by Keith "Happy" Newyear

Before getting on the train to get back to the college, I stopped in to talk with the shop owner (Paul Glozeris, who has since moved away and sold the shop) about what to play for the upcoming tournament. I couldn't figure out the correct build for what I wanted to play, so Paul he gave me this advice:

"When you get off the train, just build SiN. You have the cards."

I took the idea to heart, and when I got back into town the following Saturday morning, I went home, built the deck the best I could, and played it in the WCC that afternoon.

I went undefeated.

With that said, it should be noted that A) the location had one of the lowest turnouts in the nation (never pulling in more than 8), and B) the deck is one of the easiest to pilot, but it's sheer power can't be underestimated. Before many of the Greed-based decks got a foothold of the metagame, SiN was the deck to beat. Below is a sample of what one version of the deck might look like now:

1 The Tournament Faction
2 Elitism (starting)
8 Rage
4 Violence

4 Micromajig Maker
4 Micromajig Master
4 Horsemajig of the Apocalypse - Famine
3 Horsemajig of the Apocalypse - Pestilence
4 Basic Node
3 Mundane Pupil
3 Research Assistant
3 Creaky Old Swordsman
3 Crazed Deputy
3 Tiny Samure
3 Oversoon Lightfoot
2 Gideon, the Ultimate Warrior
2 633fy 31f

4 Strength In Numbers
4 Tactician Vacation
4 Epiphany Ball
4 Battle Surge
4 Distraction

This is one way to build the list, and exact cards and numbers are up for debate (some could argue which factions should be used to begin with.) But However, the list above is a general stock list of what should be included.

TACTICS AND ITEMS
The first and most obvious card to include in the deck is Strength in Numbers. When the tactic is it’s played correctly, it will win the game. Even in some less-than-optimal situations, it can change the game state ridiculously in your favor. Besides, the card's name is in the title, so you kinda have to out of custom.

Tacticians Vacation is a reactionary card, especially against Greed. Why? Greed has one of the most potent answers to the deck in cards like Limited Liability and Inconvenient Roadblock. Playing a Tac Vac after your SiN has resolved (or in response to your opponent playing a Limited Liability or Roadblock) keeps your plan on track, and often spells imminent doom for your opponent.

Epiphany Ball is included to make sure you have the right card at the right moment, just when you swing in for the win. Being able to grab a SiN with the lethal amount of attackers on board, or a Tac Vac when your opponent can stop you. If done right, your opponent will have lost well before he gets the chance to activate the ball himself. Some will note that the inclusion of Epiphany Ball drives this into a different deck (often referred to as SiN-Ball), but is definitely a great card worthy of inclusion in the deck.

Battle Surge is a set-up card, allowing you to lower your opponent's influence without necessarily swining in for a lethal blow. Distraction also allows you to effectively remove a blocker from your opponent's side of the table, meaning more damage being dealt to the opponent. This also allows you to go for the win with a smaller-than-usual number of characters (which I'll explain below.)

CHARACTERS
Ideally, you want to have at least a 1/1/3 character for each 1 resource you pay.This is why Micromajig Maker and Master are important in the deck: for a cost of 2 or 3, you get 2 or 3 solid characters between the cards themselves and the 1/1/3 Micromajig tokens they produce. Micromajig Master plays double duty, allowing you to search up part of your deck in an emergency.

The other key part of deciding characters for the deck is to vary the speeds of the characters. Having faster creatures (like the Horsemajigs, Basic Nodes, and Mundane Pupils) allows for the first round of damage to clear out any blockers, then (thanks to The Spoils Damage rules) the slower characters to deal large amounts of damage directly to the unblocked faction. Conversely, the slower Research Assistant and Creaky Old Swordsman can deal the lethal blow if the 3-speed characters are still blocked when their damage is dealt.

Finally, you have some other optimal yet cheap characters. Deputy and Lightfoot can deal additional damage beyond the normal amount of the SiN boost. Tiny Sarume goes above and beyond the 1 for 1/1/3 requirement by a full resource, and can be brought in from face-down in a pinch. 633fy 31f is always effective in a deck with so many cheap cards (and can even come in turn 1 with a Samure and another 1-drop character). Gideon is Gideon, and dealing additional damage is never a bad thing.

HOW TO PLAY
Explaining the full strategy would take a long time with a lot of parenthetical situations. I don't want to do all of that, so:

Obviously, this is a rough chart, and other factors (like creature removal, blocker's speeds, and locations like Theocratic Senate of Marduun) need to be taken into account as well. Besides, who didn't expect a Flow Chart?

In short, for a beginner, someone who's been away from the game for too long, or even someone who just jumped off the train, Strength in Numbers is the kind of deck that will make an impression on whoever plays it.

Have fun Metagaming!