News: 4x By the Emperor's Decree 4x Damage Control 3x Endless Re-Runs 4x Exiled from the Empire 4x Lost Deliveries 2x Mind Control 2x Pirate Mercenary 3x Salvage Drones 4x Subsidized Industries
Sideboard: 4x Forsaken Ruins 4x Mind Clash 2x Mind Control 2x Pirate Mercenary 1x Salvage Drones
A wonderful showing today (well, technically yesterday...) at the Game Parlor in Woodbridge, Virginia. I combined the deck above with some really tense moments (and an apparently very lucky chair) and managed to come in first.
The deck is built around Lost Deliveries, and around keeping it in play for as long as possible. The Decree->Tourist Resort->Cheap Outer Regions combination is easily defended if the opponent cannot get ships out; similary, Subsidized Industries becomes a major money source (and one that you don't have to skip to draw an extra card).
The ship mix also allowed me to, for a brief period at least, act like a frigate rush deck. If I drew many ships and no Lost Deliveries, I was perfectly content to play them and trade them off against my opponent's ships. Punisher in particular was a beast, being capable of trading with a Kestrel in ambush mode and generally awesome otherwise.
If and when I did get the Lost Deliveries rolling, I was hard to stop. There's enough anti-news in this deck to keep the Caldari and Minmatar decks (read: only mind control) I played against from stopping my continuous Lost Deliveries->Endless Re-Runs->Damage Control->Salvage Drones->Sansha's Nation combo. There's another MVP in fact: Sansha's Nation allowed a heck of a lot of recycling to be going on. I usually ended up parking an Atron or Inquisitor on it, despite the hit I took in lost Tourist Resort income.
The sideboard has two distinct parts: the Forsaken Ruins and Mind Clashes, which were there to address any threats from their respective targets, and the rest of the sideboard, which was every new card that won't fit in the main deck. The extra Pirate Mercenaries in particular helped against ship-heavy decks, killing the ships that slipped the Lost Deliveries net and clearing the way for my Frigates.
So, what do you guys think? A one-shot deck that everyone will be ready for next time? Comments please!
Post edited by: RedX, at: 2007/04/15 05:34
The administrator has disabled public write access.
Kester
User Frigate
Posts: 68
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/15 14:28Definitely interesting, it's nice to see a news-heavy deck do well. I'm curious as to how well this deck starts, though. You say that you do well with either Lost Deliveries or ship-heavy starts, but it seems to me that there's a high chance of getting a hand that isn't either of these at the start (especially as I imagine you have to mulligan aggressively for those Tourist Resorts). Labor Quarters and most of the news is just clogging up your hand until the deck gets started, which must take a few turns. Did this turn out to be a problem?
It's a very nice concept though: I've never thought a Lost Deliveries deck to be that viable, but this seems to do it well. Good work!
The administrator has disabled public write access.
RedX
User Cruiser
Posts: 130
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/15 20:00You're right in that a slow start can mean doom. Both games I lost, I lost because of an early attack that I wasn't expecting or prepared for.
As for unusable cards clogging things up... I never really noticed it much. Occasionally I noted that I had an Endless Re-runs or Labor Quarters just sitting around doing nothing, but aside from that every other card came in handy. There were a lot of Minmatar burn decks running around in Woodbridge, so anti-news was always useful... and Exiled from the Empire was always a gem to have, if expensive to play.
I also found that the decks that really, really threatened me early on were the ones running Forgotten Paradise, which let me drop the Lost Deliveries sooner, neatly balancing things out. Holder Tower also saved my behind a number of times, too.
Finally, the deck starts quicker than you might think. A single By The Emperor's Decree can be recycled quite handily by Salvage Drones or Sansha's Nation, and some games I got every location in my deck out relatively quickly.
I'm almost as surprised as you are about making Lost Deliveries viable. I went in expecting to make a decent showing and 'do it my way' with a new deck type, so I could claim a moral victory... maybe it was the lucky chair after all.
