[Top 5] Shadowverse Best Shadowcraft Decks

Mordecai the Duelist is prepared for a smashing victory
Mordecai the Duelist is ready for victory!


[Top 5] Shadowverse Best Shadowcraft Decks

5. Lover's Last Knell

Despite being a slightly older deck compared to most Shadowcraft decks, Lover’s Last Knell can pack a surprising punch. It works surprisingly well against a Portalcraft deck that’s primarily Artifact focused, and even against another Shadowcraft Necromancy deck like it. Necromancy in Lover’s can be easy to control and there are even successful wards to provide protection while you’re building up your Necromancy points. Lover’s Last Knell acts as a traditional Shadowcraft deck, and is perfect to defeat the original storyline boss, Nexus.

Deck Review 

  • The biggest strength Lover’s Last Knell possesses against most other decks resides in its ability to summon low cost Skeleton followers that can fill the board easily, driving your opponent to wish to destroy those followers first rather than attack your leader instead. These skeletons also help you to do significant damage to any other enemy followers to remove them from the board so that other followers can attack the enemy leader directly. Also, they help to raise your Necromancy count.
  • In this deck, Burial Rite plays a big role. Burial Rite is an effect that activates when you choose to destroy a specific follower in your hand in order to perhaps draw a card, heal your leader, put a follower into play, or do damage to an enemy. Followers such as Gloomy Necromancer, Ferry, Spirit Maiden, and Everdark Strix are perfect examples of this. All allow you to draw cards, heal, or do damage to the enemy. There are plenty of others like them, making the deck powerful by allowing it to give you plenty of Necromancy points that activate many other effects that help contribute to your victory.
  • However, this deck’s biggest problem resides in two factors. The first one is that there are too many random low cost cards instead of there being a consistent mix of various cost cards in the majority of the deck. The big issue with decks like this is that there is a low chance you’ll be able to draw the important or powerhouse cards you need. The second is that it’s still an older deck, meaning that people are less likely to use it and that these cards will be less likely to stand strong against the most recent card packs.

 

Deck Card List  

  • Mischievous Spirit x3
  • Spartoi Sergeant x3
  • Gloomy Necromancer x3
  • Sarunan, Cursebound Lover x1
  • Lady Grey, Deathweaver x1
  • Ferry, Spirit Maiden x1
  • Undying Resentment x3
  • Troth’s Curse x3
  • Big Soul Hunter x3 
  • Everdark Strix x3
  • Fiendish Wraithknight x1
  • Mighty Arm Skeleton x3
  • Skull Ring x3
  • Holy Angel Altaia x3
  • Underworld Rule Aisha x1
  • Skeleton Prince x3
  • Fickle Resurrector x2

 

4. The Corpsewyrm Beckons

This is deck number four out of five, and works significantly better than Lover’s Last Knell. It is faster and does significantly more damage to the enemy leader in one turn. While there are less wards and a lower opportunity for defense, Necromancy is embraced more by the offensive side of Shadowcraft, and the follower count in general is much more balanced. Followers also have stronger in game effects than those of the above deck. While there are no cards with Burial Rite, the cards that have powerful Last Words effects make up for it.

Deck Review 

  • A huge advantage of Corpsewyrm is its ability to manage the field offensively while still possessing an impressive speed compared to most Shadowcraft decks. Cards such as Cerberus, Hound of Hades and Orthrus, Junior Hellhound help to eliminate enemy followers on the board so that you can go straight for the leader. Corpsewyrm is a surprisingly aggressive deck, with followers and spells that embrace enhancing another follower’s offense or defense 
  • Another great aspect of Corpsewyrm is that it has a better balance of card variety overall. This means that powerhouse cards such as Cerberus or Crow, Regent of Darkness can easily be drawn. This helps you to control your shadows in order to activate certain Necromancy effects, considering that now you have a consistency in which followers or spells you can use in order to get you there. Unlike Lover’s Last Knell, there is no need to worry about finding your legendary or gold cards that tend to carry you to victory 
  • However, the deck’s biggest issue is that it can be hard to keep track of your Necromancy points considering many powerful and useful cards rely on them to work especially well. Cards such as the Orthrus, the Corpsewyrm, and the Charon are heavily connected to Necromancy points. If you don’t have the points, you don’t have the effects. Something else is that this deck isn’t cheap to make, and is also significantly older. This can discourage players from desiring to use it.

