I have always wanted to build a Shadow Paladin deck since they were introduced in the anime, but the clan didn’t have a lot of cards that appealed to me at the time. The clan did not receive a lot of support in season two. Shadow Paladins quickly fell off the radar. They are making a thunderous comeback in season three! Purgatory Revenger put Shadow Paladins on the competitive stage. The trial deck introduces the Revengers.
The Deck’s Featured Cards
The three main cards I wanted from the trial deck are Blaster Dark Revenger, Nullity Revenger, Masquerade, and Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom. Blaster Dark Revenger’s foil looks really good. He has the best foil that I have seen from a trial deck. The a disappointing fact about the trial deck is Nullity Revenger, Masquerade being a common. He is the third most sought out card in the deck after Blaster Dark Revenger and Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom. Bushiroad should have made him a rare instead of Venomous Breath Dragon.
The Game Plan
The trial deck’s strategy is based on Blaster Dark Revenger and Mordred Phantom and they are a fantastic duo. The pair have always worked in perfect harmony since their days as Blaster Dark and Phantom Blaster Dragon. Mordred Phantom’s Break Ride skill allows you to superior call Blaster Dark Revenger from the deck and uses his skill to retire an opponent’s units in the front row.
However, the trial deck’s only strategy is simply Mordred Phantom’s Break Ride skill and is vanilla outside it. Unlike previous decks there is not a strategy based on the clan’s theme. Shadow Paladins are known for retiring units for power or skills. I’m very surprised there isn’t a card in the deck that has a skill to gain power by retiring units.
Lacking A Boss
The trial deck’s main problem is not having a good Revenger boss besides Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom. Venomous Breath Dragon is not a Revenger so Blaster Dark and Masquerade are unable to use their powerful skills with Venomous Breath Dragon as the vanguard. Labyright Revenger, Arawn is the only option to break ride on top of Mordred Phantom and that’s not very good. Arawn’s skill is very mediocre for a vanguard. However, you need to break ride him to use Blaster Dark Revenger’s and Masquerade’s skills.
The Final Word
I really like what Purgatory Revenger brings to the table. The Shadow Paladins finally have a consistent and competitive deck. It provides the building blocks for a strong deck. I can continue to build upon it with Revenger units from booster packs. The trial deck lacks typical Shadow Paladin units, but this is not a major problem because Revenger, Raging Form Dragon is in the following set Binding Force of the Black Rings.
Trial Deck Rating: [usr 4]
