Duelyst Forums

A Flexible Aggro Deck

#1

This deck is a heavy aggro deck that can play toe-to-toe against almost the entire spectrum of other deck styles. This deck is most recommended for: Aggro play, mid level difficulty piloting, learning how a deck may rely on tempo. This deck is not the most fun deck ever, but i’d qualify it more as enjoyable and comfortable. A great learning deck that will provide good results.

Due to the solid success I’ve had with this deck, I wanted to share it. I’ve been playing this deck for awhile now. After many many reiterations, this is my current deck.

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Pros
  1. HUGELY flexible, both in deckbuilding/sidedeck and in-game play
  2. Always prepared to burst out damage
  3. Can often win around 6 or 7 mana mark (as either P1 or P2)
  4. Can keep pace among almost all decks (aggro, tempo, midrange, control)
  5. Can constantly maintain healthy handsize
  6. All cards are within P1/P2 turn starts.
Cons
  1. No serious removal (could be put in)
  2. Healyonar counters, especially if they are given chance to build board. Cassyva Aggro and Mech decks are an even match. I do bad against Vanar decks (not wall), but better players could likely adapt the deck and/or play better to deal with this.

Required

These are the cards I think should always be kept in.

Reasons

Tusk Boar

Being a 2 mana 2/3 statline is actually really important and offers different utility than saberspine tiger can. Being 1 mana cheaper can be the difference between having lethal on that turn or not. Having a 2/3 statline allows it to kill off certain enemies, but also important, is that it can survive in places where tiger wouldn’t forcing opponents to still address the red boar in the room. Tiger is not a replacement for this. Using a tiger as a replacement, your deck will be slowed down to being able to provide the aggro damage this deck seeks.

Inner Focus

No longer the required card in most, but in this deck it can offer another 1-3 damage (extra with katara). 1 mana for 2 or 3 dmg is a great ratio and can be the difference between a winning (or won) board and a disadvantaged one.

Mist Dragon Seal

Can make Heartseeker’s 2/2 to avoid ping damage deaths, can bring a minion into range for lethal.

Ethereal Blades

Perhaps the card to appear to be most replaceable, but isn’t. For awhile I long thought that Pheonix Fire being 1 dmg less wasn’t a big deal (ethereal offers 4 to PF’s 3), but when I put EB back in, it makes a huge difference. A boar + EB + general attack will be 8 dmg for 4 mana. That’s almost 1/3 of the enemy general’s health. I could go on about many things, but for now just know that EB is a required card in this deck, and will be heavily slowed down by not having this. (synergizes with rush minions too)

Pheonix Fire

This is your removal, but can also serve as aggro dmg. Natural PF’s are required; Lantern Foxes only will not suffice.

Swappable

Flameblood Warlock - with another 2 drop. I don’t really care for this card in this deck, as the extra aggro isn’t really needed. This is a flex-spot. You could even go with Azure Herald (+3 healing) since it makes for a good killing edge body.

Primus Fist - with another 2 drop. This card fits better, but is still optional. I’d consider removing flameblood before this.

Void Hunter - with Golden Mantella, Blaze Hound, Sojourner, or Spelljammer. I am preferring Void Hunter as enemies who go face against it are making a mistake, Sojourner offers draw but doesn’t bring damage to the table. Haven’t tested Golden Mantella, but with the recent risk of battle pets, don’t intend to. Blaze Hound MAY fit and would be my next alternative. Spelljammer costs 4 compared to the others’ 3.

Gotatsu - with Bloodtear Alchemist. Card draw is super nice, but another minion on board may also suffice due to the large amount of minions you’ll usually have on board.

Saberspine Tiger - with ANY 3 drop. Main suggested - Sentinels, Gore Horn (another IF/KE target), Whiplash, Onyx Bear Seal, Songweaver (adds 1 for dmg while making another body, can make heartseekers 2/2 to avoid ping death), Wild Tahr (super strong in Songhai), Crossbones (anti mech). This is my MAIN flex spot.

Any questions, comments, please feel free to put. If you actually tried this (or a variant of), please let me know about your changes and how it worked out for you.

3 Likes
Midrange-Reva deck help
#2

Will try.

But…
Is there any alternative for Tusk Boar?
I know it’s a must, but i am a budget player. :rofl:

1 Like
#3

You can try tiger, but you’ll probably feel that the deck is too ineffective. It’ll be more noticeable when you start playing with tusk boar, similar to Ethereal Blades is to Pheonix Fire.

IF you are not an avid enough fan of aggro and cuththroat fast-wanting play, don’t craft tusk boar and don’t use this deck. You need a min of 2 tusk boar and non-aggro loving fans would do better with crafting cards like zendo and painter over this (or blade for spell-hai fans).

