From Trials #1:
Mastering the Cards
FractalFractal anything is viable? Right? Well it is, but there are some conditions. Fractal is a decent/justifiable card when cast on any creature, but decent/justifiable isn't enough to be the core of a competitive deck. For that, fractal has to be used on a creature which makes its effect worthwhile. These typically fall into four classes:
For now, I'm just gonna discuss Fractal Rush Creatures.Combining fractal with 0-2 cost creatures can allow you to just unload an army of hitters the same turn as you fractal. With a stable quanta base, these creatures are usually out of your hand by the turn after you fractal. Since this strategy allows you to play 8 copies of a creature using just two cards within the first 4-6 turns, you really want to leverage the damage and be able to set your opponent up for the kill. So having at least 4 attack, as 8 4 attack creatures are enough to kill in three turns with 4 extra damage done beforehand.
Unupped, no creature can fit the criteria to make a Fractal rush. Horned frog comes close, but 3 attack is much slower than 4 attack (needs one more turn at least, and playing just one of the creatures beforehand isn't enough to ensure the required damage). Upped however, several creatures fit:
Minor Phoenix: 4 attack is a decent sweet spot, and it is in-element with deflagration so shields pose no threat. The CC resistance is just icing on the cake. Don't expect these guys to counter mass cc like Thunderstorm or Rain of Fire however; the one turn of damage lost and
spent reviving them is usually too much to recover from.
Graviton Guard: 4|7 is pretty much perfect for 2 mana, as this just ignores all cc and goes on hitting. Gravity does not have the best support for it however, though Chimaera can be an out for shield bypass (or a Panic button if needed), Titan can augment the rush and Chargers act as another brand of fractal target (more on that later)
Giant Frog: 5 attack for 2 cost? Wow! Except, 5 attack is usually not to be faster than 4 attack. If you have 8 of these post fractal, you still need 3 turns for the kill. It does give some leeway vs shields however, which is necessary since
does provide any form of pc or shield bypass… or any support really. However they are decent hitters played alone, and so can often take the game with sheer power.
Ball Lightning: 5 attack for 0 cost? Amazing! Except it just dies at the end of the turn, so you need multiple fractals to actually get the win. Which requires you to draw better, the bane of a rush deck.
Spark (and Phase Salvager)Spark has unique position of providing the best damage-to-cost ratio for any creature in the game. However, its normal effect is not a creature but rather a damage spell that only hits the opponent and is affected by shields. Which is… not a good thing. To make up however, Spark has some of the strongest combo potential for such a vanilla card. It is honestly an amazingly designed card , with such a simple aesthetic and mechanic but so many combos.
SoPa + Aflatoxin: This is mostly a grinder combo, since it's very slow in PvP. But spark provides the best malignant cell generator with SoPa, since you can play it after you've played SoP and still get the malignant cell. SoPa alone also makes the spark an amazing hitter, but it has very low HP and is too slow to grow without any inherent defense.
Fractal + Sky Blitz: While just fractal on Sparks is usually not enough to finish the game, Sky Blitz can function as a better second fractal. And using a pend base, you can get it out faster! Throw in some damsels for a wicked fun deck.
Immolation: Spark functions as great damage to add to an immo deck, and is the perfect imo fodder at 0 cost. Immo+Spark forms the foundation of some of the fastest PvP and grinder decks around.
What about Phase Salvager? Yeah it has an interesting mechanic, but costing quanta makes it pretty useless :/
SilenceSilence is a card that's often thought of playable. In reality, it fills a very special niche: ensuring you can push damage without opponent interfering with pesky cards. It's denial effect is the most potent in the game, but the trade of 1 card for 1 turn does make it pretty weak. So you must build your deck to maximize the value of Silence, and for that synergy is a must.
Parallel Universe/Fractal offer in-element synergy with Silence due to their bursty nature. If your opponent is a domin, silence can easily ensure your field survives the turn. If you want to stick silence in a burst deck, however, be sure to optimize it so that the job can be done in as few silences as possible.
Nightmare is an amazing card for any dark domin. One of its main perks is that it puts the opponent at 8 cards during his draw phase, preventing a draw from the opponent. Silencing during that time lets you stop the draw for two turns straight! While the combo is a bit inconsistent, it can be very strong vs decks which rely on drawing its own combos.
Denial cards such as
Devourer and
Discord can be utilized alongside Silence to have denial for a longer duration. Just as the quanta is stabilizing for the opponent, you can silence him to stop him for further turns. This is not very strong though, so your deck should include a bursty PU/fractal wincon to make the silences worthwhile.
