Post by: Newbiecake on April 20, 2012, 01:17:40 am
This deck was posted before the 1.32 game update and as a result may work very differently now. Use at your own risk.
The Ultimate: Bone-build
Mark of :fire is optional if you feel that you don't need to use the abilties the Shard Golem has and you want the extra draws from SoBe instead; you can also consider replacing the Quantum Towers with Novas if you're not afraid of Black Holes, and you also can't claim that you're playing a Mono Other deck. XD
The following is listed in respective order of viability in my opinion. Any other Shards besides the following are unworthy additions because they are either unviable or quite unlikely to work.
That occasional 50% Crit Damage is more than worth it.
If you like Scarabs or Deja Vu to double the pain, this is for you.
If you like an equilibrium between rushing and stalling, try this.
-Purify: Counters SoSac decks and anything with Poison in it.
-Explosion: Get rid of nasty non-shield permanents like Eclipes in Mono-Darks, etc.
-Protect Artifact: In case the opponent plays PC to destroy your Shards of Freedom to slow down your Shard Golem's damage.
-Improved Fog: Haxx Shield OP.
-Thunderbolt/Rewind: Good CC.
-Precognition: Gets through the deck even faster.
I personally recommend 2 Improved Fogs.
-Explosion: Get rid of nasty non-shield permanents like Eclipes in Mono-Darks, etc.
-Protect Artifact: In case the opponent plays PC to destroy your Shards of Freedom to slow down your Shard Golem's damage.
-Improved Fog: Haxx Shield OP.
-Thunderbolt/Rewind: Good CC.
-Precognition: Gets through the deck even faster.
I personally recommend 2 Improved Fogs.
Intro:
The aim of this deck is to build yourself a Shard Golem that has Immortality, which allows you to use any addional Shards of Wisdom you draw to buff it and give it spell damage; Airborne which gives your Golem a chance to Critically Strike for 50% extra damage if you play any additional Shards of Freedom (or before you contruct the Golem). Shards of Bravery and a Mark of :earth allows you to draw through your deck quickly and use the Golem's abilities.
This deck also kills Silver League quite efficiently. Immaterial Chimera vs. Mono Aethers are fun.
Strategies:
General strategy:
-Don't play the Shard of Integrity until you have at least 2 Shards of Wisdom, because with only 1 of it in your hand your Shard Golem won't have Immortality.
-Don't play the Shard of Integrity until you have at least 1 Shard of Freedom, BUT if you have any additional Shards of Freedom you should play them before contructing the Shard Golem to give it a chance to Critically Strike and bypass Shields (this will prove to be important if the opponent plays a Reflective/Emerald Shield and your Golem has Spell Damage from Shard of Wisdom's buff).
-Don't play the Shard of Integrity until you have at least 2 Shards of Readiness, because with only 1 of it in your hand you will get a Shard Golem with Burrow (see ability table), same with anything less than 5 Shards of Integrity. You CAN, however, go for a :fire or :aether ability if the greatest amount of a kind of Shard in your hand is Shard of Bravery or Shard of Wisdom.
-You must change your Mark to :life.
-If you think you'll be facing a rush deck, play all your SoGs in your starting hand before making a Immortal Golem with a :fire or :aether or :earth ability to damage your opponent.
-If you think you will go against a slower deck, play your SoI to consume all the Shards you have in your hand for more damage; play any additional SoG as defence if you get them.
-If you think you'll be facing a rush deck, play all your SoGs in your starting hand before making a Immortal Golem with a :fire or :aether or :earth ability to damage your opponent.
-If you think you will go against a slower deck, play your SoI to consume all the Shards you have in your hand for more damage; play any additional SoG as defence if you get them.
-If you have 1 SoV in your starting hand, you probably can't go for a Vampire Golem as it takes 3 SoV to make one. 1 SoV however, gives your Golem the passive ability Devourer.
-If you have 2 SoV in your starting hand, you can consider waiting no longer than one turn or use a SoBe to get more SoV. You need 3 SoV to make a Vampire Golem.
