I generally don’t play top decks; brewing and losing is more my style when it comes to the ladder. I wanted to mess around with an old pal, Dysian Sludge. Turns out the deck does alright – I was able to take it to Gold Tier before running out of time (a first for me, I’ve never gone past Silver I thanks to janky decks). Even stole a win from someone in the Titanium Top 10 at the time (I’m sure they drew poorly, but didn’t stop me from cackling). So lets take a peek at this fun-filled deck. Ladder Deck Link

The Core

Dysian Sludge x3

Glorious Sludges. The main benefit of these lads is that no one is expecting them. They see you up your life and expect you’re on a Wegu deck. If you can get the pair, this card essentially puts (by level) a 10/10 20/20 30/30 on the board, and splits it for multi-lane goodness. The split also means normal removal can only get half of the value. And the cherry on the sludge pile is the Allied shrinkage, great for clearing out lingering creatures.

Even if you can’t keep above 120 life, the card is still a decent body with close-to on-level stats and a single shrink.

I find if I can get a double sludge early on, my opponent is on the back foot and focuses on the on-board threat, allowing me to keep raising my health and just applying more creature pressure.

Life Gainers

Sludges need life. These are the cards that attempt to keep it high.

Oros x3

Big body, breakthrough, and life gain. L4 can be a finisher if player life is high enough. Rarely is Oros a bad card to play.

Stag of Lys x3

I prefer this cervidae over Glowstride, mainly for the better L3 stats. With all the other threats in the deck, opponents will often de-prioritize killing the Stag, allowing a few procs of the life gain.

Rubyscale Dragon x3

Great for keeping creatures around and adding a bit of life. The weak L1 means I usually only play this on an opening turn, or with a strong board already in place.

Primeval Ancient x2

Probably the sketchiest card in the deck. Helps with life gain and lane filling, but if you can’t get the second dino, usually not a good play. If tweaking the deck, this would probably be the first card to go.

Wegu’s Embrace x1

If I’m stuck playing cards that don’t gain life, this can help remedy the situation. Necromoeba likes this spell a lot.

Removal

Scourgeflame Sorcerer x3

While Broodqueen gives you a snakey friend, I prefer the soft level gating of the Sorcerer. The deck offers a good number of token-ish to sacrifice, and L3 doesn’t even need any. I’ll put priority on this guy if opponent is levelling bombs.

Grave Pact x3

The other main source of removal. Soft gated as well, free at L3, and doesn’t need to wait for an activation.

Necromoeba x3

Provides fodder for Sorcerer and Pact, fills lanes for Lifeblood, and has the ability to stick around and be pain in the ass. The Oozlings can also provide timely blocks and extra face damage if you luck out.

Buffers

Lifeblood Dryad x3

A full board is fairly common with this deck; Lifeblood takes advantage of it.

Dysian Siphon x3

Great for messing up trades and taking out weak blockers. Like the Sludge, opponents don’t often expect the first one.

Game Plan

Try to get life above 120 as soon as possible. In L1, block opponents creatures even if it’s not a great trade – take it in the sack to protect your life.

Sludge away! Once they hit the board, you will have some room to make smarter plays while your opponent deals with them.

Level some removal, especially if you are playing against a late-game deck. But if you believe you can get away with it, pressure with board-fill buffage (Necromoeba & Lifeblood).

Snouty’s favourites: Oros, Sludge, Stag, Necromoeba

Alternatives

Lots of room for tweaking here, kids. Here are just a few of many variant brews.

Wegu

Acts as a good backup threat if you drop below 120 health. But don’t expect an explosive growth spurt.

Deepbranch Ancient

Want to live dangerously? Get full-board value with the Ancient.

Glowstride Stag

Has a powerful advantage of raising your life when you Forge instead of end-of-turn or battle damage situations. Can make the difference of being able to trigger early-game Sludges.

Lichmane Dragon

The deck offers lots of Formation opportunities. Lichmane has a strong body and a useful effect – more removal fodder, more boardfill, or you can get real lucky and spawn something good.

Gemheart Sprout

MVP Sprout can give a lot of value. While it’s the farthest thing from a threat, it can generate a good chunk of life and sticks around to help trigger those Dryads. Opponents will focus on the attacking creatures.

Non-Legendary Alternatives

Broodqueen

A decent stand-in for Sourgeflame Sorcerer. The hard level gating means you need to prioritize it, but it gives a token and draws focus.

Lightbringer Council

Another means of life gain if you don’t have the Rubyscales or Primevals. Remember the effect won’t work on Zombies or Oozes.