Instosis [FG][OTK][Arena]

[Reid4891]

Reid, your guide is simply awesome!

I'd like to know what version of Instosis are you using and, since your incredible experience with this deck, detailed playing tips for every FG that noobish player like me could use instead of the one in the OP.

I would be great!

I'm using the classic version, the one posted in the OP. 30 cards and sundials all upped.
I think Sevs suggestions are all pretty good, maybe with the exceptions of some hard FGs, but well it's hard to determinate a nice strategy for them since beating them really depends on your luck most of the time. I'll try to upgrading it if I can exploit some strategy.

@reid: as I said I added 1 tower, making it 31 cards. So as (normally) each tower brings at least 2 time quantum, swapping out the sundials is not "negative". & thanks to the mulligan I can prevent seism of demolishing all my towers - I get enough in start hand to play them 1 by 1 and keep a few for some turns.

On a second note: how the hell did you get so high vs rainbow. He's like my worst nightmare as he can screw you over at any point in the game. (compared to chaos lord who isn't actual hard imo after you got supernovae out). Really that massive amount of CC takes away each and every hourglass. Even dreamcatcher is "easier" - just play till you see a butterfly effect.

Lost 2 times in a row to lionheart thanks to all my hourglasses in last 8 cards -.-

Well I think there are pro and con, as always. It happened to me to having lost to Ferox, Scorpion, Gemini, Incarnate too many time for my taste in 6 turns for having got 0/1 sundials at the beginning and nothing more. Also whenever in a 30 cards deck I draw the sundial that is gonna save my ass with my last hourglass draw, it means it couldn't have happened in a 31 cards deck. But well... I'm almost positive that if I'd play 1500 games with your deck I'd probably get a same/similar win ratio (don't ask me to do it, though  ).

I lost to Lionheart today too for my 1st time. Most clogged hand of all times.

For Rainbow, I agree it's more chaotic than Chaos Lord. Too bad I delete it, but I had a screenshot of a "rushed" game I almost pull an EM (it played a Eye at the last turn and I went to 93/100 health), darn. I basically have two strategies that are based on a couple of factors: number of my towers/hourglasses/sundials, its numbers of towers (2+ or 2-), its actual  but mostly  quanta poll. Strategy 1: everything out asap in round 2 and try to rush your hand as fast as possible. Strategy 2: play only 1/2 tower (more only if you'd discard otherwise), it usually targets it/them immediately if they're only 1/2 with Steal/Explosions. Try to make it waste all those cards on your towers, then when it seemed they ended play hourglass(es) (max 2, you need to save  ) and sundials. Luckily it should target Hourglass when it draws another additional Steal/Eplosion. But still you're right: everything can be screwed anytime in a single turn, especially, but not only, if you went for Strategy 1.

Pic for strategy 1 (reason for strategy 1 is him having played all cards by turn 2 with only 1 hourglass out; I had 2 towers, 2 sundials, 1 hourglasses at start, so I've been to rush all my deck with him being able only to steal 1 hourglass from me):

Spoiler for Hidden:

Pic for strategy 2:

Spoiler for Hidden:

[Reid4891]

Now in technicolor (obviously Dark Green -> Light Green -> Yellow -> Orange -> Red).  Not a great session (partial 53,2%), I even got 4 losses vs Lionheart and some really screwed hands in general. Still I kind of managed a new interesting tactic (vs difficult FG that don't need Chimera and you have it, you can start chaining Sundials soon and play all the SN to exploit Singularities by making them in a Chimera in the case you don't draw a Sundial. The Chimera can kind of protect you for 1 turn. It kind of saved me sometimes, but it's not a safe tactic, so don't use it unless you know your changes to win are slim anyway or the enemy FG can easily destroy your stalling anytime).
An example of this tactic successfully deployed vs Dark Matter (even if it wasn't necessary in this situation):

Spoiler for Hidden:

Some adjustments from 1500 test:

VERY EASY (>80%)
Lionheart -> Bad puppy! Bad!
Neptune
Miracle
Elidnis
Paradox
Destiny
Gemini -> Gemini is a bit slower version of Ferox in term of rashness
Fire Queen
Incarnate


FAIRLY EASY (80%-60%)
Serket
Ferox 


MEDIUM (60%-40%)
Morte
Scorpio
Seism -> I play it by playing a time tower at turn, making it use a quicksand on it, then playing another one. Use at most one Hourglasses unless it dropped many creatures fast.
Obliterator
Akebono -> I had some interesting matches vs him. In one it made a Chimera at the middle of the game, I didn't have sundials anymore nor enough SoR but still played the combo without playing my Blitz and Chimera. Result: its chimera destroyed. Even if it can overdrive your mitosed Dragon in the next turn you can still probably win in 2 turns (it can't probably make a comeback without creatures unless it's very lucky with the draws).  So my tip is: start to play sundials by turn 2, try to rush your hand and keep your health at max.
Graviton
Chaos Lord -> play fast, Sundials from turn 2.
Divine Glory -> imho it's better to play fast with Sundials from turn 2 also vs this one. Try to play the dragon+mitosis asap if you have them.


