X-Wing Game, 11/15/16

BK and I played a game of X-Wing yesterday at Games and Stuff. It has been a long while since he and I have played X-Wing, and given our renewed interest in it, it certainly seemed like a good time to change that.

Since it has been a long while since his last game, I decided to play a modified version of a Scum list I had taken against Ben recently, to show off the 'new' faction some.

So basically, my list was:
Guri (StarViper) with Predator, Autothrusters, Virago, and Sensor Jammer.
Palob Godalhi with Calculation, Blaster Turret, Recon Specialist, and Moldy Crow (I flat out stole this ship build from online sometime in the past).
2 Binayre Pirates (1 with Feedback Array- I didn't own a second Feedback Array card).

Palob can get some decent shots at range 1-2 basically all game, as well as screwing with his evade and Focus tokens.  Guri is very hard to kill, and with people's love of big ships, she'll be able to frequently get decent shots off, while hopefully keeping herself alive. The Z-Wings are nice and cheap.

BK took Dash Rendar with the Outrider and a Heavy Laser Cannon and R2-D2, and two generic B-Wings with not upgrades.

We set up, and spent our first turn moving up.  As you can see from below, I had the StarViper lead (it's hard to kill!), with the Moldy Crow off to the side, taking a turn to get a bunch of extra focus tokens.

We trade shots to some effect... I take a bucket of damage on the StarViper (I didn't get to use Autothrusters, and completely forgot about Sensor Jammer until a bit later, oops!).  I manage to remove some shields from the lead B-Wing.

BK turns his B-Wings and Outrider towards each other, potentially to catch the StarViper and Z-95s in the middle of the two, which would've been devastating.  Also, it put distance between his ships and the HWK-90, taking one of my ships out of the fight.

Thankfully, I have the Segnor's Loop to fall back on, getting my StarViper out of danger, and into great position to do some shooting.  The Moldy Crow also turns left, right into a good position, and the Z-95s kind of fly straight up the middle.

I manage to blow up one of the B-Wings, at the cost of the Z-95 with the Feedback Array.  The following turn, I take down another B-Wing, with minimal losses- BK spent these turns trying to take shots at Guri, to no effect (she's tough to kill!).

After killing the second B-Wing, I start having some issues with my piloting... more than once running into my own ships...

This is compounded when the Outrider turns into the combat, and I have another ship to run into.  All three of my remaining ships take turns running into each other AND the Outrider.  Thankfully, BK and I forget about the anti-pursuit lases he put on the Outrider, but those would've triggered a few shots (and eventually do when we remember).

He manages to get through the Moldy Crow's shields and destroy it, and I manage to get the Z-95 behind the Outrider, and the Z-95 in the distance to the front/side of it (to keep the use of the Autothrusters).

On the critical turn, I get both of my ships into good firing position, and take an action on my StarViper... using a Barrel Roll to stay out of Dash's primary fire arc... and barely clip an asteroid.  No problem- "BK, roll a damage die!".  Hit.  StarViper destroyed. Dash then blows up the Z-95 on his activation, ending the game.

Overall, it was a close game.  We both forgot one of our upgrade cards (and they probably washed out- having the StarViper around longer would've been nice, but the extra random damage his lasers would've done overall would have been pretty significant, too).

I really enjoy X-Wing, and I really enjoy playing the Scum- I can't wait until my next game!

My recent gaming, and gaming-related progress

A friend reminded me about my blogs, and remembering how fulfilling I found the whole blogging experience, I am going to try to get better about posting, here, as well as at my other blogs (The Card Flopper, about card games, and Cardboard Warriors, about tabletop wargames). I could give you many of excuses about any lapse, but really, lapses in blogs are so common, why bother?

I have been excited to get back into miniature gaming. It has mostly been the Star Wars games from FFG, for now, but interest in Warmachine and Hordes has grown pretty significantly lately as well.

Here's a game of Star Wars Armada just beginning- I was playing against Dan here, running a Rebel list trying to take advantage of General Rieekan, getting my ships into good position, then shot up, but giving them a parting shot, so to speak. Dan's list focused on the additional firepower from Admiral Ackbar, locking his firing to just his side arcs. Many things went wrong for me this game- my MC80 started so far from his ships that I could not get it engaged at any point in the game. Additionally, I really just need to play more- my skills are awful!

I played two games of X-Wing against Ben, as we have recently rediscovered our love of this game.

In game one, I brought a Rebel list consisting of Corran Horn in an E-Wing, Poe Dameron in a new X-Wing, and a spare A-Wing.  In several games (in the past), I had never managed to achieve victory with my Rebels- I get so caught up in the fact they have shields that I attempt to shove the ships right down the middle of my opponent's squad, and usually I can't take that beating long enough to be victorious.

With this list, I had a lot of maneuverability, and set Poe and Corran up to have abilities to recharge shields.  My hope was that I could take a few quality shots, disengage, up my shields, and then get back into the fight.  The A-Wing was there solely to get in my opponent's way, with the intent of keeping a larger, much pricier ship annoyed.

Ben also took Rebels, and designed his list to synergize his three ships (an E-Wing, a HWK-90, and a B-Wing) for some HEAVY attacks).

First turn, I fly all of my ships forward at near top speed, which results in the A-Wing getting too far forward, and hit hard very early (it lost all its shields, and all but 1 hull). The next turn, it does manage to get in the way of Ben's E-Wing (with very good timing, actually), although I do lose it this turn.

Corran's double shooting did some decent damage to Ben's E-Wing (Etahn), and I make a clean getaway, get my ships turned around, and keep the pressure on.  Ben can't get his ships back into a good enough position to get his combinations to work, and my ability to stay out of his firing arcs ends up being too much for him to handle, causing him to concede.

Game two, I take my Scum and Villainy list, with Boba Fett and IG-2000B, and play against Ben's Imperial list running a heavily loaded Bomber plus two Interceptors (both with Push the Limit).  The Bomber should hit hard, and the Interceptors should be able to stay out of IG-2000B's fire arc, and wear him down (Boba Fett, with the second arc, would be a much more difficult target for the Interceptors to avoid).

We move in to begin the engagement.

Our initial shots are all in my favor- I only hit the Bomber for two damage, but a critical on the shot prevents him from shooting with me dead center on him- look how perfectly he had me set up:

He does get some satisfaction next turn, however, when the Bomber moves first, and deploys its Cluster Bombs on IG-2000B, removing all four of its shields.  With the Segnor's Loop and Boba Fett, however, the TIE Bomber does not get another shot- I destroy it.

Ben attempts to keep his remaining Interceptors safe, but Boba Fett has too many ways to get shots at the Interceptors, and eventually Ben concedes.

This was a great time- I need to keep trying out some new ships, and rediscovering how much I enjoy this game.

On the hobby front, I have begun working to get some Imperial Assault Miniatures painted.  I am going to paint them, and then replace their bases with clear plastic bases, which I think is a very sharp look both on the Imperial Assault tiles and on traditional wargame terrain.  Depending on how this goes, I will likely do the same rebasing for the Mansions of Madness miniatures.

Finally, I recently received the first part of my Kickstarter pledge for the Walking Dead: All out War miniatures game, and that will require some of my attention very shortly :)

My Card Gaming, Week Ending 8/6/16

Games played:

• Adventure Time Card Wars - 1 game.  I grabbed a copy of this for pretty cheap, and figured it would be a fun filler.  After trying it, that's basically exactly what it is.  I think it would be pretty fun, and simple enough to teach to non-gamers.  I'm a ways away from building some new decks for this, however.  Plus, you know, I'd want to play it more.
• Doomtown: Reloaded - 1 game.  Taught the game to someone at the game store.
• Epic Card Game - 5 games.  Improved my two constructed decks some.  They actually make for a decent match against one another- now I just need to try to get more people interested in the game.

