Budget Deck: Dark Irregulars (Nightmareland)

Man, a lot of things in this blog and my life were a mistake.

I can't be bothered to fix my Messiah budget post which was bad enough at the time and is now probably just as completely irrelevant, but yet is still the most viewed post of the entire blog. I should actually fix that somehow without procrastinating.

The price tags were also a mistake since the price of a deck can't be approxed from X to Y and etc etc, and I still need to somehow get the dropdown menu working again. Also something I'm probably never gonna do since I don't even know how I want to format it nowadays.

Speaking of format, the way I used to format my blog was also a mistake! I should probably try to fix that! Still probably not gonna do it though!

I've quit Vanguard in general for Pokemon, WIXOSS, and other stuff and budget decks are now a far dream so eh, whatever. At least other people still have fun on this blog, and I've met some good people on the Discord server. The Discord server was a great idea, but only about a thirds of you guys are alive...

My writing was also really bad since I was, like, 11 when I first made this blog. Probably still is though, and I'll probably say the same thing with this post when I'm 16!

That aside though, I should probably discuss what I'm supposed to discuss!
During the short while I picked Vanguard back up, I played Nightmarelands. I didn't even know that Nightmarelands were a thing before Chang told me! I just wanted a Dark Irregulars deck since that's what I used before I quit irl, and was budget since you know, I have obligations to this blog.

Overall though, Nightmarelands were fun and decent if you asked me. They were a watered down version of the better Glanzend and/or Scharhrot build, but was still usable. The deck had access to just about the same cards anyways. Nightmarelands just, well, had a bunch of limitations on the deck space they had available since you wanted to run a lot of Nightmareland cards, most of which had mediocre skills. That being said though, Nightmarelands are pretty good imo. Hartrud having the ability to convert any card on the field into a technical intercepter is a solid skill, albeit that you won't need it for a lot of games. Netherless though, with Dormouse and Hartrud Nightmarelands can hard counter Time Leap and other decks that do multi-attacking on the bare minimum amount of power to hit the VG, if those decks exist outside of Time Leap nowadays.

Grade 3

I still regret making the format look like this

Anyways!

Hartrud is obviously your main Grade 3. She's basically Nightmareland's only reason to exist anyways, so hey.

Anyways, Hartrud's skill is decent like I've covered previously. While conditional, being able to turn your field into a shield is a convenient, albeit niche. It can save you or your hand at times when you need it, it synergizes comfortably well with Tragic Claw and cal kill of the Enigmatic Assassin you used up and have no use for anymore. I've already mentioned the synergy with Dormouse, so I'll skip that.

Aside from Hartrud, you would obviously want a backup. It doesn't matter who you want your backup to be since you're most likely not gonna care either ways. Preferably though, you would want it to be something with Darkness. Weretiger Yaeger is basically the best card in the deck (and arguably the best DI card there is next to, I dunno, Gille de Rais), so might as well try to make full use of it. There's also Demonted Executioner, so yeah.

Plus, Glanzend makes a great backup for Nightmarelands, if you can afford it. Glanzend as a standalone is a great card due to it's ability to refresh the hand and all those stuff.

Other than the Darkness though, if you want your backup to actually do something despite the fact that it most likely isn't going to do anything and Glanzend obviously wasn't good enough, you can run something like Scharhrot. In the worst case scenerio in where you misride Hartrud, Scharhrot is going to do a lot for you since it's a great card as a standalone. Depending on the situation, it might even do more than Glanzend, since retiring something and guaranteeing Darkness and 6 souls is useful.

I felt like I was talking about the pros and cons of a Glanzend deck and a Scharhrot deck, but eh, let's go back to Nightmarelands!

... well, I covered basically everything though.

No, Reijy and Nine-Break Hustler doesn't count as valid backups!

Well okay, Reijy can work when you misride him, but Scharhrot and Glanzend will probably do more thanks to the 11k base and doing something other than on-riding him. Nine-Break Hustler is okay, but nowadays you're never calling a Grade 3 and misriding into him is a horror.

Grade 2

I personally think DI has access to a bunch of good Grade 2s. Most of which are generic and safe for Nightmarelands use!

Tragic Claw is the MVP in terms of Nightmarelands if you ask me though. It synergizes well with Hartrud like I mentioned, and it helps guarantee Darkness for that turn with 6 soul. Normally decks would use Demonted Executioner to guarantee those two things, but all the space that goes to Darkness in that deck goes to Nightmareland cards in this one, so I'd say Tragic Claw works better. You could run both if you somehow found the space, but I can't say if it's going to be consistent enough.

You could like, make everything but the triggers non-Nightmareland, but that would sort of be a complete other build?

