Im very anxious to go to Gen Con, and couldnt help talking about it. Last time, a Diamond Cutter deck one, mostly due ot the lack of blocker hate. However, we've advanced a set or two, and many new factors have been introduced. It almost garanteed that last time's meta will completely change.

So, there are many questions to be asked. What do you think this meta will lack? Whats its weakness gonna be? And what deck type will do the best at Gen Con?

Please Share your Thoughts and Idea's about this here.

I think Jack Viper/Trash Man will be pretty popular with the lesser players. Mist Rias should see some play too. I am hoping that Mono-Nature doesn't rear it's ugly head lol.

Other than that it'll probably be a bunch of people running heavily tested decks. Shadowclash doesn't really introduce any new decktypes. It just strengthens the decks of Rampage.

Last time it was everybody trying to figure out what was good from the Rampage set. This time around Shadowclash has been out long enough for people to know what works. That's why I think it'll be cookie-cutter/Trash/Mist/Comand Evo/Hydro, for the lesser players, and heavily tested decks for the tougher opponents.

So in short...

Be prepared to go up agianst any deck out there, because it won't be a bunch of people trying to pinpoint the latest set's big deck like last time.

good, thats what i expected too, decks all over the place. Thats why I tested my deck vs tons of different decktypes. I just hope not too many people run Barkwhip, its just annoying.

Yeah, I think the most popular deck amongst the the lesser(?) players will be Jack/Trash. But I'd expect to see some seasoned builds of that deck wreaking havoc on everything.

And, aside from that... there's no telling anymore. Almost every deck type has the potential to go all the way. So I guess we'll have to wait and see.

And next year of course, we have Triple-breakers coming out soon. Like King Atlantis and Shiriusu. Not to mention Surviors. And I'm almost afraid to even fathom the potential Fire/Nature gets just from Dragon Pulse Eruption. -shudders-

Yeah Barkwhip would seriously ream my current deck. It works like this...

Turn three.... WHIP!!!

Turn four Crimson Hammer.... OH WAIT!!!

Turn five Searing Wave.... OH WAIT!!!

Turn six Burst Shot.... OH WAIT!!!

exactly, sure its a little different for me if i manage to get emeral early or go first and get wailing shadow out, but barkwhip still serves as an annoying dent in my deck's plans.

I think Barkwhip will be popular, but I think Sheild Trigger or Diamond Cutter (With help from Mist Rias) is going to win the day.

Diamond Cutter with Terror Pit splashed in won the event last event. Since then people have started running more blocker hate in the form of Critical Blade and Searing Wave, with a brave few running the ultimate blocker hate: Scarelet Skyterror. This deck is a very powerful Archaetype, due to its abilities to swarm the field in a very brief amount of time, and the Diamond Cutter card itself is the icing on this already sweet cake. With Holy Awe and the newly released Screaming Sunburst also in it's spell arsenal, the Diamond Cutter is more powerful than it's ever been.

Decks focusing on shield triggers can work pretty well, especially with the new release of shield trigger creatures in Shadowclash. These decks are now more abusable than ever, and your opponent will be afraid to break your shields due to their fear of what lies in wait. This deck could also splash some beast folk and run barkwhip to get some backbone attackers in this deck. There is no surefire way to defeat this kind of deck, aside of breaking their shields with caution. Alcadieas is a good way to stop most of their shield trigger spells, but the new creatures will still be powerful to contend with. Alcadieas is also hard to summon, so it will be unreliable.

Mono-Color decks will do fairly well, with nature and light being the best. Mono-light has already been discussed, and mono nature will be using beast folk/barkwhip/Raging Dash Horn and natural snare and Dimmension gate. Simple, and effective. Mono Fire and Water are also fine decks with their own strengths. Mono Dark will be surprisingly good, namely due to the support of Jack Viper and the newly released Mongrel Man. Some might try running Ballom, Master of Death in mono-Dark.

Some people will trifle with control decks in the form of Blue/Black bounce or Red/Black destruction. Both focus on killing the opponents creatures and delaying the opponent from being able to attack, as well as discarding from the opponent's hand, but both suffer and NASTY weakness to rush decks.

A brave few might try running Rainbow decks with all of the colors (me, if I can make it). The deck is unpredictable, dangerous due to it's unpredictability, and full of plans to deal with every situation. One well timed Mana Crisis will screw this deck, however.

Speaking of Mana Crisis, some random folks might try to run mana destruction decks. These decks aren't too solid at the moment though, and probably won't do well.