New acquisitions:

• Android: Netrunner - Grabbed the Corp World Champ deck.  I will probably buy the other one, but I wanted to see if it was worth it to do so, first.
• Dragonball Z -Two boxes of Vengeance boosters.  I'm finally caught up on major purchases for this game.  Now to just buy random things I need.
• Lord of the Rings LCG - Flame of the West expansion.  Quite some time before I'll do anything with this, but I was glad to buy it.
• Warhammer 40K Conquest - Slash and Burn.  Still haven't opened this, but I think we'll be playing a lot of Conquest next week, so this could easily be something I see a lot of soon.

Won't have time to do a Back Issues on Monday, sadly, but I'll get back to it the following week!

New FFG LCG!

You know, in case you haven't seen it yet.

I, naturally, am excited, but I also realize what seems to happen whenever FFG comes out with a new LCG.  Something is likely getting canceled :(.  I hope to be wrong, but we'll see what news GenCon brings...

Back Issues, Scrye 97

Issue released July 2006

Anachronism

8 participant tournament, won by David Bennett:
Kupe
Slea Le Scian Le Cumaduelleog
Dli Breithim
Heyokha
Moka

Horemheb the Great
Heimadal
Prosveschenniy Absolutism
Polusablya
Broigne De Cailles

Thasunka Witko
Ast
Sword of Mars
Ithanchan Thawaphana
Golden Corselet

Inuyasha
The Band of Seven:
8 Kagura
6 Bankotsu, Band of Seven
6 Jakotsu, Band of Seven
6 Suikotsu, Band of Seven
6 Mukotsu, Band of Seven
5 Renkotsu, Band of Seven
5 Ginkotsu, Band of Seven
2 Tenseiga, Sword of Life
3 Halt!
1 I Didn't Say Get Naked!
1 Is That All you Got?
1 Here He Comes to Save the Day!
1 Burst of Power
1 You Were Worried
1 Just Ask for Help
3 In Command
3 Kikyo's Embrace
1 Overjoyed
Kaitou:
1 Making Plans
5 School Hallway
6 Kyukotsu, Band of Seven

Tournament Deck List for 11 person tournament, won by Michael Lum:
19 Naraku's Poison Insects, 3
2 Naraku, Master of Demons
2 Goshinki, Spawn of Naraku
6 Kagura, Spawn of Naraku
2 Muso, Heart of Onigumo
6 Koga, Wolf Leader
3 Thank You Great Lord
2 The Little People!
1 Burst of Power
1 Is That All You Got?
1 On the Move
1 What Are You Doing?
1 On the Run
1 Just Ask for Help
1 The Long Walk Home
1 Overjoyed
1 Menacing Evil
2 Naraku's Power
1 Thinks Don't Look So Good For Our Hero
1 Tenseiga, the Sword of Life
1 Beach Front
1 Nest of Eggs
2 Woodland Valley
6 Kanna, Spawn of Naraku
1 Massive Destruction
1 Shikon Jewel Nearly Completed
1 Steak
1 Blown Away
1 Woodland Valley
1 Enraged
2 Naraku's New Castle
1 Goshinki, Spawn of Naraku

Pretty sure there's supposed to be a seperator there somewhere, but I have no idea where.

Magic: The Gathering
Quite a bit of discussion about the Dissension expansion, talking about the featured Guilds, a top 10 list of cards (the new dual lands won out), and a text spoiler of all the cards.

Turning Red (Red Control)
4 Great Furnace
3 Goblin Lore
4 Gamble
1 Wheel of Fortune
3 Tangle Wire
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Grim Monolith
4 Shrapnel Blast
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Diamond
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Barbarian Ring
1 Lotus Petal
6 Mountain
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Triskelion
3 Gorilla Shaman
1 Sol Ring
4 Mycosynth Lattice
4 Shattering Spree
4 Goblin Welder

Get the Mycosynth Lattice into the graveyard, use Goblin Welder to get it out, and use Shattering Spree to do some serious damage.

Racer Knights of Falconus 
Racer:
Fannie Gremster (Gremlin Knight, 122-UR)
Vehicle:
War Hog (Ogre Chassis, 19AB-C)
Snake Charger (Serpid Engine, 58-C)
Tuned Crystal (Alfar Tires, 33-R)
Spellslinger V (Human Weapon, 71-U)

Wait, what?  Odd inclusion, I know- but I definitely remember playing this for a time in college, and enjoying it some.  It came and went pretty quick though.  I bought a bunch of packs, and then like overnight, no one had any interest in playing.  Kind of a pity!  Maybe I'll go search for some random packs, just for nostalgia.  Hmmm....

Top Tens

Top Selling CCGs:

1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Yu-Gi-Oh!
3. Pokemon
4. VS System
5. Duel Masters
6. Inuyasha
7. Dragon Ball Z
8. Legend of the Five Rings
9. WWE Raw Deal
10. Zatch Bell

Top Selling Magic Cards:

1. Watery Grave
2. Overgrown Tomb
3. Umezawa's Jitte
4. Stomping Ground
5. Birds of Paradise
6. Twincast
7. Chrome Mox
8. Godless Shrine
9. Wrath of God
10. Niv-Mezzet, The Firemind

Universal Fighting System
Ninja Caliber:
1 Taki
Attacks:
4 Shadow Ripper
4 Bamboo Cutter
4 Blind Drop
4 Shadow Split
4 Twin Splitters
4 Earth Scroll
4 Swift Edge
4 Item Stitch
4 Disembowel
Foundations:
4 The Power of the Gale
4 Persistence
4 Ridiculously Flexible
4 Focus the Soul
4 Green
Weapon:
1 Rekki-Maru & Mekki-Maru
Action:
4 Finesse

Kick It!:
1 Chun-Li
Attacks:
4 Knee Flip Kick
4 Tenshin Shuu Kyaku
4 Senjou Shuu
4 Kakushu Raku Kyaku
4 Heel Stomp
4 Earth Scroll
4 Souren Shou
4 Jab
4 Senretsukyaku
Foundations:
4 World's Strongest Woman
4 Green
4 Feels no Pain
4 Hardened Veteran
4 The Power of the Gale
4 Power Up

I've never played UFS, but I know it's still out there.  Guess who just ordered some starters?  This guy!

Vs System
X-Burn (Mutant deck using only cards from X-Men expansion):
4 Archangel, Angel
4 Changeling, Kevin Sidney
2 Lockheed, Saurian Sidekick
4 Jubilee, Jubilation Lee
2 Longshot, Hero of Mojoworld
4 Shadowcat, Katya
4 Dazzler, Rockstar
4 Xorn, Shen Xorn
4 Havok, Critical Mass
4 Cyclops, Blue Leader
4 Harry's Hideaway
4 Worthington Industries, X-Corp
4 Time Breach
4 The Evil Eye
4 Turnabout
4 Feel the Burn

Are You Mental (only cards from X-Men expansion):
4 Viper, White Warrior Princess
4 Sage, Tessa
4 Tarot, Hellion
2 Harry Leland, Black Bishop
2 Madelyne Pryor, Black Rook
4 Empath, Hellion
1 Shinobi Shaw, White King
4 Trevor Fitzroy, White Rook
1 Magneto, Black Lord
4 Donald Pierce, White Bishop
3 Emma Frost, White Queen
4 Join the Club
4 Memory Probe
3 Absolute Power
3 Psychic Armor
4 Army of One
3 Shaw Industries
3 The Hellfire Club
3 Inner Circle

Acolytes of Avalon (only cards from X-Men expansion):
4 Rem-Ram, Acolyte
4 Kleinstock Brothers, Acolyte
4 Amelia Voght, Acolyte
4 Chrome, Acolyte
4 Joanna Cargill, Acolyte
2 Senyaka, Acolyte
4 Spoor, Acolyte
3 Anne-Marie Cortex, Acolyte
1 Sabretooth, Savage Killer
1 Harry Delgado, Acolyte
1 Colossus, Acolyte
1 Exodus, Acolyte
1 Fabian Corteaz, Acolyte
4 Boot to the Head
4 Lying in Wait
4 Sovereign Superior
4 The Acolytes
4 Kidney Punch
3 Kill or be Killed
3 Ruins of Avalon

Other Things:
An interview with the brand manager for the Battlestar Galactica CCG.  Looked like an okay game, but the cut corners on the cards are a bit of a turn-off for me. The description of the game looks like a mesh of other CCGs, so it's hard to tell what makes it unique.

