The Big Ones | The Best Ashes Reborn Decks (And Why They Kept Winning)
One of the most common questions we see over on the Ashes Discord is some variation of the following: “Where can I find the best decks in Ashes?”
The community has done an astonishing amount of work and deckbuilding to find out what those decks are. What we’ve been less good at is making those decks easy to find, and at it’s core, this article is one man’s attempt to rectify that situation. Ashes Reborn launched in earnest in 2021, and in the dozens of tournaments and thousands of pickup games that have been done since, some decks and players have risen to the top. While the game is far from solved and the meta is always in flux, the historical record is important for looking to the future.
Despite my volume of written content for the game, I’m not an exhaustive Ashes historian, and this article is a living document. It’s entirely possible I’ve left important decks out, and I sincerely hope you don’t take it personally if a deck you love or made isn’t featured. As much as I can assure you, let me assure you that I have done my best to not show bias in the presentation of this article.
At the bottom of the article is a concise list of major tournament Top 4s and the links I had access to. But first is a presentation of major decks by Phoenixborn- after all, the evocative characters of Ashes are what most of us connected to first.
Here’s the Ashes cast at their very best.
ARADEL
Phillycheez’s Zookeeper (Multiple Top Cuts)
Why Aradel Wins: Basically because Water Blast is amazing. Aradel’s stats and ability are so easy to use and to build with that she really doesn’t need much beyond packing solid books and good removal tools. Aradel is one of the most stable decks in Ashes, providing an easy-to-use and potent deck that many players love to play. She benefits a lot from the long-term advantages of utilizing her Spellboard, which can be a bit slow nowadays, but there’s little doubt that Aradel will always be a solid choice.
Aradel is one of the Phoenixborn who has been largely defined by one player- the indomitable Phillycheez, whose many builds with Aradel have stayed one of the game’s most consistently strong decks. The linked build is one of his latest, and other players such as MHGreenleaf have iterated on this shell as well. It is a proven, strong commodity in the Ashes meta.
BRENNEN
JK’s Pure Burn (Multiple SB Wins)
Brian’s Original Widows Rush (Top 2, SB3)
Why Brennen Wins: Spirit Burn, Brennen’s ability, is just about the most reliable way to get damage on the enemy Phoenixborn in the game, and that’s how you win in Ashes. While her potency can diminish some if she gets rough draws or fails to go first in Round 1, as people have optimized her, her ability to end the game in 2–3 rounds has only gotten more and more reliable. She now defines the speed of the game. Most decks will need a plan to go faster than she does if they need to, because slowing down her onslaught of burn spells has proven to be very difficult indeed.
Brennen has been the talk of the town for a while now. The cards that supercharge her latest builds have been around for all of Reborn’s lifespan, but thanks to innovative players such as JK007, they’re now being combined and played in ways that really show how high her ceiling goes. Expect her to be feared for basically forever.
COAL
Matt’s “Normal Bears” (Winner, SB2)
Brian’s Wishing Wing Combo Coal (Top 8, SB7)
Why Coal Wins: Being able to do damage without spending dice is way better than it first appears. The art of winning with Coal is about learning not to cling too tightly to your cards and lean into his strengths. Playing him aggressively and knowing how to maximize Slash is a very fun way to play Ashes. When done well, it’s a sight to behold, earning Coal his community title of “The People’s Champ”.
Coal’s win in Shufflebus 2 was a huge moment for a community that really loved how different and (at the time) off the beaten path that deck was. Since then, Coal has performed consistently, recently getting a huge boon in the form of Wishing Wing. As always with the old salty dog, the sky remains the limit, and I doubt we’ve seen the last deep tournament run out of Coal.
ECHO
The Cap’s Realm Walker Echo (Top 4, SB7)
Carl’s Realm Walker Echo (Winner, SBSD March)
ImpossibleGerman’s Aggro Echo (Top 8, SB4)
Why Echo Wins: Echo’s Gravity Flux ability has a ton of applications. It can be used to remove a blocker for a big swing, narrow down available targets for effects, prevent Unit Guards from protecting units, or even just to prevent counter damage on an attack. Chaos Gravity is also incredibly strong, although occasionally hard to use if Echo isn’t already in control of the board. His ability to keep pressing his advantage and his build diversity makes him a force to be reckoned with.
Realm Walker has really pushed Echo to a new level, as it’s synergies with Chaos Gravity, Gravity Flux, and Light Bringer have proven to be very hard for many decks to handle. I’ve listed Cap’s Top 4 version of that deck here, and it’s the current standard. Plenty of other aggro builds for him are also possible. Going fast, hitting hard, and staying on the up to continuously apply pressure are historically the best ways to play Echo.
