I recently participated in the 128-player sealed tournament held by Altered Aces over Discord. I didn’t make it out of the group stage, but I thought it would be worthwhile to review the games and how I approached my pool.
The pool
Here are the first things I noticed when I looked over my sealed pool:
- No Sigismar & Wingspan or Kojo & Booda, but I did have Teija & Nauraa
- All three heroes are generically strong, though Sigismar & Wingspan are in a class of their own since their token threatens to win an expedition by itself if not contested.
- Three copies of Hydracaena
- Hydracaena is a one-card win-condition if your opponent doesn’t have removal. Three copies means I can craft my gameplan around drawing one of these.
- Alarmingly few 1 and 2-drops
- My deck will not be able to reliably 2-0 in the early-game. It also won’t have the luxury of passing priority to see where my opponent plays. Bravos and Ordis are more valuable just because they provide 2-3 on-rate 1 and 2-mana characters.
- Axiom is shallow and weak
- This is a blessing, since it made me feel comfortable discounting Axiom entirely.
- Bravos is very deep
- Including Bravos gives me access to well-statted 3-drops, reasonable removal spells, and my pool’s best 1 and 2-drops.
- A healthy amount of sabotage
- Sabotage is strong in limited. 2x Tanuki (C), Haven Bouncer (C), Ordis Spy (C), and Tooth Fairy (C) all let me attack my opponent’s resources.
- Lyra + Muna anchored characters
- Lyra and Muna offer four cards that self-anchor: Aloe Vera (F), Coniferal Coneman (F), Dracaena (C), and Coniferal Coneman (C). Each of them gets double value out of the Teija & Nauraa boost.
- Two copies of The Hatter across Bravos and Lyra
- The Hatter’s support ability can turn my pool’s excess of 3-drops into a positive. It’s even better if any of the 3-drops have a Teija boost when they’re anchored.
The deck
I settled on Bravos-Lyra-Muna. Muna allows me to use Teija & Nauraa as my hero and gives me access to three copies of Hydracaena. Bravos is my deepest faction, which helps ensure that my 28th and 29th cards are still playable. A splash of Lyra gives me access to more sabotage and premium self-anchoring characters to boost with Teija’s hero ability.
The deck is extremely 3-drop heavy, so it plans to win exactly one expedition through the early turns thanks to the help of the Teija boost. It hopes to be at parity once it reaches 7 mana so that it can land one of the three Hydracaenas and lock down the game. Anchored characters can provide a power boost during the early turns or open a window to manage better than 0-2 on the Hydracaena turn.
Between the three sabotagers and the lack of low cost cards, I expect to be up on resources compared to my opponent.
The limited number of 1 and 2-drops means that these are a snap-keep when I see them. Without one, the 4 and 5-mana turns will often result in wasted mana.
Exclusions
- Ordis: The faction gives me access to strong low-cost cards and premium 3-drops, but the quality falls off hard after the fourth or fifth card.
- Yzmir: Off You Go! (C) is my pool’s strongest removal spell, but it doesn’t compensate for the understatted characters: even the highlights - Kadigiran Alchemist (C), Tooth Fairy (C), and Studious Disciple (C) - are weaker than what Lyra has to offer.
- Kitsune (F): Despite sorely lacking 2-drops, I think Kitsune’s symmetrical draw is enough of a downside to exclude it. I plan to have an excess of cards since most of them cost 3+ mana, while draw for my opponent counteracts my sabotagers and could draw them into removal for a Hydracaena.
- Haven, Bravos Bastion (C): It’s hard for the deck to play multiple characters in one turn, and I already have late-game value in the form of Hydracaena.
- Cloth Cocoon (C)/Mana Reaping (C): Removal falls off with more copies, and these occupy the already-full 3-mana slot.
Takeaways
Hydracaena is a limited bomb. Just be sure you’re in a position to play it on 7 mana without going 0-2 and losing the game.
Cheap cards are at a premium in limited. Despite having larger characters than my M1 opponent, they were able to consistently pass priority and exploit where I was weakest.
