Taking Aim: Matchup Guide

Against Levia, you have an additional method of winning the game: if you can turn off Levia’s hero ability or force her to block with enough of her cards, she can lose the game to her own blood debt.

I try to maintain a steady amount of pressure, pushing through damage each turn, while putting more emphasis on protecting my own life points than usual. The aim is to slow down the game so that it lasts more rounds, allowing your opponent to build up more blood debt in their banished zone.

Once they have built up large amounts of blood debt in their banished zone, then use a Nock the Deathwhistle to bring out a dominated Sleep Dart, ending the game by turning off their hero ability. Alternatively, if Levia drops down low enough in life, you can simply maintain a constant pressure, forcing her to block so much that she doesn’t have the cards left on her own turn to activate her hero ability.

Another important consideration is that Levia will often run a Carrion Husk in this matchup, which can prevent you from landing your Sleep Dart. A good way around this is to use Razor Reflex, or to bait out the use of their Carrion Husk earlier in the game with another strong on-hit effect.

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This matchup isn’t too bad. Azalea doesn’t block very often, so Intimidate isn’t that concerning.

On average, if you are playing your deck properly, you should be doing more damage then your opponent. Therefore, you will get them into a tight spot first. Once you have them on low life, you just need to find one of your end-of-game plays to finish them off.

Be sure not to drop to two life- otherwise you could lose the game to Reckless Swing! Arsenal your defense reactions if you are getting behind so you that you can block no matter what they do to your hand.

Bravo has a lot of powerful control effects that can make it hard for Azalea to respond. Although you still want to play aggressively, you also need the option to stop Bravo’s big attacks.

In this matchup, I try to end my turn with a defense reaction in my arsenal as often as possible. Take Cover is especially strong for getting around Dominate, as you can use it to load another defense reaction into your arsenal to subsequently defend with.

Bravo usually opts to play more defensively against Azalea to use up all her attack cards before she can win the game; therefore it's good to use Increase the Tension and Remorseless with Dominate to get around this. I also include Remembrance in my list against Bravo to help cycle more attacks back into my deck when I am running low.

Going wide against Bravo is important as he usually runs big defense reactions like Unmovable, which are less effective at preventing a wide amount of damage. Try to bait out your opponent’s defense on less important cards so that you can get your on-hit effects off when your opponent runs out of cards to block with.

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Like the other Elemental heroes, Oldhim can be played in very different builds, depending on the combination of Elements chosen.

Ice Oldhim will try to slow Azalea down while slowly damaging her over many turns. Against this build, you need to use your cards effectively, making sure you aren’t wasting cards on turns where your opponent can block without expending any cards. If you play aggressively and apply consistent pressure, it is possible to take control of the game, forcing Oldhim into a defensive position with very little damage in return. However, if Oldhim pulls out a card like Blizzard or Channel Lake Frigid, he can easily turn that around- so be prepared for a long battle of wits!

Against a more aggressive Oldhim, you can be a little more defensive, playing your aggressive turns while they are trying to set up. When they get out a card like Channel Mount Heroic, Emerging Avalanche, or Strength of Sequoia, that is your signal to throw a control effect at them and force a block.

If you are planning on running this deck in a big event, make sure you get plenty of practice against a range of Oldhim decks to build your confidence in this matchup.

Prism is a tough matchup for Azalea, with the hardest part being the end game. Using her Spectral Shields, it is very easy for Prism to avoid your strong on-hit effects and get around Dominate.

Against Prism, it is important to be as aggressive as possible, not giving them any chance to build up auras, but also being prepared to stop her big Herald of Erudition turns. Having 7-power cards like Barraging Brawnhide and Raging Onslaught is enough to resist Prism’s big turns without slowing down your deck.

If possible, it can be beneficial to keep an action point at the end of your turns with one card left in hand. This means that when you pass priority at the end of your turn, if your opponent puts down an aura, you have the opportunity to respond by using your action point to attack it. Even though your last card might not be a zero-cost attack, this threat will help you pressure your opponent.

In the late game, you need to try and predict your opponent’s hand in order to play around it and win the game. Use Razor Reflex sparingly, and try to get your opponent to waste defense on your initial attacks so that your final attack can sneak damage through. Often at this point in the game, having your Snapdragon Scalers can be the difference between winning and losing.

