Hey guys, Atrsharpe here with another meme deck guide for those of you who want to take a break from the meta decks and have some fun. This time, things are a bit different. Our newest member to the team, Misterhabbla1, is also known for trying to make the meme cards somewhat usable. We worked on this deck together and I featured in his video where we showcased how to play... Artis. Hopefully we can deliver more meme decks in the future, but in the meantime, make sure you subscribe to Misterhabbla1's youtube and follow him on twitch. Let's see if we can make Artis work!
For this meme deck, Misterhabbla1 and I have decided to focus on Artis from Skellige. His ability: Whenever a unit is played, damage it by half its power. Previously, Artis was very difficult to keep alive as he is only 5 strength, but thanks to the new Defender tag from Iron Judgment, he usually sticks to the board. All we had to do was to find some cards that synergize with Artis and we had ourselves a deck.
It is important to mention that we played this deck in pro rank... and we were winning. The deck actually generates a lot of points and can survive long and short rounds alike. Everything from bronzes to golds are decent cards that synergize well with each other.
The leader ability of choice is of course Second Wind, which is very powerful with this number of potent gold cards. You have plenty of options, allowing you to devote more into the first couple of rounds, such as Artis or Covenant of Steel. I have to admit that finding 4 provision cards was a struggle. Initially we had cards like Heymaey Protector and Svalblod Butcher, but we settled for Plunderers and some removal.
Strengths:
- Covenant of Steel is amazing at keeping Artis alive, allowing you to build the whole deck around him
- The Second Wind leader ability and Sigrdrifa's Rite let you spend more gold cards than you normally would in the first two rounds, knowing that you can always resurrect them later
- Good amount of removal as well as Gremist for Purify, which is necessary in the current meta of engines and Defenders
Weaknesses:
- Nilfgaard is a bad matchup in general, Enslave can yoink your golds and benefit from them, while stopping you from resurrecting them in later rounds
- Just like every single Skellige deck, your potential is very limited if you don't get any Svalblod Priests out on the field
- Difficult to pilot, as you need to know how much to devote to each round, whilst developing your graveyard and still preserving the right cards for the future rounds
Dracoturtle - Works well with Artis, who lets it come down as a 9 point play right away. Also acts as another target for Svalblod Priest and is an expendable unit which can be played in any round.
Royal Decree - There are certain cards you HAVE TO put in play in order to be successful. This card is here as a precaution.
Hjalmar an Craite - Great removal when you have cards like Tuirseach Veteran in your graveyard for that sweet 8 damage.
Sigrdrifa's Rite - Use her on what you need, just remember that it summons a unit instead of playing it. You can't benefit from Deploy abilities and the unit gets played rightmost on the selected row.
Covenant of Steel (and Sukrus) - It's very clear why Defender is useful, but if you place him next to Sukrus, you can make Defender immune to damage. He can still be Purified, but Sukrus can certainly keep your units alive for longer regardless.
Artis - The centre of the deck, works great with Berserk cards. If unanswered, he can severely hurt the opponent.
Vildkaarl - Plays as a 12 with Artis, but can also be transformed using a card like Knut the Callous.
Harald Houndsnout - Your Round 1 play for applying pressure, but he is obviously a decent engine in the later rounds.
Knut the Callous - Pseudo-removal that procs your Berserk abilities in the process. Best to use him on Tuirseach Veteran or Champion of Svalblod, who can then consume one of Harald's pals to heal up.
Gremist - Purify is absolutely necessary in a meta full of Defenders. Invaluable vs Syndicate.
Svalblod Priest + Freya's Blessing - The ability to resurrect your Priests makes them more expendable, allowing you to commit them in the first round.
Tuirseach Veteran - Works great with Sukrus and Knut the Callous, often exceeding his initial 8 value.
Armored Drakkar - A new bronze card from the Iron Judgment set, insanely strong when combined with Svalblod Priest.
Heymaey Herbalist - Even if you don't get to heal, this card boosts by 3. You will usually get the heal value thanks to Artis.
Gutting Slash and Stunning Blow - Cheap and solid removal. Mandatory in the current meta which is heavy on engines.
Terror Crew Plunderer - Another new bronze that can be used on a variety of targets that benefit from being damaged.
About atrsharpe
About atrsharpeAlex, aka atrsharpe is a 17-year-old student who'd much rather be enjoying Gwent than writing his psychology essay. After replaying the Witcher franchise one too many times, he was absorbed into the world of Gwent. He started when Syndicate was released and climbed all the way up to pro rank, followed by reaching the top 400 in the next season. Alex hopes to find a girlfriend or eventually become a Gwent pro. Whatever comes first.