One card from Shadowclash that will probably see a deck based around it at Gen Con is Hydro Hurricane. I'll place my money on that rogue deck coming out of nowhere to win.

That's my two cents on Gen Con, and I wish with all I have that I could attend. Oh well.

*Lee Sandow

Mono-N: Barkwhip is going to be annoying for some time. Some think this decktype is dead now, but hey those same people thought it was dead Post-Rampage. I do think it has to be modified to remain a contender. I don't count Mono-Nature out of doing well unless someone runs a build that hasn't changed since its Rampage incarnation. Any wall deck can stop it if it hasn't adapted.

D-Cut: Sunburst adds something, but if you're toting that Gen Con Indy deck to Gen Con So Cal, then you won't win if any one there is keen on Corile/Teleportation, Skyterror, Paladin, Metalwing--blocker hate or big blocker bounce. I think this build has to focus on the things that make Light fierce, setting up the hand with spells and tapping. If you know the blocker hate is coming, don't make all your early game blocker. Don't be as passive as Light normally is--tap and get their hitters off the field. Again, for D-Cut to survive, it has to adapt.

W/N: it will still be around. The deck has to change a bit, uber swarm (especially Mono N), heavy wall, very focused control give it problems, and I imagine that HH will too, but it's still a great deck type.

I'm anxious to see what gets played. I'm trying to settle on what to play myself. But, I'm for sure it won't be single civ or my deck from Indy.

me and knives talked over it, and lets just say that D Cutter sees its worst nightmare in Knives. Scarlet has gotten a much better form of itself recently, and this form is so underatted. Luckily (or maybe unfortunately, dunno) i told Knives about it and helped him explore it, and now he gotten the total enemy for d cutter.

I doubt me and him will be the only enemies of light out there. Other peopled should run this big enemy.
Furthermore, stall has lost its power. Instead of stall being annoying, like it used to be, it now is put into good use for your opponent, and helps a lot.

In short, Diamond Cutter has lost its power, and has much to fear at gen con. If it is run, there is a high chance it wont be a threat, and an even bigger chance that it wont win at Gen Con.

I think the Diamond Cutter deck did well at the last Gen Con due to the Meta. Blocker hate wasn't too big, because instead of focusing on well balanced decks people were trying to figure out what was best out of the young rampage set.

It's hard to explain, but Mono-Nature just seems to have a lot of problems these days. It mainly has to do with there inability to deal with Trash Man/Mist Rias. Photocide/Vanusha/Aeris are pretty annoying for the Mono-Nature deck. Then lots of new decks out there *cough* Mohammad's deck *cough* sport a heck of a lot of hand advantage.

What's that? You've played FDF? Well I've got a five card hand. Meanwhile you're topdecking. That's about how it is with Mono-Nature.

Currently all that Nature can do is attack, and play sheild triggers. If a Mono-Nature is going to survive in the current Meta, then they might want to add some form of hand advantage.

Nature's lack of draw and removal is its downfall. When it faces an enemy running much of either of those things it lacks, it has a hard time. Light needs a lot of time to build up for its d cut. When it faces removal, it too has a hard time.

Unlike last time, Nature and D Cut now have many enemies. Many new mass removal have been understood, controled, and harnessed. Common Removal is now run by more decks. And draw has increased in its power.

Its pretty safe to say that Nature and Diamond Cutterr wont be something original and explosive this time around at gen con.

I think that Ballom Decks and Jack Viper Decks will do good since they have their own form of Control with the Vast amount of destruction that the Darkness Civ. brings to the table.

Jack Viper/Mongrel Man - using the power of the Slayers with Jack Viper to clear the opponents field and play the slayers again next turn to cause more havoc and drawing cards with Mongrel Man (too bad the Jack/Mongrel combo doesnt work)

Ballom - using a slow paced decked compared to Jack Viper decks but getting the same result in a more devasting way cause once Ballom hits everything except Dark is gone.

so i think they will do good.

Wouldn't it be funny if all the Top 4 decks were running the Water civilization?

IMO, that will can/will probably happen. Most of the people ive seen for a long time have been using water. Whether, its for its merfolk draw combo, good draw spells, great power, unblockablity, evoing, bouncing, etc, water has a use in most decks. Its quite possible for most decks to use water.

I totally agree. I think for sure Water will be in the Top Deck it just brings too much to the table by itself and with another Civ, in fact I'm prediciting that Water will be in the winning deck.