Deck of the Day: Viktor’s Pranks

Turns out, Bandle City is one of the best regions when it comes to creating cards! Viktor definitely approves, and so is Shane.
  • Origins

If you have followed any of my content at all, you probably know that I absolutely love deckbuilding with Viktor.

Every time I see a newly revealed card that creates another card, my mind just instantly thinks of a new Viktor deck. This was certainly true during the Bandle City spoiler season, with the new Manifest keyword being added to the game and, of course, with the Prank mechanic.

Bandle City and Viktor just seemed like a match made in Zaun from first sight. As more reveals kept rolling in I was pleasantly surprised to see even more support for the ‘created cards’ theme – Hidden Pathways and Mirror Mage excited me the most.

All of these reveals left me itching to get to crafting and to see if I could make another Viktor deck successful. 

  • Gameplan

The overall approach with any Viktor deck is to be as flexible of a pilot as you can be.

Since you will be creating a ton of cards – and a wide variety of them, – you need to adjust to situations on the fly. The gameplan will continuously shift depending on the options you get from your creations.

That doesn’t mean we can’t go into every game with a general premise – so below are a few guidelines to follow in order to achieve success.

Firstly, I believe it is most important to identify our win conditions.

We have 3 viable routes to victory: 1) going all-in on Viktor as a massive unit with a game-winning keyword like Elusive or Overwhelm; 2) going crazy with Mirror Mage to duplicate units and spells; 3) out-grinding our opponents with removal and card advantage.

Finishing games can sometimes feel a bit tricky. Going all-in on Viktor is not always our best option, since we have no real way to protect him. Still, if he remains uncontested he can become unstoppable.

I have found Mirror Mage to be a better finisher for this archetype. You simply adjust your gameplan according to what cards you have access to and then create even more of them to drown your opponent in value.

So what does your early game look like, and what are your tools to get safely to the endgame?

Well, it is mainly focused on Pranks and removal. We have a lot of options when it comes to removal, and using them against decks that are trying to build up a board can really slow them down.

Along with that, Pranks really help to disrupt opponents while also providing you info about their hand and what you need to play around.

Cards like Conchologist, Trinket Trade, and Station Archivist typically can find you extra removal spells while also providing additional value.

Combine this with additional value cards like Loping Telescope, Hidden Pathways, and Curious Shellfolk (which has an insane interaction with your Pranks, allowing you to copy the card you’ve just Pranked) and you should be able to keep your hand full of options.

For the most part, mulligans are straightforward with this deck but can be adjusted based on whether or not you’re going against unit-heavy list. You always want to keep cards like Otterpus, Viktor, or any of your 2-drops. If your opponent will be playing a lot of units, then keeping removal spells like Thermogenic Beam and Mystic Shot are viable options. 

  • Verdict:

I know a lot of people look down on Viktor, but I promise you this deck has the most potential out of any Viktor deck I have played previously, even the ones that have gotten me to Masters.

This is one of the most versatile decks I have played with in a long time, and in the right hands it can be extremely dangerous.

There are also a lot of flexible options that you can try out as well, and as the Bandle City card pool will continue to grow, so too the options that this deck will have access to.

Shane
Shane

Shane has played strategy card games since before he could read, thanks to his older brother teaching him how to memorize what each card did. Currently, he is the Host of the Twin Sunz Podcast, a Legends of Runeterra podcast and community with offerings for players of all levels of skill.

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