Intro
This last Friday, I participated in SVO’s first event of the 2024 season: the SVO Mini. Minis are inherently less competitive than SVO’s Opens; there are fewer rounds, no cash prizes, and decks can be switched between rounds. This ends up making Minis pretty casual, but still a higher level of play than the ranked ladder can consistently provide.
The metagame at this stage of Renascent Chronicles is interesting. Buff Dragon is the deck to beat, but Castelle Forest, Magachiyo Forest, and Transmute Shadow are also putting up numbers. There’s nothing I would consider Tier 0 at the moment, and the difference between tiers isn’t as aggressive I’ve seen in past metas.
A solid strategy for an event like this is to build two of the decks mentioned above, use the ladder and some private matches to get a feel for your matchups, and come ready to get that 5-0 and the sweet Luna pillow that comes with it.
That was not my strategy.
Contents
The Decks
My deck choices were based on two factors: comfort and lack of vials. I didn’t want to exist in a bunch of mirror matches with people who had definitely played them more than me, and I also didn’t have the vials to test those decks anyway. I brought Burial Rite Shadow and the Machina Portal list that Top 16’d a recent JCG.
Burial Rite is probably the weakest Shadowcraft deck available, but the weakest Shadowcraft deck is still better than anything Blood or Sword can currently do. Myroel still provides a stable and effective clock, and Hellfire Strike and Sweetsoul Necromancer help out with the early aggression decks like Castelle can bring. Some variants of the list run Mikael. I’m not a fan. He’s a nice invoke and a better hit than Memento on Myroel evo, but he didn’t feel impactful enough to make slots for. Machina Portal definitely feels like it lost a step with Cassim’s rotation, but turn 6 Gretina Invocations are still powerful and accessible. Eon is situational, but punishes uninteractive opponents by progressing your gameplan without them and giving you a ton of value in the process. And if all else fails, we can do what Portal does well — crutch on Synthetic Eden and hope for the best.
Both decks felt fine in all of my playtesting on ladder. The only matchup that felt unwinnable was Buff Dragon, as that deck is incredibly capable of interacting and ramping without losing tempo. The plan, then, was simple; tank games to Buff and hope that the non-standard deck choices and matchup familiarity can get me past everything else.
Rounds
Round 1
Game 1: Machina Portal vs. Castelle Forest
Going second. Opening hand was Lyelth, Robotic Rampage, and Robotic-Arm Rescuer. Machina is the reactive deck in this matchup, especially on the draw. The goal is to make smart trades, survive the early chip damage, and rely on the fact your game is simpler and only counts to 10.
I mulliganed the Rescuer and got a Hoverbiker. Rescuer’s important in the midgame for chip recovery, but can be a brick in opening turns.
The early turns were surviving the Canons and Salvia Panther while trading to get 10 Machina/Academic followers destroyed. Gretina needs to be active ASAP to clear midgame boards and force Castelle to respond to you. Trading with their followers is more important turns 1-4 than hitting them. Canon and Plumeria make your chip damage worthless, so it’s better to prioritize targets like May and Canon (when they’re left on the board) so they can’t keep getting value from them. Evolved Canons are really good at messing up damage math if you’re not careful. I finished my quest on Turn 5, giving me Turn 6 Gretina and Mikael to clear the board and get 8 damage in. They had a good turn 7 setup, but I’d healed enough chip to stop them from just killing me with Verdant Prayer, so they took out Gretina and put me at 5. They had 2 big Wards and a Salvia Panther on board, meaning I’d have to rely on Kyrzael RNG to clear the blockers and win. Luckily, I both drew and Invoked a Gretina, which let me set up the kill with a Fiery Barrage.
Game 2: Burial Rite Shadow vs. Buff Dragon
Going second. Kept Night Terrors, Leeds, and Sweetsoul. This feels like an 85/15 matchup in Buff’s favor. Burial Rite needs to go first and hit its curve while hoping Buff gets a worse-than-average hand. If they hit ramp and an on-curve Lucky Mermaid evo, it’ll almost always be Joever. Playing for chip damage is worthless thanks to Militant Mermaid, and they can easily have a thick board with Storm before you can do anything about it. Going first gives you a small chance to stabilize with Myroel, but they have really efficient Storm followers when buffed, and Joe is cheap enough to be part of a really lethal Turn 7 setup.
