Well, I'm still testing and tweaking, but I thought I'd give some more detailed notes on the strategy for this deck, since people seem to be curious. So, below is basically a list of tips, tricks, and the like.
- One of the key points of this deck is that it can make every one of its creatures immortal. Of course, that does mean that one of the Quintessences MUST be held back for Elite Anubis or one of the Aether Nymphs.
- Speaking of Aether Nymph, that is almost always the first Nymph I make.
- And speaking of making creatures immortal... make sure to do so. It's alright to let a Firefly sit there unprotected, but pretty much everything else shouldn't be played (or made into a creature) if it can't be immortalized.
- There are two reasons why Aether is the only colored pillar I'm running two of. One, it's the one I want first. Two, I actually do want to be able to make two, when possible. Once things get to a certain point, I often am spawning/playing two to three creatures per turn, so I want to be sure I can make them immortal.
- Hourglasses, and the draw effects from the Sundials, are essential. Many of this deck's cards are not standalone, so if this deck goes too long only drawing one card per turn, things usually don't go well.
- The
Nymph is actually not that important. (I'm currently experimenting with not even using the Time Tower, and just having that be another Quantum Tower.) The other Nymphs are important, but the Hourglasses and Sundials provide enough draw that the
Nymph is actually overkill.
- It is important to ALWAYS watch quanta closely. I've had a few embarrassing losses because I failed to leave enough
quanta for Eternity or Sundial, for example.
- Speaking of which, watch the deck count. It's very common for this deck to completely draw itself out, so you have to make sure that you don't accidentally lose by having no deck left.
- This deck is very quanta-hungry, mostly for
,
,
, and
. Most of the other colors get used, but those four are the colors with most of the expensive stuff. (
is a little less heavily used than the main four, but still important.)
- This isn't a rush deck. Quite the opposite. Yes, its primary win condition is damage from attacking creatures, but it's not quick about it.
- Running 2 Water Nymphs is really more "because I can" and to help make sure I get it soon enough, rather than because both actually need to be played. It's not at all unusual for me to play one, and then just let the other hang out in my hand for the rest of the game. On the other hand, if my quanta pool allows, it can be helpful to have both going. (As such, this deck would probably work just fine with only one Water Nymph, and if you don't have the actual Nymph, it could probably be done with a couple of Sapphire Towers and 1-2 Nymph's Tears.)
- The stall aspect is essential. The reason I run 6 Sundials, 2 Phase Shields, and 1 Dissipation Shield is that I actually do have that much of a need to play defense.
- Spine Carapace is amazing. Since this deck draws out the game as much as it does, there really is time to let the poison damage kill the opponent's creatures. (I'm even experimenting with running a second copy.) And of course, that damage reduction has proven to be a lifesaver on multiple occasions.
- Similarly, Plague is surprisingly effective. It's a bit of a metagame choice, actually -- since I'm not running Otyugh, the fact that so many creatures are simply too big to be killed by Fire Storm means that Plague can often be the better choice.
- Protect Artifact can be used on the Quantum Towers if the opponent is running Poseidon and/or Quicksand, but otherwise, the Protect Artifacts are primarily used for Hourglass, Shard, or the second weapon.
- Both weapons are important, but Eternity more so. Never animate Eternity without making it immortal (unless you can be absolutely sure nothing will happen to it), and it's often a good idea to use one of the Protect Artifacts for it.
- Don't forget that you can Nymph the opponent's pillars, too. Every once in a while, I'll purposely Nymph an opponent's pillar so that I can then Antimatter it (and, if the circumstances allow, Liquid Shadow it and/or Adrenaline it).
- Nymphing a Quantum Tower usually only happens if I'm desperate or if I've Nymphed all of my colored pillars and have a good stock of quanta. The colored Towers are there to become Nymphs, the Quantum Towers are there to fuel stuff.
- Beware of Fire Buckler and Spine Carapace. Since they can affect, and eventually kill, even immortal creatures, they're a major danger here.
Well, I think that mostly covers it. I'll continue to test and tweak, and I welcome further constructive feedback.
