**Shupe’s Monster Mash | Monsters Deck Guide**
Half the fun of this deck is deciding what to do with your opponent’s best card. You can banish it with **Korathi Heatwave**, challenge it with **Lord Riptide**, or let **Shupe** loose and see what happens. Meanwhile, **Allgod** and **Alpha Werewolf** build up your own Monsters. A few extra points on the right unit can change what it’s able to kill.
**Round 1 — Give your boosts a job**
Look for **Runemage**, **Allgod**, or **Alpha Werewolf** alongside a Beast you want to boost. **Endrega Larva** is a good opening play in a longer round, since it has time to grow while you develop your hand.
With one **Offering** in the starting deck, Allgod can boost **four units in your deck by 2 each**. My favourite targets are Riptide and Werewolf. Extra power lets Riptide deal more damage in his Clash and gives Werewolf a wider choice of Predator targets. If Werewolf is already in your hand, play **Alpha Werewolf on melee** while your hand is still large. For example, a Werewolf boosted to 10 can target a 9-power enemy and finish at **19 power**. Play Werewolf before removing the enemy you intend to use.
**Round 2 — Make the opponent commit**
If you won Round 1 and still have **Mastercrafted Spear** and **Offering**, you can push without spending your best removal. Use the Spear to bring a valuable engine down to **4 power or less**, then destroy it with Offering and give a unit in your deck another boost. If your opponent relies on replaying a bronze from the graveyard, **Bleeding Effigy** can banish it and boost one of your allies by its power. A bronze they were counting on bringing back can be worth taking even when it isn’t the biggest one available.
If winning another turn would cost both Shupe and Heatwave, I’d pass and keep those options for Round 3.
**Round 3 — Let the board choose the trick**
- **One dangerous enemy on the board?** If you played Runemage earlier, you can choose from all five **Shupe: Hunter** effects. Pick the random enemy destroy while that threat is the only enemy unit. This is the moment when “random” works entirely in your favour.
- **Their biggest unit is within Riptide’s reach?** Play him on **melee** and check the target’s Armor before you commit. If he can win the Clash, you’ve dealt with the threat and kept Heatwave for something else.
- **A Scenario still has chapters left?** **Bearification** can turn it into an Elder Bear. Your opponent gets the Bear, so use it while the remaining chapters are worth denying. With an allied artifact such as Thunderbolt still on your board, you also have the option of turning it into a boosted Bear of your own.
- **Shupe has already done his job?** Check **Adda: Striga** before ending the round. Shupe is a Token. If his power is lower than Adda’s, she can consume him and gain **twice his power**. Count the points already on your side when judging the play. Consuming a 6-power allied Token gives Adda 12, for a **net gain of 6** from her Order.
**Oneiromancy** gives you room to improvise. In an early round it can find Runemage to set up Shupe, or Allgod while your boost targets are still in the deck. In the final round, use it for the card that fits the board in front of you. Sometimes that’s Heatwave. Sometimes it’s a hungry Striga with a very unlucky troll standing next to her. 😈
— Happy RO Gaming