 

Deck Card List

  • Mischievous Spirit x3
  • Soul Conversion x3
  • Lyria, Azure Maiden x3
  • Spartoi Sergeant x3
  • Spectre x2
  • Lady Grey, Deathweaver x3
  • Undying Resentment x3
  • Fran, Monster Girl x3
  • Sinister Sarcophagus x3
  • Orthrus, Junior Hellhound x3
  • Crow, Regent of Darkness x3
  • Cerberus, Hound of Hades x2
  • Charon, Stygian Ferrywoman x3
  • Gilnelise, Omen of Craving x2
  • Corpsewyrm Fafnir x1

 

3. Amethyst: Resistance 

Amethyst: Resistance is deck three out of five, and has had a significant card update since our last deck. Resistance is connected to the Natura and Aiolin storylines, meaning that not only is it significantly more recent, but it has two storyline characters in it. Resistance has a great combination of healing and offense. It has an especially high level of damage to the enemy leader when played right, and that works significantly well with the healing mentioned above. 

Deck Review 

  • The biggest advantage of this deck is its specific gold card Nicola, Forbidden Strength. Nicola has the Last Words effect that lets you put another Nicola in your hand and give it attack equal to the number of times this follower has been destroyed. This card is easy to activate considering that Shadowcraft focuses on destroying followers in the first place that help activate Necromancy effects. You have to be on your guard with Nicola, as speed is imperative. He connects well to followers such as Ghoul and Baleful Necromancer, making him extremely important to the battle.
  • Next, we have the combination of the defense aspect. Aenea, Amethyst Rebel has both the ability to attack and defend considerably well. Once Aenea is put into play, she summons a new ward, Roly-Poly Mk I. It can only take one damage at a time. Now if a Roly-Poly is not in play, Aenea gives you a Fleeting Joy. Fleeting Joy is a spell that allows your leader to not have more than five damage done to it at a time. And if you wait till your ninth turn, four random Machina followers from your deck will automatically be put into play. This is what makes Amethyst: Resistance such a good mix of offense and defense.
  • However, this deck’s primary weakness is that it revolves around Nicola in general. Any Shadowverse deck that revolves around one card spells trouble. If Nicola isn’t in your hand at the beginning when you need him, your plan could easily fall apart. The next issue is actually Aenea. The majority of Machina cards in this deck are high cost and are difficult to get destroyed, meaning that Aenea’s effect on the ninth turn wouldn’t activate. That seems to be the biggest issue with this deck.

 

Deck Card List

  • Spartoi Sergeant x3
  • Spectre x2
  • Nicola, Forbidden Strength x3
  • Ghoul x3
  • Deadly Dreamer x3
  • Undying Resentment x3
  • Manifest Malice x3
  • Disciple of Silence x3
  • Bone Drone x3
  • Aenea, Amethyst Rebel x3
  • Robozombie x3
  • Ceres, Eternal Bride x1
  • Steelclad Minotaur x3 
  • Colossal Skull Lord x2
  • Baleful Necromancer x3

 

2. Messages from Beyond

Messages from Beyond is deck two out of five and is the most recently created deck in Shadowverse. It focuses primarily on a Natura/Machina cross while simultaneously emphasizing the importance of Last Words effects on a follower. Last Words on these cards are generally easy to activate, most of these cards being low to midrange cost. The reason Beyond is more successful than Resistance is due to the fact that Beyond manages to handle a type cross deck in a generally proper way.