-If you have 3 SoV in your starting hand, just play the SoI already (don't forget the Immortality part with 2 SoW)!
-If you have 2 SoV in your starting hand, you can consider waiting no longer than one turn or use a SoBe to get more SoV. You need 3 SoV to make a Vampire Golem.
-If you have 3 SoV in your starting hand, just play the SoI already (don't forget the Immortality part with 2 SoW)!
Here is a list of abilities you can get from creating a Shard Golem and the stats it will have: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqwbWqlis8bLdERFekUyMmtFOFNFTXFNaThHWDVNT1E#gid=0
33 damage Thunderbolt OP!
(http://i.imgur.com/mI0i7.png) (http://imgur.com/mI0i7)
Deju Vu Spell Damage Golem!
(http://i.imgur.com/NUZSw.png) (http://imgur.com/NUZSw)
Post by: burpcow on April 20, 2012, 01:21:48 am
Post by: dragonsdemesne on April 20, 2012, 01:24:32 am
Post by: tyranim on April 20, 2012, 01:57:17 am
Post by: Belligerence on April 20, 2012, 02:21:43 am
i tested this deck a couple matches and all i can say is: "frightening, simply frightening"
^ Pretty much this. Probably the scariest part is, that once you SoW the Golem, there's almost no way to stop it. It'll be forever before I can make it, but really cool idea.
Post by: Newbiecake on April 20, 2012, 04:10:44 am
I'd use shards of focus instead of the explosions. If you don't want them to be part of the golem, just play them first. I definitely like the idea, and I plan to try a deck like this when I can. (only got 1 of each of the new ones, and 0 freedom so far)
Except most of the time you will only get 1 Quantum Tower to start with, and SoFo is too expensive to be played before SoI, and will delay you for a turn or two before you can make a Shard Golem. 5 of a kind of quanta source is just the right amount for 30 card decks if you really only need 1 of it to get your deck started (such as PSN Bows). SoW's buff and SoFr let's you get past Shields anyway.
Also, I added a list of cards to customize the 2 empty spots for additional non-Shard cards.
Post by: furballdn on April 20, 2012, 04:27:01 am
Post by: Newbiecake on April 20, 2012, 04:43:11 am
Played with a bit. Able to crush AI3 very quickly and powerfully, but doesn't seem it can kill AI4 as easily. It's also very prone to handlocks if you're up against denial or can't draw that very crucial first QT.So far I've never had a draw where my initial hand did not have a QT; 4 QT is too little and 6 is too much. It does have some trouble against 200 HP opponents as you can get outrushed, but with some luck you can get a our favourite Haxx Shield out in your initial hand or by topdecking via SoBe and they can still be doable.
Post by: furballdn on April 20, 2012, 04:45:41 am
>:(lol. I've only tested around less than 10 games, but I've already had 2-3 dead hands, and they didn't resolve themselves even after a few turns. (Sometimes even with 6 QTs, I must be really unlucky or something).Played with a bit. Able to crush AI3 very quickly and powerfully, but doesn't seem it can kill AI4 as easily. It's also very prone to handlocks if you're up against denial or can't draw that very crucial first QT.So far I've never had a draw where my initial hand did not have a QT; 4 QT is too little and 6 is too much. It does have small trouble against 200 HP opponents as you can get outrushed, but with some luck you can get a our favourite Haxx Shield out in your initial hand or by topdecking via SoBe and they can still be doable.
How would novas fit into this? You really only need that initial quanta burst. What about time mark, precogs and novas?
Post by: Newbiecake on April 20, 2012, 06:12:50 pm
I considered Novas, but it is so prone to Black Holes and you can't play more than 2 if you get a lot of It in your initial hand to make for for SoBe draws. Time Mark is just a waste; SoBe already does the drawing well enough and it also contributes stats towards the Shard Golem, while Precogs don't. You can add them in your 2 optional slots though.>:(lol. I've only tested around less than 10 games, but I've already had 2-3 dead hands, and they didn't resolve themselves even after a few turns. (Sometimes even with 6 QTs, I must be really unlucky or something).Played with a bit. Able to crush AI3 very quickly and powerfully, but doesn't seem it can kill AI4 as easily. It's also very prone to handlocks if you're up against denial or can't draw that very crucial first QT.So far I've never had a draw where my initial hand did not have a QT; 4 QT is too little and 6 is too much. It does have small trouble against 200 HP opponents as you can get outrushed, but with some luck you can get a our favourite Haxx Shield out in your initial hand or by topdecking via SoBe and they can still be doable.
