The ultimate numbers & assassins

Title: The ultimate numbers & assassins
Author: Bill "BRay" Gordon
Date: Apr 30, 2000 Rating: 4.0

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Cards:

‘Starting Careful Planning Throne room swamp farm

other locations cantina Yoda’s hut Massassi war room Hoth war room chirpa’s hut rendezvous point

Ships spiral tantive IV gold leader in G1 lando in falcon

Characters elom x 11 sergeant Doallyn wedge antilles bothan spy x 2 EPP luke x 2 EPP Obi x 2 R-3po

Red Cards Yoda Stew x 2 Houjix Effective repairs The Signal x 2 nabrun leids Wind chimes x 4 Do or Do Not Wise Advice Battle Plan Mechanical Failure Scramble Never Tell me the Odds x 6 push on us x 2 Bargaining Table x 2

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Strategy: ‘

This deck is very versatile. But its best attribute is the fast numbers. Getting to go first makes this deck viable. Starting with throne room will also throw your opponent from thinking it is a numbers deck. This deck has gone undefeated in the last 3 tourneys played with it, and I have been playing with it for the last nine months or so in one form or another. The total win/loss record is very strong.

First Goal Get numbers out ASAP. A first or second turn insert can easily mean valuable insert protection can be lost early.

Second Goal I expect them to play some form of numbers protection so I serch for ‘hell to pays’ and ‘wise advice’. Of course you want to hook the first Torture played if possible.

Third Goal Battle at each site to force them to keep re-deploying characters. Use the EPP’s as assassins to clear key characters like Vader and Mara. This is a very high destiny deck and you are virtually guaranteed to hit with the sabers. After the battle, forfiet the EPPS and keep the high destiny characters on the table to keep the numbers working.

Forth Goal Target your efforts to keep the numbers protection from not working. That can come is several forms; Vesden, Resistance, Torture, other high destiny characters.

Card selection and explanation

R-3po-The only undercover protection in the deck. It is very useful against ISB decks and can cause some form of damage even if you can’t drain at a site.

Sergeant Doallyn-Good power against aliens since eloms are not as effective against them.

The 4 ships-Are for a mid to late game attack against a lightly defended system. Don’t make the mistake of playing a lone ship, because I have lost a game due to lateral damage. You can also fortify one system to help with your Battle Plan.

Scramble-This card is HUGE. It is a game winner. Mara by herself not being able to draw destiny against 3 or 4 eloms and hit by your EPP saber is just about all she wrote.

Mechanical Failure-This can help your numbers, because a favorite technique is to put Vesden on a protected walker. With this card you can still take him out with the help of 4 or 5 eloms. The battle damage will be huge.

Battle Plan-You will not be spreading out so you may have to pay your self to drain at a site or two, but that will be minor compared to how it helps you. By keeping the sites cleaned off, they will have to pay for space drains. This keeps the numbers comming up in their deck and you just cancel their first drain anyway with bargain table.

Yoda Stew-I chose this instead of traffic control because sometimes you need the extra force to deploy your beat down. You can also use it to put multiple never tell me the odds in your active pile. That way you know where they are when you need to draw one. This helps protect you from monnock too.

Effective repairs-This card is a must. It is very easy to loose a key effect early. This is a multi purpose card, but since there is only one in the deck, I usually use it as a mid to late game tool to get any effect I need that is in the lost pile.

Double Bargaining table-Through playing, I have found two are essential. If you need to get one out early, to often it has gotten cancelled before the SAC protection comes out. I have also gotten it cancelled with the protection package out, but you may be able to re-deploy increasing your chance to keep the combo of battle plan and numbers working for you. Forcing them to use six force before the first drain has an impact.

Now for strategies against deck types.

Hunt Down-Half of all the games I have play with this deck have been Hunt down. It has only lost twice. First thing you do is get a Bothian Spy with windchimes. You can deploy it and an elom to cancel visage first turn real easy. Try to force them to battle at those sites because then they aren’t draining you, but you are them. Continually put pressure on them by deploying more eloms there. Battle them to death with out them ever draining you. If they play come here you big coward, they will deploy elsewhere. Go beat them up there. Try to keep three eloms together due to getting choked or clashed. Use the EPP’s wisely, if you keep the presure on, it is hard for them to draw the cards they need to duel or protect against numbers.

ISB-Most of the ISB’s are imperials. Pick your fights, and don’t go for a beat down. You will need your characters for multiple battles. Scramble, bargaining table, & battle plan, & R-3po will win it for you. A heavy ORS deck is tough, but your ‘odds’ are better.

Space- If they play lots of space and resistance, this can be a hard game. Your best action is to come out with numbers quick. Most of the time you will get at least one number off before they can get on three systems and resistance. They can loose key cards that way. Battle plan will make them pay for those drains, Bargaining table and smart use of your ships will pull it out for you.

Musicians/Scum/or Court-Those aliens have good built in protection against mumbers and eloms. But their power comes from grouping them together. Once they get the good ones down, the numbers protection goes away. But they still have to spread to 3 battle grounds to get resistance working. Don’t go looking for the battle right away, be patient and try to play in your cantina if possible. That makes yours power+1. Lots of battling, EPP’s see lots of action, use nabron wisely, close game but I have not lost one yet.

Vegas Sabac deck-No problem, hook the sabac, battle using spies to get where they are. You will also win a few of the Sabacs along they way too. Odds & Scramble will do the rest.

Big Blue-Very fun, lots of battling. But Eloms work good against imperials. Make sure Mechanical Failure gets used, and re-used with effective repairs. Grab those tramples, and keep your eloms grouped up.

Ralltiir-Usually an easy match up. I have lost a key game once to Ralltiir, because I didn’t come out fast enough at Ralltiir. I waited until after he flipped to come after him or even insert odds. That cost me the game, buy then he was able to get odds protection ‘Vesden’ down, and those high destinies are killers. So come out fast with numbers, battle those AT-ST and 3 destiny pilots as quick as they come out. The cheap deploy of eloms & high destinies in the deck will take care of the rest. Use the key cards already discussed; Battle Plan, Mechanical failure, Bargaining table, and this deck will not give you any trouble.

I am not saying this deck is unbeatable, there isn’t one out there. But if you like battles, lots of action, and potentially large differential wins, this deck is very consistent. It also has the added advantage of winning against the most popular deck types out right now.

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