My Card Gaming, Week Ending 7/30/16

Games played:

• Lord of the Rings LCG - 5 games.  Picking up from where we left off, Bobby, Ben, and I finished up the Long Dark (in two tries), Foundations of Stone (first try), and tried Shadow and Flame twice, but failed, meaning we'll try that again next time.  I changed the secrecy deck I was using for a time for a Spirit/Lore draw heavy deck, trying to ensure everyone had a lot of cards, and then using Protector of Lorien to give me a potential outlet to get rid of cards I didn't actually need.

New acquisitions:

• Dragonball Z - Various singles
• Magic: The Gathering - Various singles to make my superfriends deck

Back Issues: Inquest Gamer 64

Issue released August 2000.

Magic: The Gathering

Report from the U.S. Nationals, won by Jon Finkel, and his decklist:
2 Phyrexian Negator
2 Skittering Horror
3 Skittering Skirge
1 Stromgald Cabal
1 Thrashing Wumpus
4 Dark Ritual
4 Duress
1 Engineered Plague
1 Eradicate
1 Massacre
1 Perish
1 Persecute
1 Stupor
2 Unmask
4 Vampiric Tutor
4 Vicious Hunger
4 Yawgmoth's Will
2 Dust Bowl
4 Rishadan Port
2 Spawning Pool
15 Swamp
Sideboard:
2 Engineered Plague
1 Eradicate
1 Massacre
1 Perish
2 Phyrexian Negator
1 Phyrexian Processor
1 Powder Keg
2 Rapid Decay
1 Stromgald Cabal
1 Stupor
1 Thran Lens
1 Unmask

Magic's Top 100 Most Knockout cards was a feature in this issue.  I won't list them all, but the top 10 were, in order, Ancestral Recall, Library of Alexandria, Tolarian Academy, Mind Twist, Yawgmoth's Bargain, Balance, Mana Drain, Demonic Tutor, Force of Will, and Time Spiral.

Killer Decks: Replenish
1 Marble Diamond
1 Sky Diamond
1 Trade Routes
1 Seal of Removal
1 Lilting Refrain
4 Attunement
4 Parallax Tide
4 Frantic Search
2 Counterspell
4 Enlightened Tutor
4 Repenish
4 Opalescence
4 Parallax Wave
2 Seal of Cleaning
4 Adarkar Wastes
10 Island
9 Plains
Sideboard:
3 Seal of Removal
2 Seal of Cleansing
2 Counterspell
3 Chill
2 Mana Short
1 Back To Basics
1 Arcane Laboratory
1 Energy Flux

Get Enchantments in the Graveyard, cast Replenish, have enough new creatures (with Opalescence) to win the game.

Theme Deck: Beach Blanket Blammo (Deck built around the beach)
The Babes:
1 Argothian Enchantress
1 Caller Of The Hunt
1 Elvish Ranger
1 Fire Elemental
1 Jasmine Boreal
1 Lady Evangela
1 Pixie Queen
1 Rubinia Soulsinger
1 Serra Angel
1 Sivitri Scarzam
1 Verduran Enchantress
1 Vesuvan Doppelganger
The Hunks:
1 Balduvian Horde
1 Craw Giant
1 Ivory Guardians
1 Mijae Djinn
1 Nameless Race
1 Ragnar
1 Sanctum Guardian
1 Serendib Djnn
1 Soldevi Sentry
1 Soldier of Fortune
1 Veteran Bodyguard
1 Zhalfirin Crusader
The Supplies:
1 Chaos Orb (beach ball)
1 Elixir of Vitality (beer!)
1 Soothing Balm (suntan lotion)
1 Sunglasses of Urza
The Elements:
1 Burnout
1 Heat Ray
1 Heat Stroke
1 Heat Wave
1 High Tide
1 Sands of Time
The Critters:
1 Homarid
1 Horseshoe Crab
The Sand & Stuff:
4 City of Brass
4 Gemstone Mine
4 Plateau
4 Taiga
4 Tropical Island
4 Volcanic Island

Top 10 Magic Cards

1.  Masticore
2. Replenish
3. Rishadan Port
4. Morphling
5. Greel, Mind Raker
6. Mageta the Lion
7. Parallax Wave
8. Parallax Tide
9. Lin Sivvi
10. Rootwater Thief

 Top 10 CCGs:

1. Pokemon
2. Magic: The Gathering
3. Star Wars CCCG
4. Legend of the Five Rings
5. Young Jedi CCG
6. 7th Sea
7. Wheel of Time CCG
8. Star Trek CCG
9. Deadlands: Doomtown
10. Babylon 5 CCG

 Wheel of Time

Killer Deck: Illian Rising!
Starting Villain:
Sammael
Starting Hand:
Lord Brend
King Mattin Stepaneos
Strong Loyalties
Advantages:
1 Charismatic Leader
1 Illian
2 Preemptive Strike
2 The City of Illian
2 The Shadow Rising
Challenges:
3 Confrontation
3 Invasion
3 Request Tribute
2 Stalemate
3 War of Attrition
Characters:
2 Lord Argirin Darelos
2 Lord Ballin Elamri
2 Lord Drapeneos
2 Lord Elris Mancuri
1 Lord Ershin Netari
1 Lord Gregorian Panar
2 Lord Jeordwyn Semaris
1 Lord Spiron Naretin
Events:
3 Overrun
3 Sabotage
3 Strong Loyalties (maybe 2, since this is in the starting hand)
3 The Port of Illian
Troops:
2 Blockade Runners
3 Illian Lancers
2 Illian Volunteers
2 The Companions

Work to get Illian into your hand as soon as possible. Then you can start getting all those Illian characters into play, then play The Port of Illian.

Theme Deck: Let There Be Light!
Staring Hero: Rand al'Thor (1,1,2,1 version, chosen starting allegiance: Children of the Light)
Starting Hand:
Circle of Light
Child of the Light
Half Legion
Advantages:
3 A Second Chance
1 Circle of Light
2 Leader of Nations
3 Momentum
2 Saidin Angreal
Challenges:
3 Confrontation
3 Testing Fate
3 Political Maneuvering
Characters:
3 Child of the Light
2 Jarette Byar
2 Whitecloak Spy
2 Geofram Bornhald
1 Eamon Valda
1 Pedron Niall
2 Dain Bornhald
2 Hired Agents
2 Wandering Nobles
Events:
3 The Light Illumine
3 Blood Tide
3 Twists in the Pattern
Troops:
3 Light Brigade
2 Legion
3 Half Legion
3 Patrol Troop

They mention that this isn't so far away from being a real killer deck, Children of the Light are pretty good, apparently.

Other Things:
They give a review of the Prophecy expansion for Magic (A-), the Sailor Moon CCG (B-), and the Digimon Digi-Battle Card Game (C).

There's some discussion about the X-Men card game- basic training, and a player's guide for the game.  I didn't include those here, as the game is pretty well panned.

