Budget Decks For all Classes (CGS Unlimited)

Intro

Shadowverse is a very fun collectible card game. However, it also suffers from the same issues as most CCGs; it takes a decent investment of time (and also money if you are willing to spend) to build a decent collection of cards and decks. Luckily, there are a variety of cheaper decks to play with until you have enough rupees and cards to build stronger competitive decks. This guide will cover budget decks for all classes.

To quickly add the contents of the decklist to your deck in Shadowverse, click on the link.

This will take you to its Shadowverse Portal page, where you find a button "Create Deckcode".

Clicking this button will give you a Deckcode which you can use if you select Deck Code when you create a new Deck.

Forestcraft

Vail Cost: 6500

Deck Type: Zoo/Aggro

Zoo Forestcraft decks aren't really top tier anymore,

so this deck (archetype) may not work if you climb higher up

This Forestcraft deck focuses on gaining an early board advantage through a combination of cheap followers and removal. The main goal of this deck is to flood the board, remove enemy threats while also playing followers (using Cynthia and Elven Princess Mage for example), and finishing by buffing up your board with Blessed Fairy Dancer or Cynthia.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap followers, in particular cheap followers that add Fairies to your hand (like Water Fairy, Fairy Circle or Fairy Whisperer).

Then you want to fill the board with followers, but try to keep at least 1 fairy in your hand at all times. This makes it easier to trigger the "If at least 2 other cards were played this turn"-effects. Try to play normal followers instead. When the enemy plays followers, remove them using Elf Metallurgist, Sylvan Justice or .

The ideal scenario would be playing Archer, followed by a couple of Fairies. This not only builds a board for you, the Archers effect will also deal damage to the enemy board.

During the midgame you want to finish your opponent by playing Blessed Fairy Dancer while you have a couple of followers on the board. If the enemy plays huge threats you can remove them by using Death's Dance

Card Replacements:

3x Lyrial, Celestial Archer -> 3x Rhinoceroach

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Vail Cost: 8200

Deck Type: Aggro

This Forestcraft deck focuses on gaining an early board advantage through a combination of cheap followers and removal. The main goal of this deck is to flood the board, remove enemy threats while also playing followers and finishing by using Fairy Driver in combination with a lot of fairies and Elf Song as a huge damage finisher.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap followers, especially Goblins to start off your early game.

When the enemy plays followers, remove them using Airbound Barrage or Elf Child May.

During the midgame you want to finish your opponent by playing Elf Song while you have a couple of fairies on board alongside Fairy Driver. You can utilize Rhinoceroach as the finisher or to deal chip damage as well. This deck is all about getting tempo and finishing your opponent before they can play late game followers, so try to end as soon as possible.

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Vail Cost: 6950

Deck Type: Combo

This Forestcraft deck focuses on surviving the early game and building up a large hand. This deck utilizes Elven Princess Mage and Fortunehunter Feena to gain 0 cost cards, which can then be combo'ed with Rhinoceroach for an one turn kill combo. The deck also uses multiple cards that can return a follower to your hand, which allows you to use small Rhinoceroaches to poke your opponent early, or to build an enormous Rhinoceroach that can oneshot your opponent.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for Elf Child May's or Sylvan Justices, as they will help you trade during the early game. After that, play Goblin Mage and Elven Princess Mage/Fortune Hunter Feena as soon as possible. Try to hold on to the 0-cost fairies/goblin mages, but you can decide to play them if the board state calls for it.

If you have a card that returns another follower to your hand (like Airbound Barrage or Nature's Guidance), play some cards, play Rhinoceroach, attack the enemy leader with it and then return the Rhinoceroach to your hand.

If the opponent plays big threats, remove them using Dance of Death or Airbound Barrage.

Finish your opponent off by playing multiple cards and Rhinoceroach, or using multiple Nature's Guidances along with Rhinoceroach.

