Viperstyle - Keeping The Senators Out Forever

Title: Viperstyle - Keeping The Senators Out Forever
Author: Steve "BlackViper" Marshall
Date: Jul 30, 2002 Rating: 4.5


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Cards:

‘BIG PURPLE CARD (1/1)

Quiet Mining Colony

LOCATIONS (5/6)

Bespin

Cloud City Docking Bay

CC Leia’s Hut

CC North Corridor

CC West Gallery

CHARACTERS (19/25)

Arcona x 4

Chewie, Engraged

Corran Horn

Dash Rendar

Han With Heavy Blaster Pistol

Lando Calrissian, Scoundrel

Leia With Blaster Rifle

Luke Skywalker (V)

Obi-Wan With Lightsaber

Officer Dolphe

Pucumir Thryss

Queen Amidala

Qui-Gon Jinn With Lightsaber

Ric Olie, Bravo Leader

Tawss Khaa

Wedge Antilles, Red Squadron Leader

SHIPS (5/30)

Artoo-Detoo In Red 5

Bravo 1

Bravo 2

Outrider

Red Squadron 1

GREEN CARDS (2/32)

X-Wing Laser Cannons

Landing Claw

INTERRUPTS (16/48)

A Jedi’s Resilience

Ambush

All Wings Report In & Darklighter Spin

Alter (Lost)

Blast The Door, Kid

Heading For The Medical Frigate

Houjix & Out Of Nowhere

It Could Be Worse

Nar Shaddaa Wind Chimes & Out Of Somewhere

Off The Edge x 2

Out Of Commission & Transmission Terminated x 2

Path Of Least Resistance & Revealed x 2

Wookiee Strangle

EFFECTS (10/58)

An Unusual Amount Of Fear

Cloud City Celebration x 2

Get To Your Ships

Goo Nee Tay

Honor Of The Jedi

Keeping The Senators Out Forever

Legendary Starfighter

Menace Fades

Projection Of A Skywalker

ANNOYING CARDS (2/60)

Chasm

You’ve Got A Lot Of Guts Coming Here ‘

Strategy: ‘

I’ll put several spaces between the updates and the strategy so you can scroll and find the latter easily.

UPDATE 8/20/02

S_Skywalker There is no power pivot because everybody around my meta plays Unsalvageable, most play multiples. If your area doesn’t play this canceller, by all means add it And thanks for the extra Artoo & cannon suggestion - I just might do that.

END UPDATE

UPDATE 8/6/02

I FORGOT Ambush is Lost, not Used. Oops. There is also a bit of tech with this deck that requires you to read up on your tracking articles, specifically PART THREE for tracking your opponent’s deck. If he has a low destiny on top of the deck, you can drop a character on top of your Arcona and battle without worrying about it. After all, with QMC flipped, your Arconas are immune to attrition < 4. Remember That being said…

I get the feeling a lot of people are missing the Senate tech. The best post I’ve seen so far about it is

”ambush aint gunna be enough…putt all my senators back? ok i’ll vote now and draw all 4 up and drop em on chewie and lando…ok they both die vuz of toobuck add 3 and my insano destny…sweet–”

That’s cool. I drop my 2 guys (which I CAN afford, even with Bad Feeling - I’ve done it several times before) and Ambush you. You effectively lose a couple turns until you can Vote Now with your tracked Senators and just take damage and let me retrieve until then. I’m cool with that.

Then you drop all of your Senators at once. You battle, I Blast The Door Kid and Ambush you again. In the words of Fat B@start, ”It’s a vicious cycle”

Let’s say you actually get to battle me. Even though I don’t have power, I still get a destiny. And on top of that, with Guts on the table, I have 15 forfeit to throw around. You have to match 15 + my draw just to do a single point of damage, and I’ll ICBW the damage away, retrieve them, get them back myself, and start the cycle again. And if you do manage to HIGHLY overpower me somehow, my Houjix is usually in hand anyway.

The difference is that my deck can still do its major damage and be fully functional without Lando and Chewie on the table.

I will most definitely add another Houjix to this deck - Rock Solid and HuntaWarya (and everyone else) are VERY right about that one. Thanks.

My other concern is my testing against Dark Deal. I win every single time (even with the bad Landing Claw ruling reversed). That’s not normally a problem, but is there a chance that I just kick Dark Deal’s ass? Or am I testing it against a poor quality Dark Deal? What specifically should I be watching out for against a Dark Deal?

