Optimal Boris Deck

Here is my Boris deck.

x1 Boris Skullcrusher

Allies
x4 Jasmine Rosecult
x3 Kristoffer Wylde
x4 Puwen Bloodhelm
x2 Kurt Whitehlem
x2 Raven Wildheart
x3 Aldon the Brave
x1 Aeon Stormcaller

Abilities
x2 War Banner
x4 Smashing Blow
x3 Crippling Blow
x2 Rampage
x3 Blood Frenzy
x2 Retreat

Weapons/Armor
x2 The King's Pride
x2 Berserker's Edge

I've been using this deck from rank 100 to 200(currently 203), and have been improving it along the way.

Even though this deck works very well for me(only 3 losses to date) I'd like to make it even better. I have two thoughts on it but was wondering what others might think.

My first idea is to remove -2 Berserker's Edge and add +1 Aeon +1 Retreat. The Berserker's Edge is nice but not essential, I like to use it to either have Boris take a hit instead of an ally(ex/ taking out enemy weapons with little ally sacrifice or chopping some health off an opposing ally that I just can't take down with only one of my own), or just to add some extra damage. However I usually resource it early game anyways if I get it, sometimes I resource both if I don't really need it. As for Aeon and Retreat, I think those are both solid cards and little argument needs to be made to adding them.

My other thought was on Rampage vs Enrage. I already posted a thread in Card Discussion if anyone cares to comment. But basically I am thinking of switching out x2 Rampage for x2 Enrage.

Any critique would be welcome. :)

Enrage x 1 will be good one.

And I think Aeon x 2 is better than 1.

Welcome to the forum!

I would reduce smashing blow to 3 and increase crippling blow to 4.
Would prefer Jeweller's Dream x 4 to BE, as the extra 2 resources syncs well with other cards. (Retreat, Crippling Blow, Jasmine's Ability)

Enrage x 1 and Rampage x 1 would be sufficient.

Welcome to the forums. :)

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Zhou86
I would reduce smashing blow to 3 and increase crippling blow to 4.
Would prefer Jeweller's Dream x 4 to BE, as the extra 2 resources syncs well with other cards. (Retreat, Crippling Blow, Jasmine's Ability)

Enrage x 1 and Rampage x 1 would be sufficient.

Welcome to the forums.

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What he said ^

I have been playing a Boris deck for a while now, and been tweaking the hell out of it. I have a berserker version that is based on Berserker's Edge. But I think that maybe your deck would not benefit from it, at least, not the way you have it set now. and if you are saying that it's something you are constantly resourcing, then it sounds like it shouldn't be in the deck anyway. I would go with Jeweler's Dream too. at least 3, probably 4. I'd also say Rampage probably isn't a necessity, and you could stand to do without it. Also agree that 1 Aeon is not enough. 2 is much better. on top of that, I think Kurt could be exchanged for something more useful, perhaps two Tainted Oracle to help you with a little card draw, or maybe bump Raven up to 4. Also, you might want to consider a couple more fatties. you seem to be running a lot of low cc allies. Might consider Sandworm, or something.

also, less Smashing Blow, and more Retreat! I would also consider bringing both Blood Frenzy and Crippling Blow up to 4. and I do agree that 1 enrage is enough.

but thats just me. good luck with everything! and yeah, welcome!

Figured I'd post my updated deck as it has been doing awesome. And thanks to everyone who posted I took your comments into consideration when revising it.

Boris Skullcrusher

Allies
x4 Jasmine Rosecult
x3 Kristoffer Wyld
x4 Puwen Bloodhelm
x3 Raven Wildheart
x3 Aldon the Brave
x2 Aeon Stormcaller

Abilities
x2 War Banner
x4 Smashing Blow
x1 Enrage
x3 Crippling Blow
x3 Blood Frenzy
x3 Retreat

Weapons/Armor
x2 The King's Pride
x2 Jeweler's Dream

You only have 3 Blood Frenzy and no supplemental draw.

