Strength in Nodez

[brad tish]

Hey,
I know there is and has always been a lot of talk over strength in nodez. And so i figure I will post my version of the deck which is the only deck that I have played since gen con, not because its necessairily the best deck but if played correctly, It seems to rarely lose. I feel people underate SIN and therefore do not build decks to deal with it, which gives us playing it an advantage.
A common mistake I feel people make in building the deck (and sometimes playing against it) is that it's not just about strength, it's about speed, different speeds to be exact Its actually the speed that ends up winning the game more often than not. Having enough 4 speeds to clear their board and then having two and three speeds to finish them off. Life is important too, anything above 3 life is likely to stay on your board a lot longer then say a one or two life they can easily pinch or barduse to name a few.
Its about knowing what to fear and what not to worry about your opponent playing. Shriever Attack for example is scary but not necessairily game threatning as long as you learn to anticipate that your opponent may have it, and hold things back dont worry about dropping everything at once and just going for it if your opponent is running rage. Take the time to set yourself up, and be ready, having SIN and a tactatiions vacation in hand is pretty good.
Anywase,
Here's the deck.

4-633fy 31f
4-Basic Node
2-Crrzed Deputy
4-Flaming Barduse
4-Horsemajig of the Apocalypse-Famine
4-Horsemajig of the Apocalypse-Pestilence
4-Micromajig Maker
4-Micromajig Master
4-Research Assistant
4-Scout

4-Bask Bomb
4-Distraction
3-Siege Machine
4-Strength in Numbers
4-Tactician Vacation

2-Elitism
16-Rage

[Inoki]

I don't see the point of using Siege Machine. It seems like it doesn't do enough in the deck while other cards could be much more useful.

It's to my opinion that tutors in this deck are wonderful. While Micromajig Master's effect is a legitimate way to hunt down the card you need, toolbox Elf plus Luteoderm Prototypes is another decent way to do so.

I toyed with the idea of playing with Scout. It really is a metagame choice, but what gets me is that you're probably going to only play it for a turn. While playing a horde of smaller characters opens you up to Shriever Attack and the like, but generally you can keep your hand filled. Pay 1 for a creature, draw 1 end of their turn.

I've still got some modifications brewing, lemme see where it takes me first.

[Dave Smith]

First, If you run toolbox, and start 2 gearsmith....fetch a craghammer. Second...no bask bomb...trust me....The deck needs bloodcurdling bulldozers badly as well, and scout isnt the best choice either...if your local meta is full of shriver attack, simply do not play this deck.
________
Box vaporizers (http://boxvaporizers.com)

[Brad Meine]

simply do not play this deck.
yea, or that.

[Phlyinice]

I imagine Siege Machine is justified by all the times this deck has probably lost during play testing by 1 life, y'know? It makes sense, to push through the final damage, even if it does seem like a shady add. I'm just not entirely sure how important it is.

Did this go to SCC? If so, what type of record did it have?

[J Caster]

I don't question the siege machine...
I question the horse majigs....


....But I am horrible and really know nothing anyway

[Inoki]

Horsemajig Famine are wonderful, at least in my experience. having more four speeds to clear the way is quite useful, and they are cheap enough to be played easily. Drop one, draw a card to replace 'em.

I chose to not run Pestilance, but giving more resiliency against Shriever and the like is defenitly a good idea.

[brad tish]

First off,
I took first place at the SCC, I lost only one game due to a bad draw. This deck also won me a Nintendo wii tournament, Second place at WCC where I only lost one game all day in the finals, I would have won (my opponent will agree) but, I played seige machine a turn too late, I miscalculated and it cost me the game, it happens. I have also won numerous IQ's with this deck , all in all this deck has won me over 25 points.
Okay, so I'll admit Seige Machine dosn't typically belong, but I have found it can win games, For example if your opponent is at 3 life its basically gg, seige machine to me is basically a un counterable late game win condition. I'ts not a card for everyone but I love it.
I dont always count on SIN to win me the game (which is why I feel playing two cards, tool box and prototype to search for one card is a waste of two slots that could be better used especially since it has to die to work, if your opponents smart he wont kill it right away, seems a waste too me.), a lot of times I attack one charachter at a time depending on the board and sneak in damage here in there before playing SIN. I like to play a deck that is going to give me a great early game but also some mid to late game as well, which is why I play Scout and Pestilance. Scout rarely if ever hits the board turn two, I play him later on and it gives me and extra boost. When at least one Pestilance and one Famine are on the board they are four speeds with three life, which means they also live through Shriever.
In comparison to Distraction, I just don't care for Bulldozer, I would rather have the surprise tech of playing distraction then the in your face Bulldozer which can easily die (again one life). It just gives me more options and is usually unexpected.
The idea for Bask Bomb I have to admit I stole from Thomas I like the fact that in the event no four speeds are present Bomb clears your opponents board, its just another bit of unexpected tech, that can throw your opponent off.
I hope this better explains my choices.

