Building a deck for Task I of Trials was certainly fun and challenging. The overall guidelines (50% entropy, not a "tried and true" deck) were challenge enough. But I'm never one to just stick with simple. I also had to make a deck that not only represented my own personality, but also the spirit of entropy itself. This mean rainbow decks were out (I hate them), repetitive decks were out (too boring), and overall success was secondary to making a deck that I just had fun playing. Oh, and I had to find a way to make it happen without a full range of upgraded cards. After some misfires, I finally arrived at this deck and I can confidently say that I've had so much fun using it that I've continued playing it even after the task was done. It's not the most effective deck out there, but it's the most fun I've had playing Arena. So without further delay I present:
Build'm Up and Knock'm DownHover over cards for details, click for permalink
568 568 6tt 6u2 6u2 6u2 6u2 6u2 6u2 6u5 6u5 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 744 744 744 745 745 745 745 74b 74b 75m 75m 75m 7n2 8pl | Wins | 40 |
| EMs | 20 |
| TTW | 10.15 |
Pre-spin  | 3702 |
| Post-spin | 4012 |
| Cards Won | 20 |
| Rare Spins | 4 |
The first thing I considered was Arena tendencies. A large portion of Arena decks generally feature a glut of PC cards. With this in mind I wanted to design a deck that would not be reliant on any type of shield. Eschewing the shield damage reduction option, I had to find a different way to reduce damage since outrushing an Arena deck is never a reliable strategy. Enter the Otyugh and Maxwell's Demon. Both these cards are fairly effective at stopping a rush if they can be played quickly, and getting out Otys 2nd turn and Maxwell's 4th turn has proven very effective. With damage reduction in place, I needed to find a way to do enough damage to win and I settled on Chargers. Their ability to bypass shields let me skip worrying about having PC to break chains and at 7 damage each they are effective hitters. The next problem then became those annoying decks that spam SoGs and Improved Heals to outlast you, so I needed a healing/stalling mechanism in return. This is where the nymphs and Discord come in. While a Discord/BH deck focuses on the quanta denial aspect of those cards, my decks uses them as tools to maximize healing. Rainbow decks are the best for this, generally giving 20-36 healing per turn. The Discord's main purpose is to spread out the quanta on monos or duos to increase the healing. So in this deck you are simultaneously building up yourself (CP, Nymph) and knocking down your opponent (Oty, Maxwell's).
It's almost impossible to really explain the playing style of this deck unless you actually use it. Every player will look at it and see a different deck type. Some will see this as a type of buffed Charger deck. Others will see it as a Discord/Black Hole denial deck. Still others may see a Maxwell/Oty CC deck. And they are all right. Just like the element itself, this deck is constantly changing and evolving from game to game depending on your draw and your opponent. And therein lies the fun of it. You never are forced to lock into a single playing style due to your deck type so you can always continue to adapt.
Breaking down the deck, there are many strengths:
- Consistently quick launch
- Capable of beating any style of deck
- Respectable EM rate
- Fun to use
This deck is very quick to get started. After completing the first task, I decided to do a quick 50 game TTW test in the Silver Arena on the deck to get some hard data on it. In those 50 games, I was able to play a 2nd turn Otyugh, Discord, or Charger 48 times. A wonderful product of the decks versatility if that there are no arena decks that are true hard counters to it. I've been able to take down speed rush decks, Timebows, Firestalls, GotP/Nightmare, Pestal.....you name it I've beaten it a couple times. In the 50 game testing sample, I was able to with 40 games (80% win rate). Rushes, denial, control, stall.....all of them can be countered by this deck. Not only countered, but countered hard. In the 50 game sample I was able to produce 20 EMs (50% rate). Most of all this deck is just fun. The ever changing nature of how you need to play it keep it fresh and exciting.
And a couple weaknesses:
- Electrocutor
- Not particularly fast
- Can be frustrating
The Lobotomize ability can destroy the deck. Since every creature in the deck is reliant on using it's abilities taking them away essentially neuters the deck and leaves you as a sitting duck. Luckily that's not a highly used card currently in Arena. Speed in setting up may be a strength, but overall speed definitely is not. My 50 game sample yielded a TTW of 10.15, but in reality it's probably closer to 11 once you factor out some of the outlier numbers from <100hp decks for example. While an effective deck for Arena, this limits it's efficiency. Another thing is that the deck itself can be frustrating at times. You will face a deck that you know you can dominate if only you could just draw that Oty/Nymph/Maxwell's. These losses are more maddening than any and can take a toll if several get chained in a short period of time.
This is a deck that was built to embody the spirit of what entropy represents. It won't be the fastest out there and it won't have the best win rate out there, but it will be something fun to play and can make a nice change-of-pace deck when the hardcore arena farmer needs a break from the grind. I encourage everyone who is able to try it out and post and comments, questions, or suggestions you might have for it. Have fun everyone!
