ABERRATION AGGRO - Chaigon Steelsight

jonathan Mer 1 Juin - 0:04

SAMPLE DECKLIST BY: Matt Spreadbury, DMF Chicago Friday iTournament Winner

4 Garet Vice
4 Lady Bancroft
4 Loriam Argos
4 Savis Cindur
4 Fang
4 Ashnaar, Frost Herald
4 Magni, the Mountain King
1 Alister Cooper
1 Tesla

4 Avatar of the Wild
3 Snipe
3 Explosive Shot

4 Envoy of Mortality

3 Ring of Trials

4 Report to Goldshire
4 Concerted Efforts
3 Dr. Boom!
2 Death to the Traitor King

Difficulty Rating: 3/5. This deck has deceptively complex decisions revolving around when to quest, when to use Ring of Trials, and what 2-cost ally to play. It may look simple, but as a warning, it is very much not as simple as it seems. Still a good deck for new players: when played poorly, it is not much worse than when played well. In other words, player skill does not heavily influence this decks success, although the best plays are often very hard to identify regardless.

Deckbuilding note: Two cards with similar function where one is frequently better may seem puzzling at first. Tesla and Alister Cooper do very similar things for this deck, and Tesla seems like he would be frequently better. However, Tesla is a pet. Imagine a hand with Fang, Tesla, Tesla. Now imagine Fang, Tesla, Alister. The latter is clearly better. This is the reason for the 2 1-ofs that serve a very similar role.

Theory behind the deck: Extremely aggressive allies, synergy between Envoy of Mortality / Ring of Trials and the aberration keyword. This allows for some truly degenerate situations where you can kill their guys on the cheap while simultaneously not losing anything, not even getting your guys damaged. Can be truly vicious.

Key cards against aggro: Fang, Ring of Trials, Savis Cindur, Ashnaar, Avatar of the Wild

Aggro matchup: heavily favorable. You deck has enough guys and cheap draw that you can always keep guys on the board. The flip can prove to be a complete blowout, and if you get Ring of Trials going the game is completely over. Fang is an unstoppable monster for opposing aggro most of the time, Savis and Ashnaar let you keep their field clear, and Avatar can flip the game around on turn 5 or 6 for you. Very easy match to win.

Key card against midrange: Ring of Trials, Envoy of Mortality, Explosive Shot, Snipe, Avatar of the Wild

Midrange matchup: heavily favorable. Opposing ally-based decks cower in fear of Ring and Envoy. Those cards generate trades so unfair it isn't even funny. Explosive Shot, Snipe, and Avatar keep their guys off the table while you beat them down and generate mass unfairness. It's very hard for them to get back in it once you shove them out. Again, very easy match to win.

Key cards against control: Garet Vice, Lady Bancroft, Loriam Argos, Avatar of the Wild

Control matchup: varies. Subdivided:

Druid: close to a coinflip. You can kill them in a big burst with Avatar, but you have to be worried about Hurricane shutting you down. If they get one in play un-Sniped, you will always lose. You have to leave the 2 resources open on their turn 5 regardless of whether you have it, to at least make them think twice. If they don't get to Hurricane you, you can often get there on the back of a big Avatar.

Death Wish: close to unwinnable. You can't kill equipment outside of the 3 Snipes, and they can make Guardian's Plate Bracers, which makes it so they essentially play with 51 health. Unfun and unwinnable.

Mage: Good, but not perfect. Heavily favored. Aberration is a serious beating for them, as it turns off many of their cards. Be on the watch for Wub's on stealing you Fang, and mostly worry about keeping Aberration guys in play with an Avatar as backup if they're ever unable to stop it. Try and play around Taste of Arcane and Mystic Denial as much as possible. Complex matchup, but you are favored in it.

Potential sidesteps for the deck: Unknown. Most common change is to add Buzz to the deck for a bit of reach against Death Wish. Doesn't seem like it helps enough, but may still be necessary.