play it and attack Angelista with Kagella. Then I complete Information Gathering and see: Tarn Darkwalker, Cannibalize, and Ulrac Bloodshadow. I'll keep the Ulrac and put the Cannabalize on top. Sorry Tarn. I pass over to him.
[Damage Totals: BORB, 10 ; MAD, 8]
Mad, turn 9: I draw another Angelista. So I play her and the Felstriker, then flip to finish off Kagella and swing into his hero for two. At this point, I'm not sure what to think about my chances. I know all he's got right now are expensive answers and nothing to really scare me quite yet... Let's see what he brings...
Borb, turn 9: I draw the expected Cannibalize. I drop Ulrac and kill his second Angelista. I then Cannibalize back down to 4 damage. Pass the turn.
Mad, turn 10: Well, damn. I don’t like that I’m running out of steam already here. I need to keep up with him card for card until I can draw something he can't answer. Cannibalize shows why warlock control can be so good. I pull up a Narthadus, which is, for the moment, excellent news. Unless he's lucksacked something crazy, I can be assured to have my Magistrix out in a turn or two. I play Narth and then swing into his hero for two. At the end of my turn, I destroy the Banish and pass to Borb with the Felstriker, Larynna and Narthadus in play. I'm quite happy, because he's only got that one Banish to the Nether, right...?
Borb, turn 10: I draw the Apocanon, but my play here is obvious. I Banish his two fatties and attack in with Ulrac for three, then pass over to him.
Mad, turn 11: Unbelievable. He draws all his Tatullas first game and then every freakin' Banish to the Nether game two. If I could only draw like that... Argh, this is looking to be a quick two and out if I can't do something this. My draw this turn is a Whispering Blade, which I play. I place Corki's then play Dayvana and swing into his Ulrac so I can keep the Arcanist around to help me catch up again in the damage race. At least I'm not just drawing into a bunch of dead quests, right?
Borb, turn 11:My draw is Sek Grimlash. I drop the Apocanon and Finkle back Kagella. But that's about all I've got. As I end my turn, he completes Corki's and draws a card. If I don't find an end-game soon, his Corki's engine will win it for him...
Mad, turn 12: Corki's on his turn drew me a... Preparing for War. Son of a... My start of turn draw is another Corki's, so with a grimace I place one of them down, complete it and pray that I can draw something decent. Blade Twisting, to my surprise, shows up off the top of my deck. I charge into Apocanon and swing into him with one of my daggers for one point. Blade Twisting, however, kills him and I attack his hero with Dayvana for three. I've still got the other dagger open to attack his turn. I feel like I'm in a good spot again. I pass the turn over to him. This game has been one lucky draw after another. Hopefully, though, luck has run out for him...
Borb, turn 12: I draw the Haunted Mills. I play it and finish it, drawing a Dread Infernal and Cannibalize. I like the Infernal.
I attack with Kagella and he swings on her to make me lose the Cannibalize. It was going to go anyways. The Infernal drops in and kills the Arcanist and I pass.
Mad, turn 13: Well, I am definitely not keen on taking 5 damage from his Dread Infernal, so aftering drawing another Dayvana I destroy the Felstriker to take out the Infernal then play Dayvana. From my perspective it looks like he's drawing into everything he needs. There are too many cards he could top deck now to turn the game back in his favor... I don't like it but I pass the turn over to him and wait and see what fate has in store for me.
Borb, turn 13: My draw is Ulrac. Cool. Good draw there. I attack his tapped out hero and get my Dread Infernal back into my hand. As long as he doesn't lucksack a Shiv I've got it.
Mad, turn 14: This a topdecking war and I'm just not winning it. Without a good answer, he's going to win it with that Dread Infernal. There are only, what, two cards that could save me. I think I've basically lost this... if not for my fortuitously top-decked Shiv. Exhausting one resource, I Shiv Ulrac and watch the Dread Infernal fall back into the graveyard where it belongs. I attack his hero with Dayvana for three and then Corki's to find a not so useful Pilfer. I pass over to Borb. He's got to be out of options now...
