US National 2012 Constructed Deck Lists - pt. 1

by Terence Jason Dorman

Gen Con 2012 was barely over before players were asking to see the deck lists from the National Constructed Championships. Being a man who likes to give the players what they want, I've decided to write up the deck lists as a two part article, the first half being posted today (you're reading it) and the second half being posted next Friday, August 31^st.

Since there were only thirteen entrants in this year's event, I've decided to take a look at each deck list in the field rather than just the Top 4. I feel the thirteen decks in the field really represent a wide array of deck possibilities and show a healthy metagame, something I didn't think would be seen by only analyzing the Top 4 decks.

In true countdown fashion, I'll be looking at the decks from 13^th to 1^st place, this week looking at 13^th through 5^th. I'm going to save the Top 4 decks for next week and give each of them a deeper analysis than I will for these decks, but that does not mean any of these decks did not have a chance at taking down the National crown.

Realistically, I could probably write a feature article on each of these decks, but I'll try to keep my analyses short so you guys can get to the lists faster and discuss them yourselves.

Now, on with the countdown!

Bernie Makino - 13^th Place

• Tournament Faction

• Resources (20)
• Elitism x6
• Arrogance x4
• Greed x2
• Obsession x7
• Rage

• Characters (14)
• Jo Ciendeilio
• Senior Research Assistant x4
• Violating Anomaly
• Servile Centipede x2
• Quotidian Ejector x2
• Rummaging Millipede x4

• Tactics (28)
• 31337! x4
• Limited Liability x2
• Invent x4
• Research Investment x4
• Writ of Reclamation
• 1337! x3
• Reality Shift x4
• All-Nighter x4
• Degenerate Molestation
• Dragon's Strategy

• Items (13)
• Crest of Elitism x3
• Crest of Obsession x4
• Epiphany Ball x4
• Runic Battery x2

• Total: 75

As I mentioned in my tournament report, Bernie's deck is a updated variant on the old Reality Shift combo deck. This deck, which was pretty popular back in the day, never really had a chance to shine as it rose to prominence when Tenacious was starting to go under. As such, I can see why Bernie decided to resurrect the deck as it was likely that few players would know what it does or how to stop it.

The problem with this deck these days, though, is that Seed 2 and Seed 3 added so many counters to the deck. With A Blazing Zero being cheap and easy tactic-hate, I Drink Your Milkshake! and Hilarious Refrigerator Alarm being anything hate, and Anatidaephobia terminating characters, many decks in the field had answers for this deck without explicitly thinking about it.

The other issue with this deck is that it takes a while to get started (from what I saw) and that leaves it susceptible to the popular rush decks. Even my deck, which is as slow as molasses, was able to get Bernie to nine influence with only two characters (Ceremonious Groomer). I can't imagine what a proper rush deck would be able to do against this deck.

It's best match-up, however, is against other control decks. With the exception of players who know EXACTLY what this deck does and how to stop it, this deck should beat most other control match-ups. Other control decks will give this one the time it needs to get all of the required pieces (barring a discard style control deck) and won't be threatening it's influence.

Joshua Kern - 12^th Place

• Tournament Faction

• Resources
• Deception x18 (2 starting)

• Characters (28)
• Ipsighast, the Lustful x4
• Slinking Bandido x4
• Affectionate Dollkeeper x4
• Muscle Tribe of Danger and Excellence x4
• Booty Licker x4
• Axeclaw Grandchest x4
• Iohane, th Convex x4

• Tactics (20)
• Delicious Strawberry Flavored Death x4
• Drygulch x4
• Strangulate x4
• Overindulge x4
• Essence of Deception x2
• I Drink Your Milkshake!
• Palm Glom

• Locations (4)
• Heist Training Grounds x4

• Items (6)
• Roundalicious Breasticles x4
• Crest of Deception
• Lucky Charm

• Total: 76

I didn't have a chance to see this deck in action at all, but from what I can tell, it feels like a aggro-Rogue deck. Rogue has some of the best removal in the game (Drygulch being one of the best) and this deck runs a handful of removal cards. Add in the theft cards found in Breasticles and Palm Glom and this deck shouldn't have too much trouble dealing with characters.

One glaring problem the deck has, as does any deck that runs mono-Rogue, is that it has no way to handle items. Heist Training Grounds can certainly pluck them from the deck before they are a problem, but that could mean sacrificing that awesome trigger to deal with items instead of problem characters/tactics. Booty Licker can also steal the items, but that doesn't have any real effect on popular items like Ass, Vorpal Sword, and Deathburderbludgeon, the Craghammer.

If this deck can get around items, though, it should do well. I like the character selection, particularly Slinking Bandido, and the addition of Lucky Charm could make those characters have a little extra sustainability. Plus, the new tag team of Ipsighast and Iohane packs a powerful punch while adding control elements.

Terence Jason Dorman - 11^th Place - “52 Pick Up”

I don't want to waste your time going over my deck as I have already written about it in detail on the Blarg. If haven't read the article or want to check it out again, be sure to head over to my coverage of the National Constructed Championships.

