Eightfold Abyss: Azvaldt Expansion Edition
Introduction:
When Orchis, the Limitless was initially released, many thought she was a solid card and created a puppet deck revolving around Orchis and Lishenna. Puppet Portal’s game plan allows for early pressure while finishing off with Orchis on turn 6 and the eventual chip damage from Lishenna’s amulets. The main issue is if the opponent manages to out-heal the initial turn 1-5 damage, the game becomes an eventual stall battle with Lishenna amulets slowly grinding the game out with Puppet Portal not having a proper close out.
Now fast forward to the new expansion, Eightfold Abyss: Azvald, Puppet gets a new card to add to their deck:
Kyrzael, Killshot Enforcer, arguably one of Portalcraft’s best cards in this expansion. With 7pp, the card can:
- Clear 2 random enemy followers
- Dealing 5 damage to the enemy leader
- Big Board + Ward
- Heal 2
- Draw 2
While it does not resolve Puppet Portal’s lack of OTKO, it does give Puppet Portal additional pressure post-Orchis turn, strengthening the deck’s end game.
Deck List:
Upon performing well in Rotation Ranked and achieving 5-0 in the Rotation Grand Prix, I was pushed to make this guide and share my thoughts of the deck itself.
The tweet below shows the deck I used to 5-0 in GP. With a lot of 1’s of cards, I was mostly experimenting on what tech cards work best for this deck against the matchups.
In hindsight, I would personally drop Gilnelise in favor for another Cosmos, Treasure, or Cutthroat.
The deck should run at least these core cards:
Core Card Thought Process:
Going double puppet is an ideal pick in most cases as it helps Orchis and Lishenna’s destroyed follower game plan.
However, the choice to pick Forge Weaponry is a high-risk, high-reward card. It can be a solid card when your opponent cannot deal with your 2pp follower. Blossoming Flower Doll is an ideal follower for Forge Weaponry on turn 3. Blossoming Flower Doll combo with 0pp puppet allows you to have two of them on board, making Forge Weaponry a safer play.
I see Forge Weaponry as Badb. It’s good on the curve if you manage to have your 2pp follower live with 2 extra damage, but it can be a dead card if the 2pp follower gets cleared. In addition, your later turns are already filled with cards like Lishenna and Orchis, who take up the entire curve playpoint making Forge Weaponry a dead card in your hand.
Lishenna, Melodious Destruction
Lishenna allows a flexible play where you can play her on a curve turn or later with her 10 follower destroyed condition. In some cases you can fulfill her 10 follower destroyed condition as early as turn 5.
In most situations, going Black amulet first is generally the play. With the meta revolving around many burst damage cards, healing 4-6 is usually irrelevant, with many existing decks capable of dealing over 20 damage in one turn as sometime it becomes a kill race.
With Lishenna, you need to be aware on what amulets to choose from and when is it a good time to play Lishenna.
Let’s imagine some scenarios:
Scenario 1:
1-2 Lishenna, 0 Orchis, 0 Kryzael
With Lishenna being your only primary win condition in hand, you can quickly get out tempo’d by the opponent late game. I would focus on playing aggressively early.
If you have only 1 in hand with no late-game cards in sight, depending on if the opponent’s game plan is on the way, you want to play aggressively with your sole Lishenna and her Black Amulet in hopes you can draw your late-game cards. If the matchup is slower, you can play a bit conservatively for Lishenna’s 10 followers destroyed condition. However, if the matchup is an aggro deck, White Amulet is generally the better play.
If you have 2 in hand, the first one can go Black amulet while the other should be held on until you reach the 10 followers destroyed condition.
However, White Amulet is the better play in some rare cases, especially if the matchup is an aggro deck like Handless Blood.
Scenario 2:
1-2 Lishenna, x Orchis, x Kryzael
In an ideal situation, with the ability to play Lishenna early while having a follow-up, the main question is which amulet combo is better? 2 Blacks or 1 Black and 1 White?
In most matchups, 2 Blacks are mathematically better than 1 Black & 1 White as it can help push for lethal follow-up with Orchis or Kryzael.