A Cappella Training (C) might be even better in limited, where many decks won’t have built-in card advantage. My M4 opponent had the best record in the pod, and their pool had three copies of A Cappella Training (C). My deck was oddly resilient to it due to having a high curve, but multiple copies can quickly starve an opponent of plays they can make.
Hooked is very strong for Sigismar & Wingspan. Without playing any characters, they can move all of your plays away from the expedition with the token for an easy 1-1 (see M1G3).
Group stage
Players were divided into 16 groups of 7-8 players each. Each player played a best-of-three match against every other player in their group with the deck they submitted, no sideboarding. The top 2 players in each group moved on to the top 32.
I went 4-2 to place 4th out of my 7-person group. The two players from my group who moved on to the top 32 were my M4 and M6 opponents.
Match 1 (1-2): Sigismar & Wingspan (Axiom-Lyra-Ordis)
Game 1 (W)
Large 3-drops and anchored characters let me stay even on expeditions, but their high costs let my opponent with minimal resource expenditure, winning an expedition twice with just an Ordis Trooper (C).
I spent my 7 mana turn dropping a Hydracaena (R) and was still able to go 1-1 thanks to a previously anchored Coniferal Coneman (C). They had a Hooked (F) in reserve as one of their ways to play around Hydracaena but I was able to sabotage it on the following turn, and the unanswered Hydracaena snowballed into a victory.
Game 2 (L)
Hooked backed by their Ordis Recruit singlehandedly won two of the early turns, while gaps in my characters’ stats let them through at several points. My expensive characters had me spending all of my mana at once whereas my opponent led with 1-drops and could exploit where I was weakest.
Their Ouroboros Croupiers looked great here, as the card advantage complemented their 1-drops, and the uneven stats were very effective when timed right.
A critical sabotage by their Ordis Spy (C) left me unable to anchor my Aloe Vera (F) with The Hatter’s support ability. I was behind going into my 7-mana turn, and my opponent was able to 2-0 me when I went for a Hydracaena.
Game 3 (L)
I played my Kelon Cylinder (F) on T1 this game. On T2, I forgot that the OOF rare needs to exhaust before playing the character, which had me pushing instead of winning. Even beyond that mistake, the boosts didn’t make much of a difference, since my characters’ high costs meant that one side was usually wide open.
The one time the boosts did look good when I dropped an 8/5/5 gigantic Son of Yggdrasil (C), forcing my opponent to make a significant commitment of resources just to trade.
I didn’t draw into a Hydracaena, and their sabotages left me low enough on plays that I couldn’t afford to put a card into mana on the last two turns of the game. Hooked was devastating in this position, as I had to keep on playing the few characters I did have, only for them to get pulled away and ultimately lose one side to a single Ordis Recruit.
An Off You Go! (F) on my 9/9/9 double Physical Training (C)-ed Bravos Bladedancer (C) secured the win for them.
Match 2 (2-0): Subhash & Marmo (Axiom-Lyra-Yzmir)
Game 1 (W)
My opponent’s Brassbugs got them off to a quick start, but seeing my Haven Bouncer (C) and both of my Tanuki (C)s meant I was able to sabotage whatever they put into reserve with their hero ability.
A Twinkle, Twinkle (C) on my Coniferal Coneman (C) helped them keep pace in the mid-game, but the sabotages strained their resources and disincentivized their hero ability, letting me win the game on card advantage.
Game 2 (W)
After trading through the early game, my opponent’s hero ability and low curve left them low on resources again. They had put an Intimidation (F) into reserve, but I used my Tanuki (C) to instead sabotage their only character and starve them of proactive plays. I was able to play around the face-up Intimidation by replaying the Tanuki (C) from reserve to disincentivize them from returning my sabotager to hand.
When the coast was clear, I anchored my Dracaena (C) and piled on boosts with a Physical Training (C) to trump their play in that expedition. This also let me comfortably land my Hydracaena (F) the following turn, coming down with tough 2. My opponent conceded here with no outs to the Hydracaena.
Match 3 (2-0): Waru & Mack (Lyra-Muna-Ordis)
My opponent impressed me by bringing a full-on Waru & Mack sealed deck with nine bureaucrats.
Game 1 (W)
Intimidation (C) for their T1 Ordis Attorney (C) set my opponent’s sleeps back a full turn while I was happy to get closer to my Hydracaena turn.
