1.27 Majiya -- Ally Heavy

[TJM]

Here's my current Maj build (31 cards, including Maj)

Majiya
x2 Carniboar
x4 Gargoyle
x2 Belladonna
x2 Plasma Behemoth
x3 Shadow Knight

x4 Fireball
x4 Lightning

x1 Research
x2 Portal
x2 Bloodlust
x4 Shriek

Tweaks from Discussion:

Majiya

x2 Carniboar
x4 Gargoyle
x2 Belladonna
x2 Plasma Behemoth
x2 Shadow Knight (-1)

x4 Fireball
x4 Lightning
x2 Nova (+2)

x1 Portal (-1)
x2 Research (+1)
x2 Bloodlust
x3 Shriek (-1)

Purpose:
~Immediate board control via Fireball / Lightning (counter to swarm builds)
~Increasing board presence (from low-cost boar up to heavy hitters)
~Counters to item-heavy builds via Shriek

Sacrifice strategy:
~Shriek value to keep or sac depend entirely on opponents with item-heavy builds
~From T1-3 high-cost cards are the fuel, T4+ low-cost cards are the fuel (or lightning/fireball if you already have board control)
~At T4, Bella is either auto-sac (if 2 allies on board and heavy hitter ready for T5) or auto-play (if board empty or low on cards)

Ally / Spell strategy:
~Use lightning or 2-dam gargoyles to soften up enemies for carniboar kills. A well fed 4/4 carniboar is pretty handy.
~Save bloodlust for 3+ mobs on the board, or to spike damage against a 5+ hp enemy. Get a good dam:cost ratio.
~Collecting 2 fireballs, offers a handy nuclear option against enemy hero or tough ally

[kentuequi]

If you wait to have 3+ creatures on the board to cast a bloodlust, you might wait in vain in most of the game, and for these were you have 3+ creatures able to attack, the game is already in a good way for you. 2 creatures is good for a bloodlust, =fireball 3cc/4damage.

[kentuequi]

And + 2 super nova, no ?

[TJM]

If you wait to have 3+ creatures on the board to cast a bloodlust, you might wait in vain in most of the game, and for these were you have 3+ creatures able to attack, the game is already in a good way for you. 2 creatures is good for a bloodlust, =fireball 3cc/4damage.

You are correct. Though it seems to me that if you manage early crowd control via lightning/fireball and pull 2 gargoyles by T4, you can greatly increase your odds of 3 ready allies around T6. In gold-farming AI games I get 3+ quite frequently; in live competition you'd definately have a tougher time.

If I had 4 bloodlust in build, I'd personally pull trigger for 2 allies without hesitation. As it is right now, waiting for that 6:3 ratio is fine for me. Games with back-to-back turns of bloodlust is just plain devious.

[TJM]

And + 2 super nova, no ?

Proper nova useage is fuzzy to me. It seems to me that I can't use it if I'm lower than enemy hero in hp, as I'm further digging the hole of my dire situation. Yet if I have more hp than enemy hero and have board control, why nuke my own board presence? why not just continue to beat them down till victory? Even if someone plays a Aeon or Raven, if you have full board presence - their ally is usually dying before their next turn.

Maybe my concept of attrition isn't absolute in SE?

[Edggy]

3x nova works best for me. Need two nova for sand worm and aeon combo.

[TJM]

3x nova works best for me. Need two nova for sand worm and aeon combo.

in my mind, i'm see this build as shifting from low-cost swarm to high-cost heavy hitters... with allies doing majority, if not all, the damage to finish off enemy hero... i hadn't even considered shifting from low-cost swarm to nuclear option novas... I generally don't like relying on perfect card draw % to pull key cards...

[Edggy]

in my mind, i'm see this build as shifting from low-cost swarm to high-cost heavy hitters... with allies doing majority, if not all, the damage to finish off enemy hero... i hadn't even considered shifting from low-cost swarm to nuclear option novas... I generally don't like relying on perfect card draw % to pull key cards...

Nova is used when losing board presence and have mostly nukes in hand, which is great for mirror matches against mage. Sometimes is impossible to gain board control when opponent go first and make no mistakes at all (such as people with 220+ rates). No nova in deck= losing very often when going second. Try 2 Nova in deck as a way to reverse board control. After Nova you can summon Gargoyle+Fireball on same turn as a good way to regain board control.

[TJM]

Sometimes is impossible to gain board control when opponent go first and make no mistakes at all (such as people with 220+ rates). No nova in deck= losing very often when going second.

I have noticed that playing 2nd is pretty lame...

[Avrizinth]

You only need 2/3 Shrieks in a 30 card deck.
3 Carniboars is overkill.

You only need 1 portal, if that.

Having 2 Supernovas is HIGHLY advised given that it allows you to come back from nearly anything and regain board, or even hit the opponent for as much as a +3 on cast by turn 4.

I'd also suggest using 2 Researches, as the card heavily improves the advantage generation of the deck, is a reliable mana dump, and thus significantly increases the decks consistency.