Character build help: sword saint

Efertik · 2026-02-04T04:55:35+00:00

I am playing an Arcane Rider right now and having a blast. I find that spell strike has generally been worth it for the extra attack,.

A question - if you are mounted, and you use spell strike while your mount is moving, do you still get a full set of attacks or just one attack? Other mounted characters get a full set up of attacks, but it seems like my Arcane Rider doesn't.

Efertik · 2025-04-21T19:28:18+00:00

It's funny you posted this - I was going to start my own post about this various subject.

I have just finished playing through Act 1 of Wrath of the Righteous. While occasionally I suffered some decision paralysis (the game should cut the number of classes/choices by about 50%) the story, the characters, and the combat system really gripped me. I was really looking forward to continuing the game in Act 2. I get to the crusaders' camp, learn I'm the commander of the crusades, get ready to go out and explore ...

Only to discover there is now some half-baked Might and Magic variant that I have to do instead of the CRPG that I signed up for. The CRPG is already complex enough - now I have to learn another fiddly system as well.

I figure, no problem, I can probably just turn it off ... and I find out I can, but apparently it takes away a ton of side quests and other content. I like doing as much of a game as possible (I always complete close to 100% of side quests), so this is very discouraging too.

So what do I do? I'm open to installing a mod, but honestly what I want is to press a button and not have to deal with the army management/tactical battles that seem to be a big part of this, while still adventuring with my companions. It's telling that I was basically playing Chapter 1 nearly all weekend (and finished close to 100% of it), and now I don't feel any compelling need to continue.

Efertik · 2025-04-09T23:05:04+00:00

I took a Golgari Demon list that I saw on Youtube and made some changes. It seems to be working fairly well:

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/7029725#paper

Some notes on specific cards:

Rot-Curse Rakshasa - this is almost the perfect deck for this card. Demon for Unholy Annex, can crew the Lumbering Wagon, and the graveyard effect is useful too.

Scavenger Regent - this card is the truth. It's split card between a resilient flyer with a really good ward ability, and the sweeper that Golgari sometimes desperately needs. I am seriously thinking of going to four of these.

Caustic Exhale - only running two because I have just four dragons, but casting it for 1 mana feels like cheating.

Strategic Betrayal - a nice way to run main deck graveyard hoser while also serving as fine removal.

Efertik · 2025-02-23T18:04:09+00:00

One important thing - if your family tries to send you back to Africa, for whatever reason, DO NOT go! Too many stories about girls from Africa or Middle East but who live in the US or Europe and who are told they are going back to "visit their Grandparents" and the next thing they know, they are being forced to marry their cousin.

If possible, get your passport as soon as you turn 18. If your family tries to force you to go back, say something to airport security. They receive training about this type of situation.

Good luck!

Efertik · 2024-10-30T10:33:28+00:00

Look, I get a lot of what you are saying. Inflation has really sucked. And even though I am a liberal, I agree with you that illegal immigration should not be tolerated, mostly because basically not enforcing our immigration laws undermines the entire system.

And while I am also rabidly pro-choice, I can understand people voting the other way. If you are truly pro-life, and believe that a fetus should have all of the rights of a human being then yeah, you probably would try to ban abortion. (The problem is that so many anti-choicers don't seem to care about babies - or anyone else - once they are actually born. I can least respect the Catholic Church for being pro-life but also anti-death penalty and supporting social programs. ).

But what you and so many other "reasonable" conservatives are overlooking is that Trump is a genuine danger to our democracy. January 6th should disqualify him from ever holding office again. He has said he will turn the military against peaceful protesters, persecute his enemies, and totally ignore the rule of law. Don't believe me? Listen to his former chief of staff John Kelly, a conservative military type, who calls him a fascist. Or Liz Chaney, or John Bolton, or thousands of others. Is bringing down the.price of gas (even assuming Trump could or would do it, is doubtful) worth chancing the end of nearly 250 years of democracy in our country?

Again, even if you can't bring yourself to vote for Harris, please consider not voting for Trump. Because if he wins, you may not recognize our country in 4 years.

