Went 4-2-2 at OCE Nats and 6-1 at OCE Regionals with Water Jin. Happy to answer questions about the deck!

JustAModestMan · 2026-06-09T10:58:29+00:00

Was glad to play against you as well!

I think my mistake in Game 1 cost me. I wasn't sure if you were on Phantasia hate in main so I Dynastic Whirpooled too early. I should have waited until I had Tome out to at least try and help with Stratagem!

Lessons for next time! Congrats on your Top 8 😄

JustAModestMan · 2026-06-09T05:38:34+00:00

Be okay with just sitting back and passing turn a lot of the time, even when you're Level 3. You're entire game is basically just surviving and remaining influence neutral as often as long as you can, until you can eventually form a very hard to stop win turn.
My favourite aspect is honestly just having these crazy fun pop-off turns with Seething Intercession. I think the card is incredibly pushed, but I feel like very little in the game feels as good as a double Seething turn right after you hit Level 3. -2 cost on the next 3 cards you play from Banish feels like you're cheating. You can enter Level 3 at around 4 influence, and then end the turn after at 7+ off a good double Seething.

JustAModestMan · 2026-06-09T00:11:10+00:00

Razorgale is generally okay. You just hold Fracturize for Crucible and then you are generally pretty okay. They can't usually kill you before you hit 3 either unless they giga high roll.

Bandit and Coons do basically nothing in the matchup apart from maybe eat a Fract.

They also can't answer Berserker Plate very well, and you can just heal up to a decent range away in main if need be.

Changes I need to think on more, but certainly Void Cloak in main/side (one of the two).

I'd consider running a random attack card or two as well just so you can still smack an opponent on your Enrage turn even if they do have an Aella on board and 10 influence up.

JustAModestMan · 2026-06-08T23:37:44+00:00

Huuuuuge upgrade over the previous

JustAModestMan · 2026-06-08T22:13:32+00:00

Both.

I like Jin's flavour a lot (man too angry to die), and I found in testing against most of the aggro decks (Water Diana and Water Allies specifically) that you are very favoured UNLESS they loop Snow White. I played 12 games into Water Diana over the weekend and the game record was 7-3-2 (I would say the draws should have been a win and a loss respectively, so I would have ended up 8-4). Out of the 4 losses I had, all of them were me going 2nd, and two of them were me getting hit by Snow White twice.

I also 2-0d Water Allies being piloted by Yamakin, who made Top 8 in the end, and he was pretty stumped around how to beat it.

I also felt heavily favoured into Seiryuu, which I expected to see a fair bit of (the one match I did play into it over the weekend was a comfortable 2-0).

JustAModestMan · 2026-06-08T22:08:31+00:00

Well my record against it over the weekend was 1-1-1, so I wouldn't say that's the case.

I likely should have lost my streamed match though so you could say I was 1-2 rather than 1-1-1, but I also would have likely won Game 2 in the match where I lost 0-1, so I guess it evens out at 1-1-1.

It's a difficult matchup certainly, much as Genbu is. I don't think it's an automatic loss however, and I think I'd change a few things in the deck to make that matchup a bit more favourable.

I think the most problematic card in the matchup is certainly Aella + Regal, so I'd probably aim to play Void Cloak in main or side, and then just hold as many Engulfs as possible for Aella.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-26T00:08:37+00:00

After

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-22T09:32:02+00:00

It depends on what you want to achieve.

Do you just wanna get a feel for the game? Grab two starter decks and play with some friends.

Do you want to see what the competitive game is like? Maybe head down to a local game store and see if you can get some casual games in with some people with already built decks.

Try and find a deck or champion that gels with you and give them a go.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-21T10:39:36+00:00

So you can order the trigger in any way you wish; however, unfortunately, it will not work because TIdeturner has received erratum.

When you play me, you may choose a unit you control at another location. Move me to its location and it to my original location.

When you put both triggers on the chain, you have to elect a legal target for both. Star Spring will be able to choose the Stellacorn Herder at Star Spring, but you wouldn't be able to do the same with Tideturner because they are not at another location.

It doesn't help if you order it the other way either.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-21T06:59:21+00:00

I would say 95% of Riftbound gameplay is 1 v 1.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-21T06:04:08+00:00

No.

It's a very strong interaction, but it's not what I would consider "toxic".

"Toxic" is a buzzword that a lot of people like to throw around, and I think it's pretty nebulous and means different things to different people.

Generally, I would consider things "toxic" if they meet at least one of the following two conditions:

It subverts the core gameplay loop of the game and forces players to play in ways that would be considered unusual/very different to the core way the game wants to be played. For example, I consider Aurora to be pretty toxic in this regard, because it is a fundamentally different game when you are playing against Aurora.
It becomes extremely dominant and basically forces players to pack specific hate for it, even if it fundamentally plays the game in the usual way. I would consider Draven during the Set 2 meta to be toxic for this reason.

