Toxic Bird Gravy

Introduction

A variation of Baby Dragon Splashyard with a flavor of bird to spice the taste.

Deck Information[]

Deck Created by: AmogusSus801.

Minimum Recommended King Level: 10

Maximum Recommended King Level: 15

Arena Required: Spooky Town (Wrong?)

Average Elixir Cost: 3.3 (Wrong?)

More Statistics: Go to Deck Builder

Card Roles[]

Tower Princess: Anti-Siege, Anti-Spell Cycle, DPS.

Knight: Tank.

Skeletons: Assist, Cycle; Bait (Evolution only).

Graveyard: Primary Win Condition.

Poison: Anti-Swarm, Status heavy spell; Secondary Win Condition.

Ice Wizard: Anti-Swarm, Assist, Status.

Barbarian Barrel: Anti-Swarm light spell; Assist (Barbarian only).

Phoenix: Anti-Air, Assist, DPS.

Goblin Hut: Anti-Air building.

Deck Overview[]

This Control deck is basically Classic Splashyard, but instead of having Baby Dragon, it has sprinkles of Phoenix! A nice meal to gift your opponents, a soup that they may never forget, a recipe that will persist time after time. What they don't know is that the bird gravy is filled with poison and will intoxicate enemies to their death. Just by using the deck they'll be in grave danger, and their souls shall be collected for personal Graveyard usage. Also comes with the new Goblin Hut sauce.

Card Overviews[]

Tower Princess: With the deck's ability to counter a number of other decks consistently with its nice damage per second and trait of controlling matches, the Tower Princess' stats make her the most helpful Tower Troop, as she can also handle all deck archetypes consistently.

Knight: Your tank. He is an amazing unit on defense, being able to get you positive Elixir trades. After defending, the Knight can be used for a counterpush, whether it's with or without Graveyard. When Evolved, his offensive and defensive abilities increase, especially during a Graveyard push.

Skeletons: Your deck cycler and first assist. It can be used to get a more favorable hand, as an extra layer of defense, or as a distraction unit. When Evolved, they may force a splasher or a spell to be used on them, instead on a more valuable card like Graveyard or Ice Wizard.

Graveyard: Your primary win condition. It should only be played when the player has a counterpush ready, preferably with Knight or Phoenix as the tank. It is also favorable to play it with Poison to dissolve all frail enemies used against it, being able to defeat over time units with as much health as a Musketeer. Its RNG factor may also let some Skeletons chip the Crown Tower even when a Poison is used to counter it.

Poison: Your anti-swarm heavy spell and secondary win condition. It is Graveyard's greatest synergy due to taking down any frail troops that try to counter it, on top of guaranteed Crown Tower damage. It can also reap value from vulnerable units without a Graveyard push, and can be used with Ice Wizard to keep troops inside it for longer. Later in the game, Poison's damage is more valuable, as the Graveyard's hits might become less frequent.

Ice Wizard: Your anti-swarm debuff applier and second assist. His slowdown effect makes him great on defense, especially when paired with other defensive units. During a Graveyard counterpush, he can slow opposing units and stall troops to make them be inside Poison's Area of Effect for longer, dealing more damage to them and giving a Graveyard push more value. He can also deal with swarms pretty well due to his slight splash area, though his damage is very low.

Barbarian Barrel: Your anti-swarm light spell. While sometimes outshined by The Log, the Barbarian Barrel can do its job well, especially in Splashyard decks. Not only does it clear swarms pretty well, but it also spawns a Barbarian for extra distraction, assistance, and as a surprise (but weak) tank for an early-game Graveyard push.

Phoenix: Your anti-air. Even though he's not a splash unit like Baby Dragon, he can fare pretty well against air cards and singular ground units, as well as some swarms, since he has a high hit speed and a decently high damage output. His post-defeat egg can also gain some value if it successfully hatches.

Goblin Hut: Your building. Not only does it cover air with the spawned Spear Goblins, but it also takes care of a good number of win conditions because it constantly and quickly spawns the Spears when any unit is near. Afterwards, another card can be placed so they tank for the Spears during a counterpush.

