Rakano Midrange-Control

Update 2/28: Made some changes recently and having great results with them. Sear is in for Defiance; I really don't like playing Defiance anymore but was doing so to respond to Teacher of Humility. Sear fills the same role, and while it requires another open power, Headhunter trading with Teacher mitigates that loss. I also added 2 Winchest Merchant, as I've always preferred 6 merchants in Rakano valkyrie decks. Xo of the Endless Hoard is a classic Rakano valks card that hurt to omit in the first place, and with 6 merchants it's ever more essential. The cost of these cards is Vanquish, which is pretty clunky and doesn't help much against the Time decks it was included for, and Valkyrie Enforcer, which is pretty great right now but just not as essential as everything else.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a few months away from the game, I decided to grind aggressively for master this February to see how quickly I could make it. I reached D2 without much issue using mostly a different take on Jennev midrange, but stalled out there with a variety of decks. I was able to push into D1 quickly once I put his Rakano list together, and ultimately it helped me reach masters fifth this season.

The core of the deck is mostly similar to the standard Rakano Valkyries we all love (or love to hate), but a few key changes mix up the play pattern considerably. The introduction of board wipes and a Press-Gang package for card draw allows us to take a more grindy, controlling approach than the typical proactive ramp strategy. Combined with the usual threats and some ramp tools from a traditional valkyries build, the result is a flexible deck that aims to grind, stall and control until its big flyers hit the board, but that can still play to ramp out the first Icaria ahead of curve. I found the versatility provides resilience to a lot of different matchups - and different draws.

The big valkyries at the top are all still here. Icaria, the Liberator is the best win-con in the game. Rizahn, Greatbow Master is a value play in every matchup, pinging off units and sites and leaving a flying beater as well as potentially gaining life. Sediti, the Killing Steel is a great threat for the cost and an outstanding card advantage engine. Slow decks will have an extremely hard time winning if you hit them with the curse, and even just warping him is a strong play for the free card. The little Icaria that could - Icaria, Valkyrie Captain - is here too, and as integral to the deck as ever. She is strongest as turn 3 ramp and therefore most often your best turn 2 play when not under pressure, but also effective as a ramping 5-drop, cheap unit after a board clear, or really any time. (Random note - if you ramp with her on 3 and have a chance at Sediti on 4, don't make the mistake of attacking that turn into a Defiance or other attacking-unit removal option! 1 face damage isn't worth losing the onslaught.)

The familiar Rakano removal is here, too, but every card in that Torch-Defiance-Vanquish package that was once so efficient and comprehensive has taken a nerf. They're all still competitive, but the cracks these three are showing are one reason I think a Rakano deck with Harsh Rule is more effective now. Resetting the board state ahead of dropping an Icaria or Rizahn is just a really strong approach (and has long been popular in 3-faction decks). Harsh Rule also takes a lot of pressure off the other removal spells - the stun mode of Defiance is much stronger with a wipe on the way, and I've been well covered with only 3 copies of the slightly clunky Vanquish.

The other major additions to the framework are Crownwatch Press-Gang and Headhunter. Press-Gang is a famously strong value engine, drawing a card on summon and potentially drawing two more down the line off revenge. It has already been used to great effect alongside removal and valkyries in Argenport decks. We don't have Street Urchin in Rakano, but we do have the similarly valuable Headhunter. Street Urchin can be twisted twice to draw two cards from the opponent's deck; while Headhunter's twist needs an enemy unit to die for you to draw, it comes in at a far better rate (2 power) for better cards (2 from your own deck). If you're going to be removing units anyway, as we are, then it tends to work like a Wisdom of the Elders on top of the advantage Press-Gang is already getting you, and the ability to split up the cost over 2 turns is surprisingly relevant in plotting efficient turn sequences. The raw number of bodies this pair of units provides is also great for stalling aggro and onslaughting Sediti; if your opponent wants to prevent that, they often need to waste removal on them. If you can trade a Headhunter for an aggro unit instead of twisting it, that's not bad at all. One other use: twist Headhunter to pop aegis.

The most important slots in the market are Reclaim and Svetya, Merciful Orene. Reclaim goes a long way toward fulfilling your high power requirements and has been a market staple since Rakano valks was revived. I tend to grab it against slow decks when I have a merchant on 3 - especially other Icaria decks, to make sure I land mine first - but it's generally a good get on turn 3 and, when not facing pressure, a good turn 4 play even without onslaught. Svetya is for games you know will go particularly long; her advantage is insurmountable once you manage to draw a few units, and she is particularly devastating with Press-Gang and Headhunter. Usually I grab her when I draw a merchant late in a long game, but in a few matchups I pulled her as early as turn 4 just knowing that's where the game would have to go (and with a lot of power already in hand).

Pristine Light is like an extra vanquish or extra board wipe with some card-re-draw upside; I think everyone has a pretty good sense of what it offers as a market card. Stormhalt Knife is another Justice market staple, enabling huge stabilizing swing turns against aggro, neatly killing Icaria, etc. I've been using Deepforged Plate for reach and especially to counter Yetis (breaks perma, walls off all their stun effects and puts a big unit out of Ice Bolt reach), but it has been the least pulled card and I'd consider it the flex slot. I plan to try End of the Story, which I think will be more integral to the deck; I often want a board wipe from the market, especially with Headhunters around, and twisting them can even trigger tribute. Other options to swap in, depending on what you're seeing a lot, include Avigraft, Cauldron Cookbook, and Bore.

That should cover everything. It's been fun getting back into playing and building, and I'm really pleased with how this deck came together. If you give it a try, share your thoughts!