The Road to Worlds: Winning Deck Analysis, Week 10

by Lucas Thompson, Ambassador

4th June 2015

Welcome back for another season of The Road to Worlds. Around this time every year, we have a three-month stretch where each region of play for the various Star Trek card games gets to have its "big dance." Whether the players of your locale are rated 1800 or don't know their rating, whether your nearest regional attracts 4 players or 40 players, once a year everyone brings their best decks and competes for their regional title. I'm here to celebrate with the winners, ask them what they think, and analyze their decks.

 

An event in Grapevine, Texas kicked off the weekend. Phil Schrader was victorious in The Void's Second Edition Regional, using a deck that looks like this:

 

Title: I pulled a Neil and am calling a Skon deck mine after adding one card
Headquarters: Founders' Homeworld, Contingent Refuge
Deck Size: Medium (45-59)
Deck Archetype: Midrange Solver
Dilemma Pile Size: Medium (30-49)
Dilemma Pile Type: Chula Attrition
Average Draw Deck Card Cost: 1.94
Agonizing Count: 3
Odds of Passing a 3-Skill-Dilemma Legacy: 1%

Phil had this to say about his deck:

Why did you choose the deck that you used? What other decks did you consider using?
I took three decks with me to Texas: New Dominion, New Terok Nor, and Ferengi. I knew I wasn't going to play the TN deck in the big event, but I'd been having trouble deciding between the other two. I know both affiliations (Fer/Dom) very well, but I was less familiar with this new breed of GQ Dom.

What sorts of decks were you hoping to face while playing your deck? What decks did you hope not to face?
I wouldn't say I was 'hoping' to face/not face any particular deck type, but one of the deciding factors for me was NeuDom's ability to punish/hinder two-mission win decks.

Prior to this tournament, did you have much experience playing this deck (or decks like it)? Did you learn anything new about it when you played it this time?
I've a decent amount of experience playing Dominion, although mostly of the AQ, Breen variety. A lot of the same personnel are utilized, so I knew all the gimmicks through and through. The one thing I did take away was a new appreciation for Keevan, since I never used him in my Breen deck. He pretty much kept me from having to spend more than a handful of counters each game drawing cards, which was huge.

Did you use any situational cards (cards that you wouldn't expect to be useful in every game)? Are there any whose usefulness exceeded your expectations? Were there any that you wouldn't include if you played the deck again?
The new Shrouding card was clutch for me. I think it was one of last attempts in one of my games that I used it and Remata'Klan/Arak'Taral to exclude three of our high-cost personnel from selection for Chula: The Chandra that ensured the minimum number of stops would happen and I walked through the final dilemmas with ease. I also always tip my hat to Dominion Hierarchy because it always comes through for me. In one game, I used it to bypass an Intelligence requirement on the only dilemma I faced on an attempt.

What would you nominate as the MVP card from your deck?
With Dominion there's never just one MVP. Mobilization Points, Keevan, Remata'Klan and Arak'Taral all deserve recognition.

Do you have anything else you'd like to say about your deck?
There's one important thing I want to say about this deck. With play in my area dying down quite a bit after the Masters last year, I haven't had many opportunities to play Trek. While looking at decks on the forums I noticed Joel Skon's NeuDom deck that he did well with. I netdeck'd from Joel for this tournament (with my addition being Amat'igan) and I want to make sure he gets the credit he deserves for designing a winning deck.

My Commentary:
Feel free to look back, if you will, at my review of Joel Skon's deck from back in week 4. You may notice that I've assigned a different deck archetype to this deck. Is adding Amat'igan enough to change the deck type, you might ask? Where's the consistency??

Well, you're right, I have not been entirely consistent with naming this type of deck in general. I've flipped between Speed/Interference Solver, just plain Solver, and now Midrange Solver. The problem is that decks like this aren't just solvers, they're more flexible than that. They've got interference cards like Crippling Strike, but they don't have the dedication to slowing the opponent to really be an Interference Deck. They've got verb denial like Our Death is Glory to the Founders, but they can't block enough of an opponent's strategy to really be a Control Deck.

No, decks like these deserve a more general category, and stealing the term from other games (again), I've decided to settle on Midrange Solver. I think that captures the flexibility of the deck without being overly specific about what types of non-solver actions the deck intends to perform. Maybe you've got a Cardassian deck that has some Trap is Sprung just to support your Chula Pile - that's not really a capture (interference) deck, especially if you're still mostly going around solving missions with The Central Command and Comfort Women.

As for the change in the deck, I like seeing Amat'igan here. There's a high enough Jem'hadar concentration that you're likely to have a few in hand for use with his ability, and if you're venturing into The Void region you'll likely want his kill prevention. His cost is high, but while you don't have Gelnon to bring him into play for free, you do have those Mobilization Points to keep him cheap. Good call, Phil.