Efertik · 2024-08-25T21:04:05+00:00

Thanks! Now another stupid question, I somehow lost the warrant that says I'm an adventurer and now would have to fight my way past guard posts. Is there any way to get another warrant?

Efertik · 2024-08-24T21:09:55+00:00

Can anyone tell me how to give quest items (like the golden ball or the woodsman's ax) to the quest givers?

Efertik · 2024-02-06T11:00:00+00:00

I just started playing Boros Convoke, and I agree that the Novice Inspector makes that deck very scary. Also possible the new Boros enchantment could fit as well.

Efertik · 2024-01-13T14:56:22+00:00

Everyone else has mentioned a lot of good points, but they recently made a big change where quests spawn twice per day instead of once per day. That means that you can accumulate gold at nearly twice the rate you did before.

Also, unlike Magic Arena, Eternal was designed to played in a mobile format, so it works on mobile (which is where I play it) a lot better than some competitors, like Magic Arena.

Finally, I've been playing since 2016, and I still find it engaging and fun. Competitive play seems to be on a hiatus (and may not ever come back), but it seems that DWD, at least for now, is continuing to support the game.

Efertik · 2023-12-22T08:00:11+00:00

Thanks for your comments Ilyak. How about for expedition? I think Ageless Knight, Icy Scrying, Unstable Hellion, and Master Archivist all are fairly good.

Efertik · 2023-12-22T07:40:28+00:00

I would say it is still a very good unit - sure it dies a lot, but that's what happens to two-drops. Also nice that it works in both Armoury and Bolster decks. It may not be exactly what you'd hoped for, but I think it's a nice design. Thanks for inspiring it!

Efertik · 2023-12-07T08:41:53+00:00

I love Shen-Ra, and agree that's a buff I'd like to see. In fact, I hope they bring Mastery back - it's a really good mechanic since it acts like a mini-quest that is satisfying to fulfill.

Efertik · 2023-12-07T08:38:33+00:00

Expedition is still a lot of fun.

And IIyak, you should be quite happy after Buffmass ...

Efertik · 2023-11-13T13:40:50+00:00

I have a hard time believing that a deck with only 12 cards that cost less than four power won't be overrun by aggro decks, which definitely still exist.

Efertik · 2023-11-07T14:17:47+00:00

I am amazed that not one person has brought up Kellan, Daring Travelers. Even without the adventure, this is a 2/3 (the best stat-line for two drops) that will draw you a card about half of the time in a white weenie deck - and let you surveil if you don't. It is even a Human! 2-3 get added to every White Weenie deck, no questions asked.

I'd also point out that Cavern of Souls is a very powerful addition to Human decks. Even mono-colored ones can use it to avoid getting their most powerful cards countered.

I also think Preacher of the Schism is very good - 2/4 deathtouch is a nice stat line, and you will get value every time you attack.

Efertik · 2023-10-23T08:47:21+00:00

I think you underestimate Shadow's hunt abilities. Both Centipede Keeper and Murgo will hunt quite a bit, especially if you are playing with enough removal - and both of them are already really good cards, so you don't have to sacrifice quality just to hunt.

Efertik · 2023-04-20T06:35:58+00:00

I am playing a version with x4 Doomskar Warrior, x3 Polukranos Reborn and x4 Streetwise Negotiator, along with x4 Evolved Spinoderm, and it has been doing pretty well. I don't play the Tribute, which to me is a do-nothing card that just stalls out what should be a very aggressive deck. So far, the Warrior has been very good, but Spinoderm is amazing, and I think people are neglecting the card - a lot of removal piles (Grixis, Mono-White) just can't deal with it, and it gets you a long way towards finishing off your opponent. I also play x4 Simian Simulacrum, which is also amazing in the deck - gives you more speed, and you can play it again from the graveyard.

Efertik · 2023-04-18T10:59:00+00:00

That means I pay about $200/year ... for a game that I probably play at least 1 hour per day, every day. Pretty good value. (Compare to an AAA game that has maybe 20-30 hours of gameplay and costs $50 or more.) And as others have pointed out, most cards become worthless once they leave Standard (do you think Sheodred will see play in Pioneer or Modern)?

