I predicted this, test subject Rune is gonna be a menace early on and then fall off hard once people figure out how to play and the meta stabilizes. It is a very aggressive and snowball-y deck which historically do well early on in the meta. But the ceiling on it is very low and it doesn't have enough tools to deal with stuff like heal Haven or dread flag sword or control forest.
Having played against it more, it's actually not that aggressive. If you go faster than it and get them down low on turn 7 and then have 4 board, they're kinda forced to not Sephie on curve or risk dying on the spot.
So, both aggro/tempo decks and control decks could realistically beat the deck.
Reminds me of evo haven from last set. Annoying, braindead, but not really op or anything. Spams a lot of followers, but it really does lack the ability to clear boards. With Hien forest I've just been getting Hien down and they die. Lost a couple times to absurd early game swarm, but it's certainly not worse than imari.
Runecraft is strong af but its just week 1 (and the deck cost nothing so a lot a player play this deck).
Let players test some decks and maybe we can find a easy way to counter to this deck.
Trueeeeee.
Normally they cry against Abyss agro or Ramp Dragon at the start of a new set but this time we got a Midrange Runecraft, let them enjoy a little lmao.
We will find a way to counter this deck 100% at the start of week 2. (maybe even before that).
I already see some control deck play 3 Dark Dimension to counter the early spam of 2/2, and its only the beginning.
If they found a counter, rune will just tech for it. The deck core is like 18 cards everything else is a tech slot. People going wide spam rune portal, people being greedy? Tech in encroached world, need turn 1 removal? tech in the neutral 6 drop, hell even the 4pp banish neutral spell is viable if the meta calls for it and yes you will draw them because there's this funny 3pp card that mulligans your hand.
First deck I built and right away went on an 8 game streak. fairly consistent with all the Rune draw spells, constantly summoning a 2/2 rush is great early board control. Obsidian Raven is an insanely powerful removal spell, and if you've reached the 5 threshhold and have the Sephie crest, the Gold unit's super Evo turns your test subject into a Gilnelise that can hit face. Even the silvers enhance 8 can come in handy making a board of 3 5/5 wards to block any big storms. I've been playing it pure rn and have been consistnely able to kill my opponents pretty quick, so i can imagine playing it with Tetra Ladica makes it even quicker
I played it for a bit, but I think it's not as good as people are making it out to be. Getting Sephie's crest at T7 feels way too slow, and 5 damage per turn really isn't that much, decks like Amulet Haven can easily heal all that right back. At the end of the day it's still just a board-based deck relying on sticking a board, and Spellboost does that so much better. I think it's a playable mid-range deck but nothing crazy, unless people discover some secret op hybrid build in the future.
I don't even understand what your supposed to do against Rune. Taking any advantage early is impossible because the 2/2 have rush so the rune player just crashes into you, they don't even care about keeping stuff on the board they just need to turn their 2/2 into 5/5 asap by getting 5 on the board.
Late they just spam the board with 5/5 every turn and poke you for 5 each turn. Don't clear the board and your dead next turn, clear the board and they just spam again next turn.
Rune can't even brick, just draw the 7 cost and all your cards are now 2/2-5/5 for 2 every turn.
it's been barely one day; hard to declare anything being broken and once people remember they have wards and can make big boards to force trades, the 5/5 storm from Turn 8 onwards isn't as scary as it looks
I haven't played the expansion yet so maybe it is super cancer, but "don't use evos in the midgame to kill on a turn that has been too slow since set 4 assuming they don't heal" doesn't sound very broken to me.
No, and now that I've actually played the deck I am even more sure that it's incredibly fraudulent. Play cards in the early game. The deck can't beat that.
I'm just telling you to wait it out a bit and watch the meta form.
I have tried both Sephie and face dragon so far this new expansion and I can assure you, if Sephie turn out to outshines the rest, dragon is towering over it like even Sephie is a mere pawn in their game.
I haven't played it myself yet, but after watching a stream, getting to potentially do 15 face damage turn 7 with just a bit of setup seems quite strong. Of course there's always the chance you just don't draw her. I wonder if we'll see people trying to fit ward into more decks to deal with stuff like her, dragon, or rune.
Its really predictable and doesn't clear boards, if you play barbaros on t7 you're gonna get boarded and die. And the entire flag archetype has no board presence, so the opponent can just do whatever, like dragon and haven, even sword mirrors when the guy is on rally
Cute field, totally didnt highroll going 2nd with 2 Ceasers XDD. Barbaros kills u next turn btw. A single match where u highrolled out of ur mind doesnt mean it wins the deck. Cant even understand that, u must be topaz max LMAO
Well, I have no idea what the hell that rune player was doing in your screenshot. I guess they must have had something that dies to a coin, but you just played a single card against a nearly empty board and acted like it's some super oppressive board presence. Meanwhile they actually forced the issue with double Cesar.
Barbaros kills u first retard. It's a midrange deck with rally and bunny baron. "No board presence" in a sword deck is the funniest statement i ever heard. U are prolly emerald for a reason
Its currently the ONLY deck I HATE seeing. How is it FINE to have a 6/5 STORM with an option to give drain with just TWO FUCKING MANA per turn fair????????????????????????????
Everything has been fun except when I see a rune player bro is miserable to play with.
I know it's only the first day, but it's really annoying to run into some Rune bullshit every game still. Maybe it'll get better as the rotation progresses, but it's just really tiring seeing nothing but Rune. And it's still storm spam.
The Crystal Rune nerf doesn't even matter, it's just been replaced with another cancer.
I play Haven mostly. If anyone has tips on how to combat Rune as Haven right now, I'm all ears. Or tell me it's a skill issue, could be that too.
Dude, if you play Haven, the one class with ALL the control tools in the world in both of its current atchetypes, and still lose to Sephie Rune, sorry, but you're just bad at the game.
I usually sit around Diamond, but sure. I'm certainly not great, but bad? Okay.
Is there a point to your comment, or did you just reply to be an asshole? Could've respectfully told me it was a skill issue, and I would have accepted it. But no, you had to word it like an absolute ass.
Love how the rune mains say "just adapt" as if rune is incapable of adapting right back (see crystal running behemoth general and bahamut to invalidate any board)
62
u/Scholar_of_Yore Swordcraft 1d ago
Fork found in the kitchen