User blog comment:TAGDavid/Demon Construct/@comment-26069426-20150817150643/@comment-26069426-20150818142128

It's a long post, so I'm going to go point by point to make sure I cover everything...

* As this is a defensive deck, items aren't too important.

The reason why I have Phoenix Radiation and Alcsbane is because Maji Demon Slay blocks my center area. I won't be able to call a monster to the center to protect me, so Alerta is out of the question.

Dominion Rod does have its advantages, but it does render the impact useless. Though, the impact wasn't really important anyway.*

First point I want to make: when you build your deck to combat particular cards, that's all your deck is going to do. If Maji Demon Slay blocks your center, then you deal with it, or lose. You can think of all the edge cases you want but you're never going to build a deck that's always going to win, or never have a bad match-up. Celebrate that part of the game. The diversity is what makes it fun.

It sounds like you're leaning toward Dominion Rod... so play Dominion Rod at 4 and get rid of the impact. Now you have 3 spots open you can fill with a size 1 Golem or something.

* Dangerous Fuse is a card that plays the game of chance. I don't like playing games of chances, even though it can either be a wash or +1, it reveals a card to my opponent as well. If I can't get what I want, I throw it away. *

If you don't like the game of Chance, you're playing the wrong world. The whole spirit of Katana--ahem, Dungeon World is that you're playing a game inside of a game. Dungeon World has the Anime characters as Adventurers. Dungeon World is breaking the fourth wall. So if you want consistency, you'd be better served in a different world. As a Dungeon World player myself, the more chance I can pack into my deck, the more fun I know I'm going to have. It's the world I play when I want to un-salt.

That being said. Play it. Or not. It'll either +1, or give you the gauge you're looking for.

* Pillar of Fire is a delayed card, when my center is popped open, at least I can still use it. Though, you have a point. So, 2 Pillar of Fire and 4 Hidden Crossbow instead maybe? *

Sounds like a fair ratio. Problem I have with running Pillar at 2 is consistency. You need an open center. What are the chances you'll draw into that card when your center also happens to be open and you can afford 1 gauge for it and your opponent's monster has a defense less than 6,000. I'd side Pillar of Fire and pull it out against decks where it can have a real impact.

* Smile Charm doesn't do enough. The 1 life gain isn't important, as for gauge. I have One Gauge Demon. *

That's your call. Just remember, life gain is rare in your build, and 1 life can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing. And lets not forget the lifelink.

* The reason why my monsters have scattered ratios is because with Demon Lord's Dungeon as well as Mech Army Demon Lord, Agos Marh, I have the choice of reviving anything I want from the drop zone. So it's not that important. *

I see that you're trying to build a toolbox deck, but you're tooling the wrong zone, bud. Yeah, you can pull from the drop, but that's end game play. For the strategy you want to employ, you need to pull from deck. Otherwise, you're just never going to draw into what you need to build your play. Essentially, you'll be waiting for end game.

* Mazubaha, yeah, he isn't important. More Keith is an option, but Lifelink 2 is a little scary. Having enough Dungeon Enemies in hand is also a problem as well. Jade Golem Shyatan is a good replacement for Mazubaha however.

Steel Golem Futoff, although is a nice wall, Lifelink 2 is still scary and I wouldn't want certain cards ruining my day like Tenbu. 9000 Is still a good wall, but Alerta does have the problem of not being able to attack. *

I'd say get the size 1 golem and Shyatan into your deck to improve your Construct arrangement. And Alerta is great, but you need to make sure you've got something in front of Alerta that can take a beating. Like Fluud.

* Demon Lord's Dungeon covers my Size 1s and Size 0s, so instead of Nasr, I'd rather use Dachs, Cobalt instead. *

Demon Lord's Dungeon only gets you 1 card though... support Construct and Agos Marh's options open up.

* Dragon Tooth Warrior isn't that good, as I'm only going to run 2 Size 3s, it's a waste to use the card. As for Death Master, Lelag Monarch, although summoning multiple Bronze Golem Jaish is great (Why would I use Agos Marh at a time like this), I find more use in Deukruzar as he can add a Demon Lord or Destruction from the drop zone to my hand, and Demon Lord's Dungeon is a good target for it.

Diamond Golem, Fluud is something to consider, but Lifelink 3 also makes me ponder about using it. As life is not easily regained in Dungeon World. *

Fluud as a buddy could help some. There's Buddygift to reduce his lifelink to 2 on the first call, Dragon Tooth Warrior, and Ultimate Buddy!. If you can keep fluud on the field while you mill your deck, it'll be much easier to maximize your effectiveness when you're ready to tool your dropzone.

* A flag does not need to be protected, the fighter does. With the amount of Counter Spells, Paper Walls, and well, Living Mad Gazer, I think I'll do fine, but I do have some options to rethink about. Thank you for your help. If you have anything more to say to this, please do comment. See ya. *

In my parlance, I say "protect the flag" as a matter of perspective (as a kid I played lots of capture the flag), not anything that actually affects the game. Especially since, in the Anime, the flag is blowing up, not the player.

Vernacular aside, just remember, Dungeon World is ill-equipped for getting to the end phase without having used up a large percentage of its defensive capabilities. They say the best defense is a good offense, but if your best options need find their way into your hand or dropzone, you want to speed up how quickly it gets there.

Focus on your winning image, improve your ratios, and focus on the game *you* want to play, not the game your opponent is playing.