Crafty Kira and a systematic review of this deck

Hooru Kira is one of the few decks I genuinely enjoy playing regularly. The turns are relatively fast, the gameplay is decently tricky, and the cards synergize well compared to a typical unit-based deck. With that in mind, I figured it would be a great idea to write a systematic review of what we, as a community, know about the deck.

A quick word on RNG

Crafty Infiltration can occasionally miss entirely, even in decks with 26-30 units. However, the chance of this happening–even on 26 unit decks–appears to be under 5% in most scenarios, unless you draw a lot of units early and greedily play the card anyway. I think we're safe within this range.

The Data

Since Crafty Infiltration was released in January 2023, I reviewed the content available on this site starting from that year. There are Throne 12 decks in total, three of which take a very different approach or mindset. I've decided not to include their cards here. Two of the decks don’t use Crafty Infiltration (possibly due to budget constraints), but their gameplans are identical, so they’re included. I've also added my own deck, giving us a solid total of 10 decks to analyze.

The deck (and its market) listed here is a copy of the one I use, which takes advantage of Gold-Plated Revolver. The sideboard consists of 20 cards not present in my deck but included in the other reviewed decks or ones I’ve used in the past. I’ll break everything down into sections.

As an addendum, many of the cards you'll see here are already excellently described in Stormblessed’s version of the deck (Stormblessed Approved Crafty Kira). Feel free to check it out!

Note: A "Kira spell" refers to a fast, 1-cost spell that targets a unit.

The Agreed-Upon Cards (36 Cards)

These staples have a very high usage rate across all reviewed decks and are always played as a full set. Usage rates (out of 40 cards) are listed next to each entry:

Bubble Shield at 90%
Justice Etchings at 100%
Levitate at 80%
Silverblade Intrusion at 100%
Hojan, Crownbreaker at 100%
Icaria, Valkyrie Captain at 70%
Kira Ascending at 100%
Crafty Infiltration at 80%
Valkyrie Enforcer at 90%

The Rest of My Deck

This is where deviations appear due to the hero focus. Cards like a turn 2 attacking Plunk Wumpkin (enabled by Star Charts) with a Gold-Plated Revolver can be particularly obnoxious. The Gold-Plated Revolver also acts as a pseudo-permanent (albeit slow) Finest Hour for 20/26 of your units. While West, On the Trail is slow, it offers situational removal and draw fixing.

Gold-Plated Revolver at 10%
Plunk Wumpkin at 32.5%
West, On the Trail at 10%
Rime Conclave Smuggler (as a 2-of) at 92.5%

My Power Base

Justice Sigil and Influence: We exclusively play these sigils due to limited Primal cards. Across the reviewed decks, the average is 14.8 Primal sources (median of 14), within a 14-16 range. Six sigils seem optimal for full sets of Justice Etchings, Hojan, Crownbreaker, and Icaria, Valkyrie Captain. Decks average 6.7 sigils (median of 7), within a 5-9 range.
Hooru Banner: Found in 65% of decks (usually as a full set). Some decks opt for Crest of Order (25% usage), but I believe the always depleted power is suboptimal here.
Hooru Cylix and Hooru Painting: These conditionally depleted powers take up six slots in my deck. Usage across the reviewed decks: 30% use a 3/3 split, 50% use 4/4, and 20% use 3/4.
Hooru Insignia: Not running a full set of this card isn’t an option.
Justice Symbol: While it’s always depleted, Kira Ascending benefits significantly from running a full set. This card has an 85% usage rate.
Star Charts: A spicy singleton of mine.

Important Inclusions

These are popular cards that don’t make it into my deck due to slight deviations in the gameplan. For example, Combrei Lawmage can force some decks to surrender immediately, while Rime Conclave Smuggler enhances market access.

Combrei Lawmage at 62.5%
Rime Conclave Smuggler (as a 4-of) at 92.5%

The Agreed-Upon Market Cards

Like the staples listed earlier, these market cards are excellent choices. The only potential swap I’d consider is replacing Vision of Austerity based on the meta.

Bring to Justice at 100%
Trickshot Ruffian at 80%
Vision of Austerity at 60%
Pristine Light at 100%
Korovyat Palace at 100%

Potential Inclusions

These cards are rarely seen across the reviewed decks and are seldom played as a full set.

Bless the Wild at 0%: An older card I’ve used before, this is a powerful pseudo-aegis Kira spell. However, it’s challenging to justify cutting other units or spells for it. Bubble Shield outshines it because the aegis effect is easier to use and doesn’t cost as much. Additionally, I don’t rate the +1/+1 effect highly. Bubble Shield also synergizes better with Bring to Justice. This card could see play in a list without Gold-Plated Revolver.
Finest Hour at 12.5%: Similar to Bless the Wild, this is pseudo-removal but is generally outclassed by Silverblade Intrusion. It could also find a place in decks not running Gold-Plated Revolver.
Obstructive Flicker at 0%: This card offers protection against board wipes and other disruptive spells. It may be helpful against specific decks, like Rat Cage or aggro-heavy lists. I could see this included as a 2-of at most.
Urge to Feed at 27.5%: A slow Kira spell with a cantrip and a nice hunt effect. I’d consider this before Bless the Wild or Finest Hour for inclusion.
Aniyah, Master Sleuth at 17.5%: A compelling option, she is playable on turn 2 thanks to Justice Symbol and offers a solid aegis hero body with the added benefit of a “double” aegis effect. This makes her especially effective against hunt and hand-hate strategies. Replacing Plunk Wumpkin or West, On the Trail with her is worth considering. She also has potential utility in non-hero-focused decks.
Icy Scrying at 20%: A "draw 1 of 2" spell that feels slightly expensive. It does allow you to interact with your own 6J Kira Ascending via the Snowball.
Kodosh Evangel at 10%: Likely more of a budget inclusion or a response to aggro-heavy metas.
Plunk Wumpkin at 32.5%: A solid hero option that can be difficult for some decks to deal with in the early game. Its ability to draw cards—sometimes for free—adds value during the opening turns. However, its impact tends to taper off as the game progresses, making it less effective in longer matches.
Hooru Envoy at 35%: Likely a holdover of pre-Crafty Infiltration days, I think this card has been largely outclassed. Current draft formats tend to include better 3-drop units.
Lipa, Witch of the Woods at 10%: An okay 3-cost 2/2'ish aegis flyer, though the PP influence requirement can be problematic. The ultimate effect feels like flavor text. There are stronger options available.

Meta Inclusions

For the void and relic hate:

Steyer's Eyes at 35%
Monarch Cloak at 20%

Odd Inclusions

I’m not sure why these cards are included, but here they are:

Lystia, Flighty Mistral at 5%
Fisher King at 20%
Velise, Bear Rider at 10%
Svetya, Lightbringer at 5%

Market Swaps

Adjudicator's Gavel at 10%: Potentially better than Steyer’s Eyes due to its lower cost and lack of sacrifice requirements.
Deafening Word at 10%: Useful against particularly problematic units.
Orene's Scepter at 0%: Grants aegis to all your units; worth considering in a control-heavy meta.
General Fiera at 30%: Big girl, though I’m not entirely sold unless paired with Orene’s Scepter.