3.15 Aldmor Victor

[Nik]

Cards: 45 + hero

Allies: 18
3x Aldmor Interceptor
4x Darklight Apprentice
3x Gloomwielder
4x Aldmor Artisan
2x Aldmor Scavenger
2x Aldmor Chieftan

Items/abilities: 23
4x Snare Trap
4x Poison Arrow
4x Hunter's Gambit
4x Weevil-tipped Crossbow
3x Aldmor Accelerator
1x Disruptor Field
1x Rejuvenation Pod
1x Shadow Cannon
1x Aldmor Conflux

Lands: 4
4x The Wilds: Trading Port

Purpose of each card:

Aldmor Interceptor: not so vital, helps as a 2t drop going second (when you need the pressure), as your only hasted ally and sometimes for its ability.
Darklight Apprentice: very important early game, as explained below. Also may work for a win condition with SE acceleration later in game.
Gloomwielder: not so vital, but you need an early 3t drop with high attack in some occasions (that´s why it replaced Scout, as more draw is not needed in this deck). Its ability is sometimes useful.
Aldmor Artisan: most important ally in the deck. It helps you start and work efficiently the main draw combo of this deck as explained below. Vital 3t drop if you have it in hand.
Aldmor Scavenger: important for long termed games to ensure not getting your deck empty. Its health is also useful in some occasions, and may help your drawing engine by getting back your artifacts, but is always good to sac if you get it early in game (only one of them).
Aldmor Chieftan: good for swarming and control, it also replaces in many occasions your ability (if you don´t need your hunter abilities back in hand).
Snare Trap: Early control tool, and useful for heavy ally-based rush decks. It may be good to sac in replace of other options when you face other types of decks (you will see this deck kills allies very fast).
Poison Arrow: Alternative hunter ability to recycle, may be better to use than Hunter's Gambit in some occasions if you don´t need the draw.
Hunter's Gambit: one of your drawing engines, although unlike other Victor deck it´s not that fundamental as you can support it with The Wilds.
Weevil-tipped Crossbow: fundamental teching card for weapon based heroes. It also helps against allies (specially early in game against swarming decks) and a plus for killing the oposing hero. Sac it early in game if you´re not facing those types of heroes. It is the only teching tool in the deck and the most versatile I found.
Aldmor Accelerator: fundamental artifact for the main combo as explained below. It also boosts your SE making you the perfect ally control player.
Disruptor Field: not so important artifact, but useful sometimes to take out high health allies and don´t let them get hurt by boosted weapons (although sometimes it´s useful to not have it to wear out enemy weapons). I almost never use its ability.
Rejuvenation Pod: vital artifact for long termed decks (and against Praxix). It also helps its +1 health in some occasions, and makes a good SE production combo with Apprentice (always keep some spare allies in the cementery for that).
Shadow Cannon: vital artifact for winning against some heroes, almost as important as Aldmor Accelerator. It´s your winning card against solo heroes (that think that you depend on Hunter's Gambit and on having allies on board). This card has so much potential for hunters and rogues.
Aldmor Conflux: not so vital, but may make you win games quickly against slow heroes you know you will be having hard times later in games. It may take out your opponent with 20+ health if he lets you keep your allies and artifacts on board.
The Wilds: Trading Port: your main drawing engine (for Victor, yeah) and one of the most important cards in the game. This land makes the deck different of other Victors as you don´t depend on enemy allies and Hunter's Gambit to be drawing, and that is something many players won´t expect. It can even be used to destroy enemy artifacts if the enemy has some vital ones and he has the land on his side.


Main combo and playing strategy:

T1: nothing
T2: Darklight Apprentice or Snare Trap (don´t worry if you´re going to lose fast your apprectice, using it´s ability just once makes it worthy).
T3: Aldmor Artisan or the above.
T4: Aldmor Accelerator+The Wilds: Trading Port (0 resources if you have Artisan, always seek for it if you don´t have it or other artifact in hand), always use accelerator ability and if you still have Apprentice alive you´ll have 5/6 SE by now. Don´t worry to take your first ally out with Vic´s ability by now, you´ll probably be able to do it again in the next 2 turns. The spare 2-4 resources are to use your hunter ability or play simething else (never play 2 artifacts in the same turn unless it´s necessary). Always try to seek for a spare artifact to play next turn, specially if you don´t see that the opponent can use his Wilds ability. Also try to keep a spare Wilds in hand if you see that probably to happen and the opponent has SE stored.
T5: Use Aldmor Accelerator and play (or also seek) another artifact. Main option is Shadow Cannon if you have allies on board, as it has an immediate benefit of 2SE (although you don´t need to use it right away)
T6: you don´t need another artifact, once you use Aldmor Accelerator again it gets destroyed and you activate the Wilds once more (for even more resources at hand). From now on repeat the same artifact casting order to have an extra draw each turn. Don´t worry is your artifacts get destroyed, you have Scavenger and many other artifacts at hand.

Other thing to keep in mind is that this deck can last as long as you need, as almost all cards of it can be saved out of the graveyard (12 out of 45 cards, only exiled Snare Traps, Crossbows and lands are not recoverable). The only disadvantage is that your life can´t be regenerated, although that is almost always never a problem and that is why I didn´t include Soul Seeker.


Difficult matches:
Baduruu: It´s almost impossible to win against him as he is very fast and you don´t have good things against his weapons (although that happens for any Vic deck that doesn´t tech him). Your only tool is Weevil-tipped Crossbow.
Solo heroes (Gwen, Darkclaw, solo Moonstalker and solo mages): not as impossible as Baduruu but also hard, specially if Gwen takes out a row of Into the Forest, Darkclaw has Lone Wolf out and solo mages have Snow Sapphire and good draw. Your best option is to go rush and swarming and win as fast as you can.



Hope you enjoy this deck, the best I have designed that took me to the top 100. Lets see if it doesn´t lose its strength with the new Hunter's Gambit change, although with the Wilds resource regeneration and its lack of dependance on using it after Victor´s ability, it won´t be an issue and will even make it better deck.