Archetypes
From the very beginning, we intended for Vandalia: Haunted Hollers to be a draft-focused set with a balanced limited environment. While not a strictly "guild" type set like Ravnica or Bloomburrow, each of the 2-color pairs has its own archetype. There's also enough crossover between them to easily support a 3-color deck.
Archetype |
Description |
|
|---|---|---|
| Possession Tempo | WU is a semi-aggressive strategy looking to play a mix of creatures and instant speed interaction to keep your opponent on their toes. It utilizes the Possession mechanic to power up your own creatures or to gain control of your opponent's creatures.
Key Cards: Willing Host, Wayfarer Acolyte, Alexander, Guiding Voice, Wayfarer Ascension Finisher: Ophelia, Mournful Matriarch |
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| Control through Brutality | The Syndicate is a brutal governing body that rules with absolute power. Thus, WB is a grindy, midrangey control deck. Draft as many removal spells as you can and use artifacts and enchantments to acquire incremental value throughout the game, then finish off your opponent with creatures when you inevitably win the war of attrition.
Key Cards: Treed by Hounds, Act of Darkness, Mandatory Conscription, Ted Sinkerton, Lawman for Hire Finisher: Overpower |
|
| Vehicles & Shine | UB is a midrange deck that uses various means to accumulate value and play a long game. This is done through acquiring Shine tokens, utilizing the graveyard to power Threshold effects, and using powerful vehicles.
Key Cards: Shiner's Charm, Defensive Driver, Resourceful Shine-Runner, Bootlegger's Buggy Finisher: Johnny K, Master Distiller |
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| Equipment Voltron | UR utilizes artifacts differently to the other artifact decks. In this color pair, you want as many equipment as you can get to suit up your creatures. Create Rifle tokens to ping off weak creatures and create alternate methods of dealing damage. Creatures with Valiant are of high value in this strategy, as it can trigger from your equip abilities.
Key Cards: Artisan Rifle Carver, Rebel's Charm, Welding Goggles, Armament Aficionado Finisher: Henry Gunn, Munitions Magnate |
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| Artifact Sacrifice | BR is about creating Embershard tokens and sacrificing them for various effects. Use the Embershards' inherent ability to pump your own creatures, or sacrifice them to fuel other powerful burn and removal.
Key Cards: Prepared Ember-Digger, Overexert, Striking Instigator, Incendiary Upstart Finisher: Mine Explosion |
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| Horror Tribal | While Horrors are represented across all colors, they're predominantly in BG with several kindred and horror-synergizing cards to get the most out of them. There's also a graveyard subtheme for self-mill and recursion, since monsters aren't known for staying dead for long.
Key Cards: Not a Deer, Vegetall, Elusive Machinations, Wampus Polecat Finisher: Eclipse of Moths |
|
| Offspring and Stomp | RG is an aggressive strategy that utilizes the Offspring mechanic, mostly for ramping or reducing costs to play big, impactful creatures that threaten to run away with the game if left unchecked.
Key Cards: Ramp Farmers, Holler Brute, Holler Hollarer, Marauding Mink Rider Finisher: Ballad of the Lovers' Holler |
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| Valiant Spellslinging | RW makes use of several different sources to get value from its Valiant creatures. Use embershards, equipment, and combat tricks to trigger Valiant. Overwhelm your opponent with quick bursts of damage.
Key Cards: Taurean Bolt, Taurean Rage, Traveling Exorcist, Brotherhood Ascension Finisher: Thunder of the Herd |
|
| Food Stockpile | GW is a go wide aggro deck that uses Food to power up your creatures. It relies on cards that care about how many you have or give payoffs to sacrificing them through other means.
Key Cards: Golden Delicacy, Militia Quartermaster, Camp Chef, Veteran Hunter Finisher: Silas, Hunter General |
|
| Innovate and Innervate | GU is all about improving your creatures with Innervate. Improve your creatures with different types of counters, or go wide and turn your artifacts and enchantments into creatures.
Key Cards: Energy Repurposing, Otherworldly Emergence, Transmutation Specialist, Energize Finisher: Thaumaturge’s Talent |
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| Critter Storm | Overrun your opponents with critters of all shapes and sizes, and bring glory to the woods! Although primarily in green, all colors have cards that create or synergize with critters in some way to go wide, tall, or both.
Key Cards: Snacking Rabbits, Alcoholic Opossum, Jackalope, Trash Bandit Finisher: Critterstorm |