x3 in any Tau deck. This could bounce a tank or a many other heavy hitters.

I see you went all out to afford those Deathwing Terminators...here, let me put them back in your hand for you, LOL! 

It's also possible to use it to put cards back into your hand. For instance, if a DE attached Suffering to it or if you're at max damage for a Fire Warrior Elite. I'd be perfectly fine spending the resources so I could play the card again. 

It's also possible to use it to put cards back into your hand. For instance, if a DE attached Suffering to it or if you're at max damage for a Fire Warrior Elite. I'd be perfectly fine spending the resources so I could play the card again. 

I did not consider this. Even better.

None-elite units cost 4 at Max. So it is potentially a -2 resource difference to your opponent. Not bad at all, but conditional and certainly not "x3 auto-include every deck".

When you are facing down a Flash Gitz with Cybork and brutal that has 4 damage on it, you will regret not including this card in your deck. It can get you out of so many sticky situations. Sometimes it is only 1 unit that can turn the tide of a battle.

None-elite units cost 4 at Max. So it is potentially a -2 resource difference to your opponent. Not bad at all, but conditional and certainly not "x3 auto-include every deck".

Very unimpressive card IMO-- while there are times that this can be great, the fact that it is a Deploy Action and costs 2 really limits its effectiveness. At least you get 2 shields?

For everything mentioned positively so far plus with Fireblade, for a really crucial planet Tau can have seven 3-shield cards in deck. Yes, please. Theoretically if you run 3x Replusor Field, 3x Deception, and Command Drone of course. And I do run 2x Fireblade and have used him to great effect in the past.

Very good card, 4/5 for me. Mostly used as a Shield card but can be used in the lategame to round out the game.

The effect is perfectly delivered after opponent has passed. In other cases is a kind of resource choke. Or two shield for last stand. 2x if not 3x.

4/5

Could I use this card to pull a unit from my discard pile? And if not, why?

RRG, p. 8:

"In Play and Out of Play

Card abilities only interact with, and can only target, cards that are in play, unless the ability text specifically refers to an out of play area."

So, since the discard pile is not "in play," this event cannot pull a card from your discard pile because it doesn't say it can pull cards from your discard pile. 

Thanks!

Can be useful on your own units too! I had a situation playing Zarathur and had a mark of chaos played on an earth caste at a planet. Once that earth caste died it was going to wreak havoc at that planet (especially with zarathur there) so I deception him back to my hand. Swish!

Edit - i see this has been posted before! should probably read all comments before posting!

Except that Mark of Chaos says "when attached unit leaves play".  So pulling it back to your hand would have still triggered its ability.

Patiently waiting for Asklepios' thoughts because my mind is broken regarding this card...

Help me, Asklepios, you're my only hope!

You forgot the tag #ASKlepios

Patiently waiting for Asklepios' thoughts because my mind is broken regarding this card...

 

Help me, Asklepios, you're my only hope!

Ha, my opinion is noisy but often inaccurate. Federico, for example, got to the idea that Kith/chaos is better than Kith/eldar long before I did, and I often make the wrong calls on cards.

Deception, however is an interesting card.

One of the big things people miss on this card is its that its not about card advantage, but rather about board control and tempo.

In card advantage terms its poor: if you hit a 3 or 4 cost unit, then for sure, they're 1-2 resources worse off than you. However, you're also 1 card down, whereas they're card-neutral, so that's break even.

However in tempo terms its very strong: Tau decks play a LOT of low cost units, all the 1-for-1s, recon drones as well, the sig units if you're Aun'shi, and so on. Thus its very often the case that a lot of T1 decks will run themselves down to 2R left while you're still on 3 or 4 resources. Thats the time that you bounce their Honored Librarian, Blood Angels Veteran or whatever. That means they don't get that unit this turn, and that has a significant tempo benefit, giving you an edge this turn. Sure they can still play it next turn, but tempo benefit can really mess up an opponents plans. Suddenly the Planet 1 that was command drawn and which would have been a pain to defeat in combat if the warlord turns up becomes a command win for you, and a dangerous place for the enemy warlord.

This card loses a lot of power when you play against decks that have a high number of deploy delays, and is better when the opposing deck plays a lot of 3 cost stuff. So Eldorath and Cato, for example, can be set back a lot by this card on turn 1, but Zarathur tends to not care in the slightest: you'll likely not be in a position where you can stop him just deploying the unsummoned unit again straight away. Tyranids, who quite often spend 3 of their 6 resources on a Tyranid Warrior or Volatile Pyrovore, can be seriously disadvantaged when you play this card and are one of the easiest factions to deceive.