One last question to the board- Cult of Tetrimon plus this deck. Yes-no-maybe?
The administrator has disabled public write access.
Enterprise
User Scout
Posts: 5
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/16 03:17Given that Cult of Tetrimon is the only news card (as far as I know) that can affect the Gallente Thorax and Megathron ships, perhaps its a good sideboard card against such a deck? The loss of a turn seems expensive in using Cult of Tetrimon. However for a deck lighter on ships, maybe this card would be a good addition against Thorax/Megathron? Also, your deck is very thought provoking, and original. Thank you for posting it.
The administrator has disabled public write access.
Buhallin
User Battlecruiser
Posts: 514
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/16 05:28It's an interesting deck. The biggest hazard I could see is a quick occupation of Stain. That would shut down your Tourist Resorts quickly, and with it pretty much your entire income curve. Sentinel Hive could cause some havoc for you, too, as you'd have to automatically degrade your income to circumvent it.
It's a very interesting deck. I run a Gallente stall deck that works pretty well, but this takes Lost Deliveries to an all new level. I'm definitely going to have to playtest this one a bit, and see how it does.
The administrator has disabled public write access.
RedX
User Cruiser
Posts: 130
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/16 12:05Buhallin wrote: It's an interesting deck. The biggest hazard I could see is a quick occupation of Stain. That would shut down your Tourist Resorts quickly, and with it pretty much your entire income curve. Sentinel Hive could cause some havoc for you, too, as you'd have to automatically degrade your income to circumvent it.
Had both happen to me. One guy used a first-turn Forgotten Paradise to drop a scout on Stain. I simply replied by making my first-turn drop a Punisher, and took Stain right away from him.
As for sentinel hive... Decree slides right by.
It's a very interesting deck. I run a Gallente stall deck that works pretty well, but this takes Lost Deliveries to an all new level. I'm definitely going to have to playtest this one a bit, and see how it does.
That was my intention- I simply put every practical card that could extend Lost Deliveries into a pile, and built the deck from there.
The administrator has disabled public write access.
Rasia
User Frigate
Posts: 18
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/16 13:57/wave, I played this deck from the other side of things, and took 1 of the 2 games he is talking about with my Caldari deck.
From the opponent side of things, it usually felt like the lost deliveries landed around turn 3, which makes pretty hard to deal with. After the whoopin' I recieved the first game, my plan was to drop Stain early to cut off the resort access. Very quickly, I learned to fear Sansa's more than anything else in that deck. Keeping the graveyard low so it was easy to cycle things, realistically the only reason I took a game is because RedX let me get a pair of bantams out with my Merlin in a turn, and I was able to drop a pair of Central Fleet Commands to boost up my damage enough.
Shockingly, game 3 he was a little more wary of it It is a soul crushing deck to play, once that lock comes down. It's a nasty nasty surprise to play against, and outside the "normal" meta-game I was used to enough that I simply didn't have anything to counter it with.
Rough rough game, but a lot of fun to see that deck in action. Ironically, just before our game I was mentioning how I had been working on an amarr deck based around Labor Quarters and Subsidized industries, heh.
The administrator has disabled public write access.
Bombadidaloo
User Cruiser
Posts: 126
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/16 19:52Man, I love this deck of yours... sitting there watching you play the final match was very very fun Again, congrats!
About Cult of Tetrimon... I think you should definately put this in, possibly replace Pirate Mercenaries with it. With a Lost Deliveries out, the "skip your next turn" is hardly a loss, as you won't be turning down its duration and your opponent is still stuck.
I'm surprised there are no Blood Raiders in the sideboard, I'd imagine this would be handy while you've got all your ships under assembly lock (you can't sacrifice them from there, can you?)
Another card that I think can fill a star role in this deck is Rookie Mistakes... with a nice endless-reruns lock, you can focus on continually stopping the assembly step, or continually bouncing enemy ships, or continually bouncing starbase structures... it really seems like a handle-all card to me... Perhaps deserves at least a spot in the sideboard?
