in the name of science

By COCLCG, in Call of Cthulhu Deck Construction

first go at making a mi-go deck. as usual, gotta be a little different !!

still see-sawing about the game so thought i'd just make a fun deck.

plenty cards in the wings, and plenty playtesting to do.

IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE
( Version 1.0 )

Dr.Carson x 3
Laboratory assistant x 2
Medical student x 2
Mad genius x 2
Ageless mi-go x 3
Harvesting mi-go x 2
Mi-go scout x 3
Mi-go surgeon x 3
Mi-go warrior x 3
Dr.Mya Badry x 2
Erin Moirai x 2
Mi-go observer x 2

Dr.Carsons treatment x 2

Abhorrent spore x 3
Mi-go brain cylinder x 2
Mi-go skull x 3
Atwood science hall x 3
Inter-dimensional transporter x 3
Mi-go laboratory x 1
Specimen room x 1
Scientific text x 3

*****EDIT ABOVE*****

playtested a few times and its quite fun !! was a little worried about khopesh but once a copy of ageless mi-go is down it becomes very poor economy for the wielder, especially if you have mi-go warriors / abhorrent spores as well. medical student absolutely loves the mi-go skull, becoming a 1 cost TAI character with the possibility of toughness.

liking how it is but the lure of shock transforming in mi-go observer is strong. need to decide which shub supports would go to make way for it as this will help with running out of hand cards as well if scientific text doesnt show up early enough. horrid mutation for some extra terror protection and as always some s.destruction would be handy, but i'm happy to just play as it is and see how it goes and how often the text is too late in arriving. nice not to be so serious about it all.

best scenario is a juiced up mi-go investigator with atwood science hall / mi-go laboratory and mi-go brain cylinder. a nice 5 - 6 card re-ordering………

STORYLINE:

In the deep recesses of the Atwood science hall, unscrupulous scientists have formed an unholy union with the ever curious Mi-go scientists to conduct mutual experiments on each others kind. Via an interdimensional transporter in the basement the Mi-go enter the mortal universe and here much is learned about the physiology and biology of their unique counterparts, filling textbooks and mi-go vessels to be scrutinied and examined, the obtaining of unwilling subjects no barrier for either in the cold calculations of progress. But sometimes the strain and conscience rending implications prove too much for the younger members of the Miskatonic science fraternity. Here Dr. Carson is ever on hand with his own brand of research to administer the counselling and procedures required to keep them focused on the breakthroughs being unearthed, and himself plumb the fascinating depths of the Mi-go psychology. After all, it is IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE…….

ok. been playing around with this all day ( as if you couldn't tell ), and the more i do the more apparent it becomes that it may in fact be semi-competative ( though i very much doubt it'll get to tournament level ). the initial idea ( which just happened to work with a wonderful theme ) was an initial misk. rush of sorts that grabbed a few successes and extra cards and gave the mi-go's time to build into a large and quite difficult force to kill. all the while Dr.Carson and the skull were to help with the terror problem.

it's going to be a tough one to nut out though with the supports. on one hand with the science hall / laboratory / specimen room / scalpel / scout, you can be supercharging mi-go's to around 8-10 skill with only a couple of these ( i'll have to work out which ones are best ) which is very handy with the brain cylinder. but you'd have to sacrifice the spore most probably. then of course there's shock transforming the observer or even sonje olsen onto the board. mad scientist MIGHT go for a quicker misk. character but is a nice terror buffer as well for additional successes ( and remember the THEME **** it !! ). i'm not too concerned with the mi-go guard and commander, as with the mi-go warrior and ageless mi-go ( probably the recipient of spores along with scouts for the investigation icons), i can take a few hits and concentrate more on the arcane and investigation wins. and of course i'd probably have to skew the theme a bit with changes like erin moirai for eryn cochwyn.

the idea will remain the same and think works quite well, as do most of the cards. some minor tweaking and i've got my very own version of a mi-go deck !!

thoughts ??

I personally think Mi-Go Warrior is the bottom tier of Mi-Go. Sure you can exhaust him to cancel wounds, but he doesn't give any Mi-Go any bonuses and his stats are pretty poor for his cost. As a character he leaves a lot to be desired, he acts more as a support card. I'd argue dropping it and adding more of the Mi-Go that provide bonuses.

