Life Deckathalon

Look alive because the Life Deckathalon has started! From May 19th all the way until May 25th, you’ll have the opportunity to fight creatures to earn some fabulous prizes!

Deckathalon Basics

What is a deckathalon? Each month, an event called the Deckathalon opens up for about a week. During this time, you’ll fight creatures whose ranks increase every level. Each deckathalon has a different school theme. The current deckathalon is the Life Deckathalon, so you’ll be fighting Life-School creatures at every stage. After each three floors, you’ll reach a checkpoint. You’ll be able to return to the checkpoint if you are ever defeated or leave the deckathalon. But wait! Before you begin climbing the tower and the rankings, there are a few twists that make this event even more special!

In this event, you can only use treasure cards! That’s right, all your trained spells won’t be usable here. During the deckathalon, your chance of getting power pips is very low, so don’t count on them to cast spells. In addition, almost all of your gear will have no effect. Only your deck stats matter here and your pet will still be able to cast may-cast spells. Enchanted TCs, potions, Henchmen, and elixirs will also be disabled. There’s no editing your deck in between stages or fights, so make sure you have all the spells in your deck before you begin!

To enter the deckathalon, you’ll need to spend a credit. You’ll be able to claim 3 credits daily. These can accumulate between days, but not between deckathalon events. So you can participate daily or save up until the last few days. Whatever you decide to do, make sure every credit counts! 

Monsters

As you climb up the stages, the tiers of the creatures increase; consequently, the amount of health and pierce increase as well. At the final level of the 10th stage, you’ll have to defeat Moolinda Wu herself! Here’s a list of the monsters you’ll encounter during the first 4  stages:

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

The fight with the Bog Stalker on Stage 3 is one of my favorite fights. It provides a bit of a challenge without being overly difficult.  When I first saw this creature, I was amazed by how much detail that was in the design! The Bog Stalker starts off with 3 pips and has 7% pierce. The highest rank spell it can cast is Nature’s Wrath. It can be a challenge if you’re just starting the deckathalon, but with the right spells and strategy, you’ll be able to defeat it

Strategy

Not sure where to begin? No worries! Remember, besides your deck, none of your gear matters in the Deckathalon provide stats. So you’ll want to choose a deck that provides a pip. If you’re a lower level and can’t get a deck that provides a pip, you won’t be at a disadvantage for long! After the fight on the third floor of each stage, a vendor by the name of Kara Runewright will be selling some TC recipes as well as a few deck recipes. These decks are specially designed for the ongoing deckathalon and provide pretty useful stats (like an extra pip)! Here’s my strategy for new players to gain a few points in the Life Deckathalon:

1. Make sure that you are equipping the right deck! You don’t want to have no TCs and waste a credit!
2. Before you enter the deckathalon, set up your deck with the following spells:
   • 4 Rank 1 Death spells
   • 4 Rank 2 Death spells (preferably Ghoul)
   • 4 Rank 4 Death spells (preferably Vampire)
   • Fill the remaining spots with Life Shields
   • If you don’t have a may-cast heal pet, throw in a pixie/fairy.
3. When you begin Stage 1, use Ghoul to defeat the Mellowjacket. If it doesn’t defeat the creature, follow up with one of your Rank 1 Death spells. If you don’t happen to draw Ghoul from your deck, you can discard (using right click) and draw a new card. All your discarded treasure cards will return after the fight!
4. On Floor 2, defeat the Mellowjacket first, then the Sea Biscuit. 
5. When fighting the Go Go Goat Ranger, you should be able to do the same strategy as Stage 1. 
6. Once you’ve completed Floor 3 of Stage 1, buy the Rank 1 deck recipe from Kara Runewright. 
7. If you are defeated, or run out of cards, don’t run back into the deckathalon just yet.
8. At this point, you should have enough points to claim a free Rank 1 deck from the event page. If you don’t have enough points, head on over to Unicorn Way and use a few non-Death school treasure cards to get some points.
9. Once you have the Rank 1 deck, transfer all your TCs to the newly obtained deck.
10. Now you can begin Stage 2. Don’t forget to restock your TCs! Now, you can replace 3 of the Rank 1 Death spells with death blades. 
11. Now, you should be able to blade and defeat Viridian Blade with a Ghoul the next turn.
12. When you reach the 3rd Floor, I recommend that you use the Life Shields until you have enough pips for Vampire. That way you have a lower chance of dying (and you get healed more!)
13. When Kara Runewright appears after the fight, buy the Rank 2 Deck recipe.
14. Continue as far as you can until you are defeated.
15. Now you can craft the second rank deck that gives a pip! If you don’t have enough death runes, you can get some from the first 2 stages.
16. Continue farming the first 2 stages until you feel confident enough to try Stage 3.
17. When you craft the Rank 3 Deck, you can choose to continue to the 4th stage. You’ll have the opportunity to buy the Rank 4 Deck. 
18. If you’re looking to gain more points for the deckathalon event (and the Scroll of Fortune), you should restart at Stage 1 and make it as far as you can. Once you feel confident enough, you can start farming Stages 2-4. If you decide to make it as far as you can in the deckathalon, you can simply return to the highest stage you reached a checkpoint at. 
19. Most of all, have fun with it! If you don’t get the rewards this time, this school deckathalon will come back soon!

Craftable Items

Kara Runewright doesn’t just sell deck recipes. She also sells an assortment of TC recipes and a recipe for the Treasure Card Display. Here are the items that she offers during this deckathalon:

Deck Recipes

Wall Hanging Recipes

Treasure Card Recipes

Kara Runewright also sells some TC recipes. Here are some of them:

Point Prizes

If you didn’t think all the recipes that Kara Runewright sold was enough, check out all the prizes you can earn by reaching certain points in the deckathalon!

Life Hamster

At 450 points, you’ll receive a Life Hamster! This adorable little pet gives 3 cards: Spirit Shield at Baby, Lifeblade at Ancient, and a Sharpened Blade at Mega! This pet loves Life and Vegetable snacks! You better hurry, because you currently can only get this pet from the Life Deckathalon! Good luck out there! 

Note: This article was written while the Life Deckathalon was occuring.