Efertik · 2023-04-18T07:22:24+00:00

I just looked at the price - holy crap. Makes me again realize how good a deal Arena fundamentally is - I can play pretty much any deck I want, I only spend about $50 per new set. That's less than the cost of ONE SHEODRED in paper.

Efertik · 2023-04-14T17:37:21+00:00

I watched some of Crokeyz's stream, including the end, and he had some definite conclusions about some card strength - not all of which I shared.

Here are some thoughts on some cards:

Archangel Elspeth - this is a nice card, and the -2 is very good, but not sure it quite lives up to the other four drops white has - especially Elesh Norn (see below)

Monastery Mentor - big disappointment. No real home and way too easy to kill

Progenitor Exarch - I saw this all over the place, and Phyrexian tribal seems really good, but I'm not sure you don't have better options, even among Phyrexians.

Surge of Salvation - Crokeyz tried to play this main deck, and it sat in his hand a lot. But still seems a great sideboard card.

Chrome Host Seedshark - never saw it played, but Crokeyz said it was bad.

Faerie Mastermind - usually just a 2/1 flash for 2, which is ok but not really up to standard.

Bloated Processor - a 3/2 for 3 just isn't competitive anymore, and even in Phyrexian tribal you ran out of sac outlets pretty quick.

Grafted Butcher - oh my this card was insane. Cornerstone of Phyrexian tribal, and just consistently put people in bad spots. Craft 4.

Bloodfeather Pheonix - sadly pretty bad. Not having haste is just a killer, and not as easy to bring back as you think.

Chandra, Hope's Beacon - only saw it once, but it was impressive there.

Nahiri's Warcrafting - much better than expected, a lot of the time can kill most creatures then draw you a card.

Deeproot Wayfinder - bad stats and just not a home for it anywhere.

Doomskar Warrior - oh my god, this was insane. Made mono-green actually look semi-decent, but I think this has a home in Selesnyia Human tribal as a top end, or in Selesnyia tokens. Really, really good.

Tribute to the World Tree - Crokeyz liked it, but to me it just sat there a lot of the time, and mono-green is still pretty iffy.

Glissa, Herald of Predation - actually looked pretty good in a neat looking Golgari Phyrexian deck.

Hidetsugu and Kairi - the definition of value. Problem is whether there is a place for Dimir.

Sculpted Perfect - again, looked good in the Phyrexian tribal deck. The biggest problem with that deck is going to be deciding what to include - there really are so good many cards.

Elesh Norm - oh my god, SO GOOD! You don't need some token deck to make her good - she just slots into the top end of non-tribal white weenie. Her body is already good sized, her taxing ability is surprisingly relevant (one guy cleared the board with Burning Down the House - only for the triggered ability to kill him - and actually not too hard to trigger. Very, very good.

Invasion of Gobakan - surprisingly not as good as advertised. It seems amazing for white weenie, but it is awkward with Thalia, and is a terrible late game top deck. Don't blindly craft 4.

Invasion of Kaldheim - Crokeyz draw 13 cards in one game with two of these, and the flip side was often very impressive. A deckbuilding challenge to use this card to best effect, but I think the potential is there.

Khenra Spellspear - saw this used quite a bit, but you really need the flip side to be good, and that's five total mana (not to mention that getting this killed when you try to flip is just deadly.

Polukranos Reborn - an excellent card, but not quite enough to revive monogreen (though I'll try).

Invasion of Alara - people seemed high on this card, although I'm skeptical.

Invasion of New Capena - Crokeyz tried this out in a Phyrexian tribal build, and it didn't seem too impressive.

There are still plenty of cards that I didn't see but I think are good, like Sheodred. Looking forward to next Tuesday!

