Just in time for the release of Moons of Elsweyr, I’ve combed Tamriel and beyond to find the five most wickedly OP decks being used right now.

So get your Soul Gems ready and pray to the Dark Brotherhood, because these decks will help you climb the ranked ladder and leave a trail of bodies in your wake.

#5. Aggro Keyword Assassin

By Aifread

A devious assassin deck that uses keywords and a few simple combos to cut through your opponents with ease.

You want to join the dark brotherhood of assassins? Prove your worth.

This deck might not be the flashiest or the loudest, but it makes our list due to it’s high win percentage, simplicity, and extremely low cost to create, making it the perfect OP deck for newcomers and seasoned ESL players alike.

What makes it good?

• Cheap creatures with useful summon effects to control turns 1-5.
• Early and mid-game keyword creation.
• Plenty of sources to draw cards, ensuring your combos get to the game.
• It’s insanely cheap, costing only 4350 Soul Gems to create.
• It has Ancano.

Why it’s OP:

• Manic Jack and Royal Sage are a legit OP combo.
• You will Proc empower with no real effort.
• You will create an army of creatures loaded with keywords and protected by wards, only to slay your opponent with direct damage actions.

How to Play This Deck Effectively:

• This deck has insane aggro, so you need to play accordingly. Try to start the game with as many 1, 2, or 3 cost creatures in your hand as possible.
• Attack your opponent as much as possible. Try to split your forces across both lanes, attack face, and force your opponent to make bad trades.
• Your primary combo will be Manic Jack with Royal Sage, Wardcrafter, and Sixth House Amulet. If possible, make sure you buff Jack with Wardcrafter before using Manic Mutation on him as the mutation may pull a duplicate ward.
• Use Spoils of War mid-game for a nice card boost.  Altmer Flamesinger and Blood Sacrament can be used to Proc empower twice in one turn, making Spoils nearly free.
• After giving another creature the Steel Sword, use Seyda Neen Courier as fodder for Blood Sacrament’s betray.

Deck List:

X3 Crown Quartermaster

X3 Dominion Oathman

X1 Shadow Shift

X1 Sixth House Amulet

X3 Altmer Flamesinger

X3 Ice Spike

X2 Seyda Neen Courier

X2 Shrieking Harpy

X2 Wandering Skeleton

X3 Wardcrafter

X3 Blood Sacrament

X3 Camlorn Hero

X3 Crushing Blow

X3 Cunning Ally

X3 Manic Jack/Manic Mutation

X3 Lightning Bolt

X3 Royal Sage

X3 Cliff Racer

X2 Spoils of War

X1 Ancano

#4. Move In For The Kill

By SuperNuts

An updated take on the classic monk deck, with enough Pilfer to empty out Fort Knox.

Khajit prays that you left your back door unlocked. That will make this one's job much easier.

This Monk deck is loaded with some of the most powerful Pilfer cards in the game, and they are accentuated perfectly with powerful support cards. The only downside to this viscous Khajit combo is the cost, as creating the deck will cost you a whopping 14,450 Soul Gems.  If you don’t have much of a collection, I’d recommend using a Khajit-heavy starter deck such as Khamira’s Rebellion to get you going.

What makes it good?

• The deck is unrelenting in its simplicity and wave-after-wave of Pilfer creatures.
• A nice balance of cheap and expensive creatures will limit the aggro that most Pilfer decks live-or-die by.
• Strong shacklers and control cards will help with enemy response or early aggro.
• Not dependent on combos or pairing specific cards to be successful.
• It has Sails-Through-Storms!

Why it’s OP:

• The deck contains just about every OP or extremely powerful Pilfer creature around.
• It uses lane-movement cards to dodge guards when you can’t kill them outright.
• Does not depend on lethal to trade creatures, like some Monk decks. Instead, uses speed and accuracy to dominate the mid-game.

How to Play This Deck Effectively:

• Try you best to set the table in turns 1-4 by timing your Khajits to attack from the shadow lane once you play Master of Thieves.
• Using finishing cards like Finish Off and Leaflurker to take out enemy guards.
• Use drain buffs like Monk’s Strike and Snake Tooth Necklace to their full effects. Don’t burn them early on to gain 2 or 3 health.
• Whenever possible, play Khajit to the field lane and move them to the shadow lane using cards like Bewildering Speed, Mad Dash, etc. Try to bait the enemy Guards into protecting an empty lane.
• When possible, horde lane movement cards to create a combo with Apex Predator.
• Don’t trade creatures unless you have to. Remember that most of your power cards cost 4 or more, so spend the early game gathering resources and planning your mid-range moves.

