I have not played too many Japanese card games competitively. Then, I was a bit lost when it came to the ranking system of Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond at first. After a bit of research, I found some nice people on the internet that were explaining it. In case you are as confused as I was, here is how it works:
We have two distinct metrics to look at in the game: Rank Points and Group.
Rank Points are basically a number indicating how much you have played the game. Even if you lose, you are likely to gain some points. Winning gives you more, and your Group will act as a multiplier, but that number will only go up until it is reset at the end of the season.
Your group indicates your most recent Win Rate, and will impact matchmaking more than your Rank Points.
On the picture above, you can the big difference in Rank Points, 3491 against 6081. This means the Dragoncraft player spent more time in ranked matches compared to the Portcraft player. However, they are in the same Ruby group, so the game feels fine matching them against one another.
In that context, the ranking page in the game is more of an indicator of time spent on Shadowverse, more than the actual skill of the player. Indeed, the group is not displayed so we don't know the win rate these players achieved to get there.
I assume grinding that many Rank Points required a great multiplier, so they very likely are all Diamond group players. Still, this system feels a bit weird as we can't really relate shown rank and skill level. It should reduce the fear of playing, as we have a number that constantly goes up. However, it might encourage countless hours on the game, certain that we can reach whatever rank if we spend enough time trying for it.
With that part of the ranking system clear. Let's dive into decks I found scanning the internet, piloted by players who managed to reach the Diamond Group !
First ever master player used three decks
Ranked as the top three classes by many, the trio of Runecraft, Portalcraft and Forestcraft has been the fastest to reach the Master rank. Once again, rank is mostly a reflection of time spent, but reaching this amount of RP this early was probably impossible without being part of the Diamond group.
I see 10132310 in a lot of Runecraft decks, but I still have to be convinced by the card. Most of the time, the card is just "Restore 4 defense to your leader" which I feel a Ward card like 10001120 will do just as well while being more flexible.
It is a spell, but I feel better options are available if we want to spellboost aggressively.10132120 is the other card that feels debatable. Sure, it will cost nothing most of the time, but I feel like there are much better Evolve targets available, especially as the AoE will represent one or two damages on average.
The hybrid Portalcraft which made the class a star early. Here, there isn't as much to discuss, except for maybe 10174110, a card a lot of players are removing from their deck. It just so happens Portalcraft constantly has more than 5 cards in hand, so the Crest tends to be a "Restore 3 defense to your leader". 10174110 is a [3/3] which draws us one and restores 3 health. Not that bad, but maybe not worth actively purchasing the legendary card, either.
Most lists of high ranks Forestcraft players I have seen do not run 10114130 which felt odd at first. Yet, it seems like the deck has invested towards more board control and late game potential more than a pure combo play style.
Indeed, 10113120 and 10113130 are popular inclusions, while 10012120 or 10104110 also see play in the deck.
A different, less combo oriented direction than what Forestcraft looked like at first, but very effective nonetheless
Diamond Group Decks for every class
Much more lategame than one might expect in a Swordcraft deck. Good luck trying to run this one out of gas with three copies of 10123140 in the mix.
The artifact synergy has emerged as the dominant one for the Portalcraft class. Yet, the Puppet deck packs quite a formidable defense system, so it might resist long enough for 10104120 to come down and take over.
10104120 can also see play in Runecraft, where the trick is to charge 10134310 while keeping the opponent at bay, and use the spell to get back all our play points and draw 5 cards from the Apocalypse deck.
Another Forestcraft player who decided to invest in more late game and board control tools than one might expect when checking the class at first. The 10-0 streak inside the Diamond group tells me it is probably a solid strategy.
Finding an Abysscraft deck was no easy task, but there is one ! Indeed, after a 5-0 streak, くすきmanaged to reach the most prestigious MMR group, while using the class most people consider the weakest in the game at the moment.
A different, but not necessarily a worse one when looking at the results. Here, the deck focused on doing two things very well : Block the opponent on the board while staying high on health and being a threat with multiple Storm follower able to come down whenever the opportunity arises.
Havencraft is still an ongoing project for many, as I believe this is the class with the most talks about ideal builds at the moment. With these two lists, we can see different directions, one focusing on a ton of board control options and 10104120 as an extra win condition. The other deck is more tempo oriented, packing many more amulets and 10104110 to synergize with the follower coming out at the end of a countdown.