How would novas fit into this? You really only need that initial quanta burst. What about time mark, precogs and novas?
News:
-Changed Mark of Fire to Mark of Earth and made Mark of Fire the optional Mark instead.
-Added other options for replacing Shard of Freedom!
-A huge update to my existing strategies guide and new guides for the other Shard options!
Post by: Belligerence on April 20, 2012, 10:39:33 pm
Post by: tyranim on April 21, 2012, 12:39:04 am
edit: dont cast SoW on it or it wont heal you
double edit: not so great actually, i just tested it again and i got a golem with voodoo... not so great
Post by: Kuroaitou on April 21, 2012, 08:18:45 pm
...gotta love these crazy Mono-Other variants now that shards are the new thing, eh? :P
Post by: furballdn on April 22, 2012, 06:58:59 am
SoI=obvious choice
SoBe=another obvious choice, more damage
SoFr=better than SoFo and can allow critical strikes
SoV=passives are quite nice, and can potentially heal
Out of all those, SoV is the one that can be replaced with something like SoD or SoG. SoD allows healing in a pinch, and SoG could let you get healing and adrenaline. I considered SoFo, but the low stats were too pathetic. SoW was removed since the high health of a golem doesn't make them very susceptible anyway (besides RT and antimatter)
Post by: Calindu on April 22, 2012, 08:46:59 am
Post by: furballdn on April 22, 2012, 06:53:34 pm
I use furballdn's version with SoR instead of SoV and SoW instead of SoFr, it's better when you don't have 3 of those in hand and Deja Vu skill is just epic.Yes. Good point. SoR also has neat abilities, like you said, Deja vu is wonderful. I still personally prefer SoFre since it allows bypass of wings, as well as allowing critical, shield bypass, and dodge. Immaterial doesn't matter that much since these golrms are really sturdy and no CC can kill them quickly.
Post by: tyranim on April 22, 2012, 07:48:29 pm
the main reason i love the immaterial is because reverse time is a bitch.I use furballdn's version with SoR instead of SoV and SoW instead of SoFr, it's better when you don't have 3 of those in hand and Deja Vu skill is just epic.Yes. Good point. SoR also has neat abilities, like you said, Deja vu is wonderful. I still personally prefer SoFre since it allows bypass of wings, as well as allowing critical, shield bypass, and dodge. Immaterial doesn't matter that much since these golrms are really sturdy and no CC can kill them quickly.
Post by: furballdn on April 22, 2012, 09:15:28 pm
I honestly don't see RT on my golem that much. Either way, RT is a pain, but at least you can get your whole golem back (albeit after a few turns).the main reason i love the immaterial is because reverse time is a bitch.I use furballdn's version with SoR instead of SoV and SoW instead of SoFr, it's better when you don't have 3 of those in hand and Deja Vu skill is just epic.Yes. Good point. SoR also has neat abilities, like you said, Deja vu is wonderful. I still personally prefer SoFre since it allows bypass of wings, as well as allowing critical, shield bypass, and dodge. Immaterial doesn't matter that much since these golrms are really sturdy and no CC can kill them quickly.
Post by: Gandora on April 27, 2012, 05:06:00 pm
Bravery is mainly for draw power. Focus + Void (more than 3 voids) gives a Golem with vampire and Momentum. Since your hand will mostly only have shards you'll have a golem with around 15 atk. The other focus you draw during the game can be used as PC.
