Maeoni: The Golden Touch

Ashes: Maeoni Week at PlaidHatGames.com continues! Each week, all week long, we’ll take a look at a different Phoenixborn and their suggested deck builds. The goal of these articles is to introduce you to the cards found in the base game, and to give you a basic understanding of the strategy of each of the pre-built decks.

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Hello and welcome to the third article on Maeoni! Today we look at the rest of Maeoni’s suggested deck build, The Snakes in Silver! If you missed the first two articles, The Queen in Silver and Gold and All That Glitters, you may want to take a gander since the ideas and strategies discussed today will reference cards found in those articles.

But enough with the intro. You want to see the cards, right?

Take a look at the cost to cast this spell again. Yep that’s right, it only takes a main action to use this spell! Maeoni packs some powerful spells in her deck costing relatively few dice. (I’m looking at you, Molten Gold and Summon Silver Snake.) The catch is that they require power symbols to play, which are only found on 1 side of the magic dice.

With Call Upon The Realms, you get to completely ignore this catch. Never again allow a poor roll get you down! Just play this card and you won’t have to risk discarding the spells you need to change die faces.

Once this card is in play, your opponent can never attack you with confidence again. Between Maeoni’s Strike ability and Empower, even your Gilders can attack or counter for a whopping 4 damage! Plus, it doesn’t take an action to activate.

But what does the other part of this spell do, and why is this important to Maeoni’s plan? The Snakes in Silver deck has a card for every situation, but sometimes you won’t have the cards you need in your hand when you need them. Empower allows you to dig into your deck to find the answer you need to counter your opponent's plan! If you already have the spells you need, you don’t have to use the second part of the spell.

And let’s not forget about the focus ability on this spell, either. Before you get your second copy of Empower on your spellboard, it costs 1 to boost your unit and dig for the card you need, already a good deal. After you play your second copy, you also get the opportunity to roll an exhausted die (which could be a ), giving you a 2/3 chance of getting a better result, and completely recouping the cost to activate this spell!

Everything this ready spell does gains you advantage, and all of the effects play into Maeoni’s plan. Seems like the perfect ready spell!

The First Five mechanic allows you to start off on the right foot, and gives you the cards you need to implement your strategy, but you can only have one copy of any given card in your First Five--that is, unless you choose Open Memories in your First Five!

Many of Maeoni’s spells work better in multiples, and Open Memories lets you start the game with two copies of whatever you want! Plus, midgame, when you desperately need a Golden Veil to protect your 10 Attack Value snake so that you can get that last victorious strike in, guess what? Open Memories is that card too!

The Versatility of this card cannot be overstated.

Let me set up a situation for you. You’ve battled and scrapped turn after turn. You’ve poured time and effort into growing your beautiful Silver Snake, and now it sits at a 6 Attack Value. You’ve used all your Molten Golds and you’re opponent has 6 wounds remaining, but you’re staring at a 5 unexhausted units on your opponent's battlefield.

And then you draw Hypnotize! This is the coup de tat. The final piece. The ultimate expression of Maeoni’s superior technique. With this spell your precious pets are unstoppable! The Bypass ability simply means no unit can get in the way of your unit dealing damage to its chosen target, even when that target is your opponent's Phoenixborn.

First Five

Now that we’ve looked at all of the cards in The Snakes in Silver suggested deck build, let's take a moment to go over the suggested First Five, and briefly discuss how these five cards set up the strategy of your deck.

Summon Silver Snake: This card is amazing, and will be the focal point of most games played with this deck. You need to get Silver snakes out early and start growing them right away.

Summon Gilder: Just as important as growing your snakes is protecting them, and Summon Gilder gives you a solid, cheap unit, custom made for guard duty.

Empower: This spell becomes more efficient once you get the second copy on the spellboard, so of course you want to start with a copy to increase your chances of gaining that efficiency quicker. Plus, it lets you dig for the cards you need during the game.

Call Upon The Realms: Maeoni’s First Five includes cards that cost many class symbols and a few power symbols. Call Upon The Realms allows you to get the magic symbols you need without risking discarding the spells you really need to focus, such as Summon Silver Snake and Empower.

Open Memories: This lends versatility to your First Five, allowing you to get a second copy of any of your other ready spells, or to grab Hypnotize if your opponent brick walls you early by playing too many units too fast. Of course, if everything goes to plan you can get any other card in your deck. Simply put, Open Memories gives you all possible options in your opening hand.

And that concludes the overview of Maeoni and her suggested deck build The Snakes in Silver. Tomorrow we have a treat for you for your reading pleasure: a story by master wordsmith Mr. Bistro featuring The Queen in Silver and Gold herself, Maeoni Viper! Come back next week when we explore a man that loves his weapons.

Thanks for reading!

Bob

Game Overview Previews: Phases of Play, Attacking/Defending, Placement, Card Types, Dice Powers, Multiplayer and Drafting
Maeoni Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Coal Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Saria Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Noah Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Jessa Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Aradel Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Click here to pre-order Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn and get a $15 pre-order discount as well as the Dimona Odinstar Promo Pack.

Written by Bob Klotz
Bob Klotz is the Lead Playtester for Ashes.