Mono Wind the Clock
Ever wanted to play Mono Wind? Afraid of all the Mono Cce decks freezing down the competition? Here is a homebrew that might blow all your cares away!
Courtesy of FFDecks.com. For interactive link, click here
Why this deck
I started playing this game with Mono Wind. It seemed like a fun group of cards, and I knew the deck I started with could win, but it would be really tough and require a lot out of me. So, we grew up together: me learning how to master my 50 cards, and Mono Wind doing its best to compete on limited tools. Before Opus 4, Warrior of Light was a big player in my deck and really got me over. I used to say it was the best forward in the game (I still say that, just quietly and to my friends, as to not draw a saltstorm from some passerby who loves their Al-Cid too much).
I took a break from Mono Wind during Opus 4. The break is over.
How it wants to win
This deck sets the clock on an opponent quickly with unblockable forwards. It protects those forwards from board wipes through a few buffs, and a lot of interaction to fizzle opponent’s tech. Play backups early, get a few low drop forwards down that can evade big threats, and play removal on anything that can block. Late game big forwards clog up the board. The plan is to establish Forwards that our opponents cannot respond to quick enough, and evade their blockers while they watch the clock run out.
Forwards
Your best friend in this deck is Seven. We are effectively running six copies, because we want the full three of Seven, two Rem, and one Asura. Seven makes Trey especially powerful, and Snakebite is real. If you’ve never Snakebitten an opponent’s Shantotto, you haven’t lived.
Zidane (1-071L) makes a comeback with two copies. Some decks have very few options of interacting with him, and he can take over a game quickly if you drop him in early turns.
I’m all-in on the adorable Adelle, who is going to set fiyah to the wind (I’m sorry -- please keep reading). I really enjoyed this card at prerelease and cannot wait to see it in action. Opponents will undoubtedly want to remove this quickly, so we are running all three. It is worth considering this card as a 4-CP forward, because you probably end up paying for the ability the turn you cast her.
Y’shtola is my pick for best Legend in Opus V. I love that it is on-curve, and can flip a game on its head by itself. This is in addition to Seven, and Aerith.
Dorgann has always been a favorite card of mine. Before everyone in the world ran The Emperor, Dorgann was the best removal in the game. I still think it is, unfortunately we just live in a world where he can get shut down.
Warrior of Light and Arc are going to be best friends. Arc makes Warrior of Light a giant force to be reckoned with, and Warrior of Light makes Arc harder to remove. Arc plays further into the strategy on his own, too, by making a forward unblockable!
Bartz EX brings it home. I want to see Bartz L in this group, because Seven and Warrior of Light just love to see him at the party. Unfortunately, Bartz EX is just better and more consistent. This could be an area I change around in the future.
Summons / Monsters
Asura as a one-of makes sense here. The card is great. It gets back Seven, ruins Ice’s day by activating forwards, and also can ramp you up a turn by activating a few backups.
I’m going with a one-of Diabolos, as well. By all accounts, this card is amazing. As I play with it more, I may convince myself to run more than one.
Diablos EX is really strong and hard to run less than the full three. With 10% of the deck Class Zero Cadet, you cast Diablos EX for free most of the time. It is also the most reliable way to deal with The Emperor with no downside other than having eight characters.
I like two copies of Valefor. There are a few cards in Opus V that make me think players are going to want to get a lot of forwards out. I think this card and some others that punish tons of forwards are going to improve in strength. Plus, with so many free activations, it is likely more punishing to your opponent than it will be for you to deal with Valefor. If you are not a fan, run Chaos, Walker of the Wheel for targeted removal.
Koboldroid Yin feels right at home here with our strategy. I like two copies because it is a card that many players will aim removal towards once it gets online. I am taking a risk on Spiceacilian as a monster who might win the game by itself, and also has a goofy synergy with Koboldroid Yin, too.
Backups
Evoker as a one-of. Backups for 1 CP are the best.
Three Archer, a no-brainer to deal with the biggest headaches that opponent backups can offer.
Baralai (1-200S) as a one-of has always served me well. Most players overlook him and he will bring back big blockers when you need them most, for a very low cost.
Miounne is a really cool card. Add in that 10% of this deck is 1 CP, and the downside is extremely minimal. It combos a little bit with Spiceacilian, letting you get an activation in, bounce, draw a card, play Space Cricket again, and get another activation.
Lots of players are big fans of the mill Rikku, but I really like Rikku EX. It can help you stabilize on defense, and can also hit the field in Main Phase 2 after you go big on offense.
Planetary Protector with Aerith wins games, period. This card is so good, usually cast for free, and can blow a game wide open.
Echo is a card that intrigues me, and I want to run it as a one-of. I think the EX burst puts it over and turns it into a card that gives you a lot of options, all of which seem pretty good things to do.
It is my opinion that Maria works as a two-of, even though a lot of players run a full three in Mono Wind builds. I respect your choice if you want to go with three, but I give another slot to Rem. Rem has an EX burst, and can put Seven back into your hand for Snakebite, or restore Trey to your hand. It also lets you fetch Diablos EX for more removal.
What to worry about
The Emperor does not outright shut this deck down, but it can hurt a lot. It takes away your ability to disrupt opponent removal in a big way, and we are running four monsters which makes The Emperor happy.
Board wipes could hurt early, especially if you have Zidane and Seven down without buffs. Be afraid of Cyclops and Bomb.
Standard Unit decks will be a tricky matchup. Anything that puts out low-cost forwards that get really big will jam our plan up. Bartz and Warrior of Light can help with this, but you will have to target your removal carefully to win in these matchups.
Only time will tell what our meta will demand out of Mono Wind decks. If you end up running this build, then I wish you best of luck!
Thanks for reading!
Give me all the foils
Opus 1 tech
Four choices, all good!