Originally published at: http://gomorragazette.com/2016/04/25/the-goods-and-spells-of-ghost-town-a-gomorra-gazette-roundtable-review/
Auto-Gatling
Jhandy27. 3/5. Have you ever looked at an opponent’s deed and thought “I’d love to make that better for you”, well now you can with this massive gun. You should never build it on your stuff, that’s silly. Build it on your opponent’s deeds to make sure that they can have them back. It’s not a Gatling gun, it’s a siege weapon.
Nu_Fenix. Low value hearts that have a difficulty rarely sit well with me, especially Gadgets, due to booting your scientist and paying the GR in advance. As an off value in a deck where everything else passes checks, I’m likely to try this out. Build this at my home and I expect my opponent will be less likely to try Kidnappin’ one of my dudes. The added perk of reducing the influence of unbooted dudes controlled by my opponent at its location also makes it more difficult for them to take control of my deeds, letting me keep my production and control points.
Doomdog. 4/5. This is a great tool for defending your Scientists at home or a key location such as the Wagner Memorial Ranch or Epidemic Laboratory. The only downside is the low value which makes it risky for some gadget decks. It’s on value with QUATERMAN, so you could have a Gatling or two defending your home while you build an army of robots. Anybody trying to kidnap your scientists should expect a hard fight.
Chefonk. 4/5. This basically makes one of your deeds impregnable. It has a nice stud bonus that comes in handy in the event of an actual shootout. I consider the decreased influence on opponent’s unbooted dudes the more important trait. This ensures that they need at least a 2 influence dude to attempt to occupy this deed. If they do, you can easily get rid of a lot of influence using that +2 stud buff. Attach it to one of your important deeds and you can guarantee using their abilities for the whole game. The gadget itself is cheap for its effect, but the 3 value makes it hard to include in more traditional gadget decks without compromising your success rate for mad scientist pulls. You probably have to choose between this and Disgenuine Currency Press as your low value gadget since running both doubles the risk of pull failure. But this improvement really suits a low value aggressive style gadget deck that can start trouble on the opposing side of the street with expendable QUATERMANs while Auto-Gatlings protect your deeds or home. If only there was a Law Dogs Mad Scientist 2.
Jedilanni. 4/5. This gadget has a low value. With Ghost Town’s cards released for Morgan, I would take this off value any time when using gadgets. Law Dogs as noted lack a MS 2 and poor Zoe can’t invent this non-weapon.
Jhandy27. 3/5. As long as your dude occupies town square, you can choke an opponent’s income for the turn. For a cost of 1, it only has to trigger once for you break even. The amount of times you’ll hear people say “If only you hadn’t squatted on that 1 or 2 gr, I couldn’ve played this,” will be countless.
Nu_Fenix. I have mixed feelings on this. Being able to move at the start of upkeep is nice, since I am a fan of free movement. Moving onto an opponent’s deed to deny income means I’m either stuck or have to boot to go somewhere else. The moved dude probably lacks the influence to control the deed during Noon to use any of its abilities. I may try it out of curiosity, but most likely it’s not a card I’ll use.
Doomdog. 4/5. This is one of those cards that I’ll need to play around with a bit to see how useful it actually is. Movement effects, however, are generally good. Three influence during the upkeep phase means that the likes of Jake Smiley can don their Sunday Best and prevent your opponent from getting production or can safeguard your own. Depending on low-ball results, you could use the move to set up a first action call out, or indeed escape from one!
Chefonk. 4/5. Oh I really like this one. 4 received two great goods this set, but unlike Tusk this is not as straight forward or might not seem awesome at first impression. The chance of denying your opponent income by swooping in from another location is really powerful. You can use it if stuck in a deed but you really want to be in town square right from the start of the round. Another use is when you need to be at one of your deeds to call out an opposing dude occupying it with your first action to prevent them from using it. This is a card that you can use almost every time for your advantage while your opponent has to always keep it in mind or else he might be surprised by one of your dudes at an unexpected location.
Jedilanni. 3/5. Denying income and movement are important parts of the game. Sloane and Oddities will be using this to take over deeds due to their sub-par influence then bouncing back to town square to run jobs or other shenanigans.
Jhandy27. 3/5. Having seen Sunday best, I prefer that. I can see this seeing occasional play, since aggressive decks probably want to choke people’s deeds more. Maybe a 2/2 split with Sunday best or faithful hound as 4 of any of them is OTT.
