Welcome to Metagame Minute, where we tuck into the latest tournament results and discuss tasty trends, saucy highlights, and spicy decklists - all wrapped up in a bite-sized read!
A NEW CHALLENGER APPROACHES…
Welcome back to Metagame Minute, folks! The second week of Pro Quest: Amsterdam is in the books and already we’re seeing Rathe’s darkest horses (the ones not carrying entitled Solanian Guardians) dance upon Dromai’s still-warm grave. Enter Teklovossen, the hero designed to fulfill the fantasies of those who missed out on Build-a-Bear Workshop as a child. But it’s not just our new corporate overlord who’s made his mark this week. Riptide has finally raised his slimy noggin above the murky waters to see what all the commotion is about.
Prism had some pretty big red shoes to fill, but she’s been doing a tremendous job of keeping Illusionist players happy. Most decks that struggled against Dromai tend to run into similar problems with Prism, but due to the fundamental difference between the two Illusionist playstyles, we’re seeing those heroes come up with a few neat tricks to navigate her army of angels.
Overall the metagame is still a healthy and diverse pool party, just look at that perfect pizza pie from Battle Hardened: San Francisco! Which slice are you taking?
Built Different
Like any good mogul, Daddy Teklo has been biding his time to make the right move. The Draconic competition has been liquidated and Teklovossen has seized the opportunity to corner the market with an Evo-gloved fist. In a field of grindy midrange decks, Teklovossen is placed better than anyone to win wars of attrition. He’s happy to wall up and build his empire piece by piece, before finally bringing out the big guns to close the deal. However, Teklo Industries is lacking in the arcane protection department, and it’s interesting to see a few players out there trying to navigate this shortcoming with ancient technology such as Rusted Relic. Prism remains a threat to the business, but not entirely unwinnable, especially when you pack a few Timesnap Potions to get around Arc Light Sentinel.
Teklovossen, Esteemed Magnate
Rusted Relic
Timesnap Potion
There’s a reason we call him the Trap-BASED Ranger. Riptide’s time was coming and you all knew it. In fact, you could smell it. Riptide’s excellent efficiency allows him to absolutely dome Warriors, and many of his traps trigger on attacks with go again or increased power, which gives him an edge against heroes packing Agility or Might. Prism is an uphill battle, but Riptide’s packing a few crafty tricks! Her first Herald attack each turn has go again, which means you can play a trap and ping her for 1 damage, potentially blowing up an angel before she gets the chance to swing with it. Trench of Sunken Treasure in combination with Death Dealer unlocks a whole new level of flexibility, allowing you to clear your arsenal and spend the resource to replace the card you put on the bottom. It’s Crown of Seeds at home!
Riptide, Lurker of the Deep
Trench of Sunken Treasure
Death Dealer
Block Party
Fatigue Betsy returns, Ramparting it all the way to Top 4 of Battle Hardened: San Francisco last weekend! The question is, why Betsy? Victor gets punished for playing too many cards that lose clashes while Bravo is better off playing to his theatrical strengths. Betsy shines in her ability to constantly shave off a resource from her 4-cost attacks for maximum two-card hand value. Whether that’s through Vigor, Earthlore Empowerment, or Grandeur of Valahai is irrelevant - all that matters is you go big or you go home!
Betsy, Skin in the Game
Earthlore Empowerment
Grandeur of Valahai
If I had a gold for every time Dash I/O performed well on the same weekend as Betsy, I’d have two gold, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice. The deck has so many different packages for various situations, and it’s great to see players cooking in the lab each time there’s a new challenge. If any one-armed Brutes try to nick your lunch just give ‘em the ol Teklo Pounder + Boom Grenade combo meal! If they’re on a grindy deck, that’s even better - you’ll have time to set up a massive High Octane + Tome of Fyendal play to knock them into next week! Scared of fatigue? Fuel Injector will ensure you never run out of ammo!
Dash I/O
Fuel Injector
Symbiosis Shot
Old School Cool
Kayo has taken up most of the Brute blab this season but there will only ever be ONE King of the Jungle! The smell of angel blood has woken the beast from hibernation, sidestepping spectra with Scabskin Leathers and making those 4-cost instants into a heavy burden with intimidate. Rhinar is well-placed into the top dogs, as unlike Kayo he can run a high density of defense reactions and grind out until he reaches his endgame. Show No Mercy shines in almost every situation, whether the damage is forced or even just makes defending awkward. Dig Up Dinner has also proved to be extremely useful for getting through that last stretch.
Rhinar, Reckless Rampage
Show No Mercy
Dig Up Dinner
The OG Mech is getting dangerously close to the precipice of Living Legend, so make sure to watch this space! Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire will always be remembered for her dynamic pistol gameplan, and right now the emphasis appears to be on the damage output of Plasma Purifiers, while relying on a single Induction Chamber. Two blues for 10 damage every turn seems pretty goddamn hot right now! Signal Jammer is also finding some purchase against Kano and Azalea, or even just as an Adaptive Plating target that can be fetched with Spark of Genius.
Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire
Plasma Purifier
Signal Jammer
Lastly, we have to give a special shout out to the gigachad that won a Pro Quest with Arakni! We don’t have the decklist to share with you this week, but I’m confident we haven’t seen the last of Spider-Them. In fact, what you should do right now is go sign up for a Pro Quest, sleeve up an Arakni deck, and take a stab at landing on next week’s Metagame Minute!