Aside from that, Dum of Nightmareland is your Nightmareland filler for Grade 2. It also hits for columns and can make them when combined with the crit, so it is a decent card, but Nightmarelands is honestly the main reason you run him!

Succubus of Attachment is a great card that can help you fuel your hand and soul.

Doppel Vampir is a good card, but it sort of contradicts Dum in term of attacking with numbers. It would be better, but Dum has Nightmarelands in it's name. You could run it just because I guess.

The last thing worth mentioning is Flying Librarian I guess. It is a pretty good card looking at how it gives you soul and advantage. 8k base is a disadvantage, but hey, card advantage!

Grade 1

Man, Dormouse! You're one of the reasons why Nightmarelands functions at all!

Other than Dormouse though, DI has some great Grade 1s.

... I feel like I've said this in Grade 2.
Am I thinking before I talk?

Anyways, let's talk about Yaeger.

Advantage for CB1 is great amirite?

It can even act as a Stride Fodder provided you have the right things in soul!

Anyways, I sing high praises for Yaeger. Maybe too high, maybe not, but regardless it's really good. It gives you resources and utility by being a stride fodder and hand refresher for whatever you don't need or want.

I never thought I'd see the day when I would say that Doreen is outdated!

Well, it's still good, just not as good as it was compared to back in the days. Large columns are still deadly and will probably always be. It's just that space is an issue. Doreen does help in pushing for damage, so she is a valid option. Edge in the Darkness is mostly better though, since it's more consistent more than a one-shot everything type of card, and has more than one ability.

Serpent Charmer should be self-explinatory. Deck Refrshing at the worst case scenerio and 9k boosting is effective.

The last two things to mention is Dimension Creeper and Pure Loving Succubus, I guess. I don't run them due to space, especially in the case of Stride Enabler since Yaeger covers that to a certain extent.

Killing Dollmaster isn't worth it anymore.

Oh also, Nightmareland PG is ideal because Nightmarelands. You could go PGG or the Darkness PG since both are just as good, but eh, this way is cheaper and arguably as effective.

Grade 0

Werfleder is still the best starter. Drawing and Soulcharging 3 is really good.

Then we have the traditional Enigmatic Assassin! A +1 and a 15k booster is always good, even if it costs a soul!

Then you have a bunch of Nightmareland triggers. Yes, including the cat. You could go crits if you want to I guess, but the cat!

Grade 4

Man, I've come far and all of a sudden I'm losing all motivation! Can I just dismiss the Grade 4 section as "SPAM GILLES DE RAIS" and end it? What do you mean I can't?! It's basically it!

Fine, there's the G-Guardians too, both of which are amazing due to SCing on-call and being a better Scryew and all that.

... Wait, I have to cover that Kisskill and Ericrius are best First Strides too? That should be self explinatory because Kisskill has pressure and Elikries has control to an extent no? I don't need to talk of it anymore right? Right?!!

... Am I getting too old to do a skit by myself?
I mean, talking to myself in the middle of loneliness is basically what I do during my free time...

                                                                                                        

Decklist: 

NOTE: This is only an example decklist and should only be used as a base. I recommended that you create your own decklist through your own testing. I found this decklist to fit me, but it is up to you to find a decklist that fits you.

Grade 0:

1x Werfleder Ordonnaz

1x Enigmatic Assassin

16x Triggers of Choice

Grade 1:

4x Perfect Guard of Choice

4x Dormouse of Nightmareland

4x Wertiger Yaeger

1x Serpent Charmer

Grade 2:

4x Dum of Nightmareland

4x Tragic Claw

3x Succubus of Attachment 

Grade 3:

4x Queen of Nightmareland, Hartrud

4x Glanzend Vampir 

Grade 4:

4x Abominable One, Gilles de Rais

2x Love Tempest, Kisskill Lira

2x Rebellious Retainer of Fresh Blood, Frederick

2x Mask of Demonic Frenzy, Ericrius

1x Great Demon, Soulless Demagogue

1x One Steeped in Sin, Scharhrot

2x Nighttime Gentleman, Saint-Germain

2x False Dark Wings, Agrat bat Mahlat

                                                                                                        

Effectiveness: 7/Alice

Price: $70-110, Depending on Revival Set Prices

Competitive: Possibly

Final Words: Man, about half of this blog was spent on me ranting about irrelevant stuff, but hey! I wasn't around here for a few months/years, so I can talk my thoughts out... right?

Anyways, Nightmarelands are fun. They definitely aren't the best Dark Irregulars deck out there, but they do differentiate themselves from other decks with Hartrud and all that. Their main wincon is still Gilles de Rais and all the typical Dark Irregular stuff, but hey.

Don't have much else to say, see you probably never!