This is my abyssian swarm deck. I spent loads of spirit to try and amp it up to compete in ranked but I get even less wins now than when I was running a budget version of the deck and I don’t understand how. Any help at all would be appreciated.
Improving abyssian swarm?
Ok, First off, Desolator is a requirement in any Abyssian deck.
Next, your major removals are pretty non-existent, like Punish, or Ritual banishing, which are pretty much 100% needed in a swarm deck. Cryptographer is much better than planar scout, just because of the better body and HOLY SHIT THAT OPENING GAMBIT
Variax is fine, just that 3-offs are much better than 1, just because of consistency. Also, if you wanna play Variax, a good card to play would be Darkfire Sacrifice.
Ash Mephyt is trash if you wanna play constructed, use Thunderhorn if you have to. Also, Furiosa is needed in a Abyssian Swarm. Another requirement is Furor Chakram, ridiculously broken if played well, and pretty much wins you the game.
1 ofs make your deck very inconsistent, and you should try to make most of your cards 3ofs with a few 2ofs. Bonereaper, Ash Mephyt, Planar Scout all have zero place in this deck.
Next you need to decide what kind of deck it is. Is it Variax? Hyperswarm? Midrange Shadowdancer? Choose.
Finally, start weeding out bad cards for better ones. Get rid of Shadowstalk and get Wraithling Swarm, dump Shadow Watcher corn DFC/Grimwar, etc
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Also, not to mention that 3 Black Solus’ are much better than one, and Xerroloth may not necessarily be good in this situation, more in aggro Cassyva. Horn of the forsaken is ok in Swarm, but there are much better options (aforementioned Furor Chakram)
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desolator isnt a hard requirement in lilithe swarm and besides, this guy looks like hes on a budget.
drop the planar scouts
maybe healing mystic or zyx could work in its place
drop the horn of the forsaken as soon as you can
add more priestesses as soon as you get the chance
cryptographer and furosa are excellent additions (you generally want to run both)
you can remove the shadow stalk for them
ash mephyt isnt that great, it can safely be replaced
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Fair enough, but Darkfire Sacrifice is really good, and Thunderhorn can be plopped into any deck
I’m definately balling on a budget. I spent almost all of my spirit on this deck and I dont exactly have a way to get more. I have 160 in the bank right now and that’s it. planar scout ive been using to steal their mana tiles and gain slight advantage early game. I only have one black solud and cant afford another one. Same with the priestess. I added bonereaper because i often get in situations where i get swarmed by enemies because every deck has aoe stuff that wipes all my hard work off the playing field.
just work towards getting some ritual banishments, priestesses, cryptographers, and furiosas
those are the core of any lilithe swarm deck
Update: i had enough spirit to snag 2 furiosa and 2 cryptographers. Ill bump them to 3 when i get the spirit for it. I’m also using feralu to buff and act as a stand in for furiosa until i bump them up. im also planning on getting some prophet of the white palm and zyx to incorporate into the deck
I don’t think Feralu works on Wraithlings though…?
it doesnt? it’s worded in a way it sounds like it should
i think Tribe means it has to be in the card name, like for example “Mech”, or “Vespyr”
prophet of the white palm is sparingly used in Maehv Decks, and isn’t very effective in Lilithe. It can be strong, just you need to be a prediction god
I don’t think we’ve ever been introduced @judojugs, I’m Unreason, I show up once in a while for a day or three and compulsively power out walls of text. I swear I didn’t mean for this thing to go on so long, but oh well. Take a look at this.
Sphere of darkness and inkling surge do something small for almost no cost and keep even cards in hand while thinning out your deck. Incredibly useful. Replicants get something on the field while thinning your deck and drawing you more deckthinning. Cycle the third one out.
Zyxes and gloomchasers put two grunts on the field for one card, bloodtide priestesses are obvious in how they can run away with the game if not countered, and furiosas and cryptographers are good separately and great together. Soulshatter pact can end the game with a large board, or at least let you clear their side out, punish and ritual banishing are great ways to solve problems and lots of small minions make both of them work, wraithling swarm is obvious, and EMP…
EMP’s, even though they’re just rares, are maybe the most overpowered card in the game. They’re so good, you probably should run three of them in every single deck you make, and not change that until they get nerfed (which I think they eventually will) or until you’re far enough in your Duelyst career to start building high-spirit-cost decks. Even once you reach that point, I’d honestly start every deck by putting in three EMP’s, and seeing if they need to come out to make room for something really important once you start running out of room.
Seriously, EMP’s are so effing good, they’re a get-out-of-jail-free card stapled to an answer-or-die threat, should be nerfed to a 6/8 for eight mana, not a friggin’ 9/9 for seven, are you kidding me.
Anyone who says otherwise must be using them wrong or something, it’s all about the timing, generally wait to summon them until the mass dispel will severely worsen the opponent’s boardstate, or in a pinch use them as single-target removal for distant threats, if you don’t have a better option.
And some advice to a player on a budget, unless you focus entirely on one faction, once you’re ready to start making epics, start with three thunderhorns, and then possibly three bloodbound mentors, amazing neutral cards they are. And make three dancing blades right away if you don’t already have them, they’re the measuring stick for all five-drops in the game and can be placeholders for some of the rares in this deck until you get more spirit.
So, as an experienced Abyss swarm player, I can tell you one thing. Make Furor chackram ASAP. The card is a soulshatter pact on steroids for potentialy the whole game. It is a finisher, board control tool and enables some fun moments. Since you are going for budget, these are optional, but go a long way. Reaper of the 9 moons is an excelent card, because of it’s flying ability and high attack. It has an excelent synergy with furor chackram, because you place him in the back, next turn drop furor chackram and enjoy a 7 attack makantor. Also, his effect is great against beefy control decks. The second card that really helps in this meta is Soul grimwar (3 mana artifact with deathwatch: gain +2 attack). This card is great to use when you have a big/semi-big board around the time opponents boardclears enable, because this card will make even the beefiest Vaaths run to the other side. Also acts as a surprise finisher
Oops, I actually forgot about furor chakrams when I made my list earlier. Somehow. Yeah, they’re nuts good.
Ah, that feeling when a giant 5-attack lizard helplessly runs away from you. Good times.
Don’t leave yaboi deathfire crescendo out, insane card
Crescendo is a legendary though, and mainly usable only in swarm. Chakram is a rare, and can reasonably fit in any Lilithe deck.