Armory Deck: Gravy Bones Deck Tech (Including an Upgrade Guide)

High Seas is finally out! It brought us new mechanics, classes, and heroes, but, unlike past sets, we got more than just that this time. Alongside the main set, LSS also released an Armory Deck (a precon) for one of the new heroes: Gravy Bones.

So, let's review this Armory Deck and understand which strategy it uses for this new hero so we can see whether it is worth it or not.

High Seas gave us two new classes: Necromancer and Pirate. If you want to understand how each of them works in detail, I highly recommend you take a look at our review, but let's go through a few basic mechanics that are important for this hero.

The first and most critical mechanic is the Ally kit this class uses. Just like with Illusionists, Allies are independent "creatures" that can attack and remain on the board. However, the difference is that this archetype doesn't use any cards to "summon" or "transform" something and create these Allies (like Invoke Miragai or Figment of Erudition): they are just cards, straight up. This means you don't need to set them up in any way. Just play them from your hand, and they'll be ready for battle.

However, they come at a cost: Allies don't have any defense value. This means you can't use them to block, and that's why you need to play both Allies and other cards.

Another powerful mechanic this class uses is what we'll call "loot effects" in this article, that is, effects that draw a card and then force you to discard another. This mechanic is critical, considering you'll activate extra effects when you discard certain types of cards. Furthermore, as this hero is a Necromancer, the dead will have no peace with him around.

This class is an expert at using the graveyard (just like the Shadow talent is an expert at using the banish zone). We'll see how everything works really soon.

Before we begin, some notes: for the first time, LSS released an Armory Deck that is playable both in Classic Constructed and Blitz. To play this list in Blitz, just remove the cards with a "CC" on their right bottom corner, and it will be ready. What we'll review today is the Classic Constructed version, but a lot we'll explain in this article will also be valid for the Blitz version.

Just like other Armory Decks, this list should introduce the new hero and their basic game style, but Gravy Bones goes a bit beyond just attacking and blocking.

How the Deck Works

To understand this deck, let's take a look at this hero first. This Necromancer has two abilities:

Instant - Tap, Destroy a Gold You Control: Draw a Card, then Discard a Card.

This first ability is your main loot effect. We'll show you why discarding cards is so important really soon.

If a Blue Card Has Been Put Into Your Graveyard This Turn, You May Play Cards with Watery Grave from Your Graveyard.

This second ability makes a lot more sense considering the overall game plan. Gravy lets us play cards with Watery Grave from the graveyard, and our main cards (our Allies) have Watery Grave. That's why it makes sense.

Gravy Bones offers us a pretty simple cycle: discard your Allies with Watery Grave and play them from your graveyard. But what's the advantage of playing them from the graveyard instead of from your hand?

The answer is Compass of Sunken Depths. With this off-hand equipment card, your Allies will get go again (please note: this card makes your Allies gain go again, not your Attack), and you'll be able to keep playing.

However, to make all of this work, a blue card needs to be in the graveyard (doesn't matter how it gets there). Because of this, this deck is full of blue cards. Their effects can be helpful to the main game plan, so they aren't useless when you play them.

Allies

Let's start with the deck's main win condition: Allies.

Just like in other Ally decks, each Ally below does something different in this list:

Anka, Drag Under is great against decks that draw lots of cards (through any means), like Brutes, Dash I/O, Prism, Awakener of Sol, Pirates, and others.

Barnacle is a basic Ally that helps you deal damage.

Limpit, Hop-a-long is the only one that has go again, and, as such, it lets you attack again and again.

Oysten, Heart of Gold has excellent aggressive stats (and you don't have to pay anything to play it or attack with it).

Riggermortis is very powerful considering how much it costs (only one to play and attack).

Sawbones, Dock Hand is an exceptional protective tool for your hero and other Allies.

Of course, High Seas includes other incredible Allies. We'll discuss them soon.

Non-Attack Actions

To use Gravy's abilities well, you'll need a series of support cards. So, this list includes several cards that create Gold and, particularly, blue cards.

