Amber Steel Midrange - Full Deck Guide (feat. Duckie)

Рет қаралды 21,349

Күн бұрын

Is this the new best deck in format? Today I'm joined by Duckie to break down the powerful Amber Steel Steelsong Midrange deck. Duckie is the top ranked Pixelborn player and the pioneer of this value-focused version of the deck. We discuss key cards, core strategies, tech options, mulligan strategy, meta matchups and more.
DECKLIST:
Steelsong Midrange [Steadfast]
dreamborn.ink/decks/4D8Qnh9e2...
- - - -
JOIN MY DISCORD
/ discord
MERCH (design/illustration by me) - Thanks for the Support!
narrative6.com/
- - - -
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
01:35 - Key Cards
03:10 - Early Steel Cards
05:57 - Why Ariel?
12:51 - 5-Ink Characters
18:33 - Stitch & Actions
22:18 - Song Package
25:31 - Options & Considerations
33:38 - Mulligan
39:14 - Matchups
53:58 - Improvements & Outro

Пікірлер: 136

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

ty mr duckie

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I also just uploaded a new Top 5 Meta Deck video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e6qXh9t6upeVhXk.html

@MCM_Podcast 9 ай бұрын

Great deck and discussion

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Thank you 💙

@foldemort8335 9 ай бұрын

Love this style of content - especially mulligans and matchup guides - would love for all the top decks! Keep it up

@uzimanz 9 ай бұрын

Love these big break downs

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Thanks haha it took some work! Thanks for watching :)

@gerardbarber5066 9 ай бұрын

This was great content as always. Keeping crushing it!!

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Thank youu

@WalterYensid 9 ай бұрын

Beautiful guide as always Steadfast!

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Thanks Walter :D

@tylerbowen4987 9 ай бұрын

This was an awesome video! Great content!

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed, thanks for watching!

@dizzy7218 9 ай бұрын

Great video, solid content here 🤙🏾

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

ty :D

@geffres 9 ай бұрын

thanks for the guides youre easily my fav lorcana content creator so far keep up the good work

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Thanks man

@mattheworfanello311 9 ай бұрын

Excellet content. Thank you for putting this together. I would love to hear you pick Luna Loveee’s brain as well.

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Would be happy to if she reaches out!

@heypeople1128 9 ай бұрын

Played this list at locals last night and went undefeated! Super solid

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Niiiice

@user-bt5ip6ny7j 9 ай бұрын

Great video ! Muche appreciated. Any chance to have a video on the Ryby Amethyst matchup ? I feel so unfavored against them I msut do something wrong !

@jacknelson8640 9 ай бұрын

Eeeeppp I wanted to build a deck around the singer Ariel ! Thanks guys 😁

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Enjoy!

@jameswrhymer 9 ай бұрын

Loved this guide! I really appreciate these in-depth walkthroughs to better understand the game and strategic decisions. What do you all think of Hook (Happy Thought)? I noticed he wasn't in the considerations sections, so I'm curious to hear your opinions on it here. Thanks! 😄

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

He's an ok choice, but I like keeping the uninkable count super low in this deck.

@Artyateyomuffins 9 ай бұрын

Duckie is an absolute PHENOM

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

yes 👍

@MCM_Podcast 9 ай бұрын

I’ve been running a version similar to this that seals Cerberus for shift Hook. The ability to swords turn 3 has been really strong n our meta. He’s also a great target for Rapunzel on turn 4 because things can’t swing back at him

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Nice!

@alexanderoneill3018 9 ай бұрын

Did you guys discuss A Whole New World builds of Steel/Amber? Saw a list on twitter that did well at an event last weekend, kinda looked like more of an aggro deck with Wish Lilo and Rockstar Stitches, but had a lot of overlap with the steel early game (Captain Hooks, Prince Erics)

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Yeah I covered the aggro version in my original top 5 video. We discussed the differences a bit near the end in the matchups. I like this deck a lot more!

@JoeshTV 9 ай бұрын

Where can I find deck list for the other top deck mentioned?

@jbarlak 9 ай бұрын

Even more fun trying to get the physical cards lol

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Fun = Pain

@DLWithIt 8 ай бұрын

I just picked up the game and was looking for a good Ariel deck because I thought her effect was really sweet. This deck is SO SLICK

@misterchip1984 9 ай бұрын

Love your content. Amazing. I just want to offer a counter. I don’t think it’s a favorable matchup against Belle ramp at all. I played against that and I’m telling you it’s even and tipping toward the Belle player no question. I think you haven’t played a good enough pilot of that deck.

@AngelofHell1311 9 ай бұрын

I really like Duckie's version to the point of saying that his Steel lineup could be considered a perfect steel core which you could run pretty much any color with and do well (obviously amber fits the best but I would say you could even run Ruby with this line up and be successful). Cerberus is pretty underrated and hopefully will see more play in the future and Hans is such a great card and a good replacement for big Tink if you can't shift into her.

