Help with deck decision!

[shroudb]

Help with deck decision!

(disclaimer: this is NOT a "netdeck" request. more like a "viable playstyle" one)

Hello, I'm a new player and obviously I've been hoarding my scraps until the patch hits to decide on a deck to actually try laddering.
Now that the patch is live, it's time to finally spend that scrap to make a "real" deck and not the self-found... thing... i've been playing.

I mainly enjoy SK, but NG also looks great as well, so something between the two probably.

I do have enough scraps (i think) for a (mostly) complete deck, sitting at like 2300 now, and i have some quality legendaries/epics already (either a few crafted or drawn), focused more on SK since that's the deck i play the most.

I.e. i've opened blueboy and yen:con and yen, and i've crafted the clan brockvar archers which allows me a semicompetant axeman deck
but i also have ciri:dash and Hjalmar and svanrige and ermion and sigridfa which seem better for discard SK

As for NG, i have (i think) all of the common and rare for a spy/thin deck like impera/nauzica brigades, medics, ambassadors, emisseries, albricht, but the only epic+ i have is calvait.

ultimately, I think i would prefer a more consistent strategy with deck thinning, compared to axemen, but i don't really know:
a)is discard SK still good after the patch, especially if I can't afford to craft Morkvarg (i think it's better to craft Roach first?)
b)is ciri:dash a "good" strategy for ladder?
c)if i go for dash, should i go SK or NG?
d)i was thinking of going QG discard with ciri:dash, seems more fun compared to ships. But is the difference in win rate so huge that everyone is playing ships, or just a few points?
e)still better to go for something like axemen/weather (i do have aero as well) instead of heavy thin/discard

p.s. i know this is just beta, and maybe the best time to "try out" different decks, but as a new, f2p player, I do have to ultimately make a decision for the first "complete" deck
p.s.2 i also know that "fun" is subjective, and that what i would enjoy the most is not what another would enjoy, but continously losing isn't "fun" for anyone, so, a deck that has a 30% win rate, when compared to a 60% winrate, is quite different. If it is something like 45-55% difference, then I'll obviously go with what i *think* i will enjoy the most (some form of ciri:dash build)

ty for your time

 

[4RM3D]

a) In my opinion, the pure discard SK has died together with Morkvarg.
b) Yes, see c)
c) NG can thin their deck with Emissary + Nauzicaa Brigade + Vicovaro Medic. Ciri: Dash is pretty nice for a deck like this.
d) I have tried Queensguard myself, but I always found it got countered too much.
e) The Savage Bear + Bear combo looks promising too.

 

[riggerrig]

With the latest patch, the idea of basically using Bran's ability to immediately dump morkvarg to the grave then use shieldsmiths to buff for the later rounds is dead for multiple reasons, no buff from bran, -1 strength to mork, and locking now works on him. He can still be used, just more sparingly. I have had more luck using Bran to discard Olgierd then using Draig Bon–Dhu to buff works somewhat better because they cannot lock him in the graveyard, so you are guaranteed to have him for round 2 unless consume monsters.

With the minor nerf to consume, queensguard got a buff because that deck was the one that countered it the hardest, but I don't think it works as well as some other builds. Ciri Dash is still viable yes, but I cannot say as to how much in the higher ranks, currently standing at rank 9.

Honestly, what I would do is go find a strong upper tier deck idea, look at a few builds, build it yourself with your existing cards, play it and while doing so ask yourself, 'what card do I wish i have at the moment', then craft it and test some more.

Last patch, I heard SK discard was good. I made the version of warships, but I found the ships were to removal prone. So, I tested out different cards, eventually I found that Clan Heymaey Skald worked very well for me. In two days, I went from rank 3 to rank 9 with about an 80% win rate. The reason why was that most people mulliganed the D-bomb away or used to early thinking all my cards were at base strength. I often revived them from the grave with a priestess with so with one card I sometimes in the extreme cases put 20 strength on the board, then next round did it again. Really it is about finding a good deck idea then building it to your play style.

 

[shroudb]

I did go with QG discard after all since I did draw a bon dur
I'm not too impressed by either dash or hjalmar though.
Thankfully, both spies fit my crach deck pretty well, So only like 200 scraps for Bran was the real "investment "

even going full discard I have trouble getting dash reliably at 14.

1 lv to go to get decoy, this should generally help since so many silvers can be bounced , but I'm scared of losing Dbomb for it as well.

if that doesn't work, I still need close to 1000scraps for a NG deck, or I'll go Coral...

