As the title says. We’ve got the new factions and now the newest pine box changing the environment up. How have they changed your decks? Are you running either of the new groups or the new outfits? You feel like there’s any breakout cards so far?
Also curious how folks are feeling out the new Kings.
Well, from what I’ve played, Abraham’s Crusaders looks like the solution to the demand of LD players of having some influence on their blessed. Now you can start with Andrew Burton and the Rev. and if you pack some miracles you can have enough influence to keep going.
Debbie looks impressive, but then, every deputy of 6GR is also pretty good and all of them have the same weakness.
I haven’t tried to build anything around the new sheriff, placing bounties is quite hard with anything but the basic outfit. You could start the Exp1 version but I don’t feel it’s worth all the trouble.
Honestly, I really have a hard time making ‘good’ decks until I’ve seen a few that work. I looked at EW, and I just couldn’t see it. I just didn’t understand what the heck they were supposed to do. Then I watched a few games of dominating both the resolution of the shootouts, the card advantage pulling the necessary tools for the win, and even some movement tricks to complete the chess game, and I was floored by what I didn’t see coming.
This set, again, I just don’t know. I know Den is extremely strong at pulling higher hand ranks, but I have to wonder if cheatin’ resolutions will shut them down. I know Crusaders can grant hard bullet bonuses to dudes with blades, and influence on the 0 influence blessed dudes, and deputy combos, but the difficutly of the miracles vs. the blessed skills, and the values seem to be all over the place, I just don’t can’t figure them out. Sanitarium, looks nice, but at the cost of income and card cycling, or town control and income. It’s aggressive, and I’ll probably be very surprised when I play against it, but it personally doesn’t feel complete. The best I’ve come up with is a possible crane slide. Using home ability for influence, and pulling quarantine jobs for control points and attack.
Overall, lots of exciting cards, but I’m honestly having a hard time fitting them into decks, or making new decks with them.
I was not yet able to play more than a couple of games with the new cards but I built 3 new decks from scratch with the new outfits and a lot of other cards complemented my existing decks very well. Emre and the new Tao action changed my Bandits deck to 2/3/5 and the new Eagle Wardens Spells and Dudes are very powerful, although I have not yet played with the new cards.
Also the new King value Dudes are great. Sloane Exp. made it into every one of my sloane decks even being the bland, boring and highly effective card she is. I mean just look at her face, she finds no joy in shooting someone anymore. That happens when your hobby becomes your job.
I’m currently tinkering with a 4th Ring gadget/abomination deck but I also have to play my other new decks first. And to have this problem in a game is great 
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I built a den deck I don’t know if I like it yet because I hate cheating and I’m used to everyone packin hate. The sanatorium is decent I really like it packing shotguns, idol, and twist. The gadget 4r is clunky imo but it has potential in the future for sure. The crusaders I thought I would like but the builds are so scattered I have strong mixed feelings.
Great question and comments.
I think that 4R are coming out of this set the weakest - except for their outfit, which might be really great but I am still unsure if it will take the spotlight away from their core outfit. Phantom fingers is… specialized. Not bad, but I only see a few decks running it. Ivor on the other hand is quite good! However, you need to run a pretty abom heavy deck to utilize him.
EW have some really interesting dudes. It might change my starting posse a lot…
I love the new gadgets and I love Lillian Morgan. She is a deck in herself!
However, we havent received the Light Shineth yet - so I guess Ill still discover more ways to use the cards.
It didn’t change any existing deck I had very much, but it gave me some fundamentally new decks that I really enjoy.
Abram’s Crusaders and a few other cards finally pushed Blessed over the line for me into a deck I really like. Abram himself is so hit or miss (amazing vs Den or DesRow but kinda impossible otherwise) but he’s a beast once on the table.
Den is gross. I built one, but dismantled it in favor of a low deed-CP Town Square deck using the original outfit. I’ve been playing against Den a lot and if you don’t run a fistful of Cheatin’ Punishment it’s a tough racket. Sometimes even that’s not enough…scary deck. The version I was brewing ran 3/5/7 and tore up the town.
