I have been playing Duel of Champions for several months and have reached Champion I. Throughout my journey from Squire to Champion I, I have learned some hard lessons about building decks. I hope beginners can use this guide to accelerate their progress in this game.

Players can choose to build their decks with a minimum of 59 cards each and a maximum of 209 cards per deck. Competitive decks in Standard are usually optimised for 59 cards. For beginners, it is often tempting to fill a deck with powerful cards without regard to the overall deck size. However, doing so will dilute the quality of the entire deck because it lowers the consistency of each draw. Usually, most duels end before either player has drawn 59 cards. Therefore, cards that were not drawn are generally irrelevant to the outcome of the game. Put simply, just because a card is in one's deck, does not guarantee that the card will be used in duels. Also, since there is a limit of 4 cards with the same name, adding more cards decreases the probability of drawing any particular card. Indeed, this issue is more significant for unique cards. Therefore, a smaller deck makes your draws and opening hand more consistent. Having consistent draws will make it easier for you to achieve the goals of your deck.

In this game, casting a card from one's hand to the battlefield requires satisfying the card's supply and level requirements. However, these are just the explicit card costs. The implicit costs are the ones that exist while the card hides in one's deck. Each turn, players draw a limited number of cards. The implicit cost of a card is the opportunity cost of pulling that card instead of another card. For instance, Fate Weaver with 4 attack, 4 retaliation, 8 health, and a bunch of cool effects may seem like a very powerful card. However, if you draw that card during your first turn, then it would be considered a “dead card” (no relationship to its faction, Necropolis). In other words, that card sits in your hand doing nothing because there is no way for you to play it for several turns.

Generally, you want to have as many options as possible during each turn. However, that does not imply that you should fill your entire deck with low-cost cards. They are less useful than expensive cards during the latter stage of the game. Instead, when building your deck, try to make sure that you have a well-balanced portfolio of cards at all stages of the games.

Here are some practical guidelines to supplement the theories posted above.

• In general, half of a deck’s cards should be composed of creature cards. Creature cards are more effective than other cards over a long period of time. For example, the one-supply Fire Bolt does two damage. Similarly, Maniac is a 2/1/2 creature that costs the same resources. However, if left unchecked, the Maniac can do far more than two damage cumulatively over many turns.

• A deck should contain some instant removals. The disadvantage of creatures compared to spells is that the former cannot attack until the turn after you have summoned them. Therefore, some instant spells such as Soul Reaver are needed to remove imminent threats. Some spells have the added advantage of being able to destroy creatures regardless of their supply cost. Therefore, a 4-supply Lightning Bolt can remove a 5-supply Deep Mountain Giant.

• Most decks can benefit from the inclusion of area-of-effect ("AoE") spells that can destroy multiple targets. For example, the 3-supply Geyser spell has the potential to destroy 4 enemy creatures. Such cards, when played well, can give you a massive lead in creature presence.

• Try to synergize the level and supply requirements of your cards. Base Set II has 300 different cards. Most of them have different casting conditions. Fortunes usually require destiny, spells require magic, and creatures require might. Some cards may need a combination of all three. Usually, your hero can level up one of the three talents each turn. Therefore, it is important for your cards to have requirements that scale effectively. Otherwise, you might not be able to play most of your hand due to their different casting requirements.

Thanks for reading this guide. I hope you will have more success in this game.

Here is my referral code if you still have not received your free starter decks!

https://signup.duelofchampions.com/portal/index/DOC_world_02_0010_06_200_12_0614_00?refId=NA7Z8N