CHEAP Pure-Fire Deck

[Cocofang]

Foreword

Content:

1. Cost
2. Tier progression
3. Alternative Cards to use
4. Upgrade priorities
5. Replay
6. My other Guides

This guide aims to put together a pure fire deck on a budget.
As always in Skylords, any suggestion is merely that. It’s all about experimenting. If you don’t like something, just change it.

Want to give something a try? Just slot it in!
Pulled an interesting card that you want to see in action? Build a deck around it, make it work!
Struggle with a specific map? Try different cards, there might be more suitable ones for different situations.
Create something else entirely from the ground up? The card pool is your oyster.

With that being said my goals here are:

• Focus on cards of mostly lower rarity
• Use cheap cards
• Introduce cards (in the deck itself or as alternatives) that have at least some interesting synergies and are more involved
• Be flexible, so many cards can be changed
• Be a generalist, usable in both rPvE and cPvE

Cost

Since the introduction of the Card Reforging, the prices have changed drastically. Generally, this means that the cost for this deck is much lower. But it's still wild out there, so consider this section outdated. I will adjust it once I feel like the economy has settled in and prices are more stable again.

The pricetag isn’t excessive but it will inevitably be higher than a budget mixed deck, because the pool of available cards is restricted.

Rough price chart:

Very cheap - <10 BFP

• Nomad G
• Sunstriders
• Fire Stalker
• Magma Hurler
• Banner of Glory
• Eruption
• Ravage
• Lava Field
• Unity G
• Unity B
• Fire Sphere

Cheap - <80 BFP

• Skyfire Drake
• Fire Dragon
• Pyromaniac R
• Bloodthirst
• Suppression
• Comet Catcher

Moderate - <150 BFP

• Firesworn R
• Batariel P
• Inferno

The estimated total to get at least one copy of each card should be no more than 700 BFP, which is achievable within a mere two days of play. Buy your discounted daily booster, resell it to someone for more and there you go. To get to a more comfortable level of play, which means a few good charge upgrades, you are probably looking at roughly 1100 BFP investment. It's also a good idea to immediately invest some gold on high value upgrades.

AH (Auction House) prices seem to be pretty consistent, if big outliers appear they usually settle again after a few days.

Playing rPvE 9 is possible without any upgrades at all but lacking charges and upgrades can make it a bit tight and I wouldn't necessarily advise it. Especially the harder enemy types and map layouts will be a big challenge and probably not always work out. It's better to stick to solo until you got a good feeling for the deck. Play one round of 6 or 7 at first. Then try an 8, then 9.

You will notice my use of singular letters next to card names, which are referring to the cards affinity. G = Green, P = Purple, B = Blue, R = Red. Cards with affinities have two different versions and they vary in effect, depending on their affinity. Affinities are represented by a small dot on the card in their respective color. They have nothing to do with what Orbs you need to play that card though.

Here is the deck:

Nomad G - Firesworn R - Sunstriders - Fire Stalker - Skyfire Drake - Magma Hurler - Batariel P - Fire Dragon - Banner of Glory - Pyromaniac R – Comet Catcher - Suppression - Eruption - Ravage - Lava Field - Unity G - Unity B – Inferno - Fire Sphere - Bloodthirst

Tier progression

Tier 1

The backbone of this T1 is Nomad G. You have to summon three of them at the very least so their passive healing activates, which makes them durable fighters, especially if you micro them a bit and pull back the most wounded Nomad so that enemies instead focus on a healthier one. Once upgraded, they can even deal damage to airborne targets with an active ability.

Firesworn R has exceptional damage and specialize in dispatching of L units. Their S knockback is very valuable too. Unfortunately they cannot hit airborne targets.

For these you will need Sunstriders. It can also be a good idea to have one squad ready to suppress buildings and finish off S squads.

Your main way of managing your energy economy througout the game is Banner of Glory. Whenever you upgrade tiers on a large scale make sure to kill your own units in its aura to get some energy back for immediate use. Build it during combat so you get some energy right away when your units happen to die. And that’s not all, it can quickly be built between encounters so your army can naturally regenerate around it while out of combat.

Eruption is as straight forward as it is versatile. It will help a lot against airborne units, can be used in quick succession to destroy high priority buildings, such as enemy spawns, and disrupt combat. Or quickly finish off an important target that’s barely hanging on.

On T1 Suppression is kind of superfluous because you already have Sunstriders here. But it will serve you well throughout the entire game whenever you have to disable a dangerous building.

Feel free to fall back on these two spells at any stage of the game.

Tier 2

Nomads can still serve as your primary frontline and Firesworn remain invaluable against dangerous L enemies.

While they fight in melee combat Fire Stalkers also boast regular L bonus damage. Switched to Unstable Ember they can be used as artillery pieces and disrupt combat with S knockback. Use them to destroy buildings from afar and lure enemies out to fight them in the open.