Deck Review

  • For example on the success of the Last Words cards, many of them are Natura cards, Natura being a card type that revolves around Last Words when you destroy its Trees. All of these trees only cost one play point and are generally permanent on the field, making it easy to use them to draw cards, activate other followers' effects, and even gain shadows. Cards such as Revenant Ram, Necromantic Aether, and Lubelle, Necrofamily are key cards to help out with this effect. Once you manage to get your Natura cards in gear, they can really get the match rolling and serve to help out with making the Machina cross successful. 
  • Why are Last Words cards so important in this deck? Well, the legendary card, Thoth, is the answer to that. Once ten cards with Last Words have been destroyed, Thoth’s effect comes into play, an effect that lasts for the rest of the match. Said effect is that once they are destroyed, whenever a new follower comes into play, they will also gain Last Words. Their Last Words effect is doing two damage to the enemy leader each time they are destroyed. Once activated, the enemy doesn’t stand a chance.
  • However, defeating ten cards with Last Words is more difficult than it appears, and this deck can be particularly slow if not timed carefully. The other problem is that there are only two copies of Thoth in the deck, making it less likely for you to draw her in the end and make use of her effect. The last issue is that without Thoth, a backup plan is possible, but difficult to formulate if you were depending on her and not watching your Necromancy points.

 

Deck Card List

  • Night of the Living Dog x3
  • Necromantic Aether x3
  • Spartoi Sergeant x3
  • Sora, Arcane Fist x3
  • Revenant Ram x3
  • Thoth x2
  • Undying Resentment x3
  • Mechasaw Deathbringer x3
  • Khawy, Underworld Heir x3
  • Helio, Sacrosanct Spirit x3
  • Bone Drone x3
  • Shinobu, Mausoleum Medium x1
  • Gravewalker x2
  • Lubelle, Necrofamily x2
  • Guilt, Existential Blader x3

 

Top Shadowcraft Deck: Necromantic Purgatory

 

Necromantic Purgatory is the top Shadowcraft deck in our lineup of five primarily because it’s generally concrete, has a main strategy with an effective backup plan, has plenty of low cost followers to pick up any slack, and has a decent mixture of offensive and defensive skills. Like Messages from Beyond, Necromantic Purgatory focuses on the importance of Last Words cards as well, but has a better contingency plan in mind. It is primarily a Natura deck, but has a few basic Shadowcraft cards sprinkled in to make the deck as effective as it is.

Deck Review

  • Just like Messages from Beyond, Necromantic Purgatory also makes use of Thoth, the legendary follower. However, what makes it have a shot at a more accurate win is that one, it has more Last Words cards that are extremely low cost, and two has three of her card in the deck instead of just two. Not only that, but as mentioned above, Necromantic  has another backup plan with the card Hades, Father of Purgatory. If played on turn six, he does three damage to all followers and summons the amulet, Path to Purgatory. This card does six damage to all enemy’s once you have thirty shadows. When either Thoth or Path to Purgatory work alone, they do significant damage. If they work together, their success is even more likely.
  • Shadows are harder to earn than one would think, especially thirty of them. Most people prefer the Sonata or Silence strategy, but there is another way. That’s why the amulet Gloaming Tombs is essential to the win. Whenever an allied follower comes into play you gain one shadow, and with plenty of low cost followers to play, you have an amazing shot of racking up those shadows. This card also only cost two play points, so it isn’t difficult to play it early on. Other cards such as Fighting Jiangshi contribute to this strategy with shadows and being put into play in general, but Gloaming Tombs really does the trick.
  • One of the only issues with this deck is that it isn’t cheap to make and that it’s cards come from many different card packs, not just two or three. Also, while effective, Thoth and Path to Purgatory can be slow when it comes to being activated, making victories against Aggro decks slightly difficult. For the majority of the time, however, Necromantic Purgatory has a great shot at a significant win.

 

Deck Card List

  • Skull Beast x3
  • Mino, Crafty Reaper x2
  • Necromantic Aether x3
  • Travelers’ Respite x3
  • Deadly Dreamer x
  • Revenant Ram x3
  • Thoth x3
  • Triscythe Reaper x2
  • Gloaming Tombs x3
  • Mechasaw Deathbringer x2
  • Fighting Jiangshi x3
  • Spectral Servant x2
  • Beastly Medium x2
  • Tithi, Underworld Shaman x3
  • Hades, Father of Purgatory x3

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I carry my pen like I carry my broadsword; with confidence and experience. My entire life has been devoted to creative writing and gaming, and always will be.
Gamer Since: 2012
Favorite Genre: RPG
Currently Playing: Shadowverse
Top 3 Favorite Games:Costume Quest, Star Wars: Battlefront, The Elder Scrolls Online


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RequipMage916's picture

RequipMage916 3 years 7 months ago

Ip0f is the Necromantic Purgatory deck code

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