HAROLD
Brian B’s Aggro Druid (Top 2, SB4)
Inquisitor’s Pile of Good Cards (Winner, SB4)
ChaosTheory’s Flex Harold (Top 4, World Championship, SBI)
Tuxedo’s “Mice and Bears” (Top 2, SB7)
Why Harold Wins: Harold is another very flexible Phoenixborn. Hunter’s Mark usually removes the biggest threat each round for free when most folks have to pay several dice to do the same. While not an optimal choice in metas where he doesn’t have big targets to hunt, Harold can be built a number of ways and always has Mark in his pocket as a strong tool.
Harold has one of the deepest selections of great decks of any Phoenixborn, as evidenced here. You can’t really go wrong, and each of these decks were in contention to the best deck in Ashes at the time of their tournament runs. What his next best deck turns out to be is anyone’s guess, but the odds seem good that Harold will remain as competitive and dangerous as he’s ever been.
HOPE
Hope Swarm Rush (Multiple Pilots, Multiple Pod Wins, AshCon 2)
Brian’s Hope Creepers (Top 4, AIL6)
Why Hope Wins: Hope has amazing stats across the board, and both Duplicate and Void Pulse can be very strong in a large variety of gameplans. There’s not much Hope is bad at, and their ceiling is sky-high, which makes them a safe bet to build strong, flexible decks.
The biggest splash Hope has made to date was in AshCon 2, where they soared to several burn-flavored wins in multiple pods. With the playerbase segmented out into groups of 4, it’s hard to say which version of the deck is definitive, so for the moment I’ve opted to link a few of them. I have a funny feeling we’ll see a clear build emerge in SB8. Hope Creepers is also a deck that lots of people are quite confident will have a frequent seat at top tables, and Brian used his to earn his seat in the AIL6 finals.
JAMES
Kaukomieli’s Revenge Widows Rush (Top 4, SB4)
Why James Wins: The ability to start a game with 6 cards in hand is potent, and James doesn’t mind paying some life for the privilege. Vengeance isn’t always easy to use, but lots of James decks turn the self-destruction into a huge benefit. In tandem with Summon Sleeping Widows, Vengeance gives James a solid foundation for fast-paced, ally-focused builds. James hammers the battlefield hard, and he can go fast enough to roll over decks without a solid answer in no time flat.
James floats around a lot in casual play where his splashy potential is extra-appealing, and his tournament history is largely defined by one incredible deck- Kaukomieli surprised many of us with his deep, impressive run with James in SB4. There are things that James can do that no other Phoenixborn can do, and he’s a great choice for off-the-wall builds that seek to take advantage of his speed and explosiveness.
JESSA
Nick’s “Fear The Hunt” (Top 4, SB4)
ChaosTheory’s “Yaas Queen” (Top 8, SB4)
Why Jessa Wins: One of the hardest Phoenixborn to pilot, Jessa is also one of the most fun. Fear is in the running for the best card in the game, providing several things that Jessa wants all in one cheap package. Screams of the Departed is also one of the game’s most iconic abilities, providing a built-in inevitability to games that the best Jessa decks lean into. Sometimes the last round of a Jessa game is just going through the motions- you’re already dead, and you just haven’t taken your final breath.
It’s appropriate and beloved among the Ashes community that the best tournament showing for Jessa was at the hands of Nick Conley, the game’s lead designer and developer. Nick famously loves Jessa, and his affection and knowledge shines brightly in Fear The Hunt. I myself happened to have the misfortune of playing it twice in Swiss when I was running a Knight-centric Echo. It was miserable. Other takes on Jessa such as ChaosTheory look to maximize board control and healing to set up gamestates where Screams becomes a foolproof way to close. Jessa has clear synergies that belie surprising diversity.
LULU
JK’s Lulu Burn (Top 4, SB5)
Bill’s LuluLemon (Top 4, SB5)
Carl’s 0 Attack Lulu (Top 4, SB6)
Why Lulu Wins: Lulu has such a strong spell available to her in Phoenix Barrage, and as long as that spell connects a few times in a game, her odds of winning skyrocket. It is flexible, equally strong when pressing the advantage or making up lost ground, and while her builds aren’t infinitely diverse, her excellent stats give her a lot more applications than you might think.
Lulu came out of the gate stronger than most Phoenixborn, taking two players to the Top 4 in her very first season of tournament eligibility. Since then, the player that’s defined her most is probably Carl, who has refined and run back his 0-attack deck several times now. Sizing her up can be difficult, but the results speak for themselves- Lulu is very very good at punching very very hard, and is a solid choice for any deck that wants to do that.
MAEONI
Carl’s “Strike, Scream, Run” (Multiple SB Wins)
Why Maeoni Wins: Maeoni has access to the best conjuration in the game in Silver Snake and a powerful, game-warping ability in Command Strike. On top of that, the aforementioned unit and ability happen to pair extraordinarily well. A small battlefield constrains her options a bit, but it hasn’t stopped her from utilizing Silver Snake to be one of the dominant forces in Ashes.
