Articles

Timothy Rivera

Ahhhhh, Throne of the Tides. I have been anxiously waiting for you to finally come and now you are here. With Darkmoon Faire Philadelphia just a few weeks away, I have been focusing in on Block Constructed decks. By focusing in on Block decks, it will be easier to adapt to what you bring to the new Core format.

When I first started testing Block decks, I wanted to play something that could win through an unconventional method. I noticed that most the decks being played at my local Battlegrounds were taking advantage of the Twilight Citadel/Etched Dragonbone Girdle combo. Noticing that my opponents were drawing anywhere from ten to twenty more cards in a game than I was, I built a deck focused on removing more cards from their deck than they were drawing. This was my first pass.

Hero: Olivia Demascas

Allies: 12
4 Bronze Guardian
4 Magni, the Mountain King
4 Sinestra

Abilities: 24
4 Twist of Faith
4 Heal
4 Shadow Word: Death
4 Mind Melt
4 Dark Embrace
4 Seeping Shadows

Equipment: 12
4 Glyphtrace Ritual Knife
4 Band of Secret Names
4 Wand of the Forgotten Star

Locations: 4
4 Twilight Citadel

Quests: 8
4 Mystery Goo
4 Challenge to the Black Flight

The deck had mixed results. It stood little chance against aggressive decks, and while I was getting close to killing my opponents through deckexhaustion, I could never quite get there before I was smashed to smithereens. There were some good interactions with the deck. The one I like the best is Sinestra with the Olivia Demascas flip, but the games where I had her going, I won through damage. In the end I decided to pack the deck up as something that could work in the future.

The future is now. Take a look at today’s first preview.

Alana the Woebringer is the key to my deck-killing strategy's woes. In the past we have seen a couple allies with the ability to attack your opponent’s deck (Miner Stonedeep and his siblings, Zarvix the Tormentor), but most could not do enough damage before your opponent could finish you off. Alana the Woebringer does not have this problem. Alana aggressively destroys your opponent’s deck, making the other cards in your deck that attack their deck even more powerful. What truly makes Alana the Woebringer unique is that instead of putting the cards in your opponent’s graveyard, she removes them from the game. The Torch of Retribution and other shuffle quests will be useless against this undead deck destroyer.

In Limited formats, this ally becomes even more of a threat. By the start of your turn six, your opponent should only have around eighteen cards in his or her deck. If Alana the Woebringer can survive for four turns, her power will win you the game by itself. That definitely warrants looking at what Alana can do in the Constructed format.

Seeing this card has already started turning the wheels in my mind. The start of my next deck is:

4 Lordann the Bloodreaver
4 Alana the Woebringer
4 Zarvix the Tormentor

4 Power Word: Barrier
4 Dark Embrace
4 Seeping Shadows

4 Darkmoon Card: Volcano

I’m not sure what the other 32 cards should be, but it’s a good start for this deck.

What, what? Lordann the Bloodreaver? Yes, I tried to sneak one past you, hopefully unsuccessfully, so take a look at this powerhouse.

I mentioned earlier that I was getting steamrolled by the aggressive decks with my deck exhaustion strategy. Lordann the Bloodreaver seems like the perfect fit to help alleviate my problem. He has the perfect stats for a two drop, plus he has the most valuable keyword with Protector. Those aggressive decks can come out of the gates so quickly that it’s not uncommon to have double digit damage on your hero by turn three or four. This is where Lordann the Bloodreaver will fit perfectly. For only two resources you can play a 5 ATK and 6 health ally that can jump in the way of any attacker. I think most aggressive decks will be stopped dead in their tracks if you ever drop two of these in the same turn.

The aggressive decks should also not be sad, because he fits perfectly in their decks as well. With his low cost, he is easy to fit into these faster decks. Typically, the most aggressive strategies spend their health to gain the advantage on board. Cards like Bloody Ritual, Rosalyne Von Erantor, and Dr Boom! are cards considered to have drawbacks. Now they are enablers. Draw four cards and make Lordann the Bloodreaver a 5 ATK, 6 health ally? Don’t mind if I do!

This ally should see play in nearly every Horde deck. Sometimes it slips past people’s minds, but one thing you should always consider is attacking your hero into an opposing ally just to hit the 15 damage requirement. This little trick is going to be one of the most popular plays once Lordann the Bloodreaver is tournament legal.

That is it for today’s previews. I hope you are excited as I am to play with these new Horde allies. Both show some potential at being Constructed superstars.

-Timriv

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