[guide] [collection] FFQ Decks

[Absol]

Firefly Queen Decks
A Guide by Absol

Overview
Firefly Queen is not a new card. Rather, it has been around as Air's signature card. Buffed in Patch 1.31 (reduced casting cost from 7 to 6 ), now it becomes a power card. It also has a surprisingly large synergy, thus the decks produced can be very versatile.

Firefly Queen deck works by using Firefly Queen as Firefly producer, then using Rustler to convert the produced by the Fireflies into , which in turn powers the Firefly Queen to make more Fireflies, and so on. Once the combo has been setup, it is hard to lose the game, but these decks can be rather slow in the opening game, specifically during the first 3 turns.

Disclaimer
The deck produced will focus on unupgraded Firefly Queen strategy. Do not use Elite Firefly Queen for this guide's purpose!
The deck produced will use 3 types of quanta: , , and . It will be a duo or a trio.
The deck produced will be fully unupgraded. Almost every card can be upgraded, with the obvious exception of Firefly Queen.
The deck produced is in no way fully optimal. Players are encouraged to test the deck and tweak it as needed.

Key Cards

	Its 6 casting cost means you can get it out by turn 4 if you get a 2 pillar start, and turn 3 if you get a 3 pillar start. This means a turn faster than pre-buff. Its 3 attack is perfect for Adrenaline, a Life card. Its 7 HP makes it a resistant creature, as it takes 2 shots of CC to decapitate the Queen. Its 2 skill cost means you only need a Firefly and a Rustler to power one indefinitely.		This is the quanta converter, but also the weakest link. Its 1 casting cost can be powered via Mark alone. Its 1 HP is very fragile, and so it is important for the deck's survival. Its skill can be used multiple times per turn, so only one is needed on the field. Hold the rest on the hand in case the Rustler on the field is killed.
	This is your main soldier, and also your quanta producer. Its 3 attack is perfect for Adrenaline, and it will generate 4 with Adren. Its 2 HP is very fragile, yes, but it comes in large numbers, making only mass CC effective against a swarm of Fireflies. Its skill can power a Firefly Queen indefinitely, if in tandem with Rustler.		This is the Mark of choice for Firefly Queen decks. It produces 1 every turn, which means with no denial and with optimal draw, it will produce 3 when the Firefly Queen is ready to start the combo, which is just enough to power its skill once and to play a Rustler. This Mark can't be replaced by any other Marks without changing the core strategy. Some decks might opt for Air Mark and use pendulums instead of Rustler for the deck, but that's an entirely different story.

Typical Gameplay
A FFQ deck will usually open the game with 3 pillars. This means 2 turns to produce 6 (2 produced from Mark), then one more turn to place FFQ (+1 ). On the next turn, the FFQ can use its skill once, producing a Firefly, and the player can now put down a Rustler (0 ). Next turn, the Firefly will produce for the Rustler to convert into 2 , which is used by the FFQ to produce more Firefly. It is a smooth sail from that on.

Turn 1: play 3 pillars. End turn with 3 , 1 .
Turn 2: don't play anything. End turn with 6 , 2 .
Turn 3: play FFQ. End turn with 3 , 3 .
Turn 4: FFQ skill, play Rustler. End turn with 6 , 1 , 1 .

And so on.

Skeleton Build
6 FFQs are necessary, 4 Rustlers are usually enough. Like usual, put at least 12 pillars.
TIPS: with 5 Rustlers instead of 4, the probability of getting one in your opening hand jumps from ~65% to ~73%.
TIPS: with 13 pillars instead of 12, you get ~3.1 pillars in your opening hand instead of 12's ~2.9. This means better draw.

Normal Skeleton

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5bv 5bv 5bv 5bv 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 8pn

Pro: more support cards to adapt to a situation.
Con: more luck-based draw.

RNG-resistant Skeleton

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5bv 5bv 5bv 5bv 5bv 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 8pn

Pro: less luck involved in getting good draw.
Con: less support cards means less adaptability.

Pendulum Skeleton

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5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 8pn

Pro: less vulnerability against CC and more support cards.
Con: slower Queen. If in turn 1 you get 3 pends, you have to wait till turn 4 to drop the Queen.

Customizing the Deck
You can put almost anything (= any Air, Life, or Light card) in the blanks and the deck will still works great, but of course, it is recommended to pick your support cards carefully. FFQ decks are of medium speed, so setting defense is almost essential. There many support cards to be used, each with their own quirk and stuff.

