Check out this article in video form here: https://youtu.be/kiQwVvhGesw

It’s a deck that goes by many names, JPS control, unitless control, “that freaking deck that TinMan always plays”, “worst deck to play against in Eternal’s history”, just to name a few. It is a deck that I have had a lot of success with, in tournament play by top 8ing several weekly ETS events, on ladder reaching top 10 several times as well, and in spurring many EXTREMELY salty reddit threads and comments about the deck (which is by far the thing I most proud of on this list). Most recently I top 8ed the ETS with this version, but as we will see, any one version is unlikely to be optimal from one week to the next, so I don’t encourage blindly copying lists for this type of deck. https://eternalwarcry.com/decks/details/7srvrKgFXfI/tinpile

I want to give some background on the deck, my thought process on designing it, as well as an in-depth guide to tuning choices, gameplay, and other considerations. I must warn you though, if you want to keep whatever friends you have, turn back now before it is too late. Luckily for me, I can’t lose what I never had, so let’s dive in!

History Lesson!

It all started when I was a young boy, about 6 months ago, grinding mindless aggro decks to Master. But my Twitch stream viewers (certainly not me!) got a bit bored of the constant barrage of Skycrag, Rakano, Mono-red, Combrei Aggro (before it was good), Praxis Tokens (same) and other decks that like to play units and concede to Hailstorm. My viewers wanted me to play something else, ANYTHING else. And since I despise midrange, I hatched a devious plan…

If these nameless, faceless, cretins of the internet wanted some control deck, ohhh by God, I would give them a control deck. Now keep in mind, this was an era where the dominant deck was a Fire-Justice-Shadow removal pile/Icaria deck. It seemed like every deck on ladder was packing 4 Torch, 4 Vanquish, 4 Wanted Poster (when it cost 1), 4 Harsh Rule, 4 Slay, with only Icaria or a select few other threats to win the game. So I began to think, “How can I win the game when all these decks seem intent on ravaging every last vestige of what is good and pure in this world, my precious units?” And yet even as I posited the question, the answer seemed so clear, don’t play units. Who cares how many Slays and Vanquishes the opponent has? They would be literal, actual, blank cards against this deck. Actual screenshot of my opponents:

But if I not playing units, how would I actually reduce my opponent’s life total to 0? I remembered, just days prior, I had dusted my first copy of Solitude that I had opened, thinking it to be a mere ticket worth 800 Shiftstone. In fact, it was a net loss of 2400 Shiftstone as I crafted a new one to build my insane brew. Because, you see, I couldn’t win by traditional means. Things like Black-Sky Harbinger, Champion of Cunning, Vara Fate-Touched actually won the game in a reasonable amount of time after you established control, they actually *gasp* dealt damage. And since those self-righteous “bored of aggro decks” Twitch viewers didn’t want fast games, then I was gonna give them the longest, most agonizingly boring games ever. I mere one Solitude, to be played around turn 30 or so, with no other mill effects, simply to ensure that my opponent would deck out before I did. That was the game plan, the rest of the deck was all removal, power, and card draw to ensure I could survive that long.

A key card, and the namesake of early versions was Rain of Frogs. Traditionally a negative tempo play, but against decks that were all in on Icaria, or other large threats, it allowed me to preemptively deal with them. The game would last for dozens of turns, meaning that it was often my whole deck vs their whole deck, and I had more answers than they had threats, especially when one or more were frogged, and some of their cards were worthless removal spells.

Early versions dabbled in Time instead of Justice for Excavate, to allow for a 2 turn combo kill, Solitude for say 15 or 20, then Excavate it back, and cast again for double the first one, which was often enough to win. Excavate also gained some life and in a pinch, could rebuy a key removal spell. The problem was, that over time, I would end up just winning games with a Channel the Tempest to the face, followed by another, followed by an Excavate into another, all while wondering how this solitary Solitude was solidifying its spot.

In fact it wasn’t and after a bit of testing, Justice was the better color to pair with Shadow and Primal due to the power of Harsh Rule, Slay, and Sword of the Sky King. This swap allowed me to move away from the Solitude win condition, however fun it was, in favor of simply beating them into submission with a Sword of the Sky King, backed up by Channel the Tempest. Sword was better than Solitude because it served three purposes, clearing away pesky opposing units, gaining 8 life to get out of burn/Charge unit range, and actually win the game. Solitude only did the last (though arguably the most important step, you know, winning), so it got benched harder than Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl.

