Deck
Deck Building in Incarnation
In Incarnation, a deck is a crucial component for engaging in battles against other players. Here’s everything you need to know about creating and managing your decks:
What is a Deck?
A deck is a carefully curated collection of cards that you use to challenge opponents in the game. It’s your strategic arsenal, designed to outmaneuver and defeat your adversaries.
Building Your Deck
Card Selection: From your personal collection of cards, you can select up to twenty cards to form a new deck. This allows for a wide range of strategic combinations, enabling you to tailor your deck to your preferred playstyle.
Multiple Decks: You have the flexibility to build multiple decks, each with its own unique strategy. Experiment with different card combinations to discover what works best for you.
Choosing a Deck for Battle: Before each battle, you can choose one of your pre-built decks to use in the match. This allows you to adapt to different opponents and scenarios, ensuring you are always prepared for the challenge ahead.
By mastering the art of deck building, you can enhance your gameplay experience in Incarnation, unleashing powerful strategies and achieving victory over your foes.
Deck Building Strategies
Core Deck Archetypes
Aggro (Aggressive)
Philosophy: Win quickly through overwhelming offensive pressure
Card Composition:
12-15 low-cost units (1-3 mana)
3-5 direct damage spells
2-3 cards for card draw or resource acceleration
Strategy: Flood the board early, deal damage before opponent stabilizes
Strengths: Fast wins, punishes slow decks
Weaknesses: Runs out of steam if opponent survives initial rush
Control
Philosophy: Control the game through removal and survive to late game
Card Composition:
8-10 removal spells
4-6 defensive units with high health
3-4 card draw spells
2-3 powerful late-game finishers
Strategy: Remove opponent's threats, stabilize board, win with superior late-game cards
Strengths: Dominates late game, answers to most threats
Weaknesses: Vulnerable to early aggression, requires skillful resource management
Midrange
Philosophy: Flexible deck that can play both aggressor and control roles
Card Composition:
10-12 mid-cost units (3-5 mana)
4-6 removal or tempo spells
2-4 value-generating cards
Strategy: Adapt to opponent's strategy, apply pressure while maintaining board control
Strengths: Versatile, good against extremes (very fast or very slow decks)
Weaknesses: Can lose to more focused strategies
Combo
Philosophy: Assemble specific card combinations for devastating effects
Card Composition:
6-8 combo pieces (cards that synergize powerfully)
8-10 card draw and search cards
4-6 stall/survival cards
Strategy: Draw through deck to find combo pieces, execute game-winning combination
Strengths: Potential for instant wins, unpredictable
Weaknesses: Inconsistent, vulnerable to disruption
Mana Curve Optimization
Understanding Mana Curve: The mana curve represents the distribution of card costs in your deck. A well-balanced curve ensures you can play cards efficiently every turn.
Ideal Curve Distribution (20-card deck):
1 Mana: 2-4 cards (early game presence)
2 Mana: 4-6 cards (early game development)
3 Mana: 4-5 cards (mid-game power plays)
4 Mana: 3-4 cards (strong mid-game units)
5+ Mana: 3-5 cards (late-game finishers)
Curve Adjustments by Archetype:
Aggro: Heavy on 1-3 mana, almost nothing above 5
Control: Light on 1-2 mana, heavy on 4-7 mana
Midrange: Balanced curve with focus on 3-5 mana
Combo: Focus on card draw costs + combo piece costs
Card Synergy and Combinations
Synergy Types:
Type Synergy
Cards that benefit from being the same type (e.g., all Fire element cards)
Example: "Fire Phoenix" deals +1 damage for each Fire card you control
Build decks around dominant card types for maximum synergy
Tribal Synergy
Cards that buff or interact with specific creature types
Example: "Dragon Lord" gives all Dragons +2/+2
Focus on 12-15 cards of the same tribe for consistency
Mechanic Synergy
Cards that work well with specific game mechanics
Example: Cards that generate multiple units + cards that buff all units
Identify powerful mechanic combinations and build around them
Resource Synergy
Cards that generate resources + cards that benefit from excess resources
Example: Mana generation cards + expensive powerful spells
