It seems like no-one is building decks any more, or at least not posting them. I suppose since I play the game daily I have more reason to experiment with the cards, and thankfully have a small select group of regular opponents who abhor the meta-game, and enjoy building decks less commonly regarded as 'the in crowd', and finding certain ones that give even the most powerful of decks a run for their money (entry to the club is burning a Marcus Jamburg card - haha - though I'll settle for a Y'Golonac or Nodens). I'm also not interested in the tournament scene I've found, or the ideologies of its people, so really have nothing to 'keep secret', and so am quite happy posting my ideas.

This is the current deck that I'm enjoying greatly for it's unconventional approach (though touching on some popular strategies) and having a fair degree of success with. It may well be the most synergy that I've packed into a single deck, with lots of cards working independently but also with other cards in the deck. It took a while to get the mix right, and it's still in the production stages, but here it is none-the-less.

CRIMINAL GENIUS

3 x Alternative Historian
3 x Professor of Folklore
3 x Brazen Hoodlum
3 x *Lady Lu Chu
3 x *Lucas Tetlow
3 x Seeker of the Profane
3 x Anthropology Advisor
3 x Lookout
2 x Chess Prodigy
3 x *Aliki Zoni Uperetria
3 x *Mr. David Pan

3 x Binding
3 x Strung Up!
3 x Naval Tactics

3 x Parallel Universe
3 x Atwood Science Hall
3 x Gun Runner's Club

I guess I'll just give you a run down of the cards and what they work with, as at face value it doesn't seem like much of a deck I suppose.

Alternative Historian - One of the Terror protectors foremost, but handy to stop opponents refreshing as well. It works quite nicely with Gun Runner's Club as by reducing your hand below the opponents by discarding, it opens up the opportunity to draw another if it wasn't already possible.

Professor of Folklore - For protection of course for some of the more pivotal cards and also for successfully defending a story where you might otherwise die beforehand. A fairly standard staple. Cost 2 Skill 3.

Brazen Hoodlum - A great card for this deck. Not only does it render Master of the Myths relatively impotent, but also effects popular cards like Carl Stanford, Dreamlands Fanatic etc. and very useful with David Pan and Parallel Universe. The beauty is revealed when combined with Binding. Cost 2 Skill 3.

Lady Lu-Chu - What a gal ! A one stop massacre shop, and the fast is very important when faced with other Characters of equal Skill. Cost 2 Skill 3.

Lucas Tetlow - Not much to say. A card I'd be happier without as it doesn't really suit the style of the deck, but what Miskatonic deck will be without him these days. Very handy in some situations.

Seeker of the Profane - Annoying !! Through various combinations and initial Skill, Lucas Tetlow is the ONLY Character who can't reach the 3 Skill barrier. Great against those high Terror but low Skill opponents and one of the big cards in this deck.

Anthropology Advisor - Mainly included for the extra Investigation icons for combining with Atwood Science Hall, but as all the Miskatonic Characters are Investigators (except Lucas Tetlow - again) also nice for cost reductions.

Lookout - Just a nice non-unique Character with a good anti-Nodens ability (as the opponent Responds to played Characters before the player of said Character).

Chess Prodigy - Some more Terror protection basically, but also one of the rare AND useful non-unique Miskatonic 3 Costs. Fast again is handy.

Aliki Zoni Uperetria - Loving this Character. A lot of the times it forces the opponent to play any tricks before you commit, thus giving you a broader picture of what's going on. When combined with Seeker of the Profane, it can cause some real nightmares for the opponent.

Mr. David Pan - As a part of the deck revolves around Skill and it's manipulation, this card is a given. Although useful and a popular strategy for Syndicate, I've tried to make this deck perform quite happily without it.

Binding - Just a great card really. Not much more to be said.

Strung Up! - Combines with a few other cards to be potentially turn breaking. Lowering Skill to 2 for when Seeker of the Profane is about. Lowering Skill to 2 (or 3) for the use of Naval Tactics. Lowering Skill at stories where David Pan or Parallel Universe are in play.

