Maxwell's Silver...Buckler

[Sal]

Gonna try 2 Steam Mashines but then its just going to run into Bonewalls again grrrr.

[suxerz]

how about momentum one of the growing creatures? but it would take a while though.

[Sal]

Version 2.7

Code: [Select]

4vd 5c3 5c3 5rp 5rp 5rp 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6tt 6u3 6u3 6u3 717 74b 77f 77f 7h2 7h2 7n0 7q5 7q5 80h 80h 80h
Not sure if cutting a shard was a good idea. It looks nice though

[jmdt]

Version 2.7

Code: [Select]

4vd 5c3 5c3 5rp 5rp 5rp 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6tt 6u3 6u3 6u3 717 74b 77f 77f 7h2 7h2 7n0 7q5 7q5 80h 80h 80h
Not sure if cutting a shard was a good idea. It looks nice though

Looks very good Sal.  Very similar to the direction I was looking toward.

I wonder if aflatoxin would be better with upped carapaces.  Aflatoxin makes many fgs much easier wins.  Versus bonewall you can sack one of your critters to fill the field with cells which will take the bonewall down.

Also, are 3 supernova enough in your deck?

[Sal]

I know the 3 Novas look weird. I´m not exactly happy with that to be honest but i really need the room.

Been toying around with Fire Buckler and i think it should be added as an alternative to the Carapace. You can play them faster (just 4 instead of 7 ) and don´t have to wait 2 turns for it to do something. The Buckler would make  Aflatoxin obsolete,guess i have to test it.
Gonna take a look at it tomorrow, its late.

edit:Thought of something like this:
Maxwells Buckler version 1.0

Code: [Select]

4vo 4vo 5if 5if 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6tt 6tt 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 7dl 7dl 7dl 7h2 7h2 7q5 7q5 7tb 7tb 80h 80h 80h 80hYou can play the Buckler a lot faster than the Carapace + you get something out of it right now instead of having to wait for 2 turns for the creatures toughness to drop.

I´m still trying to find a way to buy enough time to just keep the Shield up.This version i try to run 2 Vampire Dagger acting as Shard of Gratitude 7+8.
To make up for the lack of Pulverizer i´m trying Butterfly effect (4 targets).

Also note that i upped the Quint count to make sure you will have one for your creature up and don´t have to wait that long.Also its desperatly needed to protect your Butterfly target.

I´m trying out Mind Flayers to get rid of annoying creatures + the 2nd one is usually my Butterfly target.

Major advantage for this version is that you can setup your lockpieces a lot earlier than with Carapace.

Since most off-entropy cards could be played after 2 novas i might change the Tower base to include a couple Entropy Towers to get rid of the overused  problem.

Issues:
-mass permanent control plain kills you. You really need your Shards to stay alive while Deamon/Buckler get rid of the threats.
-Bonewall plain kills you since you won´t be able to break it before decking out.I might have to add Eternity but prolly can´t support it with the current tower count.
-The deck is too large (40 cards). That helps a bit with the Deck out thing but decreases the odds of drawing what you need.
-if you fail to find Deamon / Buckler in time you are just toast.Adding an additional Hourglass would just add to the Deck out problem.Guess i´ll have to add a 3rd Demon somehow.
-Entropy Quanta is overused (Deamon +Butterfly)
-Butterfly is kinda slow. already tough to get out and you will most likly not have enough  to activate it after playing it.
-can´t really add Pulvies untill i find a way to stay alive against fgs (Sundials did a great job at that. Unfortunatly the deck is already "full").

Edit : Several versions later...
Maxwells Buckler version 3.6

Code: [Select]

6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6ts 6ts 6tt 6tt 6tt 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u7 6u7 77f 77f 7aj 7dl 7dl 7dq 7dq 7dq 7q5 7q5 80h 80h 80h 80h
After replacing 2 Quantum Towers with 2 Entropy Towers the  Quanta problem became less frequent.This lead to replacing the Daggers with 2x Antimatter and the 2 Butterflies against 2 Pulvies (back to basics ^^).

I was experimenting with Elite Chargers to get rid of the Bonewall problem, but they turn out to be too slow against most other gods. Hopefully the Pulvies help to solve the problem (get rid of Graveyards etc).