Create engines that convert resources into overwhelming advantage
Advanced Deck Building Techniques
Card Quality Tiers
S-Tier (Must-Include)
Universally powerful cards for your archetype
Include maximum copies allowed
Examples: Efficient removal, strong units with no downsides
A-Tier (Core Cards)
Strong cards that define your strategy
Include most/all copies
Examples: Key combo pieces, archetype-defining cards
B-Tier (Flex Slots)
Good cards that can be swapped based on meta
Include 1-2 copies, adjust as needed
Examples: Situational removal, tech cards
C-Tier (Sideboard)
Cards that are only good in specific matchups
Consider for tournaments with sideboarding
Examples: Narrow counters, meta-specific hate cards
The Rule of 4
Identify your 4 most important cards
Ensure they're maximum copies
Build the rest of deck to support these core cards
Example: If your win condition requires "Combo Piece A" + "Combo Piece B", include all copies and add tutors/card draw
Redundancy and Consistency
Include multiple cards that serve similar functions
Increases likelihood of drawing what you need
Example: Run 3 different 2-mana removal spells instead of 1 copy of 3 different costs
Test and Iterate
Build initial version
Play 10-20 games
Track which cards feel weak or strong
Replace underperformers
Repeat until optimized
Meta-Game Adaptation
Understanding the Meta: The meta-game is the current competitive environment—which decks are popular and performing well.
Meta Analysis:
Track win rates against different archetypes
Identify most common opposing strategies
Adjust deck to have favorable matchups against popular decks
Tech Cards:
Include specific cards to counter prevalent strategies
Example: If aggro is dominant, add healing cards
Example: If combo is popular, add disruption cards
Meta Calls:
Predict what opponents will play
Build deck that counters expected field
Reward prediction with higher win rate
Deck Building with Vault NFT Economics
Value Consideration:
High-value cards from expensive vaults require deck commitment
Build around your most valuable cards to maximize investment
Don't force expensive cards into unsuitable decks
Collection Building Strategy:
Start with budget cards from low-cost vaults
Gradually acquire expensive staples
Prioritize versatile cards that fit multiple decks
Rental and Trading:
Rent expensive cards for specific tournaments
Trade duplicate cards for missing pieces
Participate in community card pools for testing
Deck Management
Deck Naming and Organization
Clear Naming Convention:
Include archetype: "Aggro Fire", "Control Water", "Combo Dragons"
Add version numbers for iteration: "Aggro Fire v3.2"
Note matchup focus: "Anti-Aggro Control"
Deck Folders:
Organize by archetype
Separate competitive and experimental decks
Archive old versions for reference
Deck Testing Process
Sandbox Testing (vs AI):
Test basic functionality
Verify mana curve works as intended
Practice combo executions
Identify obvious weaknesses
Friendly Testing (vs Friends):
Test against known archetypes
Get feedback on deck power level
Identify non-obvious weaknesses
Refine card choices
Competitive Testing (Ranked/Tournaments):
Track match results by archetype
Note specific problematic cards
Gather large sample size (50+ games)
Make data-driven adjustments
Performance Tracking
Key Metrics:
Overall win rate
Win rate by matchup (vs Aggro, Control, etc.)
Average game length
Cards that consistently underperform
Cards that consistently overperform
Decision Analysis:
Track difficult decisions made each game
Review if alternative lines would have been better
Identify patterns in decision-making
Improve both play skill and deck construction
Community Deck Sharing
Publishing Your Deck
Deck Codes:
Export deck to shareable code
Post in community forums
Include brief strategy guide
Credit any inspirations
Deck Guides:
Write detailed mulligan guide (starting hand choices)
Explain matchup strategies
Showcase example games
Share iteration history and reasoning
Learning from Others
Community Resources:
Browse top-ranked player decklists
Watch streamers explain their deck choices
Participate in deck discussion forums
Test popular decks to understand meta
Deck Adaptation:
Don't copy blindly—understand the reasoning
Adapt meta decks to your playstyle
Add your own innovations
Share improvements with community
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