I'm Hunting Wabbits

by Charlie Plaine, Dreaming About 1E Decks

29th November 2017

One of the things Cristoffer (former 1E Brand Manger Cristoffer "Smiley" Wikker) wanted to make sure happened in the Warp Pack: Holiday 2017 was that we supported some decks. We knew that we hadn't given fans of the Delta Quadrant much since the start of the block era, and as this was a non-block project, it seemed like a good time to give fans some love. If you follow us on Facebook, you've already seen Dr. Pel, a new Federation / Vidiian personnel (she'll be revealed Friday here). Today, let me show you Mellis, the Hirogen entry in this boutique product.

I didn't really have an idea for a Hirogen card when designing this Warp Pack. There were specific decks I wanted to help for Bajorans, Borg, Klingons, etc. but nothing for Hirogen. So I started putting together Hirogen decks, talking to Hirogen players, and just browsing through their cards. It was during a perusal of the database that I found Hunting Group. "What a cool card," I thought to myself. Color me surprised when I saw the "Recent decks using this card: None" text on the bottom of the card page. Of course, it didn't take long to figure out why: this card was expensive. It gives you nice mission requirements and access to almost every space mission in the game, but at the cost of a card play or a seed slot, it was too much.

Mellis was born as I read over this card, and the responses from the Hirogen players I'd talked to. If there was a way to get this card out easily and cheaply, it could be worth playing. Originally, Mellis was a random Hirogen that would special download Hunting Group, but the word was sent - loudly and clearly - that wasn't good enough. Hunting Group, if it's going to be made good, has to be able to be played on all of your space missions. Thus, Mellis became the source of free Hunting Groups for Hirogen Decks, allowing you to play one each turn for free. Oh, and did I mention he's an Alpha-Hirogen, and thus a free play?

With Mellis and free Hunting Groups in hand, what kind of Hirogen deck did I want to put together? I thought it would be fun to design a deck to go to the Alpha Quadrant and smash face, blithely ignoring You Are a Monument. There are two missions, Answer Distress Signal and Hunt Alien, to give you options while you're building up forces in the DQ. I'd aim to solve Hunt Alien, so you can then head to the Alpha Quadrant and focus on the space missions there.

Unfortunately, you need to seed the Barzan Wormhole and Wormhole Negotiations to get to the Alpha Quadrant, but seeding Operate Wormhole Relays helps with the travel. Hunting Group will make it fairly easy for your Hirogen to solve Wormhole Negotiations, but it's still a highly stealable mission. Make sure to include an extra dilemma or two to protect it from theft.

The other Alpha Quadrant space missions are both low printed points, and thus make Hunting Group easier, but give you good bonus point options. Battle of Sector 001 requires your whole feel to have come through, but is worth a whopping 50 points. Likewise, Kressari Rendezvous is worth up to 45, depending on how many Talons you have out. The final mission, Accept Ambassadorial Invitation, sports a icon so you can attempt it, but it's also 40 points so give it a little protection.

I hope that you'll enjoy leading Mellis and his Hirogen Hunting Groups on a rampage throughout the galaxy. Let me know what you think of the skeleton and the ideas here. If you use this as an inspiration for your own deck, please post it! We can't wait to see what you guys do with these cards, and if you like these little jumping off points, so let us know! Tomorrow will be the last preview card and the last deck skeleton before release day - a plain, simple, support personnel for decks everywhere!

Discuss this article in this thread.

Decklist

This deck is legal in the following Card Pools:

• Complete

This deck is legal in the following Rules Sets:

• Modern
• Open
• Revised
• Warp Speed

Hide Deck Stats

Draw Deck
Total Draw Deck		40
Doorway		6 (15%)
Equipment		3 (8%)
Event		1 (3%)
Incident		2 (5%)
Objective		3 (8%)
Personnel		22 (55%)
Ship		3 (8%)

Q-Tent Side Deck
Total Q-Tent Side Deck		7
Equipment		2 (29%)
Event		1 (14%)
Incident		1 (14%)
Personnel		2 (29%)
Ship		1 (14%)

Seed Deck
Total Seed Deck		6
Doorway		3 (50%)
Facility		1 (17%)
Incident		2 (33%)

Q the Referee Side Deck
Total Q the Referee Side Deck		2
Incident		1 (50%)
Objective		1 (50%)

Skills
Acquisition		0
Anthropology		9
Archaeology		5
Astrophysics		4
Biology		4
CIVILIAN		0
Computer Skill		11
Cybernetics		0
Diplomacy		4
Empathy		0
ENGINEER		6
Exobiology		6
Geology		3
Greed		1
Honor		5
Law		1
Leadership		9
MEDICAL		2
Music		0
Navigation		6
OFFICER		8
Physics		4
SCIENCE		5
SECURITY		7
Smuggling		0
Stellar Cartography		2
Transporter Skill		4
Treachery		6
V.I.P.		1
Youth		1
Rare Skills
Barbering		0
Cantankerousness		0
Guramba		0
Mindmeld		0
Miracle Worker		0
Orion Syndicate		0
Resistance		0

Skill			On # Missions	Skill Dots	Classifications	Total
Acquisition						0
Anthropology			1	9		9
Archaeology				5		5
Astrophysics				4		4
Biology				4		4
CIVILIAN						0
Computer Skill				11		11
Cybernetics						0
Diplomacy			2	4		4
Empathy						0
ENGINEER			1	2	4	6
Exobiology			2	6		6
Geology			1	3		3
Greed				1		1
Honor			1	5		5
Law				1		1
Leadership			1	9		9
MEDICAL			1	1	1	2
Music						0
Navigation				6		6
OFFICER			2		8	8
Physics				4		4
SCIENCE				2	3	5
SECURITY					7	7
Smuggling			1			0
Stellar Cartography				2		2
Transporter Skill				4		4
Treachery			2	6		6
V.I.P.			1		1	1
Youth				1		1
Rare Skills
Barbering
Cantankerousness
Guramba
Mindmeld
Miracle Worker
Orion Syndicate
Resistance
Intelligence Skills
FCA
Intelligence
Klingon Intelligence
Memory Omega
Obsidian Order
Section 31
Tal Shiar
V'Shar
any Intelligence

Traits
Card group
Capturing-related card		7
Equipment group
blade weapon		4
disruptor		1
hand weapon		5
Mission region
Cardassia Region		1
Sector 001 Region		1
Mission trait
Asymmetric mission		1
Personnel gender
Female		1
Male		23
Personnel trait
Alpha-Hirogen		7
Beta-Hirogen		2
Support Personnel		8
Ship equipment
Holodeck		9
Tractor Beam		4

Icons
Quadrant
		28
Special
		1
		4
		8
		2
Staffing
		14
		10