Borb, turn 14: I draw Kagella. Doesn't look good at this point. I drop Kagella and pass over to him. That's all I've got.
Mad, turn 15: It's the lucksack again with Bakaar. So I play him and long-range kill Kagella. I try a Corki's to find something good but only end up with another quest in Orders from Lady Vashj. I end my turn, but I'm still dangling on the precipice of defeat here. With only two health remaining there are a couple cards I know I don't want to see him play...
Borb, turn 15: I topdeck Sek Grimlash. Eh, he's got this one, I think. But we'll see. With two resources left open I pass the turn right back over to Mad.
Mad, turn 16: His Sek Grimlash would have spelled certain doom for me and cost me the game when Borb sacks him to recur the Dread Infernal... if not for my Preparing for War. I'm glad I get the chance to show the card off, because not a lot of people play it, but with all the recursion going around I really think it's got a strong place in the meta. I draw a Whispering Blade and play it, then swing into his hero with Bakaar and into Sek with my daggers. I Corki's again for a Perdition's Blade, which I play and then destroy for the ping, and pass.
Borb, turn 16: I draw a Ripped Through the Portal and Rip Narthadus, but it's too late for that. I concede and we're off to game three.
Winner: Madjinn
Return of the Throwdown! Game 3
Borbwab's Opening Hand:
The Haunted Mills, Tatulla the Reclaimer x3, Banish to the Nether x2, Shred Soul
Wow, that's a lot of hate. I think I could take it with a turn 4 5 and 6 Tatulla. That's tough to beat. Keep.
Madjinn's Opening Hand:
Preparing for War x2, Angelista, Totem of Coo, Felstriker, Narthadus, Orders from Lady Vashj
That's pretty much junk. There's no reason to keep that hand around. Let's try the mulligan.
Madjinn's Second Hand:
Magistrix Larynna, Preparing for War, Arcanist Dayvana, Perdition's Blade, Totem of Coo, Angelista, Narthadus
Well, that's a bit better. I'm on the draw too, so maybe I'll get something good.
Borb, turn 1: I drop my quest, the Haunted Mills, and pass.
Mad, turn 1: I pick-up the Predatory Gloves. If I can get the pair around, Angelista and the Gloves can turn into some serious card advantage for me. With what I've got, that looks like the best way to control the early game. Totem of Coo goes down in the resource row and I pass.
Borb, turn 2: My draw is Tarn Darkwalker. He's probably got a Perdition's, but I've gotta try, right? Tarn goes down and I pass the turn.
Mad, turn 2: I draw a Pilfer (very nice) then follow a Preparing for War with a Perdition's Blade to take out Tarn Darkwalker, which seemed to me the obvious play. End my turn.
Borb, turn 3: I get a turn three Eye of Kilrogg and I play it to take a peak at his hand. I see Narthadus, Angelista, Dayvana and Larynna and Pilfer. I don't want him to take my hate so I grab Pilfer. He’s got the better hand and now I know it. I think I’m going to be in trouble...
Mad, turn 3: Well, I draw Orders and place it, then play Dayvana and swing into his hero with the P-Blade for two.
Borb, turn 4: And I draw into another Tatulla, making it four in my hand. Hope that's enough pressure for him. I row my Banish and drop a Tatulla to kill the Perdition's.
Mad, turn 4: The Tatullas again... I draw an Arcanist Dayvana. I think the thing to do now is keep the pressure on him, though I pray he doesn't have a Dread Infernal for his turn five. I row the Magistrix, kill his Tatulla with the Dayvana I have down and play another Dayvana and Angelista. Next turn, I'll begin the Predatory Gloves bounce.
Borb, turn 5: I draw Tarn Darkwalker and he gets rowed. I drop another Tatulla and pass.
Mad, turn 5: I ready everything a draw a Purloin. The Predatory Gloves go down first and while I was hoping to find a quest I draw a Whispering Blade instead, which is just fine with me. I row the Purloin, drop the Whispering and swing into his hero for 1 with Angelista following closely behind. Dayvana trades again with his Tatulla and at the end of my turn I put the Predatory Gloves back into my hand.