A few top 8s, streams, and salty reddittors later, and it was a smashing, meta breaking, success!

Deck Building

With that history lesson out of the way, let’s talk about how to actually build the deck for whatever metagame you may encounter. This deck is unlike many proactive decks, in that there really isn’t a “stock” build, or really anything close to one. There are some key cards, that you always want in your deck since they are applicable in every game. But most of the deck is flex spots, free to be adjusted based on the expected opponents.

Let’s start with what I consider the core of the deck:

4 Jennev Merchant

2 Sword of the Sky King

3 Vara’s Favor

4 Wisdom of the Elders

~33 power sources, including the above Vara’s Favor

That’s it, that’s the deck… ok well plus about 32 other maindeck cards and 5 market cards, but those can be anything you want, as long as they aren’t units.

So you probably noticed that there are SOME units, namely a Merchant, which I am not happy about since now all opposing removal has targets. I currently like Jennev Merchant but depending on what cards you want in the Market I could see either Kerradon or Winchest Merchant as well. We aren’t relying on the unit to actually attack and win the game though, like many other Feln based control decks do. But the power of the Market giving access to key cards quickly and cheaply is just too valuable. If they do print spells that can access the Market in future sets, look for those to replace merchants.

As a general matter though, I try to stay away from units in the deck. Things like Black-Sky Harbinger seem like they are what we want to help stabilize, but in reality, you opponent is going to be holding on to all their Vanquishes and Permafrosts, and if you only have a few units, then those units will be easily dealt with, often at an advantage for the opponent, since those cards would be blank otherwise.

Some number of Sword of the Sky King is core since it is a win condition (arguably the best one now that Channel got nerfed, more on that below). It also gains 8 life through armor so it is good to stabilize vs aggressive opponents. I put 2 as core, but often playing more is right.

Vara’s Favor is essentially a power, but so great to pop Aegis, kill Oni Ronin, or other pesky units. The lifegain isn’t irrelevant, but just a nice addition rather than a main appeal of the card. Additionally, it gets deadly with Last Word, which comes up on occasion.

Wisdom of the Elders is the best card draw spell, I wish we could play more. Simple and effective way to ensure that you bury the opponent with a hand chock full of removal.

Other than those, I want to dive deep into all the possible options to fill out the deck. Some of these are super niche, only to be used in very rare situations, while others are so common that you may think they are core to the deck.

I am going to break it down by functional groups, either in terms of role in the deck (i.e. removal, card draw, deck manipulation, etc.) or by type (i.e. units and weapons).

UNITS

OK, I know I said I don’t like to include units, but these three are a special case since their value is not in the unit, but in either their summon effect (meaning if they die, you don’t care that much) or they are immune to removal anyway.

Copperhall Bailiff

Useful into token or other swarm aggro metas. Often worse than additional copies of Lightning Storm or Hailstorm, but if you are really desperate, its an OK one to keep in mind.

Steward of the Past

Useful if void based strategies are common. If reanimator or Haunting Scream style decks are very prevalent, his summon can shut them down. Since his nerf though (only hitting on summon and not as a passive), it would be very rare to include him.

Scourge of Frosthome

Immune to the removal that you have stranded in their hand. This bad boy can certainly trump other control matchups, but with things like Desert Marshal, Scorpion Wasp, Sword of the Sky King, and other non-spell ways to answer it, it is rare to totally lock an opponent out with this.

REMOVAL

Now we get to the bread and butter of the deck, most of your flex spots will be filled with these and choosing the right combination is key.

Primal

Permafrost

I rarely have used this, and certainly not in large numbers simply because it doesn’t hit many of the common threats in the format, like Sanstorm Titan, Tavrod, and Icaria. Additionally things like Valkyrie Enforcer can remove it easily since they have no other silence targets. It’s cheap cost is better suited for a tempo deck that cares a lot about the difference between 1 and 2 power. We do not, so we generally prefer more consistent removal at higher cost.

Also not ideal with Relic weapons like Sword of the Sky King since even a stunned enemy prevent you from hitting face.