Long story short, they hit Dion and Lucky Mermaid on curve, and I died turn 6 to a bunch of Grand Slam Tamers and Dragon tokens that were too beefy for me to fully clear the turn prior. This would be the first of many Buff Dragon decks running me over today.
Game 3: Burial Rite Shadow vs. Castelle Forest
Going first. Kept Sweetsoul and Ceridwen and pitched Hellfire Strike for a Misguided Maiden. I’m not sure about pitching Hellfire in retrospect. I think my logic was that having it on the play was riskier, as I get fewer early draws to guarantee I hit Burials and make the card effective in the first place. I think I’d keep it going second. The extra draw and earlier evo make it feel less risky.
I held the Ceridwen Turn 1, planning to use it to kill a Canon and prevent early Salvia Panther shenanigans. It worked, and the resulting Turn 2 Plumeria/Fairy play gave me some room to play Asuka and Shiori without losing too much tempo. They still had me at 7 on their Turn 5, but Myroel cleared the board, and the Invoked Reviled Remnant gave me a tiny bit of room to breathe. They had the Lily, Crystalian Balance to neutralize Myroel and make the subsequent Lovelorn Necromancer worse, but I hit the Memento evo on curve, so Lovelorn got the double Fanfare proc to clear board and draw me into a Septic Shrink, which healed me enough to stay in it and put them at 4. They recovered to 7 with an evolved Canon, but I had 3 Myroel triggers and a Hellfire Strike to close things out.
Round 2
Game 1: Machina Portal vs. Magachiyo Forest
I had no data on this matchup. There’s a lot more Castelle than Magachiyo on ladder, to the point where it’s possible to forget it’s good if you’re not paying attention to tournament results. It doesn’t help that the decks share a lot of cards.
Going second. Kept Gioffre, pitched Barrage and Eon for Lyelth and Hoverbiker. There’s a case for using Barrage to mess up an early Fauna Handler, but I’ve got some doubts about that line being impactful in 95% of games.
They didn’t have plays for the first three turns, so I decided that I was the aggro deck and built a board with Hoverbiker and Gioffre. They had to play an awkward line with Mays into a Thicket early to get their 4 cards played. That left 2 Mays in the open to get traded with, making room for a Robotics Reporter to evolve for more Assembly Droids. I think their hand developed awkwardly; they couldn’t keep up with the token generation, and conceded on Turn 6 after I made a huge Ward board with Eon and Rescuer.
Game 2: Burial Rite Shadow vs. Heal Haven
Haven is slightly favored here. If they can do their best Buff impression and get a huge board on Turn 5-6, it’s rough for BR. Going second feels a bit stronger for BR. Heal doesn’t interact much in the early game, so if you can clear their Kiras, you’re largely fine until Elluvia’s online. If they’re on the play, they have to wait an extra turn for Elluvia to come online, which can be a big difference maker. The late game is dependent on how much of their board can be cleared every turn. Jeanne is nuts, but a Memento’d Lovelorn gets through her without much hassle. You’ll usually need two Lovelorns to finish them off, so don’t bury them early if possible.
Going second. Kept Spectral Stomp, Sweetsoul, and Myroel. The early turns were a bit awkard with duplicate Myroels, but Heal’s lack of early pressure let me smooth out the draws with Asuka and Shiori into evolved Memento. I had 5 Burial Rites on Turn 5, but their Turn 6 double Lou, Lady-in-Training really made things difficult. I think I made a big mistake on my Turn 6. I played the standard Myroel, but that couldn’t clear a Lou and Pureflower Maiden. That gave them the ability to nail me for 24 the next turn. The Lovelorn I had was definitely the better play. Trading 3 Myroel triggers for the ability to stay in the game is an easy choice, but I just kind of autopiloted the standard Turn 6 for the deck instead.
Game 3: Burial Rite Shadow vs. Magachiyo Forest
I’ve played this matchup slightly more than the Machina one. The strategy feels similar to dealing with Castelle, but with some more room to breathe. Sweetsoul and Remnant are great on 2. Nemean Lion trades well on 3. Hellfire Strike should be active if necessary after that. Try not to play Leeds without a way to kill her, as Magachiyo can run Winged Inversion. You can be aggressive in the match, as they have to deal with you while setting up their combo.