Borb, turn 6: I'm regretting keeping this hand at this point. I draw a Ripped Through the Portal which I don't resource as I could Ripped a Tatulla later on. I drop my last Tatulla and get his Whispering Blade. I pass.
Mad, turn 6: This is the turn where my Predatory Gloves recursion is starting to come through. He missed a resource drop which puts tempo in my favor. I draw a Shiv and then play Predatory Gloves to grab another Bakaar. I row Shiv, then play Bakaar. Not having enough to kill Tatulla with one card, I attack into his hero with Angelista, passing the turn to him after returning the Gloves into my hand... yet again.
Borb, turn 7: My draw is Torek's Assualt. I drop the quest, remove a Tatulla with Haunted Mills and draw a Kagella. I kill Angelista with Tatulla to prevent the loop and play Kagella.
Mad, turn 7: I draw a Shiv and play the Gloves to draw into a Perdition's Blade. With that, I play the P-Blade to kill Tatulla with the ping and then swing into Kagella for two and use the Shiv to finish her off. Bakaar attacks Plague for two and I pass the turn over to Borb.
Borb, turn 8: I pull a Bloodsoul but there's not much use for that right now so he gets rowed.
Mad, turn 8: It's looking pretty good for me, but I need to make sure I keep drawing answers for his plays. A Blade Twisting would be perfect right now. I get an Angelista, which is alright with me because I can keep the Predatory Gloves cycle going. I attack into his hero for two and end my turn sending the Gloves back into my hand.
Borb, turn 9: Well, I draw the Haunted Mills and complete it to pull a Bringer of Death and an Eye of Kilrogg. I Eye him get rid of the Gloves and still see Narthadus. Then I pass back. I hope he drops Narthadus so I can make a clean sweep with the Bringer...
Mad, turn 9: At the end of his turn I complete a Corki's, and draw a Purloin. The start of my turn yields a Totem of Coo, and I play a Narthadus, attack for 4, then play Purloin to see if there's anything I can get. I see a Bringer... which I quickly send away and then pass the turn over to Borb.
Borb, turn 10: He of course draws his Purloin and kills my Bringer. I'm just dishearted at this point. I probably shouldn't have kept my start and I'm paying for it now. Everything I had he just answered. It was just a solid wall and I just don't want to fight anymore. I end the game after my draw reveals another Banish to the Nether...
Winner: Madjin
***
Borbwab:
Well, I like the theory of the Demon deck but I think it needs more ways to make cards Demons. I only hit an Apocanon in one of the games and he was promptly killed. He’s really the lynch pin of the deck and without him the deck becomes Warlock rush. I think the Demon deck will have to wait and see what new toys it’ll receive in the Hunt for Illidan.
Madjinn:
I really liked how my deck performed under the circumstances. Borb drew an astounding number of two-for-ones with Tatulla the Reclaimer, but when I was able to get it out, Blade Twisting brought me just as much card advantage (especially paired with Bakaar) and the Predatory Gloves played like a better Drain Mana in game three. It's tough to say, but I feel the Alliance version of the Blade Twisting deck is the stronger of the two. I question somewhat the inclusion of Magistrix Larynna... but she can be incredibly powerful in the right circumstances and I still want to try to make her playable in this type of deck.
Tags: Warcraft Throwdown
This past week, though a little quieter than I'd like on the blogging front, has been warlock week for the deckbuilding department housed between my ears. The good people upstairs put in some overtime, though, and finally churned out a deck that I'm been more happy with than the other card-born manifestations of the Warcraft universe these now long-gone few days have seen me trying to build.
And I've been trying a lot.
I think a lot of people feel now - myself included, though I'm trying to fight it - that most of what are sure to be the strongest builds in this format are already out there. At the very least, the basic structure that a particular deck of one kind or another must take in order to be competitive seem to be pretty well established. You can do at least nine different versions of the Myriam Starcaller with protectors and Inspire build, but ultimately they're going to feature a lot of the same now well-established ally cards. Making a weapons solo? Here are your daggers:
Enjoy.
