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Branded is just a die roll matchup. This is also the case in handtrap builds, but it's more pronounced here. The one Branded I faced didn't seem to main Puppet, so I won G1 despite losing roll, but so long as Puppet is legal it's gonna be die roll. It is what it is.

This wasn't top cut, top cut was top 16 (394 players)! Also I was playing 60, and I think playing less is not a good idea if you are running all of these engines, as the density of bricks gets too high.

Oh wow that's kinda small for nats :( but yeah I agree 60 is really good, I've been on it since Jess's profile!!

You didn't play small world as well, did you miss it? Like, to search for a starter or extender?

My matchups were pretty annoying since they weren't at all what I prepared for. Round 1 Drytron, Round 2 Centurion, Round 3 Labrynth, Round 4 Branded, Round 5 Salamangreat, Round 6 Labrynth, Round 7 Tenpai, Round 8 Tenpai (only loss, G1 shifter + nib + duster + field, g3 heat wave), Round 9 Vanquish Soul. As for boardbreakers it's odd because it depends. Dark Ruler was great in testing but as you can see my matchups were pretty unusual in a way that made the card more middling than it would be on average. Backrow removal post side was pretty fantastic, and I'd even go as far as going Evenly main over Imperm looking back. The issue with mixing the two is that handtraps are essentially dead cards in hand unless you draw multiple-almost all relevant decks are completely unaffected if you only have one. The idea of running breakers is that Plants are uniquely good at dealing with the followup of most decks in the format if you actually get to play, and simultaneously Plants really needs a full hand to play into a board, so starting with two less cards in hand because you handtrapped your opponent often feels like you are frailer than you should be (there is not much you can do if your opponent still manages to end on an Apo, for example). I did not miss Small World. I love the card design-wise, but you will already go -1 hand size while playing into boards, and every card in hand counts. Add to that the fact that I do not have dead handtraps to banish and would essentialyl banish a valuable piece of engine just to get another... it just doesn't make much sense in this build. I chose to add a third Rosa as starter and the Rose Paladins as extenders instead, as those don't go -1.

@@Moelancholy Thank you so much for the detailed reply! I'm having the same feeling that every card counts with this deck, also I felt the same about going multiple handtraps but being left with only one play that eventually gets stopped and I loose anyway, so I think I'll give it a try myself and see how it goes, thank you again for the quality content !!

Would to see some theory videos!

would love to see even deck theory for plants!

Please do the combos!

Combos PlSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Only line I have is if I play Meliae of the trees (since I don't own S:P) and get a little lucky. Basically: I assume they droll after the Dryas. Then I'll summon jasmine, tribute one of the two bodies for lonefire, lonefire for rosalina, rosalina brings laurel. link off Laurel for Dancepione pointing to the two monsters, excavate. Assume we hit one, Select for level modulation with Dancepione lonefire, xyz into Meliae, detach and summon blossom, blossom for Snowdrop, Meliae and Dancepione into Melias and then into the link 4. With Snowdrop and whatever you hit, make Queen. It's at least two interruptions. But I don't think it's good to rely on hitting anything with Dancepione.

Just add it if you want. If you start with the right hand, it is pretty easy to add with Jasmine or Glamour and then normal it. If you can't do it fast enough, at any moment you can summon it it's almost an auto win.

The OTK line using thrasher has not come up for me even once in over 100 bo3 matches. You'll more commonly use Thrasher as a battle phase play to clear opponents' S:P, or to banish it with twin to preserve link material if you are comboing through handtraps and want to end on Benghalancer. Edit: to be clear, the line doesn't come up because if you are playing into a board, you will wind up naturally expending and linking off your one Dryas. You realistically always needed more than 1 Dryas to do the Thrasher OTK. But it also isn't needed, because using the Aroma package produces more spot removal and more damage than the Thrasher OTK ever did, to begin with.

​@@Moelancholy couldnt agree more. If playing Magnolia, Thrasher isnt needed anymore at all.

It must obviously have worked for her, but I am weary of the great amount of cards that go -1 hand size (small world, additional copies of blend). They are somewhat necessary to maintain a good ratio of starters and extenders now that you can't just play additional copies of Loci and be fine, and they are powerful going first... but going second they really hurt. Especially if you are playing a handtrap-heavy build and starting your turn fith 4-5 cards in hand as it is.

​@@Moelancholyyeah I find myself wanting to not go neg one so often with her build, especially if my hand traps don't entirely fit the matchup, for example I ash an unchained play and they just keep going.

Dried Winds is a really, realyl bad card. I talk about the reasons why each Winds card is or is not good in my other video, so maybe check that out. Anyway, quick explanation: mandatory pop effect makes it awkward to time, it's a brick, it doesn't allow you to extend through handtraps or further your combos (again, see my previous video), and the raigeki effect will never come up in this build unless you are already winning the game anyway, at which point it is superfluous.

