We all saw the top decks at last weekend's Disney Lorcana Challenge in Las Vegas and Birmingham, and all the usual suspects were there. The Big 3, Ruby/Amethyst, Ruby/Sapphire, and Amber/Steel had strong showings at both events, while the once-dominant Emerald/Steel discard control deck in Las Vegas with a vengeance after losing Bucky vs. A nerf appeared. The last collection
But if you only look at the top performing decks, you won't get the full story. A lot of very talented players made it to the top 64 with very strong decks that could have carried them all the way if their matchups had been different or the draws had been luckier. If you want to grow as a player, you can't just look at the decks that win, you have to study the entire field. Whether you're gearing up for the Seattle DLC or the upcoming Set Championship, you might find something useful in these five under-the-radar decks from last weekend.
Morgan Chamblin's Amethyst/Emerald Jump/Song
Amethyst/Emerald only made up a small portion of the field in the Las Vegas and Birmingham DLCs, but it did very well, especially in Birmingham where Jonathan Johnny R took second place with a fairly standard toolbox style jump deck. Here I'd like to highlight Morgan Shamblin, aka ThatMoKid, who led them to an 8th place finish in the Las Vegas DLC.
It has Ursula Deceiver Of All and a nice package of cheap songs that have many different uses. Ursula can read Sudden Chill to rip two cards from the opponent or Friends On The Other Side to let you draw four, but it's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo that really adds flavor to this deck.
Depending on what you need at the moment, there is a lot of use in the combination of Ursula and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo in this deck. You can double-jump Merlin the Rabbit to draw four cards, or double-jump Lyle Tiberius Rourke the Sly Mercenary to give two reckless opponents. You can double-jump a Merlin the Goat to get four words instantly, or double-jump a Kit Cloudkicker the Tough Guy and force your opponent to put two characters in their hand. There are many more ways to use this combination, you just have to try it yourself.
At only $200, this is one of the most affordable Lorcana decks. It's not the easiest deck to pilot, but all those jumps are sure to make your opponent's head spin. Check out the list here.
Amber/Emerald Agro Clara Garlic
I wrote about Cyr's Amber/Emerald deck in my best decks from Las Vegas DLC list, but it's worth mentioning again here because it's a build you've probably never seen before. This all-character deck looks like a super pure list, but it has a surprising amount of tools that allow it to interact with the opponent's board in a way that most aggro decks don't.
A well-timed switch to Queen, Presence Commander can allow you to turn one of your 19 one-drops into a homing missile, while Rapunzel, Gifted With Healing helps you keep the pressure on. And bring back to history a Daisy Duck named Donald. Full willpower when your opponent is dealing stupid damage to them. If your board is cleared, you will almost always be rewarded with a free Chernabog, Evildoer. It's a smart aggro list that doesn't require you to turn everything over every turn to win. If you're looking for a more interactive way to play aggro, this is it.
Check out Cyr's list here.
TFM_Dan's Amethyst/Steel Aggro
Not every large deck had a high cut. In fact, there wasn't a single Amethyst/Steel deck in the entire 64-top deck in the Vegas DLC. However, the Amethyst/Forbidden Mountain Steel cloud aggro list is one worth checking out. It performed well in Friday's Competitive Constructed event, nearly beating TFM_Dan to first place.
Unlike some aggro decks, this one excels at maintaining pressure by drawing an extra card. Between The Library, A Gift for Belle, Amethyst Chromicon, and Doc, Bold Knight, it's unlikely you'll run out of cards before you're quickly on your way to 20 lore. This is the only deck I've played that makes good use of The Boss Is On A Roll. This allows you to arrange your Docs to make sure you can continue drawing by returning him to your hand and playing again. It's a fun deck to fight against Amber/Steel Song, but we may not see much from Steelsong after its somewhat lackluster performance last weekend.
Check out the TFM deck guide here.
Location of Phillip Kuwait's Ruby Steel, Aggro
Yet another aggro list, but one unlike any other. Phillip Quiett, aka PhiQ, devised a location-focused aggro deck that uses RLS Legacy to protect weak coasters and Seven Dwarf's Mine to help control the board. Its most interesting invention is a combination of Flynn Rider, Frenemy and Gustav the Giant, Terror of the Kingdom. Gustav the Giant is a 6/6 that goes down with effort, but on turn three he's guaranteed to have the highest power on the board, which is all Flynn Rider needs to activate his Intelligence ability. .
It's an aggro list that can create surprisingly difficult boards for the opponent when you face multiple locations and a greedy treasure hunter John Silver in the game. When your hand is empty, Tiana, the Princess Feast will also protect your characters from actions. The most innovative list I've seen in a long time, and it's ranked #47 in the Las Vegas DLC.
Check out the list here
Humble's Sapphire Amethyst Blurple
Surely everyone knows Blurple. It's Blurple! But Blurple barely made the top cut, with only one of them making it to the top 64 in Las Vegas. The version I'm highlighting here was played by Humble in a 318 player side event on Sunday and took second place. Blurple may not be a top deck right now, but it's clearly doing something right.
The only good answer to Blurple is a wide board because it doesn't have many removal options. But if this deck can ramp effectively, it's actually pretty good at locking down the opponent's board with Hades, Infernal Shimmer, and Elsa, Winter Spirit. There are a lot of big threats in this deck that need to be stopped quickly or the game will get completely out of hand.
Check out Humble's Blurple deck here.