Syndicate has always been a bit problematic for me when it comes to deckbuilding, even though it's one of my favourite factions. The art, colours and many of the effects on cards just fit together and look great. Even though mono-syndicate rush/control strategy sounds appealing considering my love for the faction, but could i make something even stronger with mixing factions? So, what are factions that work together with syndicate well? Actually, any bits of information concerning the faction and it's playstyle are very much welcome, as i can't seem to figure out what to do with them.

My cardpool: Every card 3x except anything released september, which i will be getting next week.

My other decks: Cthulhu/Agency, Shub/Hastur, Yog/Miska, Order/Miska. Even though all those decks are highly tuned, they are on somewhat equal level and that's what i try to aim for.

Thanks

(Oh, and not full decklists please, i want to figure out those by myself )

I'm also interested in hearing ideas for a Syndicate deck. I have little to contribute so far since I've never played them outside of a very small Syndicate presence in my Shub/Syndicate deck. In there I took some exhaustion effects and inexpensive characters with Investigator to hopefully grab some extra success tokens while my Shub creatures protected them from Terror and Combat struggles.

I do plan on working on a Syndicate deck soon though, and maybe I'll come up with some thoughts worth posting.

Use the Silver Twilight bounce Characters and the ST Bartender who happens to be steadfast Syndicate. If you limit ST to 12-15 cards you can still include the uber-powerful but loyal "Panic" Syndicate card. However, if you have x3 of everyting it might be worth while to attempt a Mono build at this point. If nothing else it is a fun deck to play and has great synergy with many evasion cards. The major problem for Syndicate is a lack of removal or Payback (capitalized for literal ccg card) effects.

I used to have Order/Syndicate deck for a short while, mostly focusing on conspiracy card manipulation, but it turned out to be way too unreliable. Syndicate/Order that plays more serious character aggro strategies might work though, gotta look into that. Thanks Tokhuah

The other Syndicate deck i did some testing with once was based on skill reduction and Teargas/Crowbar shenanigans, but it ended up doing too much stuff at the same time and run out of Domains to drain. But, it sure was a fun deck!
Maybe someone more skilled in deckbuilding can look into that strategy and make it work, as it seemed rather powerful once it really took off. Too bad that happened rarely....

characters: 30

3 paul lemond

3 undercover security

3 government exorcist

3 unorthodox psychologist

3 repo man

3 extortionist

3 hard case

3 anarchist

3 triggerman

3 descendant of eibon

events: 14

3 a small price to pay

3 shotgun blast

3 low blow

3 intimidate

2 panic

support: 6

3 the seventh house on the left

3 gun runners club

heres an agency/syndicate deck ive been playing with here lately and its been working pretty well for me. its very fast and can just set all of my opponents characters down so i can go to the stories unopposed and win them in a few turns.

That deck looks really good, propably what i would go for if my agency cards weren't tied to Agency/Cthulhu deck. And also, don't like that faction combination for thematic reason.... xD

Too bad Syndicate can only stall, not force any sort of hard lock on opponent, so Syndicate/Yog mill will propably turn out to be a bit risky. Could still be interesting.... Then again, the yog conspiracy in the Conspiracies Of Chaos pack could just be strong enough effect to make Yog milling with Syndicate stall feasible strategy. Have to look into that once i purchase that pack.

oh come on! how can you not like the faction combination!?! cops and criminals have been working together for years

I was thinking of trying Syndicate/Hastur. Between the exhaustion and insanity your opponent should seldom have anyone to send to stories. No actual decks made up yet though.

Thematically I like the idea of gangsters joining up with a mythos faction, they seem like the sort of guys who'd be willing to make a deal for power.

kamacausey: Hehee, so true
But with just cops and mafia, it's missing the cthulhoid elements completely.....

Shangfu said:

You hit the nail on the head. The Syndicate (or Syndicate/ST) must use temporary control strategically to sleaze three stories before their opponent overpowers them. Playing this successfully requires you to seek heart pounding, suspense filled rogue strategies that to all outward appearances looks like you are on the verge of being crushed (becasue you will be on that edge the whole time). The thing is, Syndicate has amazing synergy in their events that set up unopposed story swiping as well as 2 lock support cards and the best support draw engine in the game. This makes a generally frantic strategy remarkably consistent. IMO, Syndicate generally has sub-par Characters but there is some good playability when in combo with the event/support power cards.

I am really forcing myself not to discuss specific cards because you mentioned that you want to build the deck. If you do want to look at certain cards (like events for example) let me know. I love Syndicate strategy discussions.

Yeah, Syndicate's characters are very mediocre. I kind of get the feeling from them like they were Agency Light. Lots of similar characters, but where Agency has raw hitting power, Syndicate is more versatile, though weaker also.

And yeah, it's that weirdness and sleazy tricks that appeal to me in Syndicate. There's nothing better than swiping the win from opponent just when he least expects it, with a very bizarre dirty trick of course!

Oh, and sure, no problem talking about cards or even combinations. I'm just not interested in readymade decklists to imitate without any thought, but rather build the deck myself according to my style.

