Nearing the Horizon: Sandscour Azalea Reaches Shore

While we thankfully avoided the very real threat of hitting Living Legend before High Seas infused the Ranger class with desperately needed new tools, Azalea is nonetheless on track to rotate out of Classic Constructed before long. And while Marlynn's high-cost harpoons and cannon have more in common with a Sandscour build than a Death Dealer one, it must nonetheless be acknowledged that this type of deck - one with absolute control over which disruption we apply each turn - is in its final days.

So let's give it a strong finish.

Before we get into it, some context.

First, if you're not familiar with Sandscour Azalea (and at this point, I've got to ask, why aren't you reading my pamphlets?), you can get yourself up to speed with the following articles:

• Sandscour Horizon: The Re-Education of Azalea
• The State of Sandscour: Azalea's Alter Ego
• The Latest in Sandscour: Updating with the Armory Deck
• Sandscour Azalea: A Complete Guide (subscriber exclusive)

Sandscour Azalea is a control deck that must read the meta to succeed. So let's quickly assess the landscape. High Seas introduces 3 new heroes to CC: Marlynn, Puffin, and Gravy Bones. Current top-tier heroes include Florian, Cindra, Nuu, Fang, Kano, Verdance, Jarl Vetreidi, Marionette, and Prism. But recent bans to Count Your Blessings, Germinate, and Scepter of Pain are likely to change the standing of a few heroes. Also, the surprise un-banning of Bonds of Ancestry (R) may see Katsu returning to the competitive scene. So we need to anticipate the following:

• Arcane damage from Florian, Kano, and Verdance require an arcane barrier suite.
• Long games are the preferred gameplay of Florian, Nuu, Verdance, Jarl Vetreidi, and likely Marlynn; we need to apply enough pressure and disruption not to let them have their way.
• Cindra, Fang, Kano, and Marionette - and possibly Puffin - want to kill you fast; while we're bad at blocking beyond their pressure, we have incredible disruption that can accomplish the same goal.
• Prism is joined by Gravy Bones in the board state archetype, which we need to stay on top of.

Historically, we've struggled with fatigue; if Count Your Blessings was still legal, I'd have told you to leave Sandscour Azalea at home, which is exactly what I did during Pro Quest season. I honestly can't say that High Seas did much to help on that front, but LSS certainly did, and I have reason to believe we'll see the popularity of that particular strategy dwindle in the weeks ahead. If that happens, Sandscour should be well positioned into everything that remains.

High Seas added 18 Ranger cards to Azalea's card pool. Of those, I've incorporated 4 into my Leyline variant of the list.

Barbed Barrage answered the question, "How are we going to deal with Necromancer?" while also improving our matchup into Prism. Its additional cost is easily accommodated in our list, which runs 9 blues (with 6 of those wanting to cycle for late game). Barbed Barrage hardly needs buffs to accomplish its goal of removing an ally while keeping pressure on our opponent's hero; but the fact that both attacks scale simultaneously ensures that, even with a single buff, we can remove the most durable of Gravy's crewmates.

Drop the Anchor is another tool for dealing with a wide board of undead allies. This is a tech card for the moment (as all sideboard slots in Sandscour Azalea should really be considered), but does limit Puffin and Marlynn also, while having narrow applications against any rogue build that might explore the design space of 'exhausting your hero' (Brutes do be gettin' their sea legs, after all). For those keeping track at home, this card took the place of Lace with Frailty - but again, I suggest you watch your local meta carefully to determine which effects are most relevant for you.

Return Fire generated a lot of buzz when Carolina revealed the card last week. Taking the place of the ubiquitous Shelter from the Storm is no small feat, but even as the block card is unplayable from arsenal, I still can't deny its value. Not only is Return Fire effectively a buff card, it also stores an arrow safely out of your hand, away from the pesky disruption of Nuu, Jarl Vetreidi, and Arakni, Marionette. While we'll miss out on both aim and dominate for the turn, the potential for gaining 7 value off this card is too much to ignore.

Sealace Sarong may not make much sense in a narrative sense, but it's undeniable strategically. Reusable go again for our blue arrows is unbelievable value for a Ranger equipment, and doubly so when it's in the leg slot - which has never settled firmly on a best-in-slot equipment. While blue arrows were previously considered desperation shots, they now have a role as soft openers; if they manage to deal damage and apply their on-hit effects, all the better!

I like to keep the core of this list at 45, and side in 15 cards per match. With these new inclusions, we've removed Line It Up from the list and given its spot as a yellow 3-block buff to Prismatic Leyline. With go again available to our blue arrows inherently, Leyline's become a much more reliable card, and it's easier to justify using it in every game - even if we leave Bolt'n' Shot (Y) in the sideboard.  We've also added Sleep Dart (R) to the sideboard, after realizing its impact on a number of top tier heroes. 

If we run down the heroes mentioned above, we can pair them with arrows that counter them:

• Arakni, Marionette: Battering Bolt, Judge, Jury, Executioner, Red in the Ledger, Sleep Dart (R), Stone Rain
• Cindra: Barbed Undertow, Red in the Ledger, Remorseless, Sleep Dart (R), Stone Rain
• Fang: Battering Bolt, Judge, Jury, Executioner, Sleep Dart (R), Stone Rain
• Florian: Barbed Undertow, Battering Bolt, Judge, Jury, Executioner, Red in the Ledger, Sleep Dart (R), Stone Rain
• Gravy Bones: Barbed Barrage, Barbed Undertow, Judge, Jury, Executioner, Red in the Ledger, Sleep Dart (R), Stone Rain
• Jarl Vetreidi: Barbed Undertow, Heat Seeker, Judge, Jury, Executioner, Remorseless, Widowmaker (B)
• Kano: Barbed Undertow, Infecting Shot (R), Sleep Dart (R)
• Katsu: Barbed Undertow, Red in the Ledger, Sleep Dart (R), Stone Rain
• Marlynn: Heat Seeker, Red in the Ledger, Remorseless, Sleep Dart (R), Stone Rain, Widowmaker (B)
• Nuu: Barbed Undertow, Battering Bolt, Judge, Jury, Executioner, Red in the Ledger
• Prism: Barbed Barrage, Barbed Undertow, Battering Bolt, Infecting Shot (R), Murkmire Grapnel (R), Red in the Ledger, Sleep Dart (R)
• Puffin: Judge, Jury, Executioner, Red in the Ledger, Remorseless, Sleep Dart (R), Stone Rain
• Verdance: Barbed Undertow, Remorseless, Sleep Dart (R), Widowmaker (B)

For a thorough explanation of the strategy and lines of play - as well as matchup guidance for every class - you can check out my Pro Series article. Let's give Sandscour Azalea one last push to that Living Legend horizon.