-2 Smashing Blow

+1 Blood Frenzy
+1 Crippling Blow

You need two more draw options, most likely Tainted Oracle. My first thought is to ditch the Kris, I've always found him more at home in an Amber deck. However he has great synergy with the Kings Pride. Another alternative is to drop 1 Raven plus the Crippling Blow I suggested you add earlier, and put 2 TO.

@Preybird
I'll give you my reasoning for setting up my deck the way I did, maybe it'll change your mind.

1. Concerning the amount of card draw in my deck I won't argue. However rare is the time where I don't get Blood Frenzy by the time I need it(I only remember 1-2 time(s) to date). And regardless of when I get Blood Frenzy depending on what cards I get I can usually at least stall long enough that it is not an issue. The last comment I will make concerning this is that you also have to consider how many matches you will play that the opponent will use Bad Santa and/or Bazaar(I know it will change and I will alter if I need to but approximately 3-4/10 at low 200's) even though you can't be sure, once you get an idea on how many times they might be played you can plan accordingly. So while this is good advice I don't personally think it's necessary.

2. In regard to Crippling and Smashing Blow. First off Crippling Blow isn't so good that I would want 4, while it does help when you don't have board control once this deck gets rolling(which doesn't take long, and if it does that means either your screwed or your opponent is stalling in which case they most likely aren't in any better position than you are) you really won't need it. I love Smashing Blow, in a deck that relies almost entirely on allies for damage weapons and armor can be a huge impediment. You could argue that not every deck you will face uses weapons/armor. In this case you can sacrifice Smashing Blow instead of something else(since you should sacrifice according to your opponent, planning for whats more of a danger is better than generalizing).

3.Last is Kristoffer. This is an awesome card, very versatile. It's nice to be able to play a card on T1 plus Kris allows you to take out opposing allies with low health that were played before you have any other allies on the board. Or if you need to take out weapons/armor and don't have a Smashing Blow, Kris can take a hit for little cost to you(one good move with Kris that I like is hitting Black Garb, since he gets around the effect). And like you said he works well with The King's Pride, War Banner as well(he can even become a danger once you have both).

If you see this tell me what you think, I'd also like to hear any counter argument you might come up with. :)

4 blood frenzy is pretty much not optional.

kris is good. Not mandatory but good.

smashing blow is almost necessary. almost as in, if certain decks use an armor and you dont have sb you will lose. But it's not always the case that you need it. 3 is usually sufficient. You can get by with 2. 4 is usually overkill.

For that deck you posted.... I would do as preybird suggests, as well as change the JD to santa. Otherwise, find 2 more spots where you can fit santa in. Then it's pretty good.

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Originally Posted by Zyruel

1. Concerning the amount of card draw in my deck I won't argue. However rare is the time where I don't get Blood Frenzy by the time I need it(I only remember 1-2 time(s) to date). And regardless of when I get Blood Frenzy depending on what cards I get I can usually at least stall long enough that it is not an issue. The last comment I will make concerning this is that you also have to consider how many matches you will play that the opponent will use Bad Santa and/or Bazaar(I know it will change and I will alter if I need to but approximately 3-4/10 at low 200's) even though you can't be sure, once you get an idea on how many times they might be played you can plan accordingly. So while this is good advice I don't personally think it's necessary.

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Well, the chance of you getting any Blood Frenzy if you run 3 in your opening hand is 37%, and getting one by turn 3 is 46%. The reason the suggestion for 6 total draw cards (4 Blood Frenzy + 2 other) is so that the probability of you getting your draw going when you need it is > 50%. (In fact with 6 draw cards the percentage jumps to 72.7% by Turn 3). What I'm suggesting is not just a personal opinion, it's a widely accepted fact in Shadow Era that you need at least 6 draw cards to maintain an acceptable level of consistency. You could rely on your opponent playing Bazaar or Bad Santa, but that adds more inconsistency to an already shaky situation.

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Originally Posted by Zyruel

2. In regard to Crippling and Smashing Blow. First off Crippling Blow isn't so good that I would want 4, while it does help when you don't have board control once this deck gets rolling(which doesn't take long, and if it does that means either your screwed or your opponent is stalling in which case they most likely aren't in any better position than you are) you really won't need it. I love Smashing Blow, in a deck that relies almost entirely on allies for damage weapons and armor can be a huge impediment. You could argue that not every deck you will face uses weapons/armor. In this case you can sacrifice Smashing Blow instead of something else(since you should sacrifice according to your opponent, planning for whats more of a danger is better than generalizing).

