Duelyst Forums

Firestorm Mantra S rank, August update

#1

Greeting again!

So in my efforts to restore fun to ladder here is another Songhai decklist I’ve been playing lately.

Full disclaimer, small sample size of games don’t make for optimal testing but I won’t be able to play much this next week so wanted to get the deck out there.

Without further ado;

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The list above in question is 11-2 in total in S atm (S rank position 8 as of typing) and I stress again that these are small sample sized to be drawing any real data from. That said, some musings.

  • Less overall damage per turn than the Artifact build but boasting higher longevity due being less hurt by common tech on ladder atm.

  • Phoenix Barrage is much better here due to decks such as Wanderer/Ox/Fault playing a slower gameplan in general while also running little in the way of heals, leaving you a opening of piling up massive amounts of damage before they can stabilize with a game winning board.

  • Marauder is very good against Wanderer on curve (requiring specific answers and beating Wanderer itself head to head) often resulting in awkward body blocks which favors your BBS and removal which can lead to devastating swings. Also one of the best cards against arguably your worst matchup, Ziran, while also just acting as a strong bluff on ladder as even when holding on to removal your opponents still have to hold on to potential dead cards for multiple turns at the risk of being blown out early on.

Q&A as per usual, enjoy and have a good weekend!

PS; if anyone has a specific theme or deck idea they want tested or feedback on I’m open to that as well.

9 Likes
#2

Kensho as ebon ox tech

4 Likes
#3

Ox would have been such a interesting card if you could trigger the Trail half with discounted minions, alas. Also never make the mistake of playing Koan of Horn’s in your Ox deck, it won’t end well.

:ghost:

6 Likes
#4

Mmm some questions…

Why no rokadoptera? That’s just awesome for the mantra turn isnt it?

Is the twin strike in 1 copy useful enough? I had it in 2x but i switched to 3x for some testing, but that card is kinda weird. I feel it is most useful on the first turns for higher tempo swings, since later in the game the opponent either has too many minions or with too much hp. But most of the time if i use it on the first turns i end up burning the draw cause i keep my hand full to take full advantage of abju… Will probably swap it for BRM.

Also when i play mantra deck i find myself always finishing the opponent with mantra itself so i removed the spiral tech, do you use them often?

Have you tried the knucklethingycantrememberthename. Having 1 mana cost i find it quite useful on the mantra turn, but it is kinda too much tied to be either discounted or boosted by spear or gates… Did you ever try it?

Thanks!

3 Likes
#5

Really saddened by that action bar requirement. I had to re-check ox to make sure that was the case before I’d be tempted to craft some kenshos for it. :persevere:

1 Like
#6

Try making a viable list that runs/ benefits from Kaido Expert pls.

1 Like
#7

even jay can’t do that

1 Like
#8

thoughts on a 3rd marauder?

1 Like
#9

Low value play, to clarify, Rok’s value lies in its ability to enhance your combo turn, but outside of that is quite poor. For the gameplan I have I’m looking to draw out games and be able to burn out people even at latter stages when they’ve banked on healing (as they do) and Rok is simply too poor of a draw later on compared to more Spirals, Cobra’s or Barrages.

So generally I don’t value Twin Strike all that much outside of its usage with Spear, but it doubles as card draw early on during the “setup” turns and functions as a 4th copy of Gotatsu/Thunderbomb of sorts, bridging my board control package between 2 and 4 mana. TLDR, I dont mind drawing 1 copy early, never want to see it again so additional copies are redundant outside of specific metagames. BRM is a good shout anyway as it’s solid tech against Magmar (Rognora’s Charm) and another rather good deck atm namely Titan Lyonar, as well as being a mirror breaker in songhai matchups where artifacts are involved.

Again, I’ve always played this as a control deck first, combo deck second, so my games tend to be drawn out longer than normal. I COULD play faster, but I’d also lose allot more games to early healing if that were the case. Early Mantra configurations even played up to 3 Spirals as a means to always draw it by 8 mana and to ensure you have the reach needed in meta’s teched against you.

Yes, it’s not very good in this sort of shell although you might be able to get more bang for your buck by playing it alongside Loreweaver in Kensho Vortex builds.

This is a tough one, granted. I’m of the position that we’ve hit a critical mass of Backstab minions to the point that Shadow Waltz could actually be worth considering. I’ll see what I can come up with but no promises, in general the fault with these builds are that backstab minions are way too understatted for a holistic plan to be built around them. To the workshop I guess

…Maybe, it’s very very good in the matchups it’s targeted for, so I’d have to test how often it’s a dead card to compensate. Madlad in me says to shave a spiral although the more sensible choice would be to cut either a Twin Strike, Cobra Strike or Barrage first, probably in that order.

8 Likes
#10

Speaking of which, have you tried such builds yourself? I guess they are less consistent and less versatile than pure Mantra, but still. Did you do any experiments in this direction?

1 Like
#11

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I can’t find my own atm but here’s a example of one of T2’s original lists.

Basically the interaction with Loreweaver works similarly to Intensify minions when you copy them, giving you higher intensify triggers. So when you hit Vortex with Loreweaver, what actually happens is not only do you get an additional copy in your hand, but it also gets a extra discount without you ever casting a additional spell.

TLDR

Loreweaver not only copies Voertex in hand, it discounts it as well, shenanigans ensues, allowing you access to cheap often free spells that not only power you Mantra turns but also give you board at the same time. Now mind you I’d build it differently but as a concept draft this is pretty good.

5 Likes
#12

I guess this draft is from rotation time due to the lack of spear, am I correct?

2 Likes
#13

Even then I’d be hard pressed to play spear here tbh, If I did it would likely be over Abjudicator unless I also go heavier on Barrage (which I would for the incredible Vortex synergy btw)

You really need to be careful on how you manage your Loreweaver’s chances to get good hits with this build. I’ll tinker a bit, Spear could be fine but you really need to work on getting some Barrages in there.

3 Likes
#14

Hmm, Ancestral is also pretty strange here. I get it, it’s for the hand refill after Kensho turn, but I would prefer HE here for the sake of versatility…

1 Like
#15

There’s a reason I play magesworn in titan

6 Likes
#16

How do you feel without OBS btw? I did a couple of match vs magmar playing flash juggernaut, and I got rekt both times. But i guess that there are times where you just want to dispel a minion (i’m still not very much updated on the meta, but i’m thinking desolator aswell could be a pain in the ass)

2 Likes
#17

Jay already ‘answered’ this on the artifacts thread.

He’s right in some ways, Bear Seal is at the lowest value I’ve ever known it, the number of meta targets is pretty low and it still feels pretty mediocre to cast against Wanderer, since they still get an unattackable 1/3.

That said I still run 2 in my list as a panic button for dealing with some of the shit like what you mention and replace them away in the matchups or situations where it’s unneeded.

4 Likes
#18

I’m on record as thinking very poorly of the card. Short of playing something very large like a 7/7 or a ironcliffe in your face, being proactive and trying to race via damage and minimising damage is often better than trying to stall and ultimately not do anything.

Even in the case of a Flashed out Wanderer, I’d rather equip a BRM and Phoenix Fire it after punching it myself to ensure im in a better board position than say simply OBS it and run away.

4 Likes
#19

Well when i play songhai i’m not particularly afraid of generic biggies like wanderer ironcliffe and such, but i feel like certain minions you just want to dispel them. I really don’t know how i could survive a flashed juggernaut, a desolator or any other minion with an incredible ability, even though i’m just probably doing something wrong then :S

2 Likes
#20

like Magesworn, which is played in some Titan and Ox lists.