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 

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.

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 

You won Gen Con with Hot Springs Druid. What made you decide to build something different this time?

 “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?

 “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?

 “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?

 “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?

 “You’ll notice this deck includes two copies of 

 That was non-negotiable. While playing Hot Springs, one Aura, like 

 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?

 “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?

 “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?

 “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?

 “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?

 “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?

 “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?

 “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?

 “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 

 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.

SCG Houston 2025: Crossroads Champion Deck Breakdown

They don’t rest. They don’t retreat. And they never stop coming.

, the Undead are more than a nuisance, clawing their way out of the cemetery. They are a rising force.

Of the three Evil tribes in Gothic, the Undead are the most relentless. 

 may burn with reckless power, but the Undead? They’re unending.

So, let’s dig into our final look at the subtypes that make up the Evil Keyword in our upcoming set, 

. (Warning: Spoilers to be unearthed ahead)

, is the element of transience and inevitable erosion. For the Undead, this offers something even more potent: continuity. While not exclusively aligned with Air, this element’s dark promise of arcane power is a whispered invitation for those who wish to bend life and death to their will.

Whether being raised by the Necromancer, one of 13 new Avatars debuting in 

, or darker hands unseen, the Undead call to those who would overwhelm through patience and precision. For those who look to master death itself, every loss is an opportunity, and every grave a door waiting to be opened.

And when those doors swing wide open, the march begins.

 so distinct isn’t just their persistence, it's their efficiency. Individually weak, perhaps, but together they form a macabre machine.

At the heart of the engine? Skeletons. Lots of Skeletons.

 power on full display, many will seek to harness it for themselves, from the humblest grave-caller to those who have truly mastered the dark arts. Each will play their part in assembling your skeletal horde.

Stygian Archers rain down rot-fletched arrows, raising Skeletons where their victims fall. Others turn to darker magics, conjuring ambushes from the grave itself, skeletal ranks erupting where your enemies least expect them.

Meanwhile, villagers whisper of a dwindling host of undead, much like Those Who Linger, whose endless assault wears down all defenses, leaving only a single, whispered question: “How long can one truly stand against death itself?”

This is where the efficiency of the Undead truly comes to bear. Individually frail, perhaps, but in the hands of a master of the dark arts, Skeletons can be amassed in staggering numbers, and when bolstered by their allies, they become a formidable force in their own right.

Yet their true strength lies in the grim ingenuity of their master: finding power in what has already fallen, and seeing potential in what’s rotting and waiting to be remade.

Whether reshaping skeletons to take to the skies on tattered wings, like 

 a reminder that nowhere is safe, others quite literally weaponize their remains, with spells like 

 turning the dead themselves into instruments of destruction. 

And then there's Bone Jumble, a hastily assembled horror, an insult to anatomy, and a problem its victims would surely recognize... if they could survive its relentless onslaught. 

And for those strong enough to smash them down? Beware, as long as there are bones to assemble, there’s always the threat of return, even after you’ve dismantled the last one.

And if your opponent thinks time is on their side, waiting for your horde to shuffle into place… It's getting crowded in cemeteries around the realm, and they may find the dead can move faster than expected.

Even the mightiest lords bow their heads before necromantic power. Kings rise. Thrones crumble. The realm itself bends beneath the weight of what refuses to stay buried.

And while many recently sought to unearth the great dragons, not all did so with noble intent. From their colossal remains takes flight the Draconian Bonekite, a dragon reborn not in a cradle of life, but in death’s dominion, its wings beating like a funeral drum across the realm.

 arrival, the age of the dead has come. Their monuments are bones, their legacy is dread, and the realm will never rest again. 
So, tell us, Sorcerer. Will you claim command of the darkness yourself, or are you holding out hope your prayers will 

Death Denied: The Undead Rise in Gothic

Join us at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre as Erik's Curiosa takes its place at PAX Australia 2025! Whether you're here to play, collect, or simply immerse yourself in hand-painted fantasy, our booth #TT2828 is your portal into the realm of all things 

 to bring the realm to life at PAX Aus this year!

? Join our demo tables and master the fundamentals with guidance from our team.

, whose hand-painted artistry helps bring 

will be available at the booth each day. Come early to secure yours!

Meet and Play with the Erik's Curiosa Team: 

 creator Erik Olofsson, will be at the booth. Stop by to say hello and play a game of 

If you're attending, we'd love to see your photos and stories from the show floor! Share your moments on social media using #contestedrealm, tag us on socials, or share in our 

Not in Melbourne? Stay tuned to our channels all weekend long for updates from PAX Australia 2025!

The Realm Opens in Melbourne at Pax Australia

Visit us at Booth #TT2828

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SCG Houston 2025: Crossroads Champion Deck Breakdown

Death Denied: The Undead Rise in Gothic