By the time I get this written and published Bucky will be finished being a top player in the Meta. I am sure you have read many pundits saying how they feel about the errata decision, pro and con. I am not going to add to the echo chamber of opinions and feel there are valid points on both sides. Instead, I want to look at the other cards boosted by Floodborn plays and see if the theme can be slid into non Emerald.

Let's begin by looking at the other Floodborn boost. The focus of our analysis will be on Cost, Durability, Effect, and the Floodborn characters in their respective colors. Let's look at Bucky old and new first. Cost is an obvious change going 2 to 3 moves Bucky to a different neighborhood but that was actually a small reason he was good. Durability wouldn't seem good being just a 1 /1 however the Ward he had was a powerful shield in the early game stages. Effect was and is still powerful, resource disadvantage for playing cards you want to play anyway is very strong. The new change doesn't technically hurt his effect but it leads to a change of perspective in the last category. What we have to do for the last category with the new Bucky is realize we need both the Floodborn and his Shift target which greatly reduces the chances of using the Effect.

In color order we have the following;

Nana's is cost efficient. Durability is average at having 3 toughness but there is major change between 3 and 4 in this game. Her Effect is what I find disappointing. It takes a very specific build to work for her and there are better healers out there. The Floodborns in Amber do have some powerful plays but their ink cost is much higher than Nana's base so we would need to use our other color to fill the curve properly. Alternatively, we could go for Shifting from a base character but then we have sent slots that could have been Floods.

The Fairy flies pretty cheap at 2 Ink. However, only having 1 toughness is a bit fragile. Now, before you go saying Bucky was only 1, he had WARD which plays very different from Evasive. Her effect might make up for all of that. To play a Flood only to have a good chance of drawing a new Flood is significant especially since most Floods have a "when you play" effect. Speaking of Flood effects Amethyst has some big hitters but still the Ink may be high.

Ol' Johnny boy is an interesting play. While wheeling a dealing at 3 non - inkable he fits the curve for early game. At just a 2 /3 his durability falls completely average like Nana except he is played a turn later so will survive for one less turn than Nana. His effect is what peaks my interest. I feel the game is getting close to having a true Lore denial type deck and he may be part of it. About a week ago I was teaching a patron of my local store how to play and he astutely pointed out that Lore denial is similar to Life Gain in other games. Finally we have the Floods in Ruby. Their hard play curve fits nicely but the best plays probably still want a base character or two.

Mrs. Judson does seem a bit high valued until you realize she is in Sapphire. 4 Ink plays just as good as 3 in many situations. Along with that she can boast a nice back side keeping her safe from almost all normal removal. While questing for 2 Lore she also gives us the ink resources to reach the biggest Floods. In Sapphire we also have some Flood and Flood Watcher synergy. Gramma Tala - Spirit of the Ocean fits beautifully. It doesn't take much imagination to see a turn four Judson followed by a turn five Shifted Granny.

Yes sir, I think you're a good card, sir! That's how you need to address Chief Bogo. While he also chimes in at 4 he doesn't get the benefit of ramping so he is our slowest Flood Watcher. 4 toughness is big enough to count as pretty durable. The effect is really good! Tinker Bell - Giant Fairy now does a Grab Your Sword and every other Flood does their best imitation of Tink. When it comes to the Steel Floods we all know the list. Some of the most popular Floodborn are found in Steel. Cheap and easy like Aladdin - Brave Rescuer up to the game changing Robin Hood and Beast.

While it's obvious that Steel will be in the new Floodborn themed deck the other color is debatable. I personally feel that Sapphire is the most likely but I'm not building that one today. Mostly because it's basically a Cogsworth and Friends deck with Mrs. Judson and Chief finding slots and switching Tamotoa for Gramma Tala as the Alpha Lore getter.

Instead, I'm going to try to assemble a decent Amethyst/ Steel mix that you may appreciate. I am calling the list D&D. Standing for Draw and Damage.

D&D (draw and damage) | Dan Eckstein

• Characters (56)
• 2 Pinocchio - On the Run
• 2 Robin Hood - Beloved Outlaw
• 2 Tinker Bell - Tiny Tactician
• 2 Ursula - Sea Witch Queen
• 3 Beast - Tragic Hero
• 3 Pinocchio - Star Attraction
• 3 Tinker Bell - Giant Fairy
• 3 Ursula - Mad Seas Witch
• 4 Aladdin - Brave Rescuer
• 4 Aladdin - Resolute Swordsman
• 4 Blue Fairy - Rewarding Good Deeds
• 4 Chief Bogo - Respected Officer
• 4 Jafar - Dreadnought
• 4 Jafar - Royal Vizier
• 4 Jafar - Striking Illusionist
• 4 Robin Hood - Capable Fighter
• 4 Robin Hood - Champion of Sherwood

• Songs (4)
• 4 A Whole New World

This is probably the most expensive deck I've laid out for my faithful readers but such is the state of Floodborns. Regardless of the cost, alway remember, all Ink that is cool to play is available at coolstuffinc.com.