Dev Download: Arakni

Welcome to Dev Download, where we share red hot tips and tricks fresh from the game devs at Legend Story Studios so you can pick up a deck and play like a pro! This week we’ll be covering how to play each of the heroes in The Hunted, focusing on Booster Draft and Classic Constructed!

Today we spin a web of deceit with Arakni, Marionette!

Booster Draft

The Hunted is a dynamic Booster Draft experience with three unique heroes, each looking to mark their target then stab them with daggers!

Arakni has access to Assassin cards, shares hybrid Assassin / Ninja cards with Cindra, and shares hybrid Assassin / Warrior cards with Fang.

Arakni is a chaotic hero with a lot of moving parts, but the typical goal is to mark the opponent in order to increase both your damage output and disruptive effects, as well as getting the chance to become an Agent of Chaos, which unlocks a wide range of nasty abilities. Regular Assassin cards are typically a key signal that Arakni is open to draft.

There are two main angles to drafting Arakni, but before we dive into them, let's quickly cover the basics. There's lots to consider when drafting, the first one being ways to mark. You have your daggers, but their marking capabilities are finite, so it's important to try pick up roughly 5-8 cards that mark the opponent. It's also good to look for at least 1 Orb-Weaver Spinneret or Whittle from Bone, so you can access Graphene Chelicera without relying on dice rolls. Lastly, aim to pick up at least 2-4 traps. Not only are defense reactions powerful in their own right, but they ensure you have targets for Arakni, Trap-Door.

The first way to draft Arakni focuses on stealth attacks and using Arakni's hero ability combined with the Agents of Chaos to deal huge amounts of reaction damage and disruption. This build wants lots of red stealth cards such as Mark of the Black Widow, Mark of the Funnel Web, Plunge the Prospect, and Mark the Prey. Cards that mark are exceptionally important in this build to ensure you can become an Agent of Chaos, and that your attacks are threatening enough to force the opponent into defending. Attack reaction cards like Razor's Edge are key pickups, as the stealth build aims to win through lethal reaction plays.

The second way to draft Arakni focuses on daggers and dealing damage as quickly as possible. This build leans heavier into hybrid cards, with dagger-centric attack reactions like Scar Tissue and Incision, 'flicking' effects like Danger Digits and Throw Yourself at Them, and retrieve cards like Up Sticks and Run and Pick Up the Point. Poisoned Blade is a key pickup for this build as it allows you to accelerate the game to low life totals where your deck excels. Graphene Chelicera is a very important tool, so if you're leaning into the dagger build while drafting, keep an eye out for cards that create it.

Classic Constructed

Arakni, Marionette is the first Chaos hero to enter the Classic Constructed format, bringing ever-shifting puzzles, unexpected tricks, and a sprawling expanse of possibilities to the table. Unlike draft, Classic Constructed grants Arakni the ability to run Hunter's Klaive, a marking dagger that doesn't break! This is a core piece of any Arakni build, allowing you to harness your abilities with ease! Mask of Deceit is an incredibly useful headpiece when the opponent is marked, allowing you to toolbox the exact Agent of Chaos you need for a critical situation. It's exceptionally powerful from a defensive standpoint when combined with Arakni, Trap-Door, defending for 5 plus a bonus effect.

The Hunted takes dagger gameplay to a whole new level with a variety of nasty tricks and combos. Flick Knives is a standout equipment, threatening to push cards like Mark of the Black Widow to 4-power with an on-hit, while also synergising with the next card we need to talk about - Kiss of Death. This seemingly unassuming stealth card is incredibly deadly due to its typing - it's also a 'dagger' card. This means you can 'flick' it to trigger its on-hit ability, as well as any other abilities you've loaded it up with such as Toxicity or Spike with Bloodrot. Combined with both modes of Tarantula Toxin and a source of go again, this card can spit out absurd amounts of damage.

Another extremely powerful new card - Take Up the Mantle - keeps your opponent constantly disoriented and unsure what to play around. A stealth card your opponent doesn't care about could suddenly become Bonds of Agony or Persuasive Prognosis, ripping their hand (and possibly deck) to shreds. The beauty of Assassin is that you can tailor your stealth lineup for any format, and constantly present disruption or the potential of it. Arakni, Marionette is a deck that rewards creativity and flexibility, but it's also important to include the best non-stealth tools your class has to offer, namely those introduced in Dynasty and Outsiders, such as Leave No Witnesses and Codex of Frailty.

Disruption, attack reactions, and a shifting hero ability are very strong traits to bring into a game, but the field is not without its challenging matchups. Including a variety of different traps at single copies in your inventory provides a toolbox that Arakni Trap-Door can utilise. Assassin is a class that previously lacked efficient go again, but dagger pumps such as Savor Bloodshed and Up Sticks and Run shore up this weakness. They're very powerful (especially with Kiss of Death), but you don't necessarily have to run all of them in every matchup. Rather, it's better to think about whether you need consistency in disrupting a hero, such as Aurora, or you just need to present raw damage, such as Enigma. Speaking of Illusionist, this is likely going to be your toughest matchup, but a package containing Pick to Pieces and Vambrace of Determination can make a huge difference (and works well with Take Up the Mantle).

Want to take Arakni for a spin but don't want to commit to expensive Legendaries and Majestics just yet? Try our Budget Arakni Decklist below at your next Armory Event or even just casual games among friends.