If you are fighting a heavy aggro deck, White can be prioritized over Black to help survivability
2 Blacks: 8 Damage, then 4 Damage = 12 damage
1 Black & 1 White: 4 Damage 4 Heal, then 4 Damage 4 Heal = 8 damage and 8 heals
If the matchup might take longer than usual such as control matchups or decks with a lot of healing, such as Gilnelise, saving the second Lishenna for the 10 follower destroyed condition is suggested on turn 8, assuming you do not have lethal that turn.
Orchis is a relatively straightforward card. You fuse 1 puppet for Lloyd and 3 puppets in total to have them both evolve. It is important to note that Lloyd does NOT need to be evolved to lock enemy followers, while Orchis NEEDS TO BE EVOLVED to give puppet followers storm.
Tech Cards:
Wielder of the Cosmos
1pp 1/1 Follower
Pros:
- When the effects land right (AOE clear, Removal, Storm), it is a very powerful card
- Tech card against control/Bahamut decks
Cons:
- Heavily RNG reliant
- 9pp no storm
- Dead card in most other matchups or bad RNG
- Interferes with Lishenna’s 1pp reanimate pool
- For longer games, you have no reliable follow up to deal with Gilnelise invocations
Cutthroat, Discord Convict
1pp 1/1 Follower
Pros:
- Strong finisher:
- 7pp for 5 damage
- 9pp for 10 damage
- Bane – Removal of beefy followers without destruction immunity (required an Evo)
Cons:
- Evolving can be a waste as you will not get the leader effect
- Interferes with Lishenna’s 1pp reanimate pool
- Best value on 9pp Enhanced
- 7pp Enhance competes with Kyrzael
1pp 1/1 Follower
Pros:
- Puppet generator on evolve
- Provides puppet bane
Cons:
- Requires other cards for this card to perform well
- You generally have a lot of clear potential already
- When reanimated, it does not give bane to the reanimated 0pp puppet upon Lishenna evo
1pp 1/1 Follower
Pros:
- 1pp Draw + Destroy 1
- Synergy with existing core cards: Cassim and Inauspicious
- Allows you to use puppets as an active than reactive card
- Resonance Enabler
Cons:
- Lack of artifacts to take full advantage of Robopup’s additional effect
- Requires a puppet to avoid losing board value
- Interferes with Lishenna’s 1pp reanimate pool
2pp 2/1 Follower
Pros:
- Tech card against certain matchups:
- Hozumi Forest
- Wimael, Redolent Enforcer
- Last Word Shadow
- Anything with Last Words effect
- Sephie Rune
- Last Words (Draws) on Test Subjects
- Hozumi Forest
- Draw 2 on Evo
Cons:
- Lack of Resonance Enablers make this card difficult to take full advantage of
- Interferes with Lishenna’s 2pp reanimate pool
4pp 2/4 Follower
Pros:
- Finisher card of 6-12 damage
- Clears board in addition of dealing damage directly to the enemy leader
Con:
- Values the best at 8pp Enhance
- Wards stop this card
- Requires evolve for full potential
6pp 4/6 Follower
Pros:
- 4/6 ward stats that your opponent have to answer
- Spell/Effect damage immunity for 1 turn
Cons:
- More of a catch-up/I’m behind card, doesn’t contribute to the deck’s gameplan
- Decks like Loot Sword can simply hold off spell/effect damage and clear Shion
- Doesn’t protect against cards like Ghastly Banishment where it triggers after Shion effect expires
- 6pp turn competes with Orchis
14pp 5/5 Follower
Pros:
- Combos well with Lishenna/Puppet Tokens
- Banish + Draw on Evo
Cons:
- Very Expensive
- Terrible drawing late
- Requires evolve for full potential
3pp Amulet
Pros:
- Multipurpose
- Clear
- Limits damage to 4 max
- Draw
- Enhanced 7 is a powerful board clear and can directly deal 3 to the enemy leader
Cons:
- Be mindful of board space
- Amulet can get destroyed (LW Shadow)
- Less favorable to play compared to other card swings (Orchis, Lishenna)
Neutral Tech Cards:
Gilnelise, Ravenous Craving
2pp 2/2 Follower
Pros:
- Heal 4 or 6 on evo
- Strong in mirrors or stall games
Cons:
- Requires evolve for full potential
- Most games won’t last during gilnese invocations or will get banished by Ultimate Bahamut before 10pp.
