Rule of Acquisition #52

by Kevin Jaeger, Creative Consultant

21st December 2009

On Section 31, the Ferengi Pirate Team had their ship spoiled.  The Quetsivoo (and the Designer Q&A) made it clear that the Ferengi team focused on the bonds of time (past icon) as the means to success.  The ship grants past icons to all Ferengi, and thereby guarantees that any three will make the ship a respectable attributes of eight.  After the ship has granted it to all those aboard, the Pirate team then uses it to its benefit.  With this ship and their talents, the rest of your Ferengi can come along for the ride and have some fun.

As for the pirate team personnel, one member of the pirate team has already been spoiled in Charlie's previous article.  As is the theme, the Ferengi Pirates either trigger off of past icons or affect personnel with past icons.  Muk does the former...as does Grish.

2  Grish
 Ferengi
Exobiology  Medical  Transporters  Treachery
Thief. When your personnel present is killed by a dilemma, this personnel and each personnel present cannot be killed by dilemmas until the end of this turn.
Please, gentlemen. We’re partners.”
[Integrity 4] [Cunning 5] [Strength 5]

So imagine the situation where your opponent is playing a killing dilemma pile and you attempt your space mission first.  He flips Tragic Turn, consumes two, flips a Final Adventure, consumes two more, and names the number two.  Assuming you have any other cost-two Past Ferengi personnel, they could sacrifice themselves, and with Grish's help, could prevent any more kills which includes the Tragic Turn kill.  So, your opponent has placed four dilemmas underneath, gotten one kill, and cannot kill anymore Past Ferengi personnel.  Say that the Tragic Turn consumed an All-Consuming Evil.  Unless your opponent can name the one skill Grish has that none of your other Ferengi have, it will be the same result.  Since the ship grants Past icons, all your Ferengi are protected in space.  I get the feeling the designers are trying to encourage more 'two space, one planet' strategies.  So, as you can see, Grish triggers off of the past icon to protect them.

The other two Pirate Ferengi fall under the latter category of affecting Past Ferengi.  In case you didn't know their names (I had no clue), they are Ulis and Krem.

4 (Unique)Ulis
Ferengi
Acquisition  Biology  Engineer  Programming  Treachery
Commander: Quetsivoo. Thief. When this personnel is facing a dilemma, you may stop him to take a personnel from your discard pile and place him or her present with this personnel. That personnel joins the mission attempt.
“It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
[Integrity 4][Cunning 5][Strength 5]

3 (Unique)Krem
Ferengi
Astrometrics  Archaeology  Geology  Honor  Navigation  Science
Commander: Quetsivoo. Thief. When this personnel uses a skill to complete a mission, if he is present with two personnel, you may unstop all your stopped personnel at this mission.
“It’s time that I showed a little initiative.”
[Integrity 6][Cunning 5][Strength 5]

Ulis has many talents.  He acts as a corresponding Commander for Running a Tight Ship, a free reporting mechanism for Past Ferengi, and best of all: a quasi-stop/kill avoider.  Let's get hypothetical again.  Your opponent reveals Racial Tension and randomly selects Ulis and Flink.  Normally, they would both stop, but after the selection and before the check, Ulis stops himself and brings in...let's say Krem who joins the attempt.  Racial checks and sees that Flink is the same species as himself and whiffs.  So the net result is you have the same number attempting, and you've brought in three free counters worth of people.  The Ferengi like a good deal.  I'd say that's a darn good one.

Now that Krem has joined our mission attempt after a whiff dilemma, it becomes more likely that you could complete the mission and that he would help in that completion.  When Krem completes the mission (and he contributes at least one skill to a wide array of Ferengi mission options), you get to unstop all your stopped personnel, which in this hypothetical, includes Ulis.  If your ship has not gone anywhere, you are now locked and loaded for the next mission.

Below is a Ferengi speed build that goes for a push early with Rule of Acquisition #18 for more counters, Rule of Acquisition #16 to give your counters more efficiency, and finally, the hot new/old speed tech of Brunt (Acting Grand Nagus) plus At What Cost?.  Then, of course, there's the mid-game Gaila plus Ferengi Computer combo.  The next move is to utilize the various abilities on your personnel when given the opportunity...especially if it sets up Reyga.  You actually will not set up Reyga all that often, but after you've dropped some Rule #18 and Rule #16 action, Nilva can set you up for Reyga at the final mission.  Then, of course, the Quetsivoo and her crew give you the freedom to either go for two space and one planet, or a space and two planet, simply depending on how your personnel come out and, of course, your opponent's moves.  You probably don't want to be caught in space against some decks nor on a planet against a capture deck.

Enjoy!

-djl-

This deck is currently eligible for the following family or families of achievements:

• Ferengi Player
• Unbroken I

Decklist

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Dilemma Deck Total Dilemmas 46 Space 8 (17%) Cost 2 2 Cost 3 2 Cost 4 2 Cost 6 2 Planet 6 (13%) Cost 3 4 Cost 6 2 Dual 32 (70%) Cost 0 10 Cost 2 9 Cost 3 5 Cost 4 5 Cost 5 1 Cost 6 2 Total Dilemma Deck cost 124

Draw Deck Total Draw Deck 45 Equipment 3 (7%) Cost 2 3 Event 11 (24%) Cost 0 8 Cost 2 3 Interrupt 3 (7%) Personnel 23 (51%) Cost 0 1 Cost 1 3 Cost 2 8 Cost 3 5 Cost 4 6 Ship 5 (11%) Cost 5 5 Total Draw Deck cost 95

Skills Count Skill # Missions # Personnel 1x 2x 3x Total Acquisition 0 9 2 11 Anthropology 0 0 Archaeology 0 3 3 Astrometrics 2 5 2 7 Biology 0 4 4 Diplomacy 0 4 4 Engineer 3 8 1 9 Exobiology 0 1 1 Geology 1 4 4 Honor 0 3 3 Intelligence 0 0 Law 0 6 6 Leadership 0 4 1 5 Medical 0 2 2 Navigation 1 4 1 5 Officer 0 2 2 Physics 2 5 2 7 Programming 0 7 7 Science 2 4 1 5 Security 0 2 2 Telepathy 0 0 Transporters 0 3 3 Treachery 1 7 1 8 Icons Count Icon # Personnel % Personnel Staffing Icons Command Star 6 26.09 % Staff Star 13 56.52 % Faction Icons Deep Space Nine 1 4.35 % Temporal Icons Alternate Universe 1 4.35 % Past 7 30.43 % Keyword Count Keyword # Cards Commander: Aurulent 1 Commander: Devna-Lev 1 Commander: Phoenix 1 Commander: Quetsivoo 2 Decay: 3 2 Genetically Enhanced 1 Region: Bajor System 1 Region: Great Barrier 1 Rule 9 Smuggler 1 Thief 5