Overview:
Since the Darkness Evolved cards were introduced, new elements were added to the rich game of Shadowverse. It brought some changes in strategies, decks, and even the ranking of each deck. Some decks became weaker and some got more difficult to match with.
One of the deck that became stronger is the Spellboost deck, also known as the Shadowverse Dimension Shift Deck. Sure, some might argue that the Darkness Evolved cards brought more drastic change in the Earth Rite type of Runecraft, but long time Shadowverse Dimension Shift users know that there are just some missing elements with the deck.
Good news to Spellboost Deck users! The holes were filled by the new cards and Shadowverse Dimension Shift has become more dangerous than ever.
In this article, we will dissect the elements that makes a great Dimension Shift Shadowverse deck. I’ll be providing a Deck Code by the end of the article that will serve as your starting point. The deck is already pretty good, but you can tweak them to your liking to complement your play style.
Shadowverse Dimension Shift Card:
Let’s tackle to most important card for the deck: Dimension Shift.
Dimension Shift: Gain an extra turn after this one. Subtract 0 from the cost of this card. Spellboost: Subtract 1 more.
Dimension Shift costs 18 play point orbs initially. It does sounds unplayable at first, but the cost is actually just about right. The more Spells you play, the cheaper it gets. You can even play this card at 0 cost if you spell boosted it enough. The extra turn you’ll get is huge! Playing this card in a match usually ends the game if you know what you’re doing. The card is usually used with Spellboost Runecraft decks. It doesn’t sit well with the Earth Rite type of Runecraft since those decks rely more on summoned followers rather than spells.
The Impact of Dimension Shift to the Game:
Contrary to popular belief, Dimension Shift is not overpowered. It still requires certain conditions in order to pull it off. It requires a pretty high level of play and gaming sense. A single follower in the field is always a threat, considering the limited amount of followers that you have in any Spellboost Deck. Sometimes, even if you have boosted Dimension Shift enough to be able to play it, you just don’t have the fire power to end the game. Plus, you kinda have to have a good synergy in playing each cards.
I’ll tell you this though, it is one of the best Control Deck in the game. If you are new to Runecraft, I suggest reading my previous article, Best Shadowverse Runecraft Deck just to have some idea. The article is pretty old but it will give you some gaming sense on how to play the Spellboost Deck. You can check it in the link below:
Key Cards:
Before we delve into the strategy, let’s first identify the key cards you will need to play smartly in order to pull this off:
Merlin: Fanfare: Put a random spell with Spellboost from your deck into your hand. Whenever this follower attacks, spellboost the cards in your hand.
You need at least two copies of this card if you want consistency in the number of spells in your hand. Always play this card for as much as you can in order to search for spells in your deck. Do not just mindlessly play this card though; Keep in mind that the maximum cards you can hold in your hand is 9 and the cards after that will be discarded. This can bring more harm than good, especially if you still haven’t gotten the other key spells in your hand.
Fire Chain: Deal 1 damage to a random enemy follower 1 time. Spellboost: Repeat once more.
As the game progresses, the amount of followers that your opponent can play in a single turn increases. You will have to find a way to take them out in a single turn as well. This is where Fire Chain comes in. Ideally, you will want Fire Chain to be boosted a few times, enough to take out all the followers in the field. Sadly, that is not always the case. There are some scenarios where Fire Chain is not boosted enough or you still haven’t gotten the card itself. My suggestion is to be a bit more conservative on casting spells if you still haven’t gotten this card yet, especially if you are up against an aggro deck. Try to kill the opponent’s followers with Magic Missiles and try to draw more cards each turn. You can also try to control the damage taken by evolving any available follower for you at that time, at least until you get this card.
Time Worn Mage Levi: Evolve: Put a Crimson Sorcery into your hand.