Really nice deck. I agree with you, the Ageless Mi-go is a critical character to get out, as well as the Mi-go Skull; I think I'd wait for an Ageless Mi-go in hand before starting to play out characters, especially against a Cthulhu deck.

Somebody else expressed the fear that Mi-go could be the "netdeck" of Call of Cthulhu, since they synergize so well with each other and so naturally. I can see the point, but looking at this deck, I see a lot of room for effective play - both effective and ineffective sequences of cards.

ssjevot said:

I personally think Mi-Go Warrior is the bottom tier of Mi-Go. Sure you can exhaust him to cancel wounds, but he doesn't give any Mi-Go any bonuses and his stats are pretty poor for his cost. As a character he leaves a lot to be desired, he acts more as a support card. I'd argue dropping it and adding more of the Mi-Go that provide bonuses.

perhaps you're right there. it may just be a reflex addition from my pre abhorrent spore days !! as im playtesting ill just see if there are any opportunities where a key character gets taken out and i think 'gee i wish i had a warrior right now'. otherwise yes, guard may take the place. definately not caretaker though. with all the 1 skill misk. rushers i don't want to be too devastated by a yha'nthlei statue. plenty of time to play around so even the 3rd harvesting and a couple of extra misk. characters ( folklore professor x 2 ?? ) or just 2 warriors. problem is, i've run out of mi-go that provide all mi-go bonuses !! haha. guard is selfish, commander too expensive, caretaker too low skill. we shall see……

thanks for the reply and food for thought.

Runix said:

Really nice deck. I agree with you, the Ageless Mi-go is a critical character to get out, as well as the Mi-go Skull; I think I'd wait for an Ageless Mi-go in hand before starting to play out characters, especially against a Cthulhu deck.

Somebody else expressed the fear that Mi-go could be the "netdeck" of Call of Cthulhu, since they synergize so well with each other and so naturally. I can see the point, but looking at this deck, I see a lot of room for effective play - both effective and ineffective sequences of cards.

yup. shocking transformation is definately niggling to get in. very poor economy for an ageless mi-go but against a wounding deck invaluable, and just as good for mi-go observer. i think mi-go can be varied with a lot too. and you can't just say that there are ineffective sequences of cards and leave it at that !! - haha. which ones ?? so i can make room for shock transform / horrid mutation / mi-go scalpel. the specimen room and laboratory will probably go. just there for the 'theme' deck, as are a coupla other cards ( erin for eryn ). or have i misunderstood the statement ??

again, muchos thankos for the input !!

COCLCG said:

Runix said:

Really nice deck. I agree with you, the Ageless Mi-go is a critical character to get out, as well as the Mi-go Skull; I think I'd wait for an Ageless Mi-go in hand before starting to play out characters, especially against a Cthulhu deck.

Somebody else expressed the fear that Mi-go could be the "netdeck" of Call of Cthulhu, since they synergize so well with each other and so naturally. I can see the point, but looking at this deck, I see a lot of room for effective play - both effective and ineffective sequences of cards.

yup. shocking transformation is definately niggling to get in. very poor economy for an ageless mi-go but against a wounding deck invaluable, and just as good for mi-go observer. i think mi-go can be varied with a lot too. and you can't just say that there are ineffective sequences of cards and leave it at that !! - haha. which ones ?? so i can make room for shock transform / horrid mutation / mi-go scalpel. the specimen room and laboratory will probably go. just there for the 'theme' deck, as are a coupla other cards ( erin for eryn ). or have i misunderstood the statement ??

again, muchos thankos for the input !!

