DECK ANALYSIS

As usual, the deck conforms to my tournament preference of a high Character count and the lack of Supports. This is to make Support destruction dead in the hand and also reduce the effectiveness of opponent's being able to bring back Yithian Scouts, while pushing out a steady flow of Characters.

What I really like about it is the ability to be both aggressive and defensive to suit the situation and the opponents deck style.

The main focus of the deck is to first deny the opportunity to win Arcane struggles (with Cultist of the Key, Master of the Myths and Dreams in Limbo with an added Mists of Lethe option, and a handy 42 Arcane icons spread over the 35 Characters), and then counter during your own turn with removals to those that are ready with Protector of Secrets, the Sleepwalker, Faceless Abductor, Lord Jeffrey Farrington, High Wizard of the Order and Pushed into the Beyond, possibly removing any successes gained by the opponent in the previous turn if there's an Oracle in the discard. EDIT: I suppose it was just a happy coincidence that it hinders other strategies that have surfaced !!

It is also designed to create as much confusion as possible during the opponents story phase, with the threat of Faceless Abductor, Twilight Gate and Mists of Lethe (once you start re-curring the latter it becomes very difficult to plan an attack and lends to forced errors I've experienced).

The faction card count and structure has been carefully constructed, with 32 Yog Sothoth cards allowing a first turn play of Mists of Lethe, and apart from 2 x Hanyatl's and 3 x Protector, all the Silver Twilight cards are 3 cost or above and will mainly be played with the leading Domain. This allows for having no problems or qualms going 3 x 1 Yog Sothoth Domains in the first turn if the draw dictates it, and in some cases is even preferrable.

Lastly, I wanted to create a deck that could still make use of it's low cost Characters in the case of Negotium.

CARD ANALYSIS

3 x Lost Oracle - In a deck that has a good chance of winning Arcane struggles, the ability to remove success tokens can be a very powerful element. This can also be compunded with Cultist of the Key adding additional Arcane struggles if necessary to move a story away from a 1 turn completion.

3 x Yithian Scout - Primarily a defence against sacrificing, it can also facilitate a rush condition that the deck is quite capable of performing against slow decks. Also a nice chump for committing to unimportant stories in your phase as a place to move opponent Characters to from important ones with Mists of Lethe, especially a blocking Master of Myths.

1 x Sleepwalker - The first tine in the anti-commitment fork, she also lends an important Terror icon to the fold.

3 x Protector of Secrets - Again a card that can hinder the opponents ability to defend in the Story phase.

3 x Cultist of the Key - Although providing a nice Arcane block in itself with 2 icons, if a situation arises where it cannot commit, it can still remove the struggle by exhausting. Also invaluable for commiting 2 more powerful Characters to a story to deny the strength to defend against, and adding a struggle to refresh both.

3 x Faceless Abductor - Classic removal and doubt causing mischief maker with some strong icons.

2 x Lord Jeffrey Farrington - If drawn early and there are other options, this card sometimes makes it straight into resources, to be used in conjunction with Twilight Gate until the 2nd copy comes along. Does what he does and does it well.

2 x Carl Stanford - A key part of the deck, as his ability to slow down cost reduced Miskatonic rushes and recur the 10 spells makes him a card you want as early as possible, but also the prime target for removals once the opponent realises the power and 1 cost of re-curring Mists of Lethe and playing it. Dreams in Limbo is also a very powerful card if the opponent knows that you have it in hand.

3 x B.Ramsdale Brown - A secondary card that can bring not only Mists of Lethe and Dreams in Limbo back into the hand, but also start re-using Twilight Gate over consecutive turns.

3 x Master of the Myths - Blocker.

3 x Constricting Elder Thing - A Twilight Gate target for instant removals of cards like the Khopesh, Ice Shaft and Dimensional Rift, or can be used to clear others like Snow Graves and Flux Stabiliser for the turn it requires to play some cards out.

2 x Decrepit Wizard - The most powerful new disruption in the game, it can cancel any triggered effect that targets a Character, be it removal, insanity or exhaustion. Only too happy to sacrifice a Resource to cancel an effect that if played in story could drastically change the outcome, or to protect Carl Stanford or Ramsdale Brown. Also a cheeky way of putting early resourced cards into discard for re-curring.

