Step-by-Step : Anatomy of a Standard Deck
Introduction
*Takes a seat*
Good day, sir Conquest here. Im here to share with all my fellow sirs the anatomy and components of a standard SE deck. Now, what does it mean by standard? In this case, standard would be defined as used or accepted normally or on average. A brief overview would show us that a standard deck would be composed of various components available in Shadow Era: A Hero and its allies, abilities, weapons and armors. Aside from reviewing deck components, we will also take a look at the ratios of the components, assuming the build of a consistent 40-42 card deck.
Deck Components
*Pours some tea*
As mentioned in the introduction, we assume that a standard deck would be commonly composed of a hero and its allies, abilities, weapons and armors. Note that different archetypes of decks or heroes would be composed of different amounts of each component, but on a general overview, this is how a mapped out deck would look like:
1) Allies
*Sips some tea*
There are various allies in the game, and each ally from each faction can play a different role in decks. Allies are generally divided into the weenies, and the fatties, as well as some for utility.
Weenies
In the game, weenies are generally referred to your 1cc3cc allies.
1cc allies are fragile, and have a maximum of 2hp. These allies are usually to weigh in a slight bit of early damage, and are weak in board pressure throughout the game. However, some may still be useful for certain combos like playing Kristoffer Wyldwith his Haste to wittle durability. A more balanced deck would often exclude 1cc allies in turn for more space of better allies, or abilities. However, decks that are catered for fast damage may include 2-4 1cc allies, such as Rush decks.
2cc allies are often played as a stepping stone to increase board pressure. Opponents have to deal with them, which makes them use up either card disables or damage resources. This gives players a better chance to fight for board presence and control, as well as deal damage of course. General inclusions of 2cc allies would be around 4-6 copies.
3cc allies are vital in a deck, as Turn 3 in a game is often the first of the few points in a game. It marks a transition into mid-game, and most heroes may be able to use their hero abilities during Turn 3 or the next turn. These allies have an average amount of HP and damage, allowing them to be an effective play on turn 3. Due to these reasons, many decks contain 8-10 copies of 3cc allies to ensure a draw of one of them for a turn 3 play.
To sum up the above, we can average a number of 12-14 weenie allies in a deck.
Fatties
Fatties are normally referred to 5cc and 6cc allies. These allies have a higher amount of HP, and a significant potential to deal damage.
4cc allies are few in this game, and most come as utility. However, some like Rider of Ellos
5cc allies in the game range from 4hp to 6hp allies, showing good survivability. They also come with good damage and utility in some, such as the Plasma Behemoth
6cc allies are few in this game, but are formidable, including the 2 new legendary allies included in the Dark Prophecies expansion. These cards are unique, which only allows one to be on board at the time.
Rush decks might not include any at all, but heavy-oriented decks such as Majiyas and Moonstalkers might run a good amount of fatties. To maintain balance in the deck, fatty allies are normally included 6-8 copies depending on the deck theme.
Utility
Utility commonly comes in 4cc allies such as Lily Rosecult
Review
A general overview would show us that a deck would normally have 16-20 allies on average, taking up almost half the space available in a deck.
2) Abilities
*Crosses legs*
Abilities come in forms such as support ability, attachment, artifacts and items. Abilities usually help the deck exert control on the opponent, which makes it a vital component to include in a deck.
Draw
Abilities are usually the most common method for draws. Cards such as Blood Frenzy
Disables
Disables usually refer to ally disables, although hero disables are present in the game such as Urgent Business
Item Destruction
Item destruction abilities are a debate in the new meta. Item destruction is situational to an extent. Some players like a least amount to include other more useful and less situational cards, some players still maintain a reasonable amount to be ready to take on anything that comes. Item destruction cards are not limited to cards like Shriek of Vengeance
Utility
Utility ability items refer to certain cards such as Portal
Review
Looking at abilities, we can conclude that a standard deck would contain 14-16 ability cards.
3) Weapons
*Adjusts monocle*
Weapons are included in decks for various reasons. They can act as sources of direct damage, or as utility.
Offense
Weapons act as a source of damage for weapon-based Heroes such as Amber Rain
Utility
Different weapons offer different decks certain utilities that can be very helpful. For example, Wizents Staff act as the main draw engine in priest decks. Spectral Sabres can act as attachment removals and Soul Seekers for healing. Most weapons act as utility in ally-based heroes, and are usually included 2-4 copies.
Review
On average, weapon-based hero decks would have around 6-8 weapons. On the other hand, ally-based heroes would bring 2-4 weapons in the deck.
4) Armors
*Tweaks bow-tie*
As with weapons serving their purpose, armors exist to provide defense for your hero, as well as acting as utility.
Defense
Armors provide certain damage reductions for heroes, allowing them to survive longer. Spelleater Bands
Utility
Other utilities that armors can offer include acting as draw, or exerting crowd control on the field. Wrath of the Forest
Review
Armors are not definite inclusions in every standard deck, however they prove useful for certain heroes such as warriors and priests. The average amount of armors included would be 2-4 copies.
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Originally Posted by whoisSAVAGE
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