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The reason for more Crippling Blow over Smashing Blow is that there are only really half heroes that regularly use weapons/armour (Amber, Victor, Gwen, Lance, Serena, Logan, Banebow, Baduruu, Darkclaw. Sometimes Zaladar), ALL the heroes can and usually do use allies. So in suggesting more copies of Crippling Blow over Smashing Blow I am actually providing you with a better chance against all matchups. And as you say, if you're coming up against a solo hero, resource the CBs.

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Originally Posted by Zyruel

3.Last is Kristoffer. This is an awesome card, very versatile. It's nice to be able to play a card on T1 plus Kris allows you to take out opposing allies with low health that were played before you have any other allies on the board. Or if you need to take out weapons/armor and don't have a Smashing Blow, Kris can take a hit for little cost to you(one good move with Kris that I like is hitting Black Garb, since he gets around the effect). And like you said he works well with The King's Pride, War Banner as well(he can even become a danger once you have both).

If you see this tell me what you think, I'd also like to hear any counter argument you might come up with. :)

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Kris is an awesome card, and he has great synergy with The King's Pride, War Banner and Aldon. But as good as he is, more draw is better. Alternatively if you don't like my suggestions (removing Kris was only ONE option I presented) you could follow Jacqui's suggestion and remove the Jeweler's Dreams, they are more of a luxury than a necessity in a Boris deck. (And Jacqui is far better versed in warriors than I am.)

Honestly, you need 4x bf. I don't get why you're so obstinate about having 3x.

More often than not, it is the warrior that reaches BF first that wins the game in a mirror match. It is considered the best, most consistent draw in the game, and most heroes would kill to have it in the deck. Stop toying with 3x if you want to have a consistent strong deck, or forever remain at the skimming 200 range.

Thanks to everyone who contributed, I did make some alterations after seeing your arguments. However @wreon your post was somewhat rude. I was not obstinate about having only 3 BF I simply did not see a reason to have more before now, plus you provided absolutely no reasoning as to why I should do so other than, "It is considered the best, most consistent draw in the game...". Telling someone to do something without telling them why is the same as telling them nothing. If you do something without understanding why, you have learned nothing.

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Originally Posted by Zyruel

Thanks to everyone who contributed, I did make some alterations after seeing your arguments. However @wreon your post was somewhat rude. I was not obstinate about having only 3 BF I simply did not see a reason to have more before now, plus you provided absolutely no reasoning as to why I should do so other than, "It is considered the best, most consistent draw in the game...". Telling someone to do something without telling them why is the same as telling them nothing. If you do something without understanding why, you have learned nothing.

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I kinda mentioned 2 reasons why you need them: warrior mirror match requires it on a first-come first serve basis, and it's the best consistent draw. Do you need a card to card comparison with the other draw engines available to warriors? I thought it was fairly obvious, which is why I didn't elaborate. It's the same reason why I don't waste time arguing why mages play 4x LS 90% of the time, rogues play 4xIGG and Millstalker uses bazaar. It's simply the best most reliable consistent cards for their archetype.

BF on the other hand is different. It would have been an auto 4x include if it was available to all, but it is an auto include for all standard warrior builds. I apologise if you found it rude, but it was intended as an awakening. Currently you are at 200 range, you meet tons of weird, poorly constructed decks that run weird armours. The deck that will get you past that range will be the most consistent deck, and BF is key in this. I have experienced many, many games where I reached my BF only after going through 50% of my deck, and by then it was almost too late. Barely won. If my deck was a 3x BF, chances would have been even lower than that. It is an essential part of warrior play that is not up for discussion.

Hope you understand better now.

@wreon Thanks for clearing that up. :)

It wasn't the value of BF or the role of draw in your deck I was wondering about, it was more the importance/priority that I questioned. However to be clear any questions I had have been answered.