The other thing to consider with this card is the opportunity cost. Before HMD, it was a no brainer to run this as it was a necessary 2-shield card. Now, Shadowsun is probably going to do better with HMD, as he can use that as a shield then recurse it for effect with his ability. Likewise, Shadowsun Tau'va builds may prefer Repulsor Impact Field to either of those, because it attaches onto your own units. In Aun'shi, Kau'yon Strike is clearly the best 2-shielder out there, but I'd say Deception is the second best one. HMD is often overkill, as you can normally summon the Armourbane damage to kill most army units, and Impact Field is anergistic with a faction where your units often move to HQ after attacking. However, with Aun'shi a different opportunity cost arises: you know you're going to run 3 Kau'yon, 3 Orbital City, so how do you use your remaining slots? My own preference is the versatile package of 1 Even the Odds, 1 Ambush Platform, 3 Ion Rifles, 2 Promotions and pushing unit count to 33, as Aun'shi HATES losing battles because he was outnumbered, or missing out on battle abilities with Orbital City because he didn't have a chump unit there at end of battle. Meanwhile Shadowsun has more room in the deck because she's not running Kau'yon, she's not running Orbital Cities, and she only needs 31 or so units (in my mind). 

So actually, while on the face of it, Deception favours Aun'shi more than Shadowsun, my own builds go 0x in Aun'shi, 2x in Shadowsun. Having said that, I'm equally inclined to replace those with 2x Even the Odds, or even 2x Repulsor Impact Field.

Critical here, however, is your overall deck shape. If you want to be playing a super-shield heavy game that doesn't mess around much with Supports, then you will probably be taking three of these. Few warlords can stack up useful 2-shielders like Tau can, and a Shadowsun deck that turns down Ambush Platforms could actually afford to run 3 Deceptions

That was an utterly brilliant, balanced, and intelligent analysis.

Thanks very much, I hope this helps other players as much as it did me!

Well, I am utterly brilliant, balanced and intelligent.

Sometimes I can't understand why I keep losing to Jeermaster and Kingsley...

Federico, for example, got to the idea that Kith/chaos is better than Kith/eldar long before I did, and I often make the wrong calls on cards.

 

I've done Kith/Chaos ever since rotten plaguebearers were released, and it is awesome.

None-elite units cost 4 at Max. So it is potentially a -2 resource difference to your opponent. Not bad at all, but conditional and certainly not "x3 auto-include every deck".

Hello, 2 shields anyone? I will always put 3x of great, but conditional, two-shield cards, like Dakka.

I've done Kith/Chaos ever since rotten plaguebearers were released, and it is awesome.

Heh, I run Kith/Chaos but I don't use Plaguebearers in any deck save Zarathur. A Tim-for-1 is mediocre value at 2R. A Tim-for-2 is amazing. The 2-cost unit slot in Kith/chaos is competed for by a lot of great options, and 6 of those slots are taken up by the 2-for-2 command plays. Ultimately, I'd much rather have a Bloodied Reavers or Hellion Gang than a Plaguebearers in that deck.

Hello, 2 shields anyone? I will always put 3x of great, but conditional, two-shield cards, like Dakka.

Apologies for saying so, but absolute rules like that are a bad idea. There's always an opportunity cost in the deckslots. For example, in Eldar, Empower fills that niche, but not everyone runs three of them. In Space Marines Storm Bolter doesn't always make 3x, nor Iron Halo. There's a small gang of 2-shielders that often don't see play out of Astra Militarum. 

Deception is in that category of "worth considering", along with cards like To Arms, Storm Bolter, Empower. Its not in the category of "almost always 3x" like Gift of Isha, Drop Pod Assault, Preemptive Barrage.

Agree with pretty much all of the above (from Asklepios). From my side I just highly rate this card as it fits my play style, along with it being good value and two shields. Ultimately your first win condition is securing planet battles, and this can so often turn a first planet battle your opponent thinks they have nailed down into a win for you. It's really only weak against ambush, and there's only a handful of cards to watch out for with that.

Apologies for saying so, but absolute rules like that are a bad idea.

It was more just a hyperbole. I do run Tau decks with only one copy sometimes.