Overview & Win Condition
Bastet masterfully weaves together two completely different gameplans: the explosive early-game pressure of Cat Lady and the inevitable late-game finisher of Trickster. By bridging the gap with heavy control tricks, you force the Plant Hero into a lose-lose situation.
The beauty of this deck lies in its synergy. Every time you play an Extinction Event to clear the board, or pop a Yeti Lunchbox to buff a minion, you are simultaneously growing your active Cat Lady and discounting the Tricksters in your hand. If your opponent exhausts their answers dealing with a frenzy-buffed Cat Lady in Area 22, they will have nothing left when the Trickster drops during the tricks phase.
Key Combo Pieces
Trickster & Teleport
The ultimate finisher. Dropping a 6/6 that performs a bonus attack during the tricks phase (when Plants can't respond) ends games instantly. With 24 tricks in the deck, his cost drops rapidly.
Cat Lady & Yeti
Your early/mid-game engine. Zombie Yeti bounces back to hand, giving you infinite pets to replay, while the Yeti Lunchboxes are cheap tricks to pump Cat Lady and discount Trickster simultaneously.
Area 22
Provides +2/+2 and Frenzy. Dropping this on a Trickster or a massive Cat Lady ensures that chump blockers won't save the Plant Hero from taking massive face damage.
Mulligan Strategy
Your mulligan depends entirely on keeping the board clear in the early turns while sculpting your late-game hand.
Always Keep
Teleportation Zombie and Trickster. You want Trickster in your opening hand so every trick you play discounts him from Turn 1. Teleportation Zombie establishes early board presence and forces answers.
Vs. Aggro
Extinction Event and Cat Lady. Extinction Event will outright destroy early swarm boards (especially Mushroom or Pineclone setups). Cat Lady acts as an early sponge that demands their attention.
Turn-By-Turn Sequence
Early Game (Turns 1-3): Play patiently. Drop Teleportation Zombie if you have him, otherwise hold up brains for Extinction Event or wait to deploy Cat Lady defensively. Do not rush to push damage; your goal is purely to survive, draw cards with Fun-Dead Raiser, and start discounting any Tricksters in your hand.
Mid-Game Control (Turns 4-6): This is where you leverage Immorticia's premium removal. Use Alien Ooze to deal with high-health threats (it's even better if you can place Area 22 to enable the full -6/-6 debuff). Deploy Zombie Yeti to trade, letting him bounce back to generate Lunchboxes. At this stage, a Cat Lady buffed by a couple of Lunchboxes and an Ooze can take huge chunks out of the Plant Hero's health.
Lethal Execution (Turns 7+): By now, your Tricksters should cost next to nothing. You have two main avenues for lethal. Option 1: Teleport in a Trickster during the trick phase for an unblockable 6 damage, followed by Lurch For Lunch for 6 more. Option 2: Place Area 22 on an existing minion (like a heavily buffed Cat Lady or Yeti) to break through defenses with Frenzy.
Common Mistakes
Wasting Teleports. Teleport isn't just a card draw cycle. It is your primary way to get Trickster onto the board during the tricks phase to prevent the Plant Hero from blocking him. Save them unless you desperately need the draw to find an answer.
Playing Trickster during the Zombie Phase. Unless you have a specific read that you need a body on the board to block, or you plan to buff him with Area 22 immediately, never play Trickster as a dry zombie. It gives the Plant Hero an entire phase to shamrocket, bounce, or front him.
Ignoring hand size limits. Between Zombie Yeti bouncing back, Fun-Dead Raiser, and Teleports, your hand fills up quickly. Be careful not to "mill" yourself (exceed 10 cards) and burn your crucial combo pieces.