- Interferes with Lishenna’s 2pp reanimate pool
2pp 1/4 Follower
Pros:
- Going 2nd Ramp
- High-Roll potential
- 1/4 ward early game to protect other followers
Con:
- Wasted value if no Orchis follow up
- May interferes with Lishenna’s 2pp reanimate pool
3pp 2/2 Follower
Pros:
- Strong follow up follower on turn 3 for early game
- Stats buff
- Heal 1
- Draw 1
- Powerful spell for late game
- Stats buff
- Heal 3
- Draw 3
Cons:
- Many top decks can easily clear your 2pp followers which weaken Badb curve play
- Getting the maximum benefit of the spell can be RNG
- Orchis or Llyod could get buffed
- Overdrawing can be an issue with the spell
- You would need to run Olivia & Sylvia to get full value consistently
5pp 4/4 Follower
Pros:
- Allows more aggressive evos knowing you can recover them later
- AOE Evolve clear
- More of a late game follower
- Opponents that knowing you run Olivia & Sylvia or your lack of evolution orbs could make your follow up turn awkward
6pp 4/4 Follower
Pros:
- Increased maximum defense can make you survive some lethal plays
- 2pp accelerate generates a 2pp 2/2 follower if you do not have a 2pp follower.
Cons:
- Doesn’t contribute to the deck’s gameplan
- Requires an evolution orb to be used as there’s most likely a board needed to react to
- 6pp turn competes with Orchis
- Happy Pig token followers can interferes with Lishenna’s 2pp reanimate pool
Mulligan Guide
These would be the suggested cards to keep
- Craftsman’s Pride OR Puppets, Assemble!
- Blossoming Flower Doll (with Craftsman OR Assemble)
- Metatron (2nd)
- Cassim
- Inauspicious Puppeteer (vs Sword/Sephie)
- Merciless voiding
- Lishenna
- Orchis
- Kyrzael, Killshot Enforcer (Low Priority, would keep if you do not have Orchis)
Matchups
Understanding your opponent’s game plan is part of learning how to play puppet portal. By being aware of their damage reach, you can play more optimally or conservatively, depending on the situation. Here are the matchups I find with Puppet Portal.
Crystalize Haven – Favored
Sephie Rune – Slightly Favored
Spellboost Rune – Slightly Favored
Armed Dragon – Slightly Favored
Loot Sword – Even
Discard Dragon – Even
Chess Rune – Slightly Unfavored
Ghost Shadow – Slightly Unfavored
LW Shadow – Unfavored
Hozumi – Unfavored
Below are some specific deck types I would like to mention.
Loot Sword:
Their Main Game Plan:
- 7 Loot Cards Fused/Played
- Barbaros 7pp Enhance
Loot Sword’s big swing turns are turn 5 and 7. On turn 5, General Maximus creates a big board including loot-generating followers which can accelerate their loot game plan.
Barbaros, Briny Convict Enhanced on turn 7 is Sword’s burst turn which has a potential damage of 10 due to the storm damage Barbaros provide and Dread Pirate’s Flag which deals 3 damage to a follower and enemy leader for 1pp. The damage can reach as high as 18 with Octrice’s spell on evo: Remnant of Hollowness (1 Fused – Deal 4, 4 Fused – Deal 8).
Portal’s game plan is to control the tempo to their advantage with Lishenna evo with General Maximus and Kryzael on turn 7 to prepare for Sword’s Barbaros turn. Sword with an empty board on 7pp cannot clear Kryzael and the two wards without relying on Octrice’s Spell: Remnant of Hollowness, Flags already in hand, using additional resources such as playing another Barbaros or trading Barbaros.