Going first. Kept Sweetsoul, ditched Lovelorn and Asuka and Shiori for Night Terrors and Nemean Lion. They had early Canons and bounces this time, but I was able to be more proactive than usual. The constant board clears and trades they had to do seem to have left them with a light hand. I had Myroel on 6 and Lovelorn on 7, but if they’d had more cards in hand, I’d probably have died to the Magachiyo. Luckily, they only had Magachiyo and 1 Warden of Recurrence available to answer me. A second Lovelorn cleared those, and a couple of Hellfire Strikes gave me enough damage to get there.
Round 3
Game 1: Machina Portal vs. Buff Dragon
Going second. Pitched Synthetic Eden for an opener of Lyelth, Rampage, Sumo Mechanic. There’s not a lot to try to say here. I tried to set up an early board, and they opened on Militant Mermaid and ramped twice. They dealt me 16 on turn 6 with Grand Slam Tamer into Coach Joe. I was able to trade away a chunk of the board with Rescuer and a Marionette with Bane, but the Hellflame Dragon token stayed. They had to dig to find the rest of the damage, but Megalorca Rider and Drazael Accelerates gave them 2 Dragonborn Strikers to finish the job.
Game 2: Machina Portal vs. Earth Rite Rune
Machina doesn’t feel too bad into Earth Rite. Both decks kind of serve the other’s plan. They make Golems for you to throw Machina followers at to give them the space to make more Golems for you to throw more Machina followers at. The game seems dependent on how much chip damage you can avoid.
Going second. Opener was Hoverbiker, Rampage, and Mikael, which came off a Synthetic Eden mulligan. I avoided most of the early chip with Robotic Rampage, only taking one Golem hit. They spent their Turn 4 reloading with Undying Witches, Accelerating a Golem Lord to set up for Turn 5. Double Guardian Golem protecting Golem Lord is a real pain, but I was able to get through it with evolved Lyelth, the Enhanced Puppet he makes, and a Marionette with Bane. I threw out a Gioffre on top, as I was at 9/10 followers gone and the Mechanized Lifeform Gioffre makes is a problem if unanswered. It got answered with a Magical Augmentation while they dug for another Lord, giving me a Turn 6 Gretina Invocation. Gretina wiped their board and got in some damage, while got some life back with the Mikael Invocation and Sumo Mechanic. They fused a Celestial Command and scooped the next turn.
Game 3: Burial Rite Shadow vs. Earth Rite Rune
This is a harder matchup than Machina, but not impossible. Ceridwen, Leeds, and Sweetsoul are decent at keeping you alive until you come online. Hellfire Strike is a godsend. If you’re on the draw, Asuka and Shiori can make a big difference. You really need your hand to develop well, though, or they can just run you over with Golems.
Going first. Kept Septic Shrink, mulled Asuka/Lovelorn for Myroel/Lovelorn. This is a terrible opener that necessitates some wild draws off the top. Turn 1’s draw was a Ceridwen, though, so there was a chance. I dropped a topdecked Remnant on Turn 2, as there was no benefit to playing Ceridwen into nothing. She took out a Golem on Turn 3, but they had double Golem Lord Accelerate on their turn, which is terrifying to see that early. My draws panned out; I had Misguided Maiden and Spectral Stomp to actually find some gas, and Memento ready for a Turn 5 evo. Their first Golem Lord hit me for 5, and they evolved it to force me to trade Myroel into it. They scooped at the beginning of their Turn 6, probably short some damage to kill me.
Round 4
Game 1: Machina Shadow vs. Buff Dragon
Going second. Kept Fiery Barrage, Sumo, and Lyelth. They didn’t have the early Oracles and Dions, but they did have the Turn 7 Drazael, which is pain. I pitched the Barrage to a Lyelth early, which was a mistake in retrospect. It’s kind of necessary to make Drazael killable. I ran out of gas on the third Gretina Invocation, and conceded on Turn 8. I think that was the rare Buff Dragon match where I could have had a chance. Pitching that Fiery Barrage was a big misplay.
Game 2: Machina Shadow vs. Castelle Forest
Going second. Kept Lyelth, Rampage, Gioffre. They had the early Salvia Panther shenanigans, which chipped me to 14, but I had the Robotics Reporter on curve to clear things up a bit. Little did I know they had a second Salvia Panther to put me at 8 on Turn 5. Reporter’s leader effect let me trade into that board while getting some draw with Mechanized Lifeform. I managed to survive Turn 6 at 3, getting Gretina and Mikael to help drag me back from the brink. They conceded Turn 7.
