Big Combrei (Gauntlet Grinder)

Hello friends!

As an avid Gauntlet grinder, I'm always on the lookout for new decks to fight the big RNG battle. Big Combrei has always been a fairly good player on the Gauntlet scene, but it had a few pitfalls that were difficult to shore up pre-FOA. Now, I think we have the tools to make Big Combrei great again!

Card Choices
Lingering Influence/Seek Power: I'm convinced Lingering Influence is good enough to run alongside Seek Power, as it is crucial to hit powers 3 & 6 on time (more on that later). I haven't quite determined the appropriate split between the two cards, I have tried 2/4, 3/3, 4/2, and have had the best luck with the former two. Luckily, Influence is never really a dead card, as the Scout ability is useful at all points during a game

Desert Marshal/Valkyrie Enforcer: The standard Combrei silence package. Very useful in Gauntlet.

Vanquisher's Blade: Very well statted for a 2 cost weapon, and the Voidbound clause is backbreaking in a few matchups (looking at you Entropy). Also, more Vanquish.

Auralian Merchant: Easily the best merchant for Combrei, Winchest doesn't provide the stabilization and ramp that Auralian does, and we get to put some silver bullet time cards in the market!

Combrei Healer: The classic anti-aggro machine is back and provides a meaningful way to hold weapons, gain life, pop aegis and stonewall Oni Ronins.

Knight-Chancellor Siraf: One of your win-cons in board stalls. Getting to 8 power isn't very difficult and the ability to spawn units (sometimes very large) that can go ham is pretty neat. Also a great stabilizer vs. Aggro.

Sandstorm Titan: Have you played with Sandstorm Titan? He's good. Some might say the best.

Sword of Unity: I believe this is the single most powerful legendary in FOA (even better than Teacher). It also solves one of the biggest issues of Big Combrei: breaking board stalls. Now you can smash through with a massive overwhelming lifesteal unit which now has aegis. Many games have been won by slapping this on Mystic Ascendant. It is better to think of this card as a 6 drop, rather than a 4 drop (though it can certainly be played that way). Given how much removal Gauntlet AI is normally packing, the additional Stand Together can be game-winning.

Harsh Rule: This card used to be a staple in the biggest of Big Combrei decks, but now I don't think a playset is necessary. I'd rather have one and not need it than need it and not have one, but normally end up pitching it to the market. I think 3 is plenty, because you can't fish one out of the market. This number may change in the future though.

Marshal Ironthorn: Another win-con. Many games devolve into big board stalls, this guy punches through them. Just gotta wait for that 15 power.

Mystic Ascendant: THE titular Big Combrei finisher, who can now have overwhelm thanks to Sword of Unity. Draws cards, gets massive, and combos well with Marshall Ironthorn.

The Market

Infinite Hourglass: A silver bullet against Deep Freeze and those Gauntlet decks that run Crystallize. This card rarely comes out of the market, but its usefulness warrants its inclusion. You can substitute Sandstorm Scarf instead, but between Sandstorm Titan and the silence package, you can keep flyers from becoming a huge problem.

Sword of Unity: This card is great, have I mentioned that?

Mystic Ascendant: I found myself wanting a finisher in the market. The go-to finisher for most Big Combrei decks is The Great Parliament, but because this is not a dedicated ramp deck, I found Parliament to be a bit lackluster.

Passage of Eons: Probably my most grabbed card. Being able to silence an opponent's entire board and destroy all their weapons and relics is extremely good. It's great in some boss matchups as well (such as highly skilled and the empower deck).

Notable Exclusions:

Initiate of the Sands/Trail Maker: This version of Big Combrei is a little easier on the influence than some other decks, needing only TJJ by power three and TTJJ at power six. While these cards can speed up the early game, they are prone to removal and are terrible late game draws, I'd rather run power fetchers in their place and ensure power consistency.

Stand Together: While this card is great, we have a massive bulge in our curve at 3, and drawing multiples feels bad when you're trying to advance your boardstate. There used to be one in the market, but I found myself always fetching Sword of Unity instead.

Worldbearer Behemoth: While I love this card, hitting TTT by turn 5 can be a bit difficult. We also need to attack into the board to generate any value from it. It Killers well though, and this + Xenan Initiation can be an alternate way to build the deck. Marshal Ironthorn and Mystic Ascendant generate value without having to attack, so coupled with Sword of Unity our upper curve is pretty much locked.

The Great Parliament: As previously mentioned, this is not a ramp deck, so Parliament is a little lackluster. If you decide to go that route though with Worldbearer Behemoth, this can take the place of one of the upper curve cards.

Playing the deck.

Let's begin with the opening hand. Ideally, your hand needs 3-4 power, early game interaction or two, and one of your higher curve cards. MULLIGAN ALL TWO POWER HANDS unless you have both a power fetch and a merchant. A hand that is Power/Power/3drop/Fetch/Merchant/2 drop/6drop might be ok, but you MUST grab your banner from your market if you don't draw into the necessary power. As mentioned early in the discussion, the breakpoints of power are 3 and 6. 3 because the bulk of your units are at three, and 6 because Sword of Unity and Mystic Ascendant, which will win you the game outright or stabilize you until you can. Speaking of which, this deck generally wins in one of three ways: 1. Outvaluing your opponent with Siraf and smashing the spawned units against their board until is reduced to a manageable size. 2. Sweeping away your opponents board with Ironthorn then attacking in (Watch for aegis units, use Passage from the market to sweep away the shields first). 3. Equipping Ascendant with Sword of Unity and steadily growing him until he can push through lethal, or enough damage to where A + Space gets you lethal (The opponent has to weigh blocking an overwhelm unit). The Gauntlet AI values its units pretty highly, so you might be able to get a hit or two in with Ascendant before going for lethal. That being said, Sandstorm Titan equipped with Sword can also be an aggressive beater or stabilizing unit in a pinch; turns out an 8/9 Aegis/Lifesteal/Endurance unit is difficult to remove or attack in to, who knew?

This deck isn't very fast, but it's consistent. Some recent records (when I finally got the core of the deck situated).

7 Wins, beating Entropy (Thanks to Vanquisher's Blade)
6 Wins, losing to Sudden Death
7 Wins, beating Defender of the Spire (hooray silence!)
6 Wins, losing to Power of Progress (This was a misplay on my behalf, I waited too long to play harsh rule and got blown out by an opposing Ironthorn)
7 Wins, beating Labyrinth Treasury (This is pretty much a mirror match, but your end game is much better)
7 Wins, beating Highly Skilled (Passage is a godsend in this matchup)
5 Wins, losing to Shogunate Forces
7 Wins, beating Labyrinth Treasury

*Note, your experience may differ, but should improve when you pilot the deck a bit*

Unfortunately, this deck isn't exactly budget, but it is cheaper than some of the other Big Combrei decks (which is a notoriously expensive archetype). The good news is that almost all of the rares/legendaries in the deck slot into other competitive decks, so the shiftstone isn't wasted :)

Happy Grinding!

EDIT: After playing around with it, Ironfist Chancellor is another notable player. He provides an excellent mid-game power sink, and combos very well with Vanquisher's Blade and Sword of Unity (each copy created can trigger Spellcraft!), and can win the game on his own if left unchecked. I cut Temple Scribe for him and cut a Harsh Rule for an additonal Sword of Unity. I may cut a Combrei Healer for a 4th Chancellor and try to find room for a 3rd Vanquisher's Blade. Will update with results.