| From: | "Abadia, Teos" <Teos.Abadia@****.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Decks that Stand up against Bug/Thugs: Dirty Cops on Patrol |
| Date: | Tue, 19 May 1998 17:31:15 -0400 |
> end up being more threatening for the Nuyen than the thugs your
> opponent plays. This deck is the second of the two, and does okay
> against thug decks. It can freeze up certain criminal decks, and can
> be weak if an opponent plays the Crime Wave objective a lot or against
> decks with Sisko.
>
> Strategy Overview:
The story is that this deck is composed of a Lone Star group that is
secretly controlled by the Mafia. The Mafia is directing the runs and
calling the shots, which includes the incarceration of anyone that dares
oppose their crime syndicate.
The strategy of the deck is to put out Sisko, Louie, and Duncan, with
perhaps a Foxy Roxy for good measure. Locations allow for increased use
of the runners and can generate Nuyen with the mafia Shakedown. Other
runners assist with sleazing and add combat value. Black Market allows
for the use of otherwise expensive gear. Challenges and specials aim to
defeat the stronger thugs other players are using. The arrest nature
can really hurt a bug-thug deck, and the mafia-controlled shady manager
puts a lock-up on Nuyen and re-diverts it to your greedy hands.
Request for comments:
This deck started as an attempt to make it an all-Underworld deck. It
used to be, but I have since modified it heavily. Suggestions on
improving this deck, both for use against bug-thug decks and in general,
are appreciated.
Dirty Cops on Patrol (Also Known As Mafia-Backed Lone Star Deck)
> Size
7 plus 70. I usually remove a few cards, tailored to multiplayer vs.
single.
> Objectives (7)
Street Wars (X4)
Shadowplay
The Vault
Sucker Run
> Runners (19)
Sisko (X4)
Louie Da' Bruiser (X4)
Duncan (X4)
Foxy Roxy
Mendez (X2)
Tharsh
Scorpio
Mugsy
Static
Sisko is great due to the armor and the preventing of arrests. It
allows the Black Market to be risk-free, and lets you soak up lots of
damage on runs. With a few lone star HQ out, Sisko is also a force.
Louie is the muscle, but is not exploited too much except that the
strategy is to add a Katana and Doc Platinum so he can be the ticket to
taking an objective. When facing a bug-thug deck, this guy is critical
to let you have a chance and not just spend your time attacking the
other person's deck. Duncan and Foxy allow for automatic sleazing, even
if the opponents' fame has a pile of nuyen for pumpable challenges.
Mendez' skill is useful for fighting Yak decks, and he also gets the
Lone Star HQ bonus. I don't care for Ivan too much, so he doesn't make
a show here. Thrash is for cash only. Scorpio adds backup muscle and
skills, mugsy is the sacrificial lamb, and Static can be easily replaced
with someone more expensive if you think Shadowland will suffice or you
don't expect maglocks.
> Gear (11)
Doc Wagon Platinum (X3)
Katana (X2)
Dermal Plating (X2)
Muscle Replacement (X2)
Ruger Super Warhawk
Defiance Taser
In order to keep up with bug/thug decks, the gear is largely defensive,
and is expenisve but ends up being cheap with Black Market. The
strategy is to hold off on buying gear until Black Market is found, or
until you really need it. Defensive gear allows you to have fewer
runners in the deck and makes your runners almost as permanent as those
in a bug/thug deck. You might want to cheapen the deck even further by
replacing the Muscle Replacements with Barettas, the Defiance with
another Ruger, and one Doc Wagon with another card that suits your
taste. I haven't played this deck all that much, so ideas are welcome.
> Contacts (4-6)
Shady Manager (X2)
Squatter
Lone Star Sergeant
I find that more than one Lone Star Sergeant is nice, but not crucial.
Shady Manager becomes the key to beating thug decks when combined with
the arrests that will be made. Squatter gets you challenges when needed,
or gear/runners you really want. I usually increase my number of Shady
Managers to 4, in order to make sure that these come out against an
opponent. Come to think of it, I usually do this for the Human Ganger
Hate Deck as well.
> Locations (8)
Lone Star HQ (X4)
The Black Market (X2)
Shadowland
Lone Star Lock-Up
The Lone Star HQ are keys to this deck. They boost runners and
challenges alike. Black Market is also key, although the second is
redundant and is discarded or in case of Cherry Bomb. Shadowland is to
help with sleazing. Lock-Up is really a judgment call. Do you people
like this card? I'm not sure that I like it, but I'm still testing it.
> Specials and Stingers (8)
Shakedown (X2)
Lone Star Undercover
Long Arm of the Law (X2)
Lone Star Surveillance
Wanted
False Mentor
I sometimes increase Shakedown to 3 or 4 (usually removing a Long Arm),
as it can generate up to 7 Nuyen in this deck. Lone Star Surveillance is
good if your bug-thug opponent also likes Iron Lung or Dante's Inferno,
or you can play it on Lone Star Lock-Up, but then this tends to just be
an expensive way of not making people visit Lone Star Lock-Up (which
then begs the question why you paid for the combo in the first place).
Long arm of the Law is great for really tough thugs, but I have an
uncanny luck where whoever I play this card on ending up dying from
other reasons the next turn. Wanted is useful for removing a wounded
Skwraaark with a Louie. False Mentor can help if you get it early
against a bug/thug deck.
> Challenges (20)
Lone Star Patrol (X4)
Lone Star Beat Cops (X4)
Lone Star Crowd Control (X2)
Genetic Monstrosity (X4)
Pressure Plates (X2)
Yakuza Assassin
Steppin' Wulf Ambush
Runners on Retainer
Scatterbrain Raid
Lone Star HQ and Lone Star Undercover assist the chosen challenges.
Beat Cops helps tremendously, since it lets you choose the target and
you can get rid of expensive gear and force the player to pay for the
runner again. With Shady Manager, this can be a game-winning effect.
Crowd Control can be limited at the beginning of the game, but when it
shows up and you have Lone Star HQs, it can stop a few runs mid-game.
Genetic Monstrosity is okay, and can add a slow-down effect as the
player has to turn thugs twice to heal. Pressure Plates can end the run
and Yakuza Assassin is nice since the random runner might actually not
be a thug.
So there you have it. Two decks that attempt to make your runners
better than Stomper and Skwraaaaaaark through different tactics.
Comments and suggestions appreciated.
Teos.
http://www.duke.edu/~tsa1/Shadowrun/
