theFarWilds.com
http://thefarwilds.com/forum/

Beginner Deck Building Guide
http://thefarwilds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1140		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Keyser [ Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Beginner Deck Building Guide
Here's another articled I'm writing for the wiki. please make comments and suggestions.

******************
Deck construction in The Far Wilds is a unique undertaking, requiring you to consider many factors. If you are used to building decks in MTG, you will find some similar concepts, but will also have to change the way you go about conceptualizing a deck.

“Baby, You’ve Lost that Magic Feeling”

I’m starting with a comparison to Magic: The Gathering, because that’s where many of us started. Most CCG players have a background in MTG or similar, though you may have come to The Far Wilds by a different route. If you don’t know MTG, this section probably isn’t for you, so feel free to jump to the next.

Flux is comparable to mana, though there is a very important difference that directly impacts deck construction. In MTG, your mana base is directly related to the number of lands you have. Playing a land each turn gives you more mana this turn and every turn after. This means you can design based on a mana curve, with its peak at 2-3 mana cards and fewer 1 mana cost and even fewer high casting cost cards. However, in TFW your flux doesn’t reset every turn. It carries over from the previous turn. Not using flux this turn means having that flux available the next turn. Using flux this turn means it’s not there to use the next.

In addition to flux, you must also consider that cards have domain requirements to cast. You will have to design your deck knowing that you will have one domain the first turn and will probably need to have 7 flux to cast another domain card before you can start playing cards with a two domain casting cost. Your opponents can destroy your buildings, bringing you back down to one domain.

Remember that you get 2 flux per turn plus one flux for every well you control.


“Requirements”

Your deck must have a minimum of 40 cards. You can use no more than 3 of the same card in a deck, except for the basic buildings (Dwarven Hall, Grove, Graveyard, Magma Chamber). You can have a max of 5 of each type of basic buildings.

If you are building a deck for the Expert Clash, you can only use cards you own or a default deck. You can’t mix and match the cards from the default deck. You can’t use phantom cards.


“Basic Guidelines”

The following are general guidelines to use when designing a deck. There are always exceptions to the rules, such as players designing all building decks.

Make sure you understand how autodraw works. It is vital to your deck construction methodology

Stick to the minimum of 40 cards. There are certain cards you probably want to have in your hand at different points in the game. For example, you may really like starting your Sylvan army with a Thistle Falcon. Sticking to 40 cards allows you to have the highest chance of drawing the cards you need.

Assuming 3 Thistle Falcons in a 40 card deck that includes at least one basic building, you will have one of those Falcons in your opening hand 40.3% of the time. If you 2 Falcons in your 40 card deck, you have s 28.7% chance of starting the game with one. 1 Falcon in a 40 card deck gives you 15.3% chance. In a 45 card deck, you have a 36.3% chance of drawing a Falcon if you have 3 of them, a 25.6% chance if you have 2, and a 13.6% chance if you have 1.

Create a one to two domain deck. It’s possible to create a 3 or more domain deck, but not recommended for beginner deck builders.

Aim for about 15-20 creatures and 10-15 buildings with at least 5 sources of domain. Remember, your opponent will probably take out at least 2 or 3 of your domain sources over the span of the game, and you want to still be able to cast your cards. Plan your domain sources around how many single and multiple domain cards you have.

You will have to consider flux cost and domain cost when curving out your deck. As a general rule, try to keep the cards you plan on casting early game to an average of 3 flux and 1 domain. As the game progresses, you should control two wells and have more domain sources, so your mid to late game cards should have an average cost of 4 flux and 2 or less domain. Use 3 domain and 6 flux cards sparingly. This guideline can be bent with flux accelerators such as Ord Stone, Gather Spirits, the Nether Plasma/Alter of Ix combo. Domain accelerators include Hadarck’s Throne, Fairy Emissary, Astridian Diplomat, and Glimpse of Greatness.

Plan your domain and flux cost with precision. You know you want to have early plays of 1 domain and 3 or less flux. You probably want to play a creature first turn. If you have 10 one domain creatures with 3 or less flux cost in your 40 card deck, you will draw at least one of them in your opening hand 85.4% of the time.

"What's the deal with all this math?"

Math isn't for everyone. The percentages that I talked about above should give you a basic idea of where theses recommendations have come from. However, if you are the kind of person that likes to toy with numbers, see what happens with a larger deck, etc, here is the math I used to figure out the above. If you have any questions on it, feel free to message me (Keyser)

To figure out the odds of drawing a particular card in your first hand, use this formula:

1 - [(D-1-X)!(D-7)!] / [(D-1)!(D-7-X)!]

where D is the number cards in your deck and X is the number of possible cards you are hoping to draw at least one of in your starting hand. For example, if you have 10 1 domain cards that you want to find the odds of drawing that first hand in a deck of 40 cards, you calculate 1 - (29! * 23!)/(39! * 23!).

