Zen Rebuilt [AI4] [Gold] [Plat]

[Leodip]

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4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 71u 71u 71u 77i 77i 7js 7js 7js 7js 7js 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 7tc 7u2 7u2 7u2 7u2 7u2 7u2 809 8pt

(I though it might have needed a new thread by itself, if not, do what you want with this)
This is my personal build of Zen, I tweaked around a lot and this found to be the best for me.
It has the best winrate against AI4, their decks are easy to predict and you can easily guess whether or not you should be keeping your SoVs until you draw a PA and they being generally slow means that you have time to setup your field. However, games are long, and if you get an EM it's a 100 HPs one, meaning 80 electrums in about 20 turns or something around that. Given that most of AI4's money comes from selling cards from spins, this deck probably would have a better UEI in Gold.
If you're aiming to the Electrums, Gold is most likely your best pick, there aren't many Purifies around (not as many as in Plat) and the rewards for an EM are neat.
Platinum, instead, is probably the best for rare-farming: gold's WR is not enough to consistently win 3 games in a row and paired with the high TTW it means you won't get enough there. Platinum however only needs two wins in a row and, even though there are quite a bit of Purifies running, this deck isn't as susceptible to them as PDials is.

What this deck greatly suffers is Stone Skin and SoD, but they're doable. Pest, instead, most of the times means instakill.

A build with Quantum Towers and SoDs may be done but would be, IMHO, inconsistent, expecially if compared to this.

[Keeps]

Not a bad gold or plat grinder.
Stuggles a little with 200 HPers, an stuggles with getting 3 in a row in gold due to periodic bad hands.
Still, I would say I'm winning the majority of Gold games with it.

[Leodip]

Not a bad gold or plat grinder.
Stuggles a little with 200 HPers, an stuggles with getting 3 in a row in gold due to periodic bad hands.
Still, I would say I'm winning the majority of Gold games with it.

Yeah, I think I win a little less than 2/3 of the games in gold, losing the third just in time in order not to get the SS, lol.

[dragtom]

oh, the mulligan.

Unupped sundials seems to help quite a lot- you'll need 2 novae before your 1st SoSac anyway.
simply don't play a nova unless required.
If you fear you can't play it, you could also go with an upped/unupped split.

Also, maybe 1 or 2 improved heal instead of holy flash should help as well;
if you keep nova untill needed, the only downside of heal is that it doesn't kill SoSac'ed opponents.

Finally, why BL, and not simply a vampire dagger?
BL is kept in hand untill the win, while a dagger can come out earlier vs pcless or if you get a 2nd PA.
admittely, it might drain a bit of the strength of SL, but the gain is much greater.
EDIT: I forgot that SoSac will drain your quanta, but a dirk should still be better.
EDIT2: I found that you often still have enough quanta
EDIT3: And I found that you might kill yourself if SoSac is up.
Still, dirk>BL...
And since mulligan, long sword > dirk.

[CuCN]

With 18/30 0-cost cards, mulligan isn't really a consideration.

[Leodip]

oh, the mulligan.

Unupped sundials seems to help quite a lot- you'll need 2 novae before your 1st SoSac anyway.
simply don't play a nova unless required.
If you fear you can't play it, you could also go with an upped/unupped split.

Also, maybe 1 or 2 improved heal instead of holy flash should help as well;
if you keep nova untill needed, the only downside of heal is that it doesn't kill SoSac'ed opponents.

Finally, why BL, and not simply a vampire dagger?
BL is kept in hand untill the win, while a dagger can come out earlier vs pcless or if you get a 2nd PA.
admittely, it might drain a bit of the strength of SL, but the gain is much greater.
EDIT: I forgot that SoSac will drain your quanta, but a dirk should still be better.
EDIT2: I found that you often still have enough quanta
EDIT3: And I found that you might kill yourself if SoSac is up.
Still, dirk>BL...
And since mulligan, long sword > dirk.

I just won't consider all of the phrases which contain the word "Mulligan". It really isn't a problem, instead, with only 6 quanta generator cards, if a mulligan were to happen I'd find myself with little to no quanta for tons of turns, which I'd gladfully avoid.

Also, you're right on BL, I may want to put Dirk in its place, but mainly because Dirk damages after Void's reduction. I'll be keeping SL, too.

[CrockettRocket]

So with mulligan, we either want tons of zero cost cards, or little as possible if there not producing quanta. Is that what your saying? 

[Keeps]

Not that you 'want' it, but that the mulligan becomes statistically insignificant to care about in those cases. 

[dragtom]

with my edits, i could bring the 0-cost cards down to 3-5 non-novae.
and that is a significant change.

[Submachine]

I'd change that Siphon Life to a Voodoo Doll. Advantages: higher final blow. Disadvantages: you can use less Holy Flashes to heal yourself, and that 1 Flash will clog your hand till the end. Well actually this one is the least important.

Ball Lighthning --> Longsword however would be a true development.

[Leodip]

with my edits, i could bring the 0-cost cards down to 3-5 non-novae.
and that is a significant change.

And that's what I don't want. I already said I need quanta. If mulligan were to happen, I'd find one or two novae in the first draws, no more for the next 6 turns, which would spell death. Also, if you want to bring it to 3-5 non-novae zero-cost cards, I suppose you're going to drops holy flashes. How would you live on?