There are few cards i'd like to discuss myself, but im at work now so have to wait 'till evening.....

Exactly, they're going to win by tricks rather than overwhelming force. A real "seat of the pants" sort of faction where you've got to be ready to wheel and deal your way to victory. Sounds like a lot of fun, but also a bit of a learning curve too. You don't need great characters if they're mostly running unopposed, and that's what you're looking to set up I think. Keep your opponent off balance by raiding his hand, exhausting his characters, and that sort of thing and sneak out your victories while he's distracted.

I'm expecting some more Asylum Packs to arrive today, and my wife's got bowling league tonight. So as soon as I can get the cards unpacked and organized I'll start working on putting something together from the newly enlarged card pool.

I just increased my collection with Conspiracies Of Chaos and Kingsport Dreams, so i'm gonna do some deck tuning also. Too bad Curse Of The Jade Emperor hadn't yet arrived to Finland.....

And i gotta say, The Seventh House On The Left sure sounds tempting! The cards ability is not even limited by Ancient One subtype, which is very rare for an effect like that.... ****, that's one scary house!
The other card i have been thinking about is William Bain. Would I be able to use that ability multiple times for a single exhausted card to fetch cards deep from the deck and filter out the ones i don't need? Here's the wording: "RESPONSE: After a character or a support card controlled by an opponent is exhausted, pay 1 to look at the top 2 cards of your deck. Put one or both on the bottom of your deck, and the rest back on top of your deck."

After this batch arrives I will still be missing: The entire Dreamlands cycle (will not pick up until they are reprinted in 60 card format), most of the Forgotten Lore cycle, and my 3rd copy of the Core set. The only Forgotten Lore pack I have so far is Spawn of Madness. Getting there...

I agree that 7th House looks like a good card. There's always some character that's more trouble than they're worth to take head on, Ancient One or not. Actually, Syndicate's exhaustion effects seem to have fewer restrictions than usual for cards - Low Blow works on any character as well. I used it the other day to sock Yog Sothoth himself in the gut and keep him out of the stories.

On William Bain, I think you can only use it once for each card that is exhausted. You can post in the rules subforum if you want to get the opinion of some of the more experienced guys but I think this is correct. In any event, you're paying 1 so you're typically going to be limited to using it only a couple of times in total anyway. You're still getting 3 icons and decent skill for a cost 3 character so he seems like a decent selection even if you don't use him ability that often.

I like his subtitle, "The One". Makes me think he's some sort of early 1900's Neo. If Yog Sothoth is "The Key and the Gate" - perhaps what they really mean to say is that he is the Matrix? If they ever come out with a character called Agent Smith, I'll know I'm on the right track

Hahah

Actually, i was wondering about that "The One" part also. Maybe i should dig out my old Kingsport sourcebook from the uncharted depths of my closets and read about him. Most of the other stuff on those cards was familiar. And yeah, i just searched through my syndicate cards and many of them really skip the usual targeting restrictions, which is cool considering that they are weaker effects compared to agency/Yog/Cthulhu kill/wound effects in most cases.

Ahhh, cool to talk about cardgames seriously again after a long while. Most of the people i play with just play to spend time and aren't interested in the deeper aspects of the games. ^^

Well, removing restrictions makes the card better than a similar card that does have those restrictions. I'm thinking this was intentional. The effect is smaller compared to destruction, etc..., so they buffed it in another way by making it apply to a wider range of targets. I think a number of effects are designed like this where the strength of the effect is counterbalanced by the broadness of applicability or the speed (as in icon resolution order).

Heh, I'm usually a minis gamer where this sort of discussion is maybe more typical? There you find a lot of discussions about judging the relative value of things based on many different factors and synergy with other things within the faction. Of course, in most minis games you can't mix factions like you can in Cthulhu which makes it a bit more valid here to compare cards from different factions than it is there.

I've also dabbled in a bit of game design so I like to think about game balance and game design stuff.

Well yeah, i also play miniature games (Warhammer 40k and Blood Bowl), but it has more to do with the people i play with rather than the game format. Back when i played MtG ages ago (Urza->Invasion), there was lots of deep conversations about decks and cards going on. It's just that i'm the only one among my friend group who is still enthusiastic about games. For everyone else it's usually just a way to pass time while chatting and having a few beers. It's not that i have a problem with more casual gaming, it's just not challenging enough mentally sometimes. Luckily my brother has plenty of background with this stuff so at least he has the skills to be a real opponent.....

But anyway, yeah, that theme of smaller effect with bigger target range seems like what's going on with syndicate, which nicely also adds to the factions versatility. And that's also one of Syndicate's key points, really awesome versatility and range of cards i think. They have plenty of cards in SotD and Dreamlands cycles for wide range of different game situations that are less common, making them somewhat more of a toolbox faction rather than a fully fleshed out powerhouse like some other factions. Good thing the newer AP:s have given Syndicate slightly more focus and usable cards.

Deck almost finíshed here, going for Syndicate/Order deck with efficient characters and plenty of effects to grab stories quick and sleazy. There is also a small portion of cards that can really focus on gaining stronger board control, if you make some good draws. Then again, each of those stronger board control cards are capable of other strategies too so they don't end up as dead cards too often. Have to just wait for the next AP to arrive in Finland to finish up the decklist.