Also, I appreciate your reviews - ALL of them Even the low reviews are welcome, as long as I get a little help on how to make the deck better. I know (for the most part) you guys are helping me, not bashing me. I offer the same (the ”not bashing” part). Here is what I see

guri-rockz

Don’t judge me based on what other people post. Judge me on what I post. I can’t improve my deck with ratings like this.

XjedeyeX

Did you even bother to read the strategy section? That’s why I put it there - for people to read and judge. You say that I should put an Order To Engage in my deck. Now think about that as you read my first strategy paragraph. ;-)

And I’ve only lost to ONE hunt down. And I beat that same Hunt Down deck every other time except that one - I think it’s actually 11-1 against HD now. So much for the autoloss theory.

The Ithorian

I’m not sure if Wookiee Strangle is useful enough or not yet. I’ve only used it once, but it took Vader off the table for me. I’m still deciding. ;-)

And I don’t like Broken Con - That’s a card that I hadn’t thought about yet, actually Early game it could suck, but if I survive the early game I always save enough so that it won’t be a problem. Thanks for the heads-up

zwitter

I was throwing around the idea of the Spiral. I eventually went against it because it didn’t get a destiny on its own, and I wanted to get to space fast. I still might add it, I just have to find a card that isn’t as good. And even then, Houjix comes before Spiral -) If I open 2 spots, it’s in.

The E-Man

Hidden Base and Profit? Hidden Base against Combat is a joke. Mid- to Late-game they don’t need to draw. You can’t cancel their drains, and their drains will be more than yours. You can’t even drop an undercover spy to stop them. It’s so abnormally powerful that you can’t help but want to play it. And you can’t play it unless you buy LOTS of new cards. Hmmm…

I can’t remember the last time I lost to Profit, although it was most likely to Pat Hug. A double lightsaber, ability removal, and jedi removal hurt the Profit decktype a LOT. I’m still trying to rebuild Profit, but there’s just too much that can go wrong now.

Thanks again for the constructive reviews Keep ’em coming -)

END UPDATE

UPDATE 7/30/02

Thanks to Hunter for pointing this out to me. The main point of cancelling reacts with Arconas is dangerous. If it is cancelled with the Ghhhk combo, I can still path away or Houjix the damage. If the react is sensed, I can still path, Houjix the damage, or Alter the Sense.

Except against Combat, I won’t put Arconas on other worlds until I’ve got my Houjix. Sorry I forgot to add this originally ;-)

ALSO -

The Landing Claw tech doesn’t do what I thought it did. I had it ruled in my favor at a tournament, but apparently it was incorrect. My apologies.

And You’ve Got A Lot Of Guts Coming Here DOES INDEED work off Cloud City - it’s power +1 instead of +2. And outside of battles, my characters still have their power. That’s enough for Ambush.

And ”Tracking For Dummies 4”? What could I possibly do? ;-) tee hee

END UPDATE

This deck kicks ass. Thanks to Chris Shaner for the cool Arcona tech. Check out the Combat strategy for more info about this. Start QMC with Leia’s Hutt, and use Heading For The Med Frig to get Get To Your Ships and Keeping The Empire Out Forever. The third effect can vary depending on the deck you’re playing against. The fine print behind the annoying cards is just cool. If you are looking for a little fun, take out these two cards and drop in Anger, Fear, Aggression and Order To Engage. AFA is solely there to draw out a shield. I’ve also released Don’t Do That Again to cancel the game text of their Mob Points combo, so first they have to secure a system (where I obviously rule) to get the gametext back, ditch it to get an effect, and then pull the insert-cancelling effect (because the Mob Points combo doesn’t cancel AFA, but they can’t pull the You Cannot Hide Forever shield if the unique effect is already on the table). And since it’s your only insert, it’s a wasted shield and an extra card lost. That’s worth the AFA in itself. After they have 3 shields (catch, YCHF, CHYBC, Secret Plans, Death Star Sentry, etc.), drop OTE for a little fun. You may laugh at this strategy, but I hit Mike Girard with it mid-game and made him pay with the Arconas that react away with their built in Narrow Escape. Losing 3 a turn is still powerful. If it gets old, drop the 2 cards for these extra two. I now have people refusing to pull the third shield in expectations of OTE, so when I don’t play it, it’s just too much fun.

