Spirit/Gizmo Support

Spirits and Gizmos are a team of Factions that work together as a whole. Spirit cards focus on Shadow Architects as their main strength. Gizmo cards are flip character cards with the Paradigm ability. The Paradigm ability allows cards to immediately flip to their alternate forms when a Shadow Architect reveals or plays the card. With this focus on Shadow Architects it allows for simple synergies to occur between the two. With many strong options available both mid and late game, the Spirits and Gizmos make a great Faction choice for advanced players.

The factions have great consistency with their many potent search abilities. Your deck then serves more as a health pool as you rarely rely on top decking to get what you need. Many Spirt and Gizmo cards deal with threats by taking control, copying, or slaying them outright. Gizmos provide most of the aggression as they tend to reduce or nullify abilities of other cards in play. Spirits focus on searching for various members and resources to add to the hand or Active Zone. They also have members that let them protect themselves or a Shadow Architect.

Optional Support

Dryad of the Wood - A key player in almost any Spirit/Gizmo. With skilled use, it's capable of searching your deck two times for any combination of Standard Resource or Spirit cards. At the Unstable Stability you can always search for another copy of Dryad of the Wood for the next turn. Another option is to accelerate your Terra to play Shadow Architects or to gain access to your most expensive spells and characters. This card is a prime target for Final Clash. To protect this card, search for a Mermaid of Wishes to nullify any Effect cards the opponent may play.

Starcat Girl - Starcat Girl is a great member of any Spirit/Gizmo deck since you can Dispose one of any characters the player controls to play it. This potent ability is not without drawbacks. Players can only play one Starcat Girl per turn. It also receives -1 Combat Counters equal to the Disposed Character when played via its alternate cost. This card can slay any non-resource card on the field and also provide you with a character. This is one of the few cards that can choose to destroy Shadow Architects as a target. One of the best uses of the Starcat Girl is to use the ability of Dryad of the Wood immediately play the Starcat Girl via alternate cost.

Nanotech Nightmare - The cheapest to play Shadow Architect. Nanotech Nightmare fuels the aggressive strategy of the Gizmo-based deck. Its Assimilate ability does not finish at the end of the controlling player's turn. This makes it impossible to destroy it via combat or from direct damage spells or abilities. It becomes simple to play any Gizmo card with the Nanotech Nightmare's Retribution -1 ability. This will trigger any Paradigm abilities from the Gizmo cards when played this way. Players can also build up and activate the Retribution -3 to replace Nanotech Nightmare. This ultimate ability then gives the new Shadow Architect three Retribution Counters. That new Shadow Architect will be able to use its most powerful abilities the turn it is replaced.

Gizmo Ball Type K - Gizmo KiKAT - A powerful search card for any Gizmo deck. When it flips it lets you look at the top three cards of your deck to add any Standard Resources and Gizmo cards it finds to go to your hand. Combine this with Shadow Architect cards to create some consistent search abilities. This card is very useful as it has the ability Unstoppable. It cannot be blocked during encounters. Since its Flip Condition is optional players can keep it as a constant source of damage rather than use its search ability. It's best to immediately use the search if able to Paradigm and use as an attacker if played by paying its Terra Cost. Most powerful in the early game as the Spirits/Gizmos lack a lot of good sources of early game damage.

Key cards for your Spirit/Gizmo Deck

Gemini Twins - This Spirit card is able to search for any Shadow Architect and play it into the appropriate zone, all while ignoring Resource Conditions. On top of that, Gemini Twins will also protect your Shadow Architect by absorbing the damage first. This provides an additional protection to your Shadow Architects as your opponent will struggle to remove it with damage. This card is a valid target to search for with Dryad of the Wood. As such it lends greater consistency with getting the Architect a player may need when they need it.

Dryad of the Harvest - This Dryad makes Shadow Architects untargetable via effects or abilities. Combine with Gemini Twins for even greater protection. This card also assists in the generation of Assimilate Counters for a Shadow Architect. Players can activate any of their Shadow Architect abilities each turn if they control two Dryad of the Harvest. Use cards like Drake Zkard to win the game quick with his Retribution -3 ability.

Gizmo Ball Type R - Gizmo RoBO - Gizmo Ball Type R - Gizmo RoBO's abilities debilitate many kinds of Terra decks. Even if by default it is hard to use against Epic decks, it has the ability Paradigm to make up for it which removes this drawback. Use Dryad of the Wood to search for a Gizmo Ball Type R - Gizmo RoBO and then use the Dryad to block. If left in a situation with no characters in play after doing this, then play Gizmo Ball Type R - Gizmo RoBO to immediately let the card flip. This will give -2 Combat to all characters of the Designator named by Gizmo Ball Type R - Gizmo RoBO. When this card flips it has the Cunning keyword and Four Combat making it a great pressure card. This card is great at shutting down decks that focus on early game such as Insanes and Descendants. Shadow Architect Gracelyn Bishop's Retribution-2 ability can search for two Gizmo Ball Type R - Gizmo RoBOs and immediately flip each with Paradigm.

