For the first time, I reached #1 on the active ladder! I've been #2 twice before so this was a sweet sweet victory. I actually did it twice (first time with a slightly different build I'll discuss below). This build is tailored for the Batford's Mansion PvP Set. Enjoy! Tiered Education System Level 22 Human Warrior Reaper's Scythe Howling Pain Howling Pain Snarlcub Hide Yvette's Buckler Chapeau Of The Afflicted Artist Vollmond Boots Subtle Positioning Superb Impaling 1 x Wild Run 1 x Pulverizing Bludgeon 2 x Toughened Hide Strips 2 x Subtle Parry 1 x Impaling Stab 1 x Blind Rage 2 x Impaler 1 x Officer's Harness 1 x Surging Shield Block 1 x Monstrous Hide 1 x Energizing Move 3 x Dodge 2 x Vanguard 7 x Howl 6 x Nimble Strike 1 x Creature Of The Night 2 x Obliterating Chop 1 x Defender's Block Corporate Interests Level 10 Human Warrior Reaper's Scythe Howling Pain Howling Pain Snarlcub Hide Yvette's Buckler Chapeau Of The Afflicted Artist Vollmond Boots Subtle Positioning Superb Impaling 1 x Wild Run 1 x Pulverizing Bludgeon 2 x Toughened Hide Strips 2 x Subtle Parry 1 x Impaling Stab 1 x Blind Rage 2 x Impaler 1 x Officer's Harness 1 x Surging Shield Block 1 x Monstrous Hide 1 x Energizing Move 3 x Dodge 2 x Vanguard 7 x Howl 6 x Nimble Strike 1 x Creature Of The Night 2 x Obliterating Chop 1 x Defender's Block This build is a monster. Both my warriors are clones. Here are some key talking points: The build is slow (and I don't mean movement): Sometimes you'll go two or even three rounds with 0 attacks except for Howl luck and Nimble Strikes. The secret here is skilled movement. A novice would not play this deck well, because choosing when and where to run is often the difference between a deadly bait and switch by you, or a hack in your back by an opponent. You MUST use the movement to bait out theirs, and pray you have one more than they do for fleeing. In this way, your movement is effectively a Telekinesis. Your job is to put your opponent right where you want them. The attacks are fierce: When you do get a big attack, you'd better make good use of it. With all the Nimble Strikes and movement it is inexcusable to be out of position. You often CANNOT let your 9s, 10s, and 14s get blocked. And make good use of your Howl into All Out Attack! Also, once your opponent sees the big boys they have to respect them. You will occasionally need to bluff them. Wizards: Always the bane of my builds. Against 1 Wizard, you should use your movement to rush them, often times baiting the Warrior out of position along the way. Or, stay out of sight for a round, let their warrior think they've walled off the Wizard and hit them with two or three Nimble Strikes to bypass (with the warrior getting one swing along the way). Because my warriors like to hang around for many turns, and rely on precise board positioning, ranged damage stacks up QUICK and/or severely limits where on the board you can be. Against 3 Wizard control teams you often need to rely on the Priest, which I'll discuss in detail below. The short of it, wait for Bless and a hand full of movement. Use two characters as bait, reach with the third on Nimbles, and pray you draw a big attack next round. Alternatives: The helm can be Crusty Helm with little consequence. Galvanized Zombie Helm if you must. On map rotations where Wizards aren't as big of a threat, you can swap out one Howling Pain for something of your choice. The Lunginator, Troll's Ire, and Double-edged Sword are my preferred one major one minor. I actually recommend moving away from this warrior build entirely though if you need to deviate more. Its just too slow otherwise. The shield is also somewhat flexible, although whatever you pick will be objectively worse. Even on warrior heavy maps I never swap both for Parrying Buckler (usually just one). And for the record: two Reaper's Scythes isn't good, no Howling Pain's completely deviates from this, and just one of these warriors is not really viable (use something with more damage). Invention of Whiteness Level 1 Human Priest Sacrificial Axe Inquisitor's Morningstar Stargod's Raiments Aegis Of The Defender Ilinca's Moccasins St Ulrich's Bones Dirty Bundle St Ulrich's Bones Focused Positioning Advanced Piety 2 x Creature Of The Night 2 x Vulnerable 1 x Superstitious 2 x Altruism 1 x Heal 1 x Greater Heal 2 x Martyr Blessing 2 x Inquisitor's Strike 2 x Escaping Run 2 x Purge 1 x Minor Heal 3 x Vanguard 1 x Triple Heals 2 x Pressing Bash 1 x Cushioning Armor 1 x Destructive Purge 2 x Cleansing Ray 1 x Enervating Touch 1 x Weak Chop 1 x Strong Hack 2 x Defender's Block 3 x Bless The engine. Don't let her die. The warriors become TOO slow without her Bless and her surprise offensive potential. Plus her healing lets the warriors get away with their dud draws. The build plays itself really...there's not much to say. The alt build: I also reached #1 with two items swapped. Replace Ilinca's Moccasins with a third Vollmond Boots and use that token to replace Dirty Bundle with St. Bethan's Charm. I just found the extra trait to be worthwhile. The loss of speed on the boots was countered by the fact that I could not use my Priest in more bait and retreat scenarios. It also keeps more of her cards obscured from the opponent, which is an often ignored downside of Energizing Move. Cold/control Wizards: By god save those Purges and Cleansing Rays. Don't erase what they did last round to try and reach them. Play it as if you have nothing, let them overextend this round, and then surprise them just when they're ready to start passing. Wizards are the real reason why I've moved away from two Sacrificial Axe's - which if you're up and coming on the scene might surprise you to know is at least a top three best Divine weapon. Targeting: In addition to the Warrior movement, your Purges, your Triple Heal, and sometimes even your other heals, can be used to position the enemy. Nothing better than "wasting" a Purge on a blank opponent just to drop 14 in his back when you KNOW he has a parry. They also draw out blocks, especially scouting for Defender's Block. Superstitious: Pay attention. Don't let it lose you games. I have lost games from not paying attention. And moreover, know when it might be coming up! Keeping track of what is left in your deck is essential for high level play as I'm sure you already knew Alternatives: This build is pretty locked in. The third item slot can be any three Holy card item (for draw potential), or any item with a trait if you don't have the former. The boots are flexible, especially in different map rotations. Focused Positioning can be Subtle Positioning and you can use that extra token on either the item or the boot. Again, two Sacrificial Axes is good when the map rotation eliminates Wizards. But with the rise of new trait cards, Inquisitor's Morningstar might be here to stay. If you're missing one of these weapons, Huetotl's Firebrand, Spear Of The Cozqui, and Evensong are the only respectable alternatives (that don't deviate the build too much). But let's be honest, they're all even rarer than what I'm using. Thanks! Enjoy!