I´m almost happy with the current version as it is.The 3rd Golem + 4th Quint was a major improvement, decking out is rarly an issue now and the overall killspeed went through the roof.
Edit: -> latest version
I´m not really a friend of this version since decking out became much more of a problem again and the major combopieces are only 2 offs (more likly to miss a combopiece).
On the +side this rarly got Quanta problems and it can be faster in general due to the lower decksize.
But since most people here tend to prefer compact decks here it is.

Maxwell Buckler version 4.0 (slim)

Code: [Select]

5if 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6ts 6ts 6tt 6tt 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u7 6u7 77f 77f 7ah 7ah 7dl 7dl 80h 80h 80h
The chance to "fizzle" is higher since you only run 2 Spectres to do major damage and there is a good chance you will not draw them in time.
There are less copies of Deamon and Buckler in this, so chances are high you won´t see any of the 2 -  thats why i prefer the 40 card version with 3 copies of each.I´m also a huge fan of 4 quints since that greatly reduces the "waiting" time.

Here are a couple unfavorable scenarios that are more likly to happen with this version :

2 Quints at the bottom = might deck out or have to play risky
2 Spectres at the bottom = might deck out
2 Bucklers at the bottom = your toast unless you get a quinted Demon 4+ Shards
2 Deamons at the bottom = your in trouble, but can still win with a Buckler
2 Pulvies at the bottom = your in trouble against certain gods

Personally i prefer the 40 card version. (below)

Maxwell Bucker version 4.0 (normal)

Code: [Select]

5if 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6ts 6ts 6tt 6tt 6tt 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u7 6u7 77f 77f 7ah 7ah 7dl 7dl 7dl 80h 80h 80h 80h
Adjust the 40th card to your preferance.
My usual choice:
-3rd Pulvy (Octane,Morte)
-3rd Antimatter (pretty much everystrong creature based god like Ferox)
-3rd Specter (Helps a ton against Miracle and usually speeds things up)
-2nd Mind Flayer (helps a lot against Osiris, Scorpio,Eternal Phoenix)
-1 Graveyard (speeds things up, i prefer the 3rd Specter over it though)

I reccoment using the 2nd Mindflayer.

They are all good choices and increase your % against certain gods.
The deck works pretty well on just one or two Quantum Tower since the average cost is pretty low, so if you are up for a gameble take out a Quantum Tower for any of the above cards.Almost the entire deck can be played after 2 Novas and your Mark provides you with 1 , so even if you don´t draw a Quantum tower you should still be in good shape.

God-by-God-Rundown

Favorable Matchup (>60 chance to win)

Neptune
This should be a game you can´t loose as soon as you got a Buckler and Quinted Deamon out.
http://img16.imageshack.us/f/neptune2.png/
http://i55.tinypic.com/ou6ond.jpg

Destiny
Simmilar to Neptune. Buckler + Deamon take care of the threats. Safe your Antimatter for something worthy of it or you might loose.
http://i51.tinypic.com/2zpmrfa.jpg
Graviton
Antimatter his Elite Chargers if possible and watch out for Momentum.
 http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/3098/graviton.png
Paradox
As soon as you got your first Quinted Deamon out after that you pretty much won. Make sure you use your Pulvy to destroy his Hourglasses - otherwise things might get nasty.
http://img835.imageshack.us/f/paradox.png/
Miracle
This one is easy.Buckler+Deamon get rid of anything.
He can´t kill you with damage - he got no CC whatsoever so play your stuff when you get it and hope to get a golem early. It HAS to be huge to punch through the inevitable Miracles. Don´t draw cards from your Hourglass or you might deck out.
http://img194.imageshack.us/f/miracleks.png/
Gemini
Can be very close at times due to his potential Mass Twin Universe Spiders. Early Quinted Deamon + Buckler and this is easy.
http://img826.imageshack.us/i/gemini.png/
Chaos Lord
Can sometimes get nasty with his Mutations. Version 4.0 got Mindflayers that basicly wreck his deck.

Eldnis
Ran into him 4 times so far and never lost a game so this should be favorable.

