Cactus Game Design Message Boards

After placing second in mp with a slower version of this deck, I decided to ramp it up on speed and searching and really focus on the strategy of the banding on offense and defense. I honestly think you will see more versions of this defense this year.

I will just post the offense and defense so people can do their own versions, I usually include Hezzy's Ring x1-2 and Darius' Decree x1-2

Damascus x2 is always a must

Gam's Speech x2 usually goes in
Razor x1
Siegeworks x1

Messenger of Satan x2 orange
Messenger of Satan x2 pg
Gomer brown x2
King Manessah x2
Pharisees x2
The Sanhedrin x2
Scribe x2
Proud Pharisees x4

Balaam's x3
Gib Trick x4
Forgotten History x3
Scattered x1
Pretension x3
Hypocrite's proselyte x2

I always include at least one captured ark

ET x2
Daniel x2
Isaiah x1
Gabriel i/j x2
Attending Angel x2
Michael kings x2
Seraph x3
Seraph with a Live Coal x1
There is wiggle room for hero's as I only included 15 Angel with a Secret Name is usually a good add as he negates Nazzy, but I don't use him. I like Cherubim x1

Angelic Presence x4
Angelic News x3
Angel's Sword x1
Live Coal x1
Isaiah's Call x2
WWW x2
The Second Seal x3
Overwhelming Presence x3

The strategy for the defense is simple, band/recur/draw/play, over and over. Any pg/brown guy to orange messenger to pharisee band, include scribe, constantly recur your battle winner, draw it, and play it. Underdeck their toss hero's if needed, Daniel's or Isaiah's and set aside angels with pretension so balaams always works. Try not to do a big band with balaams as they can target your other ec's now.
The offense is similar. Very fast, it should realistically set up by turn 2. Search for the hero's you need or whatever with your Angelic Presence x4, draw with Angelic News and start banding. Your normal attack should go Daniel to Michael with Sword. Daniel does a good job negating their dudes so Michael plays first against Proud Pharisees and stuff, Live Coal their horses and play first. Daniel to Michael play Second Seal, band all their EC's in, Daniel negates fortresses so usually you should get past protection. Now you add yours but you get to choose order of activation, so add Attending, search for battle winner, or next turns second seal, add Gabriel to get back second seal or battle winner, add Isaiah for drawing and more recursion and then add ET to play Overwhelming off Michael cbn under deck all their EC's. Or you can play razor or siegeworks if only one ec is in battle and get rid of darius decree or a site. I like to have Hezzy's ring active to help with them not targeting my discard pile and slowing them down.
Hope plenty of people like it and play it! You have to include artifact killers as an early Darius' Decree really stalls this deck, as well as CWD. Let me know any tips or pointers or stuff I forgot!

This defense is really strong but has some vulnerabilities. With the introduction of The Egyptian Rebel, using him, Herod Agrippa II and Wonders Forgotten is a viable option for a splash brigade.

Gabe, do you mean splash as in add it to this defense, or that splash against this defense could hurt? In a 100 card deck it is hard to add cards, especially when I Am Holy flows, but does not fully fit with the strategy of the deck. I Am Holy always helps, but the offense doesn't really need it, I base this offense on initiative and not allowing my opponent to play, so I don't really care on what is in their hand, and since I don't allow them to play much, they should have "extra" defense to discard. For a "Goodness" hero, could I not just Pretension/Hypocrite's him set aside/underneath the hero, that is the whole point of those EE's, to set aside and underdeck hero's that stop my EC's abilities.

Thanks for the clarification Gabe! I see what you mean. Yes, I agree, anytime you can remove 4 from d/c, especially in today's game, rather than bolster a hero */4 is always a positive. The only question, does the defense still flow? I'll test it out next month, unless you already have?