My Card Gaming, Week Ending 7/23/16

Games played:

• Nothing :(.

New acquisitions:

• Dragonball Z - Perfection Booster Box
• Magic: The Gathering - Eldritch Moon Booster Box

Once again, I've just been too busy to play :(.  Upcoming wedding, finishing the project.  Busy times!

This week I should get back into the swing of things :)

Back Issues: Inquest Gamer 56

Issue released in December 1999.

Magic: The Gathering

Top 10 cards from Mercadian Masques

1. Squee, Goblin Nabob
2. Scandalmonger
3. Thwart
4. Power Matrix
5. Two-Headed Dragon
6. Ballista Squad
7. Mercadian Atlas
8. Soothsaying
9. Notorious Assassin
10. Collective Unconscious

No Rishadan Port, Bribery, Food Chain, or Dust Bowl?

Killer Deck: Green Beatdown
4 Albino Troll
2 Elvish Lyrist
4 Hunted Wumpus
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Pouncing Jaguar
4 River Boa
2 Uktabi Orangutan
4 Wild Dogs
4 Giant Growth
2 Might Of Oaks
4 Rancor
14 Forest
4 Gaea's Cradle
3 Treetop Village
1 Yavimaya Hollows

Mana Acceleration into creatures, then enhancements to deal as much damage as possible.

Non-Killer Theme Deck: Agents of Doom (Computer theme deck)
Hardware:
1 Balance (adjust your view)
1 Cold Storage
1 Elven Cache
2 Memory Crystal
3 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Phyrexian (17") Monitor
1 Phyrexian Processor
1 Urza's Tower
Software:
4 Benthic Explorer
1 Browse
1 Rank and File
4 Veteran Explorer
Internet:
1 Web
1 Magnetic Web
1 Mana Web
1 Silk Net
1 Soul Net
1 Sunweb
Pre-Installed Games:
1 Booby Trap
1 Gamekeeper
1 Goblin War Buggy
1 Teferi's Puzzle Box
Computer Problems:
1 Back to Basics
2 Memory Lapse
Computer Repair:
1 Jhoira's Toolbox
1 Jhoira's Tools
Power Sources:
4 Forest
6 Island
4 Mishra's Factory
1 Mishra's Workshop
1 Mountain
2 Plains
2 Swamp
4 Urza's Power Plant

Deck Building: Special Lands
Get lands on the table, keep them on the table, and use Wrath of God to clear the board for them to win.
3 Crop Rotation
2 Exploration
2 Hurricane
4 Mulch
4 Rancor
1 Reclaim
2 Symbiosis
3 Disenchant
4 Enlightened Tutor
2 Pacifism
2 Sacred Ground
2 Wrath of God
4 Forbidding Watchtower
7 Forest
6 Plains
4 Stalking Stones
4 Treetop Village
4 Wasteland

Top 10 Cards:

1. Masticore
2. Treachery
3. Squee, Goblin Nabob
4. Powder Keg
5. Two-Headed Dragon
6. Yawgmoth's Bargain
7. Emperor Crocodile
8. Ivory Mask
9. Vampiric Tutor
10. Delraich

Star Wars CCG

Killer Deck: Blitzkrieg
Locations:
1 Hoth
1 Hoth: Defensive Perimeter
1 Hoth: Echo Command Center (War Room)
1 Hoth: Echo Corridor
1 Hoth: Echo Docking Bay
1 Hoth: Ice Plains
1 Hoth: North Ridge
1 Spaceport Docking Bay
Characters:
1 Admiral Motti
1 Admiral Ozzel
1 Commander Igar
1 DS-61-2
2 Elite Squadron Stormtooper
1 Garindan
1 General Veers
1 IM4-099
1 Lieutenant Watts
1 Major Marquand
1 Quarren
1 Sergeant Major Bursk
1 Sergeant Narthax
4 Snowtrooper
2 Snowtrooper Officer
Vehicles:
1 Blizzard 1
1 Blizzard Scout 1
1 Blizzard Walker
1 Tempest 1
1 Tempest Scout
1 Tempest Scout 1
1 Tempest Scout 2
1 Tempest Scout 4
1 Tempest Scout 6
Starships:
1 Black 2
1 Bossk in Hound's Tooth
1 Dreadnought-Class Heavy Cruiser
1 TIE Avenger
1 Vengeance
Interrupts:
1 Freeze!
3 Trample
1 Twi'lek Advisor
1 Walker Garrison
Effects:
1 Crossfire
1 Empire's New Orders
1 Imperial Academy Training
1 Imperial Arrest Order
1 Rebel Base Occupation
Weapons:
1 AT-AT Cannon
1 AT-ST Dual Cannon
1 Blaster Rifle
1 Blaster Pistol
1 Scout Blaster
Epic Events:
1 Target The Main Generator

Basically, set up on Hoth, and start some serious draining.  If they come to stop you, great.  If not, that's fine- you'll have options.

Non-Killer Theme Deck: "Hair Power"
Locations:
1 Endor: Back Door
1 Endor: Chief Chirpa's Hut
1 Endor: Dense Forest
1 Endor: Great Forest
1 Endor: Hidden Forest Trail
1 Endor: Rebel Landing Site (Forest)
1 Forest
1 Jungle
Characters:
2 Bothan Spy
1 Chewbacca of Kashyyyk
1 Chewbacca
1 Chief Chirpa
1 Daughter of Skywalker
2 Ewok Sentry
2 Ewok Spearman
2 Ewok Tribesman
1 General Solo
1 Graak
2 Ithorian
1 Joh Yowza
1 Kazak
1 Logray
1 Lumat
1 Paploo
1 Rabin
1 Romba
1 Talz
1 Teebo
1 Threepio
1 Wicket
2 Wookiee
1 Wuta
1 Yarkora
Vehicles:
1 Chewie's AT-ST
1 Ewok Glider
Interrupts:
1 Ambush
2 Dash
1 Ewok and Roll
1 Ewok Log Jam
1 Ewok Rescue
1 Here We Go Again
1 Let the Wookie Win
1 Rug Hug
1 Take The Initative
1 Who's Scruffy-Looking?
1 Wookiee Guide
1 Wookiee Strangle
2 Yub Yub!
Effects:
1 Wokling
Weapons:
1 Chewbacca's Bowcaster
1 Ewok Catapult
2 Ewok Spear

Top 10 CCGs:

1. Pokemon
2. Magic
3. Young Jedi
4. Star Wars
5. Legend of the Five Rings
6. Star Trek
7. Doomtown
8. Babylon 5
9. Tomb Raider
10. Aliens/Predator

I've never managed to snag any Aliens/Predator decks.  And wasn't Young Jedi terrible?  I remember it being terrible.


Other Things
Article with some fake cards for the Star Wars CCG, for humor (for instance, the two part Darth Maul (Top Half) and Darth Maul (Bottom Half) cards).

BabeWatch - an article with various women from gaming/fantasy/sci-fi demonstrating why they'd be attractive to the average man, with the readers able to vote for the sexiest of them, to grace a future cover.  This issue's girls were Radiant, Laurana, Lanfear, Bayushi Kachiko, Wendy Cheng, Lara Croft, Red, Xena, Sonja Blue, and Sally Tsung.

My Card Gaming, Week Ending 7/16/16

Games played:

• Nothing :(.