...so about splitting that prize money/box...
The administrator has disabled public write access.
RedX
User Cruiser
Posts: 130
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/17 00:51Bombadidaloo wrote: I'm surprised there are no Blood Raiders in the sideboard, I'd imagine this would be handy while you've got all your ships under assembly lock (you can't sacrifice them from there, can you?)
The only thing I can find is that docked ships cannot be targeted. This means Blood Raiders would nuke my precious little sit-at-home navy... besides, Pirate Merc only cost 2 or 3 more ISK on average. Not many starbase-buffing decks out there.
Another card that I think can fill a star role in this deck is Rookie Mistakes... with a nice endless-reruns lock, you can focus on continually stopping the assembly step, or continually bouncing enemy ships, or continually bouncing starbase structures... it really seems like a handle-all card to me... Perhaps deserves at least a spot in the sideboard?
Endless re-runs is harder to time than it seems. Rookie Mistakes... I'm re-considering it, but really, the skip-assembly-phase part is the only one that's worth it. Bouncing ships means he just yanks the ones he's assembling already, and bouncing starbase structures means I'll just see it again within a few turns.
...so about splitting that prize money/box...
More incentive to win your own. Besides, I sent your brother home with a box's worth of commons... or did that not get to you? Perhaps I've said too much...
The administrator has disabled public write access.
Bombadidaloo
User Cruiser
Posts: 126
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/17 01:18heh yeah, it got to me, my bad I forgot about it, Chris has been looking through them lately.
Anyways forget what I said about Blood Raiders then, def. a bad idea...
so I'm trying to arrange things this Friday to be back in time to hit Game Parlor (I really want to test my InferiorLaboratories deck with you ), which means I'll be leaving at 4:30am in the morning for New York *ouch*...so, probably see you Friday
The administrator has disabled public write access.
Buhallin
User Battlecruiser
Posts: 514
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/17 02:19RedX wrote: Had both happen to me. One guy used a first-turn Forgotten Paradise to drop a scout on Stain. I simply replied by making my first-turn drop a Punisher, and took Stain right away from him.
As for sentinel hive... Decree slides right by.
One of the reasons I don't like playing Forgotten Paradise
And I'd forgotten that the Decree dodges Sentinel Hive. Very nice.
You did bring up the other idea that I was thinking would give you problems - starbase turtle. I use a lot of Incubation Domes, along with Senate Committe Chamber in my Gallente to get the shields up. If someone manages to get to a 15-18 shields (my Amarr deck runs Holder Tower, Juggernauts and Warp Disruptions - not at all unreasonable) you'd need half your fleet to punch through it. Might be able to stop them with the Exiled, but that would rely on timing.
But regardless of how to stop it, my brain is telling me that this deck is one that you have to be ready to stop, and may have to meta against specifically. Still gotta play with it, but it's easy to see how it could catch people off guard.
The administrator has disabled public write access.
RedX
User Cruiser
Posts: 130
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/17 03:48Buhallin wrote: You did bring up the other idea that I was thinking would give you problems - starbase turtle. I use a lot of Incubation Domes, along with Senate Committe Chamber in my Gallente to get the shields up. If someone manages to get to a 15-18 shields (my Amarr deck runs Holder Tower, Juggernauts and Warp Disruptions - not at all unreasonable) you'd need half your fleet to punch through it. Might be able to stop them with the Exiled, but that would rely on timing.
4x Exiled, 4x Mind Clash in the sideboard, and drop a bit of the anti-ship and anti-news to fit in the extra Salvage drones. It'd still be one heck of a fight, and not one the deck is much good at fighting- it's an anti-ship control deck, not a juggernaut. My hope would be to use Sasha's Nation to recycle Exiled from the Empire as often and as much as possible. Note that I would be more than willing to use half (or all!) of my fleet in punching through it, and would be making money off every ship assembing in my dock while I wait.