Coinflip Matchup (+/- 50% chance to win)

Obliterator
Save your Antimatter for his Dragons.Early PA´d Pulvy = your toast, otherwise this matchup is very doable.
http://img840.imageshack.us/i/obliterator.png/
Decay
This can be everything from favorable to unfavorable completly dependant on how many Quantum Towers you draw and the speed of his Fractal. Tower screwed = you are toast , otherwise you should be able to beat him. Pulvy his Eclipse asap and you should be safe.
http://i53.tinypic.com/2ir3i2o.jpg
Octane
This is almost pure luck based and either way going to be a short game. Either you kill him very smooth without much danger or he just blows you away with 6 unstable gas by turn 5. Play your stuff wisely and make sure your Pulvy is going to stick (bait explos with Hourglass etc).
You can afford to loose your Shields since his Unstable Gas also damages his creatures - ready to be Deamon "Fodder".Deamon should be your nr1 Quint target for this matchup.

Seism
This one is tricky. If he gets out a early PA´d Pulvy just quit - its lost.The battleplan is very tight.
Don´t draw off your Hourglasses too much cause it will be a long game.Don´t play more than 1 of each Tower to minimize Earthquake casualties - this is the main reason why its going to be a long match.
Try to establish this board position :
Fire Buckler
Quinted Maxwell Deamon
3x Shard of Gratitude
Be very economical with your Quanta - just play what you absolutly have to. You´ll most likly end up with a Golem and Quint in your hand sooner or later and might have to wait a couple turns to play both to end the game, but in order to survive your first quint has to go to Maxwell Deamon. If you are getting close to deck out play one of your Demons and Seism will use his reverse time on it (should prevent you from decking out for a while if you got enough  :entropyQuanta). Be very careful when you play your shards, more than 3 should not be needed and you should avoid playing more to make sure you got the Quanta when you need it.
http://img715.imageshack.us/f/seism.png/
Fire Queen
Both your starting hand and your opponents speed are deciding how this will go. Either you will setup Deamon + Buckler fast enough and have a really easy game or he gets a nut start with 2 FFQs on turn 3 while you are still setting up and most likly loose then.

Incarnate
Use your pulvy to get rid of Boneyards/Eclipse. Might want to avoid playing the Buckler if you can win without it to prevent his Bonewall from becoming "unbreakable". Antimatter his Vamps if possible.
http://img265.imageshack.us/f/incarnate.png/
Morte
Check Incarnate above, a very simmilar strategy should carry you through this.The matchup is a lot tougher but still a coinflip because of the Bonewalls.

Osiris
Used to be unfavorable but the Mindflayers of version 4.0+ turned it into a coinflip. It remains a tough matchup without an early Mindflayer.

Unfavorable Matchup (<40% chance to win)

Scorpio
With version 4.0 this became manageable - but is still highly unfavorable.

Dark Matter
Save your Novas to get a Buckler / Pulvy out early and pray for a bad draw on his side.It is possible to beat Dark Matter with this deck, but not likly to happen.

Hermes
This is doable but most of the time he is throwing too many threats out before you can handle them.

Eternal Phoenix
Simmilar to Hermes, but even harder.You need him to play a Dragon to Antimatter - otherwise its pretty much lost.
http://img62.imageshack.us/f/eternalphoenix.png/
Dream Catcher
Very tough matchup. 8 out of 10 times i´ve lost. Once a Fate Egg / Pest got Butterfly Effect it is over unless you got enough damage out to end it fast.

Rainbow (dodge)
I knew its gonna be tough but the first game i just got slaughtered. Explo´d all my Towers and stole my Pulvy to get rid of my Shards one by one.I managed to get out a Quinted Deamon (did nothing to his growth creatures without the shields) and a Quinted Golem (couldn´t race his 5 Hourglass fueled army).Doubt that adjusting my battleplan would change anything to the bad matchup.

Divine Glory (dodge)
Haven´t won a match against it yet - i get horrible hands against him for some weird reason.
Most of your cards are dead against DG and its unlikly you can race it even with a good hand.
Just dodge.

[jmdt]

Awesome work Sal.  Serious +1 Karma.  I'll test this guy tomorrow and see how it goes.

It seems to me we are a bit heavy on fire quanta now, but I'll reserve judgement till I test.

