Prize Sow
x4
1
Shadow Etchings
x4
2
Devour
x4
2
Makkar's Quiver
x4
2
Spiritweaver
x4
3
Marionette Cross
x4
3
Prism Golem
x4
4
Deathstrike
x2
4
Eremot, Mindsplinter
x4
4
Impending Doom
x4
5
Karvet, Redeemed
x4
7
Icaria, First Reaper
x4
7
Severin of the Dark
x4
Shadow Sigil
x9
Amethyst Waystone
x4
Feln Vow
x4
Shadow Symbol
x4
Stonescar Vow
x4
View Deck on Shiftstoned
If its successful or not does not matter, it just shows the issue of Eternal, brainless on curve decks are far too good. And decks where you have to make decisions and its harder to pilot are just not really promoted.
Same with that bs Worldpyre, people call that deck control but it does nothing that would qualify it as a control deck. Like the volatility creation one. The goal is just to get your worldpyre as fast as possible. Your goal is not to prevent your opponent to act out their gameplan, which is exactly what a control deck should do. The control deck is like the only deck type that is actually caring about what your opponent is doing, because its gameplan is to exhaust your opponent of their ressources. Then deploy your own.
Even playing a "control deck" nowadays does not have any meaningful decisions at all. Because its all about draw, draw and win the game. Not about prevent your opponent to build up, his gameplan etc.
Look at the top decks in Expedition, it just proves my point. Meta decks are too piss easy to play and too boring to actually play against. Its just about curving out. Not about making meaningful decisions. And mono shadow is the top of the Problem. Developers should address those issues. Imo decks just become too easily and autopilotable. And important decisions feel like they don´t matter. AP or Rakano surge for example. Straight game plan. Not that much meaningful decisions = top decks. Like wtf, what happened to the strategic part of Eternal. Mono shadow just curve out fix your influence and drop Ikaria turn 6 or stall out the game, and win with top deck or market Silverblade bullshit. If a control deck stalls you out, and does its job in preventing you to win, they just lose to Silverblade. Like in this situation the mono shadow player should ask themselves do I really deserve this win. And as the control player it feels awful to lose that because you deserved to win etc.
Camat actually said it in his streams, he hates mono shadow or garbage broken card decks. Because they make the game feel like your decisions don´t matter at all.
If you play mono shadow, Rakano surge, mono time greedy bs you are part of the problem.
And that sooo many ppl are like but why does he hate on it, it is a good deck shows to me that those ppl have no clue what card games should be.
I am just asking out of the blue where is the strategy, decision making in the current Expedition format. Even the control decks of the format have lesser decision making than a control deck would have.
I saw Puns and camat actually rage in stream about a game they should have won but swing turns and bs cards. That they actually quit the stream to play fckin Hearthstone battleground.
The current expedtion meta is the worst meta ever in Eternal, the top decks don´t need brain activity to pilot. And I know a lot of good players that actually quit playing the game, because they felt like fuck a worse player than me beaten me with the deck that needs no brain to play. I saw alot of ppl in Masters that actually don´t belong in there.
I do appreciate your honesty, however, that the goal of a control deck is to prevent the opponent from playing the game. Many people would say that's why they hate control decks. One might go so far as to say that the only skill needed to play a control deck is the ability to say "no" to your opponent in as many ways as possible.
And just as a side note, every good deck has meaningful decision points. I've played just about every archetype there is in this game over the last 3 years, and none of them strike me as requiring a huge amount more skill or decision making than the others.
And yes, I've played classic control, such as Hooru and Ixtun. But I don't do it often because it makes me feel like a dirty jerk to just keep preventing my opponent from playing the game, over and over.
Lastly, a question: have you actually played any of these decks that you're insulting? If not, then you don't get have an opinion about how much brain power is required to play them and win with them.
And when he dropped the 4th etching I had no backlash anymore. And lost to Silverblade menace. Over and over, imo if I do my job of controlling the pace of the game. I should win, cards like Silverblade menace and other swing cards against control decks are a bad design mistake. Also midrange decks that can grind out control are a bad design mistake. Because you go under control, if you fail to that you just lose. Burden however gives Midrange sometimes longer breath than control decks.
And that defeats the purpose of the term midrange. Midrange is something in between aggressive beatdown and control. So it has a higher curve than aggro but a lower curve than control. When I see endless grind Xenan burden decks. I question the term midrange.
Also you said control decks just say "NO" but thats not true. As long as the creature is not that scary or the snowball potential is not that high, you let it through. You remove key pieces of opponents strategy immediately. But control is about when you say yes.
Also control is not about drawing the game long. The problem of long games is that ppl don´t want to give up. That gives control decks that bad reputation. If you play casually on the ladder on your way to work in the train. And you face a hard control deck. Just give up when he stabilized in the midgame.
I had so many games against midrange and even aggro, where I completely dominated them and they refused to concede. Just stealing my time, he wastes his time etc.
Also control is in a meta to balance it out. If aggro is far too powerful(which it is in both Expedition and Throne), control rises to a more anti aggro. Making it weaker against other control decks and a 50/50 against midrange. You never dominate a meta though because you tinker the deck to counter a specific archetype.
Control decks would beat mono shadow every damn game. But cards like Silverblade menace exist. Which makes stalling and trieing to prolong the game pointless.
Back to the greedy midrange decks: Is that really midrange anymore, its not control because the decks don´t focus on the opponents side. But also not midrange anymore because they play the long game. Which typically is not something midrange is supposed to do. Mono shadow can play long or play the beatdown. Which makes it not fall in either of the categories and that makes it bad for balance.
And you said you played classic control did you play the decks because you like the playstyle or because those decks were pretty damn good at the time.
As a mostly control player because I like that style of play. I can say, and I think alot of ppl will agree on that. That the identity of control decks is lost in the woods rn.
You could play Burden for carddraw, but so could Midrange for grind potential. You could play board wipes like Shenra, so can Midrange, to reset a brick hand start.
Every tool "control" gets nowadays benefits other deck types as well. Yeah you could play a minion heavy control deck, but you would still play those minions in a reactive manner to prevent your opponent from getting free face dmg in.
Have you thought about splashing Primal, for Stealth Strike? I had a similar deck I was using for Gauntlet. As I was putting in dual power cards to trigger Severin of the Dark, I thought, "Why not splash Primal. Adding Lightning Storm, and Re-Read made it really good against the Gauntlet blitzy stuff.
Now I know you won't be able to play all those in Expedition... But I think Stealth Strike is dark horse. Getting the destiny from that is exponential value. You'd lose Prism Golem too, but are we really excited to play that anyway? Prism Golem is the one card that doesn't fit with Makkar's Quiver too.
Also, you're already playing Vows. Why not add one Primal power card and Seat of Cunnings?
There might be a thing or two from Primal that you can add too. If you wanna get spicy with it.
I also like the idea of Induce Maddness or Mysterious Waystone. Also, I am not a fan of running pig in mainboard. It just doesn't seem to make much of an impact. Especially as a 4-of. You really only want Prize Sow when you have Severin out. And pig's probably going to die if you drop him before Severin. But if you hold on to him he's a dead card. It's a tough call. Stiff to think about.
Cool deck! 😎
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC73Lau1Ks0PVMP57nwQkMgA?view_as=subscriber
U cannot create 6 or 5 shadow powerful cards without being obv. of an impact in the metagame.