Elysian Image (Master's)

Pssst. Hey, Buddy... Wanna draw some cards?

This deck was posted to reddit on June 11th by Westminster Ninja, whose Eternal screen name is FuelCell. And boy does this deck have fuel. I've never had an easier time getting to master's. This deck is perfectly positioned right now. It's exciting to see a deck this good emerge so late in the card cycle, with a new release in sight.

Piloting

Elysian Image aims to win in turns 6-10 by playing too many high-quality threats for the opponent to answer. A powerful draw engine keeps the threats coming to outlast your opponent. Reliquary Raider and Jotun Feast-Caller refill your hand. Use bounce cards like Equivocate and Praxis Displacer to clear the way or Accelerated Evolution or Xenan Initiation to pick and choose attacks your card-draw units can live through.

Mulligan

A good goal for your opening hand is to see a way to get a Reliquary Raider down on turn 3. (or 2!) Consider tossing back any hand that can't do that. Mirror Image and Accelerated Evolution tend to be better later draws and weaker in an opening hand, so downgrade a hand with more than one of those in it. Five power is where the magic happens, so most 2-power hands should get tossed.

Interactions

There are ton of interactions, and the more you play this deck, the better you'll get at it. Equivocate is typically used on enemy units, but can be used on your own to snatch them away from a Madness or to have a body to play after opponent's Harsh Rule. Although Displacer often clears the way for a card-draw attack, it can also reset your own killer or Aegis, or bounce a cheap unit to draw an extra card or extra power. Accelerated Evolution can pop an enemy unit's aegis. If you use it to give a Feast-caller endurance, your opponent can no longer pop the aegis with stun effects. When you Mirror Image a Feast-caller or Behemoth, the copy starts at whatever number of cards the original was drawing, not at one. Mirror Image feels really strong when copying a unit that you've used a couple of buffs spells on.

Exploiting the interactions is the key to turning this from a ho-hum Elysian Good Stuff deck into a Master-level powerhouse.

Tuning

If you're seeing a lot of aggro, this deck's worst match-up, add 4 Permafrost and remove AccEvo and a Mirror Image.

Where's Sandstorm Titan?

I dunno, he didn't show up for work today. Seriously, try the deck first. It works and it still beats Hooru Fliers. Darude messes with our own AccEvo shenanigans.

Gameplay video

Twitch video -- I play so SLOWLY! Click on the gear icon and speed the playback up to 1.5 or more to make me get a move on.