New acquisitions:

• Android: Netrunner - 23 Seconds
• Doomtown: Realoaded - A Grand Entrance.  Man, it sucks so bad that the game is ending :(.
• Dragonball Z - Evolution Booster Box
• Lord of the Rings LCG - Temple of the Deceived.
• Star Quest - 7 starters.  Got these for cheap.  Game seems to have bad reviews (apparently a very blatant rip-off of Magic: The Gathering), but meh- it was cheap!
• Star Trek 1E - Box of The Borg Boosters.  A new affiliation for me (Hirogen) as well as enough cards that I could actually make a Borg deck.  Seems like a win.
• Star Wars LCG - Redemption and Return
• Terminator CCG - 2 Starters.  Precedence has done alright by me, so I figured I'd grab some of these and see how the game looks.
• Warhammer 40K: Conquest - Unforgiven
• WARS TCG - 2 Boxes of Boosters.  Trying to get a few random rares I need for some deck ideas.  
• Wyvern CCG - Starter Deck.  Give me a chance to learn the rules.

I haven't had much time to play the past two weeks- I've been working on a final project for the class which has taken up all of my time.  With luck, after next Monday I can begin playing some more games.

Back Issues: Scrye 12

This issue released in January 1996.

Scrye Readership Awards (for 1995):
Here are the results of the first Annual Scrye CCG Awards.

Best Collectible Card Game:
1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Jyhad (Vampire: The Eternal Struggle)
3. Shadowfist

Best Expansion:
1. Ice Age (M:TG), The Umbra (Rage)
2. Legends (M:TG)
3. Homelands (M:TG)

Best Playability:
1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Wyvern
3. Rage, Jyhad, Overpower (tie)

Best Graphic Design:
1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Star Trek: The Next Generation CCG
3. Rage

Best Art:
1. Magic: The Gathering, Guardians (tie)
2. Rage

Best Art for an Expansion:
1. Ice Age
2. Homelands
3 The Umbra (Rage)

Best Card Artist:
1. Anson Maddocks, Melissa Benson, Richard Kane-Ferguson, Quinton Hoover, Douglas Shuler (tie)

Best Rulebook:
1. Magic: The Gathering 4th Edition
2. Wyvern
3. Overpower

Coolest Chase Cards:
1. Ancient Fighting Arts of China
2. Gridiron Fantasy Football

Wildest Cards:
1. Guardians
2. Gridiron Fantasy Football, Illuminati NWO

Best Player's Guide Book:
Illuminati NWO

Most Underrated CCG:
Legend of the Five Rings
Wildstorms
Ultimate Combat
Battlelords
(Tie for all)

There are not many surprises to the winners.  The first, oldest, and best-selling CCG dominates the awards in a fledgling market.

Other Things
These early magazines always have articles on reader submitted card combinations.  Many such combos are dated or less efficient than similar combos are now, but I do find them charming to read.

In addition, I love that many of the standard articles of the time are very multi-game.  The card combo section had combinations for the Star Trek CCG, and the rules questions section had some Shadowfist questions.

According to one of the news articles, Fantasy Adventures was going to have "Robert Jordan's book series" as one of the expansions.  I wonder if that was going to be the Wheel of Time?  Hard to believe, but then again, I do not think Fantasy Adventures ended up having any expansions to begin with.

Back in this era, there were so few CCGs that they actually could, as a "Card Collector Compendium", list all of the expansions for every game in the list.  I will not bore you all with that, but it is interesting seeing which games were listed that never made it out.  Daemonstorm from Caliber Game Systems, for instance- these were the makers of the really crappy Powercardz CCG, so this probably is not a big loss.  Same goes for One-on-One, from Playoff/Cardz... makers of Hyborian Gates, which was probably an even worse CCG.  Donruss had plans to release Fire on Ice, 24 Seconds, and Versus CCGs.  I assume these would have come out had Top of the Order and Red Zone done well enough.

A lot more checklists made these magazines.  Checklists for Gridiron Fantasy Football, Middle-Earth: The Wizards, Battlelords, Kult, Tempest of the Gods, Quest for the Grail, Red Zone, and the Netherworld Expansion from Shadowfist are included.

For Red Zone, an article detailing advice on running tournaments and tips for how to build your first deck are included.  For Quest for the Grail, two variant ways to play the game have an article.  There is another article talking about tournament rules for Shadowfist, and another one talking about some tricks to playing Gridiron effectively.  Finally, Highlander gets an article covering Advanced Rules from the Movie Edition.

That's right- a whole issue without a single deck list.  Good reading overall though.

Did some assembly work!

Well, I spent the morning on July 4th filing down a Jaga-Jaga, The Death Charmer and Iron Lich Overseer models. It has seriously been over a year since I've touched or worked on miniatures- I definitely missed it.  Here's hoping I get to play sometime in the next week or so!

Back Issues: Inquest Gamer 13

This issue is dated May 1996

Guardians

This was the game highlighted in their basic training article, covering the basics of the game, some gameplay tips, and an example deck.  Let's look at the deck:
Starting Cards:
Guardian: Harkin
Stronghold: Khnumian
Essentials:
7 Normal Brom's Angelics
3 Brom's Angelic Shield/Lands
1 Brom's 13-point Angelic Standard Bearer
5 Spires
Spells:
5 Dispel Magic
1 Force Barrier
2 Gold Bribery
1 Oppressed Slave
1 Pepe's Slow Down
2 Power Lunch
1 Spikey Crenelation
2 Vitales Dark Cloud
1 War
Creatures:
2 Ancient Ogres
1 Angel of Death
1 Captain Hannibal Hawks
1 Caring Guy
3 Cleric
2 Great Black Ri'shar
5 Ice Ogre
2 Lancer
3 Polar Ice Ogre
2 Razor Sliph
3 Rik Sook
2 Schneebolt
3 Smoke Spirit
3 Warty Fiends

I know literally nothing about this game other than that it exists.  It seems to have been decently well received, but I 'm not sure when I'll have time to look into it.

Finally- they mention that 'The Card To Get' is Dragon Wing Lord.  Strong AoE attack and can fly, but vulnerable to bribery by babes and beer.

Magic: The Gathering

Killer Deck: Eggs Over Easy
4 Rukh Eggs
3 Jokulhaups
2 Fireballs
1 Wheel of Fortune
4 Dark Rituals
3 Animate Deads
3 Burnt Offerings
3 Kjeldoran Deads
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Simularcums
2 Will-O'-The-Wisps
4 Tinder Walls
1 Tranquility
1 Regrowth
2 Giant Growths
1 Despotic Scepter
1 Zuran Orb
2 Mana Vaults
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Feldon's Cane
2 Badlands
5 Mountains
6 Forests
8 Swamps
Sideboard:
4 Red Elemental Blasts
1 Tranquility
2 Simulacrum
2 Gloom
2 Blood Moon
2 Flashfire
1 Anarchy
1 Curse of Marit Lage

Basically a lot of tricks to get the Rukh Eggs into play and cracked for their Bird tokens.

Top 10 Hottest Magic Cards:

1. Dual Lands
2. Autumn Willow
3. Baron Sengir
4. Jester's Cap
5. Deflection
6. Icy Manipulator
7. Primal Order
8. Shivan Dragon
9. Mahamoti Djinn
10. Mind Warp

Middle-Earth Collectible Card Game

A large article with hints and decks to help people out.

Let's at least list the tips:

1. Don't waste time.
2. Plan your trip.
3. Start with Strategy
4. Choose your minor items wisely.
5. Key creatures to common terrain
6. Remember uniqueness
7. Bluffing
8. Deal with your weaknesses
9. Drawing and discarding (basically, do it all the time).
10. Combat clues (bring combat tricks)

Alright, let's look at some decks.