Nu_Fenix. Tusk only applies to opposing card effects, so Kung Fu and cards such as Hot Lead Flyin’ don’t combine with it. Regardless, a cheap bullet bonus that replaces itself when played is hard to say no to. Tusk will likely become my go to goods on 4’s, which only reduces the chance of me using Sunday Best.
Doomdog. 4/5. Fours have been crying out for more options in the goods department, and Tusk doesn’t disappoint. 1 ghost rock for an extra bullet and another card is a good deal. The value buff protects against Shotguns, Puppets, and Paralysis Marks. I believe it also protects you from Forced Quarantine if you’d just been hit with the Sanatorium’s ability.
Chefonk. 5/5. This has Allie Hensman written all over it. Protection from being shotgunned along with a little (even if not much) help against Paralysis Mark makes this a great card for her. A lot of Sloane decks use 4s as a their main value. Until now, the 4 value goods were pretty mediocre so this helps a lot. All non-spell decks that run 4s should at least consider this, especially if you need an answer to Paralysis Mark. Cheap, a nice passive bonus and it replaces itself immediately upon entering play, there is nothing not to like about this one. The only drawback is that you probably already play some weapons in most of the decks this fits into, so this might create a conflict there.
Jedilanni. 3/5. Play this weapon then draw a card while increasing your value. I see nothing bad about this card.
Jhandy27. 2/5. This is claim soak with an auto revolver. I can definitely see a deck running these as they make your dude more resilient in a fight and if the fight goes badly, you don’t lose your dude. A simple but effective card.
Nu_Fenix. I have been trying this with Three-Eyed Hawk, and found it to be very good, even though she doesn’t need the React. Ideally attach this to a stud, as discarding after they draw plus casualty absorption is great. It is like every dude bringing along their own Travis Moone, except that if this friend dies , up to three more can turn up before you worry about your actual dudes taking a bullet.
Doomdog. 4/5. A new sidekick that is part of Ghost Town’s extra sidekick support. The Mountain Lion is like bringing an extra draw bullet dude to the fight with you, and if things go south, sacrifice the lion to protect your dudes. Yep, if you like Hot Lead Flyin’, then you’re going to love the Mountain Lion. With sidekicks and sidekick tech on twos and sixes there’s definitely now deck potential there.
Chefonk. 4/5. This is one of Ghost Town’s new sidekicks. The draw bonus and the ability are nice, but nothing fancy. Overall just a solid card. Unfortunately, if you wish to play an Eagle Warden sidekick deck, the two on-value dudes only work with spirits. So a Spirit/Sidekick deck may have to rely on neutral or out-of-faction dudes when playing 6s as a main value. It is also on value with Hot Lead Flyin’, which might be the way to go with Eagle Warden sidekicks. Other deck types should consider this because of its general utility.
Jedilanni. 2/5. Lose to win decks for Eagle Warden receive a boost and another reason to go lower on values.
Jhandy27. 2/5. This card creates a lot of movement, and movement can win games. Its movement conditions limit it a bit, meaning it will probably see more play as a sidekick with a bonus effect.
Nu_Fenix. I do wish all non-Gadget horses were sidekicks as well, as it feels right (although it would undermine Rhonda). It is still useful without spirits as long as you have a shaman, even if that isn’t its ideal purpose. The first ability includes moving to locations containing your opponent’s spirits, and discourages lone Shaman from going on a stroll. The second ability expands the use of your Spirits, so if you don’t think it will trigger this turn, this card still has a benefit. The toughest part for me will be deciding how many copies to run, due to the Shaman restriction.
Doomdog. 2/5. This is an odd one. I like that it’s also a sidekick, opening up the potential for a more chess-styled Beyond the Veil deck which I’d like to try. I don’t actually like Spirit Fortress but it’s the only effective deck I’ve built with that home. The restriction to shamans hurts it, but then it’s not as if the Eagle Wardens are short on shamans. While it’s not as flexible as good ol’ Mustang, the value helps spell pulls. It’s not likely to see use outside of the Wardens, as no one else has access to in-faction shamans in faction or through drifters.
Chefonk. 4/5. If Mountain Lion Friend is not Eagle Warden specific enough, here is the one you are looking for. Mystical, Horse, and Sidekick are all keywords that have their uses. The movement abilities are quite strong, although they both require Spirits. Because of that, this Steed most likely finds its way into spell-based versions of Eagle Wardens. The high value makes succeeds Spirit pull. Nine is a great value for Eagle Wardens, even if end up cutting some Red Horses Tail. The powerful movement abilities plus soaking up casualties if needed makes this a great contender for many Spirit decks. The Shaman restriction hurts, but they are the ones doing most of the work anyway.
