This post is aimed at beginners and F2P players who want to have multiple competitively viable decks in the Rise of Bahamut meta. Most tournaments require 2 decks, and any player can quickly build 2 of the following decks without paying a dime.

I want to clarify: these are NOT budget versions of top decks. These are top tier decklists–decks that can both climb to the top of the ladder and win tournaments.



Note for new players:

If you are a new player, you should be able to relatively quickly create two of these decks with these steps:

1. Read the Legendary tier list and rerolling guide. When rerolling, I would try to obtain 3-4 legendaries that fit into 2 decks that you want to play in the following list (for example 2 Daria and 1 Ancient Elf).

2. Build up gold and packs by using your Take Two tickets, defeating the Elite AI bosses, and playing 20 private matches.

3. Liquefy weak golds and silvers, trash legendaries, and animated cards not in your chosen decks. This should give you enough to craft the rest of the 2 decks you’ve chosen.

Understanding the decks:

We want deck archetypes that meet these criteria:

Relatively cheap to craft (containing 3 or fewer legendaries)

Performs well on ladder with good winrates on Shadowlog. Can reach Masters rank without problems.

Viable for tournament play

In my view, there are seven decks that meet this criteria: Daria Tempo Runecraft, Dimensional Shift Runecraft, Combo Forestcraft, Seraph Havencraft, Aggro Swordcraft, Aggro Shadowcraft, Aggro Bloodcraft. Whether you enjoy aggro, tempo, combo, or control there is something in this list for you.

Following is a short description of each deck and what cards to target for each deck. In parentheses is what expansion the card comes from.

Playstyle: Using the Spellboost mechanic, you play cheap spells to reduce the cost of other cards. This allows you to flood the board, and Daria, Dimensional Witch allows you to reload your hand as well. This deck is extremely powerful and considered oppressively strong in the current meta; avoid if you dislike playing the most mainstream deck.

Legendaries:

– Daria, Dimensional Witch x3 (Rise of Bahamut)

Golds:

– Timeworn Mage Levi x3 (Darkness Evolved)

Playstyle: This deck aims to get chip damage in early, and then deal a huge amount of damage in one turn with Rhinoceroach combos. If you come from Hearthstone, this deck is most like the old Miracle Rogue (with Leeroy/Shadowstep combo) or the old Patron Warrior; some players actually refer to this deck as Miracle Roach. If you enjoy thinking mathematically to set up your one-turn kill, this is the deck for you.

Legendaries:

– Ancient Elf x3 (Standard)

– OPTIONAL: Crystalia Tia (Darkness Evolved) x0-3. Some lists that are more tempo-oriented play, strong in certain matchups but not mandatory.

Golds:

– Rhinoceroach x3 (Standard)

NOTE: Different decklists run different numbers of the following two cards. You will probably want some number of them but the exact number is flexible.

– Optional: Selwyn’s Command x0-2 (Rise of Bahamut)

– Optional: Will of the Forest x0-2 (Standard)

Playstyle: This is a control deck that uses efficient removal and board clears to reach late game. Once in the late game, Enstatued Seraph serves as a “win now” condition.

Legendaries:

– Enstatued Seraph x3 (Darkness Evolved)

Golds:

– Themis’s Decree x3 (Standard)

– Tribunal of Good and Evil x2-3 (Rise of Bahamut)

Playstyle: The closest thing to Zoo in Shadowverse. Plays efficient creatures in the early and midgame for board control and then uses Albert, Levin Saber as a powerful finisher.

Legendaries:

– Albert, Levin Saber x3 (Rise of Bahamut)

Golds:

– Alwida’s Command x3 (Standard)

Playstyle: Another aggressive deck that destroys the opponent quickly. This one has somewhat weaker midgame compared to Aggro Bloodcraft or Aggro Swordcraft, but significantly more burn–has the potential to do huge damage to face using Phantom Howl and Cerebrus.

Legendaries:

– Cerebrus x3 (Standard)

Golds:

– Phantom Howl x3 (Standard)

– Shadow Reaper x3 (Rise of Bahamut)

Playstyle: Both a combo and control deck. Efficient removal keeps the board clear and spellboosts until you use Dimensional Shift to take an extra turn and win the game. Polarized place in the meta–very strong versus certain matchups and very weak versus others.

Legendaries:

– Merlin x2-3 (Standard)

Golds:

– Timeworn Mage Levi x 2-3 (Darkness Evolved)

– Dimensional Shift x3 (Standard)

Playstyle: Classic aggressive deck that aims to play cheap aggressive creatures and quickly take down the opponent. Takes advantage of Vampire Bat synergies to deal additional damage to the face. Note: popularity and success has declined in recent weeks as other lists have adapted, borderline if this should be included on this list.

Legendaries:

– OPTIONAL: Bloodhungry Matriarch x0-2 (Rise of Bahamut). This is a tech card that is good in aggro mirror matchups. Most lists don’t run any.

Golds:

– Vania, Vampire Princess x3 (Darkness Evolved)

– Vampiric Fortress x2 (Darkness Evolved)