Two bits of good news: I now have a Bachelor's Degree, and drafts are in full swing! With the craziness of finals week behind me, I might finally get the chance to sit down and draft a bit more, as well as write more articles on drafts. Right now there are a slew of them that describe different draft archetypes, as well as individual set reviews. You can check these more indepth discussions on Hextechs and HexTCGPro. These are really good resources for a majority of your drafts, and knowing the archetypes and the powerful cards to play around are key to winning. I'm not going to talk about archetypes as a whole, but instead talk about a specific deck type I half-discovered a couple weeks back.
To start off I should note that the draft metagame, unlike the constructed metagame, is heavily centered around Champions and Gems. Most of the individual cards are powerful on their own, but many of the best archetypes are enabled by champions that compliment them. Dwarves is powerful in part because the ability to squirt out a Worker Bot every third resource with Bertram really helps the other cards in the deck, which need an artifact or robot in play to realize their full potential. Sapphire decks have dominated the air thanks in part to the Sapphire Gem of Flight and Feather Drifting Downriver, which can turn a Boulder Brute or Hellhound into an aerial behemoth. However surprisingly often in a Hex draft, outside of established archetypes, I rarely consider the champion I will be playing while drafting. This is something I'd recommend everyone keep in mind, particularly when you are drafting outside of an archetype or just rare-drafting and trying to cobble together a deck that can squeak by the first round. While a good deal of my losses come from a shortage or flood of resources, or a timely played bomb by my opponent, more then one has come from a champion that turned an average pile of forty into an intimidating force.
Three champions in particular have done this in limited games I've played. The first was a Blood deck that ran Bun'jitsu and no less than eight Darkspire troops. Darkspire Prietsess is an intimidating card in the early game, and like most players, rather than swinging blindly into them I held my troops back until I could fly over or just out-muscle them. Then on turn five he sacrificed two of them and made a 7/5 Abomination, before playing another Priestess freshly tutored up and playing Blood Aura on the Abomination, making it an 8/6 with Lifedrain. He didn't play a single troop in his deck I couldn't deal with, but the Abomination just sat there and chewed away my board one man at a time, each one bringing him further out of reach. The second is Fahrny, which combined with a Surge Mechanism & Shrine of Prosperity quickly chewed through my board like a gatling gun. The deck was less of a Dwarf deck and more of a mono-Ruby good stuff deck, and Shrine + Sniper of Gawaine & Sword Dancer can get out of hand quickly.
The last one is one I got to use in a recent draft, and I want to use this article to talk about him; if you couldn't tell by the title, that champion is Lionel Flynn. Like the other champions I mentioned, Lionel's power costs 5 charges, giving a single troop a permanent +3/+0. Five is a very steep charge cost, since often the three & four cost guys will get to use their charge powers earlier, and often two or three times per game. That means you want to make sure that when you use the charge power it has a game changing effect, as Fahrny/Bun'jitsu will. Also like these two, Lionel needs a more dedicated strategy during deckbuilding and drafting that champions like Bertram and Feather simply don't need. So what cards sent me down the path of this roguish gentleman? Royal Falconer & Mancubus.
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| Don't let those dashing looks fool you, he'll steal the game from you in a heartbeat. |
Mancubus was my pack-one pick-one, and while there were arguably better cards in the deck, I was tempted to try him out as I had yet to draft him (I also didn't own any copies of him at the time). If any card needs Lionel to really make it shine, it's Mancubus. He comes out on turn four, and on turn five you you can pump him to a 5/2, steal their biggest threat, and swing in for five. There are precious few cards that can withstand the tantalizing gaze of a five-power Mancubus, much less on turn five. Royal Falconer was gifted to me pick two of pack three, and while the Falconer is fine without Lionel, the pump from Lionel makes his birds of absurd strength.