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

If Ruby/Steel had card draw apart from AWNW and Beast Mirror it could be great, but as of now Steel needs to combo with other colors for some draw. Keep and eye on Ruby/Steel going into set 2 in case we get some!

@AngelofHell1311 9 ай бұрын

@@ssteadfast yeah that's definitely true I think something like "when this character challges another character draw 1" or when bannishing could also work to keep the draw effect within the color identity

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Yeah maybe an item with a conditional effect like that. It makes sense in both Steel or Ruby too based on some of the ink identity/playstyle surrounding Challenging.

@AngelofHell1311 9 ай бұрын

@@ssteadfast otherwise giving sapphire a draw card that reads like Maleficent with the bonus of drawing 2 more when your ink is at 10 for example would be appreciated

@aidanweaver9724 9 ай бұрын

I think AWNW is more than ennough tbf... I coulld see that working @@ssteadfast

@Fenwaye7 9 ай бұрын

Are there any viable replacements for Ariel? I've only pulled two with 3 Rapunzels, ive tried running ransack to dig for The Ariels i do have but its not as smooth.

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I wouldn’t run this deck without her, she’s the reason why the songs work.

@Gnalysis 9 ай бұрын

Played against a modifed version (Hades) of this with a Ruby Amethyst deck and won in a BO3 50 min match. Opponent didnt concede first game and because of that, he had only 8 min left for 2nd game. Still won against him both games. Still gonna try this deck though.

@arwen999 9 ай бұрын

I am close to making this deck in real life. Just hunting my last Rapuzel is tough without paying through the nose.

@mountsofeverest 9 ай бұрын

So what is the recommendation for a replacement for Rapunzel since she is such an expensive card right now? I only have gotten 1 so far and my local community all hoard theirs for no trades. Also, I would also like to include Whole New World in a song deck that isn't aggro. Thoughts?

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Maybe Hades or Smee I would not run WNW, this deck doesn’t need any card advantage tools, it gains a ton of advantage without handing opponents any cards.

@mountsofeverest 9 ай бұрын

Would you also say no to maybe having Lanterns? I put together this today with Lanterns and playtested and it honestly felt great.@@ssteadfast

@dizzfuntion 9 ай бұрын

Top Top Top 😎🤘🏽

@MarioDrummerVergel 9 ай бұрын

Is there another card option to replace rapunzel? The price of that card is very high. I would like to know your opinion

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Maybe Hades since he can find a card when played similar to Rapunzel drawing a card and he fills the 4-cost slot.

@MoonBounce89 9 ай бұрын

@steadfast how does this list compare to the list that one the PPG with the rockstar stitch gameplan? Would you consider this midrange better than the aggro/WNW Strat? Thanks for the content, to you and duckie :D

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

It's a lot better!

@MoonBounce89 9 ай бұрын

@@ssteadfast thanks so much man, love what you're doing for the community!

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I appreciate that! 💙

@MoonBounce89 9 ай бұрын

Yessir! @@ssteadfast ❤

@vincentcoo2244 9 ай бұрын

Rapunzel is crazy expensive, any good cards to swap with? ( hades ? To bring key cards back from trash?) 🤔 Or stitch (alter)?

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Yeah, I’d do Hades until you can get Rapunzel. She grabs cards like you said and fills the 4 slot.

@robertmundt4232 9 ай бұрын

Can you make a In depth guide like this for ruby/amethyst with duckie 🙏🏻

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I made a guide on my own previously and also posted a tournament best of 3. I covered most topics so I probably won’t return to that deck until next set in December.

@kevinlarsen3499 9 ай бұрын

What are your thoughts of Steel teka as a tech in for cerberus?

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I like Cerberus more, but if you like it, go for it

@anthonypadilla2426 9 ай бұрын

Great video!!! Does duckie have a yt channel?

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I don’t think so, but he’s in a lot of the Lorcana Discord servers and would probably respond if you asked him anything.

@BobbyMcwho 9 ай бұрын

Have you considered Te Ka - Heartless over Cerebus? She falls to Alladin and Tink entry + challenge though

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I like Cerberus more - but Kronk is also very good if you want some extra stats.

@hmgaming283 9 ай бұрын

Dose Ariel have to be dry in order to sing or, can she sing as soon as you play her?

@ssteadfast 8 ай бұрын

She has to be dry

@LSPTaris 9 ай бұрын

Funny enough I’ve won matches using Hakuna Matata - just healed all my characters after using them to challenge and just having a board full of fully healed threats

@JeremieDeWitt 9 ай бұрын

do you or duckie know what we could replace rapunzel with? price is too high right now.

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Hades or Cinderella until you find Rapunzel But you may be better off running a non-Amber deck if you don’t have Rapunzel, she’s almost that vital.

