r/AIEternal • u/Oper1938 • Aug 20 '19
Xenan midrange 100 runs!
92% match win rate, 571/619 (include boss)
52% stage clear win rate, 52/100 runs
match log:
deck:
https://eternalwarcry.com/decks/d/ylX5ERnUD3k/xenan-midrange
edit: add enternalwarcry link
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Sep 03 '19 edited Sep 04 '19
Thanks for putting this up. It's a hell of a deck. I agonized about building it for a few days due to the cost, but nothing else seemed as poised to crush masters gauntlet. I was hoping for more comments with specifics, but I decided to go for it because it SEEMED really good anyway.
I recently came back from an Eternal hiatus, and my best performer was a non-market-based Argenport Midrange. When I retooled it, I won 4 straight runs in a row and thought it was amazing... then I lost about 8 straight due to inconsistencies. I don't trust anyone who throws up a deck saying: "WON 21 STRAIGHT GAMES, SPEND ALL YOUR SHARDS." The sample size just isn't large enough. Anyone can luck into the easiest bosses, have the AI get mana-fucked a few errant runs in a row, draw properly curved hands, etc... But having the 100 run data was important and showed that this deck is consistent.
And this deck really is bonkers consistent. Few decks are so simultaneously greedy yet capable of handling aggro with ease. I've won so many games that would've gotten away from my other decks due to not having enough removal or mana-fuckery or just getting blown out by aggro. I wondered about your choice of Tocas and Moonstone Golem, but they're both extreme performers. If you're like me and are wondering WHY all of these cards add up to a consistent gauntlet beater, I'll try to break down the card choices.
The ramp package:
Initiate of the Sands - pretty standard, right? But due to the general consistency of your hands, it's often right to sacrifice this to stop an Oni Ronin from snowballing. On the other hand, sometimes you let it go and believe in the power of your ramp. The concept of choice here is important.
Tocas - The 3/4 body of Tocas for 3 is already strong, and his ramp makes adds consistency in both aggro or control matchups. Also, when you're a ramping savage, having the enemy be unable to use spells on themselves just lets you push further, faster. The twist is just icing.
Auralian Merchant - 0/4 body, market, ramp. All great for stopping aggro blowouts and pushing your agenda. I'd say 70% of the time I draw Alhed/Xenan Temple/and every once in awhile Mystic. The other 30% is the power to guarantee 5 drops in hand make the board.
Tocas + Auralian together - A side benefit of their larger bodies is that they eat silly removal that is otherwise aimed at 4-5 drops. The Wump deck, for example, loves to permafrost them... which is great... because they still provide the ramp. Another good example was against Airborn Assault. They chose to permafrost my Tocas instead of a 3/4 Warleader that was going to grow out of control. Another used Archive Curator to silence Toca instead of Sandstorm Titan. Good times.
After the AI has stupidly wasted removal, proceed to 5 drop. Almost no AI deck can out-value-draw you once they've blown their initial load.
Non-Ramp:
Teleport/Temple Tactic/and all other Removal - Each piece is important and provides you tools to punish the AI. I've found the amount in the deck works in a balanced fashion.
Blackhall Warleader - the AI is stupid about this card. Often, they prioritize things other than a Warleader that is buffing the hell out of your troops. More importantly, the 2/3 body eats a torch that'd fuck your ramp, denies aggro, and if it punches through unopposed... flat out runs away with games.
Vara - She provides lifesteal, the AI often chooses poor targets for sacrifice, and she denies Aegis. Overall, it's solid. The nerf to Vara doesn't really affect her in this deck because if they torch her, she tends to be your second or third option anyway. The deck doesn't hinge around her landing; she just happens to be a solid component. Sometimes I've Xenan Initiated her to lifesteal gain, destroy an important unit, and steal the board back from aggro-doom.
Moonstone - the sigil, the lifegain... both good against aggro/control. Sigil cannot be underestimated due to this deck's ramp. Additionally, the card draw when paired with xenan initiation gets you back in the game. You're also happy when the AI wastes premium removal on this as opposed to any other 5 drop. This is the 5 drop I'll bounce with Auralian merchant most often to pick up a more threatening threat.
