Voidstall (SoV+Aether)

[UndeadSpider1990]

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I realize when one sees "Aether" and "stall" in the same title one typically expects more than one Phase Shield, but given the amount of CC here I opted for Dusk. Vampire Daggers are mostly to improve survival, but can also score the finishing hit.

The deck unfortunately suffers from the inevitable weakness of a deck whose primary attack is based on just one card - there's only 6 of them. Usually it works out ok.

This deck can usually beat AI4, but I haven't tested it in PvP2 (trainer only).

Thoughts and comments duly appreciated!

[ColorlessGreen]

My first thought is that I really hope this winds up working quite well. I really want SoV to show up in a high end deck.

My second thought is that most of the aether is not really worth what you're sacrificing for it. You have a total of nine single-target CC spells in the deck. I know that thunderbolt is better damage per quanta when you're at lower quanta values, but I think the deck might work better if you dropped aether down to just the mark and 3-5 thunderbolts and went up to 4-6 siphons (or even stick with 6 bolts and just power them off the mark). The extra dark quanta you'd be getting from only having to use dark towers would get the siphons up into thunderbolt damage range pretty quickly and you'd be much more quanta-stable in general. It'd also give you a tiny bit more healing to further augment your stall. If you did this, I'd probably also add a third dusk mantle also as it's more or less imperative that you get one quickly.

Do you have any thoughts as to how this'd do against silver or gold?

edit: Another option would be to ditch aether entirely and splash earth for basilisk blood. You already have damage-based CC through the siphons and a delay-based CC to augment it could be interesting.

[UndeadSpider1990]

@ColorlessGreen What you've said makes a lot of sense. I considered running it off the Aether mark, but the problem is that would make the Shards less effective. This has caused problems with quanta balancing because while the cost of Lightning is incredibly low, it's still necessary to put enough Pends in that you can actually play them at all. This means you can get a lot of unwanted .

My gut feeling says this would be pretty bad in the Arena, what with the tough HP and a good likelihood of PC for the Shards. That said, I haven't tested it there, and it is capable of taking Half-bloods at 150HP. Anyone with the real cards is more than welcome to test it out for me

I'm interested by the Basilisk Blood version, though I feel it may have the same quanta/mark issues as with Lightnings.

[UndeadSpider1990]

The mono version actually does very similarly, lol.

Spoiler for off-topic mono version:

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The stall power you lose in CC, you gain to a similar degree in the defense from the extra Dusk, Steals, and greater power to the Siphons.

[farscape]

You could try to use  instead of 
Congeal + ice lance: the later one will make use of excess water quanta from the pends.

[ColorlessGreen]

@ColorlessGreen What you've said makes a lot of sense. I considered running it off the Aether mark, but the problem is that would make the Shards less effective. This has caused problems with quanta balancing because while the cost of Lightning is incredibly low, it's still necessary to put enough Pends in that you can actually play them at all. This means you can get a lot of unwanted .

My gut feeling says this would be pretty bad in the Arena, what with the tough HP and a good likelihood of PC for the Shards. That said, I haven't tested it there, and it is capable of taking Half-bloods at 150HP. Anyone with the real cards is more than welcome to test it out for me

I'm interested by the Basilisk Blood version, though I feel it may have the same quanta/mark issues as with Lightnings.

Ugh, I completely forgot about the mark affecting SoV. In that case, possibly go for a dark/earth duo with BBs and wardens? Or some PA for the shard stack and/or shields/weapons? I still kinda feel like the aether in the original deck isn't really worth what you're giving up for it.

[Pineapple]

I just don't understand why you wouldn't run 6 Phase Shields. After all, if he's destroying your Phase Shields, he's not destroying your SoVs.

[xsindomanx]

I'm not sure if all the cc is worth it. How does removing all / most cc with pillars + dim shields + cloak(s)?

[Junkers]

Trying out something similar, unupped, entropy based stall with darkness mark for better SoV. Honestly, haven't gotten a SoV deck to work worth a damn yet, but stalling will be the way to go if someone comes up with a good combo. I already tried green mark with SoG and that didn't cut it either....

[ginandtonic]

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Against Half-bloods   

Aeithial   aether-dark
   win

Moral   death-life
   win

Lumes   light-air
lost      

Disonos   entropy-time   
   win   

Diseric   entropy-aether   
win      this one taught me to mind my lightning, as I needed it to both control creatures, as well as finish the game

Shadiel   darkness-light   
win   it's tough to balance the use of spells for CC and saving them for the finishing blow.  Here I risked creatures attacking thru my dusk to save the siphons for the killing blow

Chrra   time-earth   
win      is it worth it to use three bolts to kill a dune scorp and pharoah in the first few turns?  Yes!   

Ariofuze   air-fire   
loss      too many creatures   

Vitra   life-earth   
win      woah! Watch out for those stone skins at the end.  Got down to the last turn to win.

Disal   entropy-life   
win      didn't CC anything, let the shields do the work (dusk, then dimensional, then dusk)Hit heavy with 14 drain life and 3 bolts to finish.


8 and 2 isn't much, but all-in-all, as a half-blood farmer it can work. 

[CuCN]

Chrra   time-earth   
win      is it worth it to use three bolts to kill a dune scorp and pharoah in the first few turns?  Yes!   

Not if that time/earth can't make the dune scorpion do any damage.

[ginandtonic]

Hadn't thought that out, as I was in testing/grinding mind...Let me know what you have found in this interesting deck.