Yeah I abandoned the Specimen Room and Laboratory long ago, not enough utility compared to other cards. You can never go wrong with Y'Golonac. Whenever I make a Shub deck I just sort of assume he'll be in it. An underrated card that I think deals with those deadly Khopesh combos that make use of cards like Hideous Guardian or high toughness characters is Bast's Hunt. After one wound that character is finished.

same goes mi-go nose. usually y'golonac and bast's hunt ( my favourite khopesh killer ) are auto includes, and when i'm done actually maximising this deck instead of 'theming' it they may just make an appearance !! erin moirai may just stay if i include mi-go scalpel. on a scout, with atwood science hall and 2 other mi-go, you can max him out to 10 skill !! for the brain cylinder. truthfully though, not many mi-go supports are top notch apart from the transporter and skull. i've said it before and i'll say it again. i tend to see people get an idea ( like destruction and mi-go's ), and just go crazy with the cards associated with them. when selectively and efficiently picked, with an added faction that supports these 'fine tuned selections', they can be so much better.

btw. i'll also be including misinformation in the "real" deck. correct me of i'm wrong but Dr. Mya doesn't enter the story exhausted, and she's "free" of sorts. you can exhaust her with the misinformation, also for 0 cost, removing up to 3 success tokens from any story, before she pops back into hand. hell, i'd slit my own students throat at a story to use that one !!

its going to make for an interesting dichotomy in the miskatonic world. firstly the school of infirmary / professor of folklore to stop characters from being destroyed, and then the school of Dr. Mya / the new prophecy, which actively gains from characters being destroyed………

its also funny to note that this whole deck began with looking at the tomes iod and celeano fragments, 2 nice 1 costs which activate one after the other to draw 2 cards, discard one, then pull a miskatonic character from discard.

What I find funny is the Transporter, despite being great is inferior to most other cost reducers. Deep Ones and Serpents for instance have far better cost reducing cards.

The Skull is just nasty though. I especially love that it shuffles back in to your deck. It's also a nice way to turn Y'Golonac into a one character army.

yes, but most are unique ( devils reef , cult of bathos, etc ) whereas transporter you can have multiples of, so can play observers and commanders for cost 1 with all out ( unlikely to happen though ), or most others for cost 1 with 2 out. each has its benefits.

Some factions or types are supposed to have better discounts than others - it's just part of faction flavor.

The theme sounds pretty cool, and I like the tome combos. Erin is necessary for theme reasons no matter whether she's useful or not.

Depends on your meta. A permanent card that just cancels wounds is nice… but a permanent card that can cancel wounds and commit to stories when you need it to is a little bit better I've found. Sure it can be destroyed or sacrificed, but so can support cards. That added versatility makes up for the increased fragility in my mind.

So while he does not add to your Mi-Go engine he provides it a level of security that you would not necessarily otherwise have. 6 of one half a dozen of the other if you ask me on this front. Depends on the level of redundancy you have/need.

Now we’re getting somewhere…..

IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE
( Version 1.1 )

Dr.Carson x 3
Research assistant x 3
Professor of folklore x 3
Ageless mi-go x 3
Harvesting mi-go x 2
Mi-go scout x 3
Mi-go surgeon x 3
Mi-go warrior x 2
Dr.Mya Badry x 3
Eryn Cochwyn x 2
Mi-go observer x 2

Horrid mutation x 3
Misinformation x 2

Abhorrent spore x 3
Mi-go skull x 3
Inter-dimensional transporter x 3
Celeano fragments x 3
Forbidden knowledge x 2
The necronomicon ( al azif ) x 2


revelations cycle necronomicon

Nice deck, i like the thematic gran_risa.gif

COCLCG said:

Now we’re getting somewhere…..

IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE
( Version 1.1 )

Dr.Carson x 3
Research assistant x 3
Professor of folklore x 3
Ageless mi-go x 3
Harvesting mi-go x 2
Mi-go scout x 3
Mi-go surgeon x 3
Mi-go warrior x 2
Dr.Mya Badry x 3
Eryn Cochwyn x 2
Mi-go observer x 2

Horrid mutation x 3
Misinformation x 2

Abhorrent spore x 3
Mi-go skull x 3
Inter-dimensional transporter x 3
Celeano fragments x 3
Forbidden knowledge x 2
The necronomicon ( al azif ) x 2


revelations cycle necronomicon

Priestess of Bubastis is an alternative to Inter-dimensional Transporter as well. She's cheaper to play and her reduction can be used on at any time, not just on the first Mi-Go you play. Her other strength (and weakness) is that she's a character. Something to consider.