Ringwraiths' Revenge
Starting Characters & Items:
Bifur
Bofur
Dain II
Eowyn
Peath
Voteli
1 Black-Arrow
1 Star-glass
Characters & Wizards:
1 Alatar
1 Balin
1 Bombur
1 Galva
1 Nori
1 Radagast
1 Thorin II
1 Voteli
Combat Resources & Enhancers:
3 Blocks
3 Dark Quarrels
3 Escapes
1 Favor of the Valar
1 Fellowship
2 A Friend of Threes
2 Risky Blows
Marshalling-Point Resources:
1 The Arkenstone
1 Dunlendings
1 Durin's Axe
1 Glamdring
1 Great-shield of Rohan
1 The Iron Crown
1 Lossoth
1 Men of Anorien
1 Men of Lebennin
1 Men of Northern Rhovanion
1 Orcrist
1 Rangers of Ithilien
1 Riders of Rohan
1 Sword of Gondolin
1 Woodmen
Hazard Creatures:
1 Adunaphel
1 Indur Dawndeath
1 Khamul the Easterling
1 Mouth of Sauron
1 Olog-hai
2 Orc-guards
1 Orc-lieutenant
1 Orc-raiders
1 Orc-warband
2 Orc-watchers
1 Ren the Unclean
1 Uvatha the Horseman
1 Witch-king of Angmar
Hazard Events:
3 Doors of Night
2 Fell Beasts
1 Lure of Nature
2 Minions Stir
1 Morghul-horse
3 Morghul Nights
1 The Nazgul are Abroad
1 Twilight
1 The Will of Sauron
Sites:
1 Blue Mountain Dwarf-hold
1 Dead Marshes
1 Dunnish Clan-hold
1 Edhellond
1 Edoras
1 Henneth Annun
1 Iron Hill Dwarf-hold
1 Lake-town
1 The Lonely Mountain
1 Lorien
1 Lossadan Cairn
1 Lassadan Camp
1 Minas Tirith
1 Moria
1 Mount Gram
1 Pelargir
1 Rhosgobel
1 Rivendell
1 Ruined Signal Tower
1 Sam Goriwing
1 Shrel-kain
1 The Wind Throne
1 Woodmen-town

Oooh, looks fun- lots of Nazgul, and running the characters who have bonuses against Nazgul so your opponent can't use them, plus things to convert icons to Shadow-land.  This would be a fun way to play the game.

The Company Deck
Starting Characters & Items:
Boromir II
Glorfindel II
Legolas
1 Athelas
1 Elven Cloak
Characters & Wizards:
1 Aragorn II
1 Frodo
2 Gandalf
1 Gimli
1 Merry
1 Pippin
1 Sam Gamgee
Combat Resources & Enhancers:
1 Cracks of Doom
2 Dark Quarrels
1 Dodge
1 Favor of the Valar
1 Fellowship
1 A Friend or Three
1 Lucky Strike
2 Ringlore
2 Risky low
1 Test of Form
Marshalling-Point Resources:
2 Beautiful Gold Ring
1 Dwarven Ring of Durin's Tribe
2 Fair Gold Ring
1 Gollum
2 Lesser Ring
1 Magic Ring of Courage
1 Magic Ring of Nature
1 The One Ring
3 Precious Gold Ring
1 Scroll of Isildur
1 Shadowfax
1 Tower Guard of Minas Tirith
Hazard Creatures:
2 Ambusher
1 Assassin
1 Crebain
1 Giant
3 Giant Spider
2 Slayer
3 Wargs
1 Watcher in the Water
3 Wolves
Hazard Events:
1 Clouds
1 Dwar of Waw
2 Lure of Nature
2 Muster Disperses
1 River
1 Shelob
1 Siege
2 Twilight
2 Wake of War
Sites:
1 Amon Hen
1 Bag End
1 Bandit Lair
1 Bree
1 Caves of Ulund
1 Dancing Spire
1 Edhellond
1 Edoras
1 Gladden Fields
1 Goblin-gate
1 Irerock
1 Iron Hill Dwarf-hold
1 Isengard
1 The Lonely Mountain
1 Lorien
1 Minas Tirith
1 Moria
1 Mount Doom
1 Rivendell
1 Thranduil's Halls
1 Weathertop

Build a strong company, get some rings, and have the option of dropping the One Ring off at Mount Doom for the instant-win.  I'll probably throw these two together, and see if I can rouse up an opponent.

Top Five CCGs

They weren't doing top 10s at this point, but their Top Five this issue was as follows:

1. Star Wars
2. Magic: The Gathering
3. Star Trek: Alternate Universe
4. Middle-Earth: The Wizards
5. Red Zone (Whaaaa?)

Inquest World Records

I thought this would be fun to include.  Basically, cards from various games that break some sort of CCG record.

Most Powerful Card: Time Vault, from Magic: The Gathering.
Longest Card Name: Malkavian Derangement: Alternate Personality, from Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
Most Doubly Subliminal: Subliminals, from Illuminati: New World Order (it has the word sex hidden in the art, as well as text telling you to go buy more NWO).
Best Two-Part Flavor Text: Jade Statue and Goblin Shrine, from Magic: The Gathering.
Coolest Thematic Card: The One Ring, from Middle-Earth: The Wizards
Scariest Monster Named After a Cosmetic: Rouge Specter, from Guardians
Most Incomprehensible Rules: Amok, from On the Edge (holy crap that's a tough one to read).
Deepest Shag Carpet: Gaps in Normal Space, from Star Trek CCG
Biggest Scrub: Halbarad, from Middle-Earth: The Wizards
Best Depiction of Nothing: Explore Typhone Expanse, from Star Trek CCG
Best Acronym in a Card Name: Dwarven Demolition Team, from Magic: The Gathering
Most Erotic Card: Voice of Pain, from Kult
Most Susceptible to Chest Cold: Super Model, from Guardians
Most 'It's Not Worth It' Card: Army of the Dead, from Middle-Earth: The Wizards
Most Confusing Card: Ice Cauldron, from Magic: The Gathering
Most Disturbing Card: Sensory Deprivation, from Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
Most Redundant (Tie): Shadowfist, from Shadowfist, and Wyvern, from Wyvern
Biggest Abuse of a Mysterious Power: Alter, from Star Wars CCG
Best Dressed Card: Gilbert Duane, from Vampire: The Eternal Struggle

These sort of articles were probably the #1 reason I read Inquest, I hate to say it.  They really were great light, enjoyable reading.

Other things:
A whole FAQ for Quest for the Grail.  That's a game I've never played, and know nothing about.  If someone wants it, I'll definitely type it up though.

There's a multi-page preview of the Star Trek: Original Series CCG (which would be released as Star Trek: The Card Game).  The magazine sounds pretty excited about this, and the designer of this game was critical of the Star Trek CCG released by Decipher... it's kind of unfortunate how poor this game did in comparison.

They reviewed a few games here.  Top of the Order scored a 3 out of 6- it's a baseball CCG by Donruss.  I believe I tried the football game Donruss put out (Red Zone?) and it was terrible.  BGG rates this game a 3.8/10, so Inquest wasn't alone in their opinion.  The Netherworld expansion to Shadowfist was rated a 4/6, and Dark Sovereigns for Vampire: The Eternal Struggle was given a 3/6.

They previewed the Netrunner CCG.  This is one I played and have boxes of cards for, but I likely won't touch again as Android: Netrunner does a great job of remaking it.  I remember enjoying this as a kid though, certainly.

Non-card game things include an interview with the artist, Brom.

My Card Gaming, Week Ending 7/2/16

Games played:

• City of Heroes CCG - 1 game.  Once again, played with Regulus and Polar Star starters.  I'm now comfortable enough to start building some of my own decks.
• VS System 2PCG - 1 game.  Ran my Thanos deck against my Magneto deck.  Why yes, I finally did build my own decks!  Was quite a lot of fun (Magneto won), but gave me experience deck building and playing more than just a starter.
• Warhammer 40K: Conquest - 2 games.  Played both against Ben, first was using my Anrakyr the Traveler deck against his Salane Morn deck.  I mulliganed into a very very pricey hand, and couldn't actually get enough board presence to be relevant.  Second game I played my Morn deck against his Nahumehk deck.  I managed to get a very strong command presence, and was able to pretty effectively handle him in battle.  I managed to win on planet 5- he ran out of bodies to stop me from taking it.