Viviann Chan - 10^th Place - “Rage Sligh”

• Tournament Faction

• Resources (18)
• Rage x14 (2 starting)
• Violence x4

• Characters (33)
• Gideon, the Ultimate Warrior x4
• Aroused Stiffbone x4
• Plunging Shriever x4
• Dying Hero x4
• Spry Archer x4
• Really Big Barduse
• Athalamund Mangod, the Iron Fist x2
• Deadly Striker x4
• Adriel, Defender of Marduun x4
• Idol Smasher
• Elzibeth, Military Sorceress

• Tactics (12)
• Essence of Rage x4
• Noble Sacrifice x4
• Dark Awakening x4

• Locations (8)
• Drill Garrison x4
• Watchtower x4

• Items (4)
• Crest of Rage x4

Viviann's list was a slight variant from the popular Rage sligh list from last year. I personally expected more of these to turn out for the event, but I guess its popularity made people shy away from it. Also, this deck has been discussed to death, so I think a lot of players preferred to add counters to their decks rather than have to face down those possible counters by running this deck.

Despite how it ended up in the standings, I think this deck is still very strong. Over the past year, this deck spawned the popular “can this beat Rage rush?” question whenever a player comes up with a new deck.

What ended up happening, though, was that all of the other trades got a noticeable buff in Seed 3. This effectively brought all of the other trades up to the level of Warlord, in my opinion, and that is why we didn't see this deck steamroll the event like we did last year.

John Prather - 9^th Place - “Pretty Pink Rush-ins”

• Tournament Faction

• Resources (17)
• Deception x2 (starting)
• Elitism x15

• Characters (17)
• Multi-Attachment Man x4
• Recyclable Golem x4
• Swollen Ostrich x4
• Martial Arts Trainee x3
• 313373 M3ch4n1c x2

• Tactics (23)
• Rapine x4
• Roulette Wheel of Doom x4
• Strangulate x3
• Hustler's Comeuppance x3
• Rewarding Salvage x2
• Drygulch x3
• Runic Reinforcement x3
• Catastrophic Betrayal

• Items (18)
• Roundalicious Breasticles x4
• Rusty Pickaxe x4
• Gewgawed Gimcrack x3
• H07 P3pp3r x4
• G14n7 5p0rk D3f3n53 x3

• Total: 75

John was my first round opponent and I really liked his deck. The problem it had, however, is that a lot of the cards were dead in his deck because my deck actively chose not to play any characters. After the first round I didn't have a chance to see John play any other matches, but I imagine he had some interesting matches.

One major concern that I had, and John did too once he realized the ruling, was that he could not rely on Rusty Pickaxe as his source for Rapines. Obviously you can still Rapine a Pickaxe if needed, but you don't get the Pickaxe back as a resource like John thought. This put a hamper on his gameplay as he had playtested the deck thinking the interaction worked that way, which could definitely cause a problem.

I really like that he was trying out Gewgawed Gimcrack. I haven't really been a fan of that card since I read it as I thought it was a less viable Desolate, but I'd really like to know how it worked for John. John, if you read this, please comment and let me know how you liked that item.

Jeff Millegan - 8^th Place

• Tournament Faction

• Resources (15)
• Rage (starting)
• Deception x10 (1 starting)
• Treachery x4

• Tactics (32)
• Dark Awakening x4
• Drygulch x4
• I Drink Your Milkshake! x4
• Peculate x4
• Pant Swipe x4
• Strangulate x3
• Scrag x2
• Essence of Deception x2
• Jackmove x4
• Hustler's Comeuppance

• Items (30)
• Hollow Moose x4
• Muddle Bugs x4
• Tremor Engine x4
• Incriminating Photograph x3
• Lucky Charm x2
• Ass x4
• Crest of Deception x2
• Roundalicious Breasticles x3
• Misappropriation Machine x4

• Total: 77

Jeff chose to run a similar deck to the one he played in last year's Nationals and actually had similar results. He would have done a little bit better had he not drew with me in the last round (although we played it out and I ended up winning), but our decks were destined to go to time the second we stat down against each other.

This deck appears to be a pretty standard Ass build, removing the variance of the Auction House version. My major problem with Ass decks, though, is that a knowledgeable opponent should be able to take them down very easily. This is especially true for versions that run no characters as the Ass deck isn't posing any threats except the Ass itself.

Tremor Engine is an interesting addition to this deck and one that I support. I don't know for sure if it is particularly good in an Ass build, but I just love Tremor Engine and am always looking for ways to make the card viable.

