This week I take a look at Sunsilk Faerie, a card that has nightmares about Groundshakers!
- 2 2 Flowersilk Faerie 3
- 2 1 Earthcraft 3
- 6 3 Last Nightmare 2
- 2 2 Sunsilk Faerie 3
- 2 2 Golden Aviary 3
- 2 2 Iona's Smile 3
- 3 2 Elderwood Embrace 3
- 2 2 Ruunin's Guidance 3
- 4 1 Drakkar Skycaptain 3
- 0 3 Flash Wind 3
- 4 2 Choking Sand 1
Card Spotlight - Sunsilk Faerie
The Card Spotlight series reviews cards that we don’t typically see in competitive play. In the spotlight I'll talk about each card’s strengths and what decks could use them. Be sure to check out the video where you can see the card in action!
Sunsilk Faerie
This cute, little ball of energy has had an interesting journey throughout Faeria’s life span. Sunsilk Faerie was once considered the worst Faerie of the four but now it’s probably the most played. At a glance Sunsilk is a cheap Flying creature that requires an event draw to trigger its ability. Once Sunsilk reaches its full potential it gains enhanced mobility with Charge and becomes a 4/2.
The Faerie cards come with a variety of abilities. Gemsilk is the worst because it’s so vulnerable to removal even when the ability triggers. Flowersilk is considered the best thanks to it’s durable Life increase when it activates. Finally Flamesilk is the most niche but can be devestating if left unanswered. All these cards have one thing in common; you must draw an Event to unlock their true potential. A common way to achieve this is to wait until you can play a Faerie and draw a card from the power wheel. There are other cards that can help such as Earthcraft and Wisdom.
What sets Sunsilk apart from its Faerie companions? The enchanced mobility and attack value. Sunsilk has the potential to push a lot of damage with support. Charge 3 combined with Flash Wind offers massive board control. This gives your Faerie a lot of options from pushing Orb damage to taking a clear. Golden Aviary extends Flamesilk Faerie’s reach even further, pushing the card up to 6 Attack. 6 Attack destroys a lot of popular creatures including Groundshaker, Ancient Herald, Grove Guardian and more.
Why play Sunsilk Faerie?
The card gives you a mobile, aggressive creature that can switch between offense and defense easily thanks to Charge 3. Of course there is a downside which is a universal problem for all Faeries’. Every Faerie is a magnet to removal. Faeries’ often dream of wonderful lands above the sky and resting peacefully in the comfort of their dreams. And yet, the land tremors and the Faeries’ know what’s coming… Their greatest fear…
I don’t recall a Faeria meta-game without Groundshaker. This card has been a staple in Red decks for a very long time and I can’t see this changing any time soon. Groundshaker stops you from playing Faeries without a way to trigger the power up. The harsh reality is that removal is always a constant threat for Faerie cards. Even colours like Green can use Falcon Dive or Emperor’s Command to clear a base Faerie.
This can make Sunsilk and other Faeries’ seem really bad but I assure you they can be very deadly. Sunsilk with mobility can push a lot of damage and catch your opponent off guard. This is why we see the card in the Annoying Gnat decks. Gnats like to keep a strong board presence with Golden Aviary and Sunsilk is a strong game finisher.
Decks
There are two stand out decks for Sunsilk Faerie.
The first is the Annoying Gnats build featured in Episode 14 of Deck Doctor. If you’d like to learn how to play this deck then be sure to check it out.
For this week’s episode I played Cappuccino’s Green Yellow Faeries. This deck uses power ups to overwhelm the board or push massive amounts of damage.
Conclusion
Overall I’d say Sunsilk Faerie is a decent card with a glaring weakness to removal. In Cappuccino’s list the Drakkar Skycaptain helps with that issue. The explosive damage possibilities with Sunsilk makes the card a good choice for aggressive strategies.