	Basically a cheaper SoG which occupy weapon slot and can attack. Can be gotten out pretty fast, and can get you far enough. Generally needs other stall cards to be effective.		Comes pre-EAed, which is very useful. Reflects spell damage, which means no bolt and no Psion. Upgraded, it blocks 2 points of damage per creature, which is a large improvement.
	A powerhouse for your low-on-damage attackers. Pretty slow, thus is limited to midgame. Comes pre-EAed. No need to worry about PC.		Arguably the best shield for FFQ decks. This shield comes pre-PAed, and it can block damage as many as healthy Fireflies on your field. Expensive, so you need lots of Fireflies first on the field.
	The most versatile weapon, this weapon uses quanta which is otherwise wasted. Also act as CC, which this deck lacks. Decent damage, though a bit expensive.		Dirt cheap and effective shield for faster decks. This shield can stall on its own, though a few healing cards to help healing damage which passed through is recommended. Uses which is only used for FFQ aside from other Air support cards.
	Only use this if you're desperate or haven't found any other weapons. 3 damage for 1 , not too bad, though you can use the slot for something better. Upgraded it becomes 6 attack for 1 , decent enough to warrant its place.		Pseudo-Dim Shield for extended duration. Best coupled with OE to shot down passing creatures. Needs a few slots in the deck to be effective.
	With Mark of Life, this heals 5 HP per turn. Slightly cheaper than Empathic Bond, for less effect but faster casting. Can be paid in , which means you can convert to double to pay this.		Slightly less expensive than Sanctuary (5 = 2.5 ) for greater healing. Since FFQ deck is a swarm-type, this can be used to provide massive healing. Rather slow compared to SoG, but with greater effect.
	Allows for critical strike, which is 50% more attack and ignore shields. Also allows for evasion, which negates opponent's targetting. Rustler, unfortunately, can't evade. 25% chance to both critical and evasion, stacks linearly with each shards.		Slightly more expensive than Empathic Bond (4 = 8 ) for protection against denials. Heal 4 per turn, which is less than SoG. But at least Sanctuary is not a rare card. Upgraded, it costs 3 , which can be gotten quickly (1 FF produces 1 , next turn FFQ summon 1 FF, 2 FFs produce 2 )
	Burst healing for low cost. This is better used in faster decks. For slower decks, use Empathic Bond instead. Allows for easier EM decks if coupled with appropriate shields.		Despite its expensive cost, it is actually pretty easy to summon this. (10 = 5 ) Also benefits from SoFr, along with every other creatures in the deck. 6 HP makes it stand two shots of CC, provided said CC is not Rage Elixir.
	Can quadruple damage output of Queen and Firefly. Can also quadruple Firefly's quanta producing. Combined with SoFr, this is a powerful combo commonly referred to as SoFrepi.		Repeatable Adrenaline effect, though very hard to obtain. Is actually fairly cheap to play (8 = 4 ) Repeatable Adrenaline can quickly win the battle against other stall decks.
	Very expensive, but worth every cents. Heal yourself to full-1 HP, which is almost equivalent to 5 Heals packed into 1 cards. Upped, it reduces the casting cost to 12 , which can be very helpful.		Light's middle attacker, though can be quite expensive. Also airborne, therefore benefit from SoFr. Uses both and which are wasted in pendulum build.
	Instant CC as opposed to OE's one turn delayed. Not repeatable, thus making OE the better choice if you have it. Coupled with Wings, this can make a good stall.		Almost not worth it unupgraded because of its casting cost. Upgraded, it also act as a Wind Pillar with 2 attack power. It also benefits from SoFr, both critical and evasion.
	The signature finisher card from Air element. Expensive, so use it only when needed. Critical Blitz can triple the attack power instead of double, and also ignore shields.		Basically Pegasus with both casting cost and skill cost in . Real advantage over Pegasus is that it gains evasion under SoFr. Need more pillars to be used effectively.

Continue to the next part...

[Absol]

Sample Decks

Here are some sample decks which you can draw inspiration from. These decks can be used against AI3 or PvP1. Upgraded, the decks can be used against PvP2 and maybe Bronze and Silver.
NOTE: the following decks use Normal Skeleton. You can tweak it to have RNG-resistant Skeleton or Pendulum Skeleton if you wish so.

FFQ/Hope

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5bv 5bv 5bv 5bv 5c6 5c6 5c6 5lk 5lk 5lk 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5ol 5ol 8pn

A classic FFQ deck, this deck uses the stalling power of Bonds to survive till Hope. It's easy from that point on.