To play around Arc Light Sentinel in the late game, start your turns by using an attack with go again, rather than using Skullbone Crosswrap. This will make it disadvantageous for your opponent to play Arc Light Sentinel, as you will still be able to get damage through if they played it and then used their remaining card or two to block.

Playing against Dash is like racing against a clock: the aim is to win before Dash can get enough of her items out.

Using cards like Increase the Tension and Remorseless allow you to avoid your opponent’s defense reactions. If you play very aggressively and only block damage when necessary, then it isn’t a very difficult matchup to win.

If you find yourself up against a Boost-focused Dash, the strategy still remains the same: try to out-damage your opponent. The most effective tool against your opponent is Red in the Ledger. If you can attack your opponent with a dominated Red in the Ledger and a card that adds damage, then you push damage through and your opponent can’t respond with anything threatening on their turn.

Kastu is one of the hardest heroes for Azalea to play against. With Flic Flak, he can get around your tall arrows as well as your wide turns with lots of go again. To get around this, use Increase the Tension, Remorseless, and Exude Confidence to weaken his ability to defend.

It is important to understand the cost, damage, and effects of each of the cards in a Ninja combo when you see it starting. This knowledge will help you weigh the total damage of the incoming wave of attacks, and determine when blocking will save you considerably more life than first apparent.

Red in the Ledger is good for shutting down your opponent's turns, but can also be used as a way of baiting out your opponent's defense, so you can get off more damage. Sometimes it's worthwhile to reveal a Red in the Ledger with Skullbone Crosswrap so that your opponent holds onto their defense cards- but then use a weaker attack rather than Red in the Ledger, saving it for another turn.

If you drop down below five health against Katsu, you will likely lose the game. You need to focus on finding a way of finishing him off before then; otherwise you will be stuck wasting your cards on blocking to survive.

In the mirror match, you need to avoid being hit by Red in the Ledger and Remorseless. focus on attacking as much as possible. Azalea lacks a strong defense; therefore she will be forced to take damage the majority of the time so that she can respond with an attack the following turn.

Look at your hand each turn and decide on the strategy that deals the most damage, while also setting up the following turn. If you can attack with a dominated Red in the Ledger for at least eight damage, take it! You are almost guaranteed to deal damage to your opponent without them having an opportunity to attack you back with more than about four damage the following turn.

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Playing against Lexi is very similar to playing a mirror match against another Azalea. The difference, however, is that Lexi has access to her own unique control effects and can play very wide or very tall. The catch is that she isn’t as good as Azalea at merging the two- but she is much better at guaranteeing Dominate when going tall, or guaranteeing Go Again when going wide!

Although Lexi’s control effects pose a big threat to Azalea, the same can be said in reverse. With enough consistent pressure and on-hit control, Azalea can use her opting from Skullbone Crosswrap and “draw a card” from Death Dealer to gain significant advantage against Lexi. If Lexi draws into a bad hand, it is more punishing to her than if the same happens to Azalea.

Briar poses a unique threat to Azalea. If you have the mindset of taking all her attacks so you can swing big and strike with a Red in the Ledger, you need to be aware of her Embodiment of Earth tokens. Non-attack actions will normally have only two defense, with some having three; so when calculating the damage needed to hit with a dominated arrow, assume your opponent has a three defense non-attack action in hand and calculate their total defense with Embodiment of Earth tokens added. I find it better to go wide against Briar, as her Embodiment of Earth tokens become more effective on single attacks.

Another thing to keep in mind is her ability to do more than one arcane damage. Try to keep Bull’s Eye Bracers and Skullbone Crosswrap unbroken in the late game, so you have the option of blocking all her arcane damage when necessary.

Finally, if ever she attacks with Blossoming Spellblade, you need to think very carefully about defending it. There are ways for Briar to draw through her entire deck and deal over 40 damage with just one Blossoming Spellblade, so prevent the arcane damage if possible and block the attack, accounting for added damage from cards like Amulet of Earth. If Briar is running Mark of Lightning, it may be worth preventing the arcane damage- and not blocking the attack- as to avoid the Mark of Lightning trigger.