Jedilanni. 1/5. That restriction is fitting of having to attach to a shaman. The first noon action will win games or prolong them. I will not be using the repeat action due to booting an attached spirit. Another minus for me is that it’s on the same value as Red Horse Tail.
Jhandy27. 2/5. I can see this kidnapping prevention or if someone ruins you in a shoot-out after making your big guy a draw. Barring that, probably not going to get much use. They will just kidnap someone else if you have this.
Nu_Fenix. Much like Auto-Gatling, this screams off value. Having a way to escape shootouts or targeted jobs by going to another location isn’t bad. And if you fail the check, you can always let the sidekick hare get shot instead.
Doomdog. 2/5. A sidekick spirit, eh? Interesting… Crafty Hare lets you escape from lone bounty hunters with ease. It isn’t as reliable against things like Kidnappin’ and Election Day Slaughter as your opponent could send Rico or Jackie along, making it harder for you to escape. How effective it is depends on your shaman, your deck, and your opponent. Tlaloc’s Furies and Fire of Nanahbozho could improve your chances of success. Its low value means it’ll likely only be included as a one-of in spell decks to attach to a key shaman. It’s better used in a dedicated sidekick deck, and as a spirit you could use it to move with Spirit Steed.
Chefonk. 2/5. This one is odd. It’s 2 value is good with the other sidekick cards like Requiem for a Good Boy and Rhonda Sageblossom. On the other hand Bluetick there is already quite a good sidekick at that value. If you want to use the spell consistently you have to pull high for its check, really high at worst. So being a 2 means that it will almost automatically fail its own pull. And dedicated sidekick decks won’t run many Shamans or Spirits to begin with, so this limits its usefulness even further. On top of all this, the ability isn’t even good. Being able to run away when called out is nice, but there are other and more efficient ways to do so especially with Eagle Wardens. It helps against Kidnappin’ though and this saves it from being completely unplayable.
Jedilanni. 3/5. This card when printed didn’t work, but that has been fixed in the rules to work.
The value really doesn’t bother me, since if I run this it’s a 1 or 2 of serving as a get out of jail card.
Jhandy27. 2/5. Here we have another low value miracle. It also has a low difficulty, so carries less ‘risk to run’. It’s a decent card, but I can’t imagine ever wanting more than 1 or 2 in play unless my opponent packs a lot of bullet reduction. I’d rather just run cards that up my bullets and make them studs as that’s more useful against non-reduction decks. Its low value stops me running it in most miracle decks though.
Nu_Fenix. Our first and currently only Hymn for Lucretia Fanzini, and one I’m not keen on. There is minimal benefit to non-shooters getting a bullet bonus. The most used means of changing bullet types to a draw are Sun In Your Eyes and Nightmare at Noon, so this is an answer to something that doesn’t happen enough to justify its existence.
Doomdog. 3/5. This is the aforementioned new hymn. Giving everyone in your posse the effects of a Peacemaker for a round is pretty tasty. It’s a low value and unless you’re Blessed 2 it fails its own pull, just like several other Miracles. I’ll have to try this out with Lucretia to see how useful it is for the 108. They don’t have many in-faction studs, but it certainly has its place as Blessed can make dudes into studs with Consecration and Sword of the Spirit. The Law Dogs have plenty of studs and access to two Blessed 2 dudes, so could possibly run this on value, but I see it being as an off-value Miracle.
Chefonk. 1/5. Oh boy where to begin. First off all, I generally dislike spells and gadgets that fail their own skill check, even more so if by 2 or more. On some cards this is a bigger problem than on others. Auto-Gatling for example also fails its own check, but being a gadget and having access to cheap mad scientist 2 (at least in Morgan) who do nothing else but invent, is less of an issue. This is sometimes mitigated by a powerful effect like Soul Blast or even the less played Lay on Hands. As a 2 this also fails literally every other miracle skill check other than itself. Is there a really, really, good reason to include this? Unfortunately, there is not. Don’t get me wrong, on paper it is a great ability. Giving all of your dudes an invisible holy Peacemaker made in heaven is great (and pretty rad as I just realized typing this), but not really needed in current miracle builds. The card this will mostly help against is Sun in Yer Eyes, but being a Miracle attached to a dude, your opponent knows it is there. You therefore have to win low ball if you want to use it before any actions your opponent takes, further limiting its use. Other cards do what this is made for and just as good without including risky pulls or relying on winning low ball.