My favorite 3 Syndicate support cards by cost:

1 - Bound and Gagged: Needs to be played with debuff cards like Torch Singer & Clover Club Bouncer. While it does not kill it prevents the Character from committing to stories, hoses triggered abilities, and in terms of valid targets it circumvents protections from kill/wound/insanity such as Invulnerability.

2 - Gun Runners Club: 3 cards per turn is super hotness! If you are running a rush deck your hand should always have less cards than your opponent. Plan B: use it during their draw phase after they just put 2 new cards in hand.

3 - Seventh House on the Left: Exhaust lock down with no targeting restrictions. Well worth the price. Side note: Imagine having the ST Barkeep out with the House...

Honorable Mention: Dutch Courage. My only problem with this card is that Cthulhu is very strong right now and booze does not stop destruction. Given the current meta I would rather be cautious playing Characters, holding back a few in my hand vs. that Agency board clearing wound event (at work, forget name of card).

Good note on comboing Bound & Gagged with skill reduction effects. Putting Bound & Gagged on a character is sometimes better than killing them since they can't be retrieved out of the discard pile and they don't trigger any death effects, say if they've got attachments or whatever. Blanking their text box can also shut down some good stuff.

I really like Dutch Courage too, it's a good countermeasure to all sorts of wounding events and of course combat struggles.

Gun Runner's Club may require you to play extra cards to make sure your hand stays smaller than your opponent, especially if you're drawing 3 per turn. I haven't tried it yet but I'm not convinced that this is always easy to maintain. Might need to look for other cards that help you cycle rapidly, putting extra stuff in play or discarding cards for different effects.

And I really need to get my hands on 7th House

I'm really liking Mr. David Pan from the new set......there are some interesting possibilities.

Whew! It took me until just now to finish sorting and reorganizing all my cards after the new stuff came in. Between this package and some stuff I bought recently but never put in the binders I had 11 Asylum Packs to deal with.

So, deck construction will be delayed until tomorrow...

My most recent favorite card from Syndicate is 'Like a Moth'. It's currently the only card in the LCG that reduces printed skill (and to zero to boot!).

Another good thing about Bound And Gagged is it's dirt cheap price, which gives it more versatility and makes it possible to be played first turn. And of course, hopefully opponent dropped their best cheap character first, which freezes his strategy for few turns. Brilliant card.

The new AP cycle also brought us Nassor the Ninja. Still on the fence if i should use him or not. Three Combat is great and the ability, although slightly weak, can be very useful in right situations. As for the negative, i think he's too expensive considering what his role in the deck will be. Then again, he IS a ninja and therefore awesome.

Like a Moth is a decent card. I started working on a deck last night and it was on my list but I've got too many Events so I need to trim some of them.

So, Nassor... Originally I thought he was a bit underpowered. At the time I'd only really been playing Shub and looking at Cthulhu and I was fairly used to characters having one icon per cost. This seems common in factions known for "strong characters" but it's not typical in Syndicate. Comparing him with other Syndicate characters, I think he's where he ought to be on stats and he has reasonable skill too. Actually, I rather like his ability. Your opponent has a bad choice to make. Either he loses a character that YOU picked (so it's not his cruddy cheap guy), or else he uncommits and you win the story which likely means he's losing some other character anyway since Nassor has lots of Combat and you can pick a guy with Combat icons for his ability. He seems especially suited for defense, where your opponent doesn't know where he's going to be committed.

So, now I'm thinking he's a reasonable choice. I'm planning on putting him into my Syndicate deck I'm building and trying him out, I'll report back how it goes.

Some other cards I liked:

Forcing the Truth. For a cost of 2 you can exhaust an enemy character AND ready one of your own. Nice 2-for-1 deal.

Kidnapping 101. In my mind, removing characters unexpectedly from stories is much better than simply exhausting them. If you exhaust a character, your opponent can plan to commit someone else or rearrange where he's going to commit. If you uncommit a character his plans were already made, and you're probably setting him up for a disaster where he's going to lose multiple struggles. This card also works on any non-AO character, there is no limit based on skill, cost, or whatever.

Danny O'Bannion's Crony. His stats are unimpressive. But who cares? In reality, he's not the crummy old Crony. He's whatever your best character is PLUS an extra Combat and Investigation icon. I expect him to be a superstar defensive character. My opponent commits, I turn him into whichever superstar mobster is best suited to counter, and away we go. Maybe even get a success token out of it. Hey, turn him into Nassor or another good defensive character while you're at it.

Fixer. Looking at this guy too. All I need to do is play any kind of Attachment (need to work out which ones to take, but Bound & Gagged counts) and then I can play him for cost 1. Just make sure you have at least a few Attachments in the deck.

I also use Kidnapping 101 in my deck and Crony almost got in. I started the deck with Clover Club Duo (Bouncer/Singer), Expendable Muscle and Triggerman, but other character choices are still pretty much open. What AP is Forcing The Truth from? Doesn't sound familiar.....