Cactus Game Design Message Boards

56 cards:

Lost Souls (8 )
Hopper
3-Line
Shame
Female
Shuffler
Exchanger
NT
Revealer

Good Dominants (3)
AotL
NJ
SoG

Evil Dominants (4)
Burial
CM
Destruction
FA

Teal Heroes (4)
Eliashib
Joshua
Joiada
Phineas

Teal Enhs. (5)
Filling ZT
Grain Offering
Jordan Interrupted
Trumpet Blast
Zeal

Green Hero (1)
Haggai

White Hero (1)
Zerubbabel

Purple Hero (1)
Widow

Purple Enh. (1)
AoCP

MC Heroes (2)
Zechariah
Melchizideck

Crimson EC's (7)
Ashpenaz
Babylonian Forces
The Imperial Guard
Judas Iscariot
King Merodach-baladan
Nebushasban
Nergalsharezer

Crimson Enhs. (7)
Carried into Exile
Desecrate the Temple
Great Image
Head of Gold
Midianites attack
Set Fire
Swift Horses

Teal Covenants (2)
Covenant with Levi
Covenant with Phinehas

Crimson Curse (1)
Captured Ark

Artifacts (4)
Chariot of Fire
Holy of Holies
Lampstand
Unholy Writ

Fortresses (4)
HQ at Riblah
Jerusalem Tower
Wall of Protection
ZT

Site (1)
Hormah

So, what do you think? Is there anything I need to take out? Is there anything I need to put in? I accept all suggestions.

You want me to get rid of Slave? Why?! And as for JT, I have found numerous occasions where it has totally saved me against a deck destruction deck. (You'd be surprised at how many people don't know about Oppressed and Robbed.) Also, JT works well with Eliashib. It would be nice to put in Nerg and Horses, I know, but I would rather not take those particular cards out. I can see myself dropping Renewing the Covenant for Burning Incense, though....Or maybe dropping Renewing the Covenant and Asherah Pole for Nerg and Horses.

If you really want an extra lost soul to dump in their territory, Hopper is a way better choice.

Wow, Hopper is nowhere near as good as Slave. First of all, Slave lets you bring out a human EC of your choice. Also, Slave can't be HT'd (and I can't tell you how many times I've had that problem with Hopper). True, Hopper works as soon as you draw it (and lets you draw another card), and Slave is just extra space until you use it, but that doesn't really make a difference, at least to me.

I'm not particularly fond of JT, as I've rarely needed it, but maybe a lot of people in your area play deck discard.

Maybe so, but don't lots of people everywhere use cards like Amasai and Gabriel also? And having only 5 evil enhancements, I can't afford many attacks with those kinds of cards.

Either way, would you suggest that I trade out Renewing the Covenant and Asherah Pole for Nerg and Swift Horses, whether or not I make any other changes for the moment?

I agree with you Bubbleboy... Deck Discard has become a LOT popular.  Almost every brigade has some card to punish your deck.  I have begin squeezing J Tower in and I haven't regretted it lately.
  However, as a side note, I'm kind of biased because my first game at Nationals and RR discarded in this order:
      SoG, AoTL, Ezra (when he had one of my heroes captured) and CM.  I was NOT a happy camper.  All this was prior to the new powerful ROA cards.  My advice:  keep JT

Either way, would you suggest that I trade out Renewing the Covenant and Asherah Pole for Nerg and Swift Horses, whether or not I make any other changes for the moment?

Yeah, that's a good move. If you do nothing else to the deck from my suggestions, at least squeeze in Nergalsharezer and Swift Horses. He's awesome.

Something else I've done to a few of my decks recently has been to take out the evil protect forts in favor of a more useful card. I'm not sure how well this will turn out, but in all my time of playing Redemption (which hasn't been that long, only a year or so) I've only seen a few decks with really big discard offenses. Aside from AoCP, which I don't seem to see often anyway, it seems that most of the time my ECs are knocked out in other ways than mass territory discarding. Of course, most of my decks are a little more focused on my offense than my defense, so it might be personal preference factoring in.

It's controversial, but you might take out HQ for Burning Incense.

..........Sorry, I started to ramble.

You know, every time I take BotC out, I need it the next time I play. Of course, though, when I do have it (like today), I never find myself in a position where I need to use it. Honestly, I think I would rather keep that just in case, because many an avoidable unexecuted rescue have I undergone in the past due to its absence.

I would definitely take out Book of the Cov.  You only have 2 Covs and you don't normally need more than 2 of your arts active at a time. 
I don't see this deck benefiting from U&T that much.  Take it out to add more offense.

Go into Captivity would be better than Unholy Writ. 

I would switch Reach of D for Search.  This would also eliminate the need for Zechariah so you could put in a better hero.  Maybe work in Elishama and Jehoshaphat so you can band and reuse some enhancements?  You don't have a lot so being able to reuse could come in handy.

I would try to fit in Jehoidia's strength.

With your lost soul selection and only 6 evil guys to discard, I would take out Hormah.
With Destruction, Imperial Guard, and Descrate, I think you can take out Captured Ark.

In this deck, I would take out KoT.  I think you're better off enhancing your crimson.  possibilities:
Arioch, Ashpenaz, King Evil-merodach, Red Dragon, Sapphira, King Zimri, Gomer, or Leviathan

I would try for at least one more crimson enhancement.  possibilities:  Belshazzar's Banquet, Dream, Imitating Evil, Deceit of Sapphira, Midianites Attack, or Nebuchadnezzar's Pride

I think you can afford to switch Great Image and Babylonian Forces for some of those other cards.
So with all that you can fit in Jehoshaphat, Reach, Jehoidia's Strength, Ashpenaz, King Evil-merodach, Go into Captivity, Imitating Evil, Midianites Attack, and Nebby's Pride.

I would definitely take out Book of the Cov.  You only have 2 Covs and you don't normally need more than 2 of your arts active at a time. 
I don't see this deck benefiting from U&T that much.  Take it out to add more offense.

Go into Captivity would be better than Unholy Writ. 

I would switch Reach of D for Search.  This would also eliminate the need for Zechariah so you could put in a better hero.  Maybe work in Elishama and Jehoshaphat so you can band and reuse some enhancements?  You don't have a lot so being able to reuse could come in handy.

I would try to fit in Jehoidia's strength.

With your lost soul selection and only 6 evil guys to discard, I would take out Hormah.
With Destruction, Imperial Guard, and Descrate, I think you can take out Captured Ark.

In this deck, I would take out KoT.  I think you're better off enhancing your crimson.  possibilities:
Arioch, Ashpenaz, King Evil-merodach, Red Dragon, Sapphira, King Zimri, Gomer, or Leviathan

I would try for at least one more crimson enhancement.  possibilities:  Belshazzar's Banquet, Dream, Imitating Evil, Deceit of Sapphira, Midianites Attack, or Nebuchadnezzar's Pride

I think you can afford to switch Great Image and Babylonian Forces for some of those other cards.
So with all that you can fit in Jehoshaphat, Reach, Jehoidia's Strength, Ashpenaz, King Evil-merodach, Go into Captivity, Imitating Evil, Midianites Attack, and Nebby's Pride.

Hmm, that's quite a mouthful, but I see where you're coming from. All of those are sensible suggestions.

Burning of incense for Grain offering

Joiada and Pentecost is a great combo

Quote from: Tsavong Lah on October 03, 2008, 09:02:36 PM

If you really want an extra lost soul to dump in their territory, Hopper is a way better choice.

Wow, Hopper is nowhere near as good as Slave. First of all, Slave lets you bring out a human EC of your choice. Also, Slave can't be HT'd (and I can't tell you how many times I've had that problem with Hopper). True, Hopper works as soon as you draw it (and lets you draw another card), and Slave is just extra space until you use it, but that doesn't really make a difference, at least to me.

OK. Personally, i think slave stinks, unless you have a brown or gold deck.  Yeah, he becomes a lost soul and lets you draw an ec, but it can be countered in many ways:
1. btn on first turn (it has happened to me before, but not w/ slave)
2. btn choose the blocker
3. choose the blocker w/ joel, negates specail ability, he gets initiative to kill you
4. rain becomes dust
I'd say put in the hopper

I would take out Reach and Grain Offering.

I would add Provisions and Go into Captivity.