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Chane was my least favourite matchup for Azalea before the ban, but now it feels a lot more balanced.

Playing offensively and defensively both have negative consequences in the late game. I tend to go completely aggressive against Chane, using Sleep Dart, Remorseless, and Red in the Ledger to apply consistent pressure for my opponent to block and have weaker turns.

Forcing my opponent to use their Carrion Husk to block an arrow earlier in the game usually gives me better odds at winning in the late game. Without Carrion Husk, it is much easier to get a dominated effect arrow to hit.

Razor Reflex is your best friend in this matchup and should be saved for your effect arrows. Being able to get Red in the Ledger to hit your opponent can force them to take blood debt damage and stop them from creating Soul Shackles. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to your opponent having massive attacks in the following turn, so it is important to attack your opponent as much as you can in the turn following your Red in the Ledger hitting.

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Usually, a Viserai player sets up runechants on one turn before attacking the following turn. Against this kind of player, you just need to play safe on their aggressive turns but punish them hard on their off turns. Make sure you have a card in arsenal ready for their off turns- then unleash as many attacks as possible.

If your opponent is consistently having off turns, then you may be up against a form of “One Turn Kill” Viserai deck. Against these decks, it is a race to the finish line. They can play fairly defensively, so you need to use your dominates and attack reactions to get as much damage through as possible. It is also important to bait out their defense on weaker attacks, so that more damage can get through. When you get into the late game against this deck, you will need to use Red in the Ledger to pressure them into blocking to try and hold off their big combo turn.

Boltyn can be just as aggressive as Azalea, if not more; but he has a lot of effects that rely on being blocked. Do your best to avoid blocking while trying to outmatch your opponent’s damage. Aim to use your strong effect arrows as a means of turning the tide of the game when you’re behind or want to get further ahead. If Boltyn builds up a large soul, begin to assess every turn as though he might have Beacon of Victory and block accordingly.

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Dorinthea is a surprisingly easy matchup for Azalea, who tends to only defend with defense reactions from arsenal. That forces Dorinthea to hold onto her attack reactions.

It is generally safe to let Dorinthea build up one or two counters on Dawnblade, as long as you can deal more damage in response or threaten an effect like Red in the Ledger’s.

If Dawnblade gets two or more counters on it, you can use your entire hand to block as long as you know that it is impossible for your opponent to go over your defense with attack reactions. Just add up the possible resources they have left and pretend they have the strongest possible hand. If they can’t go over your defense without using up their final resource, which they need for activating Dawnblade, then it is safe to block.

If ever you draw an unusable hand against Dorinthea, it can be worthwhile to use the opportunity to block with all your cards.

Having only two arcane barrier across your equipment, Kano can be a difficult matchup for Azalea. Also, with most of the deck being red pitch cards, you are forced to race Kano to win the game. My advice is to focus on doing as much damage as you possibly can, finishing each turn with an attack from either Red in the Ledger, Sleep Dart, or Remorseless if possible.

Both Remorseless and Red in the Ledger affect Kano’s use of action cards, even if he is playing those action cards at instant speed. Ending your turn with these arrow attacks will force Kano to decide whether he is going to defend with his cards, use them to cast instant speed actions before the effects resolve, or keep his cards and have a bad turn. All these outcomes are beneficial to you winning the game.

When it gets to the late game, don’t be foolish. You may be able to play your entire hand and win the game, but if you have no cards left in hand, Kano can unleash arcane damage upon you without you being able to block it before your attack resolves. It is good to hold onto two cards in hand when threatening lethal damage, as this will give you the ability to block Kano if he goes all in, or threaten a Razor Reflex if he tries to block. Even if you don’t have Razor Reflex in hand, your opponent will have to work around the possibility that you could have one.

Finally, use Exude Confidence as another sneaky way to punish your opponent. If you play Exude Confidence when your opponent has low life, then you have a good chance at winning. Kano will either try and win the game before Exude Confidence resolves, or they will need to overblock the Exude Confidence in case you have a Razor Reflex and enough pitch to bump up the damage. If they try to win the game and fail, under-block Exude Confidence and you bump the damage, or overblock it and you use Snapdragon Scalers to make another attack, then you will win the game.