Sephie Rune:
Their Main Game Plan:
- 5 Test Subjects entering play where Sephie grants storm to Test Subjects (5/5)
- Yukishima 9pp Enhance
Portal’s early game is very strong as it can pressure Sephie Rune before they fully ramp up with Test Subjects.
You want to be careful about not overcommitting as Sephie Rune can heal with Gilnelise and Obsessive Scholar. Note that both followers require evolution points to be able to heal.
If the game drags long enough, be wary of Olivia & Sylvia + Yukishima combo on turn 9+ and Gilnelise invocation.
This play forces Sephie to be played prematurely to trade
Armed Dragon:
Their Main Game Plan:
- 4 Armed followers leaving play
- Forte
Armed Dragon’s biggest advantage would have to come from Forte, Darkwing Ruler and her immunity to being attacked based on gaining stats due to Draconic Weapons giving her +0/+1.
Portal’s game plan to deal with Forte is to create a semi-wide board without board-locking yourself. If your opponent has 2 or more Draconic Weapons in hand, there is a fair chance that your opponent might play Forte on 6pp. Lævateinn Dragon, Blast Form can deal at least 7-10+ damage in one turn, which would be enough for lethal if Forte is not dealt with the turn before assuming 4 Armed Followers leaving play condition has been met.
Portal’s strong early game can react to Armed Dragon’s aggressive early game. You want to keep in mind the Armed follower count and try to delay the 4 Armed followers leaving play conditions. Orchis can also lock Armed followers, which delays that condition
LW Shadow:
Their Main Game Plan:
- 5 Last Words
- 10 Last Words
- Necromancy 20: +10/+10 from Deathly Tyrant’s Feast
One of Portal’s unfavorable matchup, Shadow has a lot of burn damage, especially from ghost spam and Cerberus. Shadow also has powerful cards like Abyssal Colonel, a 6/6 ward and storm follower, and last words heal and random removal. Abyssal Colonel can be played as a 2pp crystalize in which it can be cheated out with Istyndet, Soul Convict, which can destroy all cards in play, forcing the crystalize to play Abyssal Colonel earlier than expected.
It is important to note that Abyssal Colonel is originally a 9pp card, so Shadow can crystalize for 2pp and follow up with Istyndet, who is also a 2pp card, making the opponent not anticipate it.
Portal’s game plan is to create an aggressive board where Shadow is forced to respond rather than freely attack the leader with ghost spam. In addition, trading followers is ideal over directly attacking the enemy leader as it prevents Shadow from being able to freely play Corral Souls or accelerated Krampus. Orchis can also lock last word followers, which delays the 10 Last Words condition. Just be aware that Shadow has ways to remove those locked followers, unlike Armed Dragon.
Once Abyssal Colonel is on the field, you must be mindful of what you play and trade due to his last word randomly removing 1 follower and healing the leader by 3. Indirect damage that is lethal will prioritize over the Colonel’s last word heal.
Most of my wins against LW Shadows rely on either Shadow having 10 LW relatively late or unable to draw the cards needed like Colonel or Istyndet.
Crystalize Haven
Their Main Game Plan:
- Skullfane Accelerate 4 Times
- 5 Crystalized Amulets
Crystalize Haven, from personal experience, is pretty inconsistent, as you’re not always going to draw the Exodia combo every time. Puppet Portal’s early aggression heavily punishes Crystalize Haven, especially if Haven does not have the infamous combo of Holy Lightning Bird and Skullfane early on.
Just be aware of a possible Sapphire Priestess + Diamond Master evo combo which can clear the entire board of followers (excluding followers like Lishenna)
Evolving Rosa would deal exactly 9 damage.
Hozumi Forest:
Main Game Plan:
- Turn 4-5 Hozumi Combo
There’s not much you can do other than hope they do not have the combo on turn 4-5.
Portal’s game plan is to play aggressive early in hopes they do not have Hozumi or low roll the Hozumi combo with Wimael.
Conclusion
I would like to thank Team Revelation, especially Tsuyu, Saturn, and Cookie for giving me pointers and pushing me to actually write this guide (lol)
2D Anime Talk 