1 Like
#4

I think I can imagine why you have trouble against vanar and healyonar. Your curve is extremely low with only 6 cards for carddraw (and one cantrip) and both your draw options require your opponent to trigger them. If he just removes them without triggering their ability then your draw is gone and your prone to run out of cards if you can’t kill him quickly. I would really consider blazehound or spelljammer over voidhunter to counter that weakness at least a little

2 Likes
#5

i never expect to beat healyonar as songhai, with any deck, ever. if i do, great, but i never expect it, it’s just such an uphill battle. blaze hound definitely might help with vanar, though i just dont play against the real stupid ones often enough since i’m still in screwing around rank 13. This decks teeters between aggro enough to warrant blaze hound and CAN be played slow enough that blaze hound may give them tempo back. dunno, haven’t tried. still true point

1 Like
#6

Few questions: what is this decks match up against Titan argeon/zir’an, Burn Starhorn and Flying Vet?

1 Like
#7

Artihai actually does surprisingly well against non-vitriol healyonars. Games are really long, true, but they run out of heal at some time, while u have infinite phoenix fires with geomancer.

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#8

Pretty much any songhaideck that has the capabilities for a long game can beat healyonar. But an all in aggro build like this is bound to struggle.

2 Likes
#9

Healyonar as an control arcehtype sucks vs any other controldeck…the value generation is just too low
Its resistance to aggro is the only thing it has going for it…so you shouldnt complain about that

2 Likes
#10

I have strong reservations against any songhai list that goes all in with Flameblood and even stronger towards any aggressive variants not even running juxtaposition.

I’m sorry but define “success” because I’m just not seeing it.

This list has no removal, folds to any healing and has no response to both of the commonly played AoE spells other than hope the opponent mismanages their lifetotal or plays into backstab, and all this not to mention that you lose to a single provoke unit.

Consider me tentatively unimpressed

5 Likes
#11

I agree with flameblood. As i stated myself, i don’t really care for this card, and as such, is a flex-spot that could easily be swapped out for another card (which input would be more constructive and appreciated).

I don’t see why juxtaposition would be a necessity at all. What would I remove to put it in?

Also stated no hard removal, but it doesn’t just fold to any healing. I am about 50-50 against aggro cassyva and healyonar. The reponse to any aoe spell would be to fill the board back up again, which is very doable (and a reason why blaze hound may be a better alternate fit). I’ve dealt with provoke units frequently enough; if Lyonar’s ICG was frequent enough, I’d bring in some removal, but everything else is very manageable.

Went through my history. Currently with 53 games played or so, I am with 35 W - 18 L (66% winrate).

1 Like
#12

I frequently talk to minmaxer and players like alpha century and I cannot express how much better this list would be by swapping Juxtaposition for gotatsu and Jammer for Void Hunter.

That change alone would easily make this list be competitive in Diamond and upwards. But as is this is a great many things, but flexible isn’t one of them.

2 Likes
#13

Why?

1 Like
#14

songhai NEEDS draw and a cantrip isnt enough, void hunter is too slow, also juxtaposition not only make back stab units/thunderhorn put in work it also works as pseudo removal.

1 Like
#15

for jux: 1 backstab unit in this deck, i don’t own thunderhorn

for card draw/cantrip: card draw - gotatsu, lantern, void (stated alternatives), and killing edge

The topic of card draw doesn’t concern me because I’ve played this deck enough to say that there is sufficient card draw. On better card draw alternatives, @baharoth already brought up, and I suggested at the very start to begin with.

I’m much more interested in the jux argument, as there may be some valid points that simply haven’t been expressed by @eurasianjay. The bigger reason I could think of would be in a heartseeker and enemy minion jux swap, but beyond that, I don’t see any, which is why I’m asking.

1 Like
#16

I think a lot of you aren’t realizing that this isn’t a generic aggro Reva list with backstab, Jux and big IF combos. This deck is more about Rush minions and buffs and face damage, and as such doesn’t use things like Jux and favors cards like Boar and Tiger.

That being said, Jammer would be a phenomenal addition instead of Void Hunters, it’s wonderful aggro card draw and plays very nicely with KE.

2 Likes
#17

Haven’t used jammer cuz i don’t have them, but I have been using a bit of @baharoth’s blaze hound preference, and does at least feel better suited.

2 Likes
#18

I think you’re underestimating the play making power of jux. It is an awesome card even if it’s not used to backstab something.

2 Likes
#19

You aren’t wrong, but I’ve played with a deck nearly identical to this, played against the OP, and I’ve played with and against more traditional aggro Reva lists. Sure it’s a great card and could certainly find a place here, but not super necessary.

1 Like
#20

-Update-

Swapped out Void Hunter for Blaze Hound which has been more useful than Void was. Currently I’m still holding a 66% WR out of 69 games played. Just got me back into gold and gonna see how far it keeps going.

Vetruvian is the toughest faction for me to go against, as they often just out tempo/develop than me. I’d probably remove 1 lantern and 1 blaze (and maybe 1 gotatsu) to bring in a new card, but wouldnt be sure what.

2 Likes