New acquisitions:

• 7th Sea - 2 Scarlet Seas starters.  I'll break these out, learn the game, and see how I feel about it (the rules have me excited though).
• Adventure Time Card Game - For the Glory! Booster.  I'll try this game out this weekend, but it's nice seeing what's potentially available if I decide to build some decks.
• Dune - 2 Eye of the Storm starters.  Same as above, I'll read the rules, learn the game, see how I feel.
• Epic - Sage Tyrants Pack.  I think I'm up to two copies of each of the Tyrants packs.  
• Highlander CCG - 3 Starters.  This was really popular for a time, but I know almost nothing about it.  Figured I could correct that.

So... Warmachine has a new ruleset

And I find myself having a ton of packs of the new cards.  Guess I have to play, right?

I'll be starting with Cryx most likely.  It's been so long since I've put the minis on the table, it'll almost be like starting the game from the beginning.  Still, I'm pretty excited to try playing again :)

Warage Card Game on Kickstarter

Right here.

This is a card game with fixed expansions- the sort of thing I never turn down.  I have seen the first edition of this game in the local game store, but passed at the time.  However, I likely will get in on this kickstarter.  It's already hit its funding point, also!

Anyway, check it out.

My birthday present!

I turned 33 last week (on June 21), and my fiancé bought me a game: Millennium Blades.

I have opened it up and looked at it briefly, but have not read the rules yet.  It's a CCG-simulator!  We play a board game set in a world where the Millennium Blades CCG is the most popular game in the world, with thousands of expansions, etc etc.

Has a game ever been more of a match for me?  Needless to say, I will be trying it as soon as possible, and will post about it as soon as able.

Siege Warfare: Greco-Persian Wars on Kickstarter

Here's a link to the second set in the Siege Warfare series.

Normally, I have to go work to find new card games on Kickstarter, but because I backed the first game, they sent a notice.  I love it when things are easy.

This is a non-collectible card game, with fixed decks, deck building, and all that good stuff.  If you like LCGs, this definitely fits.

I can't speak to the game play, unfortunately.  I took the decks I had and played three games with them, having... kind of a mediocre time- BUT, in each game, I found that I was playing a MAJOR rule wrong, and each change has made the game more enjoyable.  Like, I still have yet to play this game correctly, but will likely give it another shot this year. 

Why all the mistakes?  Honestly, this isn't that complicated a game, rules-wise, but the rulebook is fairly vague in some places.  The designers have been very good about responding on BGG (which is how I found out mistakes).  I suspect there's a good game here..I just haven't played it yet :)

Back Issues: Inquest Gamer 48

This issue released April 1999.

Babylon 5

Killer Deck: Cheese Wizard
Starting Hand:
1 Catherine Sakai
1 Defense in Depth
1 Jeffrey Sinclair
1 ISN
Groups:
ISN
Characters:
1 Brother Theo
1 Catherine Sakai
2 Human Agents
1 Human Aide
1 Jeffrey Sinclair
1 Mary Ann Cramer
1 Susan Ivanova
1 Zathras'
Agendas:
2 Defense in Depth
1 Managed Growth
1 Peace in Our Time
Planets:
1 Earth
1 Mars Colony
3 Military Outpost
1 Proxima III
1 Sigma 957
1 Sleeping Z'ha'dum
1 Transfer Point Io
1 Z'ha'dum Awakened
Conflicts:
1 The Great Machine
3 Trade Pacts
Events:
2 For My People
2 Liberating Resources
3 Long Term Investment
3 Meditation
3 Short Term Goals
1 Subliminal Influence
3 Trade Windfall
2 Universe Today Feature
Fleets:
3 Picket Fleet
Enhancements:
1 Upgraded Defense

This is meant to be a non-interactive deck that just amasses power quickly with Defense in Depth, trying to minimize the amount of time it deals with the other players.  With Defense in Depth having different wording in Deluxe Edition, some of the locations would need to be changed.

Non-Killer Theme Deck: Zathras for Hire
Starting Hand:
1 Jeffrey Sinclair
1 Liberating Resources
1 Power Brokers
1 Zathras'
Characters:
1 Dan Randall
1 Jeffrey Sinclair
1 Mary Ann Cramer
1 N'Grath
1 Rogue Soul Hunter
1 Soul Hunter
1 Stephen Franklin
1 Susan Ivanova
3 Z'athras
3 Za'thras
3 Zat'hras
3 Zath'ras
3 Zathr'as
3 Zathras'
Conflicts:
2 Trade Pacts
Events:
1 For My People
2 Liberating Resources
2 Long Term Investment
2 Meditation
2 Short Term Goals
Groups:
1 ISN
1 Power Brokers
Agendas:
1 Managed Growth
Locations:
1 Earth
1 Mars Colony
1 Proxima III
1 Transfer Point Io
1 Sigma 957

Heh, that's pretty funny.  This one tries to get people to give you power using Power Broker.  This is designed to be more amusing than anything else.

Legend of the Burning Sands CCG

Basic Training for the game- including an introduction to the game, strategies, and a sample decklist.  Here is the decklist:

Dueling Bones:
Stronghold:
Jackal City of Bones
City Sections:
2 Thieves Quarter
2 Merchant's Quarter
1 The Maze
Holdings:
3 Doctor
3 Library
3 Belly Dancer
3 Harem
3 Dens of Inequity
3 Gold Merchant
Story Cards:
3 The Tale Of Selqet's Capture
Followers:
3 Bodyguards
Items:
3 Dhul Figar Knife
Actions:
2 Ambush
2 No Escape
2 Handful of Sand
3 Contest of Wills
3 Knife Fight
3 Allies in the Crowd
Heroes:
3 Bonepicker
3 Wardah the Urchin-Mistress
3 Seff Seven-Fingers
3 Afshan Jarr
3 Yaminah

Jackal Dueling... which I guess is uncommon?

Magic: The Gathering

Article on the Top 10 cards from Urza's Legacy.  Top Cards?  Ring of Gix (Defense of the Heart was 2nd).  Scrapheap was labeled as the worst card in the set.  As of me writing this, the most expensive card in the set is Grim Monolith (~30 dollars).  It didn't make the top 10 of Inquest's list.

Killer Deck: The New Sligh
4 Incinerate
4 Shock
3 Sonic Burst
4 Ball Lightning
2 Fireslinger
2 Goblin Patrol
4 Iron Claw Orcs
4 Jackal Pup
4 Mogg Fanatic
3 Mogg Flunkie
4 Cursed Scroll
18 Mountain
4 Wasteland
Sideboard:
2 Boil
4 Bottle Gnomes
3 Phyrexian Furnace
4 Pyroblast
2 Shattering Pulse

Not really anything earth shattering here, just a Sligh deck with the legal cards at the time.