Strategy[]

Single Elixir (3:00 to 1:01)[]

As a Control deck, you want to react to your opponent's plays instead of attacking first then doing a small counterpush. Your defensive cards will do the job just fine, and depending on the situation, you can even play Graveyard for early pressure, but only if a post-defense Knight or a Phoenix is able to tank for it.
- When the Phoenix is defeated while he was tanking for Graveyard's Skeletons, those will tank for the spawned egg for a bit, permitting the Phoenix to be reborn if the egg is not defeated quickly.
Once you're sure the opponent has been heavily affected by Elixir trades and their Graveyard counter isn't ready, you can prepare a unit + Graveyard combo. Only use Barbarian Barrel and Ice Wizard if they come from defending enemy troops, as they are not as healthy as Knight or Phoenix. It should be noted that, during Single Elixir, using Graveyard in general is hard, so it's best to wait for Double Elixir to begin building up bigger Graveyard pushes, unless you have an Elixir advantage.
Poison is a good tool to remove or heavily damage certain 4+ Elixir units placed behind the enemy King Tower when they get to a Crown Tower for free chip damage. This can be used against Musketeer, Wizard, Witch, Archer Queen, or Goblinstein, to name a few examples (Little Prince is an exception, as he is 3 Elixir when alone, yet still gets defeated to Poison). Although not usually played behind the King Tower, Barbarians and Zappies can also be removed by a Poison.
Even if a Graveyard is available for use due to positive Elixir trades, pairing it with Poison is not a good idea this early onto the match, as 9 Elixir is a big investment and gives you nearly no choices when defending against enemy troops.

Double Elixir (1:00 to 1:01 Overtime)[]

With the increased Elixir production speed, Graveyard can be played more often after defending. This can be with or without Poison (although with Poison is more beneficial, as it removes swarms used to counter Graveyard, slows troops inside it, and chips the Crown Tower), but it has to include something tanking for the Graveyard (primarily Knight), as direct damage is crucial.
If the Poison is not in sync with Graveyard in your deck cycle, you can either cycle your deck to get to play them together, or play Poison separately to counter enemy swarms, vulnerable units, or begin spell cycling separately.
Playing your tank unit directly at the bridge is a bad idea, as this phase of the match is more centered around counterpushes. Exceptions are using Barbarian Barrel or Ice Wizard to clear swarms and deal with other frail units.
Try to always pair Graveyard with Ice Wizard, since he will slow down any troop used against Graveyard, as well as other counterpush units. This combo can be used even with Poison (whose slow effect doesn't stack with the Ice Wizard's), although at a 12 Elixir cost.

Triple Elixir (1:00 Overtime)[]

Amass your units on defense, then go all-in on a counterpush with Graveyard + Poison. The opponent will usually have to decide between clearing the Graveyard or the push supporting it.
Poison is crucial during this phase, since it deals guaranteed damage to the Crown Tower. Its damage, although slow, shouldn't be underestimated, as it deals moderate damage during its whole duration, while also weakening enemy defensive troops, making it easier to break through.
Goblin Hut can also be played closer to the river to activate its spawn stage more often, letting the Spear Goblins amass and threatening even more damage.

Substitutions[]

The most notable substitutions should be Goblin Hut -> Goblin Cage, Phoenix -> Baby Dragon and Skeletons -> Tornado all at once, turning this deck into classic BBD Splashyard. However, other substitutions can also be made.