Carl’s Snake decks are legendary, and we haven’t seen the last of them, with a shiny new build making an appearance in the finals of AIL6 in the summer of 2022. He’s not the only player to find success with her, either- a carefully constructed and piloted Snake deck has few bad matchups, and Maeoni is a far cry from her 1.0 iteration that struggled to find wins. On the contrary, she’s got the best tournament record in all of Ashes, and whatever she lacks in build diversity she makes up for in pure strength.
ODETTE
Matt’s Odette Burn (Multiple SB Cuts)
Jesse’s Odette Control (Multiple SB Cuts)
Kaile’s Odette Hydra (World Championship, SBI)
Why Odette Wins: Navigating her 5 Battlefield earns the enterprising Odette player not one, but two just rewards- Sword of Virtue and Enter The Fray, a card and an ability that are each in contention to be the game’s best. Sword’s biggest asset is how safe it is to First Five, enabling Odette to either remove a large threat or revitalize her own. And Enter The Fray is nearly-free removal, a concept that Harold and Odette both have proven is incredibly valuable. Keeping a board against Odette continues to prove extraordinarily difficult.
Odette gets mentioned frequently as potentially being the best all-around Phoenixborn. I would certainly argue that she’s one of the most flexible, as the above three builds are as different as they are successful. Odette can shine in a variety of ways, whether she’s making the Hydra chain look necessary, hard controlling the board, or just buying time while she burns you down. She is rarely anything less than a huge advantage to the player piloting her. Kaile proved it once and for all when he made Odette the reigning world champ.
SARIA
Matt’s “Dinner Party” (Top 4, SBI)
Brian’s “Raven On Repeat” (Winner, AIL 6)
Why Saria Wins: Saria has a few strong advantages, most prominently her high life and her access to Seaside Raven, a knockout summon that can win games when abused properly. Saria is all about picking the right times to strike with Raven, both when summoning it and attacking with it. Having access to mill as a secondary win condition right there on her Phoenixborn ability is handy, too. She’s versatile and hard to kill.
Public opinion of Saria has ranged greatly, but with the latest sets giving her strong tools and juicy targets for Seaside Raven, people are starting to give her some overdue respect. Matt tends to favor abusing Meteor and Kneel, while Brian’s toolbox approach and ways to abuse Raven led him to an AIL Championship.
XANDER
Bill’s Raptor Recursion (Top 4, SBI)
Phillycheez’s Xander Control (Top 4, SB2)
ImpossibleGerman’s “Archery Tower” (Top 8, SB5)
Why Xander Wins: Xander can just about do it all, and with 20 life, he usually has time to. Earthquake gives him the ability to come back from behind and set up huge swings in board control, and Reincarnate gives him consistency that other ally builds can lack. While the growing presence of Fate Reflection and his dependency on drawing Earthquake have kept him off a major win, players reach for him time and time again, and his win-rate across all formats is stellar.
Xander’s predominant builds have centered around Raptor Herder, a unit he’s particularly set up to abuse through Reincarnate. Bill’s had success with that shell several times, and I’ve piloted a lot of Xander myself, favoring Ceremonial tools and Fire Archer recursion. Most players think Xander is well positioned in the coming meta because of his high life. Time will tell what the next evolution of his deck will look like.
Condensed Tournament Results
SHUFFLEBUS INVITATIONAL 2022
SHUFFLEBUS 1 Top 4
- Carl’s Maeoni
- Stefanos’ Rimea
- Matt’s Odette
- Bill’s Xander
SHUFFLEBUS 2 Top 4
- Matt’s Coal
- Carl’s Harold
- Phil’s Xander
- Inquisitor’s Harold
SHUFFLEBUS 3 Top 4
- Carl’s Maeoni
- Brian’s Brennen
- Phil’s Aradel
- Jesse’s Odette
SHUFFLEBUS 4 Top 4
SHUFFLEBUS 5 Top 4
SHUFFLEBUS 6 Top 4
SHUFFLEBUS 7 Top 4
SHUFFLEBUS SINGLE DAY MARCH 22 Top 4
Other Notable Decks
Monk has changed what Ashes players thought possible with his latest builds that focus on stalling the game out to win via Abundance and Awakened State. It is impressive and has been a blast to watch.
Lots of players are working on this deck, most notably Carl Diaz and UnderRugSwept. This is one of the strongest Fallen shells we’ve seen so far, and it plays nicely to Dimona’s strengths.
Another of Carl’s babies, Koji has natural synergies with Indiglow Creeper that can overwhelm many opponents if they aren’t prepared.
Sembali has struggled occasionally to work within the demands of her own toolset, but the arrival of Realm Walker has drastically increased her prospects. Led in large part by Schmendrix, a group of Sembali devotees have begun crafting potent and explosive decks around Gift of Wings and it’s strong new partner.
Learning More
The one-stop-shop for learning more about Ashes is over at Ashteki.com/learntoplay. Keep exploring Ashes- like few games in tabletop history, it will reward you for doing so.
Happy games!