Jedilanni. 2/5. Running this off value as a 1 or 2 won’t significantly hurt your pulls. The main problem I have with this is the same as most miracles that are all low value, high skill check, or fail the self pull. Not having shootouts go terribly wrong due to opponents wielding Faster on the Draw and Sun in Yer Eyes make this miracle worth a one or two of in a Blessed Dogs build.
Jhandy27. 2/5. I quite like this card as it gives you a lot of claim soak in a low value shaman deck. To answer the question of what can you do with all that sop on its own is just lose less. You could try adding force fields (brave) or adding Accidental Reunion so that you can cheat without the casualty cost. This requires that your opponent either cheat to keep up or be legal and probably lose the fight anyway. Rock and a hard place - my favorite.
Nu_Fenix. No-one likes losing a shootout, but when you do, who wouldn’t like to lose less. Losing by an odd number always bothers me as it costs me two dudes, but with this it may only be one, or even sending a dude home booted if I need a single casualty. As a Resolution this still leaves me with the option for a Cheatin’ Resolution. With this and Crafty Hare, a I can see attempting low value Spirit deck, putting more low value cards into play for the Eagle Wardens.
Doomdog. 4/5. This is a great defensive spirit for shamans who like to get into fights, be it with a horde of token dudes or just through camping in the town square. Making all your dudes harrowed means that a bad shootout round won’t hurt anywhere near as much as usual, and if your opponent cheats the Nature Spirit might just soak all the casualties leaving you at full strength for round two. If I play my Sharp Dressed Man deck again, I’ll definitely find space for a couple of these.
Chefonk. 4/5. So Eagle Wardens get a lot of cards that protect their dudes in shootouts, which is a strategy that I really like. And this spell does it really well. The most important thing is that it’s not a cheating resolution so you can use this and the regular cheating punishment you are running. But even without the created Nature Spirit Token, giving Harrowed to all of your dudes is great and something your opponent really has to take into account when engaging in shootouts. With a value of 3 it might not be suited for the totem-oriented deck type, but hooter based Eagle Warden builds based on low values will surely play a couple of them. With this, Strength of the Ancestors, Owl’s Insight, and Mother Bear’s Rage you have a couple of nice low value spells that can provide an alternative to the movement and control other Eagle Wardens decks focus on.
Jedilanni. 3/5. I gain more casualty soak and if opponent cheats I gain a dude to reduce it by 3. If the shootout goes terribly wrong you live to fight another day.
Jhandy27. 4/5. I love this card for hex decks that don’t need Raising Hell as seeing 2 cards in your opponents hand sometimes equals seeing your opponents entire hand. If Rico has showed us anything it’s that seeing your opponents hand can be devastating. The acing is just the icing on the cake. Use either Tattooed Man or Ivor to recycle this and you’ve got one heck of of an irritating card on your hands.
Nu_Fenix. I would use this in a Hex deck if it only had the first half of its ability. With Ivor Hawley (Exp.1) the second half of the ability gets crazy. Want to know if the last couple of cards in your opponent’s hand are actions that could dramatically alter your impending shootout? Well, why not spoil the surprise! I would avoid using this early in the turn as seeing a deed or dude that they are about to play next would be a waste. Without Ivor, I would run two copies in every Hex deck as an off value if you don’t want K’s. Once you have one in play, the second copy may not do much unless you ace one of them to ace a revealed card.
Doomdog. 5/5. This spell could be incredibly powerful! It lets you see your opponent’s hand, potentially damage their draw structure, and if you’re lucky remove key actions like Kidnappin’s and Cheatin’ Resolutions. With Experienced Ivor and The Whateley Estate (both also on Kings) you can get it back after use, while The Tattooed Man will save it from being aced. Yet another annoying hex to add to the clowns’ bag of tricks.
Chefonk. 5/5. What an awesome, really powerful card. Card knowledge is huge and getting rid of a cheating resolution or any other nasty surprise before a major shoot-out might be crucial. Zero cost, a pretty low difficulty, and K value just adds to this card being all around great. There really is not more to say to be honest. With this, K is a viable value for 4th Ring Huckster Control decks especially with Ivor Hawley Exp. bringing this spell back from Boot Hill or The Whateley Estate making sure it will still be in your deck for your draw structure. This is one of those cards that will be of use in some way every time you draw it.
Jedilanni. 5/5. I really hate this card. Why? Giving more toys to the circus gives them another way to control the game. Rico, Cookin', Whateley Estate, Ivor exp. 1, and the Tattooed Man all take advantage of this card or have a way to magnify its ability. Don’t forget it’s a king value with a low difficulty.
