Under50 is a series that I started to share budget decks under 50 USD. Earlier articles in the series are listed below. Follow me for more content like this!
One of the best things about Gods Unchained is the abundance of deck archetypes that are available on a budget. Even getting to the top ranks doesn't require you to spend thousands of dollars, which I think is healthy for the game. After all, who would want to play a game where spending thousands of dollars is the only way to advance?
Today, I'll be building an Aether Magic, a control deck that can be built on a budget. Let's dive right in!
Deck Overview
Deck Link: GUDecks
The name of the game is Control - eliminate your opponent's threats in the early and mid-game so that you can outvalue and crush him with your late-game units. Using your removal spells at the correct times is a key factor to the success of this deck. The Aether tribe is great at generating value and if you survive the early and mid-game, cruising to a win is much easier.
Deck Cost: 0.0105 ETH (~40 USD) excluding Core cards
Starting Conditions and End State
Starting Rank: Mythic, 1400 ELO
Play Period: Weekdays
Ending Rank: Mythic, 1503 ELO
Win Rate: 70.6% over 17 matches
Disclaimer: Matches on weekdays are easier than those on the weekends due to the Weekend Ranked event.
Key Cards
Dimension Looper is one of the cards that I found to be very useful in dealing with early threats. As many cards in the deck have the Aether tribe, it will consistently deal 3 damage when it is played. A 3/4 that destroys an opponent's creature - what's not to like about it?
Crystal Rain is undoubtedly the best counter to many aggressive decks. Opponent summoned a bunch of Zombies? No problem. Some pesky Bladeflys? Who cares. Sometimes Crystal Rain is worth keeping in your starting hand if you think you'll be facing an aggressive deck.
Planetar Centurion is one of this deck's late-game cards that seal the deal. A 7/7 frontline unit that generates even more value can stop late-game rushes while providing you even more ammo to crush your opponent. Sweet!
Deck Strategy and Performance
The main strategy of this deck is to survive the early to mid-game, control the board, and outvalue your opponent to victory. Against aggressive decks, if you survive the early game with a good amount of health, you're very likely to win. It's the same for mid-game decks, but mid-game decks will have a better chance against you in the late game if your hand is full of unplayable cards. Budget control decks tend to fare poorly against more expensive control decks due to expensive control cards being able to generate more value, but it is still possible to beat such decks with some skill and luck.
Before arriving at this final deck composition, I also tried including 8-cost cards like Helian Elite and Reckless Flamebreather, but I found them to be too slow even in control matches. They unnecessarily clogged up the hand and I was often dead before I could even play them. As such, I limited the maximum cost of cards to be 7 mana, which was much more playable due to the inclusion of Mana Auditor.
In this screenshot, you can see a possible scenario when using this deck: I have effectively controlled the board while having a much larger hand size as compared to my opponent. Due to how much I outvalued my opponent, I easily won this match once it reached this state.
When using this deck, don't be afraid to drop down a Labyrinth Guard if you are getting swarmed with enemy units. The Labyrinth Guard has managed to stop the onslaught from the opponent many times for me. Even though It can't attack, the brief moment of respite it provides can be the difference between a win and a loss.
With this deck, I managed to climb 100 ELO points from 1400 ELO to 1503 ELO, which I think is pretty good given the cost of this deck.
Mulligan Strategy
If you mulligan into one of the few 1-cost units like Planetar Acolyte and Academy Familiar, do keep them as they can help fend off early threats. I also like to keep at least one early removal spell if I can get them, like Starshard Bolt or Tracking Bolt, to prevent opponents from snowballing too early. Dimension Looper is also a good keep in many circumstances.
Due to the significant number of late-game units included in this deck, you do have to find what a good enough hand looks like. Oftentimes, you will not be able to get a perfectly curved-out hand, but that is okay. Remember the objective: Survive the early game. Anything more is a bonus.
Card Swaps
If you find some part of the deck lacking, you can always try to swap some cards out for others. Here are some examples of card swaps that you can do.
If you find single-target removal lacking, one possible swap might be to take out one copy of Crystal Rain to include an Epiphany. Although Crystal Rain is the difference between winning and losing against certain aggressive decks, it can be much less useful against other types of decks. I've had Crystal Rain stay in my hand for many turns in against another control deck before, and Epiphany would have been better.
Labyrinth Guard can feel a little slow at times even if it manages to stop an entire army of units. Archvisionist doesn't quite serve the same purpose as Labyrinth Guard, but it is a pretty substantial unit on its own while providing additional Aether synergy and value.
Oni Spellsword can be a real menace in the early game, being able to provide ward for your friendly units cheaply if it is not removed. I do feel like most of the other early game cards in the deck are essential and cannot be cut for a 3-cost 1/3, leaving the best option for replacing to be Safeguard Incantation, which can be too slow to play in certain matches.
Conclusion
I enjoyed playing this deck quite a bit! Being able to put down heavy units that generate even more value is very satisfying, and the win rates do show that this deck does work. Just be prepared to play long games stretching to 8 and 9 mana turns often. If you are grinding out games for the Blessing of the $GODS event, I suggest you try a faster deck instead.
I hope that this deck guide and review helped! Do give it a try and let me know your results.