Cactus Game Design Message Boards

I've only played one game with this deck so far, which you can watch here, but I'm already liking this deck a lot. I think the Postexilic theme got a lot of flack for not having very many strong characters in LoC, making it not quite as strong in LoC Only as Throne, Genesis, or Ruth, but I think with some of the old Postexilic Heroes and a few other tricks this deck can be competitive. I started with a Type 1 version as well that uses a very small splash defense and in the few games I've played with it so far it's been pretty quick.

Potential roadblocks to success are cards that counter Solomon's Dream/Zerubbabel's Plumb Line/A Soldier's Prayer since those are what really help get the offense going, so I think I would still make a few adjustments to the deck to have more counter-counters, but this is the version I used in the video which is why it's in Complete Decks. Suggestions and feedback are still welcome though!

The Greek defense was mostly just to try out Alexander the Great since I really haven't used him in a deck yet. Maybe there would be a faster option to have more consistency, but I do like having the Worldly Wisdom chain option for an early d3 from Feast of Booths and also having a mostly gold offense means Kindness fits in quite nicely. The offense sort of necessitates Coliseum though so not having Scattered Sheep or Abandonment is tough so maybe there's a better option for CBP mass battle removal like Babylonians with Nergal, Seized by Babylon, etc., but switching out the Adjourns to have four Seized by Rioters might be sufficient for that. One benefit though is that Abom helps clear their territory of Evil Characters as well which makes the offense especially efficient.

Check out the video to see some of the strategies and combos of the deck!


Neutral: 24

2   Lost Soul "Darkness" (Job 30:26) (Promo)
2   Lost Soul (Jeremiah 28:6) (Exiles)
2   Lost Soul "Forsaken" (Hebrews 10:25) (CoW AB)
2   Lost Soul (Hunter)
2   Lost Soul "Lawless" (Hebrews 12: (CoW AB)
2   Lost Soul (Prosperity)
2   Lost Soul (Remnant)

1   Book of the Covenant (PoC)
1   Endless Treasures
1   Golden Calf (FoM)
1   Shrine to Artemis

1   Chronicles of the Kings (LoC)
1   Destruction of Nehushtan (PoC)
1   Three Woes (RoJ AB)
1   Prisoner at Gaza
1   Delivered
1   The Lord Delivers! / Am I a Dog? (LoC)


Good: 38

1   Angel of the Lord (Promo 2018)
1   Guardian Of Your Souls (RoJ AB)
1   Son of God "Manger" (Promo)
1   The Second Coming (CoW AB)

1   Noah's Ark (Ark of Salvation)
1   Storehouse (Promo)
1   Wall of Protection (Promo)
1   Zerubbabel's Temple (LoC)

1   Oath of Purity (LoC)

1   Eliud, the Revolutionary / Eliud, the Pious (LoC)
1   Joshua, the Conqueror (LoC)
1   Matthan, the Defender / Matthan, the Denigrated (LoC)
1   Ezra, Favored by God (LoC)
1   Jeshua, the Restorer (LoC)
1   David, Outcasts' Refuge / David, the Anointed (LoC)
1   Jehoshaphat, the Seeker / Jehoshaphat, the Meek (LoC)
1   Zechariah, the Renewer
2   Zerubbabel, the Chosen / Zerubbabel, the Builder (LoC)
1   Jacob, Disgruntled Subject / Jacob, Relegated Servant (LoC)
1   Haggai (PoC)
1   Malachi (PoC)
1   The Angel Under the Oak
1   Joiada, Son of Eliashib

1   Feast of Booths (LoC)
1   Feast of Trumpets (LoC)
1   Feast of Unleavened Bread (LoC)
1   Offering Your Son
1   The Emmaus Road
1   Triumphal Entry
2   Kindness (EC)
2   Solomon's Dream (LoC)
2   Zerubbabel's Plumb Line (LoC)
2   A Soldier's Prayer


Evil: 38

1   Christian Martyr (2019) (Promo)
1   Doubt (LoC)
1   Falling Away
1   Mayhem (FoM)
1   Rubble and Dust
1   Shipwreck (Promo)
1   Vain Philosophy (PoC)

1   Areopagus
1   Coliseum (CoW AB)
1   High Places
1   Sheol

2   Flying Scroll (PoC)

1   Kings of The Earth (RoJ AB)
1   The Goat with Horn
1   The Winged Leopard (PoC)
1   Antiochus IV Epiphanes
1   The Priest of Zeus (Promo)
2   Epicurean Philosophers
2   Stoic Philosophers
1   Alexander the Great
1   Demetrius the Silversmith
1   The Deceiver (RoJ AB)

1   Lurking (Promo)
1   The Wages of Sin (FoM)
2   Betrayal (PoC)
4   Worldly Wisdom
2   Adjourn
2   Seized by Rioters
1   Abomination of Desolation

Reserve:
1   Majestic Heavens (Promo)

1   Covenant with Abraham (PoC)
1   Oath of Purity (LoC)
1   Eleazar, the Potentate / Eleazar, the Vassal (LoC)
1   Jeshua, the Restorer (LoC)
1   The Angel of the Winds (CoW AB)
2   Impartial Judgment (LoC)

1   Sheol
1   Pagan Sailors
1   Antiochus IV Epiphanes
1   Alexander the Great
1   Paying Taxes (CoW AB)
1   Abomination of Desolation
1   Seek and Destroy

1. S Dream, and plumb line off of Jeshua provide great set up. What counters to them and ASP are you worried about? Also what counter-counters might you include? I built a deck that relies on Solomon’s Dream and False Peace for set up Turn 1 so I am sharing interest in this.

Basically anything that counters search or playing Enhancements, so like Jonah, Moses, Golden Calf, Covenant with Death, etc. Best ways to deal with the first two are Flying Scroll and Distressed for Jonah, and for the other two I think I should have Captured Ark in Reserve. Golden Calf can possibly be handled with Ezra or Feast of Trumpets.

2. There is quite a bit of drawing in this deck once you get it going. Zerubbabel, Matthan, Achim, and David draw well. How many cards do you find you have left in the deck by the end of turn 2? How about for the type 1 version?

Type 2 certainly isn't as fast paced as Type 1 so I normally don't expect to be that far by the end of turn 2. I think the 20 or so I got in the game against Joe was probably a bit on the luckier side of draws, but having only played the one game I'm not entirely sure.

The T1 version could probably be faster, but with a good draw it could be close to halfway after a couple turns. I've really only gotten a few games in with it at this point though and haven't been keeping track much.

3. Also what are the main banding chains you are looking for and their order? I think I can grasp how you are banding but that is important to see how you get the drawing guys in. Do you normally end your bands with Joiada and play something like feast of booths off of him?

Most of the Heroes just band to postexilic Heroes, so the order doesn't matter too much. Haggai can't band to some of them, so he has to be ordered right. David and Eleazar can only band to each other and Jehoshaphat, who bands to Jeshua or Ezra, and then the other postexilics ending in Zechariah or Joiada to play Feast and Booths. The main goal is to play a good chunk of the Heroes as meek and then play Impartial Judgment off Joiada/FoB preblock.