FaB - Building Puffin, Hightail in Classic Constructed

In our last article, we discussed Gravy Bones and the new class, Necromancer, but they weren't the only new things High Seas brought us.

Today, we'll keep exploring the new set and discuss one of the most complex heroes to build for, both because of the sheer number of cards we can use with her, and because of how flexible her ability is.

We're talking, of course, about Puffin, Hightail!

As we mentioned in our High Seas review, this is the first time a draftable set brings us Mechanologists that don't use Boost. This means we can use many non-Mechanologist cards with her, including, obviously, cards from other classes.

She is also a Pirate, so we can use even more cards in her builds.

So, how can we combine all of these tools in a 60-card deck? Should we only add cards from the new set, and abandon Boost completely?

Let's try a deckbuilding exercise to answer these questions.

A great Puffin deck basically needs two things to work:

- Ways to create Cogs;

- Attacks that take advantage of the Cogs you put in play.

The two versions (Pirate and Boost) are quite different in several ways, but they do need a few cards that are just so great for Puffin that we must use them in any deck centered around her. So, we'll go through these cards first, and see how they make her work.

Let's start with one of the best attacks this hero can play. Cogwerx Dovetail and Palantir Aeronought are our main reasons to create Golden Cogs. While Dovetail can turn into a "1-cost with 7 power or go again" (which is quite above average), Palantir not only turns into a 2-cost with 9 power, but it has two incredibly powerful effects: the opponent must block it with equipment cards, like it's a T-Bone (1), and it also destroys a defending card. This means that, if your opponent blocks it with anything they have, you can "get it out of the way" and deal full damage to them.

Cogwerx Zeppelin (1) grows a bit less, but its effect is just as powerful. We can use it to create a Golden Cog, then Crank it and keep playing our turn (either to attack with Spitfire or any other attack).

Sky Skimmer (1) and Cloud Skiff (1) are basically the same attack (one costs zero, and the other costs one). However, they're very flexible, as they can get go again or +1 power, so they're some of the best cards in the deck. They're quite powerful for their cost.

Cog in the Machine was nicknamed by many players as "Low Octane" or "Cogtane" (a reference to the now banned High Octane), and that actually makes a lot of sense. This majestic card is our best way to create Cogs in this deck because it creates two Cogs, can Crank both of them (which activates Puffin's ability), creates two Action Points, and also returns to the deck. This card does absolutely everything this deck wants.

Cogwerx Workshop is the best way to keep Cogs in play (and also create them). Please note that it puts a counter on up to two different Cogs you control. So, if you only control one Cog, you'll only put a counter on that one.

Our faithful companion, Polly Cranka, is a must in nearly all Puffin lists, and its effect is quite simple: it Cranks. Cranking once for free every turn (if your opponent allows it, of course) essentially lets you activate Puffin's ability a lot more often. So, if you're playing against a Puffin, try to remove this bird as fast as possible.

Cogwerx Tinker Rings is the first Arms equipment in this class to have Blade Break 2 with no strings attached, and it's also a sort of "emergency button" when you need to create Golden Cogs straight away. You can play a few excellent cards in its place, like Adaptive Plating and Goliath Gauntlet, but you can't ignore the value Tinker Rings creates.

Now that we know how Puffin works, let's see our builds and learn how they work.

If you want to leave Boost completely behind, Puffin can work with Pirate and generic cards. However, she'll be more defensive, and use many attacks that are great on their own.

Conqueror of the High Seas and Command and Conquer need no introduction. Both create a lot of value by destroying the opponent's arsenal (specially Conqueror, which also creates Gold for Puffin). As for Enlightened Strike, it is very flexible, so it's exceptional in many situations you may face with this deck.

As for defensive tools, this list plays Defense Reactions, like Sink Below (1) and Shelter From the Storm, and can play many "Block" cards that help you create either Gold or Golden Cog. Sunken Treasure, besides creating Gold, can tap a few key cards in some decks (like the daggers the heroes from The Hunted play, for instance). As for Pinion Sentry, it creates Golden Cogs when you use it to defend yourself.

Pirate, as a class, also offers us a few extra ways to create Gold. Loan Shark and Sea Floor Salvage are the main ones, but you can also play Riches of Tropal-Dhani, Golden Tipple (1), and even Portside Exchange.

Pros:

You can play generic and Pirate cards in this list. You can also set up incredibly strong turns with it, like with a Conqueror of the High Seas followed by Command and Conquer. Finally, it can block really well, creates a lot of value doing it, and can catch your opponent off-guard with cards like Pummel (1).

Cons:

If your opponent doesn't attack you, your hand can feel a bit useless. It relies a lot on Cogs and may struggle if you don't control any. It also doesn't take advantage of the best Mechanologist cards released in the last few years. Finally, it can be a bit clunky (particularly if you don't have any Cogs in play).

But, what if, instead of Pirate, you decide to go for Zero to Sixty (1) and Zipper Hit (1), as they're both too great to not play. So, let's discuss how this deck could be a true Mechanologist strategy.

In this version, we can play the most efficient Mechanologist attacks possible, that is, the class staples. Particularly Zero to Sixty (1), Zipper Hit (1), and Fast and Furious (1), which are the best because they're very cheap, but Throttle (1) can also find space in this version.

This list plays Boost, so it can also play equipment cards that interact with this mechanic. Teklo Foundry Heart is an old friend to anyone who plays Mechanologists because it creates a resource "on-demand" and is quite defensive. Misfire Dampener is a pseudo-"Spellvoid 2" if you'd like to prepare yourself a bit better to deal with Kano, Dracai of Aether.

As this version plays less ways to create Gold, it must play Mechanologist cards to create Cogs. Copper Cog itself is one of the best solutions for this because it is a Cog and has two steam counters, which means it will stay on the board for longer.

Still, you can use other cards, like Goldwing Turbine (1), Tough Old Wrench (3), and even Teeth of the Cog (1), to create Golden Cogs.

Pros:

It is a lot more aggressive and fluid. It also doesn't need Cogs on the board to play great turns. Finally, it interacts better with Mechanologist cards, and its hands are overall more consistent.

Cons:

It plays more cards that don't block, so it's a bit more fragile. Because it focuses more on Mechanologist cards, it ignores generic and Pirate cards. You might struggle with fatigue if you can't use Boost well or activate Teklo Foundry Heart properly. Finally, it plays less on-hit effects.

Puffin, Hightail is really similar to Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire in terms of complex deckbuilding. After all, you can build her in several ways. But what is the best one?

As Puffin is still very new, we haven't tested her enough yet to answer this question. But, considering what happened to Dash, the actual answer is: it depends on the meta. We already know Pirate struggles with Earth heroes, Assassins, and Wizards, while Boost can struggle with the extremes (super aggressive lists or super defensive lists). So, you might as well adapt your list to your particular meta.

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

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!