UPDATE FEB 25: Post Sorcery Con, the deck did not perform well, but I learned a lot and realized something interesting about Ironclad. Ironclad is best as a blocker, not an attacker. I played a lot of different decks, and I think the new motivation is to have charge minions who can get in for quick damage. Get the opponent to Death's Door and then make it near impossible to deal a death blow to their avatar. Late game, getting Ironclad to hold a Golden Harp on Gnom Hollows seals the game as you poke away at their life.

UPDATE JAN 14. I do not think that Wolves are viable. They are simply too slow. Splashing air allows a lot more card draw with pieces like "blink." Movement, striking, and card draw are what make Ironclad work well. Saving Harp for the late game is smart, as that reduces Ironclad's damage output as well. Having more movement in the deck makes this feel easier to play. However, I think I may need more ways to buff up Ironclad.

UPDATE DEC 16. In a Voltron mirror, this deck needs more card draw. I think having ways to cheat out spells is good too. I dropped Tutor for Cerberus, and I am experimenting with the wolves still. On games when I see a lot of wolves, it works okay. But I think I may need to go all in on Wolves because late game, seeing a wolf is a dead draw.

UPDATE DEC 15. I am leaning even more into the Voltron vibe here. Once Ironclad gets to 6 power or so, you have essentially won the game if your opponent cannot take away artifacts. I think having minions is still important to serve as blockers, but I am not worried about getting to DD much with this list.

I am toying with the idea of having a pack of wolves defend Ironclad. I like the idea and flavor of having a pack of Grey Wolves buff each other and defend each other on the board while Ironclad stays safe moving around the board state.

Ironclad Voltron Midrange: You’re trying to stick one or two really annoying creatures and turn them into monsters with weapons while Ironclad shrugs off a ton of chip damage. This isn’t a race deck; it’s a grind deck. Your equipment pile (Sword & Shield, Blade of Thorns, Rhongomyniad, Spear of Destiny, etc.) turns any decent body into a threat, and Ironclad lets that unit survive a lot more than it should. The magic suite gives you enough burn and board control to clear the way and punish opponents who try to swarm you, while your main goal is to stack weapons and armor on your best threat and drag the game to a point where you’re almost impossible to kill.

In my experience, you don’t actually care about sitting at death’s door that much, because if you can get Ironclad and your board to the point where your main beater is swinging for 6, 7, 8+ power, you’re not really worried about a death blow anymore. Lord of Greed helps you claw back the artifacts opponents inevitably steal from you and keeps your engine online in grindy games.

Your best bet is to stick to arming Ironclad. Good minions to clear some board space are usually Profane Revenant, Fallen Angel, Lesser Blood Demon, and sometimes Royal Bodyguard if you need a tank sitting near your avatar. Fallen Angel + equipment is nasty, and Revenant is great because it’s good value with the demon package. The big thing to remember: Ironclad prevents damage, not life loss, so your avatar helps against burn and combat, but not your own stuff like Demonic Contract or other “lose life” effects. Treat Contract / Pact / Powerwish as late-game power plays once you’re stable, not something you jam early.

Ironclad Fury Road

@Professor Cosmic