We’re now in round three of the Lorcana HQ constructed tournament and I’m back bearing gifts. After publishing our Metagame Breakdown, the most requested follow-up was to see deck lists. I’ve picked 3 decklists that are at least 2-0 in the tournament. The last one is a spicy meatball! Let’s take a look.
Steel / Ruby – Midrange
By: Joe Ramirez0332 – Currently 2-0
For our first decklist, we’ll look at this 2-0 list from Joe Ramirez0332. He brought a Steel / Ruby deck. On the Ruby side of things, you can expect the usual suspects. Cards like Dragon Fire and Be Prepared help control the board. This list also features four Gaston, which are likely there to keep those pesky Kuzcos in check.
On the Steel side of things, the deck is dishing out a lot of damage. Not only does it have Fire the Cannons, Smash, and Grab Your Swords. It’s also rocking big Tinker Bell and Hans to keep the board clear. When you’re using direct-damage cards like the ones here, you’ll find that you run through cards fast. Often, you’ll have to trade two cards for one of your opponent’s bigger threats – this is where A Whole New World shines by refilling your hand.
We can’t move on from this deck without talking about the Te Kas. These were a bit surprising to see at first, but it’s quite cohesive with other cards like Aladdin Heroic Outlaw and Mulan. These characters can gain Lore while attacking, which removes the need to decide between attacking or questing.
Ruby / Amethyst
By: Cabled – Currently 2-0
This next deck is a Ruby / Amethyst control deck. The deck leans on Amethyst for its card draw with cards like Magic Mirror, The Queen, and Friends on the Other Side. Ruby brings the control package of Be Prepared and Maleficent – Monstrous Dragon. On the surface, the deck looks straightforward, but what’s most interesting to me is what’s not in the deck.
The most notable exclusion is Dragon Fire. Most decks with Ruby run at least two Dragon Fire but it seems that this build wants to maximize its character density. You see a similar trend in the choice of Lefou – Instigator over Shield of Virtue. The other exclusion is Elsa – Snow Queen. The deck seems happy to just hard cast Elsa – Spirit of Winter without shifting it.
Ruby / Sapphire – Ramp Item Slinger
By: LaoShiMahan Currently 3-0 (They’ve played thier round 3)
For our last decklist, we’ll look at this innovative Ruby / Sapphire item ramp deck. This deck has all the makings of a typical ramp deck, with early-game cards to help you get ahead on ink and bombs to dominate the late game. It’s also rocking the Ruby staple, Be Prepared to punish decks that want to go wide or that commit too much to the board. The ramp side of the deck is nothing to write home about, but the item side is where things get spicy.
Item slinger decks have been popular in Discord. Most versions I’ve seen are trying to burst their way to 20 lore. Lao takes a different approach. This build is happy to grind out the game by returning Poison Apples and Swords of Truth with Tamatoa’s ability. This is a smart shift from the typical quest-for-a-bunch mentality.
It has been exciting to watch the meta start to form. Last night we watched Loa take his Ruby / Sapphire item deck to 3-0 while two people commentated the match. I’ll be back after round 5 with the Top 8! If you’re not in Discord make sure to join so that you can stay on the cutting edge.
See you for the top 8!
Jonathan