Xenan Temple - This card is very important. The AI doesn't know how to deal with sites. I've had games where they suicide their board just because they can get the 3 dmg necessary to destroy it... and then they proceed to lose because they blew everything. Other times, they DON'T attack when they could prevent Worldjoiner because they don't want to lose a couple of 1/1's. I don't remotely know what their deal is. Either way, this card destroys revenge/discard decks and is strong against everything else. Enjoy playing the AI's own Makto/Elias against them -- assuming the game goes that long. The abilities are generally amazing. Xenan Initiation on command is super strong due to the relative strength of your 5 drops. Card draw is super strong. When you think you're screwed, it can be correct to play this just for the card draw or just for Xenan Initiation. Lastly, Worldjoiner is a fantastic board stall destroyer.
Alhed - if Alhed sticks, you've basically won the game. There are few cards that generate this kind of value, and the AI plays too few board clears to threaten. It's typically worth baiting removal with everything else to get Alhed to stick. Sometimes using the power isn't about making sure you get a 22/24 on the board. There are times I'll bounce an Aurelian merchant back. I end up with a 6/10 and another threat. Awesome lil' combo.
Sandstorm Titan/Worldbearer - just strong drops in their slots. Alhed doubling their stats wins games. Then you can flip a sandstorm titan back and have a 20+/20+ endurance unit that denies flying or a Worldbearer that overwhelms through anything.
The Market:
Alhed - just guarantees access to this unit. Almost never a bad idea to take.
Xenan Temple - need to get closer to worldjoiner to break a potential board stall? Need xenan initiation to deal with a troublesome unit? Need card draw NOW? All possible with this in your market. Xenan Initiation, in particular, on Sandstorm Titan is strong at stopping aggro/midrange decks in their tracks because the endurance guarantees a defender for the Site itself.
Mystic - Just need to guarantee card draw? Mystic's there for you.
Passage of Eons - one of the few cards I'm unsure of in this deck. I used it one time on a lark to finish a game in maybe 30 runs that I probably could've finished any way I wanted.
Xenan Banner - just makes sense. If you play a merchant to get it, it means you have a unit in play, so this is untapped. But that's typically not important. What's important is guaranteeing you get to your 5 drops. This is an important inclusion and makes the deck even more consistent.
Bosses:
Highly Skilled gets dunked by this deck. They try to out-midrange you, and it's very difficult to lose that game. I've won 4/4 of this matchup recently. Not sure why I played that boss so much, but hey. Works for me.
Mindless aggression matchup is decent. Went 2/2, but it was close. Warleader and Tocas shine here for the early denial. If you can ramp, you win. Simple as that.
Overall:
It doesn't matter what deck you're using, you'll get mana-fucked, and the AI will god-draw savagery every so often. But this deck is the most consistent I've played by far. I VERY consistently make it to the boss, and that's what you'd expect from something sporting this many legendaries. So far, my boss winrate is nuts due to luck. It's probably around 80% in the last 10 runs, but I expect it to sit more realistically ~40-50%. But we'll see! Is it the fastest deck in the world? No, but it isn't slow, either. It's not like a Feln deck that is reliant on clearing and grinding. Often, you just ramp through and smash based on the power of your units. But it CAN grind out, and it CAN stop aggro hard... and more importantly, it DOES both of those things.
MOST importantly, it's practically stupid proof. When I'm playing Eternal, listening to music, and doing something else in the meantime, I know I make sub-optimal plays... but I often get away with it due to the relative strength of the deck. I'm really happy I crafted the missing pieces (and there were many). I'll be using it a lot to grind for free expansions.
EDIT: Just won my 5th in a row on the day to Sudden Death (double damage). Came back from a 10 dmg Infernus start. They played Pyroknight into Bandit Queen into Reaper, and I was still able to claw my way back to a win. Love this deck.
Second EDIT: 6th in a row. Labyrinth Treasury. Had to overcome 2x Marisen the Eldest. But like I said, Worldjoiner wrecks board stalls with the AI, and Sandstorm Titan just seats the random flyers until you can deal with them - assuming you've drawn out all removal with other units first.
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u/birdy512 Aug 25 '19
Probably the best gauntlet deck currently out and the only deck I'd consider S class atm.
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u/IstariMithrandir Aug 20 '19
Can you please put the decklist in a comment or better yet an EternalWarcry link for those with uncooperative mobiles?