Skyfire Drake is very fragile but deals devastating damage. Use their high mobility to keep them out of danger and hit the enemy where it hurts.

With Pyromaniac R you get a surprisingly deadly tower. Although it cannot hit airborne targets its fire melts through multiple units at once. If you expect a lot of dangerous airborne enemies you can switch to the B affinity.

As for spells you get some rudimentary healing in Ravage to keep a unit from dying mid combat.

Lava Field is expensive, so use it wisely. It can give you some time to breath by knocking back S and M units.

Tier 3

Any remaining T1 units should get recycled with Banner of Glory now. Fire Stalkers will rarely be worth it now but Skyfire Drakes can still be of help because of their high mobility. Hardly in direct confrontations through.

Other than that Magma Hurler is the sole star of the show. Summon as many as you can and focus fire anything dangerous.

Leave some energy for spells though because you will now have access to one of the most vital fire spells: Unity. So vital in fact that you can use both affinities in a deck. G has a decent healing attached to it. Use it on your Magma Hurlers to turn them into a deathball. B will find its main use on T4, where its damage reduction helps protect your valuable units. The two affinities even stack with one another, which units affected by G and B both bond together.

If you have lots of energy to spare use Inferno to decimate enemies.

Tier 4

If you still have any T2 units at this point, kill them. You will want to keep your Magma Hurlers through unless you have enough charges on your other T4 units.

Speaking of which, we have Batariel P here. Broadly underestimated and underappreciated, its aura makes enemy entities take a whole lot more damage from all sources. Its active ability can be used to initiate combat to immediately fire it up.

Fire Dragons are a quintessential fire unit as they enrage in combat and end up dealing absurd damage, which gets further amplified by Batariels aura. This combination leads to tremendous damage outputs.

Comet Catcher has both offensive and defensive use. It takes some time for the comet to fall down but it can wipe out entire armies in an instant. The presence of another building or unit is required at the target location though. In defensive scenarios you can pair them with Pyromaniac which finishes off any stragglers.

Similar to Comet Catcher, Fire Sphere also has a delay but anything that remains in its explosion will sustain massive damage.

An extremely important spell is Bloodthirst as it lets your units heal up during combat. This is especially potent when combined with Unity B. Using these two spells in conjunction is crucial in keeping your units alive.

Alternative Cards to use

With each Tier explained, let's look at some alternatives, upgrades or additions.

Rough price chart:
Very cheap - <10
Cheap - <80
Moderate - <150
Expensive - <250
Very expensive - <600
Top end - 600+

Tier 1 Options

Sunderer – The only T1 L unit in the game and very beefy for a fire unit. Can destroy buildings with ease. Expensive to very expensive.

Thugs – Several of them link together and share their health pool, as if affected by Unity, making them very durable. Very Cheap.

Blaster Cannon P/R – Whenever you find yourself in a situation where you are facing dangerous airborne units early on, consider using Blaster Cannon. Lure flying units into them. Very cheap.

Makeshift Tower – Low damage output but its S knockback can buy a lot of time early on. Its Accelerated Construction can even make it useful offensively. Cheap.

Mine – The iconic and ridiculously strong fire opener. It has ludicrous damage potential with up to 3600. Top end.

Tier 2 Options

Gladiatrix G – Strong and agile with good utility. Cheap.

Firedancer – Artillery range and extremely high damage to buildings. Top end.

Morklay Trap – Build them defensively to annihilate incoming attacks or lure enemies into them. Very cheap.

Pyromaniac B – If you need solid anti-air. Very cheap.

Disenchant P/G – Counteract disabling effects on your units, which is especially important in fire because most units don’t have a lot of health and can therefore die quickly if they are unable to retaliate. Very expensive to top end.

Viridya – Passive healing for your army. But makes you feel dirty for diluting your pure fire deck. Expensive to very expensive.

Tier 3 Options

Vulcan – Very strong AoE clear but cannot hit air. Very cheap.

Juggernaut – Another iconic card that can devastate buildings and packs a punch. Expensive to very expensive.

Spitfire – Has relatively low damage and life but is very versatile. The only airborne unit with artillery range and siege. Very expensive to top end.

Shrine of War – Probably the first card you want to add if you like to play rPvE. Drastically increases void return, speeding up the game a whole lot. Very expensive.

Tier 4 Options

Boom Brothers – A very involved and surprisingly powerful playstyle but it relies on fast void return with Shrine of War. The active ability is incredibly strong and with their damage bonus, they tear through any XL enemy, making them helpless with their knockback to boot. Very cheap.

Emberstrike – A good addition to Boom Brothers as these cannot hit air. Strong combat stats but unfortunately worthless damage bonus against M. The ability is very strong as well. Very cheap.

Moloch – Slow but close to immortal. A good combination with Unity. Expensive.

Magma Fiend – If you are already going slow with Moloch, why not commit further? Cheap.

