Calm Body Master Yi Wuju Bladesman Deck Guide
Calm Body Master Yi Wuju Bladesman has been crushing it in competitive Riftbound tournaments, managing to make top cuts consistently and even winning the whole thing.
This Legend thrives on conquering a battlefield early into the game and keeping hold of it for as long as possible, generating points until you can seal the deal and win the game.
In this guide, we’ll go over the deck’s general game plan, how cards synergize with one another, and other cards you can include in your list or sideboard for certain matchups.
Legend
Master Yi Wuju Bladesman is all about holding a battlefield, but usually, you want to hold a battlefield with only 1 unit. As long as you have 1 unit on a battlefield, Legend Master Yi gives a +2 Might boost when that unit defends. This makes it easier for you to hold a point, especially with your combat tricks, forcing the opposing player to set up stronger attacks to conquer a battlefield.
Decklist
Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman
1
0
Calm Rune
5
0
Body Rune
7
0
Grove of the God-Willow
1
0
Startipped Peak
1
0
The Dreaming Tree
1
0
Charm
3
1
Defy
3
1
En Garde
3
1
Clockwork Keeper
3
2
Discipline
3
2
Pit Rookie
3
2
Stalwart Poro
3
2
Zhonya's Hourglass
3
2
First Mate
3
3
Primal Strength
3
4
Qiyana, Victorious
3
4
Carnivorous Snapvine
3
5
Master Yi, Honed
2
7
Whiteflame Protector
2
8
How to Play Green Orange Master Yi
We want to take advantage of your Legend’s ability throughout the game, so we’ll prioritize holding a point with only 1 unit. The +2 Might we’re gaining means our opponent is forced to commit stronger attacks to get through our unit. However, the +2 Might we’re gaining only applies when we’re defending, so if the opposing player uses a removal or damage spell to kill our unit before they attack, we’ll be relying on our protection spells to make sure our unit doesn’t die too easily. The list is packed with spells that can protect our unit, such as Defy and Discipline, ensuring we force the opposing player into an attack if they want to conquer the battlefield.
In the later stages of the game, we’ll need to keep hold of a battlefield to secure the last point or go for conquering both battlefields. Master Yi Honed or Whiteflame Protector are perfect for setting up those strong attacks to conquer a battlefield.
Champion
Master Yi Honed is a 7-cost champion with 6 Might, capable of entering Ready to immediately go for the attack. The goal is to have him conquer a battlefield you’ve lost or to set up the winning turn by conquering two battlefields at 7 Points. The Ganking keyword can be useful when you’re trying to conquer a second battlefield, as Master Yi Honed can move from one battlefield to the other, helping you secure a battlefield for the point.
Battlefields
Grove of the God-Willow and Startipped Peak both generate value if you manage to hold them, which works perfectly with what this deck is trying to do. Holding Grove of the God-Willow lets us draw a card, adding more resources to our hand for a stronger late game. As for Startipped Peak, it’s ramping 1 rune when you hold it, setting you up for a stronger upcoming turn.
The Dreaming Tree works differently, triggering whenever you choose a friendly unit with a spell if that unit is on that battlefield. We have cards like En Garde, Discipline, and Primal Strength that trigger the draw effect to add more resources.
Early Holders
Stalwart Poro is your strongest early game holder thanks to his Shield keyword. We’re usually mulliganing to have him in the early game and start the battlefield holding strategy. Stalwart Poro is a 2 Might unit that gains +1 Might when defending. On top of that, your Legend’s ability will turn him into a 5 Might unit when defending a battlefield, making him a tough target to remove in the early stages of the game.
Clockwork Keeper can draw you a card if you pay 1 Calm Rune as an additional cost. However, it’s not wise to activate the draw ability in the early game as it slows down your pace for the upcoming turns. So, if you don’t have Stalwart Poro in the early turns and you’re forced to play Clockwork Keeper to develop a unit, you’ll avoid activating the draw ability.
On play, Pit Rookie can buff one of your other units in play, giving them +1 Might to become tougher targets for the opposing player to remove. In some situations, you might not have a unit to buff but still need to develop Pit Rookie if she’s the only unit you have available.
Readying a Unit
First Mate can be extremely strong for Readying a unit, allowing you to move and add more pressure. It’s a 3-cost 3 Might unit, so it has a good stat-line and allows you to move a unit to the battlefield on the turn it’s played. You can combo it with a low-cost unit like Stalwart Poro, or in the later stages of the game, it can allow Carnivorous Snapvine to immediately move to a battlefield.
First Mate can also be used alongside Master Yi Honed, allowing you to attack a battlefield with him, then set him Ready to move to the other battlefield.
Value Conquer
Qiyana Victorious’s Deflect keyword forces the opposing player to return a rune to target her with a spell, which can discourage players from playing a spell on Qiyana if it prevents them from making certain plays on the upcoming turn.
