Hard 30 – Meta-tations: Spin Down as a Tool
There are currently 11 ways to sabotage your opponent’s resources with the much-maligned spindown mechanic. But should you? What is your end goal? Is it worth it? I answer these questions and outline a basic rule when to add spindown to your deck.
Making Your Head Spin
In a vacuum the act of lowering the power levels in your opponent’s active dice pool does very little to affect the game. Unless it is a die they MUST have access to, the only thing you are forcing is a side action meditation to change the die back. If the average game finishes in three rounds there will still be plenty of cards left in decks to avoid fatigue damage.
So, what’s the point of spindown? There are three reasons to include it in a deck. The first one as a supplement to a mill reach strategy. For more information about reach Identifying Your Winning Ashes Strategy – Paroxysm by Design. Creating a successful mill strategy is going to take more than just this one article. Even in a dedicated fatigue deck, spindown is only one piece that can be largely ignored. Instead, I am going to focus on reason number two and three.
The second is a massively underutilized tool to guarantee your game plan works uninterrupted. Finally, the often completely ignored idea of reaction disruption.
Enforcing Your Will
How many times has a game of Ashes come down to whether your opponent has some form of cancel reaction. The correct play is almost always just going ahead with the plan with fingers crossed. Live or die, you at least put yourself in a possible winning situation. If not, you can just shrug your shoulders if they Golden Veil your spell and chalk it up to bad luck.
Instead, wouldn’t it be nice to remove all doubt of losing? A single spin down at the right time is the key to enforcing your play line to victory.
This occurred to me when playing knights and talking to someone that I always include cancel cards like Fate Reflection or Golden Veil because I want to protect my investment of three dice. The same thought process should be applied to bigger spells too. I am protecting my investment with spindown.
Denial by Spin Down
Unless you are playing in an ultra-competitive environment where Brennans and Lulus frolic across the landscape burning everything in their path with Final Cry and Sympathy Pain you don’t need to run disruption. This is the hardest theory of spindown due to the extensive knowledge a player must possess.
If you find yourself in a burn heavy meta then pivoting to a small package of spindown can save your life, literally. Watch for opportunities to deny your opponent reaction windows. Look for power sides up on nature, ceremony, and sympathy dice. Because meditating is a side action your opponent cannot meditate AND trigger a side action spell or summon or whatever. This will push their plans back one turn if not completely scrap them for the round.
I only recommend this deck building strategy if you have the card recognition ability. When it works, it is a confounding prison.
When to Include Spindown in Your Deck
Review your removal options and win conditions. Do they rely on certain spells resolving successfully in order for you to win? This may sound like a silly question but if your deck is just units swinging away you don’t need it. Focus on keeping your battlefield alive and attacking.
However, if you find you are leaning on a one-time massive removal spell to connect like an Earthquake, Sword of Virtue, or Tsunami Shot it is worth it to slot in some spindown. Pay attention to blow out reactions too like Void Pulse or Seaside Raven. Don’t forget about phoenixborn abilities too like Aradel and Odette.
Outside of signature cards there are only a few spells I would consider worthy of protecting with spin down:
- Excavate
- Tidal Shift
- Crescendo
- Stand Still
- Fester
- Steady Gaze
- Chained Creations
Choosing the Right Spindown for You
Figure out if your ‘must have’ spell is a side action or a main action and then choose a spindown option that is fills in the other side of the turn. The goal is to trigger both in the same turn to make sure your opponent doesn’t have time to readjust their dice. A well-timed Magic Syphon trigger or simple illusion power side at the right time can make sure your Phoenix Barrage connects.
The other consideration is magic type. Spindown is solely found in illusion and sympathy with a signature card being the only exception. Sympathy is at an all-time high for popularity since the recent releases of Tristan.
Illusion is still the awkward cousin of the color family which keeps deck builders from dipping too deeply into the purple pool of cards. Unfortunately, the bar-none best spindown comes in hues of periwinkle. On the plus side, you don’t need to have your whole deck revolve around spindown!
Tiers of the Phoenixborn: Spindown Edition
I divided up the tiers of spindown by when you can play them. Side actions spin down will be the most popular by a long shot since most of the cards you want to shepherd to resolution are main action. There is one out standing card in the main action section but everything else is largely unplayable solely looking at the spin down function.
Side Action Spin Down
- Dreamlock Mage
- Magic Syphon
- Transmute Magic
- Wolf Head
- Victoria Glassfire Surprise!
Dreamlock is so good I have put two illusion in my magic type pool just to be able to first five him. This berobed paragon of pendulation is the end-all-be-all of spindown. Not only is he central to protecting your spells he is the master of disruption. If you ever think you want to delve into spindown, start and end here. The biggest issue with Dreamlock is the double illusion cost most players can’t stomach.
Magic Syphon scores so high because it is a ready spellbook. Remember, you don’t have to trigger it the turn it comes into play. Transmute Magic is my recent pet project. I think it is the most misunderstood card in Ashes. Not only does it spin down it allows you to play whatever bomb card you want to by spinning up your dice.
The illusion die itself is the standard of spindown. Rarely worthwhile to meditate to a power side to use next turn until it is. I’ve seen some decks that leave one illusion die free in their first five to make sure it works.
Because you cannot guarantee you will lower your opponent’s dice OR raise your own, Surprise! goes down as the worst phoenixborn ability. Just because it CAN work doesn’t mean it is GOING to work. I’m saying this and Victoria is my favorite pb to play!
Main Action Spin Down
- Dream Fracture
- Hollow
- Spirit Shadow
Dream Fracture broke the mold of what spindown can be. Not only is it a main action trigger it has the potential to be your reach for a deck. It is completely acceptable to run this ready spellbook as a three of not included in your first five. A single illusion die is enough to power this finisher.
There is a big drop off after Dream Fracture. Hollow gets the edge because it is an immediate trigger whereas you have to attack to get value out of Spirit Shadow. If you are running a swarm deck of 2/1s there is nothing wrong with these units. Just be sure to account for all the power sides you will need!
Reaction Spin Down
- Void Pulse
- Shatter Pulse
- Nightsong Cricket
I hesitate to even talk about this bunch of cards as viable options for spindown. Void Pulse is an amazing card, but you can’t count on it for that function. I am going to go on record to state I like Shatter Pulse. At three dice is it playable? Not really, but I will say it has contributed to some of my more exciting plays that remained drama free because I was able to lock down my opponent’s dice.
Final Round: Sprinkle, Don’t Pour
Ever since I started to take spindown seriously my win percentage has crept a little higher and it opened the door to really explore other builds I was avoiding. I encourage everyone to sprinkle a little spindown in the right decks.
I took the lessons I have learned and paired them with has to be one of the most powerful spells in all of ashes. The dreaded Phoenix Barrage. Clu-lu: Lioness Overkill mk III – Ashes.live You can follow along some gameplay versus James on my youtube channel Jerod Leupold.
Don’t forget, the journey of a thousand victories starts with a single game. Heyo and GL!
About the Author
Jerod Leupold (clu) has been an avid gamer and advocate for over 30 years. Founder of Paroxysm by Design and Critical Hit Games storefront in Iowa City, Iowa. He has been published under the Gamenomicon franchise for Party First RPG and is currently launching his own rpg, Goblyn Market available in February. He cut his teeth playing the red book D&D but found his passion for writing articles about ccgs with A Game of Thrones. Follow Jerod’s blog at paroxysmbydesign.com and facebook, or his games at itch.io and drivethru RPG!