@terrorshard2916 9 ай бұрын

I find that I can grind red/purple to a halt, but they just rip big things off the top over and over. Draw dragon, draw Ursula, really hard to beat them in top deck mode

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Yeah it's the best top decking list for sure - and often they have mirror to draw 2x per turn

@user-iz7nu4wk3h 9 ай бұрын

I see absolutely no way this can beat anything that can just consistently summon 5+ big booty creatures. And I've been trying ... for a day now. EDIT: And that's ok. It follows the usual "aggro < midrange < control < aggro" RPS style of balancing. I just feel the end section with the matchups is just a bit over-exaggerated.

@PeteJohnWilson 9 ай бұрын

Agreed. This deck is amazing against aggro, but seems to really struggle against the big red decks.@@user-iz7nu4wk3h

@MrDonckers 9 ай бұрын

People are sleeping on Mr. Smee cerberus gets played for being 5 ink 11 stats he’s 3 ink 7 stats

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Cerberus is good because of what he can survive against, attack into, and sing. That’s way more important than ink-to-stat ratio. I agree Smee is underrated but he’s competing with way better 3-cost characters.

@mikhail7140 9 ай бұрын

Duckie says Sapphire Amber runs more draw, but blue doesn't have any draw cards 48:00. I'd love to make Sapphire Amber work but not sure which blue cards to use

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Maurice/Tamatoa/Robin Hood can all gain card advantage. Midrange + Items in Amber/Sapphire is the move there.

@Quigster23 9 ай бұрын

How does this deck compare to the aggro version? How much better is it?

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I’m loving this list - the aggro version isn’t worth playing when you can play this. We cover that matchup briefly near the end.

@Mystereevan 9 ай бұрын

Any cheaper options for surfer stitch (as in less expensive to buy?)

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Until you get them you can run 7-cost Simba

@Mystereevan 9 ай бұрын

@@ssteadfast thank you! does the 7 cost simba negate the need for smash since simba can counter evasive builds?

@EnixTurnix 9 ай бұрын

I have 2 surfers and run 2 Whole New World’s in their place to make up for the draw. I think the 7 cost simba is a good call if you have none tho

@cardboardcarnivores 9 ай бұрын

Dude what about a rapunzel Cinderella, Moana theme, they almost make a midrange healing engine and can be really annoying! I can’t wait to download and start playing! I’m really into this and want to make a footprint in the community. Let’s collab!

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Moana is mainly there for the 3x quest, her Princess synergy is just a bonus that happens to work with Ariel and Rapunzel. Healing is okay but Rapunzel’s heal is only great because of the card draw tied in!

@jprrola 9 ай бұрын

What is a version of the Blue Yellow you find good?

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Basically swap out the Steel for pretty standard Sapphire ramp: Belle, Quill, Hades… use Ariel to scout OJA and Let It Go. I’ll make a list and video, working on it now.

@jprrola 9 ай бұрын

Thank you. I tried making one myself but it was not using the ariel package. It worked well tho

@ATGLorcana 9 ай бұрын

Have you tried Ursula's Shell Necklace?

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I don’t run it because it’s uninkable. I like it in Amber/Sapphire because if you need to you can ink it with Fishbone Quill.

@hmgaming283 9 ай бұрын

We're still waiting on the game play! 😅

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Just uploaded some gameplay of a similar deck.

@Mike-fp1bs 9 ай бұрын

Man I hate stumbling upon a cool meta deck. Like wow look at this deck that looks right up my alley and uses some neat interactions. Oh but first all I need is 4xrapunzel, 4xgiant tink, 4x Ariel, 4x surfer stitch. Urg.

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I feel your pain. I’m trying to find my 4th Rapunzel, the first three cleaned me out 😭😭

@TriniTron. 9 ай бұрын

I’m trying to build one with giant tink and rock star stitch as the most expensive cards

@benlarkin857 8 ай бұрын

It is interesting how much you speak of Ruby Amethyst, because for me it's by far this deck's worst matchup. You have to get lucky with your early development and hope they don't have Rafiki and Maui, and then hope you draw Beast on turn 5 (if they have even developed an item by this point) and that they don't draw Be Prepared on 7. Once they reset the board, I find it really difficult to win unless I have already gotten a significant lore advantage. I regularly quest unfavourably early on against Ruby Amethyst just so I can stack lore before turn 7. If I go first, I can occasionally refill my hand with Stitch Carefree Surfer right before he drops Be Prepared, but not always.

@changsurin 9 ай бұрын

What is the definition of midrange?

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Instead of focusing attention on a super strong early game (aggro) or late game (control) Midrange typically aims to be strong through the length of the match, usually through efficient characters (rather than card combos or a specific play style) - This usually results in a simple deck that succeeds off of great fundamentals (card efficiency, strong stats, ink curve, consistency, etc) Hope that helps!