Ricky Hahn - 7^th Place

• Tournament Faction

• Resources (15)
• Greed (starting)
• Rage x10 (1 starting)
• Violence x4

• Characters (30)
• Gideon, the Ultimate Warrior x4
• Adriel, Defender of Marduun x4
• Deadly Striker x4
• Dragon Archer x4
• Athalamund Mangod, the Iron Fist x4
• Plunging Shriever x3
• Spry Archer x4
• Surplus Soldier x3

• Tactics (25)
• Dark Awakening x4
• Chain Reaction x3
• Noble Sacrifice x4
• A Blazing Zero x3
• Boilstorm x4
• Miraculous Regeneration x3
• Postmortem Debenture x4

• Items (5)
• Siege Machine x2
• Phalludrix, the Impotenator x3

• Total: 75

Ricky came to me with the idea for this deck and I helped him fine tune it to what you see above. I really liked the idea of a Rage sligh deck with a splash, and I think Banker was the obvious and smart choice. Although the Greed resource is only there for seven cards, those seven cards add an increased level of character recursion that was formerly only capable via Dark Awakening.

The idea of this deck is basically to start a rush and keep it going no matter the cost. Between Dark Awakening, Miraculous Regeneration, and Postmortem Debenture, this shouldn't be much of a problem. Mathematically, if Ricky really wanted to, he could play a Deadly Striker a startling fifteen times! I don't know of any Faction that starts with 60 influence, so you can see the theory behind this deck.

I also like the addition of Phalludrix and Siege Machine. The Siege Machine adds an extra victory condition if needed, especially if you can pair it with a Gideon. Phalludrix is also a clever item for the deck as it can prevent discard decks from running rampant against it. Add in the fact that it can provide a little extra damage boost and you have a perfect item for Rage rush.

Joe Yackel - 6^th Place – “Fat Chicks and Matt Ehrharts”

• Tournament Faction

• Resources (16)
• Elitism x2 (starting)
• Rage x10
• Violence x4

• Characters (40)
• Micromajig Shipping Container x4
• Micromajig Master x4
• Gideon, the Ultimate Warrior x4
• Adriel, Defender of Marduun x2
• Dragon Archer x4
• Surplus Soldier x4
• Plunging Shriever x4
• 7001b0x 31f x4
• Deadly Striker x4
• Spitting Sarume x2
• Athalamund Mangod, the Iron Fist x2

• Tactics (16)
• Dark Awakening x4
• Hilarious Refrigerator Alarm x4
• Bask Bile x2
• Strength in Numbers x2
• Noble Sacrifice x4

• Items (5)
• Vorpal Sword x2
• H07 P3pp3r x2
• Dethmurderbludgeon, the Craghammer

• Total: 75

Yackel's deck appears to be a revival of the old Gearsmith/Warlord Strength in Numbers decks from back during the First Edition Part Two era, but updates it with powerful new cards found in Dark Awakening and Hilarious Refrigerator Alarm.

I think my favorite combo in the deck is the return to 7001b0x 31f + Dethmurderbludgeon, the Craghammer. Lately, a lot of players have been searching their decks for Vorpal Swords or Rusty Pickaxes to gain resources when the 31f dies, and that is certainly good. Dethmurderbludgeon, however, provides a strong rush and catches players off guard as this kind of tech hasn't been seen for years.

Aside from the revival aspect, though, the deck really operates as a rush deck. It combos the standard Rage rush with the weenie rush style you can find with Gearsmith cards and takes the best elements from both, including the great removal cards that Warlord has access to. He also decided to run two Bask Biles as finishers, which I think was a smart move as this kind of deck could have a tough time coming back if the rush falls off.

Vince Chuan - 5^th Place - “RLD”

• Tournament Faction

• Resources (16)
• Obsession (starting)
• Deception x11 (1 starting)
• Treachery x4

• Characters (1)
• Surplus Soldier

• Tactics (39)
• Palm Glom x4
• Arcane Research x4
• Overindulge x4
• Essence of Deception x4
• Drygulch x4
• I Drink Your Milkshake! x4
• Burly Assailment x4
• Peculate x4
• Obsessive Compulsion x3
• Inhibit x4

• Locations (3)
• Auction House x3

• Items (16)
• Roundalicious Breasticles x4
• Muddle Bugs x4
• Ass x4
• Crest of Deception x4

• Total: 75

Vince and I were chatting a lot during the two weeks leading up to Gen Con and I can honestly say that I never would have expected him to show up with this deck. There were talks of him reviving his Rage Sligh, building his own RI OTK deck, or even something completely different than this deck. When he showed up with this I was surprised but excited to see how it would perform.

I wish I could have seen this deck in action as I would have loved to see how it operated. I've never been a fan of Auction House and, generally, can't understand how decks that are based on it manage to win games. Vince did just that, though, so I'm obviously missing something.

The card that stands out most to me is Muddle Bugs. Myself and other members of Team Hopper have been throwing that card in any Rogue deck we build and I'm kind of surprised it didn't show up in more decks. It is absolutely fantastic against rush decks (particularly Rage rush) and stays on the table for continued use. Sure, it falls to Plunging Shriever just like any other item, but at least it probably did enough work to pay for itself before the opponent destroyed it.

Vince, if you happen to read this, please comment on the forums to let me know what you thought of your own deck.

And the rest of you, strike back in the forums! Let me and the other players know what you thought of these decks. Were you surprised by what turned up at Gen Con? Did you think some of these decks should have done better? Some worse? Let us know your thoughts! Also, be sure to check back next week as I analyze the Top 4 decks!