ManaRocks Dark Grey deck is a simple but powerful board control deck with a very comfortable MANA curve and lots of options.
Without ado, let us get started with this Dark Grey deck guide.
ManaRocks Dark Grey Deck List
Mulligan
We have several options for each MANA amount, but we’re only looking for some of them at the start.
If we get one of what we need for MANA amounts 1, 2, 3, or 4 we’re going to throw out other cards of the same MANA cost in hopes of getting better plays for later turns. If we are missing out on a turn 1, 2, or 3 cards that we want, we’re going to throw out all our cards that cost over 3.
The only exception is if we are missing a (1) Talented Soldier, but we have a (4) Tireless Guard or (4) Giant Zombie. We have a 2 and 3 play, we can just stick with our turn 4 card and skip out on the Talented Soldier.
If you have two cards of the same cost keep the one that is the best playlisted:
1 COST: Talented Soldier (Best Play, only play)
2 COST: Keepers of the Gate (Best Play)
- Defender Ghoul (2nd Best Play)
- Shadow Viper (3rd Best Play)
3 COST: The Illusionist (Best Play)
- Stonehand Guardian – 2nd Best Play if you only have a Shadow Viper for turn 2, if not, 3rd
- Snowcap’s Spirit – 2nd Best Play if you have Keepers or Defender Ghoul, if not, 3rdTerrify – Throw this out, it is for later
4 COST: Tireless Guard / Giant Zombie (Best Play)
- Riverfoot Archer (2nd Best Play)
- Preeminent Leader (3rd Best Play)
Obviously, these cards are not always going to be the best plays in the order listed here, and it all is going to depend on the situation of the game. But this is the best we can do for the mulligan because we don’t know how the game is going to go yet.
Anything over 5 MANA is always going to get thrown out at the start.
Individual Card Strategy / Use
I’m not going to explain the most obvious of cards, but I’m probably still going to over-explain some.
Shadow Viper: This guy can be used early game, but he’s really intended for use later. Most ideally, you get him on the board when he can take out another minion that is not in the blocking state, and when you have other minions blocking (alert minions usually). That way you can hopefully get a second use out of him. If you pull this off, he’s super helpful for his MANA cost. You can almost think of him as a cheap removal spell if you need to trade into a high minion, with the potential for more.
The downside is that he’s not going to be able to target a backline minion if something else is blocking (that’s why we have 1 copy of terrifying, basically). Shadow Viper is really strong because you can typically save him for a time when you can play him alongside another higher-cost minion and create a lot of board control in one turn. He also deals with Hydra which terrify can’t, so against green, you might want to hold at least 1 Shadow Viper if you expect a Hydra.
Stonehand Guardian: You will usually hold this guy in your hand for the right moment because he is a bit situational. That’s why there is only 1 copy in this deck. You either play him when the math just works out, or you can also use him on your Shadow Viper, and after it attacks, your Shadow Viper can go back to the blocking state instead of sneak, a nice way to get more use out of the Shadow Viper.
Snowcap’s Spirit: It should be obvious but you most ideally want to play this guy when you have a blocking minion up. If not he can get taken out the next turn by a cheaper card or even a zombie hero power against black. The positive side is that he is also going to give you a way to take out minions that aren’t blocking or dealing face damage. This really pays off if your opponent can’t get him off the board quickly. You’ll usually hold on to him until you can play him at the correct time, but don’t be afraid to just trade him into a strong blocking minion if you need to.
The Illusionist: This card is for turn 3, you can play him later, but the longer the game goes on the less valuable and the riskier this hard becomes. If you draw him later in the game, don’t be afraid to leave him up as a blocker if it makes sense. Be careful playing this card against blue decks, because if they play Unsummoner, Repeal, etc. it’s going to cost you 4 health. There’s only 1 Illusionist because we only want him for a turn 3 play, ideally.
Terrify: You should be able to trade and get rid of minions in a lot of OTHER ways than terrify, so we only have 1 copy. We’re saving terrify to get us out of a bad situation that we couldn’t fix a better way, 90% of the time. (For Example, if the opponent has a Pit Lord behind 3 Blockers, it is probably a nice time to use Terrify.)
Soulkeeper: You want to play him simultaneously when you are going to trade at least one other minion. At that point, he is worth the 3 MANA, otherwise, he is not a good play. If you’re going to trade multiple minions, or he ends up staying on the board a long time, even better. There’s only 1 Soulkeeper because you’re often going to hold him for a little until an ideal time.
Riverfoot Archer: Try to save her for good use of her 2 damaged Shout.
Giant Zombie: Don’t be afraid to use this guy to take out a minion, but don’t be afraid to just put him up on turn 4 and leave him blocking in order to keep strong board control. On turn 4, it really is going to depend on what type of deck I am facing to determine whether I am going to leave him blocking or go face, try to make a good decision.
Madhound Rider: If your opponent has a lot of blocking minions (like illusions), don’t forget that cleaving on this card could potentially help you finish off a low opponent.
Corpse Eater: This is 5 MANA, but it’s not what we want for turn 5. Corpse Eater is here as a way to finish off the opponent later in the game. We’re going to be focused on board control and will probably get to a point in the game when he can benefit massively from minions in the graveyard and deal 12+ damage suddenly. Scroll through the graveyard and count the creatures (They’re all creatures unless you played terrified) to know how much attack he is going to have added before you play him.
Gumas, the Acid Dragon: Make sure you have three slots open on your board to get the best use out of Gumas. You can leave one, or two acid hounds blocking and still attack with Gumas, making him a very flexible card that can go for face damage or board control however needed.
Pit Lord: You’re going to want to play him when you have something to block and keep him alive. Keep in mind he can also summon someone to block for him (Unless he gets a Shadow Viper).
If you don’t have anyone blocking, you may consider a different turn-8 play, and then play him later.
Related Content: