Cactus Game Design Message Boards

...I built this.

Before anyone starts screaming about how huge this deck is, I'd like to say one thing. Please do not start screaming about how huge this deck is. I know what I'm doing (well, it's a theory, anyway )

This deck is built to try (fingers crossed) and outlast the offense on a speed deck. Whether it will actually work or not remains to be seen. This is my actual, physical deck, but I plan to try it on RTS soon.

If my reasoning is terrible and will never work, please let me know.
If my reasoning is sound but I don't have any of the cards that could let me build a proper deck of this sort, please let me know which cards.

Cards in deck: 77

Lost Souls: 10
Lost Souls (3-liner)
Lost Soul (Site Discard)
Lost Soul (Withdraw)
Lost Soul x7

Good Dominants:
Son of God
New Jerusalem
Angel of the Lord
Guardian of your Souls

Evil Dominants:
Burial
Christian Martyr
Falling Away

Multicolor Sites:
Ends of the Earth

Artifacts:
Chariot of Fire

Covenants/Curses:
Covenant With Levi
Confusion of Mind

Multicolor Good Enhancements:
Pillar of a Cloud

Purple Heroes:
Elisha
Elders of the City
Parmenas
King Hezzekiah
James, son of Zebedee
John

Purple Enhancements:
Coat of Mail
Gleaning the Fields
Reach of Desperation
Listening to God
Authority of Christ

Teal Heroes:
Zadok
Ahimaaz
Ahimelech, Priest at Nob
Jethro
Phinehas, son of Eleazar

Teal Enhancements:
Phinehas' Spear
Burning Incense
Grain Offering
Jehoiada's Strength
Purifying the Unclean
Perpetual Priesthood
Zeal for the Lord

Multicolor Evil Characters:
Damsel with Spirit of Divination (Orange/Pale Green)


Multicolor Evil Enhancements:
Love of Money

Pale Green Evil Characters:
King Tiglath-Pileser III
Absalom's Soldiers
Amasa
The Rabshakeh
King Sennacherib
Messenger of Satan
Frog Demons   (Where could the picture for this even come from?)

Pale Green Enhancements:
Glittering Spear
Two Thousand Horses
Muder
The Rabshakeh Attacks
The Tartan Attacks
Rage
Pierced Heart
Thorn in the Flesh
Confusion

Orange Evil Characters:
Prince of this World
The Thief
Demon Behind the Idol
Prince of Tyrus
Seizing Spirit
Evil Spawn
Prince of the Air

Orange Enhancements:
Poison of Dragons
Deafening spirit
Evil Armor
Lukewarm
Pride in Position
Pride in the Past
Pride before Calamity


Again, please don't just tell me I need to cut twenty-odd cards from this. Read the top again if you are thinking of posting anything like that. I know what I'm doing.

I think.

There are a couple anti-artifact (Pierced Heart, for example). The reason I don't have much in the way of anti-speed is because, well, I don't have the cards   Thank you for the anti-speed suggestions, though!

I agree with Daniel.  In general when I try to make a great defensive deck, I focus on % rather than total number of defensive cards.  You can have 50 defensive cards in a 100 card deck, but you will still get beaten by a speed deck.

The problem is that a speed deck is 90% offense, and focused around extra drawing, which means that they are drawing a ton of offensive power every turn.  If your deck is only 50% defense, and unlikely to be drawing much extra, therefore you will draw much less defense than they draw offense.  Sure in the long run, you'll get more defensive cards, but you won't survive long enough to get to them.

The solution is to have a relatively small deck (56 or 63 cards) that is 90% defense.  That means that you will draw about the same amount of defense as they draw offense, and if it is solid enough, you should be able to outlast a speed deck.  Then when you get to the end of the game, you can walk in with your minimal offense against their non-existent defense.

Last year I remember us playing a game against each other and we were both playing defense heavy decks. This game ended up being like 5-4. Very memorable game.

That's a big part of why I love to play defense-heavy decks.  It makes games MUCH more memorable and "epic-feeling".  Winning or losing by walking in for 3 LSs followed by drawing quickly to get SoG/NJ is just lame

Is the demon defense ok?

Demons are a strong defense, especially if mixed with another strong defense.

Finally, would it work just to keep the defense and trim the offence down?

I think that could actually work pretty well.  Pale Green and Orange do have a lot of crossover potential, and Assyrians have one of the best protection forts in the game.  Coupled with the ability to use "Confusion" to take out your opponent's Son of God, they can be really nasty.  With your limited card selection, I think this is probably a good way to go.

I see your point, but there is one flaw in your logic. I don't have Fishing Boat 

I cut it down to an 8-soul, 56 card deck. I cut out Frog Demons and Murder, and slimmed my teal to just Zadok, Ahimaaz, Phineas, Phineas's spear, Jehodia's Strength, and Zeal. Since I wanted a little variety, and I had more card spaces, I added green: Paladin, David, and Search.

How's that look?

EDIT: I forgot to mention, I also added Dangerous Road, since I otherwise had site discard without a viable site 

Alas neither do I but there are other ways to make speed decks. I have a TGT + Disciples deck that I can speed through fairly well and I don't have boat (yet) either. I only have 4 disciples in that deck so I wouldn't add it in anyway, accept maybe for the site access

but there are other ways to make speed decks.

This is true just make it Teal speed with Joiada recursion. That way you can pretty much keep the offense.

I don't like speed decks because I hate discarding good cards from my hand. (Not only that, but I often discard one that I want the next turn.) That is why I don't play speed decks, and why I was trying to find a slower deck that could still hold up against a speed. Hence, a 77 card deck.

Then just use storehouse

Thats why he should just convert it to a WS deck. Its smaller and all D.