Hello everyone! I understand that in this current meta, there are far more cards to support aggro deck builds, and for that reason, aggro decks are far more popular right now. But I promise you that control is not dead! I finished my climb to S-Rank with the build you see here, which features a Control Vaath build. I wanted to hold off on sharing this list until I had reached S-Rank with the deck myself (I hope I don’t come off as show-boaty. I don’t have much time to climb, so I take pride in reaching S-Rank when I make it). While most cards in the deck are about what one could expect from a control Vaath build, there are a few outliers. I’ll explain the reasoning for adding in some of the less common cards into this deck.
Bloodtear Alchemist: In a meta filled with Reva Heartseekers, Abysaal Crawlers, and the occasional Jaxis and Pyromancers, this card is great for efficiently eliminating them for very little cost. It can also allow more for more favorable trading when your General is removing minions. Egg Morph + Bloodtear can also be clutch for those Four Winds and Shadow Sisters in a pinch.
Iridium Scale: I consider this a late-game card, as it is more impactful once Vaath has increased his attack through BBS. More often than you may expect, people play around Makantor by surrounding the general , making Makantor all the more awkward to play. But surrounding the general plays right into Iridium Scale, and can make for a great and cheap clearing option, which can lead to you being able to play other cards such as Earth Sphere and 2-drop minions. (I find it funny how playing around one form of frenzy can sometimes play right into another type of frenzy). The synergy with Egg Morph and Grove Lion can be some kind of nasty too. I love being able to frenzy an area and take no damage in the process!
Grove Lion: I hear of people saying that this card is too slow. Now, I’m not sure what their definition of slow is, but I’ve found its effect to have powerful immediate impact on the board. Solid stats, with the ability to endure Cryogenesis, Phoenix Fire, Makantor Warbeast, and Holy Immolation , this minion becomes a great pest, especially if you keep the board empty, which is what the deck is designed to do. Dealing with forcefield on an empty board is a nightmare, and will force an opponent to expend more resources than they would like to combat the problem. I especially love pulling off Iridium Scale with Grove Lion. I know I mentioned this already. I just love the value you gain from when you pull it off.
How to pilot the deck: This deck is played very conservatively. Oftentimes, I don’t even contest the mana springs with my general just so I can reach 3 attack in order to 1-shot the 2-drops. When you make trades, you want to be sure that you are trading as efficiently as possible.
It’s also very important that you know the difference between convenient removal vs appropriate removal. A Makantor might feel nice on one turn, but make sure that you don’t regret using it by the time next turn comes around.
Remember that you are the reactive player, so don’t feel obligated to trade for the sake of tempo. This deck has very few cards to take advantage of tempo anyway, and by not trading into minions right away, it might make your AoE options all the more efficient, which will increase you longevity.
Lastly, know when to go on the offensive. This is a very tricky decision to make sometimes because once you commit to being offensive, you want to make sure that you can finish your opponent off before they can beat you. Good indicators of when to start being offensive are when your opponent has very few cards in hand to combat your high-value cards, and having a large amount of healing in order to outlast your opponent.
So that ends the deck description. I hope you all find this post informative, helpful, or if nothing else, interesting. This is the first time I’ve provided a deck list on the forums, and actually the first time I’ve made a post on forums at all, so I want to make sure I make a good impression. I look forward to seeing you on the ladder in the future!