***
Now the great thing is that the field of competitve decks is relatively vast. There are certainly a couple archetypes that stand out above the rest as the decks to beat (Runetusk, Desecrator, Lionar and Aleyah). The problem is, for deckbuilders, this is one hell of a tough gauntlet to go up against.
Is there another Tier 1 deck out there? Maybe. Actually, probably. It's just going to take a good amount of effort and innovation to find it (or maybe the opposite, maybe it's staring everybody right in the face and all it will take someone to look up and see it).
Objection, your Honor, conjecture!
Alright, alright, so I have a tendancy to dawdle through introdutions... and also apparently to have conversations with myself as if I were at least three different persons in a court of law.
Let's get to the deck list then. Keep in mind, it's only a week or so old and as such hasn't possibly been testing in every match-up that I'd like to have it done in as many times as I'd think I'd like it to have been. But I figured, take them what you've got and they'll probably show you what you've missed. This one has had some pretty decent results in the games I've played with it so far.
Warlock Week Results Pt. 1: Appetite for Destruction
Hero
Pagatha Soulbinder
Allies (11)
4x Vexmaster Nar'jo
3x Sha'kar
4x Ras'fari Bloodfrenzy
Abilities (31)
4x Immolate
4x Incinerate
4x Eye of Kilrogg
4x Corruption
4x Shadowbolt
4x Shadowburn
4x Shadowfury
3x Invoke the Nether
Equipment (3)
3x Bringer of Death
Quests (16)
4x Orders from Lady Vashj
4x Solanian's Belongings
4x Counterattack!
4x Forces of Jaedenar
***
The reason I've been looking at warlock is because outside of the Ripped deck warlock builds have been pretty scarce. Destruction was actually the last of the talent specs I went too after sputtering out on Demonology and Affliction (though I'm still working on both). It's got an abilties suite half a deck wide with three varieties of Shadow.
Some of the card choices are obvious, but I can talk a bit first about what I didn't decide to include, before I move on to some of the less opaque decisions and their relative whys and how comes.
I played Death Coil in there for a while, but with the bevy of Horde allies that affect the game when they enter play, I went instead with Shadowbolt instead that, like Corruption, can generate some extra card advantage if the timing is right.
Pure removal effects like Shred Soul that I tried didn't quite seem to fit either, because they couldn't double as damage when needed.
Fel Fire I ran for a while, and will probabaly try again because
it makes Incinerate and Sha'kar all the more likely to go down big, but because it wasn't instant I was never quite happy enough with how it played. Corruption does a bit more of number on ally rush decks and protectors like Antikron so it's just always seemed to come more in handy.
Shadowfury does a nice turn stall against Myriam, if you're on the play. It exhausts protectors and can trade three or four for one with rush. It's a shame it doesn't target heroes as well, but nonetheless, like BoD for solo, it's a necessary four-of in this build.
Hellfire is fun. It's a lot of fun, as a matter of fact. Highlights include a turn six unanswered Ras'fari followed by a turn seven Hellfire with Ras swinging in for eight, and then an almost high-five the nearest stranger moment against a mage player with two
Zandar Shadesprockets out, although sadly he had a Nether Fracture in hand. And played it, which in my view is a disservice to posterity.
But I actually decided to cut it.
Invoke the Nether proves better in most match-ups, up to and including red pally control. If the Destruction deck were faster than it currently is, or faster or as fast as other decks in the meta, Hellfire might be a better way to clear up the board towards the end of the game, and deal the extra little damage in the process to put the opponent closer to death.
But, I don't think the builds perfected yet. I don't know whether I should include a late drop like Varimathras or not (doesn't seem like it), whether I should go pure solo or switch over to Alliance, which are things that'll take more time and fiddling, but the Horde version I feel is already off to a very nice start.
***
During the writing of this, I also thought of a few other ideas to try out in this deck. They're all wands, actually. I'll post them below as I sign out.