My opponent’s deck had a lot of strong removal: they Cloth Cocoon (C)-ed my Coniferal Coneman and later landed a Teamwork Training (R) on my Aloe Vera (F).
Even without any other plants to provide tough, I ran out the Hydracaena (R) as soon as I could. Dropping the second one with no removal in sight let me win the game off of an eternal character in each expedition.
Game 2 (W)
My Dracaena (C) lost to an unslept Ordis Attorney (C) which put me slightly behind in the early-game.
They took T3 off to drop The Monolith, Ordis Bastion (C). Fortunately, I had the Intimidation (R) in hand which set them back far enough that they couldn’t afford to replay it for the rest of the game.
My boosted characters pushed me far enough into the lead that I started putting my Hydracaenas into mana. At just two expeditions, then one expedition away from victory, all I needed was maximum stats for the day; one of the only ways I could lose the game was if a Hydracaena got 0-2’d and my opponent was able to follow it up with a removal spell like Mana Reaping (C) or Beauty Sleep (C).
A Teamwork Training (R) swung one expedition to keep them in the game, but even a Charge! (F) on the final day wasn’t enough to block both sides.
Match 4 (2-1): Teija & Nauraa (Bravos-Lyra-Muna)
Game 1 (W)
My opponent pressured my resources with two copies of A Cappella Training (C) to give fleeting to virtually every character I played. Fortunately, my deck could rely on my morning draws since I was never playing more than one or two characters each afternoon anyway.
Being able to trade for the first four turns meant I had breathing room to drop a Hydracaena (C) and only go 0-1. On 8 mana, I pitched the Mana Eruption (R) I had been saving because Dracaena (C) + Physical Training (C) was too appealing. I managed to 2-0 that day while setting up a massive anchored/eternal board to win on the following turn.
Game 2 (L)
I had a near-ideal starting hand of two anchored plants: Dracaena (C) and Aloe Vera (F). Unfortunately, my opponent also had an amazing start with Issun-bōshi (C) and a Bravos Tracer (C) to 2-0 me.
I managed to keep the Aloe Vera (F) out an extra turn due to a lucky resupply into The Hatter, but their A Cappella Training (C)s ensured that my other The Hatter would never hit reserve to reanchor a second time.
My opponent’s aggressive start left them low on cards, which let me 2-0 and give myself breathing room to drop a Hydracaena (C). Intimidation (R) came in clutch to 2-0 the turn after by returning their The Hatter (F) back to hand.
At this point, we were 1/1 on expeditions. I was in a dominant position going into the next turn with a massive Hydracaena and a 2+2+5 sequence including a Dorothy Gale (F), but as the first action of the day, my opponent revealed their Small Step, Giant Leap (F) to push them over the finish line in the nick of time.
Game 3 (W)
As the second player, I 2-0’d my opponent with a rare 1+2 sequence of a boosted Bravos Bladedancer (C) and a Bravos Tracer (C). Since my only other card in hand was a 5-mana Coniferal Coneman (C), their A Cappella Training (C) on the Bladedancer left me relying on my top-deck for next turn. Thankfully, I drew into an Aloe Vera (F) which set me up with anchored plays on T2 and T3.
I went for an all-in push to maintain my lead, emptying my hand of The Hatter + Physical Training (C) despite a would-be overflowing reserve. Fortunately, this was enough, as getting to 1/4 on expeditions with a Hydracaena (R) in reserve let me close out the game.
Match 5 (2-0): Basira & Kaizaimon (Axiom-Bravos-Yzmir)
My opponent had a wild pool that screamed Basira, featuring 3x Bravos Bladedancer, 2x Red, 3x Kelon Cylinder (C), and a Haven, Bravos Bastion (C), among other goodies.
Game 1 (W)
I was perfectly content to trade with my opponent for the first four turns of the game. Coniferal Coneman (C) on T3 into Coniferal Coneman (F) on T4 felt amazing. Even though my deck’s 3-heavy mana curve meant I couldn’t play anything alongside the second Coneman, it was still enough to trade.
