Lean Mean Arrow Machine

Lean Mean Arrow Machine

Welcome to the first article in the OniT's Workshop Deck Discussion Series. As will be the trend with all the articles in this series, I recommend first watching the corresponding YouTube video for a quick breakdown and visual representation of the featured deck.

Today we take a deep dive into what I think is a streamlined Azalea build. Azalea is my first FaB love. I've been building and play testing Azalea with near 100% dedication since March 2020. I've tried a number of different builds and have settled on the list below due to its fun factor and straight forward approach. I feel that Azalea is currently one of the more challenging heroes to play and wanted to share a build that showcases her strengths and versatility.

Azalea, Ace in the Hole (Ranger Class)
Weapon: Death Dealer
Equipment: Bull's Eye Bracers, Fyendal's Spring Tunic, Skullbone Crosswrap, Snapdragon Scalers

Total cards - 77
Total actions - 66
Attack actions - 42
Attack reactions - 6
Defense reactions - 0
Instants – 0

Pump Actions
(3) Nimblism (red)
(3) Nimblism (yellow)
(3) Plunder Run (red)
(3) Plunder Run (yellow)
(3) Take Aim (red)
(3) Take Aim (yellow)

Ranger Attacks and Actions
(3) Red in the Ledger (red)
(3) Endless Arrow (red)
(3) Hamstring Shot (red)
(3) Ridge Rider Shot (red)
(3) Salvage Shot (red)
(3) Searing Shot (red)
(3) Head Shot (red)
(3) Head Shot (yellow)
(3) Sic ‘Em Shot (red)
(3) Sic ‘Em Shot (yellow)
(1) Three of a Kind (red)
(2) Rapid Fire (yellow)
(3) Nock the Deathwhistle (blue)

Go-Again Generic Attacks
(3) Nimble Strike (red)
(3) Ravenous Rabble (red)
(3) Ravenous Rabble (yellow)
(3) Scar for a Scar (red)

Attack Reactions
(3) Razor Reflex (red)
(3) Razor Reflex (yellow)

See the full deck at: https://fabdb.net/decks/YowMbNEB/

See our Ranger Class offering: https://www.fabfoundry.co/collections/arcane-rising/ranger

In-Game Strategy

Our strategy is simple…. Pure Aggression! We are racing our opponent. Although we do have some flexibility in choosing to defend in certain spots, we really are in full throttle attack mode the entire game! Pressure, Pressure, Pressure! We want to force our opponent to make difficult decisions. We do this by mixing both wide and tall turns. Azalea’s ability to mix the two is where I feel she really shines! Just for clarification: A “go-wide” strategy involves sending many (usually smaller) attacks each turn and a “go-tall” strategy involves sending a large (usually pumped) attack. Of course, there is a spectrum we operate in and our hand will determine our strategy each turn. We incorporate our full arsenal of our best arrows, Go-Again generic attacks, pump actions and a few attack reactions to keep our opponent guessing.

Keys to Victory

Maximizing our Ranger tools is an absolute must. Death Dealers ability creates card advantage, Skullbone Crosswrap allows us to set up our draw off Death Dealer and gives us insight into whether we want to activate Azalea’s ability. I believe Skullbone Crosswrap, Death Dealer, and Azaleas ability is the Holy Trinity of FaB whose power has yet to be fully harnessed.

Also, of importance, properly timing the use of Snapdragon Scalers and Bull’s Eye Bracers. Utilizing our equipment efficiently can lead to big, punishing turns. Remember, Death Dealer does not have the advantage of dealing direct damage. Decking ourselves or being fatigued is a genuine concern. We play a near 80 card deck for this reason and because we have built in redundancy.

Needing a Momentum Swing in our favor?

There will be games where we find ourselves on our heels. We cannot afford to be in this position for long with the deck. Although we can play from behind, it is challenging to pull out victories when we let our opponent dictate game flow. There will be turns where we will have to dig in and take some damage to swing the momentum back in our favor. Red in the Ledger regularly instigates these momentum swings. If you have been on either side of Red’s power, you already know its capabilities. A pumped, dominate Red in the Ledger is probably our strongest, singular attack. If it hits, it really handcuffs our opponent during their next turn and allows for us to prepare another big turn. Nock the Deathwhistle allows us to consistently find Red and send it at our opponent (ideally) three times a game. Endless Arrow can lead to momentum swings as well. Endless Arrow usually forces blocks because of its ability to go back to hand when it hits. Reacting with Razor Reflex on Endless Arrow can be the beginning of a multiple Endless Arrow attack turn that costs as little as 2 resources to pull off.

Other Pivotal Cards

We run both the Red and Yellow Plunder run. Playing Plunder Run from arsenal is one the most efficient starts to a turn. Pumping a Generic Go-Again Attack like Ravenous Rabble or Scar for a Scar and threatening card draw forces our opponent to spend resources early in our turn to block. If they do not, they risk us chaining together 2 or 3 more attacks or sending a big dominate arrow at their face. Remember, the Reload mechanic allows us to put a card into arsenal not just an arrow. Plunder Run is a great card to reload so we get the buff and the possible card draw.

We run both the Red and Yellow Razor Reflex. Attack reactions keep our opponent honest. Being able to threaten a reflex might force an over block. For the most part, we reserve our reflex’s for reacting to arrows to give them go-again when they hit.

Pitch Values and Philosophy

Average Cost - 0.43
Average Pitch - 1.40
Cards with Pitch 1 - 46
Cards with Pitch 2 - 23
Cards with Pitch 3 - 3
Cards with Cost 0 - 41
Cards with Cost 1 -31
Cards with Cost 2 - 0
Cards with Cost 3+- 0

The name of the deck says it all… Lean and Mean! Everything in our deck costs 1 or zero. Yes, we can have zero cost big turns. All our yellow pitch cards are in the deck to add versatility and give us options. In most cases, we can choose to pitch a yellow to fuel our turn. Navigating the decisions to pitch or play yellow cards is fundamental to this build. If you are fortunate to own Fyendal’s Spring Tunic, it should be in this deck! The extra resource point every 3 turns is more plays out stronger in this deck than many others. Having such a lower pitch curve does allow us to block strategically and still follow with an impact turn.

Game Finishers

Plain and simple... our most consistent finisher is a pumped, dominated arrow. We can also finish games by exhausting blocks by going wide or sneaking in a timely Razor Reflex on any of our attacks.

Omissions

You might be asking…. But OniT, where are your Command & Conquers, Enlightened Strikes, or Art of Wars? Yes, they are probably the three strongest cards in the game, and I have dabbled with all of them in my Azalea builds. I have found more success without them. They are also expensive and hard to get right now. This build specifically showcases the power of Ranger and at more affordable price. You might also be asking about life gain or Remembrance. They both take away from our ability to put pressure on. Drawing into either early in the game just does not feel good when you are trying to blast your opponent early and often. Same with defense reactions… they just do not fit our play style for this deck.

What are your thoughts about my “Lean Mean Arrow Machine” Azalea build? Please share your questions, comments, and concerns below.

Also, please do share your overall impressions of my first, OniT’s Workshop video/article series. How did I do? Is there anything else you feel like I need to cover? I’m in pursuit of better… to be a better player, content creator, and business owner. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated. Help me take FaB Foundry to the next level!

THANK YOU for watching and reading! In honor of our lady of the bow, Azalea, we are running 15% off all Ranger class cards now until Friday, July 24th, 2020 at midnight.  Use discount code: LEANMEAN15 at checkout. Pick up your staple ranger cards now!

Every order is entered into our monthly drawing. Every penny generated goes directly back into FaB Foundry operations. We have a TCG community to help grow!