Eye of Winter

Similar to Permafrost, it doesn’t always lockdown the big hitters, and requiring constant power investment is a pain to keep up. Only really useful in very slow metas, or when there are Aegis units that need to get popped. Overall, rarely used.

Eilyn’s Intervention

I personally have never used this one, but I could see a scenario where you want a Torch like effect for common fliers like Commando, Valk Enforcer, little Icaria, etc. and also have it dual purpose to counter things like Stand Together. Consider it if TJP fliers comes back into the meta.

Unstable Form

Drawing two cards for the price of one helps to alleviate the burden of using the market, or popping Aegises. Synergizes with Strategize for the same purpose. Useful for turning Dawnwalkers into something less threatening as well. I am not opposed to running this as a 1-of, but more than that it can be somewhat clunky as it doesn’t actually remove the unit.

Lightning Storm

Ol’ reliable! The industry standard before Hailstorm came out. Why does hail hurt more than lightning? :thinking: In any case, this is generally going to be used less than Hailstorm and should generally be played only if you are maxed on Hailstorms but need more. If Red based aggro decks are on the upswing, 2 for 1-ing their Oni Ronin and Rakano Outlaw on turn 2 is much better than waiting until turn 3 or 4 due to depleted power or color requirements.

Lightning Strike

Best against decks with Charge and/or Relic Weapons. Relic weapons are a huge pain for this deck. Like a HUGE pain. A “this matchup goes from easy to unwinnable because they have 3 Sword of Icaria in their list” kinda pain. This card, along with Extract are some of the only ways to deal with relic weapons. Also gives some insurance against Charge units from Haunting Scream, or Bandit Queen decks.

Torrential Downpour

Worse than Lightning Storm and Hailstorm, but for completionist sake, I included it here. Better vs token strategies than against Red based aggro, at least until they get an Obelisk out and you look silly. Would not recommend in most cases.

Aerial Battle

Pretty straight forward, when fliers are meta, this is your best answer. Since it is so narrow though, it is more of a market card, rather than a main deck card.

Hailstorm

The best and most common card we have discussed so far. This card single handedly made aggro decks shift to Aegis and Charge threats (Skycrag) and 4 toughness (Combrei). I would not recommend playing many of these if they premier aggro decks of the format respect it. There are simply better options, like Lightning Storm vs Skycrag, or better spot removal vs Combrei.

Polymorph

Generally worse than Feeding Time. I don’t think there has been a meta where this is good, and it would take a lot of Dawnwalkers, Maktos, and other such things to make it happen.

Shadow

Suffocate

Best against decks that play 2-3 cost units that this hits, but that Lightning Storm or Hailstorm miss. Knight-Chancellor Siraf is a prime example, but things like Teacher of Humility and Awakened Student must be answered the turn they are played or else they get too much value. If you are going second, or have depleted power, you likely won’t be able to Hailstorm them, so Suffocate is great in those spots.

Annihilate

Best against Time based midrange. Sandstorm Titan, Worldbearer Behemoth, Vara Vengeance Seeker, Amili, Marshal Ironthorn, etc. Lackluster against aggro since you are often paying equal power to kill their low drops, which is not ideal. While it is fast, most Charge threats (other than Censari Brigand) are multi colored like Champion of Fury, Bandit Queen, Vicious Highwayman, and most Haunting Scream targets.

Devastating Setback

A dual removal and discard spell, this can help to hedge your bets against both Red based aggro and control. Unfortunately the -2/-2 doesn’t do too much vs other aggro decks like Combrei. This is very poor against midrange decks too, so only play it in polarized metas, lots of Red aggro, and lots of control.

Extract

A premier anti-aggro card, and one of our most efficient, maindeck type answers to Relic Weapons. It helps stabilize vs Red aggro so well, and isn’t irrelevant vs control since you can pop face Aegis, or Relic Weapons, and still get a Scout. Still lackluster vs midrange though since it rarely kills anything of value. Be sure to slant your powerbase towards more Shadow to ensure you can cast double shadow on turn 3 or 4.

