European Continentals Draft Results 2023

by Ross Fertel, Yo-yo

9th November 2023

European Continentals were held on Saturday, October 28, 2023. We ran a draft to see if anyone could predict what would be there by picking precisely five affiliations/factions to see if they would be played. Did anyone get a perfect slate? Let's look at the decks and find out!

We'll start off with three very different Cardassian decks including Capture Dissidents Vol. 2 by Matthias Weller. That title is somewhat deceptive. Not the second word; every personnel in the deck is a Dissident! In terms of capturing, there is some of that in the deck, but if you love your capturing, there are other decks to go for. Heck, there are other Cardassian decks out in the wilds. Here, you will find some good old-fashioned Dissidents who like working with each other and a new fashioned trick of Cardassia, Bastion of the Resistance/Storm the Castle. For Cardassia is there to help you go around the corner and get those ten points for victory is a deck full of thirty-point missions.

Marco Puelsch would play a relatively small deck titled Der Herr der Bluthunde EM 23, courtesy of Tjark Ott. At forty-seven cards, this is small for a Cardassian and European decks, and is fairly reliant on Cardassia IV, Hold Secret Prisoners. The U.S.S. Enterprise-J helps there along with Wixiban, Old Friend. That solve is a key point for triggering Nador, Curious Commander. Should your opponent see the path and go all Biogenic Weapon on you, Cardassian Outskirts, Kressari Rendezvous is there to make the up the point deficit.

The trio is rounded out with Falling Toward Apotheosis v1.2 by Benjamin Liebich. It has the redundancies you would expect a Cardassian deck to have and leans into the Gul side of things. It is also built to venture out to the Gamma Quadrant with The Die is Cast and Expedient Opportunity to support Access Relay Station and Rescue Prisoners of War. There are enough humans to make the Alliance Galor have a decent shot at the discount and Errol can just play from the discard pile anyway. Compare the deck to the prior version and see the changes Liebich made.

Florian Ott would take an unusual step with a Voyager deck titled Unter Quarantaene EM 23. This deck has a single planet mission and none of the personnel who cost extra when you command such a mission. There is Kathryn Janeway, Mindful Keeper around and several personnel that she keeps safe. You'll find some cards from other decks around to make this one better such as Fennim, Inclusive Physician without a fifty point mission and Sidney Albert, Hardheaded without a Nucleogenic card for his gametext. Nonetheless, the cards will help get missions solved and there are others to make sure you do so undisturbed for the win such as Old Feelings and Change of Venue.

Spock, Statesman, a card from the latest set, Second Chances, would appear in Markus Eberlein's Blue(s) Brothers. The ship is a good one to get out though the gametext of the U.S.S. Enterprise-A, Olive Branch, does note specially help with attemptability. There are battles to be had with James T. Kirk, Highly Decorated Captain ready to download Point Blank Strike or Precise Attack. Should you decide you need points at some time during the game, there are new friends aplenty to help from Benjamin Sisko, Command Staffer and Jadzia Dax, Communications Staffer to Leonard H. McCoy, Experienced Advisor and Uhura, Experienced Technician. Find out the ups and downs of the day in the Tournament Report.

The day would ultimately go to LawAndOrder - Wh33l of t0rtUr3, the only multi headquarters deck played courtesy of Johannes Mette. The Original Series is there to get out quickly with synergy while the Bajorans help with recursion making a pretty solid combination. Look out for Kira Nerys, Colonel Kira to enhance the Bajorans while Samuel T. Cogley, Attorney at Law and another card from Second Chances, Els Renora, Sharp-Tongued Advisor ensure that your Legal Proceedings goes off frequently without a hitch for the eleven Law in the deck, The only skill in greater number is Leadership!

Looking at the draft, no one picked a perfect slate. Looking at the calendar, that is it for the year. We'll see you at the next big event!

Discuss this article in this thread.