Game 3: Burial Rite Shadow vs. Castelle Forest
Going second. Kept Ceridwen and Myroel, pitching Night Terrors for a Remnant. They dropped Canon Turn 1, which I was happy to clear with Ceridwen. They didn’t have the Salvia Panther setup this time, but made the good decision to beat me up with 1/1s until they got it on Turn 4. I had to play a weird Turn 4 Ceridwen Accelerate off a Memento evo to keep up, followed by the even weirder play of evolving an Asuka and Shiori to trade the next turn. Either way, I survived to the Myroel turn, which gave an opportunity to come back. The Septic Shrink from Myroel evo survived the turn, joined by another from that weird Ceridwen’s Last Words. I cast another one. Their end of turn effects and a late (but still appreciated) Hellfire Strike let me close out the game. I guarantee I would have been obliterated by Verdant Prayers next turn. I accidentally BMed a bit by throwing some Ghosts in there for more damage. It was an honest mistake; I was just in the tank calculating max damage.
Round 5
Game 1: Machina Portal vs. Cutthroat Portal
Cutthroat is definitely favored here. Cutthroat’s Enhance rebates make their midgame fantastic, and if they can negate and heal enough damage with Judith and Smeltwork Bodyguard, they can keep you from ever taking over. They’re you, but stronger.
Going second. Kept Sumo, pitched Fiery Barrage and Puppet Workout for Hoverbiker and Rescuer. The early turns were pretty inconsequential; we traded some followers while trying to develop our hands. I drew my other two Hoverbikers and a bunch of late-game followers. They got the Cutthroat evo on curve. From then on, I was both outvalued and outplayed. Judith put in some work, Winged Inversion kept me from completing my quest, and the Interstellar Battlecruiser that followed made sure I’d never get there. Goddess of Condemnation put me even further out of reach. Not even the great Portal crutch, Synthetic Eden, could stop me from dying to an Enhanced Cutthroat with Storm on Turn 9. This was my favorite match to watch back — it’s hard to appreciate how well the opponent is controlling the game when you’re in the middle of it.
Game 2: Machina Portal vs. Buff Dragon
Uh-oh.
Going second. I’m not going to get into a bunch of detail here. I tried to play aggressively and trade well in the early turns, but that didn’t matter in the face of two ramps, Lucky Mermaid, and a huge board on their Turn 6. I conceded Turn 6, as I had no way to clear a full board, let alone one with buffed defense. It was the best hand I’d seen Buff have all day, and I didn’t win against any of the worse ones.
Thoughts/Conclusion
All in all, I had a great time in this Mini. I took 3rd overall and went 4-1, which is a new personal best. Minis aren’t as serious as Opens, of course, but I’m still happy with my performance. I also learned some things about the current meta that matches on ladder and tournament results don’t teach as easily.
The biggest lesson was how absurd Buff Dragon is right now. I understand that sounds salty, but it’s not just me playing decks that are bad into it. Recent JCG results help make clear how hard Buff is to stop, and its bad matchups can still just lose to its highrolls. The deck, in my experience, is capable of ramping, interacting and defending itself without losing any tempo. Buff’s quest is different per follower, and most of the followers contribute to each others’ quests, so they have to brick pretty hard to actually brick. They get to play a buffed Drazael to shut down any midgame aggression. Coach Joe melts boards and faces, accompanied by whatever extra Storm damage Grand Slam Tamer and Dragonborn Striker can dish out. Lucky Mermaid smooths out iffy games and makes highrolls even stronger. It’s not the most oppressive deck I’ve ever seen, but games against it can feel pretty inevitable if their opener is decent.
It feels weird to finish this as the mini-expansion releases, but I don’t see the new cards drastically changing the status quo. Most of what I’ve learned (and the complaints about Buff Dragon) seems relevant until the next set releases. I’d be happy to be wrong, though.
If you read any amount of this, I’m grateful. I’m just a Masters scrub trying to get better at both Shadowverse and writing, so any audience at all is awesome. Let me know what you thought here and @GreyGoggle on Twitter.