Deathstrike

Generally outclassed by Feeding Time, Slay, Lighting Strike, and others. But, if Charge Rod style decks come back, this unconditional fast removal might save you. (or just don’t play this deck into a Charge Rod meta, since that is a horrible matchup for us)

Stray Into Shadow

Almost always worse than Harsh Rule, but if everyone and their mother is playing 4 Dawnwalkers, this kills them dead. Also some niche applications vs Haunting Scream decks so they can’t scream back what you just killed.

Justice

Vanquish

Good vs Time based midrange, or control decks that use things like Throne Warden, Rizahn, Icaria, or other single, big units. I don’t like to overload on Vanquish though, since things like Slay are more generically applicable, and like Permafrost, the difference of 2-3 power isn’t backbreaking for us like it might be for an aggro deck.

Harsh Rule

I strongly considered putting this as a core card for the deck, but it really isn’t. I mean you are going to play 4 of them into any meta where opposing decks play lots of units… which is most metas… but you could imagine one without. If the meta becomes lots of units control, Armory or Icaria style decks, plus low to the ground Red aggro, then this is just worse than things like Devastating Setback, Hailstorm, or spot removal. Just to be safe though, you should probably play 4 of these as a default.

End of the Story

This is generally just Harsh Rule numbers 5 and 6, if the meta really dicates it, you can play 3. But I would hesitate to overly rely on 7 or 8 of these types of effects since in tournament play, your opponent sees the list, and won’t overcommit. In that case, more spot removal, plus 5 or 6 Harsh Rule effects makes the most sense.

Multicolored

Bring Down

Good as a one-of since even if it doesn’t kill a unit, sometimes silencing a it is just as effective, at least until it gets caught in a Harsh Rule. Really nice vs Haunting Scream, since it will definitely kill their target, plus make it worthless to scream back again. Also some applications vs TJP Fliers and Icaria decks.

Rindra’s Choice

Basically the opposite of Annihilate. If people are getting greedy with 3 color decks like the Cirso’s Clever midrange deck, then this starts to look better. Also strong vs Combrei aggro to stop Stand Together plus most of their larger units like Siraf and Auric Record Keeper. Counters Haunting Scream and The Great Parliament too which is nice.

Eilyn’s Choice

This card is very versatile and I play it quite a bit into many different metas. Acts as a fast Vanquish against attackers (but worse against thinks like Worldbearer Behemoth and Mystic Ascendant). Also very important in control mirrors, to counter opposing Channels, Great Parliaments, Rise to the Challenge, Vital Arcana, etc. Even has some applications, although not great, against aggro, killing off things like Bandit Queen, Champion of Fury, or anything with lots of Warcry triggers. Overall, a solid flexible card that should be in the deck, in some numbers, in most metas.

Slay

Basically a core card, but the exact numbers depend on the meta. Not ideal vs fast aggro, nor slow control, but its simplicity and general application means that you will generally play some number of these, and that number is often 4.

Feeding Time

Similar to Slay, but worse against most targets. You should include some numbers since Dawnwalker and Makto are a pain without them, but generally just one or two unless the meta is heavily dominated by those types of cards (and stuff like Haunting Scream to prevent reanimating it).

CARD DRAW

Strategize

I actually hate this card. It’s odd since most people probably would think this is a core card, auto include 4 of them, but in reality, I kind of want to cut all of them. The problem is that the deck is fairly homogeneous, most of your cards do similar roles. It’s either power, or removal, or card draw to draw more power and removal. Throw in a small amount of win conditions. You don’t have many dead draws since most of the removal is as general as possible.

If you do play this, don’t cast it unless you know exactly what card you want to throw back, like an extra Unstable Form, or spare removal vs opposing control decks. Or, if you don’t know what to throw back, you must be searching for a specific card, perhaps more power, or a board wipe. If you cannot articulate EXACTLY why you are casting it, don’t. Wait until you can.

Herald’s Song

Give you an extra cars like Unstable Form to throw into the Market or Strategize, but overall lackluster since we generally don’t run any discard synergy. If you are running Privilege of Rank, then maybe you can run this as well.

Privilege of Rank

Synergizes with Herald’s Song, but generally I don’t like it since you have to distort your powerbase to include lots of Justice Sigils. The deck is fairly influence requirement heavy (double justice for Harsh Rule effects, quad primal for Channel, double primal for Wisdom, double Shadow for Extract) so I am not thrilled to play more Justice Sigils over dual influence power.