"If you build it, he will come"

The desire to build whispers to you, and you must heed it's call. Keep a solid focus in your deck build. Have an idea of what it is that you want to accomplish and design your deck around that. Don't try to accomplish every goal in one deck.

Give your new deck a bit of time. Try it out a several times before you start making changes to it. It takes time for player and deck to merge into a symbiotic relationship. You need to have time to learn the ins and outs of the deck, learn its good draws and bad draws, and see which cards are helpful and which ones aren't. A couple losses does not a failed deck mean.

Don't get discouraged if your first few tries crash and burn. Remember how many tries it took the Wright brothers to get their plane in the air.
Author:  Keyser [ Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Beginner Deck Building Guide
.. now wikified!

Here
Author:  Altren [ Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Beginner Deck Building Guide
>except for the basic buildings (Dwarven Hall, Grove, Graveyard, Magma Chamber).
Add that you can't use more than 5.

>Expert Challenge
Expert Clash

>Aim for about 15-20 creatures and 10-15 buildings
I don't like this rule. I know that this article is not for me, but most my decks have 15 or less creatures and 10 or less buildings. If player want to be ready for opponent's deck he must have more spells and enchantments. This 15-20 and 10-15 usually good only against AI or against deck with similar numbers and without combos or big guys.
Author:  Keyser [ Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Beginner Deck Building Guide
Altren, what you would you recommend as starting guidelines for numbers for buildings/creatures/spells?
Author:  kash [ Thu Aug 20, 2009 9:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Beginner Deck Building Guide
Altren wrote:
>Aim for about 15-20 creatures and 10-15 buildings
I don't like this rule. I know that this article is not for me, but most my decks have 15 or less creatures and 10 or less buildings. If player want to be ready for opponent's deck he must have more spells and enchantments. This 15-20 and 10-15 usually good only against AI or against deck with similar numbers and without combos or big guys.


From this description, I assume you like to run a control deck with some late game power. I agree that most of the top decks I have seen have more in common with that, but those top decks are also very difficult to play well. Going building and creature heavy is both much easier to play and sufficient to win a lot of games at lower rating levels.
Author:  kash [ Thu Aug 20, 2009 9:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Beginner Deck Building Guide
Keyser wrote:
To figure out the odds of drawing a particular card in your first hand, use this formula:

1 - [(D-1-X)!(D-7)!] / [(D-1)!(D-7-X)!]

where D is the number cards in your deck and X is the number of possible cards you are hoping to draw at least one of in your starting hand. For example, if you have 10 1 domain cards that you want to find the odds of drawing that first hand in a deck of 40 cards, you calculate 1 - (29! * 23!)/(39! * 23!).


I think that you should note that this formula is an approximation. It assumes that first you pick a domain card and then you get 6 random other cards from your deck. This isn't quite how it works in practice. First your deck is shuffled, then you get the top domain card, and then the top 6 remaining cards. So the 6 cards you get are slightly less likely than they otherwise would be to be domain cards.

Second, and more seriously, the formula breaks pretty significantly if you use 2 domains heavily. The autodraw rule for your starting hand seems to be altered so that if you draw a card with a domain requirement and do not have a source for that domain in your starting hand, your next draw will be a source of that domain. Thus you are quite likely to start with 2 domain cards in your starting hand leaving only 5 other draws. This is still only an approximation though since not every possible starting hand will cause this rule to be invoked: it won't happen if your starting hand is all one domain. How likely that is depends on how evenly your deck is split.
Author:  cosmosiskwik [ Thu Aug 20, 2009 10:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Beginner Deck Building Guide
This is all some good stuff. Although Altren is right, we must keep in mind that these strategies are for helping out beginners. A note of this should be said. And then let the players find their own style and strategy.

I think a good thing to add to the Wiki would be to add links to both the list of Grand Clash decks (though note what the cards USED to be... such as Beacon S4 and Bamboo Watch Tower S2 and Vapor Mahal 4, etc.)

Another good link to add is Jed's thread on decent decks under 150 gold. It is important to keep in mind that this article is written for beginners, and beginners will have little to no gold, so perhaps a list of awesome commons could be added, with an explanation of each. Here are a list of 5 useful commons from each domain (without explanation, since I have no time right now):

Sylvan:
The Coldstream Guard
Thistle Flalcon
Sapling
Elven Scout
Bindweed Poultice

Mountain Folk:
Negate
Volcano
Shield Warrior
Constable of Glorn
Craig Scout

Dark Legion:
Lysis
Red Imp
Hell Cat
Gather Spirits
Crypt Doctor

Elemental:
Sunburst
Cloudburst
Flame Ent
Tremor
Sleet Mogi
Author:  PredatORC [ Thu Aug 20, 2009 11:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Beginner Deck Building Guide
IMHO the beginner's deck should be built for great playability and balance, not necessary for the win. I agree with Keyser about numbers, and here is my "first" deck, that was the base for my very high position in the ladder when I used it.
This is built from all basic cards, from default decks. It is fun to play with, and when you play well, you can compete against better decks too. Sure, if you get some better cards, you may change as you will.