[Brad Meine]

it sounds like your opponents don't ever play characters or, better yet, removal. hell, maybe they don't even play cards.

[brad tish]

it sounds like your opponents don't ever play characters or, in that case, removal. hell, maybe they don't even play cards.
LOL :D I guess I'm just that good then :) LOL! j/k (or am I?)
Actually they do Ive learned to play around them, for removal I run Vacation. Ive beaten, control, aggro and everything in between with this deck. For example, last week my barduse got in five points of damage because my opponent playing rage deception didnt want to block it but save his charachter to block other things. If I have four or five things in play nobody bothers with the the 1, 1, 2 the smallest thing on the board comparitivly.

[Brad Meine]

that you are, my friend.

[J Caster]

The idea for Bask Bile I have to admit I stole from Thomas I like the fact that in the event no four speeds are present Bile clears your opponents board, its just another bit of unexpected tech, that can throw your opponent off.
I hope this better explains my choices.

Do you mean Bask Bomb?

[brad tish]

Do you mean Bask Bomb?
Yeah, thats it sorry im tired thats what a 6 month old will do to you. :)

[J Caster]

Yeah, thats it sorry im tired thats what a 6 month old will do to you. :)


No appologies needed.

I know you know what you thought you meant ;)

-Just verifing for the other readers who were trying to figure out what to cut in their deck for a 4-run, 7 cost BILE :D

[J_Naughty]

LOL :D I guess I'm just that good then :) LOL! j/k (or am I?)
Actually they do Ive learned to play around them, for removal I run Vacation. Ive beaten, control, aggro and everything in between with this deck. For example, last week my barduse got in five points of damage because my opponent playing rage deception didnt want to block it but save his charachter to block other things. If I have four or five things in play nobody bothers with the the 1, 1, 2 the smallest thing on the board comparitivly.

Yeah that barduse was Redonkulous...

[redstarbaron]

This may be a n00b-tastic question, but I'm wary of the fact there's barely any removal in the deck. How do you handle Schproingmajigs or Coverts? Just try and win faster than they can play them?

[Inoki]

Removal comes in the form of bask bomb, if you run it, or just out racing them.

[J_Naughty]

This may be a n00b-tastic question, but I'm wary of the fact there's barely any removal in the deck. How do you handle Schproingmajigs or Coverts? Just try and win faster than they can play them?

You just win faster. If they are covert then that is bad for THEM in this match up because that means that they cannot block and you can just freely get off a really big strength in numbers with little effort. Covert means no blockers. No blockers versus S.I.N. (strength in nodez) means you lose like turn 3-4. You have to realize that all strength in numbers needs to kill you if you have no blockers is four creatures because four 1-1-3 creatures means= (strength in numbers added in---> 4+1) 5-1-3 creatures X4=20 damage!! So when all you see is 4 damage on the board because all the S.I.N player has is four 1-1-3's it ACTUALLY is a potential 20 damage.

And against Springamacrap S.I.N. has Tactition Vacation against their unnatural alteration and if the Springamacrap TAPS all thier creatures and sacks one of them AND doesn't win...that leaves them with a clear board with no blockers..so the strength in nodez player can just waltz in for the winning strength-in-numbers swing.

Springamacrap loses to a lot of cards. A lot. Like a whole lot. This deck is good. It is tier one but it isn't broken. Really...I will fight you if you think that this deck is so "BROKEN OMGWTFBBQ h4Xor!!*#%@!!?!". I will give you a punch right to the baby maker...

[s0b3k]

So when all you see is 4 damage on the board because all the S.I.N player has is four 1-1-3's it ACTUALLY is a potential 25 damage.

... i hope i get to play u some day... it takes more than four because:

1+4=5
1+4=5
1+4=5
1+4=5
and that adds up to 20 five damage short of a win...
also SIN loses to a shreiver or ambuscade timped correctly and if you are trying to "just win faster" that means you will not have the resources for a tacticians vacation (your only hope to stop them both) some decks run both and you don't always have a TV in hand when u need it... sure there is some search in the deck but it is not nessicarily enough.. in some matchups you absolutly have to win with SIN because they are able to get larger characters in play fast preventing you from attacking

torrential bleeder beats you

[J_Naughty]

... i hope i get to play u some day... it takes more than four because:

1+4=5
1+4=5
1+4=5
1+4=5
and that adds up to 20 five damage short of a win...
also SIN loses to a shreiver or ambuscade timped correctly and if you are trying to "just win faster" that means you will not have the resources for a tacticians vacation (your only hope to stop them both) some decks run both and you don't always have a TV in hand when u need it... sure there is some search in the deck but it is not nessicarily enough.. in some matchups you absolutly have to win with SIN because they are able to get larger characters in play fast preventing you from attacking

torrential bleeder beats you

Lol.