1 x Silver Twilight Enforcer - A very nice Twilight Gate trick, this card reaches greater heights when combined with Mists of Lethe, to move a Character into his path of destruction, or away from it if they've tried to out combat him, leaving the others to the slaughter. Also a good story completing machine.

2 x High Wizard of the Order - Primarily a Twilight Gate candidate used in attack (but again can remove the Khopesh), though after a few turns it usually becomes quite beneficial to add the 4th Resource to a Domain to play this Character out, as chances are you'll be Sacrificing one at some stage with Decrepit Wizard anyway.

3 x Forgotten Shoggoth - Just an off chance card draw to hopefully shut down milling decks, being protected by Decrepit Wizard. Also this and the Enforcer look really neat together !! If milled out before the draw there is the opportunity of getting back from discard with Ramsdale Brown and a High Wizard play.




2 x Hanyatl's 1:9 - Support removal that can be triggered by Master of the Myths or Twilight Gate. Combined with the latter and Constricting Elder Thing you can bounce 1 support, destroy another, and have a nice Character for a phase all for the cost of 2.

3 x Mists of Lethe - In my opinion one of the most powerful new cards around, it can be used to both completely alter the results of a story phase, cause confusion and doubt, and also reduce the effectiveness of rushes and stacking Characters to deny refreshing, especially when used in conjunction with Cultist of the Key, Master of the Myths and Dreams in Limbo. It's 0 cost is an additional factor in creating surprises in story. If absolutely necessary you can also return a Constricting Elder Thing to hand for another Support bounce.

3 x Dreams in Limbo - A fantastic blocking card or can be utilised to waste cards like Daring Buju. Has proved itself time and time again for it's ability to completely halt a bid for Combing the Archives, and has allowed me to steal this and other stories I was previously losing on many occasions. Good defence against Black Dog as well for 2 successes.

2 x Calling the Williwaw - An excellent card in my opinion, it brings an added dimension to Support removal, and is a nice way of removing problems like Peter Clover, Y'Golonac, Glaaki, Descendent of Eibon, Master of the Myths and Black Dog etc.

3 x Twilight Gate - Although I've seen this card used primarily as a defensive trick, I wanted to make more use of it as an offensive one as with a Constricting Elder Thing play it is less susceptable to Flux Stabiliser, with cards like Lord Jefferey and High Wizard for their ability to bounce and provide Investigation icons. Defensively it combines well with Constricting Elder Thing and Silver Twilight Enforcer.

2 x Pushed into the Beyond - Cheap removal of cards like Nathaniel Peaslee, Alternative Historian and Prepared Alienist.

POSSIBLE MODS

Aka cards that almost made it, these added some further synergies to the deck, but unfortunately there is only so much space !


Initiation (TOotST) - A nice way of playing early High Wizards, this card proved just a little too situational for my liking, and sometimes resulted in a dead draw in a deck that otherwise has very little.

Dampen Light (Core) - Not a card I normally use, in this deck it performed quite well as with the amount of bouncing it contained, the possibilty of returning multiple cards to the opponents hand in a turn and then making it harder or impossible to replay them and recover in the following one was quite a powerful effect. Also a neat way of stopping planned Daring Buju / Expert Testimony plays which can sometimes be very easy to read.

Shadow Sorceress (TTotT) - Wish there was room for this one. But with its low skill and lack of Investigation it didn't compare to Carl Stanford or Ramsdale Brown, who can also return spells before the story phase as opposed to after it.

Knight of the Outer Void (TOotST) - An alternative to Twilight Gate for returning bouncers for consecutive turn plays, or Ramsdale Brown to clear his Fated tokens.

Yog-Sothoth (TKatG) - Again a card I would've loved to include as there is a nice Sorcerer count, but again a bit too situational and relied on the opponent using Character removals of their own.




And that's about it. So long for now folks !!!

Nice deck! Hope you hang in there and come back with new ideas, this looks real fun to play!

Just writing one article and then dropping is really bad form you know

this deck page is as good as any article on the front page

Thanks for laying out your thoughts on this deck. I always appreciate builders taking the time for that.

Decrepit Wizard (TKatG) and Forgotten Shoggoth (AtMoM) is a great defense against milling, wish I had thought of it. Now to find an anti-milling solution for the other seven factions . . . Thanks for the deck.