This is a column by a pro player from the Shadowverse Pro League for Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond. This time, we bring you a retrospective column on the Set 1 meta by Player Tabata.
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About this Article
Meta Column by a Pro Player
This is a column written by a pro player participating in the Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond pro league. This time, we bring you a column from Tabata looking back on the 1st set meta.
Player Featured in the Article
| Tabata's Profile | |
|---|---|
| Tabata / Team: Yokohama F. Marinos X YouTube |
Tabata's 1st Set Meta Report
Early Meta
In the early meta, the decks frequently encountered in Ranked Matches were "Midrange Swordcraft," "Runecraft Spellboost," and "Artifact Portalcraft."
Midrange Swordcraft
The Swordcraft class had cards with straightforwardly high power. Swordcraft decks that aimed to build a strong field with "Zirconia, Ironcrown Ward" and "Luminous Magus," replenish their hand and strengthen their field with "Amelia, Silver Captain," and then aim for victory with "Albert, Levin Stormsaber" were popular.
Runecraft Spellboost
"Runecraft Spellboost" decks had the very powerful "Anne & Grea, Mysterian Duo," which could be played at its fastest by using a Bonus Play Point on turn 5 going 1st or turn 4 going 2nd. I think many players still find "Anne's Summoning" troublesome when it appears from its Fanfare.
When closing out the game from turn 7 onward, the cards were "Kuon, Fivefold Master," which could decide the game, and "Dimension Climb" for cycle their hand and accessing their win conditions.
Artifact Portalcraft
On the other hand, it would create powerful Artifacts by fusing "Gear of Ambition" and "Gear of Remembrance," put exact copies of Artifacts onto the field with "Alouette, Doomwright Ward," "Doomwright Resurgence," and "Ralmia, Sonic Boom," and ultimately close out the game with "Masterwork Artifact Ω." "Artifact Portalcraft" was strong against the aggressive Swordcraft during its time.
Alternatively, creating multiple "Ominous Artifact β" to chip away at the opponent's health with "Doomwright Resurgence" became a primary win condition against "Runecraft Spellboost" decks, which initially ran few copies of "Sagelight Teachings."
"Sylvia, Garden Executioner," is another great card that allows you to draw 2 from your deck or restore 4 defense to your leader. These effects were vital for bridging turns 6 and 7.
Furthermore, the Portalcraft has access to, "Orchis, Newfound Heart," which further boosted its popularity.
Mid-Meta
Evolution Becomes the Key to Victory
The Swordcraft Class cards introduced earlier: Zirconia, Ironcrown Ward, Amelia, Silver Captain, and Albert, Levin Stormsaber.
The Portalcraft Class cards: Alouette, Doomwright Ward, Sylvia, Garden Executioner, and Orchis, Newfound Heart.
These are all cards that unleash their true potential by using Evolution and Super-Evolution.
Not limited to the Swordcraft and Portalcraft classes, Evolution and Super-Evolution lead to a deck's powerful plays and victory in matches.
Puppet Portalcraft Becomes Popular
In other words, if you can successfully "exhaust your opponent's Evolution and Super-Evolution Points," you can easily win the match. As a result, cards and Decks that can clear the opponent's Field without having to use Evolution have started to garner attention.
Puppet Portalcraft became popular as a Deck that makes the opponent spend their Evolution and Super-Evolution Points, while clearing the field with Puppets from cards like Noah, Thread of Death.
Needless to say, its ability to close out the game with "Orchis, Newfound Heart" is also a major appeal.
Artifact Portalcraft has also started to see the inclusion of cards like Ancient Cannon and Noah, Thread of Death, which make it easier to conserve Evolution Points and clear out the field.
Control-Oriented Swordcraft
Midrange Swordcraft has shifted to a more Control-oriented build than in the early meta, with the inclusion of cards like Jeno, Levin Axeraider and Amalia, Luxsteel Paladin, which can clear the opponent's strong field and slowly accumulate an advantage.
Late Meta to Present
Rhinoceroach Forestcraft Dominates the Meta
Nowadays, isn't it "Rhinoceroach Forestcraft" that's dominating with a high win rate in Ranked Matches, Grand Prix, and weekend Lobby tournaments?
In the early meta, it was a Forestcraft deck that you'd only see occasionally, but with better card choices and players getting used to its plays, it's no exaggeration to say it now defines the meta. Cards like "Lambent Cairn" and "Baby Carbuncle" were rarely included. I think the common game plan was to lean into an early Aggro strategy and win with Storm followers like "Killer Rhinoceroach" or "Selwyn, Sonic Archer".
However, it became harder to win when the early aggression didn't work out, or when opponents started to play around the damage from Killer Rhinoceroach.
Amidst this, the inclusion of cards that help with Combos, like the previously mentioned "Lambent Cairn" and "Baby Carbuncle," increased. Previously, players would increase their combo count by playing "Bayle, Luxglaive Warrior" or "Deepwood Bounty" for 0 cost, but "Baby Carbuncle" can effectively be played for -1 cost by super-evolving it.
However, even with a combo-focused build, it's rare to deal 20 damage in a single turn. Wins often come from traditional early aggression or by dealing damage with Rhinoceroach split over a two-turn plan.
Main Decks I Used During Each Period
Rhinoceroach Forestcraft
I think this build is similar to most Forestcraft decks you frequently encounter in Ranked Matches.
For cards that can be swapped out based on preference, I recommend "Fay Twinkletoes" and "Aerin, Crystalian Frostward." These two slots can be changed based on player preference and playstyle.
I recommend trying out various cards with different strengths, such as "Stray Beastman," "Workin' Grasshopper," "Amataz, Origin Blader," and "Aria, Lady of the Woods."
Runecraft Spellboost
This is a build that includes "Witch's New Brew."
Its strengths are improved early-game stability and having the option to deal 4 damage to all enemies with "Sagelight Teachings."
"Anne & Grea, Mysterian Duo" and "Kuon, Fivefold Master" are powerful on their own, regardless of Spellboost, so I have high hopes for their future potential.
Dragoncraft Ramp
While I can't recommend this deck the most out of the ones introduced today, I played it occasionally because I personally like the Dragoncraft class.
However, "Garyu, Fabled Dragonkin" after ramping up Play Points is incredibly strong. Dragoncraft is a very powerful class if you can ramp with "Dragonsign" in the early game and transition into the late game, so it's a deck to look forward to with future sets.
Artifact Portalcraft
In terms of personal preference, this is my favorite deck. The ability to change your game plan based on the Artifacts created makes it difficult to contest in the early to mid-game.
By playing "Ancient Cannon," you can gain an advantage in the fight for the field without using an evolution. It's a card you'd want one of against field-based decks like Swordcraft, but since it's hard to use effectively if you draw multiple copies, I'm running "Noah, Thread of Death" as the third copy of that effect.
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