My Thoughts: Fenrir vs Amaruda

After Set 11 dropped, one of the more controversial topics has been whether Fenrir or Amaruda are the main ride for a Revelation deck. I wanted to quickly chime in with my opinion, hopefully giving everyone a good view on both arguments, and show why I think as I do. 

Amaruda's stride skill is definitely quality. She's able to maintain hand size and help make numbers on Ishtar turns for a counterblast. While she soulcharges one less card than Fenrir does, the one card difference is irrelevant, considering how much Genesis can soulcharge already. Amaruda can do everything the deck needs efficiently, but what differentiates Amaruda from Fenrir is the fact that Fenrir can tutor a unit from the soul. Fenrir's tutor is often overlooked, but I'm going to go over why it's amazing in the deck. Genesis generally has a giant soul, which gives you a ton of options when using this skill, making your ability to build strong fields more reliable. You'll want to be able to easily make boards so that you can get the most out of your Tahros and Ishtars.

With control decks becoming much more prominent in the meta, of which are able to retire during the opponent's turn, being able to call out a rear to replace one that has been lost is a necessity to keep Ishtar turns strong. Fenrir can do this, but Amaruda can't. Even though you're technically getting the same card advantage from a draw and from a tutor, tutoring is significantly better for the deck. Amaruda's blind draw can potentially be completely irrelevant during your turn, and Amaruda has a much harder time making a formation. Amaruda's power can make numbers, but a lot of the time is minor and doesn't make a significant effect on the game. Both stride skills have definite pros and cons, but Amaruda also has her "free stride" going for her.

First off, I just want to point out that Amaruda's "free stride" isn't completely free. Amaruda's stride skill lets you stride without discarding, yes, but it still costs you precious soul. Considering Ishtar eats at most of your soul, blowing through your soul with Amaruda's free stride skill can damage your toolbox and eventually leave you with a lack of resources. It's a really nice option to have, but you need to make sure you can afford everything for the turn instead of spamming it.

Also, Fenrir has a GB2, unlike Amaruda. Even though it won't be going off much at all, it's worth mentioning. Putting pressure and guard restriction can help in a pinch when both players are extremely low on resources. Even if it's rarely goes off, it's still worth mentioning that it's an option for Fenrir. 

Additionally, Fenrir has access to two certain name-locked cards that Amaruda doesn't. Gjoll and Gelgja, both of which complement Ishtar perfectly. Gelgja can still be used in Amaruda, but you don't get as much power or soulcharge out of him. Gjoll is a great revelation unit that can soulblast three on-attack for a draw.

Imagine this scenario: You start your battle phase on an Ishtar turn, but your first rearguard attack gets Denialed. After swinging with Gjoll, you can call out a new unit with Fenrir's stride skill so that Ishtar still has a full field to stand. Both Gjoll and Gelgja give the deck access to necessary tools for optimal Ishtar turns, and it's Fenrir that's the one that has access to them

So a quick tldr;

Amaruda

• Stride skill soulcharges, draws, and gives power, while Fenrir only soulcharges and calls a card from soul
• Has access to a "free" stride skill
• Blind draws aren't always reliable
• You can't always afford to pay the soulblast cost of the "free" stride

Fenrir

• Has access to both generic revelation support and his own name-locked support
• Is able to tutor out units from soul to either make stronger boards or field lost units, allowing you to recover against control much easier
• In games where you can't stride, you have access to GB2 
• Less advantage from the stride skill

I do believe Fenrir is the better ride target for the deck. His tutor and name-restricted support is too good to lose and something Amaruda just can't do. Amaruda, herself, is great, but simply just doesn't do as much for the deck as Fenrir does.

Since this is Budgetfight, I do feel it's relevant to mention that Amaruda is way more budget-friendly. Fenrir still being around $10 hurts the wallet. Amaruda, on the other hand, is only around $3 and is much more accessible.