Occasionally, I like to mess around with the Enrage god power for War. It combos nicely with armor in general. It also combos really well with Out of Its Misery. I think my past decks over-did the armor synergy and lacked a clear win condition. This deck corrects those mistakes and has been playing really well as a consequence.
I think the masses will catch on with the buff to Hearts of Bronze:
Text Changed. Change text from “Give +1 armor to each of your creatures.”
to “Give +1 armor and +1 strength to each of your creatures.”
This card is an excellent buff that rewards getting wide, but you can't get wide with 5/2 Archangel Bruisers. It takes a different deck.
Deck Code:
GU_1_6_BFvBFvCBaCBaCDCHAFHAFBEXBEXCBBCBBCDqCDqIDZIDZCAZCAZIDkHAcHAcCCxCCxIDmCAXCAXICHICHHAiIDrIDr
The basic concept is to use sticky creatures to establish board presence asap. Armor, relics, protected, and blitz creatures help immensely. Instead of the face race with Slayer war, this is a slower buildup. The tradeoff is that Over-proof Brew and Sole Survivor are much more likely to have good targets.
One way to think about this deck is as a zoo light deck that doesn't completely suck going second. Our relics have blitz. Our creatures have blitz. We also have protected creatures that aren't HBKs costing $$$.
Enrage is certainly not the most popular god power, but for 1 mana, it is very versatile. Honestly, the deck probably performs similarly with Slayer. With board control, however, enrage can build up and actually deal more damage in the same number of turns. It also synergizes beautifully with Tamed Mammoth and Out of Its Misery.
Now instead of needing a creature at 1 HP, you can easily pull off OOIM at 2 HP. Lastly, Enrage makes Pyramid Warden a better card. Its downside is giving back creatures early game. Enraging it often lets you trade without giving anything back. Pyramid Warden also excels when you can buff it. Hearts of Bronze + Enrage makes Pyramid Warden playable later in the game.
This deck doesn't have a very high skill cap, but it's also not mindless. You'll often find new ways to use enrage. Random example from a game: with a Mammoth on board, I drop an Orcish Elite. If it's going to die after the second hit, sneak in an Enrage beforehand to give Mammoth an extra boost before trading. Not rocket science, but not completely dull, either. Do you need a 2/2 Axewoman for 1 mana or a 3/1 Axeoman for 2 mana? You get to use your brain.
The idea is to get and keep board control. If going first, Warmonger Smith is also good.
I only recently got the two legendaries. Grand Hall rewards a wide board, which works in this deck. Oddi gives us another Raid Reveller, which are fantastic in their own right. The ability of this deck to get wide and having 5 frontliners means that Oddi can usually hit face a few times before getting traded out. This makes it possible to do things like Guild Enforcer + Hearts of Bronze same turn. Or even Raid Reveller + Sole Survivor (usually with a pip/bag).
These aren't required. 2x Viking Longship would be an easy swap for the legendaries. You give up a little expected win %, but not a ton.
Skeleton Heavies can sub for Pyramid Wardens. 2 less HP, but they never give back the opponent's creatures. I only lean PW in this deck due to the ability to buff and control its HP with Enrage.
I've tailored the 1-mana slot to my personal taste. Auric Rush can finish off a creature, reach an ordered one, or pop multiple wards/protects if needed. Doing damage to all creatures occasionally is the right play when Mammoths are on the board.
Trial Spirit is alright. I may actually swap in Skeletal Hoplites if their buff goes through (1/2 with 1 armor). They make excellent enrage targets and don't need another creature on board to get full value. You could also swap in the 3/1 Nockvi Warriors. Good OOIM targets and (with Frenzy) are basically 3-damage removal spells. With armor in the deck, though, the extra HP from Trial Spirit goes further.
The video below shows off the power of the deck to keep board control even against heavy removal. Also, before you say "oh you just curved out", realize that we cap out at 6 mana and we drew them both! After that, I was guaranteed to draw something I could play.
Aggro slayer war just seems like luck of the draw. If you get the right cards and can do face damage fast enough, you win. If not, you can concede by turn 5. I never feel like I have the opportunity to make interesting decisions or use much skill. Also, with Selena's Mark hot in the meta right now, Nature can punish weak creatures and keep you on your heels. With wide boards and armor, they can't.