About strategy and deck building for beginners: you can see here some of the best cards you should use in your decks.

Buildings: (11x)
1x Bamboo Watch Tower ---> the best used with 1st turn Grove + Falcon or Elven Scout, and 2nd turn move your scout and cast the Tower far behind the other flux well on your side (horizontally). If you have other 2-sight building in your hand, the thigs change a bit: you can rush the side flux and the middle flux with the Tower and an other 2-sight building!
1x Foul Obelisk ---> building with 2 sight and can shoot. Good for 5 flux
1x Bone Fortress ---> 2 sight and domain. Worth it.
2x Grove ---> you need them to cast a 1st turn scout. Later you may cycle the second one
3x Graveyard ---> you may need it for the second black domain. But you can try the deck with 2 graveyards too.
1x Dank Pit ---> leave out if you don't like it. But a building base for 3 flux is a good deal. Later you'll have better buildings.
1x Ivory Spire ---> game broker. If you can protect it when cast on right place, the win is yours.
1x Great Oak ---> 2 sight and domain. Worth it.

Creatures: (21x)
1x Putrid Zombie ---> I don't like it, but it can make a havoc when teleported into enemy base at zero or less life :). But beware, the enemy could do the same for you! If I would thin this deck to 40 cards, I would surely leave it out. (At least now, with my actual experience.)
1x Skull Catapult ---> game broker. Enemy needs buildings to win. Catapult destroys them.
2x Soul Broker ---> produces flux when played well.
1x The Coldstream Guard ---> powerhouse for 2 flux and high range
1x Journeyman Necromancer ---> You need some BIG and STRONG. The necromancer is your best choice with these domains. If you like the Barkskin Dragon more, you could change it.
1x Carrion Feeder ---> Flyer. May grove to Giant Bird. You need it.
2x Thistle Falcon ---> One of the best scouts in the game. You need it.
2x Stone Mauler ---> Your good ol' infantry. You don't have better options in the beginning.
2x Crypt Doctor ---> Healer. May save your best creature, may ruin enemy plans. Don't let the enemy kill them fast.
2x Elven Scout ---> One of the best scouts in the game. You need it.
2x Medium of the 3rd Circle
1x Xosan Heresiarch ---> game broker. When hits play, enemy will do anything to remove it :)
1x Leprous Shambles ---> I don't like this one. Would replace it with a Mosslight Slor.
2x Hell Cat ---> One of the best scouts in the game. You need it.

Enchants: (4x)
1x Legs of Baba Yaga ---> game broker. A wandering building makes your opportunities endless.
2x Entangle ---> cheap and reliable creature removal. You need to learn when to use it.
1x Death Mark ---> Please notice that this is the only creature enchantment for my creatures I used. Usually it is not the best thing to enchant your own creatures, because a single Lysis can remove your both cards, wasted flux, wasted card. But Death Mark is here just for surprise effect: when a creature you control is about to die, just drop the Death Mark on it and opponent gets headaches again. :)

Spells: (7x)
2x Lysis ---> the most effective creature removal in the game. You need 3 of these but you can get only 2.
1x Teleport ---> makes wonders, ruins plans. Can save your entangled fatty by teleporting it into desert or ocean. You would love to get 3 of these.
2x Gather Spirits ---> flux is a precious resource. Grab any chance to get some more!
2x Ascent ---> the lesser brother of Lysis. A typical tempo card: opponent needs flux and turns to invest again to move the creature back where it was when Ascended.

Total: 43
Author:  Sunyaku [ Fri Aug 21, 2009 3:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Beginner Deck Building Guide
Playing Altren's style is like playing Guile in Street Fighter II. Sure, it's technically the strongest, but it's a pain in the ass to play well. Thus, I'll take my 15-25 "Ryu" creature option any day. ;-)
Author:  Faxos [ Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Beginner Deck Building Guide
Sunyaku wrote:
Playing Altren's style is like playing Guile in Street Fighter II. Sure, it's technically the strongest, but it's a pain in the ass to play well. Thus, I'll take my 15-25 "Ryu" creature option any day. ;-)


To me, this from Sunyaku wins the Comment of the Year Award :lol: :lol: :lol:
Page 1 of 1 All times are UTC
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/