[Deck] Twisty Misty

[The Haydes]

I wanted to share this deck with the forum and get some constructive criticism. It has been working very well and has been tweaked a few times, with the most recent tweak being this morning. I really enjoy playing this deck b/c it requires you to make skillful decisions to win.

Twisty Misty (40 Cards):
Hero:
1 x Zhanna Mist

Allies (10):
4 x Erika
4 x Sandworm
4 x Tainted Oracle
2 x Aeon

Abilities (21):
4 x Tidal Wave
4 x Destroy Arms
4 x Healing Touch
4 x Retreat
3 x Curse
2 x Holy Shield

Items (8):
2 x Mournblade
2 x Kings Pride

I started out playing a Jericho deck, but grew tired of automatic losses to Eladwyn. Twisty Misty is closer to an automatic win vs. Eladwyn. Besides Eladwyn, it is also an automatic win vs. Darkclaw. The only class that this deck struggles against (as does pretty much every other deck), is the Warriors, although it is still far from an automatic loss against them.
My basic strategy is to limit damage as much as possible until turn 5. That is done by using Curse, Retreat, and Holy Shield. Once turn 5 hits, the board layout and opposing hero will determine how you play. With a clear board, you can start laying creatures. With a stocked weenie board, you may Tidal Wave… or if you have time, Mournblade and then Tidal Wave.

Allies:
Allies were picked due to their staying power. The three heroes in this deck are all tough to get rid of. Interestingly, Aeon is the easiest to deal with. I expect that many people may think that I don’t have enough creatures in this deck, but I would urge those people to try it out first.

Erika: Auto Sac vs. Mages. Very Important vs. other Heroes. Can survive Logan’s ability, since she can’t be targeted.

Sandworm: Use vs. every hero. Vs Mages they will last through Supernova and other direct damage. Vs. Warriors/Hunters they can eat weapon/armor durability. Can survive Logan’s ability.

Aeon: Use vs. every hero. Can be important to shield Erika from Crippling Blow.

Abilities:
Tidal Wave: Auto Sac vs. Darkclaw. Use with Mournblade or Holy Shield for nice combinations. Never ever sacrifice against anyone but Darkclaw.

Destroy Arms: Auto Sac vs. mages, except for the occasional frozen sapphire. Always use on Dual Wield if possible. Save to only use on What big Teeth when playing Dark Claw.

Healing Touch: Mainly for use vs. Race Decks. This is the card that allows you to beat Eladwyn over 50% of the time. Can also be used for crippling blow if the ally has been damaged (I wish that would get changed to be able to use on a full health ally w/crippling blow).

Retreat: Use vs. all heroes. Use in beginning to save health. Use in middle/end against big boys.

Curse: Auto sac vs. Darkclaw. Play on turn 3 against every other hero.

Holy Shield: Can be used vs. all heroes. Use in the beginning on turn 4 against race decks when they have a bunch of creatures out. My rule of thumb is to use it when opponents’ allies can do > 4 damage the next turn. Can be combined in late game with Tidal Wave for a great combination.

Items:
Mournblade: Use with Tidal Wave for a devastating combination.

King’s Pride: A game changer when used at the right time.

Wizent Staff: Draw engine vs. Warriors. Peck mages for 1 damage (Save shadow energy for Zhanna ability vs. mages unless you really need to draw a card).

That’s it. Thoughts are Welcome and Good Luck to anyone who would like to try it out.

[TOPSECRET]

You say you chose your allies for their staying power, but Erika really isn't that strong defensively. Sure, she can't be attacked but that doesn't mean she can't be targeted by spells. On the other hand, if you replaced her with Raven, while you miss out on 1 attack, you gain 3 defense and an ability that removes all base attack from allies she attacks. Her health enables her to survive either a Supernova, Eladwen's ability, Nishaven's ability, Smite and Majiya's ability (probably a few more too). Though if you really want to stick with her, you may want to get a few cheap Brigittes to redirect damage to.

Then again, I'm a bit of a newbie so you might want to look for other peoples' views.

[MrsZeroDeville]

Too bad Ter Adun just eats this deck alive ;p Good game man, and to your point: yea I definitely agree about blood frenzy

[Yvan Antoine]

Really interesting deck with the mournblade. I think considering your zhanna you don't really need 4 healing touch. Maybe consider adding kings pride. Either then that seems promising, very viable deck.

