Shiyana has yet to make a mark on the competitive Blitz scene. However, she does provide some awesome potential for combinations. The list I’m about to show you here moves away from the low-cost builds I’ve played in the past, such as this build I brought to the New Zealand Nationals in 2020. Instead, we're looking to play some beefier hits- sometimes you just really just want to throw some haymakers!- relying on mid- to high-cost cards with either go again or with impactful on-hit effects.
The Decklist
Weapons
- Talishar, the Lost Prince (1)
Equipment
- Arcanite Skullcap (1)
- Fyendal's Spring Tunic (1)
- Gambler's Gloves (1)
- Goliath Gauntlet (1)
- Heartened Cross Strap (1)
- Ironhide Gauntlet (1)
- Mage Master Boots (1)
- Nullrune Boots (1)
- Nullrune Gloves (1)
- Nullrune Hood (1)
Loadout
- Arknight Shard (Blue) (1)
- Come to Fight (Red) (2)
- Come to Fight (Blue) (2)
- Command and Conquer (Red) (2)
- Crippling Crush (Red) (1)
- Endless Winter (Red) (2)
- Energy Potion (Blue) (1)
- Enlightened Strike (Red) (2)
- Herald of Judgment (Yellow) (2)
- Last Ditch Effort (Blue) (2)
- Lesson in Lava (Yellow) (1)
- Out Muscle (Red) (2)
- Pummel (Red) (2)
- Pummel (Blue) (2)
- Pursuit of Knowledge (Blue) (2)
- Raging Onslaught (Yellow) (1)
- Raging Onslaught (Blue) (2)
- Show Time! (Blue) (1)
- Sink Below (Red) (2)
- Soul Reaping (Red) (1)
- Spark of Genius (Yellow) (1)
- Teklo Core (Blue) (1)
- Tome of Fyendal (Yellow) (1)
- Unmovable (Blue) (2)
- Zealous Belting (Yellow) (2)
This deck runs fairly similarly to a Bravo list. You are looking to attack twice with plays like Enlightened Strike, Zealous Belting, or Out Muscle followed by a second attack. Alternatively, you can play a single attack with a pump like Pummel, Come to Fight, or Goliath Gauntlet.
The strength in this dual mode style of attacking will be in convincing your opponent that you do or don’t have the Pummel, forcing awkward blocks that can punish, similar to a Dorinthea deck.
Most of these plays will require 4+ resources, which will usually require 4 or more cards for the turn. This will not be feasible every turn, so to achieve this, you will need to use your off turns to play resource-gaining items like the Energy Potion or the Teklo Core, or making your plays on a Tunic turn. If you think you will not have the time for multiple Tunic turns, you can opt for the Heartened Cross Strap, which essentially acts as another Energy Potion.
Why Shiyana?
So why would we play this deck if it is just trying to do what other decks already do?
If you're looking to take 1st place at an event, the answer is, you shouldn’t. But if you’re looking to find neat interactions- such as an out of nowhere Lessons in Lava against an opponent with no arcane barrier, hitting your Kano opponent with a Herald of Judgment to stop them playing from their hero activations, or even pitching an Arknight Shard to play a Crippling Crush- Shiyana can give you a variety of unique experiences.
Give her a go, and try variations and modifications to the deck and strategy- being more aggressive, or setting up for combo lines. Shiyana really unlocks in an Ultimate Pit Fight, where she has multiple heroes to copy, so if you have one of those on the horizon don't pass up the opportunity!