Avast Ye!, Loot the Arsenal, and Loot the Hold give Allies different extra on-hit effects. Avast Ye! is the best because it gives them go again, but Loot the Arsenal and Loot the Hold give them disruptive effects. They can be quite annoying to the opponent, particularly if you use them on Allies that are difficult to block.

Portside Exchange will not only help you put Allies in the graveyard (once they're yellow), but also create Gold. Timesnap Potion creates more Action Points so you can attack with more Allies, but a card that really stands out in this deck is Call to the Grave.

Tutors are incredibly strong in Flesh and Blood. Spark of Genius and Skyward Serenade have proved that, so how about a tutor that can get us any Ally in our deck? In future versions of this deck, we won't tutor just Allies, but, in this Armory Deck, they're our main targets. Nonetheless, cards like Back Alley Breakline (3) and Fiddler's Green (1) are excellent targets for this tutor.

Attack Actions and Other Cards

But Allies alone aren't enough to win a game. A select set of Attacks can make this deck more aggressive and let you keep pressuring the opponent.

The "Bones" Attack set is not only on-rate, but also gains go again, so it does exactly what we want: it puts cards with Watery Grave in the graveyard. Please note that we can also destroy the top of our deck and use their effects, so Compass of Sunken Depths will go really well with them.

Paddle Faster, Scar for a Scar (1), Murderous Rabble, and Golden Tipple (3) are quite cheap and give you go again so you can keep pressuring the opponent (each one has a different condition, though). Some are excellent, but others, certainly, will no longer be in future versions.

Equipment Cards

This equipment set is quite basic and helpful for the main game plan. Tricorn of Saltwater Death is a loot effect, Graven Justaucorpse gives you resources in emergencies and plays cards from the graveyard, Washed Up Wave is more defensive, and Breakwater Undertow gives your Allies go again.

Just like every Armory Deck, this list is definitely far from complete or fully optimized. Let's take a look at a few cards from High Seas and even some older cards that could make it better.

Some Majestic Allies are great and worth a mention. While Chum is a sort of Arc Light Sentinel, Wailer is a very big threat once it's on the board. Seven life can be quite a lot for a few decks to deal with, and eleven power is certainly impossible to ignore.

This set also includes a few non-attacks that make this hero quite better. Chart the High Seas feeds your graveyard with more Allies and also creates resources, which will help you play heavier cards or even turn your Golds into card draw. As for Give no Quarter, it will help you fill your board, particularly with heavier Allies like Wailer and Chum.

High Seas brought us many more tools we can add to this deck. Diamond Amulet is a sort of Timesnap Potion, but, as it has Watery Grave, we can also play it from the graveyard with our hero's ability.

Conqueror of the High Seas is one of the best cards from this set. Besides its "Command and Conquer" effect, it gains go again if you put two blue cards in the pitch zone, which isn't difficult to do, considering half this deck is blue cards.

As we mentioned, one of this hero's problems is that his Allies don't have go again when they attack. That's why this list should play multiple tools that create Action Points, like Tip the Barkeep. Goldkiss Rum gives go again to any action, including Ally Attacks, so it lets you attack more times at the end of the game or put more Allies in play.

Other than that, you can add many other cards to this list as well: Sea Legs to create Goldkiss Rum, Eye of Ophidia so you can manipulate the top of the deck, Blood in the Water as a defensive tool, and Command and Conquer simply because it is excellent.

As for equipment, Crown of Dominion gives you a Gold for free, so it lets you use your hero's ability on turn 1. Dead Threads is our Fyendal's Spring Tunic, and we'll have no trouble activating it, and Gold-Baited Hook is another way to create Gold if your opponent doesn't respect your attacks.

Gravy Bones is one of the most anticipated heroes in the new set. He is also in two very anticipated classes, but premiered in Classic Constructed with just a few options (not that unusual for new classes). Yet, we got an Armory Deck with the new set, which was a splendid idea.

This Armory Deck not only gave this class new cards, like Sawbones, Dock Hand, but also reprinted a few exquisite cards, like Call to the Grave. It will be excellent for both new players and anyone who wants to be part of Gravy Bones' phantom crew.

What do you think of this list? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!