You all know the combo. It has 4 moving parts, two of which you can summon/build for.

You need:

Viper (character)
one influence outside the agenda
a nest of vipers (event)
no use for grief (event)

I was playing the deck the other day, and my starting hand had NUfG and NoV in it. Essentially the only 2 hard parts to get. I drew into a summer sea, and summoned with my plot for the red viper.

I was able to get viper, a summer sea, a street of steel, and an orphan into play first turn. Viper died to first military challenge, and I played NUfG, and won the game during my challenges. Because of the way responses work, I was able to play NoV after viper died, and trigger the dorea i put into play from NUfG as well. When it was my turn, I sent 3 challenges and claimed 21 renown and won.

I understand it has a couple parts you need to find, but its not unreasonable to think you can win first or second turn quite often. Even if the other person is smart enough not to military, I can still valar second turn to trigger NUfG.

Thoughts? Is it inconsistent enough to not be too powerful? It essentially makes it a combo that can win the game nearly instantly.

The No Use For Grief/Dorea Sand/Nest of Vipers combo seems like a glass canon without the glass part.

I think it's a very 50/50 deck. IF all the parts hit, then it is very hard to come back from for your opponent. Martel has enough denial cards to keep trying to hit for the combo in later turns. However, if you are playing against a bad matchup. You can not win. A greyjoy cancel deck ruins your day. A power rush with Power of Blood, ruins your day. Wildfire Assault doesn't end the game but does serious damage to your day. If you don't draw your combo, you can do fine, but your win percentage drops to below 50%.

Until you can search for an event this deck isn't a sure fire win. Good, but not unbeatable.

All that being said, I got wiped off the board on a turn one trigger that I didn't have anything in hand to deal with it and it was ugly. I'm ok with combo decks that aren't a sure thing.

I've tried out the deck, and it definitely seems to be very reliant on getting everything lined up. I had the influence and No Use for Grief in my opening hand, got out the Viper, let him die, and went to town, bringing out every Sand Snake I had. And I held on for quite a while, but I never could get A Nest of Vipers out, and I was never able to seal the deal. I think it's a fun, Shagga-y deck, but I doubt it's reliable enough yet.

Maybe you should point out to your enemy that it was his military challenge that allowed you to play this combo on turn one.

michaelius said:

"You did this to yourself!!"

Sounds like a fun deck to be sure, but I still think someone would be crazy to bring it to a competative tourney.

I'm fine with it. If you can get a four card combo off and blitz to a win - more power to you. I prefer my rush decks to eb a littl less effect relaint - but if thsi works for you; all to the better. Things liek this need to eb in the game - i'd rather see things like this then more kneeling or icon denial.

michaelius said:

I can still valar second turn to trigger NUfG, as I said already. Its a little slower, but still achieves the same result.

I will tell you on wednesday if you are there.

The problem I see with it is that if you can't put the pieces together and win on the Round you pop all the Sand Snakes out, you won't win period. The deck is really susceptible to certain control decks; Targ burn is going to have a field day with you when TftN gets played, even a few burn cards will END your character base since you've put most of your deck into play all at once. A Dragonpit in play with just a single Forever Burning in hand and you're done.

~Sounds like an NPE to me. After all, it's Martell right?

And anyway, NPE is an accolade. If your opponent has fun playing against your deck, you're doing it wrong.

Fieras said:

You would need some trigger for Nest of Vipers then

Seems to me that Wildfire Assault might be a better idea for such a deck than Valar. Better stats and more effective way to kill the Viper, even if you had attachments / duplicates to protect him till the combo, if you were forced to play him in order to buy yourself time. Sure, your opponent might keep three characters in the game, but so do you. And you can always turn those characters into SS with Blood of the Viper. I 'll have to test this out.

That, and your opponent can't save your Viper with the Iron mines.

I think it is a great deck - if it goes off it goes off if it doesn't then it loses. All the power too you. Every game needs a deck that can pump first turn wins inconsistently. Keeps you on your toes.

Ratatoskr said:

This is a very good point.

Mathias Fricot said:

Also a good point.