You are right and dude i wrote this real. Quick. Shriever and Bleeder do lay the beat down on SIN but all I was doing was trying to get SIN a little repect. But man that was pretty awful math on my part..lol. I Hope to play you to. The name is MILES BROWN in case we one day meet.

[Brad Meine]

I put my money on s0b3k.

[s0b3k]

Miles says mono elitism is for retarded noobs with small brains.


is this just currently? because before part2 Mono E nodes was one of the best decks, and probably one of the smarter guys on the forums won w/ them... IronWill

[La_Sin_Grail]

I imagine Siege Machine is justified by all the times this deck has probably lost during play testing by 1 life, y'know? It makes sense, to push through the final damage, even if it does seem like a shady add. I'm just not entirely sure how important it is.

Did this go to SCC? If so, what type of record did it have?

I faced a similar build in the finals (I won with pile and good luck), but I also saw another node deck in the T8.

[Brad Meine]

is this just currently? because before part2 Mono E nodes was one of the best decks, and probably one of the smarter guys on the forums won w/ them... IronWill
IMO, mono-gear was the deck from Part 1.

[s0b3k]

i think just nodes were but mono was the most popular build... i personally liked hyperfrogs 1thresh greed + nodes because it was more resiliant but yeah either way mono gear was tier one

[Huber]

What this deck does best is consistency. A lot of decks can brag about fast kills but not many can match the consistency of this deck.

Unfortunately we are on the internet and without shuffling up the cards and seeing it for yourself you wont really know how good it is. Non-believers should proxy it up and test it.

[La_Sin_Grail]

Problems with str. in nodes.

1) Warlord control- shriever attack, torrnetial bleeder, rabid sarume

2) Rogue tricksies- ambuscade, rapining away for a blocker to take away speed (or scragging)

3) Not drawing the SiN

Anybody got ideas for stopping this? I really found ambuscade as a game ender against Str. in Nodes- I almost lost before my third turn couuld happen at the last IQ, but instead I wrecked his whole board and threw down an artist the turn after. Anything when it works against nodes really tends to crap all over it.

As for consistancy, I put up Pile for consistant. If you mulligan right, you'll end up with 2-3 resources, 1-2 6-drops, 1-2 early plays (heist planner, martial arts trainee etc.), and the rest removal. In any case, though, I think much of consistancy comes from mulliganning properly, and not necessarily from the deck itself. Granted, it has to be built well, but I think players who mulligan more poorly will still have consistancy problems where more experienced mulliganners may not.

[Hordak]

I think Ambuscade only really wrecks you if you let it. Just because it's an aggro deck doesn't mean you have to play badly. Like you even said in your article, did the guy have to SiN at all? He could have kept his character advantage and just plinked away at you until a good opportunity presented itself. He'd be forcing you into a situation where you must keep 3 open resources at the end of each of your turns, while he gets to continue building at full speed. I think in the game you described your opponent took a risk that they shouldn't have.

[La_Sin_Grail]

I think Ambuscade only really wrecks you if you let it. Just because it's an aggro deck doesn't mean you have to play badly. Like you even said in your article, did the guy have to SiN at all? He could have kept his character advantage and just plinked away at you until a good opportunity presented itself. He'd be forcing you into a situation where you must keep 3 open resources at the end of each of your turns, while he gets to continue building at full speed. I think in the game you described your opponent took a risk that they shouldn't have.

If you give my deck too much time, I'll wreck you ten times as bad. My deck is better as the game goes on, where nodes are better in the beginning. I have a new tech now against it, anyway, but I need to test it more.

[Hordak]

If you give my deck too much time, I'll wreck you ten times as bad. My deck is better as the game goes on, where nodes are better in the beginning. I have a new tech now against it, anyway, but I need to test it more.

Agreed that weenies lose in the long game, but he gets to artificially postpone the long game if you permanently have 3 locked down resources until the end of their turn. Besides, every turn he keeps you strung out is another turn for them to set up. Let's say that it's their turn 6 (8 resources) and they've managed to plink you down to 15 or so with swarm. That's not terribly unreasonable. At this point they can SiN/TacVac and it's over for you. At best, you'd have a couple of guys (with your 7-8 resources, but only able to use 4-5 per turn, meaning no MSCs and no MAs) and you'd get overrun.

[s0b3k]

that is why Tac. Vac belongs in the deck bernie :) and hordak is right... besides Sin turn 3 is not how the deck wants to win... it wants to sin exactly as hordak said...

[Dapuma]

Mobb Depp -- Cobra!

nuff said

[Brad Meine]

omg SiN T8'ed at my Invitational.