Card Replacements:

3x Healing Angel -> 3x Ancient Elf

2x Glimmering Wings -> 2x Spring-Green Protection

2x Fairy Beast -> 1x Cassiopeia + 1x Elf Queen

1x Will of the Forest -> 1x Cassiopeia

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Swordcraft

Vail Cost: 4000

Deck Type: Zoo

Banner Swordcraft decks aren't really top tier anymore,

so this deck (archetype) may not work if you climb higher up

This Swordcraft deck focuses on gaining an early board advantage through a combination of cheap followers and followers who have the ability to buff other followers. The main goal of this deck is to flood the board, buffing them using Royal Banner, and use them to trade up to more expensive followers or to deal damage to the enemy leader

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap followers and/or a Maid Leader to start gaining board presence.

Start flooding the board with followers and play your Maid Leader as soon as possible.

Because Royal Banner is the only Commander card in the deck, playing Maid Leader will guarantee that you draw a Royal Banner.

After you play your Royal Banner, you can start trading up against big threats or deal serious damage to the enemy leader. Keep in mind that you are a Zoo-ish deck, meaning in the late game you will most likely lose to Control decks, so killing the enemy leader before that point is very important. If your opponent plays huge threats, you can remove them with Dance of Death or maybe even Whole-Souled Swing.

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Vail Cost: 5950

Deck Type: Aggro

This Swordcraft deck focuses on gaining an early board advantage and overwhelm the opponent with a lot of early face damage. The main goal of this deck is to rush the opponent using strong followers and buffing these followers in order to kill your opponent before he can stabilize the board.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap followers and/or a Floral Fencer to start gaining board presence.

Start flooding the board with followers and buff your followers using White Generals. Remove enemy threats using Whole-Souled Swing and Dance of Death. You want to keep hitting the enemy face, so avoid trading as much as possible. This deck has multiple Storm followers, like Alwida's Command's Viking, Gilgamesh and Novice Trooper which you can use to finish your opponent.

Card Replacements:

3x Gilgamesh -> 3x Albert, Levin Saber

1x Young Ogrehunter Momo -> 1x Tsubaki

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Runecraft

Vail Cost: 6500

Deck Type: Tempo

This Runecraft Deck focuses on gaining early board control and overwhelming your opponent before they have a chance to recover. The deck uses a lot of cheap cards that are/interact with Earth Sigils. For example Halo Golem deals 3 damage and Mage of Nightfall becomes a 4/3 Ambush. Using these cards, the deck can easily acquire face damage and usually finish your opponent off through the use of the board. If it isn't enough, the deck can use Demonic Strike to deal direct face damage.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap cards, Scrap Iron Melter and Magic Illusionist.

Try to play Magic Illusionist while having Sigils on board, so it keeps resummoning itself. This will make it tough to contest your board. Fill the board with followers, and use Starseer's Scope and Witch's Cauldron to to draw cards so you dont run out of cards. Play Mage of Nightfall while you have Sigils on board, to improve the chances of it hitting face. When the opponent starts to play big threats or followers with Ward, use Dance of Death or Piercing Rune to remove them. Play Halo Golems and Demonic Strikes to finish off your opponent.

Card Replacements:

2x Astrologist of the Mist -> 2x Wizardess of Oz

2x Demonic Strike -> 2x Master Mage Levi

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Vail Cost: 6400

Deck Type: Combo/Dimension Shift

This Runecraft deck focuses on clearing the board by using your many removal tools, while also building up a big powerful hand with your Spellboost. The main goal of this deck is to play removal to prevent damage to your leader, while simultaneously boosting the power of your spells with Spellboost. Your win condition with this deck is using Flame Destroyers in combination with Dimension Shift to deal crazy damage and OTK your opponent.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap cards that either offer board presence (like Angelic Snipe or Windblast, Magic Missile or Conjure Golem) or Insight. Try to build up a big hand, preferably containing one Dimension Shift, one Flame Destroyer and a couple of removal spells. Play and Evolve your Magic Owls/Spectral Wizards whenever you can to get a lot of Spellboost.