Knight: Valkyrie is the best option, as even though she is slower and costs +1 Elixir, she aids the "splash" part of Splashyard, while also being slightly healthier than Knight, allowing her to tank for other units for longer, especially for Graveyard. When Evolved, she'll pull troops closer to her, allowing her to slash multiple units and aid your other splashers in taking down multiple troops at once, though it risks activating the enemy's King Tower with the whirlwind, making winning with Graveyard nearly impossible.
Skeletons: Other Graveyard assists.
- Ice Spirit cycles your deck, has interesting interactions on defense and can temporarily freeze opponents, allowing your Graveyard Skeletons to stay alive for longer and/or troops to be inside Poison for longer, which is more effective when Evolved.
- Tornado Can pull things close towards the spell's center, allowing splash units and Poison to be more effective, but costs +2 Elixir. Can also activate your King Tower when used right.
Graveyard: This is the deck's win condition. It should not be replaced, as the entire deck revolves around it.
Poison: This is the win condition's major aid, thus, it also shouldn't be replaced. Plus, it has a long duration, unlike other spells, which can't provide value for the entire duration of Graveyard.
Ice Wizard: Bowler is the only viable substitution. He deals more damage, knockback, and has more health, but attacks slower, costs +2 Elixir, has no air coverage, and cannot slow down units. His knockback, however, can count as the slowdown effect.
Barbarian Barrel: Though The Log could be a viable substitute, as it deals more damage, rolls for a longer distance, and pushes back everything, the Barbarian Barrel is generally the better choice due to the spawned Barbarian's usefulness.
Phoenix: Other air-coverage splashers.
- Baby Dragon is healthier and moves faster, but deals less damage and attacks slower. When Evolved, he slows down enemies and speeds up allies, though that trait is not as useful in Graveyard decks, especially since Ice Wizard already slows down units.
- Wizard deals more damage, but costs +1 Elixir and attacks slower. He's able to deny swarms with more efficiency due to his nice splash radius and damage. When Evolved, he'll gain a shield that grants him invulnerability while it's active, while also damaging enemies after it's taken down.
- Witch spawns Skeletons for extra distraction and attacks faster, but deals less damage and costs +1 Elixir. When Evolved, her survivability increases due to healing when one of her Skeletons is defeated.
- Executioner deals more damage, has more health, and has projectiles that pierce through units, while also dealing twice the damage because his axe deals damage both when going and when coming, but attacks slower and costs +1 Elixir. When Evolved, he also deals knockback and extra damage, but only at a close range.
Goblin Hut: Other buildings.
- Goblin Cage, despite not regularly spawning units, is able to distract troops before the Brawler is released, who will rapidly deal a lot of damage to a singular target. When Evolved the Brawler is able to deal damage while in the cage, negating tanky troops when played right.
- Cannon, although not as healthy, is more versatile on defense for -1 Elixir, being able to defend a lot of stuff when active. When Evolved, its performance is boosted due to its barrage shots, clearing swarms and damaging multiple units.

Levels[]

This deck is not very favorable to F2P players, having a very niche Legendary card (Phoenix) along with 2 Epic cards, though Ice Wizard and Graveyard are consistently present in the higher ends of the game, which means that upgrading them is not that much of a loss. Here is the deck's leveling order.

Poison. As the win condition's major support, secondary win condition itself, the card that is used for spell cycling strategies, and troop destroyer, it is heavily needed to upgrade Poison in order for it to deal maximum damage possible, especially since it loses important interactions when underleveled (e.g. Musketeer can't be defeated by a 1-level lower Poison).
Graveyard. As the win condition, leveling it up is important for maximum damage output.
Knight. Upgrading him is needed for his tanking capabilities, especially when paired with Graveyard.
Barbarian Barrel. As a spell, it's important to level it up to maintain its interactions. The Barbarian spawned will also be leveled.
Ice Wizard. His level won't affect his slowing capabilities, but his damage, although low, could still be of use.
Phoenix. It is not as punishing to have him underleveled.
Goblin Hut. It being underleveled is not much of an issue.
Skeletons. The deck's least level dependant card.

Conclusion[]

Although it's arguably easier to simply play classic Baby Dragon Splashyard, this is a pretty nice and viable variation for it, especially since Goblin Hut's rework. It's a good choice, though harsh on F2P players. It will definitely work when you get the handle and levels of it.

Nomenclature[]

The name "Toxic Bird Gravy" is a reference to the deck's cards:

"Toxic" refers to Poison, which releases a liquid similar to Bromine (Br), a real-life toxic chemical element.
"Bird" refers to Phoenix.
"Gravy" means "sauce", indicating that this deck's 'sauce' was made from combining the remains of Phoenix into Poison's liquid. It is also a popular abbreviation for Graveyard, the main card of the deck.

History[]

2022

The Toxic Bird Gravy deck could be created as early as Phoenix's release, which happened on 26/10/2020.

2023

On 19/6/2023, the Skeletons were allowed to Evolve.
On 7/8/2023, the Knight was allowed to Evolve.