How Bangkok's top three decks play: a no-ink board wipe, Max's replayed songs, and how Detectives answer
Bangkok's Amber/Emerald Songs decks, first and second, win with two combos: singing Circle of Life together to play Prince Phillip for free and clear the board, and Max Goof replaying songs from the discard. Third-place Amber/Sapphire Detectives has cards built to answer them. Key tips for each deck, with combo animations.
The three decklists and their one-tap links are in the results post; this one is about how they play.
Amber/Emerald Songs (1st and 2nd)
Combo 1: a board wipe for no ink
Prince Phillip – Vanquisher of Foes
Circle of Life
Malicious, Mean, and Scary
Watch it play in the Combo Lab ›
How it works
- Have Ursula – Vanessa (cost 2, Singer 4), Angel – Siren Singer (cost 2, Singer 3) and Meilin Lee – Losing Control (cost 3) in play.
- Last turn, play Tod – Clever Fox (cost 3): draw 2 cards and discard Prince Phillip – Vanquisher of Foes. Strike A Good Match or Milo Thatch – Getting His Hands Dirty can discard him too.
- This turn: exert Ursula to sing Malicious, Mean, and Scary (a cost 3 song) and put 1 damage counter on each opposing character.
- Exert Angel, Tod and Meilin to sing Circle of Life together (Sing Together 8; Angel counts as 3 with Singer, so 3 + 3 + 3 = 9) and play Prince Phillip from your discard for free.
- SWIFT AND SURE: banish all opposing damaged characters.
ResultFor 0 : every opposing character is banished, and you have a 6/6 Evasive Prince Phillip worth 3 lore.
Why it’s strong2
- Malicious, Mean, and Scary puts damage counters rather than dealing damage, so Resist doesn't reduce it; it chooses no one, so Ward doesn't stop it.
- Phillip normally costs 9; characters sing both songs for free, so your ink goes to other cards.
Weak points3
- You need four characters that can act: one to sing Malicious, Mean, and Scary and a total cost of 8 or more to sing Circle of Life. If the opponent clears your board first, you won't have enough.
- Phillip has to be in your discard and Circle of Life in your hand; an opposing Elisa Maza – Hardworking Detective or Lenny – Toy Binoculars can discard Circle of Life from your hand.
- Phillip has Evasive but not Ward, so The Horseman Strikes! can banish him.
Going further2
- Max Goof – Chart Topper can play Malicious, Mean, and Scary from your discard for free when he quests, saving you a singer; see Chart Topper Remix.
- Milo Thatch discards Phillip when he's played and returns an opposing character to its player's hand; at the end of your turn, if 2 or more cards went into your discard this turn, Milo draws you a card.
Combo 2: Chart Topper Remix
Max Goof – Karaoke Star
Max Goof – Chart Topper
To Wither a Flower
Watch it play in the Combo Lab ›
How it works
- Last turn, play Max Goof – Karaoke Star (cost 3) and Ursula – Vanessa (cost 2). SWEET REMIX: discard To Wither a Flower from your hand and draw 2 cards.
- This turn: pay Shift 4 to play Max Goof – Chart Topper on top of Karaoke Star. The Max underneath could already act, so Chart Topper can quest right away.
- First exert Ursula to sing Malicious, Mean, and Scary and put 1 damage counter on each opposing character.
- Chart Topper quests (+2). NUMBER ONE HIT: play To Wither a Flower from your discard for free, dealing 2 damage to each opposing damaged character; the song then goes to the bottom of your deck.
ResultFor 4 : every opposing character takes 3 damage in all, and those with 3 willpower or less are banished; you also gain 2 lore and draw 2 cards.
Why it’s strong2
- Karaoke Star and Chart Topper are both named Max Goof, so discarding a song to draw also sets up the Shift.
- NUMBER ONE HIT replays a song with cost 4 or less from your discard every time he quests: Strike A Good Match, Akood et Emuti and Malicious, Mean, and Scary all work.