 

[Ninschi]

Just my 2 cents as a dedicated SK and NG player:

a) I have tested the good old SK discard a little post-patch and have to say that it is maybe not entirely dead, but certainly not good enough for ladder atm. Morkvarg is no longer needed (I agree that Roach should be crafted first) and QG is too susceptible to Monster and NG (the latter being on the rise recently).
b) Ciri Dash is a good strategy for NG, but the sequences are a little more complex. For that reason, it takes a little time to play the deck to its full potential.
c) NG
d) QG is really susceptible to monster consume, caretaker in general and vicovaro medic. I can (unfortunately, because I really liked the deck before the Nilfgard patch) not recommend it.
e) Yes, Yes and Yes - Axeman is currently the best SK deck around!

 

[isnadtochiev]

Depends on what you want, really. If you want autopilot rank 15 - go with wounding skellige, its ridiculous. NG is harder to play, but much more interesting. And again, once you get used to it, even the troll version of NG decks (betrayal Letho and stuff) are viable at 3k+ MMR. Full-on serious ciri: dash NG shall give you rank 14. May-be even 15. Havent played it much, Letho is too much fun)

 

[arz0]

I did go with QG discard after all since I did draw a bon dur I'm not too impressed by either dash or hjalmar though. Thankfully, both spies fit my crach deck pretty well, So only like 200 scraps for Bran was the real "investment "
even going full discard I have trouble getting dash reliably at 14.

If Ciri: Dash isn't working out for you, you either need to add more ways to thin your deck or just take her out.
Ciri: Dash is there to protect decks from drawing too much and is not your deck's focus.

Ciri dash does fit in with a 'full' discard deck. What are you running that makes it 'full'

Typically it's King Bran, as well as most of these cards

Ermion
Last Wish
Svanrige
Donar
Birna
First iight
Clan an Craite raider

the rest is up to you more or less.

 

[shroudb]

If Ciri: Dash isn't working out for you, you either need to add more ways to thin your deck or just take her out.
Ciri: Dash is there to protect decks from drawing too much and is not your deck's focus.

Ciri dash does fit in with a 'full' discard deck. What are you running that makes it 'full'

Typically it's King Bran, as well as most of these cards

Ermion
Last Wish
Svanrige
Donar
Birna
First iight
Clan an Craite raider

the rest is up to you more or less.

basically all the above you listed except last wish, but with roach and sailors for a bit more thinning, as well as decoy which can either hit svan or sig for more draw if i get unlucky with my mulligan..

when i say it doesnt impress me, it's not that i can't get her, usually as an 11 and a 14 in the same game at round 2 and 3, because i actually do that.
the thing is that as you said, if i build around her, with ultimate goal to like discard her twice and play her at round 2 and 3 as a 14 and a 17, it's a whole lot of work, for not really that big of a payoff, at least compared to other stuff like coral, hjalmar, igni, yen:con, etc. all those goldens are win conditions or really, REALLY good answers, Dash, even on 14 is not that impressive, especially since a double ressed skirmisher is at 14 as well, and it's certainly easier to do that. Or my QG at usually 5/8/8 +7 from sig, for a 27 point silver.

using simply Ciri instead of Dash basically gives +1 card for a 5-8 str loss, so if another card can get you 8 points, which it more often than not does, then ciri "wins" in power.

so, the only thing that remains is discard immunity, which is nice, but a tad underwhelming for the sole purpose of a gold.

my axeman deck isn't even "complete" still running crach as a leader (because i'm a cheapskate and I like his ability as a high tempo play either way) missing octivist and several other cards, etc and it certainly feels way easier to win with that deck, and i feel that all of my goldens in there (birna, yen, yencon, ciri) all pull their individual weight and can swing a game in my favor

 

[arz0]

so, the only thing that remains is discard immunity, which is nice, but a tad underwhelming for the sole purpose of a gold.

That is Ciri: Dash effectively.
Discard immunity is her ability.
If your deck cant discard fast enough, then really she isn't worth it.

when i say it doesnt impress me, it's not that i can't get her, usually as an 11 and a 14 in the same game at round 2 and 3, because i actually do that. the thing is that as you said, if i build around her, with ultimate goal to like discard her twice and play her at round 2 and 3 as a 14 and a 17, it's a whole lot of work, for not really that big of a payoff, at least compared to other stuff like coral, hjalmar, igni, yen:con, etc. all those goldens are win conditions or really, REALLY good answers, Dash, even on 14 is not that impressive, especially since a double ressed skirmisher is at 14 as well, and it's certainly easier to do that. Or my QG at usually 5/8/8 +7 from sig, for a 27 point silver.

Don't worry about her raw 'value'. She isn't impressive in that regard. and as you say to get her up to 17 takes a lot of work, and for little reward.

Thing is, don't build a deck around her. She doesn't define a deck. The deck defines itself and ciri helps when you draw too much.
That is it more or less.