Wand Numero Uno. It's basically just another way to do a little more damage. The upshot is it will enable Sha'kar, though it won't work with Incinerate to make the 2-coster deal 4.
Nummer Zwei: Now one just looks like it's going to be broken one of these days, though not in this build. Nonetheless, if you can pull an Incinerate for four on a hero you'll be able to plug away on some allies and pull some serious card advantage out of this thing. I've never seen it used in any other deck before and I'm wondering if it might have a place here.
Numero Trois: Nothing much interesting to saw here. If I ran this I'd definitely be putting in Swift Discipline as well were before I was on the fence about its necessity.
-Ryan
"Fast, cheap and good... pick two. If it's fast and good, it won't be cheap. If it's cheap and fast, it won't be good. If it's cheap and good, it won't be fast."
- Jim Jarmusch
Tags: Warcraft
With scant days left before the Realm Championships happen across the country, players are trying to paint a picture of what decks are going to be the powerhouses for the coming weekend and what decks are going to be geared enough to beat them.
Are more players going to show up with control or aggro? Ally rush or solo? Discard, dagger rogue, Desecrator or demonology 'lock? TCGPlayer writers Borbwab and Madjinn join up to bring you two more decks going head-to-head this week in the second edition of the Throwdown.
Careful now, the Throwdown strikes back:
Madjinn's Decklist
HERO
Kil’zin of the Bloodscalp
ALLIES
3x Voss Treebender
4x Xanata the Lightsworn
3x Vexmaster Nar’jo
4x Tatulla the Reclaimer
2x Doshura Risestrider
4x Ras’fari Bloodfrenzy
2x Vindicator Zalreth
ABILITIES
3x Purge
3x Death Shock
4x Element’s Fury
3x Mana Spring Totem
3x Earth Shock
EQUIPMENT
4x Perdition’s Blade
QUESTS
3x Thwarting Kolkar Aggression
4x Chasing A-Me 01
3x Forces of Jaedenar
3x Information Gathering
SIDEBOARD
1x Doshura
2x Shadala
3x Terror Pit Girdle
4x Chill
This is the decklist I wrote about in my blog entry earlier this week. I've touched it up a little bit thanks to the feedback I got on the original entry. The main differences are that the Storm Shocks are out for the Molten Core treasure the Perdition's Blade, Vindicator Zalreth is in for the Aldor's High Priestess, and I took the Healing Wave out of the sideboard for the more proactive thwarting tech of Terror Pit Girdle.
Borbwab's Decklist
[TOP SECRET!]
Ryan had contacted my earlier in the week to set-up this Throwdown and I was really looking forward to it. I came home from work and tweaked my deck and I was off. I’m playing a Mythen of the Wild/Gift of the Wild deck that I like to call DEFENSE. Sorry, I’m not spoiling this deck till after Realms as who knows, I might play it.
The Throwdown Strikes Back! Game 1
Madjinn wins the dice roll
Madjinn's Opening Hand:
Xanata the Lightsworn, Vexmaster Nar'jo, Death Shock, Element's Fury x2, Earth Shock, Ras'fari Bloodfrenzy
And we’re off… to a questless start. The hand has two decent second turn plays – depending on what Borb shows turn one – twin Element’s Fury and a Ras’fari for my turn six. However, if he’s playing Alliance there’s a chance he’s running a mass of untargetables, and if so a double Element’s Fury is useless… though the Vexmaster and Ras’faris are good in that case. I don’t know what he’s playing with, but he’s druid so I can surmise he’s running a couple strong on-goings, so I’ll mulligan this. It could get worse, but not much.
Second Hand:
Thwarting Kolkar Aggression, Forces of Jaedenar, Perdition's Blade, Earth Shock x2, Vindicator Zalreth
The quests are a positive. It’s always tricky trying to decide what to face-down when you’re playing in the style of control. Vindicator Zalreth is in there so if I can get to turn seven and beyond I may just be able to do my planned Ras’fari-from-the-grave magic act. Double Earth Shocks are nice, if a mite on the expensive side to be answers for his early game. We’ll see.