Wait until you can play multiple Flame Destroyers and Dimension Shift in one turn.

Then use your next turn to attack the enemy leader while also playing another Dimension Shift.

Alternatively, you can wait until you can two Flame Destroyers and one Dimension Shift.

This allows you to deal 14 damage, while also having another turn which you can spend on stabilizing the board by removing big threats using Fiery Embrace or building up a board using Summon Snowmen (If the Fire Destroyer+Dimension Shift combo wasn't enough)

Card Replacements:

3x Spectral Wizard -> 3x Merlin

1x Flame Destroyer -> 1x Giant Chimera

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Dragoncraft

Vail Cost: 6100

Deck Type: Ramp

This deck is supposed to be filled with many Legendary followers, so this might not work in higher levels of Ranked play. This version of the deck is far worse than the original 40k-60k vials variants but i put it here anyway.

This Dragoncraft deck focuses on ramping up your Play Points while also contesting your opponents board early. The main goal of this deck is to reach Overflow as soon as possible, using your extra Play Points to play more powerful followers than your opponent. In the Late Game, it will be hard for your opponent to compete with your powerful high-cost followers.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap cards that contest your opponents board early on (like Blazing Breath or Unicorn Dancer Unica) or cards that help you ramp up your Play Points (like Aiela, Dragon Knight or Dragon Oracle). Use removal or cheap followers to destroy enemy followers while also trying to play Ramp cards like Aiela or Dragon Oracle. Your goal for the early and midgame is to reach Overflow as soon as possible, since it will not only allow you to play big threats earlier than your opponent, it will also boost a lot of your cards. Because you get Play Point orbs more quickly than your opponent, you can overwhelm them with huge followers. You can also deploy Dragon Guards early to protect your leader if the situation calls for it.

If your opponent play big threats himself you can utilize Call f Cocytus or Conflagration to remove them. If necessary, use Gilgamesh to finish off your opponent.

Card Replacements:

Because this deck is so different from usual Ramp Dragon Lists (which are designed around 12+ Legendary followers) it is pretty much impossible to provide card replacements. Check out complete 40-60k lists when you have enough Legendaries.

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Vail Cost: 6100

Deck Type: Aggro

This Dragoncraft deck focuses on taking over the board early using cheap followers while also preventing the enemy from gaining any board presence. The main goal of this deck is to overwhelm the opponent early with powerful early followers, forcing the opponent to trade their followers with yours while you attack their leader. If rushing the enemy leader with your followers isn't enough, you can use Gilgamesh as a finisher.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap followers, preferably Goblins or Lyrials since they provide a body as well as demanding an answer from your opponent. If your opponent plays big threats you can use Dragon Warriors or Siegfrieds to remove them. Play Staircase to Paradise as soon as possible, so it triggers quickly. Fill the board and try to overwhelm your opponent. When you have a big board, play Phoenix Rider Aina as a finisher. Alternatively, you can just chip away your opponent's defense by using Seabrand Dragons or Gilgamesh.

Card Replacements:

2x Seabrand Dragon -> 2x Dark Dragoon Forte

1x Gilgamesh -> 1x Dark Dragoon Forte

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Shadowcraft

Vail Cost: 2150

Deck Type: Aggro

This Shadowcraft deck focuses on taking over the board early using cheap followers while also generating Shadows to empower cards like Apprentice Necromancer, Call of the Void and Lesser Mummy. The main goal of this deck is to overwhelm the opponent early with powerful early followers, forcing the opponent to trade their followers with yours while you attack their leader. If rushing the enemy leader with your followers isn't enough, you can use Evolved Lesser Mummy or Cursed Soldier as finishers.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap followers, preferably cheap followers that generate Shadows (like Skull Beast or Spartoi Sergeant. Around Turn 3 you want to play Skeleton Knights or Rabbit Necromancers to deal damage to your opponents leader or to bait out removal.

