Due to some interesting IRC discussion, I've been playing around with some ideas to make a Logan list that is relatively decent in 1.5.
Just as a warning, this isn't really a competitive level deck, but it is a lot of fun and tough too.
The list is as follows, with explanation below:
1x Logan Stonebreaker
3xInfernal Gargoyle
3xBad Wolf
3xPlasma Behemoth
4xCrippling Blow
4xRampage
4xBlood Frenzy
4xShadow Font
3xSmashing Blow
2xShriek of Vengeance
4xJeweller's Dream
4xReserve Weapon
3xEvil Ascendant
Total: 42 cards including Hero
The Process:
Logan is a lot stronger than most give him credit for, but he has a few weaknesses that can make certain match-ups/deck lists truly aggravating.
He can kill any ally he can attack (including Sandworm) as long as he damages it using his ability so Shadow Font was a must, and with Sever Ties being held to snip off Enrages, I figured why not benefit from this directly and use Rampage instead. Even against competent Mage decks you can maintain 20+ life even while BF is up, and without Enrage, for quite a while making use of Rampage's heal.
When I started this list, I was going for a solo build, including things like Evil Ascendant, Rusted Longswords (which are underrated IMO, being able to swing for 2 on T3 is very nice,) Jeweller's Dream, Berseker's Edge and Reserve Weapon. The limitation to this approach is that you are stuck with single attack per turn. Even with 4xCB, rushes and the Aeon+EP combo mean Logan has his work cut out for him to deal with every threat, and can rarely focus on doing damage.
This forced me to readapt to some form of ally mix, though I found the deck slowed down too much trying to play out lots of allies, and only a few seem to have the right synergy with Logan's ability/card set to be worth including. The main qualifications for this are being relatively cheap, decent damage and survivable, or being able to directly damage the opposing Hero. Shadow allies that meet these criteria are basically Gargoyle, DMT, Bad Wolf and PB. I've tried including Firesnake and Brutalis as well, but the list gets too crowded.
In the end, I returned to a smaller ally count and one of my ideas from the solo version, Evil Ascendant. Since Logan gets one swing per turn, you need an alternate source for damaging lots of allies, especially vs a rush, and EA is about the only option. That narrowed the ally field down to Gargoyle and Bad Wolf as the main choices, but a problem remained, where could I find enough damage to finish my opponent while Logan's one swing per turn is used on allies a lot of the time? So I included PB after considering other options like MD and Oggloth.
PB and MD can be switched relatively easily, but after some consideration the PB simply offered more chance to directly damage the Hero. Regardless of EA, getting each PB to stick is already tough, but well worth it even for just long enough to use his ability once or twice. Oggloth was a very attractive possibility, high health and with things dying to EA and Logan's ability, he beefs up really well. However, 5 cc is about the most you want spend on an ally in this deck, so for now I've left Oggloth aside.
Everything else in the deck should be self explanatory: CB for the things you can't immediately kill, Smashing Blow for armor/weapons, Shriek for draw-engines. Just be careful when and what you Shriek, as though this deck needs maybe 6 resources at the most, but gets along just fine at 5, you don't want to put yourself too far behind early by blowing up one of your own resources.
How it Plays:
The primary goal is to get a Rampage on Logan as soon as possible to maximize your life total. This doesn't need to be immediately on T4, sometimes you may need to drop a JD, a BF, or a Shadow Font instead, but by T6 you should have both JD and Rampage in play and a Reserve Weapon ready to play. Logan's ability + JD + Reserve Weapon will allow you to one-shot any non-stealthed ally, even a Sandworm, and JD's resource acceleration allows you to do a lot in one turn. This is the combination you want to maintain throughout the remainder of the game.
When using CB, don't just save them for fatties, it's okay to use one on an early annoyance like Aldon or PotL. Think of it as storing food for the winter, you can gain two life from that crippled ally later if you need it, and EA will eventually kill them off as well.
T3 is a bit tricky because you have a lot of possible drops: BF, EA, a 3 cc ally (and which one, Garg or Bad Wofl?). The key here is to try to pick what should be played based on how the board looks and what you have in hand. If you need a certain card, and the board is relatively clear, drop the BF. if the board is full of weenies, EA can help. If you are facing another 2-3cc ally across from you, or are expecting burn/ability use, drop an ally to take some pressure off your life total.
Later on, when you've managed to whittle the board down, and feel safe to do so, drop a single PB and see what happens. Chances are it will get immediately blown away, but that's alright. You have three of them so play them out patiently, until you get one to stick. This shouldnt conflict with much else, as JD has decent durability and with a Reserve Weapon out it comes right back with a nice bonus +1, so you won't be needing to play those cards over and over all that often.
You will be using your weapon primarily on allies, but if you can get in hits on the Hero do so, though keep a careful eye on your SE so you have enough to use Logan's ability when an ally comes down. Getting a single extra point of damage from his ability on the opposing Hero isn't super important. Instead, depend on Reserve Weapon to boost your total damage per JD swing.
Possible Future Plans:
-Somehow fitting a couple Oggloth in is appealing, but also a little situational.
-TKP might be useful, but it costs a lot to bring into play, and the deck isn't completely packed with allies.
-including a single Enrage and using only 3xRampage could be beneficial.
-I've also been playing with the idea of Valiant Defender + Wulven Tracker.
-Higher/scaling base damage weapons (primarily Dimension Ripper and Berserker's Edge) are appealing, especially DR vs Mages, but you also don't usually need too much actual weapon damage with Logan's ability.
Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome, thank you for reading.
Cheers,
-Harakhte
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