Lysithea

## Overview

Written by: Basil

If you’re hoping to play a high tier brown MC, you aren’t *really* going to find one here. Lysithea’s strongest build has more yellow cards than brown, letting her take advantage of ramp and unflips to keep drawing multiple times a turn. Sigurd also notably lets her be 90 on defense just like Byleth CP, giving her multiple ways to tank up and survive long enough to outvalue the opponent. Adding Sothis CP on top of the usual yellow Unifier of Thracia yellow combo is a very good finisher that also makes her better into other slow decks.

## Gameplan

Early game, you are mostly just looking to survive. Lysithea only has 1 bridge so pray you get it and promo, if not then Byleth CP is also a way to not be hit as much. Even if you have your bridge, don’t be too afraid to use the CP- stalling the game out is your win condition most of the time, and having more orbs later in the game is the best way to do that.

Once you’re promoted, you are still trying to not die by drawing cards- ideally Sigurd 0 and Sigurd 5(4) for turn 4. If you have the brown bonds for it, you can draw 4 cards by turn 4 (Class change, flip 1 end of your turn, flip 1 end of enemy turn, start of turn draw) plus whatever orbs you’ve taken by this point. If you have him for turn 4, you’re in a really good spot- the ramp and potential unflip if Seliph is in the retreat is really good for starting your yellow + draw engine. You can also use his Tyrfing skill to be 90 if your opponent has big plays coming.

You usually want to backline Sigurd to start so he stays alive and you can class change him again, but if you’re under too much pressure you can definitely move behind him. Lysithea’s CP is also useful here, since killing a unit that would hit you would burn the dodge anyway, so may as well kill it. Hapi is also great if your opponent can tempo units out, just play her for free and bounce their units away. If you aren’t under that much pressure, being 90 or having enough dodges will be fine to keep you going as you set up.

You’ll want to get your yellow unflip cards on the board so you can consistently draw 2 with Lysithea- Deirdre, Linoan, and Julia. Leif + Seliph in hand can help but you want recurring unflips more. Usually you don’t run too many of the unflippers and plan to use Leif’s Unifier of Thracia to deploy them from Retreat, though having them in hand certainly doesn’t hurt.

Once you have a lot of bonds from ramping and bonding, you’ll want to Holy war and grab a bunch of them back. With this and all the cards you’ve been drawing, you’ll likely have 10+ cards in hand and a board. At this point, you have likely already won- your opponent is low on gas from you just clearing their board and playing your own game, and you have an unflip + draw engine going and a bunch of cards.

If your opponent doesn’t concede, all you really need to do is just keep drawing until you have all the dodges you need to win regardless of what cards they have in orbs, then either slowly chip away at their orbs or try to rush them down with your board in a turn or two. Leif + divine pulse is a good way to do the latter strategy since he will double break at 6+ bonds.

## Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

* Strong late game engine due to unflips & draw
* Has strong brown support cards to help you not die early
* Multiple ways to be 90 base in the mid game

Weaknesses:

* More inconsistent than regular big yellow
* Bond requirements for brown / yellow cards can be painful
* A lot slower to start without turn 4 Sigurd CC

## Key Cards

### Byleth CP

Byleth is run in every brown deck for his CP, which can protect your MC at any point in the game you might be in danger. It can be kind of like a pre-emptive evade, but can potentially save you from multiple enemy swings. This is especially critical for slow, fragile MCs like Lysithea- she is a mage, so being 30 on her 1 cost means she will get hit by basically everything that doesn’t self-support. This will let her get by in the early game with fewer hits, allowing her to move on to setting up her board in the midgame.

### Sigurd 5(4) & Seliph 5(4)

Sigurd is just a bonkers card. Since he has a 0 cost, you can class change him on turn 4 to ramp any card from your retreat, including Seliph, who will unflip a bond for you, giving you a net +2. On top of that, he also has the ability to sit in the back and buff Lysithea to 90 so she isn’t as vulnerable, then class changing next turn and doing it again (Lysithea’s consistent draws help keep this going). This card is most of the reason why the deck works- it gives ramp and unflip that Lysithea desperately needs. The Seliph is equally crucial for the extra unflip, as well as eventually using his Final Holy War skill to pick up a bunch of bonds in the late game.

### Leif 5(4)

Leif is part of the gel that makes yellow decks run smoothly- being able to swap him out of your bonds for any card in your hand can be more useful than it seems. It can let you unflip with Seliph, grab a bond that was recently added to your bonds with Nanna, or set you up to use his Unifier of Thracia skill, which is also the typical yellow “finisher”. Being able to deploy 2-3 strong yellow units is good, on top of your MC and Leif, but usually it’s a finisher because those units also generate value that the opponent can’t match, as well as pressure.

### Yuri CP

Yuri is a very useful card for Lysithea for a number of reasons. He’s used exclusively for his CP, which can grab Lysithea dodges (or you can even use her CP in a pinch), Byleth CPs to tank up, Hapi to clear board, or the 1x Sothis the deck runs when it's time to play her. The only downside is he requires a bond to use, but once you have a bit of your yellow engine going, that won’t be a problem, and the stuff he gets you can save your life, which is always worth it.

## Sample Decks

Basil's Lysithea
4 Lysithea, Little Wunderkind
2 Lysithea, Prodigy of House Ordelia
4 Lysithea, Scholar of Misfortune
4 Lysithea, Magewright Master of Light and Dark
1 Sothis, The Beginning
4 Sigurd, Holy Honor-Imparting Knight
4 Sigurd, A Soul Who Lived for Love
4 Seliph, Savior of Light
4 Byleth (Male), He Who Bears the Flames Within
3 Yuri, Underground Lord
3 Leif, The Future Sage-Lord
2 Nanna, Brave Princess
2 Hapi, Karma-Burdened Valkyrie
2 Leif, Brave Realm-Saving, Woe-Allaying Prince
2 Julia, Shining Maiden of Saintly Lineage
1 Linoan, Blossom of Tara
2 Robin (Male), Amnesiac Tactician
1 Deirdre, Fated Saint
MC:
1 Lysithea, Prodigy of House Ordelia