For those that have been paying attention to the evolving metagame, as well as the tournament scene, a new animal has appeared in the wild: Hooru Control.

An exportable list can be found here on Eternal Warcry.

This list first entered the public consciousness when lv13david played it in the SPG Weekly on 17th October. It may have escaped notice that since the tournament was a double elimination format, lv13david had only played the deck in 4 series with a 2-2 record; however, it had made the Top 8 list on Eternal Warcry, and that was enough. That, coupled with a mention that Finkel was killing with it on ladder in the latest Tier List by RNG Eternal was enough to make it spread like wildfire over ladder. As of the 20th of October, I have been seeing this list on ladder more than I have Argenport Midrange.

So what’s the gameplan of the list? It is basically a control deck with a collection of the best answers to the most played threats in the metagame. Looking at the list, it is obvious. 3 Lightning Storm and 4 Harsh Rules for aggresive Stonescar/Skycrag, 4 Vanquish/3 Eilyn’s Choice for large minions (especially our favorite prized cow, Tavrod), even Auric Runehammer for Bartholo…. this deck almost has an answer for every threat in the metagame.

Strengths

I do think the cleverness of the design of the deck can be seen in how removal package has functionality in different types of matchups. The most obvious example would be Eilyn’s Choice; it answers large units from midrange Time decks, but also pesky spells like Channel the Tempest from Chalice, or The Great Parliament from Big Combrei.

Yetipult fills an all-star role in this deck – it’s great against aggresive Stonescar decks, often taking out multiple units with its triple-ping effect. It breaks Aegis on pesky targets like Bartholo, it destroys opposing Auric Runehammers.. never has a ping been more effective in this metagame. Even in control matchups, it acts as a reasonable beater on an empty board, and acts as a repeatable Feln Bloodcaster on steroids in the late-game with it’s draw effect. As a 4/1, it trades very effectively against annoying units like Throne Warden and Auric Interrogator. Detail251 has already been extolling the virtues of Yetipult in his Feln list – this card definitely is the real deal in this list as well.

Even Auric Runehammer serves multiple functions – from its obvious use as a relic weapon to hit units, it also serves as an fairly efficient “charge” way of clearing relic weapons like Sword of Icaria (or a raw Starsteel Daisho), with the additional benefit of not allowing Torch to create counterplay. In matchups where 4 is not a good number, but 6 is, Runehammer can combine with Lightning Storm to clear a fatty like Heart of the Vault without spending premium removal like Vanquish or Harsh Rule.

Throne Warden ties the whole deck together. As a 4/4 Aegis body, it is difficult to remove, a decent blocker, as well as a decently-sized threat. The 4 Armor plays a big part in keeping you alive, keeping your Runehammer going for one more turn, or setting up some of your bigger value engines (pictured below) to attrition the opponent out of the game.

Last but not least, Eye of Winter does legitimate work in this deck. It acts as a “free” way to remove Aegis, as well as create a situation where the opponent is forced to overextend into a Harsh Rule because no damage can be pushed through otherwise. On top of that, it synergizes nicely with Rimescale Draconus to stop large minions.

I’ve played this deck for at least 50 games now, and I have to give props to Finkel for designing a synergistic list with a versatile removal suite. The list feels powerful when played, and I urge anyone with all the available cards to try it out.

Pitfalls

There are several downsides in the deck that are surmountable, but must be noted in order for effective play. Firstly, the list only runs 13 units, which is a very small number. Often I am put in a situation where the game is entirely under control, but there is no way to end the game quickly. The strength of Feln Control is that once a game is under control for long enough, a Flying Aegis Champion of Cunning grows every turn to seal the game in 3-4 turns. That is rarely the case with this list – Throne Warden beatdowns are sometimes the best you are going to get.

Secondly, none of the game’s finishers are particularly durable. With the exception of Throne Warden, the two Rimescale Draconus are susceptible to every single removal spell in the book, which can make ending the game with urgency tough.

It may appear that relic weapons are a decent way to finish the game Armory-style (especially since Sword of the Sky King is in the deck), but often there are several stunned enemy units on the board, courtesy of Eye of Winter or a good Rimescale Draconus, that prevent that plan from taking fruition. It is somtimes correct to push for the win by taking a weak Harsh Rule to try and end the game quickly if you have a clock, but are down on resources and cannot answer the opponent’s next threat.

Due to this issue, Channel the Tempest to the face becomes far more valuable than in a Chalice list, even without impending lethal, to try and push damage as much as you can to make the eventual ending of the game quicker to achieve. Chip damage through the Valkyrie Enforcer or Yetipult is also important to notice and not miss out.

Matchup tips

While I have not compiled any data of my games (simply because it slipped my mind), I feel like this deck has a decent matchup against most Aggro and Midrange decks. The suite of removal, coupled with board clears and value ways to clear minions allows for this deck to turn the corner against most proactive strategies. This list is exceptionally strong against Argenport Midrange.

The only real problem card from Aggro and Midrange decks is Xenan Obelisk. However, it can be controlled through proper board management and the baiting of an over-commitment into your Harsh Rule. if you sense a Xenan Obelisk deck approaching (signified typically by Initiate of the Sands and Talir’s Favored), don’t be afraid to use an early lightning storm to limit the threat of a turn 4 or 5 Obelisk. In Time matchups, save Valkyrie Enforcer for Dawnwalkers.

This deck has a decent matchup against Tavrod Armory, but has issues in some respects. While Tavrod can be dealt with fairly easily, this deck struggles against Swords of Icarias with its low unit count. be careful not to expend Yetipults too easily – you may need the body to absorb a weapon hit. Try to preserve Auric Runehammers to take out opposing relic weapons.

The Feln Control matchup is fairly terrible – in fact, I partially attribute the return of Feln on the ladder because of the existence of this list. The Auric Runehammers are almost always complete duds – save them to pair with a Lightning Storm or Yetipult to take out the 5 health units. Eye of Winter is exceptionally strong to break the Aegis on Champions of Cunning. Last but not least, Eilyn’s Favor is exceptionally important in this matchup to delay the Azindel’s Gift. Try and save them til turn 6 if you can.

Lastly, this deck completely folds to Chalice. I do not believe I have beat Chalice once with this list – their card advantage engine is too difficult to attrition. Personally, the only real way to win is chaining Channel the Tempests. Try not to play into Eilyn’s Choice with your Channel the Tempests, because they always have it. With early Auric Runehammers, try not to leave it exposed to an end-step Desert Marshal.

In the long term, I believe this deck has lasting power to retain in the metagame. It is a fairly strong list that can adapt to the metagame as it shifts (maindeck Vision of Austerity anyone?) I will continue jamming games with this list, and I hope you, dear reader, will try the same.

Till next time!