My testing partner/friend and me actually played with those cards directly after they were announced and yes they are phenomenal cards for playing through nibiru etc., but a major issues we faced was the fact that Raika wants discard synergies to accomplish much of anything going second, and you need to add a certain amount of bricks as well. Including them in the standard SunRikka pile we are currently running feels like a mistake, as we don't really need more push going first, but rather a stronger resilient gameplan going second. Like, Marikoube is a 1.5c combo into essentially anything. Even like bamboo shoot lock + 4 interrupts or something silly like that, see here (unoptimised): www.duelingbook.com/replay?id=1091724-57231656 That said, I think there is a lot of potential there with plants that have discard synergies. There already exist plant piles that focus more on dancepione and discard synergies with spore, rose lover, predaplant engine, paired with rikkas. Maybe they can find a home there, but right now I feel like the Raika archetype is missing a third good maindeck monster outside the plant and the mandatory insect brick (you want a third main deck monster so that spell is not also a brick).

Any deck can brick, but the idea of cutting Primula is to make the brick ratio the same (or lower) than before. If you want to really minmax the bricks you can also cut Laurel to 1, turning it from 2 very soft bricks into 1 soft-ish brick. Other than that just try to achieve sensible starter/extender/brick ratios and you'll be fine. Trying to avoid bricking is also why I'm not playing Angelica, a second wind (despite that being very strong if set up!), Marjoram, Cactus Bouncer, etc. In a handtrap format what you need to do is to resolve your combo. If you do that then no engine can break your board without boardbreakers (which they don't play).

I'm playing the same version in the video because i like It and i love blend , do you think is good to remove 2 talent and change of hearth in the decklist to play 48 cards? Change of hearth in the side.

There are also combinations that can save the blend follow up play etc (e.g. Loci + Borea, just do early reg, then jasmine ss rosa instead of laurel and go from there), and you can do it more commonly if you play Angelica (even with 1.5c combos if you choose that over ending on Hyperyton).

That's pretty much the idea for the second line, you get that board + jasmine, and if dance hits one, then blend into magnolia is also unused. Means you can get four searches by the time you start your turn 3 (humid + jasmine).

Yo thanks I was looking for a line just like this using Angelica. I love how you have Blend in the grave to use Magnolia turn three for boosting attack.

Thanks for posting this for anyone interested. Personally I really do not like playing Angelica as I see it as a bad draw and am trying to maximise my good starting hands, so this isn't of direct use for me, but it may be for others that are looking through the comment section. That said though, just for clarity's sake, I do outline the exact package that I am playing before the start of the combos, and I did mention the fact that I think you should find the package you want to play first and then make combos from there! If you are playing Angelica, all of these lines can likely be slightly adjusted, not just the Blend line!

The only reason I'm doing it is because it is funny, and I have no qualms about doing it with Jess or anyone else. I understand the concern, but honestly I didn't think these videos would do as well as they have to begin with haha

You can, but you will wind up with a deck that has less consistency, less push going second or through handtraps, and will end up at a similar amount of bricks, producing boards that are simply downgrades of what you would have if you ran the Sunavalon engine. Personally, no matter how much I enjoy playing with the Aroma cards, I would cut them before I cut the Sunavalon package.

@keanyl7882 My friend got top 64 at a 530+ regional playing Rikka Aroma with no Sunavalon. It's definitely doable.

I'm just some guy on the internet. My only credential is I was top 100 on duelingbook when I dedicated some more time to playing rated on that site. I'm not sure it's that interesting, and I also just do not have a proper setup to record as you can see in the combos here.

I Just asked because i'm struggling Building the deck

@@gjplay6554 i.imgur.com/KaSJjn1.png

Thank you, really kind.

*need* is a strong word, however blend is very strong for giving going second push and playing through interruptions and handtraps, and humid is very strong in simplified gamestates. I've personally cut Primula, which ends with the same amount of suboptimal draws, and have not missed it. It's obviously not quite the same, as Primula is not as bad of a draw as a purple card which is just -1 hand size immediately, but I've found it about evens out. Maybe give that a try if it is a concern for you. That said, just two Laurel is perfectly viable, I'm just not sure it is powerful enough.

@@Moelancholy yeah, i‘ve also cut primula and didnt miss it. instead im just playing more starters so its pretty good. i feel like rosalina and 2 laurel is powerful enough, because rosalina both let you play through handtraps and rosalina is an insane starter

- You definitely max out Borea. I have considered 3 sowing but not tested it yet. It is a powerful card though, so it is worth considering. - currently still just an idea. I have cut Primula and not missed it, but from experience the second Konkon/Glamour/Mudan can come up in awkward grind games especially if you started with the second Loci combo in this video. You definitely max out Princess, as it opens up avenues to play around Nib in two card combos. Second Petal can come up but I have never missed it outside of 60 card lists, but ymmv. - Blend as additional starter can be fine and I would actually recommend it in 60. But despite the better board, it is worse than Rosa going second, and it plays into Droll, so in smaller lists I would look elsewhere. - I play 16 non-engine (5x3 + called by) in ~50, and you have a flex spot in extra (can be SP, thrasher, etc) - You can usually play through one handtrap trivially, but you can consider Crossout for going first if you are on a handtrap-heavy list