HARD (40%-20%)
Jezebel -> I'm trying an experiment on it (not really going well), still working in progress. But start chaining Sundials before playing Hourglasses (try not to let Hourglasses be stolen).
Osiris -> Start to chain at round 2 and stop playing stuff when it plays a SoFo and hope for it to be catapulted. Still not a good FG to face.
Octane -> play fast and pray. A good idea the singularity->Chimera trick here.
Rainbow
Decay -> If you start the game play a Sundials on round 2. It will steal your Hourglasses instead of playing a Pest if it has an Improved Steal, which means your quanta won't be drained and you can play your SN.
Btw, I always get the most amazing games vs Decay:

Spoiler for Hidden:

Hecate -> This is all about luck, I even lost in 4 turns here.
Hermes -> I wonder how I got it so high, my face everytime I see it as an opponent is 


PROHIBITIVE (<20%)
Eternal Phoenix
Dream Catcher
Dark Matter

[iancudorinmarian]

a cool think happened today:

[crosscounter]

Just wanted to thank Sevs and all the contributors for a prominent FG harvesting deck (happy thanksgiving!) as well as sharing some tips.

Chimera related tips:

Spoiler for Hidden:

Just to reiterate God by God Breakdown by Sevs, here is the List of FG with No Chimera Needed:

Destiny
Divine Glory
Dream Catcher
Elidnis
Eternal Phoenix
Ferox
Fire Queen
Gemini
*Graviton (*without grav pulled Armagio)
Hermes
Jezebel
Miracle
Neptune
Obliterator
**Octane (**if Octane is about to kill you early, you can choose to pull an incomplete combo with Chimera to tank attacks since Octane usu. has few creatures/low attack. Hold on to the Chimera if you can!)
Osiris
Paradox
Rainbow
Scorpio
Seism
Serket

Discarding Tip:
You can get rid of Chimera in 2 ways:
1. Have a full hand by end of turn, and discard Chimera
2. Play Chimera with 6/7 

While method 1 is popular, method 2 can be useful when you still have Haste options left and see a more strategic way to draw more cards earlier (for a Sundial, for more Time Tower, etc.)

I wish I had a charm to repel those atrocious 3D's (Dark Matter, Decay, and Dream Catcher) when I challenge FGs
Regards

[dragtom]

in 1.32, SoR will cost 3 .
the bad thing is that you need 25 ...
the good thing is that the cannot be messed up, and you only need 4 sn...
i think -2 sn + 2 tower wont give enough , though.

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[choongmyoung]

in 1.32, SoR will cost 3 .
the bad thing is that you need 25 ...
the good thing is that the cannot be messed up, and you only need 4 sn...
i think -2 sn + 2 tower wont give enough , though.

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6rq 6rq 6rq 6rq 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 74g 7ap 7n9 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q5 7q5 7q5 7q5 7q6 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 8pj

Exactly what I thought. Good job.

[kimham8a]

in 1.32, SoR will cost 3 .
the bad thing is that you need 25 ...
the good thing is that the cannot be messed up, and you only need 4 sn...
i think -2 sn + 2 tower wont give enough , though.

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1.32 makes this deck stronger, actually.

[Absol]

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Maybe this.
Dunno, SoR might be buffed again.

[justaburd]

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Maybe this.
Dunno, SoR might be buffed again.

Tried some games with it, seemed to have trouble with getting quanta/drawing stuff when you need it.
The lack of the 2 SNs kind of hurt.

[choongmyoung]

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Maybe this.
Dunno, SoR might be buffed again.

Tried some games with it, seemed to have trouble with getting quanta/drawing stuff when you need it.
The lack of the 2 SNs kind of hurt.

And too much full hands.

[takezoido]

SN helps a lot vs seism

[Fippe94]

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Maybe this.
Dunno, SoR might be buffed again.

I've been testing a variant of -1SoB -1 Time Tower +2 Entropy Tower and change mark to Fire. You draw really fast, but you really need an Entropy Tower quick to play the SNovas.