Deck: MW Prax, aka, “Save me, RNGesus!”

Hero: Praxis

Allies (32):
3x Rapacious Vermin (2cc)
3x Harbinger of the Lost (2cc)
3x Infernal Gargoyle (3cc)
3x Death Mage Thaddeus (3cc)
4x Rampant Krygon (3cc)
4x Brimstone Devourer (3cc)
4x Reactorary (3cc)
4x Falseblood Cultist (4cc)
4x Stardust Extractor (4cc)

Abilities (4):
2x Soul Reaper (3cc)
2x Energy Discharge (5cc)

Items (3):
3x Meat Wagon (3cc)

This is my first version. 33 allies. Lots of bodies. The goal, of course, being to swarm the board and overwhelm any defenses put up by the opponent. Praxis’ ability serves to disrupt the opponent’s draw and put creatures into play (Reactory, Brimstone Devourer). Since this deck is only 40 cards, every ally had to be able to contribute to the overall goal of quick damage. Cultist and Extractor are the draw engines. Devourer deals out damage on discard. Reactory goes to play on discard, albeit a tad weaker. Harbinger helps to mill the opponent. Gargoyle is there for it’s durability. Krygon to help establish board control and increase attack damage. Death Mage for direct damage. Vermin to kill items and attachments. Every soldier has its job.
As for the non-ally cards, the most important of course is Meat Wagon, which is boost the allies’ attack and give you a heads up on what the top card is, in case you want to strategically use the hero ability or cast a Harbinger. Soul Reaper and Energy Discharge are there to save your ass. They are your hail Mary pass.
This version has its flaws, namely, the draw is too inconsistent. It is entirely dependent on allies (Cultist and Extractor) and expensive at 4cc. Every time i played Extractor, it was an instant lightning rod and very seldom did I get more than one or two cards from it. Cultist serves double duty and being able to combo with Devourer and Reactory is the only reason that it’s stayed in the deck in all versions. Poor draw has killed me many times with this version. There is also the issue of not having enough turn two plays, with only six 2cc allies out of 33.

MW Praxis ver. 2
+2 Loom of Fate (1cc)
+3 Ironhide Karash (2cc)
+1 Infernal Gargoyle (3cc)
-1 Brimstone Devourer (3cc)
-1 Reactory (3cc)
-4 Stardust Extractor (4cc)


In this version, I attempted to counter the weaknesses stated above, while not interfering with Meat Wagon too much. So I took out all of the Extractors, and put in two Loom of Fate’s. Loom isn’t a fragile ally and a more dependable draw engine, despite being a target for Stop Thief and Anarchic Looting. Most of the time I play it, it stays the whole game, and it’s a one-for-one draw, instead of 4cc for one or two cards. Loom gives me more control of the top card of the deck once Meat Wagon is out. Even though it also gives the opponent one card, it’s only ONE card, unlike Bazaar or Bad Santa. Having only two Looms lessens the chance of interference with Meat Wagon while still being around late game when I need that extra draw.
Next came changes to the allies. Gargoyle is just too good in this deck, so I maxed him out at four. Karash gives me that extra 2-drop, and an earlier start on gaining board control.
There were still problems with this version. The two Looms ended up causing interference, because now there were nine non-ally cards. It sucks to have your ally die because it had 1 HP before your drew into a non-creature card. Karash dies too easily, since his durability is limited to 2 points of combat damage.



MW Praxis ver. 3
-2 Soul Reaper (3cc)
-3 Ironhide Karash (2cc)
+3 Feasterling (2cc)
+2 Eternal Troll (3cc)


Thus, the third version. I learned that playing a beatdown deck requires a certain amount of suicidal tendencies, a willingness to lay close to the edge. So out came the Soul Reapers, since they are more of a defensive card and don’t really go along with the offensive nature of the deck. There were times that even WITH a Soul Reaper, I still lost. Karash was swapped out with Feasterling, which gave me that extra point of damage and let me keep an extra ally in the 2cc slot. Each one still dies to Lightning Strike and Zal’s ability, but at least Feasterling has 3 damage to dish out. Eternal Troll is a great addition to the deck because the opponent has to take an extra step to get rid of him, which disrupts his tempo and spares ME some damage. I’d like to have three in there but I don’t want to take out a copy of anything else to do so.