Don’t forget that Lando is power 8 and Han is power 6 with Guts on the table If you thought Super Lando was broken before, check out the power 8, forfeit 9 version. ;-)

If you’re not playing Chasm, then you might consider changing A Jedi’s Resiliance into another EPP Obi. Chasm only hurts your CC Celebration, and you get to retrieve it back. The object of this deck is to avoid battles anyway, and you should be able to pull your second CC Celeb into hand before it becomes an issue.

As for Space - I know it looks weak, but give it a chance. First off, it’s an incredibly low deploy. Dash and his ship are the most expensive at 5, and everything is 3 or 4 for the ship and character together. Luke and Wedge cancel a destiny, and Corran Horn can be dropped in the Outrider (or anyone at all in Red 5) to let Wedge continue his magic. Dash reduces power, and with Han aboard, that’s subtracting 9 (and adding a destiny if Luke is there). Bring on the Executor - no problem. Bravo 1 & 2 are simply amazing. On their own, they get 3 destinies (Ric) and subtract 2 from each of your opponent’s destinies (Dolphe). That’s amazing. It’s also power 9 against Zuckuss, and with his destiny reduced, you’ll most likely outpower him and be immune even without any destiny. Simply amazing. If all else fails, drop the Landing Claw to keep Celebration in effect. You don’t lose your presence at the system, so it doesn’t go lost. Keep that in mind if OTE is on the table - LANDING CLAW DOES NOT REMOVE YOUR PRESENCE AT THE SYSTEM Very broken. No wonder they wanted to cancel this card.

If they cancel your Celebration with Endor Occupation, catch it right away. Retrieve the Celebration with an edge if you want, then play your second one. Few people play with 2 Endor Occupations, so you should be safe now. An Edge will retrieve the Celeb if it is cancelled again.

Taking away your opponent’s ability to remove your characters from CC wins you the game. You need to hold the system the entire game and hold your sites for Celebration to take effect and do damage with +1 drains that can’t be cancelled, thanks to QMC flipped and Pucumir. Path makes sure anyone can hold a site alone. The Arconas can react away, and Blast The Door Kid removes characters from battle, ensuring that you get the extra retrieval. Make sure you know how to use this card - it will exclude characters ability > 2, so your Arconas and Chewie will not be excluded. Dr E will also not be excluded. Hoards of Stormtroopers will not be excluded. Use this card wisely and it will win you games. The bane of your existance is Blast Door Controls, but you’ve got an Alter in the deck to cancel it. If they’re not playing Senate, save the Alter for cancelling this card. The only exception is if they Sense your Arcona reacting away and you don’t have your Houjix or a Path. Blast Door Controls is amazing. It can’t be allowed to remain on the table.

vs. Senate

I hate the Senate. I really, really do. When Coruscant came out and I first realized its power, I finally believed the rumors that I had been hearing about D losing SW. I stopped buying SW after seeing this horrible, horrible abuse of power, so now the trick is to beat up the Senate without any Ep1 (basically). I have my prize support and a few packs I bought to support the local store, but not too much. But Reflections 3, as much as I hate it, provided the answer I needed. The brokeness of Senate is finally hurting itself.

In the Senate, your power is only equal to politics during battles. Anytime outside battles, those senators are your basic power 1 (a couple power 2) weaklings. Non-senators also lose all game text in the Senate. This is absolutely perfect. Drop Lando and Chewie in the senate with You’ve Got A Lot Of Guts Coming Here on the table. The maximum power that DS Senators can hold in the Senate is 8, and 5-6 is actually more reasonable and mainstream. Then you play Ambush (outside of battle) to empty the room. This is just too cool. It goes to your Used Pile, recirculate, activate on your next turn, and use Keeping The Senators Out Forever to pull it from your Force Pile. They will never hold the Senate. And since your characters don’t have game text in the Senate, they are not required to pay their maintenence costs (upkeep). It’s just too cool. The Coruscant Alter makes sure their Political Effects stay off the table, Trans Term can take out The Phantom Menace before Lott Dodd comes into play (except when they have him in an opening hand, cough JARED ARTHUR cough), and Chasm punishes them for playing multiple Senators, making the destiny 0 and the Senator lost. Projection Of A Skywalker is in here specifically for the Senate, also. If they do manage to get a good battle going, lose Lando and keep Chewie in there. Blast The Door, Kid will keep him safe, and Wookiee Strangle can still take out their Senators until their power is low enough for Ambush. With a power 9 wookiee present, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Invading the Senate is just cool. You can also drop any ability 4 character inside early to drop Dodd to the Lost Pile and see what your OOC can cook up. Let your drains (which can’t be cancelled where you have an alien) and your retrieval do the cleanup work.