Volcano G/R – If you are looking to fortify one position, this card can get the job done. Can deal a lot of damage but will take some in return. Moderate.

Earthshaker – An extremely useful card. It has good CC against units but most importantly destroys buildings quickly. Very expensive.

Cluster Explosion – Stupidly powerful spell that can destroy clumped up enemies on its own. Very expensive to top end.

Upgrade priorities

Some advice on what to invest in once you start gathering Gold for card upgrades and BFP for more charges. If you have some excess gold, it's a good idea to invest some into vital upgrades right away. It's very cheap to upgrade Commons To U2 and Uncommons to U1.

Vital upgrades AND charges
Skyfire Drake - More life and lower energy cost makes this card much more forgiving.
Fire Dragon - More base damage means much higher damage cap.
Magma Hurler - As the only T3 unit, these should be as strong as possible. They only gain some life, but that's very good when combined with Unity.
Eruption - As a bread and butter spell, this needs to deal as much damage as possible. And the reduced cost adds up quickly if you cast it a lot.
Unity G/B - Longer duration and lower cost makes this much easier to juggle.
Bloodthirst - Your most powerful heal should do its job often and properly.

Vital upgrades
Nomad G - Very important to unlock its active ability and make it even tankier.
Firesworn R - Its bonus damage to L units scales A LOT. It's a more expensive upgrade but go for it if you find yourself using them often.
Batariel P - More damage means its aura will proc and ramp up faster.
Banner of Glory - More void return means a smoother transition between tiers and shorter recovery time when units die in combat.
Ravage - Stronger heal.
Lava Field - More bang for your buck.

Important upgrades
Suppression - If you feel like you can't destroy the disabled buildings in time.
Inferno - As one of the most energy-intensive spells in the game, you want it to do some work. But it depends on how frequently you like using it.

Decent upgrades
Sunstriders - A cheap upgrade that will help if you find yourself manning a lot of walls and just generally want to have an easier time with airborne targets and suppressing buildings.
Fire Stalker - Just a bit more life.
Pyromaniac R - Also merely a bit more tankiness.
Comet Catcher - Much more damage but it's expensive so it depends on how much you like it.
Fire Sphere - If you like using this spell.

Replay

A replay on rPvE 9 without upgrades. To watch it you have to download the file and add it to: C:\Users\<user name>\Documents\BattleForge\replays

Budget Fire rPvE9.pmv
I try to rush the spawner on the third orb but don’t quite manage so it drags on for a moment. Building one Pyromaniac on each base just to defend it. Could've also just built them at the intersection, but it's fine.
The Magma Hurlers serve me well even on T4. I build Banner to regenerate my army between fights. Unfortunately my Batariels aggro on the last base and get killed but it's a minor setback at this point.

My other Guides

HOW TO: PvE Deckbuilding Guide - If you are unsure how to start building your own decks and what to consider.
CHEAP and powerful BEGINNER Deck - If you are rather interested in a very cheap and flexible mixed deck.
CHEAP Pure-Shadow Deck - If you are rather interested in a cheap and flexible shadow deck.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Cocofang

[Dallarian]

That is lower unit count than I am used to, however, double unity sounds interesting.

I guess I should finally check what Bloodthirst does.

[Cocofang]

Of course the extra Unity can be replaced with something else but since they both stack and the G is very good on T3, while B is generally superior on T4 using both can be justified. Especially if the goal is to make the deck a bit more forgiving.

Before someone gets a few upgrades and charges going on their units, it can indeed be valuable to add some more to the deck to have something to fall back on if charges get depleted. My first candidates to replace would be Fire Sphere, Inferno and possibly Comet Catcher.

A cheap unit to fill the gaps could then be Thugs if you want even more prowess on T1.

On T2 it depends. Gladiatrix G for more ranged damage. Enforcer and Scythe Fiends if a beefier frontline is needed.

T3 either Vulcan for AoE damage or Sun Reaver as an inexpensive frontline.

On T4 the already mentioned Boom Brothers or Emberstrike. If their abilities are used more conservatively, then energy shouldn't be an issue.

[JarodDempsey]

my game says your replay is broken due to update

[Cocofang]

Hm, that's unfortunate. I recorded it on the test server because I wanted to do a run without upgrades, so that's most likely why. Won't do a blank run on live since I would have to downgrade all cards, which would waste a lot of gold.

The replay should work on the current iteration on the test server though!

Edited November 2, 2021 by Cocofang

[Kapo]

55 minutes ago, Cocofang said:

Hm, that's unfortunate. I recorded it on the test server because I wanted to do a run without upgrades, so that's most likely why. Won't do a blank run on live since I would have to downgrade all cards, which would waste a lot of gold.

The replay should work on the current iteration on the test server though!

What you could do is a run with upgrades - I think seeing the playstyle is more important then if its upgraded or not

Awesome Tutorial, as always from the mighty Cocofang 😃

Edited November 2, 2021 by Kapo