Today Cygames announced Rebirth of Glory, which is Shadowverse’s 12th expansion. With only a few weeks left in the Steel Rebellion meta, the majority of the crafts are likely to see a big change in identity soon. Here is a wishlist of things it would be nice to see in
Neutral Cards
In my Steel Rebellion Wish List, I was hoping for neutral cards to play a bigger role in Shadowverse. At the time, Cocytus was the only truly impactful card, and it wasn’t applicable to most decks. Fortunately, I got exactly what I was hoping for with the new Machina and evolve cards. Now you can find at least one of these in every deck, even if they aren’t focused on machina or Zeus as win conditions.
From here, it would be nice to see some more neutral machina support. It’s hard for there to be too much of a good thing here since all of the crafts utilize these cards. More neutral support is good for everyone, and with very few relevant cards rotating out, half of most decks could be neutral by the time Rebirth of Glory is said and done.
Forestcraft
I asked for more Korwa support last time and I got it. Korwa still doesn’t have a tutor but is now a much more flexible card thanks to the evolution package. Now with only one more set until Korwa rotates out, its time to look towards the future.
Forestcraft could still have one of the premier aggro decks if it gets just a little more support. I think that there isn’t a craft closer to having a complete aggro deck than Forest, it just needs more tools. Of course, quite a few aggro tools are about to rotate out, so it’s possible that aggro forest has already missed this boat. A reprint of Crystalia Aerin could help enhance the forest evolution package, which will make control forest even more viable. At this point, control might be the only future for forest.
Swordcraft
Swordcraft has the luxury of being one of the most versatile decks in the game. The next expansion could easily lead to it continuing its reign as midrange king. It’s not losing too much, and it seems that the craft always gets fantastic midrange tools.
I’d like to see the deck leave midrange a bit more and focus on being more tempo oriented. Ambush Sword has the potential to make the game unenjoyable for many players, while the treasure system is a bit too luck-based for my liking. I’d like a strong sword archetype that emphasizes both commanders and officers again, rather than just officers. Steel Rebellion was a step in the right direction.
Runecraft
Runecraft is in an interesting spot right now. While Mysteria was hell during Altersphere, this latest set has seen a return of spellboosting and lucky hands. Rune has quite a few cool win conditions present, and I’d like to see them get utilized more. Prophetess of Creation is a crazy fun card to build around and currently doesn’t feel too cheap.
Cost reduction is what I would like to see less of. While Prophetess could be an incredibly fun deck, new cards like the ones introduced in Altersphere’s mini-expansion could result in everything going downhill. No one wants to see dimension shift make a return, but that’s always a possibility with Runecraft.
Dragoncraft
Man, Dragoncraft was scary at the beginning of Steel Rebellion. Ramp got a little out of hand with the Annerose + Core combo, and I would like to see little to no ramp support in this latest set. Instead, we are still in need of some strong aggro decks in rotation, and Dragoncraft is pretty close to having the tools it needs.
Obviously, Dragoncraft can continue to hone the disdain package, which is already terrifying when everything clicks. Dragoncraft is one of three crafts that’s in a dangerous position (The other two are Forest and Portal) because the right kind of support in rotation will break unlimited. I’m not sure how to give Dragon what it needs, but I’m sure everyone that isn’t a Dragon main wants to see ramp fall a tier or two for a few months.
Shadowcraft
Shadowcraft needed some help in the last set, and it certainly got it. Now the craft is dangerous with both standard midrange and Arcus. However, this is likely to change with Arcus rotating out in just a couple of weeks. The obvious guess for Shadowcraft’s future is midrange. What I would like to see is some more reanimate support. Just go full zombie, please.
Nephthys still hasn’t been reprinted. This is tragic, so it would be nice to see her make a return. Still, I can’t see SHadowcraft getting much control support, so this kind of deck wouldn’t even be viable for a set or two. I can’t deny that it would be nice to see her make a return though.
Bloodcraft
I predicted that hand buffing would be the future of Bloodcraft, and it looks like I missed the mark for Steel Rebellion. I’m not giving up on it though, because an OTK with this playstyle is so satisfying. For this to work, the deck just needs a little more support.
I’d also like to see vengeance be relevant again. Belphegor is overdue for a reprinting, so maybe we will finally see Blood go back to its original identity. Vengeance isn’t the only thing I want for Blood though. Now that Urias finally has a relevant Medusa card now is the time to go all in serpent support. What’s even better is this wouldn’t break unlimited. An absolute win!
Havencraft
I guess Havencraft is going to have to become an aggressive tempo-oriented deck. Lions or leaving. Tenko is leaving. The only thing that can save Havencraft now are the bunnies. Maybe a 1-drop focus is on the way.
The return of storm haven would be welcome as well. Haven has a lot of neat storm cards that could be reprinted. I’d also like to see more cool amulets to give Tzekibaba a fitting farewell before he rotates. Even some good tutor cards could do all of these potential Haven builds be viable.
Portalcraft
It’s okay to be afraid of Portalcraft, right? The craft is so powerful in unlimited that any new additions to this set could break everything. My wish for Portalcraft is to make Deus Ex Machina a one drop if things get out of hand.
Portalcraft is in a good spot in both rotation and unlimited, and while I don’t think it is overpowering at all in rotation, I feel like it could be. Lishenna and Maisha are already great together, and a way to help Portalcraft fulfill one of those win conditions could be devastating for everyone else. I just want a good Portalcraft that isn’t too good.
Closing Thoughts
Steel Rebellion is my favorite set since Brigade of the Sky, and I hope that Rebirth of Glory can find a way to match it. Everything feels fresh, and for the first time, just about every craft seems to be going in the right direction. Well, every craft except Forest and maybe even Haven. Someone, please help those two.