I dropped a Hydracaena (C) on schedule, but my opponent had a Mana Eruption (C) at the ready. Fortunately, my anchored Coniferal Coneman ensured I was still able to trade.
Even though my opponent had Dorothy Gale (C) to remove my Coneman (F) when I played it from reserve, Bravos Tracer (C) and Mana Eruption (R) were enough to trade again.
At 1/1 on expeditions, their final play was to dump Physical Training (C) boosts on a Hua Mulan (F), which played right into my Beauty Sleep (C).
Game 2 (W)
I had the ideal T2 play of an anchored Aloe Vera (F). My Haven Bouncer (C) sabotage on my opponent’s 3/3/3 Bravos Bladedancer (R) set them pretty far back on tempo.
On T4, I was able to replay the Aloe Vera (F) and pair it with Intimidation (R) for their now 7/7/7 Bravos Bladedancer (C) they had removed fleeting from with a Helping Hand (C). My opponent had the mana to replay the Bladedancer to go 1-1, but I was satisfied to neutralize the threat for future turns.
Thanks to the anchored Aloe Vera (F), I had a great window to run out the Hydracaena (R) I had kept from my opening hand. My opponent played a Kelon Cylinder-boosted Sakarabru (R) to effectively 1-0 me here. Fortunately, they weren’t able to remove the Hydracaena (R), and I was able to go 2-0 the following turn.
One expedition from victory, I dropped a second Hydracaena (C) to go for the lock on the other expedition, backed by a Mana Eruption (R). They drew into a Mana Eruption (C) of their own but thanks to the tough 2 on the 13/13/13 Hydracaena (R), they could only target the smaller one, which let me go 1-1 for the win.
Match 6 (0-2): Teija & Nauraa (Axiom-Muna-Ordis)
Game 1 (L)
I started with a lucky T1 Dracaena (C) while my opponent played a Foundry Mechanic (C) to the other expedition and doubled-down on Teija’s hero ability with a Kelon Cylinder (C). The Dracaena helped me 2-1 on T2 while my opponent set up a Dracaena (C) of their own.
On T3, my opponent’s Foundry Mechanic support ability let them play a Grand Endeavor (C) ahead of schedule. Their previously-anchored Dracaena was strong enough that I could at best 1-0 them.
I happily spent my Mana Eruption (R) to take care of the Grand Endeavor, but this is where my lack of familiarity with ExAltered got the better of me: unlike BGA, which automatically ensures you only discard a mana orb that’s already been spent, ExAltered allows you to discard an unspent mana orb without giving you the chance to upright another one. Unaware of this, I accidentally discarded an unspent mana orb and went down 1 mana on this turn.
This ended up being a game-losing error. I was planning to play The Hatter (F) into a forest-only region blocking a mountain-only region. With one fewer mana orb, I had to play Sun Wukong (C) instead. As a result, I went 0-1 instead of 1-1 on the day, tying us up at 3/3 instead of 2/3. This also resulted in me being unable to use The Hatter’s support ability to anchor a boosted Sun Wukong next turn. Furthermore, not advancing meant that when I played Sun Wukong, it was into my forest region and not the mountain region it would have been in had I advanced.
I drew my Hydracaena (R) when I belatedly reached 7 mana, but I lost both expeditions on the turn that I played it due to not having the anchored Sun Wukong as a buffer.
Game 2 (L)
My opponent and I traded through the early turns. I had the help of a T2 Dracaena (C), but they had anchored characters of their own: a Spindle Harvesters (C) and their own Dracaena (C).
At parity on expeditions, I was in a great position to drop a Hydracaena this game, but I didn’t see one on-schedule. Their Cloth Cocoon (F) earned them a huge swing by taking out my Dracaena when I went to replay it. Fortunately, I still had my Aloe Vera (F) for the turn, but I had already spent my Teija boost.
At 3/2 on expeditions with 8 mana, I drew and resupplied into two Hydracaenas. My only chance to win the game was to stick one of them and hopefully squeak out a 1-1 thanks to the anchored Aloe Vera.
Unfortunately, my opponent’s Ouroboros Croupier (F) and Ordis Gatekeeper (C) were enough to edge me out in mountain, and they were able to 2-0 me for the win.