Weak points3
- Resist reduces To Wither a Flower's 2 damage.
- Chart Topper has no Ward, so he is easy to deal with on the opponent's turn.
- Another character with cost 3 or more has to sing Malicious, Mean, and Scary, or you pay 3 .
Going further2
- The winning list has no Karaoke Star; it uses Max Goof – Rebellious Teen (cost 3) instead: when played, pay 1 to return a song with cost 3 or less from your discard to your hand, then shift Chart Topper onto him the same way.
- Replay Malicious, Mean, and Scary first, then sing Circle of Life together to play Prince Phillip; see Circle of Life Wipe.
Key tips
- Play the cost 2 Singers early: Ursula – Vanessa (Singer 4) and Angel – Siren Singer (Singer 3) sing most of the deck's songs for free, and later help make up the total for Circle of Life.
- Discarding isn't a loss: the Prince Phillip that Tod, Strike A Good Match and Milo discard is the character Circle of Life plays later.
- First vs second: the winner adds Aladdin – Doing His Part (banishes an item) and Above the Crowd (puts an opposing character with 3 strength or less on the bottom of the deck); second place runs 4 Max Goof – Karaoke Star to find songs faster, and 2 Lenny – Toy Binoculars to look at the opponent's hand and discard an action.
- Playing against it: once Phillip is in their discard and they have 4 or more characters in play, expect your board to be wiped next turn.
Amber/Sapphire Detectives (3rd)
Combo: Officer on the Spot
Judy Hopps – Helpful Officer
Judy Hopps – Always Vigilant
Nick Wilde – Toy Drive Officer
Watch it play in the Combo Lab ›
How it works
- Have Nick Wilde – Toy Drive Officer (cost 4) in play.
- Play Judy Hopps – Helpful Officer (cost 1). TO THE RESCUE: remove up to 2 damage from chosen character.
- The same turn, pay Shift 2 to play Judy Hopps – Always Vigilant on top of her.
- GOT YOU NOW: you've played another character this turn (Helpful Officer), so banish chosen character with 5 strength or more.
- At the end of your turn, Nick's COMMUNITY OUTREACH: you played 2 characters this turn (a Shift counts as playing a character), so draw a card.
ResultFor 3 : banish a big opposing character, heal 2 damage and draw a card, and you have a 4/4 Judy in play.
Why it’s strong2
- Helpful Officer is both the Shift base and the "another character" GOT YOU NOW needs, so one cost 1 card meets both conditions.
- The Detective deck wants to play two characters a turn anyway, so the combo needs no extra cards.
Weak points2
- It only banishes characters with 5 strength or more, and it chooses, so it doesn't work on Ward.
- Nick – Toy Drive Officer can't go into your inkwell, and once he's dealt with you lose the draw.
Going further1
- When Mr. Manchas – Service with a Smile quests, the next character you play this turn costs 1 less, leaving more ink.
Key tips
- Play two characters a turn: Judy Hopps – Always Vigilant, Judy Hopps – Day Camp Instructor and Nick Wilde – Toy Drive Officer only work if you've played another character this turn; the cost 1 Higgins and Eilonwy are there to make that happen.
- Answers to Amber/Emerald Songs: Elisa Maza – Hardworking Detective looks at the opponent's hand and can discard Circle of Life; The Horseman Strikes! banishes the Evasive Prince Phillip; Gaston – Superior Archer and Always Vigilant banish characters with 5 strength or more (Phillip, Chernabog), but can't choose Milo, who has Ward.
- Raging Storm banishes all characters, yours too: Detectives are cheap, and Fangmeyer – Icy Officer returns a Detective from your discard, so you usually rebuild faster than your opponent.
- Mickey Mouse – Best in Town helps the opponent too: each player gets an ink drop, so they have 1 extra ink as well.
Sources: inkdecks; card text from the InkLora card list
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