Hi all,
I promised myself that if I made it into the top 100 (rating) with this deck I'd post it, and I've just scraped in () so here it is:
Serena
4 x Nightshade
2 x Skilled Ironmonger
3 x Aldon the Brave
4 x Night Owl
3 x Sword Thief
2 x Oliver Fagin
2 x Assassinate
3 x Black Garb
3 x Stop Thief!
4 x Ill Gotten Gains
4 x Backstab
2 x Anklebreaker
4 x Thoughtripper's Cutlass
40 cards + hero
The Gameplan
This thing is designed to misdirect and disrupt your opponent's playstyle. Almost every card in this deck works toward that goal. Your early game is all about stealthed allies and establishing IGG, though it doesn't rely on IGG as much as Rogue decks have in the past. Once you get IGG out then this deck starts to really take control with steal and draw. Ultimately you will find most games are won with a full hand while your opponent struggles to get any draw at all. Half of your hand usually once belonged to your opponent as well
Draw
You actually have a huge amount of draw in this deck in addition to the 4 IGG. In fact you can run without IGG at all, and I have used it as Item destruction bait in the past to ensure my Cutlass survives (which really is the core of the deck). Anyways, in addition to IGG you have 4 Backstab and 4 Night Owl, as well as the aforementioned Cutlass. With all that draw it's very difficult for you to be left running dry, because that really does kill this deck.
Serena's Namesake
As I have stated earlier, Thoughtripper's Cutlass really does take this deck to a new level. Hitting the opponent's hero with a charged Cutlass nets you a +2 Card Advantage, and really disrupts them. I would recommend only hitting allies with Cutlass if you have an IGG out for a 2 card draw, as it will not help drain your opponent's hand. It does take some practice to get it right, because without a buff the Cutlass doesn't do that much. However with Garb it will instakill anything, which is something I do alot (attack HUGE ally with Garb, watch as they die from retaliation ). Anklebreaker doesn't allow this to happen due to it's disable, which can be problematic with protectors and other allies you actually want dead.
Ollie
Oliver Fagin is the late game nail in the coffin. He's used primarily when your opponent tries to make a bit of a comeback. With IGG and Cutlass fueling him his attack can get massive, and his ally steal can dash your opponent's hopes of return. However you need to be really careful when you play him, because he's a massive investment and you want him to survive.
Conclusion
This deck really highlights Serena's new found power, but it's not always the quickest off the block and you will find yourself playing catchup a bit. That being said it plays catchup exceptionally well, and what looked like a losing battle ends with you holding a full hand of threats and your opponent with nothing.
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