#deckbuilding

The creator of Nowhere Prophet returns with a soul trading rebellion.

En un mercado donde los videojuegos triple A suelen costar más de 70 euros, encontrar una propuesta divertida, adictiva y encima barata es casi un milagro. Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors es exactamente eso: un rogue-lite que combina construcción de mazos y exploración de mazmorras por menos de lo que cuesta un menú de comida rápida. Y lo mejor es que, según la crítica…

This is a simic selfmill deck featuring one of my favorite froggies, Grolnok. The full decklist can be found on my archidekt.

The objective of this deck is basically get my entire library into my exile, this way, I essentially turn my exile into my hand. There are a few instants and sorceries, but if those aren't in my opening hand, I don't usually end up getting to use them since I'll be milling so much and I don't have any graveyard recursion.

This deck is technically frog tribal, but the frogs don't really end up doing much by the end. The mill ability from grolnok is how I get started, then I end up using artifacts, enchantments, planeswalker abilities, and so on to reach the end. Some notable inclusions of these include:

Court of Cunning

This one gives me two options. I can either use it to mill myself, my opponents, or both. Choosing to mill my opponents often makes me the target, so I usually choose not to do this. However, let's say I'm hitting them hard with milling through the card I'll show next, and it's looking like I can win by milling everyone out? In that case, I'm willing to change my strategy a bit.

Mesmeric Orb

This is another card that upon playing, you instantly become the target. However, it's hella powerful for this deck, especially when combined with Seedborn Muse, allowing me to mill every turn. Combo THAT with Fraying Sanity, which essentially doubles my mill every turn? I don't even need to wait that long to absolutely decimate myself.

Sculpting Steel is also a great way to get more mill or mana, since this deck is extremely low on land count, and pretty low on ramp as well, but more on that later.

Flash

There is a lot of casting stuff in this deck, how could I possibly get through all of it? Well, I just turn your turn into my turn, of course!

Vedalken Orrery, Leyline of Anticipation, and Borne Upon a Wind are my best friends.

"Curses" and why they're actually pretty great!

I run a few curses in this deck! Whenever I cast them, people tense up, and then get confused when I choose to target myself.

Fraying Sanity

This "curse" synergizes with basically everything in my deck, since it's just doubling all my mill! Very great, and it's got some pretty neat combos that I will show off in another section.

Curse of Unbinding

This one is cool for two reasons. One: free creature! What a deal! Two: anything else I reveal? Straight to the graveyard, which means straight to exile, which means straight to me being able to play it!

Mana (and the lack thereof)

This deck runs 23 lands! People are usually surprised to hear this since it's not a lot, and strangely, I never seem to get mana screwed when I play this deck. It's a weird heart of the cards thing, idk

Jk, the reason why is because I only need to get to 4 mana to cast my commander, and then I start getting lands left right and center. By turning my exile into somewhere I can play cards from, I essentially build a stockpile of resources that I can draw from whenever I need. I also run Rites of Flourishing and Azusa, Lost but Seeking, allowing me to play more lands, giving me more access to mana quickly.

Cost Reducers

Unfortunately for me, this deck can take a lot of mana. How do I cope? Simple. I make it cost less mana! With Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius making everything I cast from exile cost 2 less, I can immediately get many free/1 drop artifacts to help with ramping. Urza's Incubator naming frogs gives me access to all my frogs for another 2 less. Paired with Maskwood Nexus, all my creatures are now 2 less.

Combos/how I actually win

Fraying Sanity is pretty peak here. I can combo it with either Cut your Losses or Traumatize to mill half my deck, then on the end step, I mill the same amount of cards I milled that turn, meaning the other half, removing my library from the game.

I can also use Leveler, which straight up just removes my library from the game upon entry.

I do any of these things on the opponent before me's end step using the flash mechanics mentioned earlier. But wait, doesn't that mean I lose on my draw step because I draw from an empty library? Well, it would, which is where one more thing using flash comes in.

By the time I cast my stuff for getting rid of my library, I'm usually out of mana. However, with the power of flash, after my untap step, during my upkeep, I cast either Laboratory Maniac or Jace, Wielder of Mysteries. These cards both make it so that when I draw from an empty library, I win the game instead.

My best ever opening hand with this deck:

Leyline of Anticipation, three islands, sol ring, lab man, and leveler. I started the game with the leyline on the battlefield. Turn one, I play an island, tap it for a sol ring. Turn two, play another island, then tap one island and the sol ring for lab man. turn three, play an island and pass. I won turn four by casting leveler on my opponents end step, removing my library from the game and winning the game by drawing from an empty library on my draw step.

SlotsNStocks is shaking things up, bringing deckbuilding slot machine roguelike action game to Linux PC, Mac, and Windows. All credit goes to the creative minds at Nightforge Studios, who bring us bold ideas. All due to make its way onto Steam. I didn’t expect a slot machine to me like I was about to go broke. But that’s exactly what SlotsNStocks does. One minute you feel like a genius stacking perfect plays, next minute the board turns on you and you’re staring at a margin call you might not survive.

SlotsNStocks isn’t the market you know

Forget charts. Forget logic. SlotsNStocks throws you into something way stranger. You don’t pick stocks here. You draft symbols. Bulls. Bears. Rockets. Insiders. Since this feels closer to building a deck in a roguelike than trading anything real. You’re not reacting to the market. You’re also trying to bend it. Force it into something that works for you. Then you hit spin. Symbols drop like a slot machine. Combos trigger. Sometimes it clicks and everything goes green. Clean, satisfying, like you planned it all along. Other times it crashes hard. No warning. No mercy. And that also feels a little too real.

Every decision feels personal

Each day gives you a choice. Go Long. Go Short. Or sit it out while hoping you didn’t just miss your shot. That tension builds fast. You start second guessing yourself. You start chasing patterns that may not even exist. And somehow, the game makes that fun instead of frustrating. By the end of the day, you’re already thinking ahead. Because that’s when the drafting kicks in again. New symbols, relics, and new ways to push your luck.

The real SlotsNStocks gameplay happens between runs

There’s this shady dealer vibe to it. Between days, you’re offered upgrades that feel just a little too powerful. Relics that twist the rules. Options that nudge the odds in your favor. At first it feels small. Then it stacks. Then suddenly the whole system starts leaning your way. That’s when you know you’re onto something. And that’s also when the game decides to flip the table.

SlotsNStocks - Announcement Trailer

Weekly resets hit hard

Every week, everything changes. While the market shifts. Symbols behave differently. What carried you last run can also destroy you in the next. You can’t get comfortable. Not even for a second. And hanging over all of it is that margin call. So it keeps climbing. Always climbing. Hit the number and you survive. Miss it and you’re done. No safety net. No retry button to save your pride. Just a cold reset.

Built for players who like control and chaos

What hits me most about SlotsNStocks is how it balances control and randomness. Since you build your machine piece by piece and think you understand it. Then you think you’ve also cracked it. Then it reminds you that you haven’t. That push and pull is what makes this deckbuilding slot machine roguelike stick. It feels skill-based until it doesn’t. And somehow that also keeps you coming back.

Why Linux players should care

SlotsNStocks is exactly the kind of game that thrives on PC. Fast runs. Tight decisions. Systems you can really dig into. And yeah, it’s coming to Linux too. That alone makes it worth paying attention to if you care about open platforms. Indie devs like Nightforge Studios and publisher 2 Left Thumbs are certainly leaning into something weird here. Not safe. Not predictable. And honestly, that’s the point.

So… would you take the seat?

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