Qiyana Victorious is perfect for conquering a battlefield, activating her ability to draw a card or channel one rune, setting the stage for a stronger upcoming turn. The state of the game will determine which of her abilities you’d prefer going for. If you’re in need of cards to maintain a strong late game, then getting a card draw over the ramp effect is the way to go. However, if you’re planning to make more plays on the upcoming turn to overwhelm the opposing player, then you’ll want to go for her Channel 1 rested rune ability.
Protection Cards
Defy can counter a 4-cost spell and 1 Power. This comes in handy when your opponent is trying to kill your unit through a spell. Since your deck thrives on defending battlefields, it can be difficult for most decks to kill your unit through an attack, and instead, they’ll rely on spells to remove your unit before moving theirs to conquer. Defy adds a layer of protection, making sure you don’t easily lose your lone warrior holding the battlefield.
As for Zhonya’s Hourglass, it’s a gear that helps ensure we don’t lose presence on the board. If Zhonya’s Hourglass is played in your base, you can prevent one of your units from getting killed by placing them on your base, exhausted instead.
You can play Zhonya’s Hourglass hidden on a battlefield to activate later in the game without having to pay the 2 Energy, but it’s restricted to the battlefield you have it hidden on.
Might Boosts
En Garde and Discipline are low-cost spells to give your unit a Might boost, either to protect them from a damage spell or to ensure they get to kill a unit and stick on the battlefield. En Garde is a 1-cost Spell to give your unit +1 Might and another +1 Might if it’s on the battlefield alone, which should be the case most of the time. As for the 2-cost Discipline, it’s giving your unit +2 Might and drawing you a card, so you’re not losing resources by playing it.
Primal Strength is your strongest Might boost spell, but it’s an Action spell, unlike En Garde and Discipline, which are Reaction spells. Primal Strength gives a +7 Might boost, perfect to ensure you conquer or defend a battlefield regardless of the opponent’s units.
Whiteflame Protector is perfect if you’re planning to close out the game and need a strong win condition. When played, you can give one of your units a +8 Might for the turn, enabling them to for a heavy attack to conquer a battlefield, scoring you a point or even winning the game.
If the game stretches out, Whiteflame Protector is still an 8-Might tanky unit to help you put pressure on your opponent.
Removal Options
Charm is a versatile card, used to either remove an enemy unit from the battlefield or to pull it into one. We can use charm to move an opponent’s unit into a battlefield we have conquered, forcing them into a battle with our unit, which they might not be ready to take. This allows us to kill their unit and weaken their presence on the field, shutting down their upcoming strategy.
As for Carnivorous Snapvine, you can choose an enemy unit so that they deal damage equal to their Mights to each other. You’re usually targeting a lower Might unit with Carnivorous Snapvine to kill it while keeping yours in play. However, if there’s a higher Might target we need to remove, we can still use a Reaction Might boost spell like En Garde or Discipline to back up your Carnivorous Snapvine.
General Tips
- Make sure you only have 1 unit at a battlefield when you’re defending to get access to your Legend’s +2 Might ability.
- Bank Energy during your defensive turns to play spells and keep holding your Battlefield.
- Your Might boost cards aren’t only for defending; you might also need them to conquer a battlefield.
- When setting up your winning turn, you’re either committing to holding a battlefield or relying on Whitelfame Protector for the Might boost to conquer two.
Mulligan Tips
- Stalwart Poro and Pit Rookie are cards we want to have for the early game.
- Discipline and En Garde are great low-cost spells to ensure your units keep on holding their battlefields.
- Qiyana Victorious is a strong keep for the value she offers when she conquers a battlefield.
Other Cards to Include – Sideboard
- Spirit Refuge buffs a unit and gives your buffed units the Deflect keyword, punishing your opponent whenever they target your unit with a spell. It’s a good inclusion in your deck against decks that rely on targeting your units with spells, either to kill them or weaken them.
- Unyielding Spirit is another strong inclusion to prevent spell damage on your unit. You usually want to add this against decks like Fury Mind Kaisa and Fury Chaos Annie.
- Windwall can counter spells like Defy, but isn’t restricted to the cost of the spell. It can be great against decks that rely on high-cost win conditions as part of their game plan.
- Stand United buffs a unit and gives an additional +1 Might to your buffed units. You’re usually looking to hide it on a battlefield, as playing it for 3 Energy is a bit expensive.
- Sunlit Guardian’s Shield fits perfectly in our strategy, but we probably won’t find use for the Tank keyword.
Closing Words
Master Yi Wuju Blademan has been performing well in early Riftbound tournaments, proving it’s one of the best decks to grab for competitive play and capable of adapting to the matchup with its sideboard.