Attention to not deck out ;)
I like your decks, I'll give them a try sooner or later :)
Post by: Drixiss on June 25, 2012, 04:58:16 pm
The upped precogs help a lot, and nova gives you more mana than you'll ever need. The shards of readiness could also be void, I was just trying to hit a deja vu golem but shards of void have uses outside of golems, while readiness doesn't help much otherwise, especially if you're going for an immortal one, which you should be.
I made a page on the wiki about it as well, but I guess that I can't link to it here?
Post by: Holokausti on July 06, 2012, 06:56:53 am
Post by: Dopha on July 06, 2012, 12:09:32 pm
I like this version^
Post by: Mammalman on July 25, 2012, 09:28:13 pm
i recomend adding an option for SoV. i just tested it out and i got a 22|28 golem with vampire... gg
edit: dont cast SoW on it or it wont heal you
double edit: not so great actually, i just tested it again and i got a golem with voodoo... not so great
i just posted a deck built around getting vampire
http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,42233.new.html#new
it's true you need 3 SoVs and sometimes you have to be patient for that...you also have to be patient waiting for 2 SoWs cuz immortality is pretty much a must. still, dropping a huge vampire golem (ideally it's airborne and Sofreedom-boosted) even a few turns later can stop new dmg in its tracks and quickly finish a game.
also there was some suggestion above that novas could clog the hand and slow down SoB drawing, but i don't think that's a big deal. a bigger issue is the opponent's hand being too full to use all the SoBs you'd want to...i run 6 novas just fine. black holes haven't been a huge issue either, even when they hit normally it's after the main golem drop and/or i have another nova as necessary.
SoW+reflect shields, turtle shield, GP+voodoo are bigger threats. healing rushes like mitosis/empathic bond/life or fractal/vamps/dark can compete, but dang does SoI pack some efficient, speedy punch with a decent draw...
awkward draws are probably the biggest problem. don't get an early SoFree and the rest are useless. have to make your golem before you've got 2 SoWs and a) your ass is hanging in the air and b) future SoWs are also useless. too many SoIs reduces the golem's attack, don't get one and you're a shard farm. get a 3rd SoW while waiting for something else, and you'll get lobotomize instead of vampire (which is worse and you can't pay for it mostly), so you gotta draw to 8 and discard the extra SoW.
SoBs help mitigate draw issues to an extent but with only 6 quanta cards there's less overlap between you having room in your hand and your opponent having room in his hand than you'd like...ultimately this deck requires a lot of patience and some luck but it hits often enough with a big immortal (flying) vampire and when it does it crushes a lot of things.
Post by: redeyesly on August 16, 2012, 07:06:29 pm
Post by: dragonsdemesne on August 16, 2012, 09:34:42 pm
Post by: furballdn on August 16, 2012, 10:47:47 pm
Post by: furballdn on August 19, 2012, 06:14:29 am
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Wins: 48/504
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Average TTW: 5.395833
EMs: Didn't count, but at least 5
Things of note:
TTW grew higher as I kept playing. Not sure if because my play got worse or was really lucky early on.
I probably didn't play perfectly, I made quite a few mistakes while crunching through these games.
I did misclick a few times, probably slowing down the TTW by 1 or 2 in a few games.
The most dangerous elder wasn't the :aether one, but rather the ones with freeze, BB, mutate, and RT.
The two losses were because I took a gamble and played an unimmaterial golem only for it to get RT'd or CC'd.
Slower games were often due to CC or shields or bad opening hands.
Conclusions:
Could probably replace 1 nova for a long sword or hammer. I think that'd help speed it up a bit.
I'm actually pretty bad at playing the ultimate. Even after playing it so long. I wish OldTrees was here to tell me whether to draw or use SoFre as a permanent based on probability.
CC is evil.
Post by: vivimancer on October 08, 2012, 04:08:19 am
ran this deck in gold, consistently able to win (60%-70%) around 6-8 ttw. Is only really weak against other rushes and if you can't get a golem out in the 3rd turn at the latest you're screwed, can't get your 2 SoW's in the first golem, you're probably screwed but it a great deck as is immune to Quanta denial, CC (if you get 2 SoW's), PC (after you've got your first golem out),
nice work + rep etc