Naval Tactics - A nasty nasty card, especially when combined with Strung Up! With Atwood Science Hall in play, a lot of Characters reach the Skill 4 or 5 bracket, thus enabling the use of this card against 3 Skill Characters quite effectively (or Skill 4 with Strung Up!).

Parallel Universe - Neat trick !!

Atwood Science Hall - Does what it does. Increases a lot of Characters Skill for the various applications listed above.

Gun Runner's Club - The bane of such low cost decks is running out of cards to play ! As a lot of the Miskatonic card draw abilities come with the Loyal tag or low Skill, then this seemed the most logical solution. Also gives the opponent a few more Supports to have to choose from if destroying.

Problems with the deck would be targeted insanity. So far simple Terror struggles haven't really been of concern if I'm careful and save the right cards for the right occasion. It's not easy mixing Miskatonic I've found. I don't really use them much, but making this deck really put to the front how mono they are, with a majority of their effects being solely for use with Miskatonic Characters. BUT. I'm happy with the way it is turning out. Not groundbreaking, not super powerful, but definately not wholly meta either, and for me, that's where skillful and intelligent deckbuilding lies.

I also have another version with no Supports, for those scared of the Displaced Chthonian, swapping such things as Gun Runner's Club with Obsessive Insomniac, but since Shub is virtually a no go zone in my group, this is the version I play the most.

Changes that may be made are things like a couple of Dutch Courage's making an appearance, and another is making the opponents Domain hassles even more excruciating with an Itinerant Scholar / Safe House combo. Whitton Greene would be nice but the Unique quota is basically full of Characters more important to the overall deck strategy. We will see. Any PRODUCTIVE and NON-JUDGEMENTAL comments will be appreciated !!

Oh. I forgot. Another version replaces 1 x David Pan and 1 x Lookout with 2 x Peter Clover. As most opponent Characters that can bypass the Seeker of Profane will be high Cost, this one is fun to play as well. Though it doesn't seem to run as consistently, further playtesting may prove to the differ.

CRIMINAL GENIUS (alt. version 1)

3 x Alternative Historian
3 x Professor of Folklore
3 x Brazen Hoodlum
3 x *Lady Lu Chu
3 x *Lucas Tetlow
3 x Seeker of the Profane
3 x Anthropology Advisor
2 x Lookout
2 x Chess Prodigy
3 x *Aliki Zoni Uperetria
2 x *Peter Clover
2 x *Mr. David Pan

3 x Binding
3 x Strung Up!
3 x Naval Tactics

3 x Parallel Universe
3 x Atwood Science Hall
3 x Gun Runner's Club

As a further note, this deck was developed from a Miskatonic / Shub-Niggurath creation of mine, which revolves around the Domain denial which can be seen above. I am loathe to play it though as it contains a degree of Shub-ness that, as stated, no longer holds any respect in the circles I play within. Basically it revolves around the usual Domain ramping to put into play Er'nrawr, who along with Itinerant Scholar (returned with Corrupted Midwife), Seeker of the Profane and Aliki Zoni Uperetria (all of whom can be brought forward from the deck), do a fairly decent job of denying the opponent the amount of Domains needed to launch a successful attack or defence. I'll try to dig it out of my files to post here at a later date, but it is quite ruthless and no fun to play or play against. Feel free to rip it off and use it in the tournaments though. Wouldn't be the first time - haha.

My general take (related to your shub/miskatonic deck) is that Er'nrawr is generally not very good at domain denying, since his action takes place before the refresh phase. So in the late game/as long as your opponent has expendable characters he's not gonna be that useful (with regard to his ability at least).

True true. But in my experience there is no such thing as an 'expendable character', especially in a tough match. And if you're willing to sacrifice a Character each turn (at no extra Cost) in a game where other cards are effecting your ability to play more characters (ie. Itinerant Scholar), then you might find yourself in a bad position.