When you have a big board you can play Wight while trading some followers, to clear out their board while simultaneously dealing damage to the opponents leader. If you opponent plays big threats you can use followers with Bane (like Spectre or Soul Glutton) or removal spells (like Undying Resentment, Soul Hunt or Call of the Void) to remove them. Use your Evolved Playful Necromancers and Apprentice Necromancers to fill your board to trade or deal more damage to the opponents face. If all of this isn't enough to kill your opponent, you can use your Cursed Soldier's Fanfare or Lesser Mummy to finish the job.

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Vail Cost: 6650

Deck Type: Aggro

This is a more competitive and upgraded version of the deck above.

This Shadowcraft deck focuses on taking over the board early using cheap followers while also generating Shadows to empower cards like Apprentice Necromancer, Phantom Howl and Lesser Mummy. The main goal of this deck is to overwhelm the opponent early with powerful early followers, forcing the opponent to trade their followers with yours while you attack their leader. If rushing the enemy leader with your followers isn't enough, you can use Evolved Lesser Mummy or Cursed Soldier as finishers (combined with Ethereal Form to make them even stronger).

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap cards, preferably Skull Beasts and Zombie Parties. Around Turn 3 you want to play Skull Ring or Rabbit Necromancer to deal damage to your opponents leader or to bait out removal.

Use Soul Conversion and Demon Eaters on Lurching Corpses or Skeletons whenever you can. If you opponent plays big threats you can use Phantom Howl, Zombie Parties or Playful Necromancers to remove them. Use your Evolved Playful Necromancers to fill your board to trade or deal more damage to the opponents face. If all of this isn't enough to kill your opponent, you can use Phantom Howl or Lesser Mummy to finish the job.

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Bloodcraft

Vail Cost: 4850

Deck Type: Aggro

This Bloodcraft deck focuses on taking over the board early using cheap followers.

The main goal of this deck is to overwhelm the opponent early with powerful early followers, forcing the opponent to trade their followers with yours while you attack their leader. If rushing the enemy leader with your followers isnt enough, you can use Razory Claws or Imp Lancers to finishe the job.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap followers and/or cheap cards that damage your opponents leader (like Ambling Wraith or Yurius).

Keep playing followers to fill your board and keep attacking the enemy leader while also removing threats using Razory Claw.

If your opponent plays big threats use Dance of Death or Snarling Chains to remove them.

Alternatively, if the opponent doesn't play big threats during the first four turns, you can use your Demonic Storms and Razory Claws to deal more damage to the opponents leader. If this isn't enough, you can use your Imp Lancers or Dark Generals to finish the job.

Card Replacements:

3x Goblin Mage -> 3x Carabosse, Wicked Fairy

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Vail Cost: 7550

Deck Type: Aggro

This is a more competitive and expensive version of the deck listed above.

This Bloodcraft deck focuses on rushing face damage and overwhelming the opponent before they have a chance to gain board control using a lot of early damage thanks to Vania, Vampiric Fortress es and Blood Wolfs. The main goal of this deck is to overwhelm the opponent early with powerful early followers, forcing the opponent to trade their followers with yours while you attack their leader. If rushing the enemy leader with your followers isn't enough, you can use Razory Claws or Imp Lancers to finish the job.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap followers and/or cheap cards that damage to the opponents leader (like Ambling Wraith or Bloodwolf). Always keep Yurius, because it often can deal a lot of damage before he can be removed, thanks to his effect.

Keep playing followers to fill your board and keep attacking the enemy leader while also removing threats using Razory Claw or Snarling Chains when needed.

Use Baphomet to draw cheap followers and keep flooding the board.

Play Vania in combination with Summon Bloodkin or Night Horde to deal additional face damage.

If your opponent plays big threats, use Dance of Death or Night Horde to remove them.

Alternatively, if the opponent doesn't play big threats during the first four turns, you can use your Razory Claws to deal more damage to the opponents leader. If this isn't enough, you can use your Bloodwolves or Imp Lancers to finish the job.

