Ambush Aggro Sword: Deck Guide

Game-AI / February 13, 2017

This article is originally from Game-AI. It is provided here translated with permission.
View the original article here.

This variant of Aggro Sword is a fairly rare one; it chooses to use Shadowed Assassin and Wind God as a combo finisher.

Yet this build fares well against Tempo Rune, which currently stands at the top of the meta. Presenting this build today will be its creator, Hope (@33_hope_33).

Play results

Playstyle

1. Ambush -> Wind God Combo

In general, Aggro Sword is an archetype which seeks to only bring the enemy leader's health down to zero, keeping trading to a minimum and repeatedly smacking face.

Let's look at how this deck's Ambush -> Wind God combo factors into that.

Shadowed Assassin's stealthing ability is actually incredibly strong. Not only can your followers no longer be attacked, they can also no longer be targeted. Keep in mind that as Ambush is lost upon attacking, you need to attack with your followers before playing this card. As Ambush is a mechanic not commonly used, you may not be used it it, so be wary of misplaying.

If the stealthing is successful, the next turn is simple fun. Play Wind God and SMOrc!

This is the basic outline of the "Strategem of the Shadowed Wind".

As Wind God applies its buffs every turn, you should seek to use evo points on other followers in order to spread out threats and minimize risk.

2. Keep Your Followers Alive

While this may be an aggro deck, and there are plenty of direct damage-dealing cards, there is a limit to the cards you can draw and play.
With regards to the general stratagem, your damage range goes up greatly for each follower on board. Play so that your followers stay alive while you simultaneously whittle down your opponent's health.

Goblin

Goblin is used along with Quickblader and Vanguard in order to maintain three different 1-drops. As this deck utilizes no Officer-specific buffs, you can treat them as your 4th and 5th Vanguards.
The 1/2 statline is critical, and allows you to make great use out of this card against Forest, Rune, and Shadow.

Oathless Knight

This build is based around having as many followers on board as possible, and divided bodies help greatly in escaping the defense of enemy 2/2 followers. Even if one half is killed, the other can achieve some sort of damage.

Interview with the Creator, Hope

What are the strengths and weaknesses of this deck?

Strengths:

It doesn't fall behind against Tempo Rune or Elana, which Sword normally has problems with.
The turn 5 Wind God combo avoids both Themis's Decree and Calamitous Curse.

Weaknesses:

Plentiful 1-health followers make the deck weak to Foul Tempest and other 1 damage AoEs.

What is the purpose of this deck?

I sought to build a deck that could combat Tempo Rune. As it's difficult to reclaim board after Turn 4 a Sword versus Rune, this deck seeks to end the game as soon as possible. Now that Angelic Barrage is seeing little use, this build absuses the strength of 1-health followers and seeks to expand the board.

Ideally, one's turns should proceed as follows:
Turn 1: 1-cost follower
Turn 2: Princess Vanguard
Turn 3: Gelt, Vice Captain + 1-cost follower, or a 3-cost follower
Turn 4: Shadowed Assassin
Turn 5: Wind God

Even if you cannot play Wind God on Turn 5, you can play and evolve Albert to hit face, and still put massive pressure on your opponent.

What are this deck's matchups?

In my playtesting, I achieved a 100% winrate against Tempo Rune and Aggro Blood. I feel that Ramp Dragon and Last Words Shadow are also favorable matchups. While Dirt Rune may be a bad matchup, I had above a 70% winrate in the matchup. However, Shadow builds with Foul Tempest can be very problematic.

How does this deck mulligan?

Generally, I seek to get 1-cost followers. Against Rune, I will keep Shadowed Assassin.

What are this deck's key cards?

Shadowed Assassin

In the current meta, Rune can very easily reclaim the board after Turn 4 using Piercing Rune. This card is key in preventing that.
Furthermore, it also prevents Seraph Haven's Priest of the Cudgel and Control Blood's Wardrobe Raider from removing multiple followers at once.

Wind God

The power of this card is that it buffs your board before Themis's Decree, Calamitous Curse, and Death's Breath can come down. If it follows Shadowed Assassin, this card can give you turn 5 lethal.

Demonic Strike

In the midgame, you generally want to attack with storm followers such as Albert, Levin Saber and Alwida's Command, but if your opponent plays Death's Breath or Guardian Golems, you won't be able to get through the wards. As such, I included this card.
Even if you've run out of evo points, you can rush down your opponent for 5 damage on turn 7 with Novice Trooper and Demonic Strike.

Can you explain some of the card omissions?

Floral Fencer

This build generally seeks to use evo points to deal face damage, and in a meta where the post-evolve board is so easily cleared, I replaced this for Demonic Strike.

Dance of Death

While this would be quite useful against cards like Goblinmount Demon, I omitted this card in order to optimize my winrate against Rune.

Any last comments?

This build is based off PCA's Aggro Sword that was posted on Game-AI some time ago, but modified to fir the new meta.
In the new meta of Tempo Rune and Aggro Blood, I decided to focus more on dealing face damage, and thus I created "Face Sword".

This concludes the interview.
Hope, thank you for your deck as well as the interview!

This article is originally from Game-AI. It is provided here translated with permission.
View the original article here.