When preparing to attend a Redemption tournament, it’s good to have an idea of what cards and deck types you might go up against. While there are almost unlimited options available, there are some which are popular, powerful, and commonly played. We call this the “meta” for those unfamiliar with the term. Lets take a look at what we expect in the current meta in Type 1.
The Obvious
When a deck wins Nationals you can expect people to copy and play it. This year is no exception. Even though the win condition, Watchful Servant, took a hit with the change to pre-block ignore, this deck is still a force to be reckoned with.
Last years second place finisher is another popular option. Angels and demons are very common among young players. Their success in the hands of Josiah Beers will only encourage their use.
Judges in all their various forms have been one of the strongest offenses for a couple years now. Whether you face an all Judges offense like Mitch Stewart’s top 8 deck, or a blended offense like Ruthless Stuff, be prepared to deal with them.
The New Guys
The flavor of the week this season is going to be various forms of the Armor of God offense. The Persecuted Church set introduced this exciting and powerful new theme. The core cards are going to be the spiritual warriors and AoG Enhancements. After those cards there are several variations people are using to fill out the offense. I’ve already heard of AoG offenses winning multiple small level tournaments this season.
Various church themes will also be popular this season thanks to being bolstered by The Persecuted Church. Expect to see variations of the Colossae, Ephesus, and Philippi offenses. Due in part to our HLP Video here on Land of Redemption I’ve heard of a number of Colossae/Heretic decks being played.
Romans and Heretics will be popular defenses this season due to the boost they’ve received in the last two sets. If you aren’t familiar with what these defenses are capable of, give them a try yourself to learn them.
The Foretelling Angel just begs people to play an all Daniel deck. The cards don’t exist for this to be a top tier option, but if you aren’t prepared it will take you by surprise.
Tried and True
To a lesser extent you can still expect to see Disciples, either all purple or combined with clay and taking advantage of Peace. Disciples combine really well with Pharisees but it’s not uncommon to see them combined with other defenses as well.
While it’s not top tier anymore, Genesis still offers multiple strong builds on offense. It’s often combined with Romans or Egyptians.
Greek and Magician defenses have been strong for quite some time. Both gained help from The Persecuted Church set as well. You can expect to face these defenses. Understand how they work and be prepared to beat them.
Single Cards
Due to the dominance of the AoG offense and the presence of Fruit of the Spirit, expect to see counters like King’s Pomp and Darius’ Decree.
I fully expect to see a rise in popularity of the Pigs Lost Soul this season. The introduction of the Escape Lost Soul makes it a strong target to pull from your deck. The increase of search abilities in the PC set means there are a number of decks that can use this card without hurting their own efficiency. It also provides a strong counter to the above-mentioned Greek defenses.
What Did We Miss?
The meta can vary greatly from region to region and even play group to play group. Are there things that are popular in your area that I didn’t mention? Please take the time to comment below and let us know!
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Sam
I think the current meta also contains a dynamic of recursion that the game has not seen before. Jude, James leader in Jerusalem, music leader, the Holy Spirit, Gabriel, and scribe (among others) are all cards that have high potential to be seen frequently in the current meta and each of them can recur potential battle winners. Just Jude alone simply enterening battle while James leader in Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit are in play can recur THREE potential battle winners to hand/deck. Players will need to either build defenses that have some longevity or plan to win first.
John David Cunningham
obviously sites are strong and became even stronger with the persecuted church-greeks and gates of samaria along with others. on top of this there are more site access options, which is fantastic. however, i still feel like gaining site access through unconventional means is a great angle. for example, forest fire, razor, samson’s sacrfice, habakkuk stands watch etc. these are all indirect site access options that are outside of direct site access which can be implemented into non clay and ot offenses/defenses. as usual i always love when cards previously unplayed or rarely considered necessary make a big come back when the meta shifts. it’s inspiring to see cards tucked away in binders that have huge potential to be game changers depending on the meta! great topic!