Deck List:

X3 Baandari Opportunist

X3 Bewildering Speed

X3 Shadow Shift

X3 Blood Pact Messenger

X3 Dune Stalker

X3 Finish Off

X3 Mad Dash

X1 Snake Tooth Necklace

X3 Dune Smuggler

X2 Rajhini Highwayman

X3 Sanctuary Pet

X3 Master of Thieves

X3 Monk’s Strike

X3 Tenmar Swiftclaw

X1 Ahnassi

X3 Apex Predator

X3 Leaflurker

X3 Quin-rawl Burglar

X1 Sails-Through-Storms

#3 Ambusher’s Prophecy

By CyberRecon

A brutal Battle mage deck that uses game-changing prophecy cards and sustained aggro to push through defenses and tear your enemy down.

Here's a prophecy for you... this deck rules!

A new take on the classic Aggro Prophecy, this Battle mage deck is loaded with power cards and comes in at a very reasonable 7,250 Soul Gems to build from scratch. With 33 prophecy cards included in this build, your opponent will have a difficult time sustaining any offense.

What makes it good?

• The sheer amount of prophecy cards will give you anywhere from 3-8 extra cards in play per game. That’s enough to turn the tide in your favor.
• Works well against Dagoth Ward waves as well as against similar Battle mage builds.
• With a Magicka curve that peaks at 2, the deck relies on early, hyper-aggressive aggro that can be covered by cheap guards and prophecy draws.
• Mid-game control using guards and direct damage actions will let you balance out if your initial wave doesn’t do the trick.
• It has Ancano!

Why it’s OP:

• Fate Weaver is OP in a deck like this and you will be able to summon free creatures at a critical time in the game.
• Uses Fear Totem as a combo with strong summon-ability creatures like Fate Weaver, Ancano, etc.

How to Play This Deck Effectively:

• Start attacking immediately. Go for the face and don’t be afraid to aggro and trade creatures when it’s in your best interest.
• Use cards that damage both players to trigger runes and get yourself a prophecy draw when you want one.
• Use Grantwood Ambusher in conjunction with Fear Totem to do multiple waves of damage or to deal with decks that have a lot of 2-1 or 1-1 openers.
• Relentless Raiders can easily be swapped out for Fiery Imps, if you prefer the damage to the draws.
• Combo Enraged Dragonknight with Crocodile Brute for a quick draw and a nasty consume effect.
• This deck should be played with your hair on fire. Go full stop from turn one and let those prophecies fly!

Deck List:

X2 Relentless Raider

X3 Afflicted Alit

X3 Circle Initiate

X2 Crocodile Brute

X3 Fear Totem

X3 Graystone Ravager

X3 Protector of the Innocent

X3 Shrieking Harpy

X3 Camlorn Hero

X3 Covenent Plate

X2 Imbued Minotaur

X3 Morkul Gatekeeper

X3 Shield Breaker

X3 Enraged Dragonknight

X3 Lightning Bolt

X2 Mystic Dragon

X2 Grahtwood Ambusher

X3 Fate Weaver

X1 Ancano

#2. Silent Pact

By Nijjaro

A powerful, self-silencing Pact deck with a high degree of difficulty but an even higher reward for mastery.

Shhh.... there there... not a sound.

Ebonheart Pact decks are everywhere, and it’s with good reason. They offer a wide range of versatile combinations and durable creatures. Since you have so many options with a Tri-Color deck, the key here is refinement and making sure that all those pieces are all serving the same purpose, and that’s where Silent Pact really delivers. At 20,050 Soul Gems to build from scratch, it’s a pricey endeavor, but it may be worth it considering the amount of use you can get out of these cards.

What makes it good?

• The deck capitalizes on self-silences in a really unique way, allowing you to create an army of powerful creatures at a massive discount while silencing their self-destructive or prohibitive abilities.
• While you work to self-silence your main attack force, the deck also contains an army of shacklers that will keep your opponent at bay while your forces grow.
• The amount of large creatures and the ability to withstand early rushes makes this deck a matchup nightmare against early aggro and speed rushes.
• Uses lethal and Swift Strikes at key moments to rupture enemy defenses.
• It has both King Jorunn and Duchess Syl… they’d make a cute couple, right?

Why it’s OP:

• The deck is full of insanely cheap, high-power creatures that generally don’t get used because of their debuffs.  This deck takes full advantage of that.
• There is no substitute for Jorunn the Skald-King. He is one of the most OP creatures in the game.
• If you can activate Dementia, your opponent will have no chance to stop you.

