Olwen

## Overview

Written by: Basil

Olwen is in that strange part of yellow where she is built best as a midrange MC, but the best cards to support her are the big yellow package, which is pretty slow. As a result, she kind of occupies a middle ground of a pretty slow midrange MC- flipping her Olwen bonds to swing for 80 with range and draw a card is great stats and a good draw engine, something Yellow typically lacks. She can then use the usual yellow unflip package and bond manipulation to ensure she always has Olwens to flip, as well as ramp and get the typical big yellow deploys out- Julia, Sigurd, Leif, etc.

## Gameplan

Like many yellow decks, Olwen won’t be playing too much early. You’re mostly looking to just survive as best you can until you promote and can start doing stuff. Getting into her bridge is nice since it not only can help you take fewer hits / clear the field, but also has a skill that can help you put Olwens you milled into your bonds, or even something like Tine to draw a card.

Once you promote, ideally you’re using Olwen’s skill 2, Prideful Determination, every turn. It not only is just solid advantage, flip 1 draw, but it also lets her swing for 80. Bonding dodges from your hand to do so shouldn’t be how you do it though- yellow has many ways to get them there without risking dying (though if you draw too many OIwens, this is an option). Her skill 1, Dire Thunder, is not bad, but it's usually too expensive since you lose a swing and have to flip 2 (3 if you want to buff Olwen to an amount where she kills anything worthwhile) to kill 2 enemies, when you could instead just swing at them.

Your ideal turn 4 is, as is often the case in yellow, class changing Sigurd 0 with Sigurd 5(4) to ramp/unflip with Seliph 5(4) bond skill. The ramp is nice as always, and the unflip can let you draw with Olwen since you can unflip the bond you used for it last turn. You can also run either of the Deirdre 4s, B17 Deirdre is nice for an alternative form of ramp, and B06 Deirdre is nice to unflip your Olwen bonds.

From there you’re mostly looking to just keep deploying your value-generating yellow units, flip Olwen bonds, and own the board, using remaining swings to hit the opponent’s MC. Julia 5(4) is a great deploy in this deck in particular since she can remove non-Olwen bonds or even face-down Olwen bonds and replace them with new ones, as well as hit like a truck. You also have all the tools you usually need to do the classic Unifier of Thracia → Final Holy War combo, but that’s if the game seems to be going long.

## Strengths and Weaknesses

**Strengths:**

* Swings for 80 with range when you use her flip 1 draw skill
* Synergizes well with yellow’s unflip & bond manipulation cards

**Weaknesses:**

* Pacing can be awkward due to being somewhat midrange yet slow due to her support cards
* Not as many Olwen dodges as you may want between bonds and hand

## Key Cards

### Seliph 1 B08

There are only 12 total Olwens you can run in your deck, and you lose at least 2 for your 1 cost and your Main Promo. That only leaves 10 for your dodges and your bonds. Luckily, this Seliph’s bond skill means you have 4 extra Olwens that are exclusively meant to be bonded, and he has the upside of also being a Seliph bond for B22 Sigurd and a Seliph if you want to use Seliph 5(4)’s Final Holy War skill.

### Sigurd 5(4)

Sigurd is a staple in many yellow decks, and Olwen is no exception. His ramp can put either an Olwen into your bonds or a Seliph 5(4) to unflip an Olwen, letting you continue to flip and draw, and in a pinch he can use his skill 2 Tyrfing to tank Olwen up if you’re being pressured.

### Seliph 5(4) B08

Run pretty much for his bond skill to unflip, it’s still important since you want to be flipping at least 1 Olwen bond per turn, in addition to whatever other yellow skills you want to be using. In the late game though, if you have a lot of bonds you can deploy him and use his Final Holy War skill to pick up a bond of your bonds, many of which will be Olwens and can keep you alive or help you finish off your opponent.

### Leif 5(4)

Leif is like the glue that helps yellow decks function, that can also tempo out a bunch of units as a finisher in the late game. His ability to swap bonds out may seem simple, but being able to trigger bond skills that activate only when bonded by a skill like Seliph’s is really nice, in addition to other skills you may want to do in your action phase like Nanna picking up a bond after you ramp or Tine drawing a card after you unflip. Then in the late game you can use his Unifier of Thracia skill to deploy a bunch of units from your retreat, and can do so relatively consistently since you can always pick this card up from your bonds.

### Julia 5(4)

One of Olwen’s best deploys, Julia is great since she net unflips a bond and replaces bonds you don’t need. You can also randomly get Olwens or Seliph 5(4)s to unflip your Olwens off of her skill 1, which can help you continue to draw with Olwen. She also suits Olwen’s play style since she swings for at least 90 after using her skill 1, which can help you kill something or hit the opponent’s MC.

### Fred 3(2)

Fred is a dedicated Olwen buffer, making her and himself 80 base if they're both in the same area. Olwen being 80 with range is amazing stats, and can swing for 100 with range when she uses her draw skill, which will clear pretty much anything, and Fred can also flip 1 for range if needed. Only tricky thing is he's a 3 cost, which can be awkward on your curve, and he is only a buffer.

## Sample Decks

Olwen (Big yellow)
4 Olwen, Thunder of Conviction
4 Olwen, Blue Mage Knight
3 Olwen, Mage of Friege
4 Seliph, Prince of Grannvale
3 Julia, Shining Maiden of Saintly Lineage
4 Sigurd, A Soul Who Lived for Love
4 Sigurd, Holy Honor-Imparting Knight
2 Leif, Brave Realm-Saving, Woe-Allaying Prince
4 Seliph, Savior of Light+
3 Leif, The Future Sage-Lord+
3 Nanna, Brave Princess+
3 Deirdre, Maiden of the Spirit Forest
2 Tine, Maiden of Purifying Lightning
3 Plumeria, Desire-Gratifying Nightmare
3 Deirdre, Vessel of Divine Blood
MC:
1 Olwen, Mage of Friege