Ch26 Masters Mono Justice Tempo

This deck got me my first Masters. I drew inspiration from existing decks but definitely have my own hipster twist (which I'm so proud of) in Veteran Mercenary and Minotaur Grunt, as well as dropping Hojan, Crownbreaker like hot garbage and including thirty nine total units. Shoutout to MonoJustice (Top 100 Masters) Very extensive guide within! by DankMemes for teaching me about Amilli, Cloudmarshal and Sheriff Marley, and to [Master] Mono Justice by Sky for showing a significantly different successful approach that gave me confidence to put my own spin on things.

The deck excels against removal heavy, narrow wincon control decks, which are my favorite decks to beat because the playstyle lacks integrity. It's basically a tempo deck that keeps pumping units on curve with Amilli and Marley to extend board presence beyond five power.

Card by Card

Lingering Influence was a late discovery and essential to the deck because I don't like Rolant's Favor, though the latter synergizes with Auric Runehammer so YMMV.

Crownwatch Paladin is the hero two-drop that I'd really like to see in my opening hand. Resistant to Torch, can dummy block with two damage, expendable for Warcry swings, and free repeating damage against any deck whose early game consists entirely of Defiance.

Icaria, Valkyrie Captain has a skill ceiling that I still haven't hit and often frustrates me, but she synergizes with Unseen Commando, can ramp in an emergency, and the deck started winning more when I put her back in it. I heavily prefer to use her as a five-drop, immediately activating the ultimate to thin my deck entering the midgame, but she's a valid two-drop to soak Oni Ronin or Torch or even to just start swinging.

Minotaur Grunt replaced Hojan, Crownbreaker. Hojan didn't belong in a deck with so few ways to activate him so I needed a different two-drop. This overperformer can tank Oni Ronin, swings for Warcry, and I've got four foil copies of him.

Vanquisher's Blade is the deck's "skill card" and probably also best and most essential card. Cast it now? Wait on the spellcraft? Hide it under an Aegis that never attacks to stifle recursion? This always depends on context, and this is your only interaction besides Auric Runehammer, so get it right.

Copperhall Bailiff is useful in way, way more circumstances than I anticipated. He was one of those pieces of spaghetti that sticks when you throw it against the wall. He's a serious overperformer, and his summon ability pops Aegis.

Unseen Commando is just really good on tempo and really good in general. I crafted him to replace Copperhall Paladin and never looked back.

Valkyrie Enforcer is a very good card. Sometimes you can throw it down on tempo just to start swinging if there's nothing to Silence and no other three-drops.

Winchest Merchant - Auto include because merchant, but a nice little flyer to punch or dummy block. I used the market to thin spells out of the deck and make room for the merchant itself, and for more reliable access to appropriate removal. My market should include my fourth Amilli, Cloudmarshal instead of Avigraft, but this oversight was present in the deck that took me to Masters, so that's what I'm posting here.

Auric Runehammer was included in every good Justice deck I studied so I tried it out and you know what? GOOD CARD. Especially good to drop on tempo for multiple swings against control decks that simply refuse to play units.

Sheriff Marley is the secret sauce here. Aegis matters on a big body and the dummy soldiers are useful as blockers, market fodder, go-wide damage, and for additional value in a deck with no card draw. I didn't expect her to be this good.

Veteran Mercenary is my hipster include and also a serious overperformer. Whatever random card you get from his summon ability is welcome in a deck with no card draw, and in my small amount of games with him he RNG'd two big wins, including the game I won to get Masters, where Augmented Form gave me a win on crackback against a big flyer who had me lethal next turn.

Amilli, Cloudmarshal is the only legendary I've ever crafted. I use him because DankMemes used him. In theory, he keeps generating value essential in a deck with no card draw and no late-game. In practice he eats a removal spell or the enemy concedes. I should have a fourth one in the market instead of Avigraft.

Crownwatch Standard and Emerald Monument both let me sneak more spells and weapons into a deck with thirty-nine units. I have too many of these and the depleted power has hurt me in a number of games, but I'm stubborn. I'm not sure what the sweet spot amount of these cards is, but it's less than what I'm using.

Emerald Waystone can save your Auric Runehammer from Nightfall damage.

Lastly, everyone has their own reason to stop playing Avigraft, so here's mine: it doesn't fit the tempo playstyle. If I'm playing Avigraft, I'm not playing an Auric Runehammer, Veteran Mercenary, or Sheriff Marley. The existing copy in my market should have been replaced by Amilli, Cloudmarshal. The mistake is probably the result of subconscious stubbornness because you know what? I LOVE AVIGRAFT. But it doesn't fit the deck.