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Competitive Deck Tierlist

Posted by SuperbLizard on 08/01/2023

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A compilation of decks posted to the hub.

THE FAERIA TIERLIST

Right. What was I thinking putting myself up to the task of creating a cohesive tier list. Well, you might argue other people have done it before and the sole idea of comparing stacks of cards has been around for as long as boys and gals have been ogling over pieces of paper. So what’s the holdup?

For one Faeria is not only a card game but also a board game and as you may have noticed from studying the varied, lush and evasive answers I tend to give when new players ask me for general advice it isn’t all that easy. Formulating rules of and for your very own thumb isn’t a particularly fruitful endeavour because of how often you will end up having to completely trash a gameplan in order to win. Flexibility is a high valued good in the realm of competitive Faeria and those who master the art of jumping between executing different gameplans are rewarded handsomely in wins and meaningless internet points. That’s why I’d urge you to take this tierlist with the grainiest of salts. Some decks might suit you better in regards to playstyle, individual skill or simply put ‘time you’ve sunk into this mezmerizing spiel’. I’ve started playing Faeria almost 6 or 7 years ago and have earned a nickle or two in experience while meeting some lovely people from all over the world. It’s still shocking to look back and see how fast time has flown by but alas.. I will try my very best to condense the things I’ve learned and picked up along the way down into a short and sweet article to distill the very essence of Faeria play for you; vaguely certified and all ready for you to slurp up.

Besides the usual structuring into S, A, B, C and D tier I'll enlist additional factors and rate the decks based on:

  1. powerlevel (how well the deck operates within its gameplan)
  2. skill floor (how easy it is to learn the deck)
  3. skill ceiling (how hard it is to master the deck)
  4. consistency (how often the deck can achieve its gameplan)
  5. flexibility (how much of the decks actual powerlevel is available when operating on a different gameplan)

Hopefully these points will make it easier to pick apart what different decks have to offer. Looking for high winrate on ladder? Be sure to pick up a deck with high consistency and flexibility as you’re likely to encounter many different archetypes when queueing for ranked. Do you want to target specific archetypes in a tournament setting? High powerlevel should be your primary concern after deciding on your counter. In any case be sure to also check up on Zorni’s tournament guide. It helps immensely with putting some of these concepts into practice and will foster a better understanding of the lineup eco-system, what to ban and so on. Be sure to not discard any of the lower ranked decks either as some of these can be quite useful when trying to counter specific decks in tournament play. FTWCHEESE’s Krog rush for example has a very polarizing set of matchup tables and can absolutely crush slower decks.

If you are a newer player or simply haven’t spend a lot of time with competitive Faeria yet it can be worth to explore decks with a low rating in skill floor and low levels of flexibility. The smaller variance in gameplan will let you focus on other aspects of the game.

While it still may seem a bit cryptic exactly how I’m ending up with these arrangements I hope to clarify things by pointing out a few commonalities between within the tiers.

In S tier decks can operate at a relatively fast speed and show high levels of flexibility, both in on the fly adjustments as well as heavy alteration of gameplay, such as opting for non-board centric win conditions like monstrosity , burn , flyers two turn clock or simply playing towards the green and blue scaling gameplan . These decks should perform exceptionally well both in tournament and ladder play. They all operate at a consistent level, closing in on 50% winrate even in unfavourable matchups.

A tier reserved for decks that are slightly more prone to certain counter decks or strategies. They will either have an ever so tiny nudge in flexibility or in powerlevel. Picking them is still considered a solid move and you will even be able to go toe to toe with some S tiers.

For B tier we have specific target picks as well as simply put, decks that don’t perform too well in the current environment. Slower green lists like Beastmaster have traditionally been a fantastic choice into just about any red list or lists that primarily plays for board centric win conditions.

C tier is home of the niche picks. These are some of the best choices if you are looking for highly polarizing matchups. Faerie Enchant brings the otk threat to the table and preys on decks with low interaction. If there is a lot of red and slower, board centric decks in the meta this pick can carry an entire lineup.