FFQ/Miracle

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5bv 5bv 5bv 5bv 5c4 5c4 5li 5li 5li 5li 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5ol 5ol 8pn

Forget Hope, Miracle is the boss!

FFQ/Wings

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Combines OE and Wings to provide stall needed for your army to grow.

FFQ/Bond

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Only stallbreakers can break through 6 Bonds. That, or SoFo.

FFQ/Sanc-Bond

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Sanc-Bond split for more healing and protection against denials.

FFQ/SoG

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Faster stall comes with SoG and Staff.

FFQ/SoFr

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More attack and everything. If you have 2 Nymphs, replace the Morning Star with them.

FFQ/Shards

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Really just for fun, this splits both SoFr and SoG for speed attack and defense.

FFQ/EM

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EM deck, though not that reliable.

FFQ/Dragons

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Fast defense and fast dragon.

Upgrading Order
Consider this order when upgrading your cards.
High Priority:
Pillars/Pendulums: with these, you can get your Queen out in turn 2 with decent draw. Cuts the combo back a turn or two.
Dragonfly: for more aggressive decks with more attack and such. Replace the pillars and pendulums with these, though it's faster to use those upgraded.
Short Sword: only if you use FFQ rush. Not worth it unupgraded.
Shards: from 5 to 3 , which can make a big difference.
Sky Blitz/Miracle: expensive cards which gained cost reduction.
Emerald Shield: 1 DR to 2 DR can make a difference, especially against other swarm decks.
Normal Priority:
Wings: with multiple Wings, the cost reduction accumulates. With 3 cost upgraded, the starting hand could power one in turn 2.
Empathic Bond/Sanctuary: cost reduction, which could be important.
Pegasus/Wyrm: a little attack increasement which is then doubled when diving.
Druidic Staff/Morning Star/Owl's Eye: attack increasement, though rarely noticeable.
Fog Shield/Heal/Adrenaline/Shockwave: cost reduction, but these are already cheap cards, so it is often not important.
Low Priority:
Hope/Emerald Dragon: cost increasement for more potent power. Sometimes, you need those faster than more powerful, so upping these could hurt you.
Green Nymph: very rare card with only cost reduction upgraded. You better keep it unupped.
DO NOT UPGRADE:
Firefly Queen: when upped, the Firefly produced will produce instead of , which is a different combo with different support cards.

Conclusion
FFQ deck is often overlooked due to being "only fun deck" with no real effectiveness. Well, in patch 1.31, it returns to its former glory. And with more customizable support cards to fit into many situation.

"With Firefly Queen, you can't do wrong."

[Chapuz]

Good idea, there's a good variety of FFQ builds!
Here's mine, I don't like rustlers because of the CC and devourers that don't let me play the first one if I only have mark as starting  production, not counting a bigger luck dependence on drawing an early one. You play the FFQ 1 turn later, but is more consistent against a bigger variety of strategies.

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5c6 5c6 5c6 5c6 5c6 5lk 5lk 5lk 5lk 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5oj 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 5pu 8pn

You should also update some non-rustler decks. Did you make them all yourself or took some from the forums?

Also, a deck with just 6 heals isn't an EM deck if it's not a rushy rush, and FFQs aren't suposed to be it (at least unupped). For an EM version, pack 1 heal, 1 Miracle and 3-4 Hopes or 1 Heal, 1 Miracle and tons of Sanctuaries.

As for FFQ/Shards, a deck with SoR and no  at all is effective as hell. Just  pilars, Shards, Hopes and shockwaves/sancts/miracles/anything you want

As another addition, I have seen FFQ decks with AdrenaDragonflies and sky blitz for the final (or not) hit. More CC dependant, but a simple deck with it can be a good inspiration for experimenters.

I know this guide will get bigger, this are just my comments by now.

[Absol]

updated

[furballdn]

Throwing this out.

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Comments:
I don't feel miracles are that necessary. By the time you get that much either you're going to win already or you're going to lose already.
Sanct might be useful for denial protection, but comes out too late, and most denial is early game.
Shards. I don't really recommend shards. If you have so much shards, you can probably afford a better deck. Other than that, I wouldn't really advise shards (SoFre is great but costly) unless you either have some novas (In which case you can go down the path of creation of life or neo genesis) or more marks, such as in an arena deck. Unupped shards are too impractical, costly, and out of reach for newer players, especially since FFQ is a newer player deck.
You didn't mention Pegasus as a possible filler card. Not that great, but + synergy.