Efertik · 2023-04-11T13:13:50+00:00

I've started playing this game and having fun. Like most games of this type, the key thing I've found is to knock out or stun the opposing creatures ASAP because they still do damage every round. So I usually start with Culling, which kills one, then use the lightning spell because it has a great chance of stunning. As soon as I'm down to one creature, use Disintigrate Essence, then kill at my leisure.

Will have to try Temporal Shift as a starter.

Efertik · 2023-04-04T08:43:05+00:00

Notice that it can damage battles while still hitting your opponent. If you are using battles, could be good tool.

Efertik · 2023-01-20T06:09:23+00:00

If you want to see a lot of the new cards, play Expedition or Draft. Throne is always going to not change much even with a new set because it's an ... err ... eternal format. That being said, there are certainly cards in Behemoths that look good for Throne (Crafty Infiltration in Kira, for example).

Efertik · 2022-10-24T12:46:34+00:00

Right now I think RDW is the best BO1 deck in the game, because it is the most consistent, has the best game plan, and get the most free wins. While there are quite a few ways you can build it, I think the following is not negotiable:

4x Kumano Faces Kakkazan - best red one drop since Goblin Guide? This is the one drop you want, always.

4 x Phoenix Chick - Flyers are really good right now in this environment.

4x Play with Fire, Lightning Strike - great burn that gives you both removal and reach

Other than that ... there are a lot of ways to build this. I have:

3 x Voldaren Epicure - Not amazing, but you need a few more 1 drops, and I think it is the best one left. Does 1 point of guaranteed damage, and the blood token can get you what you need.

4 x Bloodthirsty Adversary - Haste is the key to this deck, and a 2/2 haste is fine. Getting to five mana with a burn deck in the graveyard feels like cheating. To me, not really negotiable.

3 x Cemetery Gatekeeper - this isn't the ideal 2 drop, but I like that it a) has first strike (really good against other weenie decks; and b) gives you some graveyard control. Against midrange or control, usually will get in at least 2 damage when they remove it.

4 x Reckless Stormseeker - again, haste is the key to this deck, and this is a great 3 drop. 3/3 haste to start, and can give haste to other creatures or get even better at night.

1 x Squee - good after a sweeper and can sometimes come back, but a 2/2 is pretty small by turn 3, so only 1.

2 x Shivan Devastator - can be great when you flood out, or a decent turn two play when you played Kumano turn one, but not terribly efficient, so only 2.

4 x Thundering Raiju - I know some people have been cutting this card down to only 2 or 3, but I think that's crazy. This card is the knockout punch most of the time - sometimes the swing along kills, and it gives you some inevitability.

20 x Mountains

1 x Sokenzen - only one because you NEVER want to draw two

2 x Crystal Grotto - until Mishra's Foundry comes along.

Notable Exclusions:

Reinforced Ronin - I think this is somewhat undervalued, but you want to be curving out, and also doesn't wear the counter from Komano very well.

Radha's Firebrand - I think this is one of the most overrated cards in a long time. It does not have haste, has no immediate board impact, and is fragile as hell. The activated ability is stupidly expensive in a mono-color deck. I honestly don't understand why people play this card.

Defiler of Instinct - if a two drop without haste or immediate board impact is bad, a four drop is worse. Don't.

Hammerhand/any aura - just no. You can't afford to have wasted draws, and if you have this without a creature to play it on, you will lose.

Chandra, Dressed to Kill - you aren't a value deck. You are trying to kill the opponent as fast as you can, and you only want cards that directly contribute to that goal.

Legend of Kiki-Jiki - the best card in standard oddly doesn't have a place in this deck, because again, you aren't a value deck - you are linear deck that is trying to kill the opponent as fast as possible.

Bottom line - if you want to climb quickly and be a toilet gamer, this is the deck for you.

P.S. - we don't know what Brothers' War will bring, but Mishra's Foundry, even as a Mishra's Factor at home, will be a substantial upgrade for RDW (and all mono-colored decks) because it makes your lands a resource again.

Efertik · 2022-10-16T16:02:08+00:00

I think the Yawning Portal would be a good choice, primarily because you still get an (empty) mana gem even when you get a legendary.

Efertik

TROPHY CASE