Mono-J Kira Midrange

This is the list I used to go 13-1 in the May Throne Open. This archetype is nothing new; Kira decks were running around when I started playing Eternal in 2020, and she's been holding steady ever since. Because the deck is well-established, I won't speak on the gameplan as a whole, but I'll try to give my thoughts on certain card decisions.

Re: Not running primal - I don't have a strong opinion on the Hooru version of this deck, and it's possibly better than mono-J. To me, the 5 advantages of running primal are:
- Levitate
- Rime Conclave Smuggler
- Korovyat Palace (in the market)
- The fact that it's likely free to splash primal with 4 Hooru Insignia and 4 Hooru Banner.
- Face aegis from Bubble Shield. We'll circle back to this.

and 2 things that weren't valuable enough to consider:
- Bless the Wild. It's fine but not necessary
- Maveloft Huntress. With its double primal influence, is a little clunky and unnecessary

Overall, I think mono-J is perfectly fine, and there are more than enough cards to fill out the 75.

Re: Finest Hour/Crownwatch Standard - I try to avoid hot takes because I'm an aloof internet user and altogether spineless, but I'll try my best here: In the current meta, Finest Hour is better than Bubble Shield. In this meta, the range of cards I would want aegis against is narrower than usual. There's non-damage-based targeted removal like Permafrost, Send an Agent, and Open Contract, and there's sweepers like Harsh Rule and Fall to Ruin. In both cases, I was willing to sacrifice some protection to get a full playset of Finest Hours in.

Speaking of Finest Hour, the card fills some of the role of Bubble Shield, and covers a lot of ground that Bubble Shield can't.
- It does protect against damage-based removal like Torch and Autotread-based shenanigans.
- It is a very solid combat trick at 1-cost
- It protects against relic weapons! With Hidden Garrote and Lunar Claw running around, Finest Hour can completely blindside opponents. And we like blindsiding our opponents!

This was also the reason I ran Crownwatch Standard. I feel less strongly about this. The power coming in depleted can hurt. However, our curve tops out with Sediti, the Killing Steel. We usually don't need to go past 5 power, so the transmute is rarely an issue.

Re: The market - The 2 cards I found myself marketing the most were Wind Conjuring and Mystical Shackles. I would only replace them with cards of similar effect. Pristine Light is a strong tool for us. Helena, Skyguide also fills an important role. When Fearless Crescendo is played early and you’re unsure of what to grab, it’s hard to go wrong a 3/4 Flying + Endurance unit for 3 (along with a relevant contract).

The entire market very much does not need to be all 3-cost cards. It really shouldn’t be, I just left it this way because of indecision. I would swap Equalize out for Korovyat Palace (while also adding more primal sources for consistency), but any reasonable card will do.

Re: The best card in the deck - Maybe not a hot take, but the best card in this deck is Furious Magniventris. Calling this card OP isn't exactly going out on a limb, but even in throne, this card doesn't need much to become a win-con. Kira is the namesake of this deck and influences more of our card choices than any other, but Magni is a one-dino wrecking crew.

Re: Changes/budget replacements -
- Sediti, the Killing Steel. I’m testing Prism Golem as a replacement. If you do this, also replace Hooru Insignia with sigils/some mono-justice power. Playing Fearless Crescendo on a Prism Golem creates a makeshift Sediti, being a 5/5 flyer. While we’re always trying to play Fearless Crescendo on Kira/Hojan, I think Prism Golem is a fine alternative, especially considering a lot of our deck already flies.
- Icaria, Valkyrie Captain and Steyer’s Eyes. I don’t think either is necessary. If you don’t have those campaigns, possible budget alternatives are Reliable Troops and Argenport Noble.
- In general, if you’re looking to fill out the deck, I would consider bumping up the Bubble Shield to 4, and adding Wind Conjuring in the maindeck