Crossroads, determined not just to defend his crown, but to evolve it! With Hot Springs now a known powerhouse and imitators on the rise, Duo approached the SCG Houston Crossroads event with a new plan.
Built a deck that could go toe-to-toe with his previous deck.
And the results speak for themself, another championship, this time with a Fire/Air druid that trades raw aggression for calculated precision, a true midrange evolution forged from his experiences sprinkled with just a touch of irony.
We caught up with Nate to talk about his adaptation and give players insight into how they might want to approach deckbuilding for the final Crossroads of the year at SCG CON Las Vegas, Nov 21-23.
Watch the SCG CON Houston 2025 Crossroads Finals.
In Nate's Own Words
Nate: “I’d like to begin by thanking my local group of friends and players: Nick, Chris, John, and Blake! As iron sharpens iron, so does my play and deckbuilding while working with y’all. Also, the community at large! I’ve made dozens of friends online and through events like Gen Con and now SCG CON. It’s so cool to be part of this community!
View Nate’s Crossroads championship-winning deck here.
You won Gen Con with Hot Springs Druid. What made you decide to build something different this time?
Nate: “After Gen Con, I noticed a pretty rapid shift in the meta. Not only was Hot Springs/Steam on the rise in popularity, but new decks were emerging that had a good matchup into Hot Springs, so I knew I needed to adapt if I wanted a good shot. With my experience on Hot Springs, I have intimate knowledge of the deck’s strengths, weaknesses, and play patterns.”
Were you expecting players to try to counter or copy your old deck?
Nate: “100%! If not strictly my list, then a version of Water/Fire Druid, since so many tournaments had seen that archetype take home wins. Everyone would be remiss not to build with it in mind. I needed a deck that could perform well into Hot Springs, but also hold its own against decks emerging to beat it - Earth/Fire Control, Sorcerer, Enchantress with Chains.”
What was the biggest design principle behind your new list?
Nate: “The main intent was to snuff out early pressure with powerful Fire spells, then play a 5- or 6-drop that’s hard to remove and leverage that board presence with strong unit-based support magic like Grapple Shot and Whirling Blades. The concentration of powerful draw spells in these colors let me ‘gas out’ aggressive decks like Hot Springs by forcing one-for-one trades and then refilling my hand.”
How would you describe this deck in terms of playstyle and personality?
Nate: “I think this is a true Midrange deck. Whereas Hot Springs was an aggro deck that leveraged strong unique combinations, this one’s about sticking a big unit on board and capitalizing as soon as it lands.”
What were the biggest lessons you learned from piloting Hot Springs that shaped this new build?
Nate: “You’ll notice this deck includes two copies of Disenchant. That was non-negotiable. While playing Hot Springs, one Aura, like Atlantean Fate, Jihad, or Crusade, could just take the game away. I always despised seeing those come down, knowing I had no answer.”
Are there any “anti–Hot Springs” tech cards in here?
Nate: “Fortunately, many of the cards I included to combat Hot Springs also helped against other rising decks. Colicky Dragonettes to kill other Druids, Tawnys, and Askelon Phoenix for pressure, and Ignis Rex to invalidate Fire-based removal. These proved invaluable in the field.”
What surprised you most about how this deck performed?
Nate: “I was concerned it would be too slow to handle hyper-control decks or aggressive lists without defensive sites. But the early Fire package let it operate like a pseudo-aggro deck early on, then pivot into a midrange plan. I was especially pleased with how the Water sites helped against Bury and Earthquake - two popular forms of removal.”
What are your primary goals when piloting this deck?
Nate: “I really want to make it to turn six with card parity, then play a powerful 5- or 6-drop and take the momentum. This deck needs a few turns to breathe, so having answers to early plays is imperative. The amount of hard removal in Air and Fire, between Great Famine and Black Plague, helps stabilize substantially.”
Which cards are essential to the deck’s success?
Nate: “The Water sites are huge for insulating my big minions against Bury. Askelon Phoenix and Ignis Rex were also imperative, since their protection from Fire makes them resilient in the current meta.”
Are there any unique combos or tactics you love to use?
Nate: “I think Updraft Ridge is extremely underrated. It was huge in this deck with the number of Airborne units I run. Using Tawny on an Updraft Ridge made positional removal far more effective by increasing her reach. Once you have thresholds set, even Valley of Delight can function as a defensive Water site against Bury effects.”
Are there any specific cards you purposely left out?
Nate: “Yeah, Smokestack of Gnaak again didn’t make the cut. Turning off my Towers or Desert Genesis was more harmful to me than anything it could do to my opponents.”
What do you see as the deck’s main weaknesses?
Nate: “Decks that don’t give you time to breathe, like Battlemage or mono-Air Avatars of Air, can be tough, since this list has almost no healing. Hyper-control decks like Archimago or Enchantress can also outlast you in the long game, so you really have to capitalize on big turns once a minion sticks.”
Any closing thoughts on this event or your deck’s performance?
Nate: “The field was extremely contentious and diverse! I was pleased to face (in order) Archimago, Pathfinder, Enchantress, Druid, Avatar of Air, Druid, and Deathspeaker. That variety makes me proud of the deck’s flexibility. It can pivot and play into almost every strategy.”
Write Your Own Story at a Crossroads Event
With back-to-back victories, Nate “Duo” Smith has proven that true mastery in Sorcery: Contested Realm isn’t about sticking to one strategy; it’s about anticipating the next. As the Crossroads circuit nears its season finale, only one more event remains...
SCG CON Las Vegas – November 21–23, 2025
Join players from around the world for the last Crossroads Championship of the season. Bring your best deck, test your mettle, and maybe even rewrite the meta yourself.
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