YourTurnGames: Joshua Heroes/Thieves Contender Deck

Deck strategy and tips:

OVERVIEW: · Accelerate the offense out with Scarlet Line and drawing Heroes so you can start using take abilities or a big "by the numbers" band with Captain to limit your opponent's defensive options. · Pair the cards your offense takes from your opponent with the already strong Evil Enhancements in the deck to never run out of gas. The defense can also take cards from their offense or defense depending on which is needed throughout the game.

THE OFFENSE: · Buckler, Offering of Wrongdoing, Joshua's Covenant, and Stone Carriers can all help you get to an early Caleb or Bearers of the Ark to start drawing cards. Even better is when you can get to Rahab and play Scarlet Line right away to snag a couple Heroes for next turn. · Spies at Ai on the first turn of the game can also be very powerful because your opponent won't have had an opportunity to empty brigades from their hand, so you might be able to take their only Evil Character, AND you have the best chances of being able to take a Storehouse or other protection Fortress from their deck. The "Behold" Lost Soul, Harvest Time to play it, Betrayal, and Vain Philosophy are great for helping you determine if that's the best play. · If your initial draw is very defensive, Bearers of the Ark to activate Joshua's Covenant can be a way to tutor a battlewinner on turn one. Stone Carriers makes it even better so that you can exchange and decide what to grab after they block. · Once you've taken one or two "Scattered" effects from them, attacking with a big band ending in Captain of the Host will be very difficult for your opponent to stop. · Joshua's Command is the strongest and most flexible Good Enhancement in the deck, so it will often be the best target for The Long Day to recur, but the Good Enhancements in Reserve can also be powerful in many situations. · Even though Joshua doesn't get to grab a card from Reserve in the first round, he's still a great option going second if you can use Buckler and Joshua's Officiators to start picking apart their setup with Joshua's Sword as early as possible. · Harvest Time with "Foreigner" and "Grumbled" or "Shepherds" Lost Souls is another way to take what your offense needs from Reserve at a moment's notice, but more often "Foreigner" will be able to recur a Joshua Enhancement from discard pile that can be easily taken back out with one of the many Reserve-accessing Heroes. · Once you run out of unique Joshua Heroes in deck, Stone Carriers can go to Reserve for The Trumpeting Priests to deal with a disruptive Artifact and take another card out of Reserve. · Use Deceitful Possessions on offense to add Rahab to battle and play Scarlet Line to negate whatever Enhancement your opponent just defeated your other Heroes with. Since Rahab cannot be prevented, then it works even if Captain of the Host was/is in battle.

THE DEFENSE: · The three dual-alignment characters will almost always be used defensively, but there are some cases where you may want to slow your opponent down with a good Judas or choose an Evil Character to block and set up a strong rescue with Zaccheus. Just be careful as Plunderers is the only easy way to reset them. · Early blocks to look for are Highwayman to draw or play Den of Thieves, Temple Thieves to play Den of Thieves, and Condemned Thief to disrupt their hand. Condemned Thief is especially powerful on turn one when your opponent may not be expecting it and won't have as many resources available. · The three territory-class Evil Enhancements are usually going to be best when played in battle, but occasionally there will be cases when playing them during your Prep phase will be the most beneficial. Just be careful not to use Offering of Wrongdoing beforehand if you plan to play one of the Enhancements in the same phase because the prevent will continue through the phase. Betrayal first, then Offering. · If you don't think you will need it for a block, prioritize underdecking Purloin with the "Grumbled" and "Shepherds" Lost Souls because then you might be able to use its powerful Star ability again. · Use Fence Jumpers to reuse powerful Evil Enhancements from your opponent, especially if you have Den of Thieves out. Keep track of when Enhancements like Unsuccessful and Scattered are put in their discard pile early in the game so you don't tip your hand by asking to see their discard pile in the late game. Just remember that only N.T. EEs are regardless of protect, so Betrayal and Seized by Babylon won't go through protection. · If you take any characters from your opponent, you can discard them in your discard phase if you don't think you'll use them and you want to make it more difficult for your opponent to get them back. Alternatively, however, you can put them in territory and discard them to The Thief to take more characters. · Use King of Tyrus to give Sisera to your opponent to set up a powerful attack with Zaccheus and Crumbled from a Shout. Sisera can also be added to battle with Adoni-bezek if you have a CBN Betrayal to play. Canaanites are also a popular defense, so you may even be able to take more fuel for him. · Concealed Canaanites is a Thief, so with Den of Thieves online, it can use all your crimson Enhancements in addition to any that you might be able to take. It's also a great target for Ambush! to take from Reserve. · You can also connect your Thieves to your Canaanites by banding to King of Tyrus with Judas.

YTG recommends the below cards as other viable options for this deck’s theme for Type 1 constructed play.

Three Woes Angel of God The Second Coming Promised Land (II) Ark of the Covenant Twenty Shekels Captain of the Host (PoC)/(II) Amazing Faith Teaching in Parables Silly Women (Roots) The Deceiver Hypocrisy