How to Play This Deck Effectively:

• Collect silencing cards in your hand and do not use them on your opponent’s creatures unless absolutely necessary.
• Wait until the last second to self-silence and awaken your army. Trick your opponent into thinking certain creatures are either not a threat.
• Knight of the Order is a very important piece to the puzzle and should be used wisely and with maximum effectiveness. Don’t play it if you still have debuff creatures in your hand.
• Use shacklers and guards like The Gatekeeper to stop your opponent’s rushes and maintain control until your aggro bubble bursts.
• If you build your forces patiently, this deck can easily end the game on one turn.

Deck list:

X3 Cloak/Dagger

X3 Corpus Disease

X3 Deepwood Trapper

X3 Hush

X3 Circle Initiate

X3 Mournhold Traitor

X3 Orc Clan Captain

X3 Siege Catapult

X3 Skinned Hound

X3 Suran Pawnbroker

X3 Wind Keep Spellsword

X3 Ash Oppressor

X3 Cornerclub Gambler

X3 Eldergleam Matron

X3 Haunting Spirit

X3 Swift Strike

X3 Young Mammoth

X3 Corrupted Shade

X1 Garnag, Dark Adherent

X3 Imprisoned Deathlord

X2 Knight of the Order

X3 Cliff Racer

X3 Giant Snake

X1 Jorunn the Skald-King

X2 Shadowfen Priest

X3 Sower of Revenge

X1 The Gatekeeper

X1 Sharp-Eyed Ashkhan

X1 Syl, Duchess of Dementia

#1. Make Dominion Great Again

By Sveiki

Arguably the most powerful Dominion deck ever created, with multiple players riding it into the top 10 of the Legendary ladder.

Yes, this armor also comes with red MDGA hats.

Aldmeri Dominion decks have been popular ever since their introduction. They provide endless support and terrific combos, not to mention the bounty of slay and drain abilities. This deck performs a bit differently than most Dominions, using more aggro, but it’s balanced from top to bottom and contains some of the most powerful creatures in the game.

What makes it good?

• Sharing and stealing enemy keywords provides useful support, allowing you to dominate the mid-range. If you don’t win by turn ten, you have plenty of heavy hitters to provide the knockout blow.
• It can beat you in a variety of ways and doesn’t require a ton of practice to really get the hang of.
• Whatever your play style is, this deck can adapt to it and win. It has the guards and drain creatures for a more measured approach, and powerful summon and slay abilities if you want to take the fight to them early.
• The deck is expensive at 21,700 Soul Gems, but for all that loot you get a whopping 11 legendary cards in your collection.
• It has the legendary Orc Luzrah gro-Shar!

Why it’s OP:

• The keyword distribution on this deck is through the roof and speaks to its crazy balance. 11 prophecy, 10 drain, 7 last gasp, 6 guard, and so on. And that’s not to mention all the keyword sharing and stealing you can do.
• OP support creatures like Queen Barenziah and Luzrah will turn your already powerful creatures into unstoppable monsters.
• It has enough control to mitigate any damage from speed rushes and give you time to bring out your big guns.

How to Play This Deck Effectively:

• Your aggro level should depend on your opponent. This deck is versatile enough to be played any variety of ways, so you can really mold your strategy to your opponent. 
• If you’re sensing that your opponent has supports, go for the throat early. Otherwise, be satisfied with trading early and deploying guards. Once you get to mid-game and start dropping 5 and 6 cost creatures, you’re opponent won’t know which to focus on and will crumble under the pressure.
• Time your OP support abilities like Queen Barenziah and Abnur Tharn well. Don’t burn them the first chance you get to gain lethal.
• Keep mid-range pressure on your opponent using drain creatures and direct damage actions.
• If you can drop Supreme Atromancer and steal his summon ability, you’ll win instantly.
• Churn, burn, and have fun! This deck has very little learning curve, which is part of what makes it so OP. Play naturally and count the bodies.

Deck list:

X3 Crown Quartermaster

X2 Deepwood Trapper

X3 Dominion Oathman

X3 Shadow Shift

X3 Awakened Dreamer

X3 Gavel of the Ordinator

X1 Luzrah gro-Shar

X3 Mournhold Traitor

X3 Shrieking Harpy

X3 Suran Pawnbroker

X3 Wardcrafter

X3 Wily Kee’va

X3 Camlorn Hero

X3 Cornerclub Gambler

X3 Discerning Thief

X3 Dominion Battlereeve

X3 Golden Initiate

X3 Pentius Oculatus Agent

X2 Swift Strike

X2 Cloudrest Illusionist

X1 Dawnbreaker

X3 Lightning Bolt

X1 Queen Barenziah

X1 The Black Dragon

X1 Ahnassi

X1 Ayrenn

X3 Cliff Racer

X1 Monastic Champion

X1 Abnur Tharn

X3 Golden Saint

X1 Razum-Dar

X1 Ancano

X1 Tazkad the Packmaster

X1 Supreme Atromancer

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