Other Ruby cards that were featured in the deck that I used Lionel's ability on were Goreseeker, a Gem-Crazed Berserker with the Ruby Gem of Flames, and Daring Swordsman. Goreseeker is an absolute house once she gets going, and the +3/+0 puts her well out of stack-block range for most boards. The Gem-Crazed Berserker did work racing a blue-white fliers deck, beating for 6 unanswered points each turn after he was Buccaneer'd the turn I played him (In fact I'd say Ruby Gem of Flames is the best "thing" to combo with Lionel). Daring Swordsman swung in for ten after my opponent left only one troop up which I played Mortar Strike on before pumping and beating in. He then proceeded to stare down an army of men before I found a Ruby Aura to slide on him. Outside of these cards, I ended up drafting a fairly decent Diamond-Ruby deck. This was mostly motivated by a Repel and Inner conflict I had drafted earlier, but the pairing also had access to mini pump effects in the form of a pair of Ruby Pyromancers and Noble Citizenry.
I could go into the intricacies of my deck, but I'd rather talk about Lionel since without him, a majority of these games I could not have won. The race with the Gem-Crazed Berserker and the Mancubus that stole a Cloud Titan were two games I am certain I would not have won had I chose a different champion like Poca or Palamedes. The 6/2 Goreseeker and 5/2 Daring Swordsman games may have gone my way eventually, but Lionel certainly helped me put them away, and I'd like to take the rest of the article to look at his potential in certain archetypes over other champions.
Diamond-Ruby
I've mentioned above that this was the deck I drafted, and I feel this is probably the strongest shard combination for Lionel. Swiftstrike is one of the best mechanics to jam extra power onto, so common cards like Quick Strider become fine targets for Lionel. The pump spell works in naturally with Inspire Engines or cards like Noble Citizenry. Some other decent targets for Lionel are Sky'le Griffin, Forgotten Lord, and Shellsafe Sure-Shot. Diamond also present Inner Conflict for an aggressive removal spell, alongside Repel, which is good for halting early game aggression while you set up a big Lionel. Diamond Champions are also somewhat lackluster or niche compared to others, which gives Lionel a stronger nod in this archetype.
Sapphire-Ruby
There are two major problems with this combo. The first is that these are dwarf shards, and while they might value certain cards differently than you, they are not above taking removal or solid troops like Buccaneer away from you. The second is that playing Feather is arguably always better than +3/+0 a turn later. While it's certainly unconventional it's not out of the question, though the only Sapphire card that I could see making me consider Lionel would be Eldritch Dreamer: 6 unblockable damage every turn is so difficult to deal with. Since you'll be fighting Dwarves for removal and DS fliers for Sapphire cards, I'd probably try to snag a Phoenix Guard Trainer. He will be an important card, since it typically gets picked up in the middle of the pack and you can use it to get some of your other guys off the ground. One benefit is you have access to the two minor gems with evasion, with the ability to switch out between them in sideboarding. Gem-Crazed Berserker with Sapphire Gem of Flying is better against Worker Bots, but you can switch out for the Ruby Gem of Flames against DS Fliers. Hellhound with flying is equally insane.
Blood-Ruby
Blood Ruby is a fine enough deck, mostly because they are somewhat underdrafted in my experience. The worst fortune that could befall you is if someone drafts a dedicated Orc deck, since you can passively pick up cards like Throat Cutter and Furious Taskmaster without having to dedicate yourself to the archetype. Corrupt Harvester is actually terrifying with any sort of pumps, and he's high enough in cost for Sword Trainer to boost up as well. The problem is the Blood Champions are actually pretty good with Blood. Zared can pick guys off for a little cheaper and Bun'jitsu is actually very solid with enough Darkspire Priestess. If you do happen to find yourself in an aggressive Orc deck Poca is usually better than Lionel as well. That said, if you find yourself in Blood-Ruby with a good chunk of removal and solid evasion guys like Giant Corpse Fly and Wailing Banshee, you could do worse than having Lionel lead your way.