BTW the amethyst towers and antimatter are brilliant.

[kobisjeruk]

Seism
This one is tricky. If he gets out a early PA´d Pulvy just quit - its lost.The battleplan is very tight.

seism cant use pulvy so thats one thing you dont have to worry about

[Sal]

seism cant use pulvy so thats one thing you dont have to worry about

Whow i haven´t realized this and actually quit a game early because of it  . Amazing how much impact to the game this card has to force me to autoquit a game once i can´t get rid of it.
That should make it easier.

---

Btw here is the "new" version.

Maxwells Buckler V3.9

Code: [Select]

6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6rn 6ts 6ts 6tt 6tt 6tt 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u7 6u7 77f 77f 7ah 7ah 7ah 7dl 7dl 7dl 7q5 7q5 80h 80h 80h 80h
jmdt suggested adding Spectres instead of Golems and it turned out to be a good choice.I´ve also added another Nova to fix the occasional Quanta issues and dropped the Carapace again for another Buckler. Its working better each day and is already a viable false god farmer, not as good win% as the tweaked to perfection ones, but its quite fast to make up for that.



The overall win% went up by a bit and the unfavorable Dreamcatcher went closer to beeing a coinflip matchup.Sacrificed my Pulvy + 2 Hourglasses to get rid of the Butterfly effects (bait) so the creatures hurt themselves enough to get into Deamon range.There is still no way of getting rid of Devourers / Fate Eggs so its tough luck when those are getting targeted with Butterfly Effect.If that happens it is usually over unless you got enough damage on the table to race fast enough.

There are still some major issues against Morte since you can´t bypass/break his Bonewall.I didn´t have that problem with my usual farm deck and really want to fix this somehow.

Boneyard was the first thing i´ve tried (its also a nice speed increase) but that only makes the problem worse. Plague or anything on the Skelletons and that wall is never going to go down in time.Also you sometimes Afla yourself with it (can´t play creatures).

I´ve also tried to squeeze a Fractal or two in there but that didn´t work out as well as i thought it would be. Maybe jmdt finds a solution.

[Boingo]

Yes!  Bravo!
+karma all around!

I've had this idea of making a Fire Buckler + maxwell's demon deck for a while now but never thought it'd be up to the FG challenge.   Then I saw this thread and thought--this is it!

[Boingo]

There are still some major issues against Morte since you can´t bypass/break his Bonewall. I didn´t have that problem with my usual farm deck and really want to fix this somehow.

Boneyard was the first thing i´ve tried (its also a nice speed increase) but that only makes the problem worse. Plague or anything on the Skelletons and that wall is never going to go down in time.Also you sometimes Afla yourself with it (can´t play creatures).

I´ve also tried to squeeze a Fractal or two in there but that didn´t work out as well as i thought it would be. Maybe jmdt finds a solution.

Unstoppable on your spectre should do the trick.  It will require a 3 card combo (spectre + unstoppable + quint) but if you put 2-3 of them in the deck, you should be able to draw them within a reasonable amount of time.

[Sal]

Thanks a lot.

I´m still toying around with the deck, trying different things.The early pulvy is key against Morte and the match is winable after that (usually if you draw the Pulvy too late then you are facing a 20 Bonewall+ that is almost impossible to penetrate before decking out.

Won against Eternal Phoenix with this, a match i´ve never won before with this deck. You need him to play his dragon so you can antimatter it to negate a couple Phoenix. The funny thing is that his Fire Lance became no problem at all since i destroyed a couple of his pillars early and he kept using his Quanta to rebirth his phoenix - which died to the Buckler. Got lucky i could get a quinted mindflayer into play to prevent too many of them to rebirth. Its still a very unfavorable matchup - but there is a chance to beat him.

[jmdt]

My baby's all grown up now!!!

Great work Sal.  The mindfayer is that last piece this deck needed for some extra control.  lobo will make life much easier against the likes of osiris, eternal phoenix, firequeen, graviton, scorpio and eldinis.  When I get time, prolly this weekend, I will do some testing, get some god by god stats, and do a major overhaul to the 1st post.

This deck needs a new name now.  How about: Maxwell's Bloody...Buckler!?