When my Skybound Odyssey booster box arrived, I couldn’t have been more hyped. After opening it, I couldn’t have been more deflated. There were no great pulls. No super Uniques. Most importantly, not enough of the cards I wanted to create a new deck for my favoured faction, Muna. However, after a little reflection, I realised it gave me an incredible opportunity. It was time to journey Out-of-Faction and see what the others had to offer me – only using what I had available.

I decided to start my exploration of the Altered landscape with a Bravos deck.

Smoldering Jinn and Bravos Harpooner, both from Skybound Odyssey, were the origins for my deck idea. Combining mana ramp and the new Rush mechanic seemed like a great combo. Even more so with Sol and Halua at the head of it all.

Early on, I could play Jinns to build up my mana. Later in the game, I could use that mana ramp to Rush and pass. Very quickly, I could create a cycle of playing two cards, passing, and building up to getting a free 2/2/2 Gigantic through Halua as the companion.

The difficult part was trying to get the balance right. Too much mana ramp meant not enough cards to use it. Too little mana ramp left me with Rush cards I couldn’t use. During early plays with the deck, another problem turned up though. Removal.

The solution came with another Skybound Odyssey addition, Parliament of Ashes. In fact, this hugely boosted my early game with the Jinn Rushy deck. Not only did it keep my cards safe by giving them Tough, it let me resupply. With Rush, I was going to be getting through a lot of cards. Parliament of Ashes meant I didn’t run out right at the start of the game.

A lot of Rush cards, especially the commons, have their abilities tied to playing them from Reserve. With a bit of luck, I was able to play Wingsuit Jumper from Reserve very quickly, further building my options. There’s a fantastic synergy with this setup that I am excited to explore.

Combined with Rush, and passing to get Halua, Parliament of Ashes gave me huge confidence in building up one side of the Expedition. Getting quick wins is, after all, the name of the game for Bravos, Sol, and Halua. There’s a real joy in seeing those tokens move forward right from the beginning.

Of course, you also need to have an endgame plan. Fortunately, Skybound Odyssey provides a mana ramp deck with a rather inviting way to finish matches early. Halua, Raging Leviathan is a bit of beast in this setup. You can quickly get to 7 mana, drop this when going second, and sneak both sides of the Expedition.

With Tough, it makes Halua tricky to remove if you play your cards right, plus it wipes the board at the end of the round. Honestly, this is a real hard hitter that I think will be underestimated. For a double whammy, play it and pass first with 5 Quest counters on Sol to get a 2/2/2 Gigantic Halua token to add to the mix.

Admittedly, playing this after a good number of turns loses its potency. Getting your timing right is key to making this work. If your opponent can’t remove it, this can shift the balance of a match firmly in your favour.

Bravos Signet is also an outstanding card worth mentioning in this deck. The three options available to you all have game swinging impact. 3 boosts can turn an Expedition loss into a win. Pushing back characters takes control of the board and gives you information. Added mana ramp can turn around a slow start.

I had an absolute blast putting this deck together, and even more fun playing it. I was able to build Expedition pressure while also growing my mana ready for the finishing blows. The Rush mechanic opens up a world of possibilities for players to capitalise on.

As I made the Jinn Rushy deck from what I had, there’s obviously room to improve it. Rare Tiny Jinn, for example, would immediately make this deck stronger. In fact, I intend to do just that and continue reiterating this deck throughout the upcoming season.

If you want to try the deck out for yourself, you can find the deck list here. Let us know your thoughts on how it plays, how you would improve it going forward, and what faction I should explore next.

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