Ruby-Wild
This is the second strongest combo for Lionel in my opinion. Wild wants gigantic troops and Crush synergizes well with Lionel's pump. A properly gemmed Boulder Brute or Nelebrin Skirmisher can three-shot opponents with a +3/+0 boost, and Wild's compliment of Pump spells to Crushing Blow and Ruby Aura can let you own the combat phase. Wild also has relatively weak options in the way of champions. Monika'shin is only a live option if you're in Shin'hare; Kishimoto's pump is temporary (and weaker) than Lionel's; Polonius doesn't affect the board until late, and even then can usually be handled with a lone removal spell. Running Deer is a good default champion for Wild since if you have good late game she can usually gain you enough life to survive to that point, but Lionel is more proactive in maintaining pressure. The worst argument for Lionel is that you often won't need the pump if your draft goes properly, but If you plan on going Ruby-Wild from the get go he's one of your stronger options for champions.
Mono Ruby
For mono Ruby decks tend to either go super aggressive with Poca or midrange-control with Fahrny and a slew of Artifacts and some stolen Dwarves to enable it like Elimination Specialist. I'm actually not against drafting this latter archetype as a way to counter dwarves while staying out of the sapphire fight, since Scrap Welders go notoriously late (this tends to be the ramshackle sort of deck I default to when I rare draft). While I spelled out a lot of Ruby cards that go well with Lionel, most of them don't benefit from a single shard the way a pure aggro deck or a psuedo Ruby-Artifact deck would. Surge Mechanism-Ruby decks should almost always go Fahrny, or force Sapphire and go Bertram.
In summary, I think Lionel Flynn fits a very unique position in Hex limited play. While Bertram or Feather generally tips you off to what sort of deck your opponent is running, Lionel doesn't reveal much at the start of the game. Combined with the Ruby Gem of Flames, Mancubus, or keywords like Swiftstrike and Crush, the power bonus Lionel nets you can single-handedly swing the tempo of a game in your favor. So the next time you're in a draft and you see the luscious nipple-rings of the Mancubus, consider what other troops could benefit from a +3/+0 buff and draft around Lionel Flynn!
Until next time, may your drafts be Flynn-credible!
Other Ruby cards that were featured in the deck that I used Lionel's ability on were Goreseeker, a Gem-Crazed Berserker with the Ruby Gem of Flames, and Daring Swordsman. Goreseeker is an absolute house once she gets going, and the +3/+0 puts her well out of stack-block range for most boards. The Gem-Crazed Berserker did work racing a blue-white fliers deck, beating for 6 unanswered points each turn after he was Buccaneer'd the turn I played him (In fact I'd say Ruby Gem of Flames is the best "thing" to combo with Lionel). Daring Swordsman swung in for ten after my opponent left only one troop up which I played Mortar Strike on before pumping and beating in. He then proceeded to stare down an army of men before I found a Ruby Aura to slide on him. Outside of these cards, I ended up drafting a fairly decent Diamond-Ruby deck. This was mostly motivated by a Repel and Inner conflict I had drafted earlier, but the pairing also had access to mini pump effects in the form of a pair of Ruby Pyromancers and Noble Citizenry.
I could go into the intricacies of my deck, but I'd rather talk about Lionel since without him, a majority of these games I could not have won. The race with the Gem-Crazed Berserker and the Mancubus that stole a Cloud Titan were two games I am certain I would not have won had I chose a different champion like Poca or Palamedes. The 6/2 Goreseeker and 5/2 Daring Swordsman games may have gone my way eventually, but Lionel certainly helped me put them away, and I'd like to take the rest of the article to look at his potential in certain archetypes over other champions.
Diamond-Ruby
I've mentioned above that this was the deck I drafted, and I feel this is probably the strongest shard combination for Lionel. Swiftstrike is one of the best mechanics to jam extra power onto, so common cards like Quick Strider become fine targets for Lionel. The pump spell works in naturally with Inspire Engines or cards like Noble Citizenry. Some other decent targets for Lionel are Sky'le Griffin, Forgotten Lord, and Shellsafe Sure-Shot. Diamond also present Inner Conflict for an aggressive removal spell, alongside Repel, which is good for halting early game aggression while you set up a big Lionel. Diamond Champions are also somewhat lackluster or niche compared to others, which gives Lionel a stronger nod in this archetype.
