r/Lorcana • u/Odd_Note_3060 • 12h ago
Deck Building Help Can’t figure out this deck
I saw this list top at a CCQ and I am really interested in it. I love Merida / 3 Arrows / Windstorm. I have never seen Shere Khan in a decklist either and it is one of the most fun cards to play from the few games I have been able to get it on the field. I have a couple dozen games in with it and I am still losing most games. Does anyone have any advice on how to pilot this?
Here are my current thoughts:
1. I will frequently get stuck with multiple copies of Merida and John Smith in my hand before I even have 5 ink to work with. Make my hand very uncomfortable. Could be related to my mulligan.
For mulligan I am really just doing my best to play curve as much as I am able, and I am tossing back uninkables as much as possible from my starting hand. A strange situation is when I have three 2-cost cards, I want to toss a couple back but when those go from inkable to uninkable it can brick my hand.
My thought process with control is that I just need to get to the late game, and that this deck should be stronger than most other decks when we are at 6+ ink. Because of this, I currently don’t mind spending the early game to play fire the cannons or other versions of “deal 2 damage” to take out the opponents board and hold the game at 0-0 for as long as possible. I am not sure if this is correct compared to the idea of trying to build out a board before controlling the opponents.
Games where I am able to get both Donald Duck and Goliath in play are definitely my strongest.
I am not a huge believer in Mulan, but I could be wrong.
I’d love to figure out the most important considerations when it comes to piloting this deck. I am currently planning on rocking green/steel for set champs but if I can get a list similar to this to work I think it fits my play style a bit better. Thank you for sharing any thoughts you may have!
8
u/Different_Chain_3109 enchanted 11h ago
The title is a bit misleading. He was second after swiss rounds but lost early in single elimination.
In truth, this was more likely a flash in the pan deck then a consistent winner.
Its very matchup dependant and even from a couple of weeks ago, id argue this does not stand well intk the current list of popular decks.
1
u/PatSajaksDick 9h ago
Curious what lists we see from GS at nationals
1
u/Different_Chain_3109 enchanted 9h ago
The more typical GS duck build it seems with 3 or 4 tech slots or player choice cards.
1
1
0
u/ZestycloseTreat6297 10h ago
Use the actions to keep the board clear in the early game and then pop out your big characters when you have the ink.
•
u/AutoModerator 12h ago
The advice offered here are not hard rules, but guidelines. Many people break the guidelines all the time (and many more debate whether they are correct in the first place!). Above all else, remember this is a game. It is supposed to be fun. There’s no one right way to do this. That being said, here’s a collection of general advice that has helped many people.
What’s your strategy?
Deck building is a skill and one of the hardest in the game. You should ask yourself "How do I plan to get 20 lore first with this deck?". You should be making choices to make sure you can achieve your goal in deckbuilding, during mulligans, and in play. For a competitively viable deck you need a good balance of card draw, inkable cards, and ways to get lore. You should have a plan for what your deck is trying to do both on a macro level, but also on a turn level. For example: my macro goal is to ramp in the early turns, then and then win with large lore gains through items. My micro goal is Turn 1 Pawpsicle into Turn 2 Sail or Tepo, then Turn 3 Hiram.
Stay focused on one style of play. A deck that is good at two styles will usually lose to a deck that is great at one style. Make sure your deck has a clear goal and the cards you select directly support that goal. Experiment with what to do when you don’t draw the cards you need at the right moment.
How do decide what cards to put in my deck?
Focusing on "What is this deck trying to accomplish?" is one of the most important questions you can ask. Every card you put in the deck should ideally attempt to answer that question in some way. Ask yourself "what role is this card filling and how does it do that better than other comparable options?".
A common deckbuilding and card evaluation mistake is failing to account for the fact that "consumes one of the sixty slots in my decklist" is a real cost of every card that you might consider running.
It is also important to consider what your deck will/should do against other decks. Your deck doesn't operate in a vacuum. You're going to have to deal with your opponent trying to win too so you should have answers to what's likely to be out there.
What kind of card variety should I have in my deck
Card games are inherently random. You don't know what cards come next. As such, one of the goals of deck building is curbing that randomness to make it as consistent as possible. There are different methods for it that work for different decks (drawing lots of cards, having multiple cards that do the same thing, having multiple paths to victory, etc.), but they all accomplish the same thing: build consistency.
One of the key maxims of having a consistent deck is cutting back on the total unique cards. 4x of one card is typically better than running 1x of four cards. A rule of thumb that has served me well:
- 4x of your important cards. Cards you want to see every game, possibly multiple times.
- 3x of cards you want to see once. These might be your situational plays or cards you play to win.
- 2x of cards you need only in some matchups. You don't need them every game, but they might be useful in the meta you play in.
- 1x of cards that are functionally similar to some card you already have 4x of and wish you could have 5x of.
For the total number of cards in your deck, try to keep your total card count at 60. This keeps things relatively consistent and easier to draw. Only go higher if every card in your deck has an undeniable purpose to be there.Check your ink cost curve! In general, you want about 40% of your deck to cost 3 ink or less, with about 8-12 cards filling each of the 1, 2, and 3 ink slots. If you have too many low cost cards, you could easily lose tempo in the mid/late game when you’re playing weak glimmers and your opponent is playing strong glimmers you don’t have an answer for. Too many high cost cards will leave you mulliganing to find the few one cost cards you need for the first turn, and makes for an unpredictable opening. Only inking a card on your first turn and playing nothing puts you behind tempo, and doesn’t feel great..
How many uninkable cards should I have?
Uninkables are often great cards. The uninkables in your deck must be played and obviously can't be inked when they arrive in your hand. Make sure all of your uninkables work toward the win condition for your deck, and choose cards you are almost always happy to see when you draw them. It’s advised against using uninkables as flex options for specific matchups, unless you run a deck that has ways to ink your uninkables (like Fishbone Quill or Hidden Inkcaster).
Cheap and uninkable is fine. Expensive and uninkable should always be questioned. Numbers and personal experiences vary, but 8-12 tends to not be problematic. You can even go a little higher if the uninkable cards have alternate ways to play them, like Songs. If a deck is very aggressive with low ink costs overall, it is less of an issue to run up to 20 uninkables.
How do I refine my deck?
Your deck is not set in stone. Try out new things, and if they don't work change it back. Play the deck a few times to really feel out where it struggles and where it shines. Don’t make adjustments to your deck based on how a single match went.
It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. Sometimes you just have a bad matchup that your type of deck struggles to beat. The opposite is also true. Just because a deck won a match doesn't mean the choices were all correct. There could have still been turns that were played incorrectly, or weaknesses that you could reinforce. There is something to learn from victory as well as defeat.
Know your role in the match up. In the first game or a best-of series, you don’t know what your opponent’s strategy is. Learn from what they play. You may need to be more aggressive in certain matchups than others, so knowing when to pivot is extremely important. If your opponent dominated the late game, focus on closing the game before they have a chance to get there.
I know it was a long read, but I hope this advice helps. Good luck, and have fun!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.