And finally what would a tier list be without the tail of the rat pack? D tier is home of the leisure picks. These are fun to toy around with but neither provide the decisiveness nor the meta friendliness of higher ranked decks. Here we are in the depths of Faeria Limbo, a place so distant you can hear the ESofOWL screeching from far away. That being said, there is still something to be gained from paying the visit as there’s loads of fun to be had from exploring these unique gameplay patterns. The lessons you learn about positioning from playing a game of GY Sacrifice do carry over – one of my favourite training wheels for new players.

For simplicity sake I've embedded links to each deck instead of actual images. This guide is already a mess so the least I could do is try to spare you some more visual clutter. But enough talking for now. The world of competitive Faeria is just one click away! Let's dive in.

Image

S TIER

Red Midrange Blue Jump Monstrosity Yellow Flyers
powerlevel ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
skill floor ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
skill ceiling ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
consistency ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆
flexibility ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
Green Aggro RY Angry
powerlevel ★★★★★ ★★★★★
skill floor ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
skill ceiling ★★★★★ ★★★★★
consistency ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
flexibility ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆

A TIER

Rakoans Yellow Events Blue 7s Voice of Hunger
powerlevel ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
skill floor ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
skill ceiling ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
consistency ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆
flexibility ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★★
Red Angry Mechs Structures Midrange Bargain
powerlevel ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆
skill floor ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆
skill ceiling ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆
consistency ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
flexibility ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
Crackles Combo Yellow Tempo BG Ramp Yellow Celeste
powerlevel ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
skill floor ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆
skill ceiling ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
consistency ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
flexibility ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Ritualist Ramp
powerlevel ★★★★☆
skill floor ★★★★☆
skill ceiling ★★★★★
consistency ★★★☆☆
flexibility ★★★★★

B TIER

BY Tempo Icerock Reaver Control Yellow Archers
powerlevel ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆
skill floor ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★
skill ceiling ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆
consistency ★★★☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
flexibility ★★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
BG Beasts Beastmaster Green Rush Disciple OTK
powerlevel ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
skill floor ★★☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
skill ceiling ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
consistency ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★☆☆☆☆
flexibility ★★★★☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆
Yellow Rush Yellow Control GR Combat Gnats
powerlevel ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
skill floor ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
skill ceiling ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
consistency ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆
flexibility ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
5D Husk Red Control GY Husk Sac BG Jump
powerlevel ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆
skill floor ★★★☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
skill ceiling ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★☆☆☆
consistency ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
flexibility ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
GY Midrange Drakerider Yellow GY Faeries
powerlevel ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
skill floor ★★★★☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
skill ceiling ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆
consistency ★★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆
flexibility ★★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆

C TIER

Reaver Enchant Ignus +1 Krog Rush Twinsoul Control
powerlevel ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆
skill floor ★★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★★☆
skill ceiling ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★★☆
consistency ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆
flexibility ★☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
Plague Carassius RY Mobility Burn Mobility Green BG Swarm
powerlevel ★★★★★ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
skill floor ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
skill ceiling ★★★★☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
consistency ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
flexibility ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★☆☆☆
GY Handbuff Yaks Soul Eel RB Mobility Burn
powerlevel ★★★★☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
skill floor ★★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆
skill ceiling ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆
consistency ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
flexibility ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
GRY Saladmaster Mistral Rush Istanu Swarm Red Rush
powerlevel ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
skill floor ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆
skill ceiling ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆
consistency ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★★
flexibility ★☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆
Faerie Enchant Turbo Illusion Path to Face Dream Blue
powerlevel ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
skill floor ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★☆☆☆
skill ceiling ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆
consistency ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆
flexibility ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆

D TIER

Red Burn Green Ramp GY Sac Red Archers
powerlevel ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
skill floor ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆
skill ceiling ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★☆☆☆☆
consistency ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
flexibility ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Captain Husk RY Angry Rush BR Tempo
powerlevel ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆
skill floor ★★☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆
skill ceiling ★★★☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
consistency ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★☆☆☆
flexibility ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★★

And that’s all for now, folks. Have I missed your go-to choice for tormenting ladder? Is your dearest tournament pick not here? Let me know on Discord!

Cheers, Lizard

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