The answer for the deck itself was quite easy in the form of Jaguar Warrior, who could take the wound and bring the next one forward from the deck, as well as the toughness Ghouls (also high Skill for Seeker of the Profane) and Doctor Bancroft (turning Er'nrawr's passive into a boon).

I may have to ask about the timing as well. The Refresh Phase IS the beginning of a players turn, as well as the first 'window box' for anything to take place, and I'm wondering if the refreshing of Domains etc might be akin to the ultimate passive effect and take place before any other passives. There is reference in the FAQ that there should be an END OF TURN 'phase' that is another added grey box, but no such referral to a START OF TURN 'phase' (I think), ergo, Er'nrawr's passive has to take place in the Refresh Phase. I dunno. I may be misinterpreting the fact all effects need to happen within the phase structure.

Anyway, forget I mentioned the Misk / Shub deck (as I don't use it anyway), this post is about the Misk / Synd deck !! Any thoughts ??

yes. well. Peter Clover just saved my hide and won me a match, so i suppose he's here to stay. haha. not happy with losing the Lookout or David Pan though so need to look into a bit of a shuffle.

BUT.

i'm a hair's breadth away from declaring this forum 'officially dead'. 80 views and not a single response to the deck itself is simply not good enough. just because its not a meta monkey deck doesnt mean that it doesnt have some merit, and it's actually really fun to play. but it seems that if its not super powerful and boring as hell then it doesnt rate a mention. perhaps not. but evidence is to the contrary.

Looks interesting.

Especialy naval tactics (this deck looks a bit like the it was build to make this card usefull… i kinda though of it as a useless card)

Havent played CoC recently, too much Netrunner and friends that introduced me to CoC stopped showing up in my gaming club becouse they have less time for games currently

[i wouldnt post this kind of post normally, but since you dont like the silence ]

well wickiddy gee willikers !! its alive !! (momentarily).

yes. you would be right in assuming that a lot of the deck idea was to make Naval Tactics useful, and it REALLY is. there are soooooo many cards and decks that people seem to overlook because i suppose they don't dedicate the amount of time to the game that i do (which isnt necessarily a bad thing - haha) and won't give the time of day because they don't look meta enough. i tell you what though, this deck has beaten the Worlds deck on par, sometimes quite easily, especially with it's Skill and ability to stop Nodens effect and uncommit Y'Golonac EVERY time. though of course it has also lost quite easily sometimes as well, but it's certainly competative against it (and i'm referring to the non Support version here - just as good, a LITTLE harder to resource manage, but not as fun against my normal opponents).

in fact i'm having such joy and success playing this deck that it has really surprised me how well it works that doesnt show on paper. i've found that with Peter Clover it creates so much doubt in the opponents mind it's unbelievable. will he be able to uncommit me ? (and the chances are good with only 17 x 3 Costs). what if he has a Parallel Universe in hand ? which struggles might he cancel with the Historian ? which icons might he blank ? and Aliki and Seeker of the Profane are working wonders, particularly in the tricks and Master of Myths / Black Dog department with Aliki. tons of fun !! the thing i'm also liking is there is no particular Character that stands out as the biggest threat. there are 3 or 4 that really can effect the game.

thanks for the unnatural post mr. Zephyr, you have made my day.

and Lookout rocks, but i've used him before and we probably already know this. there's no better all-purpose Master of Myths / Logan / Nodens / Under the Porch etc blocker in the business.

an honorable mention also goes out to Brazen Hoodlum, another MoM wrecker, who has proved invaluable in the Skill based struggles and hampering of non-combat oriented Characters, making the opponents comitting woes even worse.

Naval Tactics itself has shown some additional promise when paired with Anthropology advisor (who grants un-printed Investigation icons for those that don't realise), sneaking the odd success here and there and even winning a story or 2 in the opponents phase. it's also very nice as a 0 Cost Black Dog blanker.

and lastly (for this post anyway), i'm about to start trialling with a couple of Restless and Wary's, which will give me the opportunity of committing big into Skill based struggle Stories if need be and then refresh all the Characters for the opponents turn. we shall see !!

