By now, everyone should be starting to get back into the swing of Constructed. Block Constructed and all its mid-ranged glory are gone, which just leaves a heap of decklists from the North American Continental Championships. Standing on top is a familiar face—Kil'zin of the Bloodscalp.

The Block format forced the former World Champion's hero to the sideline, but the treacherous Troll did take down the NACC earlier this year. The version of the deck that Corey Burkhart used at Gen Con is a little bit different than the version Jim Fleckenstein took to Paris a year ago.

Hero: Kil'zin of the Bloodscalp

Allies: 15

Abilities: 18

Equipment: 13

Locations: 3

Quests: 11

Side Deck: 10

Burkhart's version is much more reliant on dealing direct damage with abilities. Most of the attacking is done by the hero, and the few allies in the deck basically just act as burn that might attack again. Gora and Bloodsoul are the aggressive 1-drops in the deck, and Doshura offers a certain amount of utility. Sha'kar and Bonechewer Behemoth certainly aren't shy about what they do. Their job is to get in there for damage, and they are quite good at it!

Sha'kar's power is easy to get online with this deck, at which point he basically becomes another direct damage ability that requires your opponent to actually kill him. Your flip and Storm Shock both give him Ferocity for a single resource, and several other cards in the deck can do it as well.

The Behemoth doesn't mess around with silly things like having your hero deal damage. He just comes in and deals 4 right to the dome. His power emulates ferocity quite nicely, and sometimes it's better. While he can't attack another ally the turn he comes into play, his ability does shoot past Protector and combat prevention effects like the one on Water Elemental.

The abilities in the deck are even more straightforward. The only abilities in the main deck that don't deal direct damage are three copies of Grounding Totem. Speaking from experience, Grounding Totem can be a major crimp in your opponent's best-laid plans.

The rest of the abilities were tailored to careful numbers based on their individual strengths. Fork Lightning is expensive, but it takes care of your Weldon problem at value. It also gives you the opportunity to kill an opposing ally while also getting more damage on their hero, giving you an advantage in the race.

Storm Shock is simply the most efficient damage in the Shaman arsenal. I think everyone has realized by now that 4 damage for 1 resource is a pretty good deal. It's also the cheapest way to enable Sha'kar's ferocious talents, other than your flip.

Earth Shock gives the deck the potential to stop certain back-breaking abilities from resolving. Cards like Greater Heal and Overkill can really give this deck fits, so being able to interrupt them is very important. Much like Fork Lightning, it allows you to do something important while also getting more damage on their hero. When you don't need to use the interrupt, it's still 4 damage at instant speed, a particularly nice set of traits for killing bothersome Water Elementals.

Lightning Bolt is just another piece of efficient direct damage. It also doubles as another handy way to kill those previously mentioned Water Elementals! Most of the time, you'll probably find it good enough to simply finish off a dying hero.

Finally, Lightning Arc is a staple card, based on its efficiency and versatility. Of course, 3 damage for 2 resources is pretty good. Toss in the ability to spread it around however you like, and you know you've got a winner.

One of the most interesting choices lies in the weapon selection. Blackout Truncheon has gotten a lot of love since its release, and for good reason. Corey chose to include it in his Kil'zin build, despite its 2 resource strike cost, based on a few cool synergies. Most decks that are this aggressive, and this tight with their resources, would pass on the Truncheon for something that only costs 1 resource to strike with, like Perdition's Blade or Black Amnesty. Corey chose to keep the higher striking Truncheon around for its Hammer of Justice effect, which often proves more powerful than the cheaper striking daggers. Of course, the ability to combo with Retainer's Blade for an instant Vanquish is pretty sweet, too!

Retainer's Blade and Whispering Blade of Slaying are pretty standard choices. I have seen a lot of debate regarding which dual wielder to choose—Whispering Blade or Black Amnesty. Both choices have merit. The argument for Whispering Blade is that it costs less to play than Amnesty, and allows you to occasionally swing for 3 by only using 1 resource, leaving the second up for other cards. It does lose some of that effectiveness in Corey's deck, because his Truncheons don't get the bonus.

The argument for Amnesty is that it deals more damage when you don't have a second dagger, and it can single-handedly keep your opponent's best ally from damaging you. This is more relevant in a world filled with Adam Eternums. If your opponent sets up the dreaded Adam + Eye of the Storm combo, this deck doesn't have any permanent answers. The best you can hope to do is keep him at bay long enough to kill your opponent. A Black Amnesty can effectively neutralize him for 1 resource a turn.

The fourth season of Realm Qualifiers is winding down, and the next wave of Realm Championships is quickly approaching. Kil'zin is one of the easiest and most fun decks around these days, and should be one of the first decks in your Realms gauntlet. Who doesn't love burning the house down?