Post by: Absol on August 22, 2012, 04:59:10 pm
:airbig :lifebigFirefly Queen Decks :lifebig :airbig
A Guide by Absol
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 :air to 6 :air), 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 :light produced by the Fireflies into :life, 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: :air, :life, and :light. 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 :air 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 :life 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 :life 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 :light 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 :life every turn, which means with no denial and with optimal draw, it will produce 3 :life 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 :air (2 :life produced from Mark), then one more turn to place FFQ (+1 :life). On the next turn, the FFQ can use its skill once, producing a Firefly, and the player can now put down a Rustler (0 :life). Next turn, the Firefly will produce :light for the Rustler to convert into 2 :life, 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 :air, 1 :life.
Turn 2: don't play anything. End turn with 6 :air, 2 :life.
Turn 3: play FFQ. End turn with 3 :air, 3 :life.
Turn 4: FFQ skill, play Rustler. End turn with 6 :air, 1 :life, 1 :light.
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
Pro: more support cards to adapt to a situation.
Con: more luck-based draw.
RNG-resistant Skeleton
Pro: less luck involved in getting good draw.
Con: less support cards means less adaptability.
Pendulum Skeleton
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 :air 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 :air 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 :rainbow, not too bad, though you can use the slot for something better. Upgraded it becomes 6 attack for 1 :rainbow, 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 :rainbow, which means you can convert :light to double :life to pay this. |  | Slightly less expensive than Sanctuary (5 :life = 2.5 :light) 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 :light = 8 :life) 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 :light, which can be gotten quickly (1 FF produces 1 :light, next turn FFQ summon 1 FF, 2 FFs produce 2 :light) |
 | 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 :life = 5 :light) 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 :life = 4 :light) 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 :light, which can be very helpful. |  | Light's middle attacker, though can be quite expensive. Also airborne, therefore benefit from SoFr. Uses both :light and :air 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 :air. Real advantage over Pegasus is that it gains evasion under SoFr. Need more pillars to be used effectively. |
Continue to the next part...
Post by: Absol on August 22, 2012, 05:01:22 pm
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
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
Forget Hope, Miracle is the boss!
FFQ/Wings
Combines OE and Wings to provide stall needed for your army to grow.
FFQ/Bond
Only stallbreakers can break through 6 Bonds. That, or SoFo.
FFQ/Sanc-Bond
Sanc-Bond split for more healing and protection against denials.
FFQ/SoG
Faster stall comes with SoG and Staff.
FFQ/SoFr
More attack and everything. If you have 2 Nymphs, replace the Morning Star with them.
FFQ/Shards
Really just for fun, this splits both SoFr and SoG for speed attack and defense.
FFQ/EM
EM deck, though not that reliable.
FFQ/Dragons
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 :rainbow to 3 :rainbow, 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 :air 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 :fire instead of :light, 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."
Post by: Chapuz on August 22, 2012, 08:01:33 pm
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 :life 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.
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 :life at all is effective as hell. Just :air 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.
Post by: Absol on August 23, 2012, 02:51:44 pm
Post by: furballdn on August 24, 2012, 03:04:02 am
Comments:
I don't feel miracles are that necessary. By the time you get that much :light 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 :light + :air synergy.
Post by: eaglgenes101 on August 24, 2012, 03:52:49 am
Throwing this out.Where did pendulums go?
Comments:
I don't feel miracles are that necessary. By the time you get that much :light 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 :light + :air synergy.
Post by: furballdn on August 24, 2012, 04:02:13 am
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)
Post by: Absol on August 24, 2012, 04:54:12 am
You should also update some non-rustler decks. Did you make them all yourself or took some from the forums?Added pendulum build for people to customize from my normal build.
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 :life at all is effective as hell. Just :air 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.
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 :light either you're going to win already or you're going to lose already.Yes, Miracle is more of a "support" support card, like putting only 1.
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 :light + :air synergy.
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.
Post by: eaglgenes101 on September 08, 2012, 11:17:14 pm
Post by: Chapuz on September 08, 2012, 11:43:39 pm
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
Post by: UnderneathTheLens on September 09, 2012, 12:09:02 am
Quote
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?
Post by: Absol on September 09, 2012, 12:34:21 am
Sometimes, pillar/pend is better than Dragonfly when upped because of that extra :air which makes turn 2 FFQ possible. Pillar for speed, and Dragonfly for punch.QuoteHigh 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?
For the short sword, derp. I mean, not worth it unupgraded.
EDIT: fixed.
Post by: Chapuz on September 18, 2012, 01:19:30 am
Post by: eaglgenes101 on September 18, 2012, 04:28:45 am
FFQ OTK, unmissableLol, but it would prolly be better to use a voodoo doll for that deck.
Post by: ddevans96 on September 18, 2012, 04:01:29 pm
FFQ OTK, unmissableLol, but it would prolly be better to use a voodoo doll for that deck.
Same as this (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,30001) but with the creature switched, which is supposed to be the joke :P
Post by: Chapuz on September 18, 2012, 08:06:14 pm
Yeah, we have been discussing about FFQ in the chat and I said it was OP because there is a FFQ OTK. The guys didn't belive me, so I made it just for the lulz :PSame as this (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,30001) but with the creature switched, which is supposed to be the joke :PFFQ OTK, unmissableLol, but it would prolly be better to use a voodoo doll for that deck.
I knew someone would recognize the CATapult build
Post by: iancudorinmarian on November 09, 2012, 02:56:46 pm
Btw, this really helped me, ty.