Sapphire-Ruby
There are two major problems with this combo. The first is that these are dwarf shards, and while they might value certain cards differently than you, they are not above taking removal or solid troops like Buccaneer away from you. The second is that playing Feather is arguably always better than +3/+0 a turn later. While it's certainly unconventional it's not out of the question, though the only Sapphire card that I could see making me consider Lionel would be Eldritch Dreamer: 6 unblockable damage every turn is so difficult to deal with. Since you'll be fighting Dwarves for removal and DS fliers for Sapphire cards, I'd probably try to snag a Phoenix Guard Trainer. He will be an important card, since it typically gets picked up in the middle of the pack and you can use it to get some of your other guys off the ground. One benefit is you have access to the two minor gems with evasion, with the ability to switch out between them in sideboarding. Gem-Crazed Berserker with Sapphire Gem of Flying is better against Worker Bots, but you can switch out for the Ruby Gem of Flames against DS Fliers. Hellhound with flying is equally insane.
Blood-Ruby
Blood Ruby is a fine enough deck, mostly because they are somewhat underdrafted in my experience. The worst fortune that could befall you is if someone drafts a dedicated Orc deck, since you can passively pick up cards like Throat Cutter and Furious Taskmaster without having to dedicate yourself to the archetype. Corrupt Harvester is actually terrifying with any sort of pumps, and he's high enough in cost for Sword Trainer to boost up as well. The problem is the Blood Champions are actually pretty good with Blood. Zared can pick guys off for a little cheaper and Bun'jitsu is actually very solid with enough Darkspire Priestess. If you do happen to find yourself in an aggressive Orc deck Poca is usually better than Lionel as well. That said, if you find yourself in Blood-Ruby with a good chunk of removal and solid evasion guys like Giant Corpse Fly and Wailing Banshee, you could do worse than having Lionel lead your way.
Ruby-Wild
This is the second strongest combo for Lionel in my opinion. Wild wants gigantic troops and Crush synergizes well with Lionel's pump. A properly gemmed Boulder Brute or Nelebrin Skirmisher can three-shot opponents with a +3/+0 boost, and Wild's compliment of Pump spells to Crushing Blow and Ruby Aura can let you own the combat phase. Wild also has relatively weak options in the way of champions. Monika'shin is only a live option if you're in Shin'hare; Kishimoto's pump is temporary (and weaker) than Lionel's; Polonius doesn't affect the board until late, and even then can usually be handled with a lone removal spell. Running Deer is a good default champion for Wild since if you have good late game she can usually gain you enough life to survive to that point, but Lionel is more proactive in maintaining pressure. The worst argument for Lionel is that you often won't need the pump if your draft goes properly, but If you plan on going Ruby-Wild from the get go he's one of your stronger options for champions.
Mono Ruby
For mono Ruby decks tend to either go super aggressive with Poca or midrange-control with Fahrny and a slew of Artifacts and some stolen Dwarves to enable it like Elimination Specialist. I'm actually not against drafting this latter archetype as a way to counter dwarves while staying out of the sapphire fight, since Scrap Welders go notoriously late (this tends to be the ramshackle sort of deck I default to when I rare draft). While I spelled out a lot of Ruby cards that go well with Lionel, most of them don't benefit from a single shard the way a pure aggro deck or a psuedo Ruby-Artifact deck would. Surge Mechanism-Ruby decks should almost always go Fahrny, or force Sapphire and go Bertram.
In summary, I think Lionel Flynn fits a very unique position in Hex limited play. While Bertram or Feather generally tips you off to what sort of deck your opponent is running, Lionel doesn't reveal much at the start of the game. Combined with the Ruby Gem of Flames, Mancubus, or keywords like Swiftstrike and Crush, the power bonus Lionel nets you can single-handedly swing the tempo of a game in your favor. So the next time you're in a draft and you see the luscious nipple-rings of the Mancubus, consider what other troops could benefit from a +3/+0 buff and draft around Lionel Flynn!
Until next time, may your drafts be Flynn-credible!
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