COCLCG said:

Peter Clover is probably one of the best cards for Synd. right now with all the AO heavy decks in the environment. He is very good.

The Naval Tactics idea is interesting - I've never really considered a Syndicate/MU deck, though it seems a little too inefficient both against big characters (since opponents may not have the same scruples as you regarding using Shub), and in terms of cards/resources because it will usually take 2 domains with at least a couple resources to combo for any significant board advantage.

true. and true again.

Peter Clover IS good. VERY good.

like all decks, games basically come down to luck. Naval Tactics is definately not the be end and end all of the deck, merely a nice trick. i've won many games without even seeing one. big guys are just not a problem IF i get the right draw, and cards like Peter Clover and Binding help in this situation. i suppose the main way of beating the big guns (if i don't remove / blank them) with this deck is take out all their low Cost / low Skill support Characters. Naval Tactics is VERY good at this, along with Seeker of the Profane. and AO factions have the pleasant drawback of a lot of 3 Cost 2 Skill Characters.

i fully realise that i will face a lot of Shub (and already have - it's everywhere), and AO decks. so far so good against these, and i'm winning at least half of these bouts, if not a little more, including against the Worlds deck and it's like, which just shows that it is simply the day and the draw which would decide, as it always does. again, it doesnt look like much on paper, but once you're wielding it with a bit of experience, it really starts to shine.

anyway, like i said, i'm just REALLY enjoying this deck, win or lose, as its got the stuff to whip the high and mighty's in ways that leave them gawking, and apparently in ways that not many have thought about. and that's exactly what i want to hear !! haha.

you are right in that to fully appreciate Naval Tactics you need a couple of Domains to combo with other cards, but when you see the devastating effect of Strung Up! and Naval Tactics together, it's freakin awesome. if not prepared for, it can mean all opponents of Skill 3 or 4 (if Atwood is out) are ripe for destruction (or insanity with Skill based struggles), and if Peter Clover is there to uncommit anyone bigger, and / or Seeker of the Profane to stop Skill 3 from even committing at all, then that can amount to an undefended story line up and quite possibly game over. so it's a card i'm definately going to include for this opportunity.

thanks for the comment, its certainly applicable, but don't write off Naval Tactics just yet - haha.

oh. just to add, it was the fact that i'd never really considered a Misk / Synd deck either that made be build it. i've built possibly every combination of factions and tactics you can dream of, till it got to the point where i was in a bit of a rut, suffering 'deck builders block', and thought about what faction mix was the most unseen and rare. i'm pretty sure this might be one of the top mixes in that department. and so the deck was born !!

Don't give up.

I still like your ideas, but your 'Chimes of Bedlam' was quite a better deck, which would surprise most opponets off foot, although a friedn of mine use s that recursion in combination with an investigator deck.

For example, on the basis of your 'Monster Mash' deck I created an 'Ancient One Mash' (because Monster are so 2012) deck..

Give me call, anytime.

Cheers,

your friend the friendly dingo.

once again i cannot argue with that reply, which is much appreciated my friend.

competatively speaking, 'Chimes of Bedlam' is a far better deck, but as far as i'm concerned it's simply lame and i don't enjoy playing it at all, as it doesn't stimulate me mentally, nor do most decks i see in the competative scene. same old same old repetition of the same old cards to win the same old way. yaaaaaawwwnnnnn. but, if trophies mean that much to you, then i suppose that's the way you win them. it's just not my style.

as i mentioned in my Regionals report, i'd much rather go with a deck like 'Criminal Genius' (if i went at all), a deck that CAN but not necessarily DOES beat the big meta decks, even if i do sacrifice my chances for the title, which i know would be good otherwise. it just doesn't mean that much to me to do so with disregard to my self-respect, or the respect of my peers (most of which you won't see at tournaments anyway), which is ENTIRELY my own opinion.