Before the arrival of this card, I was pretty satisfied with Penguin Wizard. Now, I can’t imagine my deck without this card. Time Worn Mage Levi is more like an emergency card that you can evolve to gain the advantage in controlling the field once more. It can potentially kill 2 followers in a turn with the help of Crimson Sorcery. Crimson Sorcery is a 1 play cost spell that deals 3 damage. You can get yourself out of a dangerous predicament plus you spellboosted the cards in your hand. Definitely a clutched card.
Shadowverse Dimension Shift Strategy:
Alright, let’s go over the strategy to pull off Dimension Shift and win the game. First off, any deck with Dimension Shift is a slow deck. You will definitely have the advantage during late turns. In fact, once you cast this spell, it will usually end the match. In general (it is applicable against any type of deck), all you have to do is spell boost Dimension Shift at the lowest possible cost and play it along with Flame Destroyer or Rune Blade Summoner. You will have to continuously calculate the final damage output, taking into consideration the damage you will deal after you cast Dimension Shift. Do not overkill the opponent’s leader. Cast Dimension Shift as early as you can. Any delay might cost you the game.
Sounds complicated? Not really! With enough practice and familiarization in the concept of Spellboost, you will gain these skills and consciously calculate with little to no effort. Let’s formulate our strategy based on the type of decks:
Against Aggro decks or any low cost deck:
This is the trickiest type of deck to go up against Shadowverse Dimension Shift deck. It kinda relies on the first few cards that you hold in your hand. I suggest to give priority to Fire Chain over Dimension Shift during the discard phase, especially if you are going to play 1st. Playing 2nd is not a bad thing since you get to evolve your follower first. If you’re playing 2nd and you have Fire Chain and/or Dimension Shift in your hand, Evolve Merlin or Time Worn Mage Levi. Give priority to Time Worn Mage Levi if the number of enemy followers at play is more than 3. The strategy and key to winning is to survive the early turns. Take as little damage as possible, your opponent will have little chance of winning as the game is dragged during late turns.
Take out as many followers as you can during every turn. You do not have to worry in spell boosting any card aside from Fire Chain and Dimension Shift. Fire Chain should seal the deal for you. Most followers on Aggro decks have little HP.
Against Mid Range decks:
The followers in these type of decks have fairly high attack and defense but not as many in numbers compared to Aggro decks. This means that you will have to spell boost Dimension Shift as early as possible. Give priority to Dimension Shift over anything else during the discard phase whether you are playing 1st or 2nd. Here’s a little warning though: do not be greedy on getting Dimension Shift on the early turns. If you’re blessed with 2 Dimension Shifts during the discard phase, discard the other one. As much as you want to boost the card during early turns, you do not need 2 unplayable cards at first.
Against these decks, you will need to manage and reserve some of your best Spells in your hand. This means reserving a well boosted Wind Blast for a stronger follower and casting Witchbolt instead. This also means that evolving Time Worn Mage Levi rather than casting a single Fire Chain might be the better option. The use of Kaleidoscope Glow is not as critical as when you are facing Aggro decks but it works well to buy you time and Spellboost the cards in your hand.
Against Control and fellow slow decks:
These types of decks are the most unlikely candidates to deal huge damage during early turns. Make sure to spam Merlin and Fate’s Hand to obtain Dimension Shift for as early as possible. During the discard phase, you can never really tell if you’re up against a Control Deck until after you see the first few cards he or she played, so proceed with caution. It is always a good practice to retain the cards you can play in the early turns.
Against these type of decks is where you can get a little crazy on casting your Spells left and right. You do not have worry too much about spell boosting any other cards aside from Dimension Shift. This is the best match-up where evolving Spectral Wizard and spamming Sorcery Cache makes more sense.
Generate the code:
Closing:
Shadowverse Dimension Shift Deck is one of the best Control decks in the game. In fact, it is currently ranked S-tier in the tier list. It has advantages especially during late turns but also has some disadvantages like any other decks. Winning the match depends on a variety of things and circumstances but practice, gaming sense, and familiarity to the Spellboost concept is definitely one of them