I was asked for my thoughts on the current meta and to break down what I see are the best decks as of right now. This is my list, in order, of what I see top decks are with an explanation of what they are.
Joshua – Sadducee Soul Hide ( with Nazareth + Priest of Zeus)
My personal favorite right now. The Joshua offense can do a lot with a little, meaning it is compact which allows for a larger defense. A larger defense naturally offsets Mary HV, Promised Land, Stocks, etc. like effects that are very popular right now. The Joshua offense is fast, which sets up The Priest of Zeus, Nazareth and Sheol counters and stumbling blocks. Between Joshua taking and discarding their cards, The priest of Zeus punishing their draw (which usually their protection is gone because of Joshua), Sheol down ready to hide Lost Souls if they search and Nazareth down around turn 3, the opponent is left with limited ways to interact and they have to go around Soul Hide + PoZ + Nazzy, it’s brutal. Nazareth acts like another layer for soul hide, so if they can search, Sheol still triggers, but I have found Annas, Burial and other cards plus Nazareth is even better than Sheol, at times.
All of these counters come with the consistency, speed, and limited brigade count the Joshua offense with mainly an all black defense which mitigates the opposing Matthew’s and Queen Taphneses’.
GoC “Lockdown” -GoC Good Stuff with Judas/Nazareth/PoZ/Accusers
Arguably the top deck. Mash all the GoC good stuff, or just play Nativity. Either way, drop Resurrection Revealer or Achim (depending on your build) with a Judas, The Priest of Zeus, Accusers, and Nazareth. This is a lot to deal with and it comes out quick. If they draw they get double hit with Priest of Zeus and Judas. Nazareth stops their searching and this deck is built on speed, not searching mostly, and Accusers negates an entire Testament of humans. Just like I mentioned with more targets makes Mary, Holy Virgin and similar cards “weaker”, more layers of counters the opponent has to deal with is difficult.
Joshua – Ashkelon (essentially PLand loop with Ashkelon + Phillies)
A deck I have been secretly messing with and shared with a couple of players. Ashkelon was all the raven when Jared brought out the combo and Jayden played it in his video, but since then, people have completely abandoned it. You don’t need to rush Ashkelon turn 1, you just use it turn 2 or 3. Apply Promised Land abuse and Teaching in Parables with an Ashkelon for 4 over and over. I think one main point about this deck is you can block, but you also should be winning with a high differential, which matters at Nationals. A deck can be very strong, but you have to beat people 5-0 and 5-1 at times to ensure top seeding.
Joshua – Thieves
I predicted this deck back in August being one of the best and most popular builds. Low brigade count, speed and consistency everywhere, and a relentless hand attack on the opponent. You can build Joshua a few ways, same with Thieves, and you also have the luxury of speed and a balanced deck that plays aggressively that can also win mid-range games and play to tempo. I do wonder how this deck does if a couple key characters are discarded.
Disciples – Black/Gray (For me, this has some Canaanites and CtB aspects)
Disciples have a ton of weapons and throw some CtB aspects in there. If you run Canaanites, Accusers can mess you up, but Demons are kind of weak and Demon/Thieves take up a lot of space. I think Disciples Canaanites gives you blocks and speed, but is susceptible to Accusers on the defensive side. However, the offense doesn’t care.
Nativity – Herod’s (bumped it down due to Joshua prevalence sniping Stable + HT)
Tried and true. This deck could still be the top dog, but the pilot needs to know how to play without Herod’s Temple and Bethlehem Stable. A usual heavy reliance on Mary Holy Virgin with Stable to protect her and HT for a block or 2 is now in question. I can see this deck adapting (bringing in some Disciples aspects) and moving right back up to the 1 or 2 spot. I can also see this deck swapping out defenses entirely so there’s not a huge HT reliance.
Soul Surfer
Chad has shown us time and time again this deck is no joke. I do think it’s very similar to other GoC decks, but because of the * cards I put it in its own category. I wonder if others can pilot it as well as Chad can.
Disciples – Queen T based defense (tough to rank due to Queen T matchup)
Not seeing too much play, but I think that will change. You take a top offense and jam Queen T with a DoU/Confusion in there. Very solid, but dependent on Queen T potentially getting a block and what she hits from the top of their deck. With so many people not getting a lot of blocks right now, why not throw a Queen T at them turn 1? You can always get a DoU block with someone else later. I lot of people love Herdsmen into a Matthew, but I would rather Queen T into a Matthew. This offense can Matthew back on their turn, and a Queen T turn 1 for 5-10 cards could be game changing. Now imagine if you have Confusion turn 2…
Blue Banding – Edomals/Thieves (play first on both sides)
One of the highest potential banding offenses in the games for resources. Sad Hendrix to Jacob and then some can net you 5 cards, that’s right on par with Joshua. You can mix and match offensive pieces in this band as needed (it likes hand knowledge!), with CBN play first options and protection. The band is not reliant on Enhancements and has great setup cards. Defenses can swap in and out of this, but I love it with crimson and getting both play first abilities.
David, HaG offense – Brown (side battle shenanigans, also tough to rank because you can control so much in a side battle)
A personal favorite of mine due to being able to control the side battle and wipe out the opponent. Extremely consistent and tons of defensive firepower. The offense can be reliant on side battles though, or it needs other white pieces. Jesse and Obed are great and very easy to get out in a “David, HaG” offense. Negating their neutrals and characters turn 1 or 2 is good. I do think people have forgotten that initiative is very good. David into a side battle and controlling that battle is amazing. A Haman’s Plot in a side battle wiping out their blocker and 2 of their Heroes is no joke. Add a Confusion on top of that and you are in the driver’s seat.
CoW Moses/Green – Sadducee Soul Hide (lower on the list due to relying on crucial pieces and overall slower deck)
Oddly, I think this can move up, or fall out of the list completely. The deck needs more practice in tournaments in a skilled player’s hand as this deck is not easy to pilot. We need more data on this one, but I know people are piloting it and getting good with it. It’s very easy to get out Moses and Samuel, but doesn’t provide a lot of speed to get going and is reliant on searching. However, anytime you get PoZ – Moses – Sheol down it’s a lot for the opponent to handle. If you can inject some speed into this deck (it has the consistency already), then you might be on to something. Shaping your deck and keeping Lost Souls at the bottom is nothing to scoff at. Remember that Moses negates their soul generators, so you need him out ASAP and keep him alive! Eternal Covenant is a good add. Vow for Samuel with Book of the Covenant also means bulletproof prophets while you chip away at the opponent’s resources. It’s a very fun deck to build and to play, but it requires patience, as this is not a burst and wants to slowly choke the opponent.
Silver – Hero Control (Offense can swap around, but the defense leverages TCE’s and Artifacts to nuke Heroes outside of battle) This can also be swapped with Silver – Crimson D Heavy + Peter’s Curse, similar concepts.
I love Hero control, but they’re tough to play and require extreme patience. I do think that all tournament competitive decks need to have aspects of Hero Control. Offenses right now are reliant on 1-3 Heroes in their builds and taking them out hurts the opponent. This is a D Heavy build that tends to have Cross and/or Peter’s Curse, but you can swap in different defenses. Hero Control is an archetype that leverages Hero killing cards in and outside of battle, so you can run with this with False Leaders and brown, or gray, and go from there. I play this deck with all gray, or all brown, but both of them have Stocks and toys for False Leaders. Bearing Grudges, Madness, Haman’s Plot, just a lot of ways to get rid of Heroes, both in and out of the battle.
To buy singles, sealed product, and other gaming supplies mentioned, please visit our sponsors!