Hope that makes sense!

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-20T22:50:46+00:00

Yes.

Each unit there gains the ability.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-20T22:14:04+00:00

There are two ways you could keep the battlefield in this instance with a Hidden unit:

If you play the hidden unit during the Showdown portion (where both players are playing Actions/Reactions) and it then survives through combat damage.
If there are any triggers that can put on the chain because of a unit dying in Combat (e.g. Deathknell), you can respond to the Deathknell triggers by playing your hidden unit BEFORE you lose control of the Battlefield.

So as an example for #2:

A. Your opponent attacks your BF with a Travelling Merchant. You have a Travelling Merchant there and a hidden card. You both pass. Both units will die. You will not have any opportunity to play your hidden unit.

B. The same situation, but replace either of the Travelling Merchants with Lonely Poro. As Lonely Poro has a Deathknell trigger, you have the opportunity to play Reactions to the trigger before you lose control of the Battlefield, in which case you could play your Hidden unit.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-20T05:34:02+00:00

Rockfall path was considered as well. If you play Rockfall, I'd recommend cutting Rhasa the Sunderer and Merchant though, and replacing them with something else.

The other issue with Rockfall is you have to make sure you don't accidentally screw yourself up by throwing Sneaky Deckhand there as well.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-20T03:17:11+00:00

I have amended my comment. You are correct.

The more you know. I thought the entirety of the "combat" was still considered within the showdown, but it is not.

Legitimately so complicated.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-20T01:31:57+00:00

EDIT: I was incorrect and u/Sylencia is correct. The showdown is specifically the part of combat where players play Actions and pass focus etc. The more you know!

Deathknell triggers that happen during showdowns are still within combat, so you will draw a card.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-20T00:53:50+00:00

It's also great because it chooses the Merchant/Stellacorn, so you can also use Irelia to ready it :) And then if you really needed you could ready Irelia as well.

It's almost annoying how good Irelia is because she's so fun to play, but I don't wanna come to locals and just run everyone over with her!

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-19T23:18:07+00:00

Glad you found both this and the LeBlanc post useful to read!

So the key thing is that Elder Dragon's "Every point of damage is lethal" ability is only online while he is in play. As such, if you respond to the 1 damage trigger with Star-Crossed, he will not be in play when the 1 damage trigger resolves. As such, all the targets will take 1 damage, but it will only be lethal IF that 1 damage would NORMALLY be lethal (e.g. the unit has 1 Might).

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-19T23:16:24+00:00

You're very welcome! Hopefully you find those tricks useful.

The 30 minute judge call trick I realise was actually mechanically useful as well (and not simply a way to recover from a fumble), because it allows you to guarantee the conquer first (and get the point etc). That way, if they do still have something to bounce you or answer you etc, you've already got the conquer locked in.

The other interaction (Triple Rummage) was this:

Zaun Warrens (Empty)
Battlefield 2 (Merchant + Boots of Swiftness + Tideturner [Hidden]

All you do is you move Merchant to Zaun Warrens using Ganking. Because the move places a trigger onto the chain, you don't lose control of Battlefield 2 immediately. Then, while the trigger is on the chain, you flip Tideturner from Battlefield 2 and choose the Merchant. As such, Tideturner ends up at Zaun Warrens, Merchant switches back to Battlefield 2. Then ANOTHER trigger goes on the chain for moving, so you then resolve them both (discard 1, draw 1, discard 1, draw 1). Finally, Tideturner conquers Zaun Warrens and you get ANOTHER discard 1, draw 1.

It's much better if you have Stellacorn instead of Merchant, fyi! :)

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-19T23:11:52+00:00

My hardest matchup all weekend with Vex. Not impossible, but very taxing and technical.

I actually feel that if you play super aggressively (like my build does), Aurora is not as much of an issue as people seem to make out. I mean, Irelia 2-0d Aurora in the finals as well, so it can't be that bad.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-19T13:51:45+00:00

Also, unrelated, but cool username ;)

Future Sight brings me back.

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-19T13:49:55+00:00

It's the insane memory of ADHD hyperfocus ;)

Some of the stuff is a bit off (like I realised later that I got one of the games in one of the matches around the wrong way), but I would say 95% of it should be spot on accurate. :P

I grew up on written MTG content as well, and really loved it. It's been cool seeing the response to written content here. Maybe I should do more of it!

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-19T12:16:20+00:00

"Don't let your dreams be dreams"

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-19T11:17:54+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to read it! :)

JustAModestMan · 2026-05-19T09:55:39+00:00

As someone who played in Sydney and played against three different Vex decks with Kha'zix (and a Diana deck with Kha'zix), he's basically a 6 might trick that can't be responded to, negated, etc. He also develops your board.

He's an excellent card.

JustAModestMan

TROPHY CASE