Emerald / SteelSlippery Removal · Bounce + banish
Strong meta presence at most events. Emerald's Evasive lore engine paired with Steel's hard removal means opponents struggle to engage on either axis — your characters dodge their challengers, and your removal kills theirs. Tournament-tier shell that's relatively budget-friendly.
What each ink brings
Top cards from each ink
The pieces you'll see in nearly every Emerald/Steel decklist. Click through for full card details and current prices.
Emerald staples
The gameplan
Emerald/Steel is a slippery removal deck. The plan unfolds across the early, mid, and late game.
- Turns 1–3: Cheap Evasive questers from Emerald. Hold removal for high-value targets.
- Turns 4–6: Banish their key threat with Smash or Strength of a Raging Fire. Bounce yours for replay value.
- Turn 7+: Beast, Tragic Hero or Mrs. Incredible closes; opposing board is shredded.
Sample 60-card decklist
A representative tournament-style shell. Quantities are starting points — most lists swap a few flex slots based on the local meta.
Strengths & weaknesses
Strengths
- Strong tournament results
- Flexible — adapts to aggro or control matchups
- Banish + Evasive combo is hard to attack
- Reasonable budget
Weaknesses
- Limited card draw
- Loses to multiple opposing Evasive blockers
- Single-target removal struggles vs wide boards
Matchup notes
Rough guide to how Emerald/Steel performs against the most common archetypes you'll meet at events.
Other ink combos to explore
Each of the 14 other dual-ink combinations has its own personality.