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Havencraft

Vail Cost: 5900

Deck Type: Storm

This Havencraft deck focuses on dominating the board by using powerful followers summoned by your Countdown Amulets and various Removal options. Overwhelm your opponent by filling the board with powerful followers like Holyflame Tigers and Adamantium Birds. Your win condition with this deck is winning the board, then using followers with Storm, like Holy Falcon or Regal Falcon, to inflict heavy damage to the enemy leader. You can then finish the opponent off with Winged Sentinel Garuda or Evolved Tin Soldiers.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap Amulets (like Sacred Plea or Beastcall Aria), removal (like Red-Hot Boots) or Hallowed Dogma to speed up your Amulets.

Play Holy Mage as soon as possible to start its scaling.

After you play Holy Mage, play as much Countdown amulets as possible to turn her into a huge threat. If the opponent plays big threats, you can remove them using Tribunal of Good & Evil or Red-Hot Boots. Try to play summoning Countdown Amulets in between turns, to strengthen your board later on. Keep playing Pinion Prayer and Divine Birdsong to gain Storm followers to attack the opponent's leader. Use Winged Sentinel Garuda in combination with Divine Birdsong or Pinion Prayer to finish the opponent off.

Card Replacements:

3x Sacred Plea -> 3x Globe of the Starways

2x Gilgamesh -> 2x Heavenly Knight

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Vail Cost: 7100

Deck Type: Midrange

This deck focuses on surviving the early turns, after which you can fill the board with followers. Most followers in the deck have a healing effect attached to them, which allows you to trigger Elana's Prayer. Keep playing followers while healing yourself to survive while also building a massive board that most opponents will have a hard time to deal with. The main goal of the deck is to keep doing this and eventually overwhelm the opponent with your massive board.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap Amulets (like Sacred Plea or Beastcall Aria), removal (like Blackened Scripture) or Hallowed Dogma to speed up your Amulets.

Drop Elana's Prayer as soon as possible, so you can start playing healing followers.

Keep dropping followers that heal you to buff your board.

If the opponent plays big threats, you can remove them using Dance of Death or using an Evolved Priest of the Cudgel. When really needed, you have Themis Decree as a last resort tool for AoE hard removal. Eventually you have such a big board that your opponent can't contest, which you then use to finish off your opponent.

Card Replacements:

3x Radiance Angel + 3x Curate -> 3x Aether of the White Wing + 1x Heavenly Aegis +2x Lucifer

3x Sacred Plea -> 3x Globe of the Starways

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Portalcraft

Vail Cost: 5700

Deck Type: Midrange Puppet

This Portalcraft deck focuses on winning the board, filling your hand with puppets, and then using Vengeful Puppeteer Noah as a way to finish off your opponent. The main goal of this deck is to fill your hand with a lot of puppets, buffing them using Vengeful Puppeteer Noah and then using Noag and the Puppets to finish your opponent. You can also win through just getting board advantage, by using Puppets to remove enemy threats.

How to Play:

You want to mulligan for cheap followers that can contest the board, like Unica or Rosa, Mech Wing Maiden, or followers that generate Puppets. Establish board control with cheap followers, while also playing Puppet generators. You can use these Puppets to remove enemy threats, or save them for your finisher with Noah. If Puppets alone are not enough to remove an enemy follower, you can use Puppets+Substitution or Dance of Death to do it instead.

If you have 4 Puppets in your hand, play Vengeful Puppeteer Noah to give them Storm and finish your opponent.

Shadowverse-Portal link[shadowverse-portal.com]

Ending

I hope this guide helped you to start your competitive Shadowverse experience.

As you climb in Rank these decks will be less effective, but hopefully you have gotten enough cards to build more expensive competitive decks at that point. If you have suggestions or comments, feel free to post them in the comment section below. U can also add me if u want to conversate about this guide or other things.

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=795423761					

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