[akratch]

The only things I'd question are the # of mournblade and the inclusion of erika. She is too frail IMO. In my testing of mournblade, it was too situational or "cute" to be relied on. I'd often find myself trying to set up plays with it only to wave away allies then be hit with a poor quality or something along those lines. It's a powerful card, I just wouldn't rely on it much. What is you're rating with this deck?

[busti]

I won't say that you don't have enough allies, but i doubt the interest of KP in this deck !

[PoisonTea]

deck looks good but I like to see more 4 king's pride

[fiddlestix]

You say you chose your allies for their staying power, but Erika really isn't that strong defensively. Sure, she can't be attacked but that doesn't mean she can't be targeted by spells. On the other hand, if you replaced her with Raven, while you miss out on 1 attack, you gain 3 defense and an ability that removes all base attack from allies she attacks. Her health enables her to survive either a Supernova, Eladwen's ability, Nishaven's ability, Smite and Majiya's ability (probably a few more too). Though if you really want to stick with her, you may want to get a few cheap Brigittes to redirect damage to.

Then again, I'm a bit of a newbie so you might want to look for other peoples' views.

Erika: Auto Sac vs. Mages. Very Important vs. other Heroes. Can survive Logan’s ability, since she can’t be targeted.

Really interesting deck with the mournblade. I think considering your zhanna you don't really need 4 healing touch. Maybe consider adding kings pride. Either then that seems promising, very viable deck.

Problem is, the only draw engine in the deck is Wizent staff, so you won't have much SE for healing. Hence the inclusion of these.
This ,in my opinion, is an issue with the deck because when someone destroys your staff, you are more or less screwed because your win conditions are all really high cost, and you need to sac stuff til at least 7 or 8 to be in a favorable position.

I've never had a situation in which mournblade really shined for me so I'll consider it personal preference, but there are definitely better things you can add here, such as ghost maker.

A lot of people suggest upping Kings Pride to 3 because odds are you will sac one, and you would def want to play 2 in a game because having only 1, then having it destroyed can mean you just lost. However, your draw engine cannot support it.
I feel like the deck lacks balance between CC and draw engine. You have only Wizent (4) which costs SE, and all your good cards cost at least 5.
In my experiences, zhanna needs to hit really high resources for her to dominate, and it starts at 8+, preferbly 10 or more.

I would suggest you try bazaar at the very least because you would benefit from high resources more than others. Tainted Oracle + ghost maker is a very potent engine as well.

[The Haydes]

Erika: Auto Sac vs. Mages. Very Important vs. other Heroes. Can survive Logan’s ability, since she can’t be targeted.


Problem is, the only draw engine in the deck is Wizent staff, so you won't have much SE for healing. Hence the inclusion of these.
This ,in my opinion, is an issue with the deck because when someone destroys your staff, you are more or less screwed because your win conditions are all really high cost, and you need to sac stuff til at least 7 or 8 to be in a favorable position.

I've never had a situation in which mournblade really shined for me so I'll consider it personal preference, but there are definitely better things you can add here, such as ghost maker.

A lot of people suggest upping Kings Pride to 3 because odds are you will sac one, and you would def want to play 2 in a game because having only 1, then having it destroyed can mean you just lost. However, your draw engine cannot support it.
I feel like the deck lacks balance between CC and draw engine. You have only Wizent (4) which costs SE, and all your good cards cost at least 5.
In my experiences, zhanna needs to hit really high resources for her to dominate, and it starts at 8+, preferbly 10 or more.

I would suggest you try bazaar at the very least because you would benefit from high resources more than others. Tainted Oracle + ghost maker is a very potent engine as well.

Thanks for the idea. I pulled out the 4 x Wizent Staff and replaced with 4 x Tainted Oracle. This should allow some card drawing without the need for shadow energy.

[FDL]

I also switched to Tainted Oracle as my main Priest draw engine. Sure they might get crippled, retreated or you might have to wait until you can use Tidal Wave to draw but you can use your SE for healing, its a board presence (not to be neglected if you have King's Pride in play), will absorb damage and may even a crippling blow (which won't go on your fatties).

I currently run 4 TO, 2 Wizent's Staff (for emergencies) and 2 (or 3, can't decide) Ghostmaker (which work great with TO but also with all the allies you listed) and I rarely run out of cards.

Edit: Obviously, the very next game after writing this, I draw none of the 8 mentioned card out of 15...