and the looks on the 'big boys' faces when i pull some sneaky goblin trick to win the match with my little piss ant deck is priceless, and i feel like i've earned the victory through my own merits and ingeniuty, not relied on some power play or combo or a couple of cards to do it, which requires no real intelligence at all, just a good draw. and building such decks doesn't prove much in the smarts stakes either. 'Chimes of Bedlam' was easy. pick a power card (HAMU), and throw in some insanity and the cards that revolve around it (though the Master of Amulets combo does incite some degree of pride). i just build these decks because i can, but i'd never use them in competition (nor in my regular circle really, who simply groan in boredom if you dare pull them out, making you feel about _this small).

i thank you heaps for the encouragement, the comment, and the justification of my efforts.

i apologise once again for giving away my 'secrets' without consulting you first - hahahaha.

keep it up buddy. best of luck in the forthcoming Regionals !!

IN FACT:

in a vain attempt to inject some decks of actual interest into this years Nationals, i am offering up the small prize of my 2012 Australian Nationals playmat to anyone who can win a National with a mixed faction 'Investigator' deck (ie. Misk / Agency / Synd / H.o.s.t). let's call it 'The International Johnny Award for Excellence and Innovation in Deckbuilding' - hahaha. if i had more to give then i would, and if on the off chance i make it big this year, then i'll even throw in some cash (i'll let you know - haha). i really doubt this will change anyone's perception, but, i'm willing to try anything to rectify last years abysmal results. what say you ??

hell, i'd even consider giving it to someone who reaches the Final with such a deck (if it impressed me). if you say it simply can't be done, then that only proves a lot of what i'm saying about how boring and predictable the 'meta' is !!

but please, go ahead and take the challenge. even if you don't win, at least you'll have proved that you're not just another talentless meta monkey (and there are those who will respect you for it). hee hee hee hee heeeeeeee.

_{DISCLAIMER: depending on the extremely off chance that FFG pulls their finger out and releases another 'Investigator' Faction box pre-Nationals that reveals some new and boring way to win with the use of a set series of cards, then the prize conditions may change to reflect this (by simply renouncing the new 'power play'). this in no way will effect the prize being given to a deck that deserves it and at this time no such condition is in place with the card pool as it stands. after all, this is 'The International JOHNNY Award for Excellence and Innovation in Deckbuilding', and it would not serve to be awarded to a common and prevalent 'strategy' that makes use of any new over-powered combination. any such changes will be announced pending such an unexpected release.}

Karzinom Engel said:

also, its funny you mention that. 'Chimes of Bedlam' was actually the by-product of a Misk / Hastur deck that i'd built previously titled 'Madness in Atlantis', and i presume he probably uses a similar version to that deck.

Yes, he does.

But 'NPiT' makes a short play of this rush deck… My current deck is immune to most of the restricted card effects.

But like I wrote in one of my first mails to you, it doesn't matter what you think, your enemy would actually do/play.

The assumption itself is already pretty much wasted energy, because you'll never know what your oppent is gonna do/play. It just a construct in your head.

Just push your play throughn to a degree.

That's the main lesson I learned from board/card/videogames/or whatever in the last 30 years.

On a side note: I give lessons in game history for a living, so I know what I am talking about.

You should really try out the revised 'NetRunner'. Small card pool, few errate, lots of possibilities.

Behind ya', a three head Cthulhu!

Danigral said:

I take it back. I had forgotten that I messed around with the idea of success token manipulation, and I put together this deck idea using Syndicate and MU . It ended up being pretty much , but I still think there's something in that idea, probably having something to do with Hack Journalist, Academic Obfuscation, and Mad Scientist, and maybe Scandal. Apparently, there's only so many success tokens you can manipulate before you actually have to start worrying about getting some for yourself. Go figure.