I feel like the other factions got some neat, playable stuff, but nothing fundamentally game changing. New Ivor is gross, but Aboms were already pretty good in my opinion, if a tad underplayed. He slots in the deck nicely. 4R control didn’t get as much, but most people will point out - they didn’t really need it. Wardens and Bandits got some solid new stuff, but nothing fundamentally different. MCC got some neat tricks, and that horse deck is probably playable, though it still feels a bit off to me.
I’m really starting to think about all the possibilities that Sanatorium gives control. That +1 Huckster skill means the hucksters can run 7’s and still play it safe. You can also run Puppet and Smiling Tom and hit a grit 11 dude even if you pull the 4 from your other puppets!
The 11 is counting the penalty from Sanatorium and giving the +1 skill to Tom.
Having finally gotten round to messing about with The Light Shineth, I’ve managed to not only build a Sloane Gang deck that fits my preferred playstyle, I actually won a tournament with it! Den of Thieves is an incredibly versatile home. I’ve seen a bunch of decks on dtdb that use it to boost their shootout hands to stupid levels, and I used it primarily for getting more ghost rock (along with Monte Banks, especially with Milt Clemons) and playing a slightly more dudes ‘n’ deeds-oriented Sloane. As for Sloane herself, I ended up playing her in a couple of games as a beatstick to run Kidnappin’s and chase hucksters around. She’s still the most straightforward of the faction heads. Not big on the tricks, but brings all the bullets.
I really like the look of The Sanatorium and the theme you can get going with all of the pestilence stuff and conditions. As The Fourth Ring have been incredibly popular and dominant throughout the past year, I’ve been avoiding playing them (and hex control in general) but I’m going to put something together and play around with the Sanatorium. Again, I like its versatility. Debuff opponents’ dudes and buff your huckster skill for easier Paralysis Marks and Puppets, or give a dude some influence and gain another/a better chess piece.
I’ve not really played a Blessed deck since Faith & Fear, so I’ll reserve comment on Abram’s Crusaders. I still think we could use a few more Blessed dudes and mid-value deputies for the Law Dogs, and that home is screaming out for more melee weapons. Deborah and Sheriff Abram both look like solid additions to the Dogs’ roster.
Speaking as one of what seems to be the handful of people who actually like horse decks, “Dead” Billy Jones is pretty cool. New Lillian is interesting, I’d have to use her in a few games to figure out the best way to take advantage of the potential shenanigans she can pull.
I’ve not had the opportunity to play much recently, so I’ve still not touched Eagle Wardens and I’ve only tried a couple of decks with the 108.
Of the rest of the cards, I’m a big fan of Backroom Deals!
I just made the quarantine deck, and tried it out (mario plague). Worked pretty well, except for the fact that needle is a freakin clearavoyant. I swear, he knew that he would be playing against that deck, and tailored a deck against it 
. It was the perfect counter, and he played it so well, but it was still dicey at times. I’m publishing my deck soon.
To be fair, the recycling abominations he was playing is a very good deck all around against most decks.
I found this one kind of funny. People in Gomorrah are suffering from strange illnes, struggling for a cure. All they need is to wear fancy new hats and carry rapiers. (well, at least they can avoid the sanitariums quarantines.)
“Style over substance”? “Image is EVERYTHING” 
I’ve played a couple of games with Eagle Wardens now. Mazatl and Spirit Trails make for one mobile dude (even more so with Fire of Nanahbohzo for unbooting), and Danny Wilde with an Idol of Tlatzolteotl or two and a Fancy New Hat can safely use the Wardens’ home ability or just walk around town not giving a damn who else is there. I’ve not tried a token summoning deck yet, but I’ve played against a couple and they’re tough to beat in shootouts due to the number of expendable dudes. Wardens have some cool little tricks and I’m curious to see how they’ll develop.
Your use of Danny Wilde is hitting very close a deck I’ve built and am tweaking. Plays a huge amount of attire and cycling cards. many decks will have absolutely no counter to it. Kind of ashamed to ever actually play it.
Couldn’t they just mark him for a Kidnappin’ or similar job since it isn’t a call out? Just a thought.
yeah,most of the jobs work, and against those decks it will struggle. It has a couple of hired guns to pull danny back into you hand to play again, since most jobs make you discard the dude. I also have a secret weapon buried in the deck so that when finally get my deck completely whittled down it should be nearly unstoppable.
Definately a cool idea.