vs. Combat

This is simply amazing, and major props to Shaner for showing it to me. Your first play should be to deploy your Affect Mind defensive shield. Let Them Make The First Move only targets spies and droids now, not aliens. Drop your Arconas down and have them react from site to site to block their drains and stick to your sites. Qui-Gon and Obi will help you secure a drain-1 site so you can retrieve for it, but don’t seperate them since they can’t drain. Just use them for the retrieval, most probably at the Docking Bay so your other characters can have the interior, ”path-able” sites. If you’re feeling nervous, let them have the North Corridor to cancel an opponent’s drain on CC. The Arconas are simply amazing, and your draining, running, OTE, mad retrieving, and mental damaging strategy will destroy them. This deck was built to destroy the newer ”Buy New Cards Or Lose” decktypes.

vs. Duelling Hunt Down

START CHASM Let them draw their Phantom Menace and Visage for duel destiny, then laugh at them for their total of 0 and their 2-card loss. Luke goes to space. Obi can hit the table, but only away from Vader, only if they don’t save a force for Barrier, and only where he is outpowered so you are sure that you have the ability to lose him if they don’t draw a destiny. He is a 1-hit wonder who must never meet up with Vader. Chasm is only the backup plan, after all Qui-Gon need not fear Maul, but be careful how you battle him, knowing that Qui-Gon may leave the table before the power is settled. Find Honor early and let Transmission Terminated or Corran Horn take out Visage when it no longer plays to your advantage. Be careful of taking out Visage, as it will allow those pesky destiny 7s to go through. It’s a tough call that you must determine based on each individual game and your personal playing style. I prefer to let it stay on the table, since I’ve got my retrieval going. Pick your strategy and run with it. You should have more characters than they do, so you should win.

vs. ISB Scum

Start You’ve Got A Lot Of Guts and get Han to a safe, interior CC site so they can’t retrieve with S&V. Blast The Door Kid will keep him alive. Keep your Arconas on CC, as they will work against you on Tatooine when First Strike hits the table. Put Pucumir somewhere safe on CC (with Obi and a friend, for instance) so he can add to your drains that he can’t cancel with Den Of Theives. Catch his Barrier and let him have his None Shall Pass since it doesn’t touch Qui-Gon, the Queen, or Tawss. Don’t let him take the system away from you, and you should edge this one out. I’ve considered adding a Blount because I hate this matchup, but you should have a slight edge if you plan your Arconas well. If you get OTE on the table, all the better for you. First Strike will start a 2-card swing in his favor, but OTE will play a 3-card swing in your favor, netting you 1 card per turn. Since they’re not retrieving with S&V, it works out.

vs. Dark Deal

They will most likely take the system from you at some point in the game, so your Landing Claw is your salvation. It will keep Celebration on the table until you can regroup. Dark Deal is a wasted card, so you don’t have to worry about heavy drains or a power bonus. Let him have the sector, and keep to the system as strategically as you can. Let your Arconas run around Cloud City, and protect your other less powerful characters with Path and Blast The Door. With both players’ sites, you will retrieve so much in a game that it will be absolutely ludicrous. The key to this game is the system. If you can get OTE and your Landing Claw, it should be an easy win.

vs. Walkers

Get Honor to reduce their direct damage, catch their Imperial Command, and let the Arconas run rampant around Hoth until they get Trampled. Retrieve them back with Celebration and do it all over again. Let them have their Hoth system, and hold your Alter for the obvious Lateral Damage. Don’t even bother to cancel Rebel Base Occupation unless you’ve got some extreme tech up your sleeve like a Landing Claw or Houjix - just let It Could Be Worse handle the Occupation damage. A quick hit squad can disable their walkers, and you will retrieve any lost characters. Stay away from your own docking bay unless you have a pair of destiny-drawing characters. Remember that an unpiloted Walker CANNOT occupy a Marker site or trample your characters. Start Menace Fades, and you should be fine. If they try to stop you from controlling the system, make them pay for it with your power, multiple destinies, power-reduction, and destiny cancelling abilities. Remember that the other half of your Houjix combo lets you add a destiny when your opponent initiates against your ships.

Have fun with it

-Steve ‘