ssjevot said:

Priestess of Bubastis is an alternative to Inter-dimensional Transporter as well. She's cheaper to play and her reduction can be used on at any time, not just on the first Mi-Go you play. Her other strength (and weakness) is that she's a character. Something to consider.

thanks. always was an option, but then far too many 1 costs for my liking. yha'nthlei statue is bound to make a return people !! and relying on a 1 skill is noooooooo good. haha. i value the input greatly, but 6 x 1 skill is enough in any deck i think without making it suffer at the hands of the statue. Dr Carson and the research assistant have better abilities that are needed for this specific deck, but yes, Priestess is an awesome character and in most my shub decks.

thanks again!!

getting interesting…..

IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE
( Version 1.2 )

Dr.Carson x 3
Research assistant x 3
Professor of folklore x 2
Professor zeus x 3
Ageless mi-go x 3
Mi-go scout x 3
Mi-go surgeon x 3
Mi-go warrior x 3
Dr.Mya Badry x 2
Eryn Cochwyn (rev cycle ) x 3

Horrid mutation x 2
Thunder in the east x 3

Abhorrent spore x 2
Mi-go skull x 3
Inter-dimensional transporter x 3
Celeano fragments x 3
Dreamlore documents x 2
Forbidden knowledge x 2
The necronomicon ( rev cycle ) x 2

Dr.Badry may go for more mi-go but performing
quite well as it is. Heaps more playtesting and
refining though. Found a weakness in my skull
bearer being destroyed / bounced, but with so
many tomes and Prof. Zeus as the bearer, it’s
much more stable. Karen Marley an option too.

Mi-go Scalpel is a really great support card worth considering as well. It can act as a temporary Mi-go Skull and provide your characters with some terror support until you get a skull in play. After that it can provide whatever you need.

haha. no room at the inn !! so many cards i wish i could have and scalpel is one. thanks for the suggestion !! i think you'll find what i've got as my supports far more interesting……..

once people work out that the new eryn cochwyn sacrifices the tomes forbidden knowledge and necronomicon INSTEAD of the character to perform the action ( the tomes would be lost anyway ), and celeano fragments immediately returns the tome to hand, i think we'll be seeing this combination everywhere ( but you saw it here first !! - haha ). throw in dreamlore documents to activate every turn and name the most popular subtype in the opponents deck ( lunatics for insanity decks, attachments for khopesh decks, government for agency day decks etc ), celeano activates again to bring back a miskatonic character from discard to hand every turn you're not using it for another tome. with research asistant readying every tome activation to draw a card, and Prof. Zues paying 1 to return a tome, it's a nightmare of recurring tomes and miskatonic characters and cost increasing the opponents important cards and drawing cards. give Prof. Zeus the celeano fragments so he can't be targeted, if the support gets destroyed he can pay 1 to get it back etc. Dr. Carson to ready eryn cochwyn, if she gets destoyed, activate a tome and bring her back and it goes on and on. wow huh !!

and of course thunder in the east for snow graves……. which means for this crazy combo within combos within combos to work you need probably either shub or cthulhu. i hate cthulhu so its shub, and the mi-gos have become more a nice hard to kill combat / investigation / arcane force with potentials of terror ( again on professor zeus ), than the driving design. still a mi-go deck per se, but heaps different. i'm sure i'll experiment with dark youngs and other shub characters, but the miskatonic cards involved are my permanent concoction.

just put these cards together and you'll see what i'm blathering about and it'll make more sense:

Dr.Carson
Research assistant
Professor zeus - Celeano fragments
Eryn Cochwyn (rev cycle )
Dreamlore documents
Forbidden knowledge
The necronomicon ( rev cycle )

and musuem curator will prob replace professor of folklore. i dont mind sacrificing him and then bringing him back with celeano fragments to go tome shopping, sac, bring back, sac, bring back etc.

am working on a cthulhu version now, but it'll be the same as any cthulhu / misk version of this principle i suppose. serpents and recursion or deep ones and destruction ( along with the carpathian ). probably even more powerful, but soooooo ho hum - haha.

haha. has a weakness. strong against most decks but need to rework to patch the hole.