 

Next, we've got a pair of Qo'noS Regional events. The first was a Second Edition tournament, held in North Olmsted, Ohio. Sean O'Reilly won, using this deck:

 

Title: Dissenting is futile 1.1
Headquarters: Unicomplex, Root of the Hive Mind
Deck Size: Small (35-44)
Deck Archetype: Speed Solver
Dilemma Pile Size: Small (20-29)
Dilemma Pile Type: Standard Attrition
Average Draw Deck Card Cost: 2.74
Agonizing Count: 4
Odds of Passing a 3-Skill-Dilemma Legacy: 7%

Sean shared the following insights about his deck:

Why did you choose the deck that you used? What other decks did you consider using?
First off, I have to give Kris Sonsteby props for the original deck idea. I made a few minor changes to it (since he first built it).

I chose the Borg Dissident deck because I knew I could play it well. I previously won with it just over a year ago. I also considered a Klingon deck using missions that require strength.

One of the things I have found I do well with are decks that can fulfill the attribute requirement with 5 or 6 personnel - so I wanted to play a deck that can do that.

What sorts of decks were you hoping to face while playing your deck? What decks did you hope not to face?
I was hoping not to face a capture deck or a discard deck. Both could seriously wreck this deck. Each do not necessarily need to leave their headquarters mission to cause me problems. I can not play The New Resistance (and thus play many personnel for free) if my opponent does not have a ship at a non-headquarters mission. Doing nasty deeds without moving can slow me down bad.

Prior to this tournament, did you have much experience playing this deck (or decks like it)? Did you learn anything new about it when you played it this time?
I won with the deck in May 2014 so I am very familiar with the deck. I did learn something new:

A Few Minor Difficulties causes this deck MAJOR difficulties. In the one game I lost (which was still close), my opponent played it on turn 2 or 3. I went ahead to attempt a mission despite not having my Dissidents skills available. Without Two of Nine to destroy AFMD I would never would have had a chance to win (even though I still lost).

Did you use any situational cards (cards that you wouldn't expect to be useful in every game)? Are there any whose usefulness exceeded your expectations? Were there any that you wouldn't include if you played the deck again?
The only card I might not include would be Unyielding - as I never used its ability one time (mostly because I never had extra Borg personnel in my hand).

What would you nominate as the MVP card from your deck?
The MVP of the deck is Sphere 117, Renegade Borg Sphere - without it the deck really does not work. Runner up would be Seven of Nine, Annika. Her attribute bonus and skills are key to solving missions even if dilemmas stop a few personnel.

Do you have anything else you'd like to say about your deck?
Resistance is Futile! Seriously, this deck can be a good deck to pull out every once in a while and surprise people with. You can not over use it though because your opponent will start stacking A Few Minor Difficulties.

My Commentary:
For the unaware, here's how this deck works: You play your people and ships, acting like a normal solver with some dissident synergy. Then, your opponent goes and attempts a mission, and gets stopped. While your opponent has a ship at a non-headquarters mission during your turn, you play The New Resistance, and vomit your entire deck in to play. Sure, you will eventually hit a (rare, in this deck) ship or verb, but with most of your personnel having a cost less than 3 and the Renegade Borg Sphere giving all of your Borg the dissident keyword, your opponent is never going to be able to keep up.

That's why full stops like Tactical Disadvantage or Gorgan are so strong in a deck like this. Being able to stop an opponent's ship away from home is absolutely critical to the game plan - without most of the powerful Borg interrupts and events, the deck lacks some of the solving tricks you might expect from the Borg. Of course, those tricks aren't needed when you play thirty counters of personnel on turn four, but to get there you need your opponent to get out there and do something.

An aside: I've known about this type of deck, and played against it a few times, but this is the first time I've picked up on the Reconnaissance Drone trick. As soon as you hit a Recon drone while you're milling through your deck with Resistance, you can set up a chain where you're guaranteed to not hit a verb/ship until you've run out of Recons. Both his and Resistance's "when you play" effects are optional so, since it is your turn, you can choose to download and place a non-drone (that's everyone) before you use Resistance to play the top Dissident of your deck for cost-3.

I would like to see a Necessary Execution or three (or Neural Parasites, or Needs of the Few) in the dilemma pile, since planet-first is the best strategy if you smell this deck coming. Drop a crew off and fly home before attempting (in case of Surprise Amity), then you get to put some attempts in before the Resistance bomb goes off. If there's an Execution grinder at your planets, that strategy becomes a lot less palatable.

