Contingent Crumble Deck

A 'contingent crumble' is a type of crumble deck that uses self-depletion to deal large amounts of damage from a single card play. A typical example of a such a deck is shown below:
==How does it work?==
Better to Give, is played to deplete 4 cards from deck. Cards such as Goblin Ambusher or Sir Neville cause more cards to be depleted, causing a chain reaction. This usually causes the entire deck to be depleted (using Dido to allow the player to survive). Better to Give then deals damage based on the buffs received.
==Contingent cards==
Several cards can be used as damage dealers in a contingent crumble:
769 Better to Give.png|Better to Give|link=Better to Give
Promo15 Desperate Bombardment.png|Desperate Bombardment|link=Desperate Bombardment
216 Searing Light V2.png|Searing Light|link=Searing Light
Promo69 Swords to Ploughshares.png|Swords to Ploughshares|link=Swords to Ploughshares
150 Devouring Darkness.png|Devouring Darkness|link=Devouring Darkness
Swords to Ploughshares holds an advantage over the other contingent cards in that it depletes six, which results in better stability. Better to Give also has higher base damage than the others.
==Crumble cards==
These are cards that cause further deplete when they are depleted.
487 Goblin Ambusher.png|Goblin Ambusher (deplete 2)|link=Goblin Ambusher
500 Sir Neville.png|Sir Neville (deplete 2 npcs)|link=Sir Neville
760 Variss.png|Variss (deplete npc and potion)|link=Variss
Promo54 Hans the Diamond Blade.png|Hans the Diamond Blade (deplete 2)|link=Hans the Diamond Blade
719 Apocolocyntosised Demon.png|Apocolocyntosised Demon (deplete 1)|link=Apocolocyntosised Demon
466 Ghost Master's Tonic.png|Ghost Master's Tonic (deplete 2)|link=Ghost Master's Tonic
Promo53 Enchanted Emetic.png|Enchanted Emetic (deplete 3)|link=Enchanted Emetic
896 Volatile Haste Potion.png|Volatile Haste Potion (deplete 3)|link=Volatile Haste Potion
967 Wrathful Avenger.png|Wrathful Avenger (deplete potion)|link=Wrathful Avenger
Note that Apocolocyntosised Demon also depletes from the opponent, which may be undesirable. Some of these cards (such as Ghost Master's Tonic and Enchanted Emetic ) are also responsible for providing damage buffs, and are thus fairly crucial.
==Damage multipliers==
Greater amounts of damage can be achieved through critical hits and double damage. Certain buffs stack (such as My Round and Graveyard Mushroom Brew ), whilst others do not (such as Graveyard Mushroom Brew and Prideful Sinner ). Some of these are potions whilst others are npcs and attacks.
593 My Round.png|My Round (doubles)|link=My Round
748 Graveyard Mushroom Brew.png|Graveyard Mushroom Brew (doubles attack)|link=Graveyard Mushroom Brew
756 Prideful Sinner.png|Prideful Sinner (doubles attack)|link=Prideful Sinner
464 Elixir of Slaying.png|Elixir of Slaying (crit)|link=Elixir of Slaying
920 The Commander's Wine.png|The Commander's Wine (crit)|link=The Commander's Wine
Pyromancerelyssa.jpg|Pyromancer Elyssa (crit)|link=Pyromancer Elyssa
872 Look Down.png|Look Down (crit)|link=Look Down
931 Death to the Dragon!.png|Death to the Dragon! (crit)|link=Death to the Dragon!
961 Freedom's Roar.png|Freedom's Roar (crit)
Better to Give also has an in-built critical hit effect - if the depletion pile reaches 16 or more, then other means of obtaining critical hits can be removed.
==Other additions==
At least one Dido is crucial to allow the crumble to survive, although two is recommended in case one is drawn. Last of the Wine and Gulau the Bulwark are also useful additions for their deplete effects, particularly in brawls.
Cards such as Aristeia and Luminous Libation can be added to provide extra damage, although they will reduce stability and take up npc and potion slots.
321 Dido Celwer Bloodwyn V1-1.png|Dido Celwer Bloodwyn|link=Dido Celwer Bloodwyn
Promo19 Last of the Wine.png|Last of the Wine|link=Last of the Wine
Promo912 Gulau the Bulwark.png|Gulau the Bulwark|link=Gulau the Bulwark
PowerFlux18 Aristeia.png|Aristeia|link=Aristeia
592 Luminous Libation.png|Luminous Libation (+4 to next light attack)|link=Luminous Libation
750 Soul Souffle.png|Soul Souffle (+3 dmg)|link=http://clashofthedragons.wikia.com/wiki/Soul_Souffle
Barbed Broaches are not useful in a contingent crumble. This is because the effect requires the contingent cards to cause depletion. If depletion is caused by broaches instead (which act first), then the buffs will only apply to the next card played.
==Why 'contingent'?==
A contingent card deals damage based on the cards that they have depleted themselves. The damage dealt is contingent on the buffs gained. Only certain cards have this property. This differs to a normal crumble, for which the damage boost applies to the next card played.
==Crumble design==
There are several considerations that need to be made when making a contingent crumble.
===Reliable deplete===
Most crumbles are not completely reliable. A deck may fail to crumble if the initial cards do not themselves cause any other cards to deplete - the chain reaction is broken. Hence a certain proportion of the deck needs to consist of crumble cards for a certain level of reliability.
===Reliable draws===
A contingent crumble is only successful as a one-hit wonder if a contingent card is drawn on the starting hand. The chance of this can be increased by ensuring a large proportion of the deck is made up from contingent cards - typically these form a third to one half of the deck (see image). However, this may compromise stability.
Futhermore, drawable cards such as Pyromancer Elyssa and Prideful Sinner can be problematic for reliable damage multiplication when they end up in hand.
===Damage output===
A typical contingent crumble deals 200-400 damage in a single shot, although there are exceptions in either extremity. Damage multiplication is usually the most important factor, although factors such as size can have a significant effect. A larger crumble provides a bigger depletion pile for Ghost Master's Tonic. Additional contributors to damage can be added, but at the expense of both stability and draws.
==Credits==
Would appreciate some links to the forum to credit the original inventors and contributors to the deck.
==Notes==
Work in progress
This article is about strategy and deck design, and is thus highly subjective. Please feel free to suggest additions or alterations in the comments below, or make notes of edits that you make to the page.
--Zaytuun (talk) 20:16, June 24, 2013 (UTC)
N.B. The contingent crumble mechanic has been described by the developers as a 'bug' and is thus subject to 'fixing' some time in the distant future. We mourn that day.
Category:Deck Types