The summer meta

[Zxqueb]

DragonDawg and I were talking about the field for the upcoming summer tournaments and what to bring to them. Right now, the meta looks to me to be close to the following builds:

"Barag Barrage"
Clawclan Scout x2
Bloodthirsty Redcap
Scarab Warcharm x2
Stormwatch Siren
Basts Handmaid
Infernal Gothic
Bloodhawk Barag
Blademiller x2
Hunter-Killer x2
Noble Dragon
Pearlthorn Castle x2


"Hell's Wells"
Cannibal Pariah x2
Walking Worms
Unwishing Well x2
Infernal Screamer x2
Toxic Sludger
Crypt Worm x2
Infernal Preacher
Demonic Dandy
Clawclan Scout x2
Scarab Warcharm
Ekkyon Wayfarer

These are the two established builds from the last 10k and I see variations of them a lot. The latter especially has more room for tweaking to fit a wider variety of playstyles.

My favorite tweaked version (if you can call it that... it's fairly far off from the standard hells wells list at this point) is:

Hy-Bred
Cannibal x2
Temple
castle
redcap
Charm x2
Siren
Well
Gothic
Infernal screamer
Preacher
Voodoo
Sultan
Blademiller
Crypt Worm


Greg's been running a modified Big Dumb Guys army which looks like this (I'm not sure if there are changes -- let us know Greg):

Big Dumb Guys
2 pariah
3 omen locuts
1 butcher
2 spikers
1 Voodoo
2 Equitars
1 CCS
2 charms
2 redcaps
1 HBT
1 Siren

Finally Dave and Lumpy have been working on a valor madness band in the local scene and doing fairly well. I'm not sure how it would fare at a 1k or 50k. Here are some versions:

Dave's Version:
1 Scissors
1 Zungar Blademaster
2 Clawclan Scouts
1 Pearlthorn Castle
1 Mr. Friend
1 Virtuous Maiden
1 Scarab Warcharm
1 Soul Slicer
1 Transpose Guy
1 Cyclopean Sprite
1 Soul Warden
1 Hawk-eyed Instigator
1 Raging Vanguard
1 Pearlthorn Dragon knight (?)
1 Something I can't remember (what is it, Dave?)

Double temple Goodstuff

I won't bother to put a list. You all know what it looks like. I think that's still an option, though maybe not quite as strong as it was previously.

So that's seems to be the major options for the summer meta. Can anyone come up with anything that beats all of these consistently? Are there any major army builds that I am missing in this list?

Thoughts on the relative strengths of these builds?

[warlord1985]

I have a floating Spot that keeps changing. Currently thats a chain servant at the 4 spot which isn't too terribly bad. I'd like to make it a second scissors so I can fulfill the random turn 1 5 spawn to guarantee the second turn taken. Ideally, I want a second Soul Warden somehow into this army.

Lumpy took out his second sprite and did fine. He runs 2 Instiators and runs no Dragon-Knight or Vanguard. He can post his build for comparisons.

[warlord1985]

Wait, Gregs running a Heartsblood Temple? Why? to hit the Equitars more efficiently? Redcaps? I don't know if he needs those. Do they really help? I honestly think he should be playing Sludger, but thats me. Someone explain things to me.

Bloodhawk Barrage seems kinda reliant on the later game and the Hunter-Killers. Big Dumb Guys is huge and M/V should sweep it up quickly if the spawns aren't riduculously high.

Wells wells wells. They suck so hard. Doesn't playing Sludger to negate other locations nerf the wells? Doesn't make sense to me?

You also forgot the Slaughterwheel armies with Carrion's and Carrion Hulks. I see those up at Warzone alot; Carrion Hulk to me seems really underrated.

Double Temple may still rear its ugly head. Could be bad but seems out-classed nowadays.

BTW, anyone got an extra Soul Warden for me!?!

[pipgamer]

The current big dumb guys build (or as I like to call it "Recoil") is metagamed around the current environment of hells wells and barag barrage.

Since double temple disappeared the only location you have to really deal with is well, and the siren is so much better in more matchups than the sludger. The temple is pretty much as you said, just to put equitars on the board or be able to play multiple pieces per turn, it also helps you recover from a well drop, and allows you to use your extra spawn to move their pieces into a well.

I know people have been trying out the hulk, but at 8 spawn he has to compete with the voodoo manipulator, and the equitar is just a beast. Usually when you create combats you are looking for blades to move your pieces, and I usually don't have problems getting enough damage to kill a piece.

The only teams that really seem to annilat this team is the double temple builds, and I'd like to get a few more games in with matt to see how this team fairs vs his.

[Zxqueb]

pipgamer said:

The current big dumb guys build (or as I like to call it "Recoil")

Yeah. Like THAT is going to stick... It'll be big dumb guys forever. In fact, every army you play from now on will be dubbed "big dumb guys". Even if it's not!

The only teams that really seem to annilat this team is the double temple builds, and I'd like to get a few more games in with matt to see how this team fairs vs his.

That last match was good and close. It'll be good to test some more. I'll hopefully be able to catch some matrix nights now that the summer is upon us.

@warlord:

Sludger is merely ok against wells, though it's great against temple. The absolute best thing is to run your own control stuff so you can use the well against its owner. With the amount of control in a well band, you are just throwing the sludger away with a worm or something and luring the good stuff in.

[pipgamer]

admin said:

pipgamer said:

The current big dumb guys build (or as I like to call it "Recoil")

Yeah. Like THAT is going to stick... It'll be big dumb guys forever. In fact, every army you play from now on will be dubbed "big dumb guys". Even if it's not!

Arg its just like back when i played magic, everone at the shop referred to anything mono green or green/red as "Greg.Deck". Oddly enough my magic startigies are simular to my dreamblade stratigies.

[warlord1985]

Hrm, oh well, I'll just have to beat Wells as fast as I beat other bands. *sigh* Maybe I'll try out Arsonist.

[pipgamer]

arsonist is just so bad, and it can allow your opponent to snip with their well in another location later in the game

[Zxqueb]

Yep -- After firing off the well, Arsonist = reload.

[warlord1985]

Then do you think theres anything short of Sludger to take care of wells then? Soulwash temple seems like it should be good but its so limiting when you can only play when you sacrifice a guy. It just seems like the location hate we got doesn't really much to stop the strongest location.

[pipgamer]

Thats been a problem with the game for a long time, the sludger has always been an ok answer to temple (now well) but we need a comes into play creature that nerfs a location