@antosulfo 9 ай бұрын

would someone kind please help me to understand how to beat ruby/amethist using this deck? I always lose

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Hold Beast and use them against Mirror. Ink every turn to keep up and play aggressive. At and after 7 use Surfer Stitch aggressively into boards to force Be Prepared.

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

It's still a tough matchup, but those are some tips.

@cccspwn 9 ай бұрын

I’m still having trouble against Ruby Amethyst :(

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Yeah it’s a tough matchup. Practice holding your Beasts until the right time.

@CheshireFrankenstein 9 ай бұрын

I really want support you and buy some merch, but you gotta make 3XL for us fat people making progress but not quite down to 2XL 😅

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Ah yeah I think I had some that sold out. I’ll include more the next time I get some tees printed. Thank you 💙

@CheshireFrankenstein 9 ай бұрын

@@ssteadfast I promise to buy some when you do. You have a lot of different designs I like. I mean basically all of them but I have favorites lol

@rajalpha_paint 9 ай бұрын

I play it for 1 week now. Cant win big games with it. It is really weak against control decks (amethyst/ruby for example), and there is no big guyfor late game. In addition, it is relatively slow and is overwhelmed by fairly common aggro. No matter how much I play it, I find that this deck has a lot of weak points despite very expensive cards.. Nothing can defeat amesthyst/ruby contrôl ???

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

This deck is fantastic against aggro, make sure you're prioritizing Ariel or Giant Tink on board early so they can sing GYS.

@soup8786 9 ай бұрын

I feel like good ruby amethyst players make rapunzel really bad.

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

A good player knows how to play around her, but the treat of her is good for applying pressure.

@ryanfournier9522 9 ай бұрын

You guys think midrange is better than the steel/songs aggro?

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

100%

@ryanfournier9522 9 ай бұрын

@@ssteadfast interesting. Thanks

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

No problem, have fun playing!

@user-iz7nu4wk3h 9 ай бұрын

The usual rule of thumb for any card game with a resource system is aggro < midrange < control < aggro. Of course it depends on the deck and how you play it (some midrange decks can be a bit too fast for control to handle, or too slow so aggro gets under them).

@blockbusterlatefees7713 9 ай бұрын

Unfortunately the only way to beat Ruby/Amethyst is if they get extremely extremely unlucky. Even if they get a little unlucky, doesn't matter. They have to get extremely unlucky for the first 5-6 turns. Or else, forget it. It's a dead end street and you just played into it.

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Nah I don't think so, this deck can certainly take some games off Am/Ru.

@GR1FF3RK 9 ай бұрын

is hades too expensive rn

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I don’t run Hades in this deck

@paracelsuz9489 9 ай бұрын

Tip: If you ever discuss decks again with other people and they are not the same. Put the deck list of them also in comments/bio.

@snuffyluf 9 ай бұрын

Where can I get the other deck list?

@paracelsuz9489 9 ай бұрын

@@snuffyluf make it yourself in lorcania. Copy paste it to pixelborn.

@ZefaGames 9 ай бұрын

A deck with 0 bad matchups? Hmmm...

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

Depending on the two lists, Amethyst Ruby still feels rough

@virginraydevito 9 ай бұрын

deck gets destroyed by whole new world versions, beast is dead, forgotten dead, if you miss your 1 & 2 (you only have 4 of each), you're dead.

@uoDucks6 9 ай бұрын

🤣🤣🤣 it’s actually this decks easiest matchup

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

You’ve never played this matchup if this is really what you think. Thinking Beast and YHFM are dead is WILD.

@MysentialDelfyre 9 ай бұрын

@@uoDucks6I disagree, it's only easy as a timely discard 2 to get rid of new world just means inexperience in MUs. You expect in mirrors to fight whole new world and dump your hand. 4 4/8 stitches are also kind of awkward. As you don't really fight ruby/amethyst builds when they draw a bunch and your discard 2 isn't as good. Playing 4/8 stitch for 7 on an empty board is also weird. Aggro stitch low drops midrange stitch can definitely go under this in best of 3s.

@uoDucks6 9 ай бұрын

@@MysentialDelfyre rockstar stitch version of the deck lose hard to this. That version gets hit way harder by grab your swords and by big tink. Whole new world is not a concern if you want to give me 7 new cards I’ll gladly take that. Also that deck cannot deal with surfer stitch well at all. If you ever played the match up even once these things would be obvious to you.

@justinkomesar8757 9 ай бұрын

Good luck actually getting the cards to play these fucking decks. 200 dollars worth of rapunzels, 120 dollars worth of big tinks, 60 dollars worth of ariels.

@ssteadfast 9 ай бұрын

I have this deck and spent less than $200 total. I've found success trading and buying singles from local players and shops!