Faction Primer: Dysian

Dysian has long been a popular faction pairing in draft. Can its traditional build-a-monster strategy survive in a world with Death Current? Or does NU need to shift to a more value oriented game plan.

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Core Cards[]

Archetype: Midrange Aggro[]

Lead Heroics[]

Key Cards[]

Description[]

The midrange NU deck sets itself up in much the same way as the midrange AU deck. It spends rank 1 leveling up solid bodies like Uterradon Mauler, Scourge Hydra and Graveborn Glutton alongside some value cards like Torrent Soldier and Roaming Warclaw. It wants to win as many trades as possible and start pushing damage in multiple lanes. But where Esperian is more likely to lean towards late game power, Dysian is more likely to shift to an aggressive mid-game. Bitterfrost Totem and Death Current provide solid underdrop removal options to push damage past blockers while Ursine Strength and Blood Boon can provide huge buffs to apply pressure.

The voltron strategy is still viable but I don't play it as aggressively as I did in the past. Prior to Death Current being in the pool, I had no issues Blood Booning a Deepbranch Prowler in rank 1 and letting it get in 20+ damage while trading for three cards. That's a little bit riskier now, not just because the Prowler can get dispatched by a Death Current but because you are committing to the pump plan for the rest of the game. If you level Blood Boon in rank 1, you are also planning on playing it in the higher ranks. Then it's not about dodging removal for that one play but dodging it for the rest of the game, which is a lot harder to do.

Instead, it's better to focus on leveling creatures in rank 1, and using your pump spells in rank 2 to make big Necromoebas and Hydras. Not only are cards like Ursine Strength more effective underleveled, but now you don't have to worry about passing on level pump spells if the board isn't set up for it. The other reason to play mostly creatures in rank 1 is that it gives you a fuller board going into rank 2 and throughout the rest of the game. On level cards are your priority plays and if those cards are creatures, you will naturally end up with more bodies on the field. If those cards are spells, you'll have less. Consequently, with more bodies on the board, your buff plays will be more resistant to opposing Death Currents. The alternative protection route is to play token producers like Wildwood Sower and Roaming Warclaw. These cards are effective but it's essentially adding one more card to your combo. Instead of needing a regen creature plus a pump spell, now you need a regen creature plus a pump spell plus a multi lane body. Boards like that are really hard to set up in Solforge. It's much better to let your fundamental play be your defense and then take advantage of the pump spells as they show up.

The exception, of course, is against non-Nekrium decks. Against aggressive opponents like UT mobility, I will try to setup a big threatening creature earlier in the game. Not only is it harder for them to punish, but it puts them on the defensive, preventing them from setting up their own plays as they wish, open laning Razortooth Stalkers and Windborn Hellions, for example.

The final aspect of a good NU deck is a source of reach. While cards like Uterradon Mauler and Scourge Hydra can give you a good aggressive game early, they lack evasion and can be shut down once the leveling deck starts hitting their rank 3 fatties. Reach can come in a few different forms, the best of which are incremental direct damage (Graveborn Glutton, Cavern Serpent), blocker removal (Death Current, Bitterfrost Totem), breakthrough (Ravenous Hydra), and...well...Howl of Xith.

Put it all together and you've got a deck that can leverage incremental value against powerful removal or can go all-in against decks that aren't prepared for it. Making that read early in the game is crucial for success with Dysian decks.