Ruby amethyst: deck analysis.

If during the first season we saw Amber-Steel songs dominate, the undisputed winner of the second season is Ruby-Amethyst Bounce Control . Many of the top 8 tournaments around the world have been crowded with this deck in its many versions. However, the question everyone asked was what its final form was.

Its incredible strength combined with solidity made it an attractive deck and inevitably the best choice for very long tournaments.

Below I show you my version of Ruby-Amethyst , explaining the reasoning that led me to compose this list.

4x Olaf-Friendly Snowman

4x Minnie Mouse - Always Classy

After many playtests I realized that the deck's eight 1 -drops couldn't be reduced. It is of fundamental importance to have a character to bounce with Madam Mim-Snake or Madam Mim-Fox to populate the board from the first turns.

Tip : Don't underestimate the importance in mirror matches of pairing him with a Lady Tremaine or Ursula, post Be Prepared, to play around an opponent's Lady Tremaine .

4x Madam Mim-Snake. Essential card. The classic legendary disguised as an uncommon. It can sing Teeth and ambitions against aggro decks and can be used to bounce cards with strong ETB ( Enter The Battlefield ) such as Lady Tremaine , Merlin-Rabbit , Merlin-Goat , Ursula-Power Hungry .

2x Kuzco-Wanted Llama. I decided to include two copies of this card because the deck lacked 2-drops and in many games I found myself unable to play anything in the first turns. This had very negative repercussions especially in unfavorable match-ups against aggro decks. His ink cost also allows us to sing Teeth and ambitions while also making us draw a card in case we want to distribute the damage on him.

4x Madam Mim Fox. Another fundamental card for bouncing damaged creatures or those with important ETBs that can gain card advantage. Its ink cost also allows us to sing Friends on the other side . It's written Madam Mim Fox and reads "removal with legs".

4x Maleficent-Sorceress. I was undecided until the end whether to lower the slots to three. But in the end it's the classic card that brings solidity to the deck. Card that can be inked in the early game, strong if made in the third turn and strong in the late game to propose a credible post Be Prepared board in mirror match . In short, a card that does everything and does it well.

4x Minnie Mouse-Stylish Surfer. MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the deck. Very strong in all match-ups . Thanks to its evasiveness it allows us to go on quests and at the same time sing the songs present in the deck, allowing the development of the game plan with maximum tranquility.

2x Merlin - Crab. I reserved two slots for this card because it has always solved my trade with rather thorny characters. For example, it allows us to make value trades between our Minnie and that of our opponent. Can be inked if necessary.

3x Merlin-Goat. Going against the trend of online lists, I decided to reduce one slot of this card to favor others that could help me in unfavorable match-ups . An unquestionably strong card, but anyone who has played the deck a lot knows that it is often a card that we want to see in the final stages of the game. Its inkability further increases its value.

4x Merlin-Rabbit . Key card of the deck. Strong in combo with Madam Mim-Snake and Yzma-Scary Beyond All Reason . The gasoline needed for the engine of the deck.

Tip: Mulligan card to avoid having two in your starting hand.

3x Maui- Hero to All. Here too I went against the trend with the lists circulating online and decided to lower a slot to make room for something else. Very strong against Amber-Ruby which represents a very difficult match-up .

2x Yzma-Scary Beyond All Reason. Yzma is the card I decided to find a place for. It's the side inside the deck. Very useful card against Amber-Ruby and in particular against Mufasa-Betrayed Leader and against Steel-Sapphire . Don't underestimate the possibility of shuffling our Merlin-Rabbit into mirror match to be able to draw three cards.

3x Lady Tremaine-Imperious Queen. The best removal to do post Be Prepared . The fact that it has Shift 4 allows us to do very interesting tricks, such as shifting one onto the other and then bouncing them in our hand with Madam-Mim Snake or Fox .

3x Ursula-Power Hungry. This card initially disappeared from the metagame . In many match-ups , making our opponent lose a lore and drawing a card can be really impactful, but the hidden strength of this card is its ink cost, which allows you to sing Be Prepared and then start again with a new board. Terrific paper that I particularly love.

2x Maleficent- Monstrous Dragon. I realized in advance how this card was actually quite useless for winning the game. Its function within the deck is to be an ink in the early turns and, if necessary, an absolute bomb in the late game . Overall it balances the deck, but the four copies that I often see in online lists are, in my humble opinion, wasted slots.

4x Teeth and Ambitions. I decided to play four copies of this card to try to counter Amber-Amethyst aggro decks. Card in my opinion still very underrated but which allows you to make very strong plays (for example damaging Beast-Tragic Hero ).

4x Friend Hon the other side

4x Be Prepared

Drawing cards and cleaning the board is essential for a control deck. Eight untouchable slots.

Conclusions.

As mentioned at the beginning, Ruby-Amethyst is currently tier 0 of the format constructed in Lorcana. I had a lot of fun playing it and being able to find a list that answered the metagame questions was inspiring. However, the change with the third expansion Into the Inklands is upon us, we will finally find out if new decks will be born capable of challenging this absolute masterpiece.