Table of Contents
In most card games there are 3 main archetypes of decks. These archetypes are Aggro, Control, and Midrange. Within these archetypes are different branches of playstyles that give each deck their own personalities. Today we will be discussing Control Decks - Fundamentals and How To Master it.
Control Decks - Fundamentals and How To Master
Control decks are very defensive and slow when it comes to its playstyle. Its main strength relies on buying time to get to the late game where it has enormous power spikes. In most card games including Lorcana, Control has a lot of Hard Removals that banishes any Character in play and an action card that can Clear the board and basically reset the game. It also usually runs High Ink Cost Characters that Can Either Dominate the Board or Finish the Game Fast.
Control is about adapting to the meta when it comes to speed. Usually Aggressive Decks will set the pace for most Metas. Control has to find a way to adjust in order to keep up, and make sure it doesn't lose fast to the speed of aggro decks in early game. Especially because the match is not in Control's favor against Aggro Decks.
There are many types and variants of control, but the fundamental idea remains the same. Here is a sample curve for control. It is very much like midrange but usually has more cards that are stronger for late game.
When Playing control you need a lot of patience and experience, you need to learn how to read the meta, you need to know most of the cards that your opponent will possibly play. For me, It’s easy to learn how to play control, but mastering it requires time and experience!
Fundamentals
Alright, let's talk about the fundamentals really quick, as a defensive deck that shines in late game its very essential to learn how to buy time. So lets say that you already know what the cards are in the deck that your opponent is playing.
Against Aggro
It’s important that you change your mulligan planning based on this. For example, playing against aggro, you want to have a super low curve hand, you wanna be able to set something up every turn early. Against aggro you don’t really need to prepare for a late game. You have to have an answer early coz once that is handled, mid and late game should be a piece of cake.
Against Midrange
Against Midrange you still want something for early game, but not as early heavy as when you go against aggro, understanding that the opponent shines in mid game is important. They will be trading hard starting from the start to mid.
So make sure as well that somehow you can get some draws if there's an opening to make sure you don't dry up with your hands fast and they don't gain a heavy card advantage against you. And when it comes to late game, you are favored against it, so it should be easy to close out the game.
Against Control
The Mirror Match against Control is when it gets Tricky. Of Course you want a turn 1-2 play still to add some pressure on the board, but it usually it is a game of resources. You want to have card advantage by mid and late game. I basically try to gain tempo / control of the board early to mid, and look for openings where I can draw some cards if possible so by the time the end game board wipes and trades happen, I'll have more resources against the opposing control player.
Place In The Meta
Control since Set 1 has been very dominant. One of the reasons why is that Aggro is not very present, and this is due to Steel being everywhere! Steel just has so many pingers that can shut down aggro, plus Midrange Decks are supposed to dominate Aggro. Since Midrange can easily keep up with its speed and out value them with trades from great body characters.
There are some tools for Aggro to deal with that now somewhat help them survive, so expect aggro to be around here and there, since aggro is our weakest match up as control players.
Midrange deck in general is at an all time high, which means even if aggro joins the meta there won’t be that many of them which is good for Control Players, since in a Rock Paper Scissors game, Aggro Beats Control, Control Beats Midrange, and Midrange beats Aggro. But don’t get too comfortable, because the Midrange Control Variant of Midrange can easily keep up with Control and there’s a few of them.
Control Deck Sample
This is Edmond C's Deck from a Big Tournament called CCS 8K Tournament. Ruby Amethyst in general have been dominant since Set 1 and it still is. It's only gonna get better and better every set as it get more upgrades. This deck is so well rounded and has tools to survive early game against Aggro.
Now comes Late Game, Control decks like this are almost unbeatable. Cards like 003-112, 002-110, and 001-113 have so much value. Just think about it, you play 1 card to remove 1 of their cards from the board. If they wanna remove these characters, they would have to spend 1-2 cards to get rid of It. It is guaranteed to get value most of the time since you are trading 1 card for 2-3 cards from your opponent.
This deck also has a board wipe card that I mentioned earlier in this Guide. Be Prepared is your reset button card that allows you to catch up and reset the board if you are behind. With the right timing, this one card can get 2-3+ cards out of the board from your opponent.
Other Variants of Control
After discussing Control Decks - Fundamentals and How to Master it, there are other variants of control that I wanna mention. These Decks have the same core game plan but usually with a different playstyle and ways of finishing the game.
Here are some sample Variants of Control:
Mill Control
Mill Decks are Decks that has a very unique Win Condition. It's all about buying time and Controling the Board while using cards the make your Opponents Draw as Much as possible. The reason behind this is that the win condition of this deck is to make them draw all their cards from their deck. In Lorcana and most other card games, the rule is if you don't have any cards to draw anymore from your deck, you automatically lose.
OTK Combo Control
OTK means One Turn Kill. The goal of this deck is to control the board and buy as much time as you can to get the combination of cards that you need to finish the game in One Turn.
Ramp Control
Ramp is a playstyle that makes you play cards that can Increase your Ink more than the 1 Ink per turn that you are allowed with the basic Lorcana rules. Once you have a lot of ink, you can play bigger and better high cost Characters or Actions that have so much Value. This Deck is usually also the weakest against Hyper Aggro Decks that can finish the game by Turn 5. Since these decks usually don't develop a good board until mid and Late Game. Especially if you don't draw your Board Wipe Card in time.
Conculsion
Playing Control is playing the Game of Resources. It's all about buying time for the late game and Out Resourcing your opponent through cards that can get so much value later on. The Power Spikes that you get the later the game goes can't be matched by any other Archetypes in the Game. No matter what Variant you are playing, the same Goal applies. Buy time for your Late Game Win Condition.
I hope you learned something and enjoyed this Guide. If you do, don't forget to check out our Hompage Lorcana.GG, to find more Disney Lorcana Content. Other than that, I will see you all on the next one!