 

The second Qo'noS Regional took place in South Euclid, Ohio. John Paul Veasey took the win this time, using this deck:

 

Title: sons of winning
Deck Archetype: Speed Solver
Play Engines: Legitimate Leader of the Empire, Attention All Hands, The Great Hall
Draw Engines: Continuing Mission, Duck Blind
Bonus Point Mechanics: Assign Mission Specialists, Arbiter of Succession, Dr. Tolian Soran

John Paul offered his thoughts about the deck:

Why did you choose the deck that you used? What other decks did you consider using?
Well the deck I picked was inspired by a post by Brian Sykes talking about a deck he made where all the missions could solved by Sons of Mogh. They could cover 4 of my 6 without any help. Also contributing to the idea was the deck played by Ken Tufts, even though he used the illegitimate Klingons.

What sorts of decks were you hoping to face while playing your deck? What decks did you hope not to face?
I figured I could out-speed a lot of others solvers and then send in Bros and/or AMS guys to clean up after dilemmas were cleared. Borg and battle would be tough matchup, but I did have a homeworld and cloaking devices to help dodge some of that. Borg did turn out to be tough, but some luck with Quantum Incursions helped slow them down enough to get a modified win.

Prior to this tournament, did you have much experience playing this deck (or decks like it)? Did you learn anything new about it when you played it this time?
I've played some Klingons before but not very recently. Probably would be good to add another method of getting some finishing bonus points. Neither Soran/Nexus nor Arbiter seemed to be enough (or timely in appearance). Some Klingon Death Yells would fit well I think.

Did you use any situational cards (cards that you wouldn't expect to be useful in every game)? Are there any whose usefulness exceeded your expectations? Were there any that you wouldn't include if you played the deck again?
Nothing that was super situational. Klingon PADD did prove very helpful against a few dilemmas. Maybe try and come up with some better dilemma combos.

What would you nominate as the MVP card from your deck?
Probably B'Somgh and by extension Officer Exchange Program would be my picks for MVP. B'Somgh was great at busting up dilemma combos, with his skills and the extra classifications he could pick up via equipment. Officer Exchange Program also helped me set up a draw engine right from the start (convert a Continuing Mission draw to d/l of Riker, play him for free, then Assign Support Personnel for Vagh and Duck Blind is ready to go [I first heard of the idea from Matthew Ting I believe]).

Do you have anything else you'd like to say about your deck?
Pretty much performed at or better than expected. I got through most of my draw deck in all my games and was attempting missions early then getting out the tools to bust dilemmas before my opponents had finished setting up.

My Commentary:
Note: this commentary was written prior to receiving John Paul's feedback, hence the retread on bonus points. Also note: I really like that Duck Blind tech, I didn't pick up on that. Thanks, J.P.! (and, by extension, Matthew)

Much in the same vein as Ken Tufts' TNG Klingon deck from week 8, this deck is what you might expect of a speed deck that uses Legitimate Leader instead of Illegitimate Leader. The fourth play engine is gone, but in its place we have an easier to achieve two mission win. Reported Activity can be boosted to 50 points with all three mission specialists, and Navigate Argolis Cluster hits 40 with one specialist. Just add 10 points from Arbiter of Succession to taste, and you've got 100 points!

Of course, this deck also includes another source of a significant amount of bonus points: Dr. Tolian Soran and The Nexus (that's the name of my MC Frontalot cover band). The Nexus is already a powerful and fun card (about as First Edition as it gets, in my opinion) - it blows up ships, and you can use it to hop around the universe too! And once you find a way to drop Soran off within it, you're 20 points richer, and Soran won't go around blowing up any more suns. It's win-win, really. If Picard had just helped the good doctor, then maybe he could have taken a shuttle instead of detonating a solar system. Oh, and Soran is great for TNG decks because, even though he isn't a free play, he does qualify for a card draw and provides relatively rare skills for the Premiere affiliations.

The dilemmas here are stall-oriented, which also screams "speed solver" to me. Mission Debriefing is popular in Borg decks (since it doesn't affect them), but it can also help speed decks since it will help enforce their lead. Sprinkle in some Scows and an Edo Probe and that's three full turns you've bought yourself there. Then you've got dilemmas like Now Would Be a Good Time and The Whale Probe, just stopping the crew for one turn, but getting some other perks at the same time. The dilemmas are thin (only 14 total) (well, fifteen if we're including Quantum Incursions) to make room for potent dial-a-skill cards like Officer Exchange Program and Equipment Replicator. Who needs dilemmas for your opponent to face when you've got a speed advantage and are slicing through their dilemmas like hot butter?

Mmmm, butter.

 

That's it for this week, see you next week for decks from the Borg and Omarion Nebula regions (both First Edition), as well as the Chicago Masters events! Check out Daniel's Regional Rundown!

 

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