Borbwab's Opening Hand:
Finkle Einhorn, At Your Service!, Totem of Coo, Korthas Greybeard, Miner Steelwhiskers, Mark of the Wild, Blademistress Lyss, Gift of the Wild
Well, you really couldn't ask for a better start. I've got a solid ally curve till turn 4 and a finisher in Gift of the Wild if he doesn't have answers. This is one of the stronger hands I've seen this deck have. Another Totem of Coo would be the only way to make it better.
Madjinn, turn 1: I’ll play Forces first turn and pass it over to Borbwarb. Nothing much else for me to do.
Borbwab, turn 1: Draw Korthas Greybeard and drop Totem of Coo and Korthas. No brainer there. Just glad I've got a 1-drop.
Mad, turn 2: I thought for a second about using my flip to take out the Korthas, but I decided I'd rather save it for an ally who's a bit more of a stumbling block, like a Xanata. The top of my deck gives up a Purge. With Korthas out, there’s no sense holding the Perdition’s for turn three and a play-and-swing, so I’ll drop it now and use the enters-play on his hero. I’ve got the Element’s Fury for next turn anyway. Thwarting Kolkar Aggression hits the table, followed by the P-Blade and I ping Borb’s hero for one.
Borb, turn 2: His turn he dropped Perdition's and pings my hero. I don't like seeing that turn 2. I draw Blademistress Lyss and drop Miner Steelwhiskers. Buidling my wall up at this point. That's why I titled the deck simply DEFENSE.
Mad, turn 3: I draw a Mana Spring Totem, but I’ve got quests on the table and other things to be doing for the next few turns, so I’ll put that one face-down rather than lose a damage ability or the Purge for the on-goings I’m sure he’ll be playing. Turn three is the turn of Element’s Fury and I want to make a dent in his protector wall so I target Korthas instead of Steelwhiskers. Nothing like six damage for three.
Borb, turn 3: His turn he Elements Fury'd. God, do I hate that card from my previous MWS game. He takes out Korthas and there's nothing I can do. Korthas prevents 1 to Steelwhiskers. I forget about his errata and realize I should have prevented to hero. Everyone makes mistakes and I make more than most. Draw Blademistress Lyss - I like her but who shuffled my deck? I play Korthas face down and drop my first Blademistress. I attack with Steelwhiskers. I'm taking a chance there but I want to be the aggressor and I figure Blademistress can handle things on her own. If he tries to damage her I've got Mark of the Wild.
Mad, turn 4: I draw Tatulla the Reclaimer and play the extra Earth Shock as a resource. No sense keeping two around when I otherwise have ability hate pretty well covered. The plan right now is to Shock his Blademistress Lyss out of the way, but there’s always the chance he’ll play a better target, so I’ll wait and do it during his turn.
Borb, turn 4: Draw Mark of the Wild. I row a Mistress expecting Death Shock on her at some point. I attack with Blademistress Lyss. He Earth Shocks... not what I was expecting, but actually I like it. I respond with two Mark of the Wilds. Blademistress takes 4 from the Shock when it resolved and I ready everything. He takes 5 from her and I attack in for Steelwhiskers for another 2. I play Blademistress from hand, leaving me holding Gift of the Wild.
[DAMAGE TOTALS: Borbwab, 4; Madjinn, 9]
Mad, turn 5: What a difference a turn makes. The draw is another Perdition’s and that gets quickly placed down as a resource. I didn’t expect to see that particular card from HoA (let alone two!), but at least I’ve got the cards to put the Marks away and end Lyss all the same. I try not to beat myself too bad for waiting to play the Earth Shock because he could’ve just Marked up Steelwhiskers anyway. Tatulla bounds in and shoos one Mark of the Wild away and I ability-be-gone the other with Purge.
Borb, turn 5: I draw Finkle Einhorn, At Your Service. Good, I needed a quest. I need one more turn for my Gift of the Wild. Too bad it's not turn 6. I Finkle back Korthas and go in again with Steelwhiskers. I might just kill him with Mr. Whiskers...
Mad, turn
