[Gravy Bones] - Deck Study

https://fabtcg.com/decklists/justin-cu-gravy-bones-shipwrecked-looter-saturday-900-the-calling-classic-constructed/

Deck Analysis: Justin Cu’s Gravy Bones (Shipwrecked Looter)

*Source: [Justin Cu’s Decklist - The Calling Classic Constructed](https://fabtcg.com/decklists/justin-cu-gravy-bones-shipwrecked-looter-saturday-900-the-calling-classic-constructed/)*

Deck Overview

Studying Justin Cu’s Gravy Bones deck to understand its mechanics and develop a counter-strategy against Gravy.

Equipment:

- Balance of Justice: Enables massive turns by drawing extra card

- Dead Threads

- Hook

- Base of the Mountain/Mage Master Boots/Flexor: Base of the Mountain is a strong counter to Pulping, though less effective against Rhinar’s double-claw potential.

My Deck Choice vs. Rhinar

Pitch Breakdown (60 cards):

- Red (7): Side out 2x Sink Below

- 3x Blood in the Water

- 3x Conqueror of the High Seas

- 1x Fiddler’s Green

- Yellow (18): Side out 2x Wailer

- 3x Chum

- 1x Loan Shark

- 1x Oysten

- 3x Prismatic Leyline

- 1x Riches of Tropal-Dani

- 3x Riggermortis

- 3x Sawbones

- 1x Seg Leg

- 2x Swabbie

- Blue (35): Side out 1x Diamond Amulet, 1x Back Alley Breakline, 3x Fearless

- 3x Avaste Ye!

- 1x Back Alley Breakline

- 3x Call to the Grave

- 3x Chart the High Seas

- 1x Eye of Ophidia

- 0x Fearless Confrontation

- 3x Golden Tipple

- 3x Jittery Bones

- 2x Loot the Hold

- 3x Murderous Rabble

- 3x Portside Exchange

- 3x Saltwater Swell

- 3x Sunken Treasure

- 2x Tip the Barkeep

Hand Draw Probability (4-card hand):

- Red: 0.47

- Yellow: 1.20

- Blue: 2.33

- Average block value: 2.15

- 17x 0-block (1.13 per hand)

- 4x 2-block (0.27 per hand)

- 35x 3-block (2.33 per hand)

- 4x 4-block (0.27 per hand; 3x Blood in the Water, 1x Fiddler’s Green)

Note: Gravy can crack a gold to pitch a 0-block card, improving hand efficiency.

Gravy Bones Analysis

Key Characteristics:

- Defense: Gravy typically holds 8-9 block in hand + 1 ally. Equipment (Base of the Mountain/Flexor: ~3, Balance of Justice: ~5) and allies (e.g., 3x Chum at 6 life each) make Gravy extremely tanky.

- Graveyard Setup: Preloaded with diverse allies for flexible summoning.

- Big Turns: Prismatic Leyline (+5/6) and Swabbie enable high-damage attacks (e.g., Leyline + Swabbie + Conqueror + blue attack = ~21 damage).

- Allies (12 total):

- 3x Riggermortis: 6 attack, 1 life, 0 cost

- 3x Sawbones: 6 attack, 3 life

- 3x Chum: 4 attack, 6 life

- 2x Swabbie: 7 attack, 3 life

- 1x Oysten: 3 attack, 1 life

(I think they swapped 3 Anka for 3 Leyline)

- Gold Generation (17 sources):

- 3x Conqueror of the High Seas

- 1x Oysten, 1x Loan Shark, 1x Riches of Tropal-Dani

- 3x Chart the High Seas, 3x Sunken Treasure, 3x Golden Tipple, 2x Loot the Hold, 3x Portside Exchange, 2x Tip the Barkeep

- Attack Patterns:

- Normal Turn: Play 1 blue, summon 1 ally, attack for 7-9 (e.g., 1-3 + 6).

- Big Turn: Draw cards, play Leyline + Conqueror + blue + ally for ~21 damage.

- Effective Life:

- Gravy: 40 (base) + 6 (Chum) + 5 (Balance of Justice) + 3 (Base of the Mountain) + 2 (misc.) = 56

- Rhinar: 40 (base) + 11 (gear) = 51

Challenge: Overcome Gravy’s 56 effective life with Rhinar’s 51 in 6-8 turns (~72 damage, averaging 12 per turn).

Strategic Evaluation

Gravy’s Defense:

- Chum absorbs ~6 (two cards), returns with two cards.

- Headpiece blocks 2, handpiece blocks 1.

- Typical block profile: ~9 per turn (3x 3-block cards).

- Without Bloodrush Bellow, Gravy’s effective life drops to ~53.

Disruption Options:

- Send Packing: Mediocre; blocks 2 cards but lacks impact.

- Splatter Skull: Decent if intimidating 2 cards.

- Strongest Survives: Strong at 7 attack, clears most allies.

- Command and Conquer: 6 block disruptions is not too effective

- Blanch: Effective disruption.

- Bam Bam: Destroys 1 gold, disrupting Gravy’s economy.

- **Pummel**: Strong if Gravy blocks with two cards, weaker otherwise.

**Key Insight**: Windups are critical for board control via claw. Pair 6x Windup + 3x Bam Bam, avoid Send Packing.

Game Plan vs. Gravy

1. Maximize Windup/Bam Bam: Use Windups to enable claw, clearing allies like Riggermortis or Sawbones. Bam Bam disrupts gold generation.

2. Prioritize Strongest Survives/Blanch: 7-attack disruption is great

3. Optimal BRB Timing: Use Bloodrush Bellow for 4-wide attacks to maximize damage (e.g., 8 + 5 + 5 + 8/10 = 26-28 damage).

4. Target Damage: Deal ~72 damage over 6 turns (12 per turn). Gravy blocks ~27 , requiring ~45 unblocked damage.

- Example sequence: 11 (8+3), 8, 15, 10 (7+3), 8, 22.

Notes

- Blue Snatch + Might can remove 3-life allies (e.g., Sawbones, Swabbie).

- If Gravy goes first, they may summon Chum + generate 2 gold, setting up a strong board. Counter by prioritizing ally removal and gold disruption.

Final Thoughts

To defeat Gravy’s 56 effective life in 6-8 turns, Rhinar must leverage Windup for board control, disrupt gold with Bam Bam, and time BRB for high-damage turns. Focus on clearing allies early and landing consistent 12+ damage turns to outpace Gravy’s tanky setup.