Rakoan Control

An entrenching attack buff deck that aims to make the most out of Rakoan Reveller. I don't think this deck is anywhere near competitve, and is mostly just for fun. Consider this a sort-of step in the right direction for what a rokoan control deck might look like in the future. When you manage to get this deck to pop off, you'll notice some pretty interesting synergies.

For the mulligan, you primarily want earthcraft and longhorn, but your deepwood stalkers and roakoan revellers can be fine, too. It's just that you would rather your other cheap collectors to inherit the longhorn's attack, and I will get more into that later. Worst case scenario, you end up with a hard mulligan of chieftains, salamanders and firestorms. This is the primary weakness of this deck. It is VERY draw dependent. Now that's not to say that you couldn't utilize those cards effectively, but it would be difficult to get the lands and faeria to play them.

Land placement is key to this deck. Build towards your wells, and almost never push out, because of the tactical nature of your buffs, having lands completely surrounding the orb is optimal. The tile directly in front of your orb should be a mountain for playing your boulder thrower (one of your win conditions), or any creature in the event that you have a grappling hook or your cannon carrier (essentially your other win conditions). A forest should be placed in either the two o'clock or eleven o'clock positions relative to the tile directly in front of your orb (two tiles out from your orb) to give you a spot for playing those giant stalkers, able to be buffed by the barracks and chieftains, and they're even better in the event that they inherit the longhorns attack. In addition these tiles can make for some big salamander plays. The best tiles for the barracks are on either side of, and directly next to, your orb. Be careful where you place the deserts, because they are essentially dead lands.

So where does the Rakoan Reveller fit into all of this? Well, mostly all I've talked about is how you'll surround yourself in a cocoon of attack buffs and never win (which is where your aoe comes into play), but the revellers mainly serve as a deterrence; they can trade up, and you'll gain faeria equal to it's attack. If your opponent lets your reveller stay on board long enough, then it becomes a trade that almost no one wants to take. This can lead to some pretty stale-matey positions, which is why there is so much removal.

What can you do to make this deck less slow and painful? Well, you probably don't need as many chieftains and salamanders. For a control deck, it is lacking in first turn collectors. Besides all that, there are interesting tech options you might consider. Doomsday can be good. but it's pretty situational. Hold the line might give you a first turn collector if you play second, and it doesn't run the risk of receiving the longhorn buff since it's an event. There are a number of ranged options if you find that you aren't able to push enough damage, such as flamethrowers and flamesilk faeries. The point is, none of this list is set in stone, and it's purpose is to theory craft, and get the community's creative juices flowing when it comes to the intriguing mechanic of the Rakoan Reveller.