Cull the Deck

Similar discussion to Strategize, card selection just isn’t as important in this deck since most cards are very similar to one another. If you choose to run very specific removal over more general removal, then perhaps this is playable, but I don’t like it.

Wanted Poster

At its best vs midrange, where you can afford to pay 5 to put a Poster out plus a Slay or Eilyn’s Choice. Also not bad vs more traditional Feln control, since they just play one threat out at once so you have time to cast this. Also you can use it to pop Aegis in a pinch.

C hannel the Tempest

When I started writing this article, this card was a core card, 3 in the main 1 in the market. But after the nerf to 9 power, I like it a lot less. The difference doesn’t seem like much, but the deck can stall on 7 or 8 mana often and without Channel on 8, getting to 9, while drawing enough removal is difficult. I currently like playing just one of these. If you are still going to play the full set of these, add more than the 33 power, and possibly add extra early card draw like Wanted Poster to ensure you can get to 9.

I still like having one in the Market if you are running Jennev Merchant.

Staff of Stories

A powerful option vs control decks, but very poor vs midrange or aggro, so its usefulness is limited. Additionally, it overlaps with Sword of the Sky King and other weapons, so I generally don’t like it, since I like those other attacking weapons so much. This is better in a deck that can gain other armor, through something like Throne Warden.

Swindle

If you really REALLY need some card draw. Wanted Poster is better vs both aggro and midrange, so only use one or two in a VERY control heavy meta. You can actually trigger spark vs control using Merchants or Relic weapons.

Celestial Omen

Mostly obsolete with the introduction of Merchants allowing you to pick up specific answers. But it can be a budget option, if you don’t have as many Sword of the Sky Kings or other legendaries that you want to play. Like swindle, only really consider it vs more control heavy metas that can’t punish you for pay 6 and doing nothing.

RELIC WEAPONS

Auric Runehammer

A strong option to deal with opposing Aegis units or other early threats. Not great vs full aggro since they often have another unit to kill it, not the best option vs Time midrange since it doesn’t kill most things, also not the amazing vs control compared to other options.

You might think that means it isn’t good, but I actually do like it, because while it is rarely the best options, it is always a good option. And it helps to deal with really pesky cards like Sheriff Marley or Copperhall Elite.

Weak to Nightfall triggers as well. The double Justice requirement is not trivial either. Getting double primal on 3 for Wisdom or Hailstorm, then into double Justice on 4 with undepleted power is difficult and should be considered a negative for this card as opposed to something easier like…

Duelist Blade

Great card vs control and aggro, but much worse than Runehammer against midrange. The 4 armor, and Aegis help to stabilize vs aggro, while also making it hard to remove for opposing control decks. Worse vs Sheriff Marley and the like since you lose it after the first swing.

In general, you want either Duelist Blade or Runehammer, since Aegis units are tough to deal with in the midgame, but rarely do you want both since they overlap.

Lifedrinker

Cute card vs aggro, when you are packing lots of Hailstorms or Lightning Storms, since the lifesteal from those spells can be massive vs Red aggro. But that is a 2 card combo, that costs 4 or 5 power, against a very specific deck. It is just bad vs midrange or control, so I avoid this.

Sword of the Sky King

I mentioned this in the core of the deck, since you almost always want at least 2, but going up to 4 is totally reasonable if the meta dictates it. I tend to stay around 5-6 late game cards in the main, between Sky King, Channel, and Last Word, but Sky King is the most common one to go up to 3 or 4 of since it is always relevant.

The Last Word

Surprisingly good against both midrange and control. By the time this comes out, midrange decks are usually playing maybe one unit per turn, which you kill for free with this and if they slip up, you just kill them right away. Against control, make sure you have a face Aegis, then throw this out to put pressure on them to react. Be aware of Nightfall triggers though! Overall, I really like this as a 1-of, but rarely if ever more than that.

A common play pattern with Last Word is

Pay 9 and kill their one unit They play another unit Your next turn, pay 9 to ultimate Last Word and kill their unit They play another unit You cast a removal spell and kill them

Also it makes all your Vara’s Favors and Hailstorm type effects have deadly to impersonate Slay and Harsh Rule at a discount.