[eaglgenes101]

Throwing this out.

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Comments:
I don't feel miracles are that necessary. By the time you get that much either you're going to win already or you're going to lose already.
Sanct might be useful for denial protection, but comes out too late, and most denial is early game.
Shards. I don't really recommend shards. If you have so much shards, you can probably afford a better deck. Other than that, I wouldn't really advise shards (SoFre is great but costly) unless you either have some novas (In which case you can go down the path of creation of life or neo genesis) or more marks, such as in an arena deck. Unupped shards are too impractical, costly, and out of reach for newer players, especially since FFQ is a newer player deck.
You didn't mention Pegasus as a possible filler card. Not that great, but + synergy.

Where did pendulums go?

[furballdn]

Pendulums are used by the capitalistic sheeple! Fight against society! Rise up and become the superman!

I am not a fan of pends. Pillars are more reliable. (That and the fact that such a pillar split like that holds some nostalgic value to me)

[Absol]

Updated again.

You should also update some non-rustler decks. Did you make them all yourself or took some from the forums?

Also, a deck with just 6 heals isn't an EM deck if it's not a rushy rush, and FFQs aren't suposed to be it (at least unupped). For an EM version, pack 1 heal, 1 Miracle and 3-4 Hopes or 1 Heal, 1 Miracle and tons of Sanctuaries.

As for FFQ/Shards, a deck with SoR and no  at all is effective as hell. Just  pilars, Shards, Hopes and shockwaves/sancts/miracles/anything you want

As another addition, I have seen FFQ decks with AdrenaDragonflies and sky blitz for the final (or not) hit. More CC dependant, but a simple deck with it can be a good inspiration for experimenters.

Added pendulum build for people to customize from my normal build.
All those decks were speed-builded. I only test them once or twice, so they are still not optimal. It's up to you to optimize or mod it.
Aye, the Heal deck is not really reliable. SoR seems good, though it would need a special skeleton.
Adren and Sky Blitz added.

I don't feel miracles are that necessary. By the time you get that much either you're going to win already or you're going to lose already.
Sanct might be useful for denial protection, but comes out too late, and most denial is early game.
Shards. I don't really recommend shards. If you have so much shards, you can probably afford a better deck. Other than that, I wouldn't really advise shards (SoFre is great but costly) unless you either have some novas (In which case you can go down the path of creation of life or neo genesis) or more marks, such as in an arena deck. Unupped shards are too impractical, costly, and out of reach for newer players, especially since FFQ is a newer player deck.
You didn't mention Pegasus as a possible filler card. Not that great, but + synergy.

Yes, Miracle is more of a "support" support card, like putting only 1.
Sanc could work against deckouter, though it won't do much.
Shards are cheap upped, and can work in this deck too. FFQ is not just a newb's deck, it can do good too.
Pegasus added.

[eaglgenes101]

I'd also recommend thorn carapace be an option. It can reduce damage indirectly with healing more than the other shields can. Blessing can also protect fireflies in the early midgame or help with a pegasus/wyrm finishoff.

[Chapuz]

I'd also recommend thorn carapace be an option. It can reduce damage indirectly with healing more than the other shields can. Blessing can also protect fireflies in the early midgame or help with a pegasus/wyrm finishoff.

Carpace instead of Hope? o.o

[UnderneathTheLens]

High Priority:
Pillars/Pendulums: with these, you can get your Queen out in turn 2 with decent draw. Cuts the combo back a turn or two.
Dragonfly: for more aggressive decks with more attack and such. Replace the pillars and pendulums with these.
Short Sword: only if you use FFQ rush. Not worth it upgraded.

It should be Pillars/Pends/Dragonsflies since you don't need to upgrade both.

Also, I don't understand the part about the short sword. If it's not worth it upgraded, why is it here?

[Absol]

High Priority:
Pillars/Pendulums: with these, you can get your Queen out in turn 2 with decent draw. Cuts the combo back a turn or two.
Dragonfly: for more aggressive decks with more attack and such. Replace the pillars and pendulums with these.
Short Sword: only if you use FFQ rush. Not worth it upgraded.

It should be Pillars/Pends/Dragonsflies since you don't need to upgrade both.

Also, I don't understand the part about the short sword. If it's not worth it upgraded, why is it here?

Sometimes, pillar/pend is better than Dragonfly when upped because of that extra which makes turn 2 FFQ possible. Pillar for speed, and Dragonfly for punch.

For the short sword, derp. I mean, not worth it unupgraded.

EDIT: fixed.