Fae Nurturer - Where Gizmo cards hold the more aggressive aspects of the Spirit/Gizmo Faction. The Fae Nurturer is a hybrid of the two abilities that the factions focus on. This card can search for more copies of itself whenever it hits a player during an Encounter. Also, whenever you play one you can get a free Standard Resource in play or a card in your hand. This card is one of the few Spirit cards with Swift and makes great fodder for Starcat Girl. At Stable Stability, there's potential to deal immense damage and obtain hand advantage by playing these out early. Unfortunately due to their powerful nature, they make great targets for Final Clash.

Weaknesses

Sprits and Gizmos lack a strong early game and take a few turns to setup. Astute players will see which variant of the Sprits/Gizmos their opponent is playing by turn four as critical plays begin at that time. Heavy removal or direct damage cripples Spirts and Gizmos, leaving them stuck playing one card at a time. Many of the stronger Spirit cards have a high Stability making it difficult to draw combo pieces. This leaves players reliant on Dryad of the Wood or Gizmo Ball Type K - Gizmo KiKat for consistency into their best plays.

Anti-Spirit/Gizmo Support

Bastet, Cat Matriarch - Bastet, Cat Matriarch is a great Sideboard against Spirit/Gizmo decks. Although it does not directly affect pure Gizmo cards, most Gizmo flip characters are Spirits. Since many Spirit decks rely on the control aspects of their abilities, it leaves many targets vulnerable to its activated ability. Use Starcat Girl or Gizmo Ball Type L - Gizmo LaLA to shut this card down before it takes control of the game.

Arcanist of the Inquisition - While not the strongest card on it own, the Inquisitors are strong against Spirit decks. Since many Spirit based decks lack a good early game, this card's damage dealing ability can leave you vulnerable. The Inquisitors can empower one another and keep a Spirit or Gizmo Player's early game at bay. The Arcanist is also at Stable Stability along with the Warlord of the Inquisition and Templar of the Inquisition. All this makes it easy for the Inquisitors to overrun the Spirit/Gizmo player.

Timewave Zero - Most Spirit/Gizmo cards are very vulnerable to this card. This includes key members such as Starcat Girl and Gizmo RoBO. To save them, use cards such as Ignorance to malfunction the card or Gizmo Ball Type B - Gizmo BoWOW's flip ability to nullify the effects in Encounters. When playing against this card, try to make sure Gizmo Ball Type R - Gizmo RoBO flips right away to avoid it being slain.

The Darkness Within - Spirits/Gizmos lack a good early game and this card makes the matchup that much worse. The Darkness Within can immediately slay any Spirit or Gizmo character in play. Not only that, the effected character becomes completely immune any Spirit or Gizmo's damage and abilities. This makes cards such as Starcat Girl useless as the effected character no longer is a valid target. In this situation, players can choose to remove the Status Effects, removing the annoyance.

Play Style(s)

The Bishop Sisters (Control)

The Bishop Sisters deck focuses on protecting and using the abilities of Shadow Architects for victory. With utility cards such as Dryad of the Wood and Dryad of the Harvest the player can setup with the Shadow Architect they need in any situation. Gracelyn Bishop and Evelyn Bishop's wide range of Assimilate and Retribution abilities are effective in many matchups. Evelyn Bishop's third Retribution ability lets the player search their deck to replace it and place three assimilate counters on the new architect. Choosing Gracelyn Bishop then lets you use her third Retribution ability, allowing the player to gain up to five characters in play. This strategy allows players to overcome the lack of characters in this deck.

Paradigm Gizmos

This deck focuses on two very unique mechanics of the game, the Flip and Paradigm abilities. Flip Characters often have the Paradigm Ability. This allows them to immediately flip into their secondary forms whenever a Shadow Architect reveals or plays them. This deck then focuses on Shadow Architects such as Mina Holly that give the greatest likelihood to trigger Paradigm abilities. Gizmo Ball Type B - Gizmo BoWOW and Gizmo Ball Type L - Gizmo LaLA can shut down opponent options and provide great defense with their various play options. Adding the Gangster Flip Characters players can Paradigm a Gizmo and immediately power it up with Techna The Virus - Cyber Yatagan to create a powerful attacker.