OTHER

Citywide Ban

More playable if you are running Winchest Merchant over Jennev Merchant since this is more of a Market card that you want one of vs control or Icaria decks that rely on one big card.

Azindel’s Gift

Best vs control metas as a one of or in the market. Not as great in this deck as in traditional Feln control, since the primary play pattern involved casting gift to make them discard their removal, then playing a Champion of Cunning or similar and now they can’t answer it. But this more unitless version just don’t have threats like that, and all that removal that is sitting in their hand is not relevant anyway.

Sabotage

Only really good vs control, or decks with Relic weapons. Some applications vs aggro to stop burn spells, but lackluster vs midrange since most of their spells like Xenan Initiation or removal spells just aren’t that relevant.

Shakedown

Just worse than Sabotage, since the Nightfall is actively bad for you, taking damage, giving opponents more threats, and possibly popping your own Runehammer or Last Word. Against control you just don’t care about most things that cost less than 3. And against aggro, where you do care, you don’t want nightfall to make you take more damage. Don’t play this.

Backlash/Unseal

In general, Unseal is better since the damage is not that relevant. Countering a curse is definitely important vs Azindel’s Gift or even Disciplinary Weights. The damage from Backlash can be important to pop face Aegis, but you only care about that vs control decks, and against those, Unseal is better to avoid Azindel’s Gift.

Corrupt

Funny vs Channel the Tempest, but overall, there are better, more generally applicable options.

Vision of Austerity

Your primary Relic hate, keep one in the market in most cases if you have either Winchest or Jennev Merchant.

Burglarize

If playing Keradon Merchant, it is really the only relic removal, but otherwise Vision of Austerity is better.

Long Live the Queen

So much card advantage in a control meta, but the 4 cost is a liability vs non control decks where you are looking to counter Stand Together or things like that.

Rain of Frogs

I love this card, as discussed in the history lesson part, it was a key card to the early development of the deck. Often games go long, both players draw a lot of their decks, and it becomes a matter of how many threats your opponent has in their deck vs how much removal you have in your deck. This can also disrupt combo decks or other control decks with small number of win conditions.

Overall I like having one in the market if playing Jennev, and definitely one in the main if you aren’t.

Solitude

The classic win condition, but honestly just worse than Sword of the Sky King since it doesn’t help stabilize and without Time, there is no good way to recur it to make it a faster win.

POWER

Now it is time for a quick discussion on the power base of the deck.

The color requirements can be tough with this deck, double primal and shadow on turn 3 for Extract, Hailstorm, or Wisdom, double Justice on 4 or 5 for Runehammer or Harsh Rule, quad primal by 9 for Channel, triple shadow for Last Word. With that in mind, you want to minimize sigils since they only give one color, but you need some to run Vara’s Favor, Eilyn’s Favor, and Seek Power. I have been running 2 Justice Sigil, 2 Primal Sigil, and 3 Shadow Sigil along with 3 Vara’s Favor, 1 Eilyn’s Favor, and 4 Seek Power. I think I might need one more sigil, either primal or shadow, because I have missed on the favors more than I would like.

As for the rest of the power base, playing lots of Crests is nice since you can afford to play below curve and the scouts helps to find power when you need it, or throw it away when you don’t. Also, if you don’t know what you are playing against, and you aren’t specifically looking for another power, don’t play a Crest on turn 1 since the Scout can often be wasted. If your hand is something like 3-4 power, a card draw spell, and 2-3 removal, pretty much any card in the deck you would Scout to the top, another power, or removal, or card draw, or even a win condition are all good cards to draw in that situation when you don’t know what you are up against.

As for the exact split, it is dependent on the other choices and what colors you need early. More Hailstorms means more primal power, more Extracts means more shadow, and more Runehammers is more justice.

One last note, in the Market you generally want to include a Banner, since if you are accessing the Market, you by definition have a unit out, and therefore it will be undepleted. Some other decks don’t run power in the Market, but this deck always wants it since it is so power hungry. The best way to lose as a control deck is to start missing power drops, so play one in the Market to make it less likely.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading, hope you all enjoyed this brief overview of my favorite deck in Eternal. This really just covered the backstory and card choices, but if you are interested in gameplay tips and tricks, be sure to check out my Twitch and my YouTube. You can also ask me questions directly about the deck on Twitter or Discord .