The Basics
Torrent is a control deck based on using Torrent crasher’s ability to discard blends from both sides of the field and then using Data Cipher to return the blend you discarded. To execute this combo, you must have a Torrent and a Data Cipher on board, and a Data Cipher or preferably a Torrent in hand. Deblending the torrent rather than the data cipher allows you to kill level 4 blends. If you need to kill a level 5 you will have to discard either your Torrent and Cipher or one of those two and a lower level blend like a Signal Corrupter. Remember that you must always have a blend on field to recover a copy of it from your discard, so in matchups where the opponent has a blend that discards, like their own Torrent, have at least one Torrent and at least one Data Cipher in hand at all times in a matchup where an opponent has removal, as otherwise you can get stuck without your wincon. Make sure to count action stars, as three star actions are very dangerous to Torrent. You generally want to be very cautious and hold your Super Cancel until you see your opponent use 3 stars worth of actions, as a Dissolve can be brutal, and Amplify combos are hard for the deck to deal with. Of course, if you can guess your opponent’s decklist, or trick them into talking about their action stars, you can play a little more aggressively with your Super Cancel
Decklist
I’m not going to write a list I recommend here. This is partially because I believe the best list hasn’t been solved, but mostly because I think the best way to learn the deck is to build your own deck. For each card consider either what it does to set up your loop or find the cards you need. Gem Searches, Collects, and Draws can help card selection, and cards like Guard, Super Cancel, and Switch can give you time to set up the loop turn 9. I run Signal Corrupters for a lot of aggro decks with low level blends like Glaciers, as the early removal hurts aggro game plans a lot. They often have difficulty pivoting to a different low level threat and can lose a lot of gas to quick removal. Cancels are useful for hurting midrange decks using actions, as they ensure the midrange deck doesn’t have gas to go through Torrent. For each card in the deck, it should have a purpose like this. If you want a list to play, just steal the Summer Invitational list, but look it over for improvements.
Early Game
The main goal of Torrent early game is to figure out what your opponent’s deck is as soon as possible so you can counter it properly. Sometimes it is really easy to see, like if an opponent has Dexter you know to find a Guard with Selma first thing. Also, if your opponent goes first, you get to see one of their gem colors, and most likely some cards they searched for. This tells you a lot of information, oftentimes revealing most of their early strategy that you need to counter. This is why I recommend playing on the draw with Torrent if you get to choose unless your opponent has a board that will put out a threat very early, like the turn two Pearl Deceptor deck. The trick is to look at the heroes on the field. If you see a frontline Fiona + Isabel for example, odds are that the deck is going to play aggressive with low level blends, as then they will get full use out of Fiona + Isabel by either attacking for chip with them or getting a turn two level two blend, at the expense of not being allowed to play a higher level blend on them. Hero levels also matter a lot (watch out for effects that let players cheat level, but those tend not to be that hard to predict), as a board of only low levels naturally telegraphs a more aggro strategy, as their blends won’t need as much set up. Gem colors also reveal a lot, so you try your best to know what blends are what colors. Finally, study up on hero setups for specific combos. If you see a Hickory, Fiona + Isabel, and Selma in back with another hero, most likely that’s Anchor, so Signal Corrupter is really strong. This early game knowledge helps you prolong round one to set up more. Most matchups Torrent will lose round one in order to have a strong round two and three position.
Late Game
Once you have the loop up, don’t lose it. Remember that unless you are sure the opponent has zero removal, you should have Torrent and Data in your hand all the time. Once you make sure of this fact, you can throw some to the yard without looping to kill without self damage. Manage kill priority properly, kill cards making you lose. Also, remember you can cycle deblend-to-block with Data Cipher, even without a Torrent. This is because Data Cipher can use its ability on itself to return another Data Cipher to your hand. Always keep track of your opponent’s clock, and any cards that could hasten it like a Weaponize (learn more about clocks in this article). Most of the time, Torrent has inevitability in the matchup, as a 4 attack blend is very strong if you can remove its blocker every turn. This is why in the end game, you can treat not losing as a priority, as the deck will win on its own eventually.
Final Notes
Torrent as a deck relies on heavy knowledge of other decks in and outside of the meta. To play it as effectively as possible you must learn the basics of a lot of other decks. The best way to do this is by playing the game a bunch. With only one set out, but soon to be two, we are at a point where a player can reasonably easily consider every blend possible from a turn one Luciogem, and the best way to learn to do this is just by playing Gem Blenders a bunch, either using Torrent or a different deck. I expect Torrent to encounter more resistance as set two releases and decks get better, but I still anticipate it being a strong deck and I will most likely attempt to take it to victory at the winter championship.