But regardless of how to stop it, my brain is telling me that this deck is one that you have to be ready to stop, and may have to meta against specifically. Still gotta play with it, but it's easy to see how it could catch people off guard.
It did indeed- that was part of the power. It was a news-heavy deck in a news-light tournament. To stop it, I would recommend simply having as much antinews as possible tucked away in the sideboard- even a properly timed Martial Law could've sunk me for one turn, which is all a deck with 5+ ships parked on the starbase needs. I won't even get into the sheer havoc that Bad News would wreck. Mind Control, Damage Control, and (if Amarr) a combo of both and/or Exiled from the Empire could've sunk me solid.
In fact, I'd generally recommend as much antinews as possible in the sideboard for ANY deck. You never know when you're going to run smack into something like this. The reason I don't have much antinews in the sideboard here is because the deck is already full of it; but if I was running a ship-heavy Caldari deck I would, say, run three mind controls, then have the fourth in the sideboard with 3-4 Martial Laws and 2-3 Bad News.
Post edited by: RedX, at: 2007/04/17 03:51
The administrator has disabled public write access.
RedX
User Cruiser
Posts: 130
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/17 03:49Bombadidaloo wrote: heh yeah, it got to me, my bad I forgot about it, Chris has been looking through them lately.
Anyways forget what I said about Blood Raiders then, def. a bad idea...
so I'm trying to arrange things this Friday to be back in time to hit Game Parlor (I really want to test my InferiorLaboratories deck with you ), which means I'll be leaving at 4:30am in the morning for New York *ouch*...so, probably see you Friday
Good luck with the trip, drive safe. See you Friday then- I should have another deck or two whipped up...
The administrator has disabled public write access.
Buhallin
User Battlecruiser
Posts: 514
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/17 04:36RedX wrote: 4x Exiled, 4x Mind Clash in the sideboard, and drop a bit of the anti-ship and anti-news to fit in the extra Salvage drones. It'd still be one heck of a fight, and not one the deck is much good at fighting- it's an anti-ship control deck, not a juggernaut. My hope would be to use Sasha's Nation to recycle Exiled from the Empire as often and as much as possible. Note that I would be more than willing to use half (or all!) of my fleet in punching through it, and would be making money off every ship assembing in my dock while I wait.
I don't think Mind Clash would help - it stops abilities, not stat mods. It would stop you from paying for a Warp Disruption Field, but it looks like you'd easily be able to afford anything short of 3 of them at a time anyway. In fact, I'd generally recommend as much antinews as possible in the sideboard for ANY deck. You never know when you're going to run smack into something like this. I'm liking Censor Office for this, too. Great shield bonus, and automatic protection for any offensive news you choose to use.
The administrator has disabled public write access.
RedX
User Cruiser
Posts: 130
Re:1st place Woodbridge, VA qualifier - 2007/04/18 02:56Buhallin wrote: I don't think Mind Clash would help - it stops abilities, not stat mods. It would stop you from paying for a Warp Disruption Field, but it looks like you'd easily be able to afford anything short of 3 of them at a time anyway.
It'd stop Senate Comittee Chamber, EMP Minefield, Sentry Gun, Censor Office, etc. etc. To deal with sheer starbase shield, I'd just have to build up a heck of a lot of ships... and use Exiled and Sansha's Nation to keep things to a controllable minimum.
I'm liking Censor Office for this, too. Great shield bonus, and automatic protection for any offensive news you choose to use.
Could indeed shut down Lost Deliveries, if you also have anti-news to zap it during your Duration Step. Getting it past Exiled might be a problem... but yea, not something I'd like to see against this deck. The problem is that it doesn't particularly help against many other decks.
The administrator has disabled public write access.
It is a soul crushing deck to play, once that lock comes down. It's a nasty nasty surprise to play against, and outside the "normal" meta-game I was used to enough that I simply didn't have anything to counter it with.
Again, congrats!
), which means I'll be leaving at 4:30am in the morning for New York *ouch*...so, probably see you Friday 