Non-Killer Theme Deck, based on Planet of the Apes
3 Apes of Rath
3 Barbary Apes
1 Gargantuan Gorilla
2 Gorilla Berserkers
2 Gorilla Chieftain
1 Gorilla Pack
2 Gorilla Warrior
3 Uktabi Orangutan
1 Giant Growth
1 Seedling Charm
1 Overrrun
1 Simoon
4 Gorilla Shaman
4 Kird Ape
2 Raging Gorilla
1 Ravenous Baboon
1 Agility
1 Bestial Fury
1 Gorilla War Cry
3 Guerilla Tactics
9 Forest
3 Karplusan Forest
8 Mountain
3 Snow-covered Forest

Deck-Building 101: Discard Deck "Under Duress":
2 Nevinyrral's Disk
4 Abyssal Specter
4 Dauthi Horror
4 Mindstab Thrull
3 Skittering Skirge
4 Dark Ritual
3 Diabolic Edict
3 Drain Life
4 Duress
2 Expunge
2 Necropotence
2 Persecute
2 Stalking Stones
19 Swamp
2 Wasteland

Top 10 Magic Cards:

1. Stroke of Genius
2. Cursed Scroll
3. Time Spiral
4. Living Death
5. Ball Lightning
6. Recurring Nightmare
7. Tradewind Riders
8. Dual Lands
9. Oath of Druids
10. Armageddon

Middle-Earth Collectible Card Game

Kuhlmeyer's World Championship Middle-Earth Deck:
Starting Characters:
Bilbo
Firiel
Threlin
Ioreth
Halbarad
Surion
Odoacer
Belegorn
Gloin
Balin
Starting Minor Items:
1 Open To the Summons
1 Thrall-ring
Starting Stage Resources:
1 Hidden Haven
1 Wizard's Myrmidon
1 Thrall Of The Voice
Characters:
1 Ciryaher
1 Radagast
Resources:
1 Glove of Radagast
1 Noble Steeds
2 Noble Hound
2 Elf-song
1 Lordly Presence
2 Crooked Promptings
2 Weigh All Things to a Nicety
2 Smoke Rings
2 Voices of Malice
2 Marvels Told
1 Blackbole
2 Hall Of Fire
1 Misty Mountain Wargs
1 Palantir of Orthanc
1 Palantir of Elostirion
2 Dark Tryst
1 Guarded Haven
1 Radagast's Black Bird
2 Great Patron
1 An Untimely Brood
1 Legacy of Smiths
Hazards:
1 Hoarmurath of Dar
1 Assassin
1 Rain-drake
1 Whole Villages Roused
2 Awaken Defenders
2 FEAR! FIRE! FOES!
1 Foolish Words
1 Nature's Revenge
3 Sellswords Between Charters
1 The Moon Is Dead
1 Stirring Bones
1 Dwarven Travelers
1 Mouth of Sauron
1 Khamul The Easterling
1 Uvatha The Horseman
1 Adunaphel
2 Chill Douser
3 River
1 Revealed to All Watchers
1 Tidings Of Bold Spies
1 Smaug At Home

This era was apparently dominated by Fallen Wizards, and this deck is no different.  Apparently Fallen Pallando decks were also popular at this time.

Top 10 CCGs:

1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Star Wars
3. Legend of the Five Rings
4. Star Trek CCG
5. Highlander
6. Babylon 5
7. Doomtown
8. Battletech
9. Legend of the Burning Sands
10. Xena

Well, I have cards for all of these except Highlander and Legend of the Burning Sands.  Guess I know what I need to do.


Other Things
A mention is made of an 'upcoming' Chronicles of Amber CCG, designed by Eric Lang and published by Nebula Games.  It doesn't seem to have ever come out, which is a shame, as the news article describes it as being very story-heavy, and focused around actually having an on-going campaign with your friends.  Really a shame to not see this one get published.

Another mention- Shi: The Card Game, from Thunder Castle Games (publishers of the Highlander CCG).  This was supposed to be a game similar to Highlander, but from a comic universe.  Another one that doesn't seem to have actually seen the light of day :(.

A for-fun article about CCG expansions that we'd never see.  These were the expansions included:

• Star Wars CCG: Spaceballs (funny enough, a fan expansion for the current Star Wars LCG is being made: https://teamsandcrawla.net/games/star-wars-the-card-game/team-sandcrawla-to-produce-custom-content/).
• Magic: Mythology 
• Doomtown: Hollywood (including John Wayne characters, Clint Eastwood, etc)
• Legend of the Five Rings: Age of Machine (example card is Mirumoto Maru, the Dragon Clan Battleship).
• Babylon 5: First Ones
• Star Trek: The Motion Pictures (and then three years later, it actually came out.)

This was also Rick Swan's last issue.  Truly a sad day for Inquest :(.

My Card Gaming, Week Ending 6/25/16

Games played:

• Game of Thrones, 2nd Edition - 3 Games, two against Dan, one against... I don't remember his name.  Used Baratheon Fealty.  Was about to get Stannis out early every game, and was able to hold on long enough in each game to get a lot of kneel going, and my opponent couldn't recover. Three wins! 
• L5R - 2 games.  Oni vs Phoenix Dragon deck again.  I really need to build some new decks.  At this point, I'm fairly certain the Oni deck works great.  The Phoenix deck seems to hit a wall, but I need to try it against a few other things to see what the problem is.
• Star Wars LCG - 2 games, both against Dan, using my Jedi control deck against his Scum and Villainy Capture Control deck.  Split the games.  First game, I came out swinging, second game I petered out a little early, then had a turn where I drew no characters.  Tough to recover from that.
• Star Wars TCG - 1 game.  Finally got around to trying out my starter decks.  Game seems a bit fun.  I'll take a look at the IDC releases, see if this is something I want to invest in.
• Warhammer 40K: Conquest - 1 game.  Played against Dan using my Anrakyr the Traveller deck against a Broderick Worr deck.  I took three of the first four planets, and that was enough to win.  Our final battle was a big one, where he tossed all his resources into winning... and then I started bring some Decaying Warrior Squads back, and he was out of tricks and bodies to handle them.
• Xena CCG - 1 game.  Played a practice game.  I think this is something I could teach my fiance, so wanted to make sure I knew the rules (not that they are all that complicated).

New acquisitions:

• Adventure Time Card Wars - Got the Princess Bubblegum vs Lumpy Space Princess box.  I know nothing about this show, but the game itself was on clearance, so I figured I'd grab it.
• City of Heroes - grabbed a bunch of cards off of ebay.
• Epic - bought the Green pack for Tyrants.  Almost have two of each of the packs now.
• Mythos CCG - Bought a starter, so now I can finally learn the rules. 
• Star Trek CCG/Star Wars CCG - same as always, grabbed a few singles.

Back Issues: Inquest Gamer 46

This issue released in February 1999.

Babylon 5 CCG:
Basic Training article was included covering basic strategies, ideas for deck building, and an example deck, "Intriguing Possibilities":
Starting Hand:
1 Londo Mollari
1 Catherine Sakai
1 Defense in Depth
1 Picket Fleet
Aftermath:
1 Exploit Opportunities
1 Personal Involvement
1 Successful Manipulation
Agendas:
1 Infiltrate and Exploit
1 Knowledge is Power
Locations:
1 Centauri Beta I
1 Centauri Prime
1 Immolan V
1 Ragesh III
1 Tolonius VII
Characters:
1 Adira Tyree
1 Ambitious Captain
3 Centauri Agent
2 Centauri Telepath
1 Drigo
1 Emperor Turhan
2 Human Agent
1 Imperial Telepaths
1 Lady Morella
1 Lord Kiro
1 Lord Refa
1 Lyndisty
1 Mary Ann Cramer
2 Minbari Agent
1 Minister Malachi
2 Narn Agent
1 Urza Jaddo
1 Viz Cotto
1 Zath'ras
Group:
1 ISN
1 Ranger Operations
Conflict:
1 Attacking Pawns
1 Forced Impairment
1 Kidnapping
1 Prey On the Weak
Fleets:
1 Picket Fleet
2 Utility Fleet
Enhancements:
1 PPG Rifle
1 The Eye
Events:
3 Accident
3 Level the Playing Field
1 Political Realignment
1 Subliminal Influence

Legend of the Burning Sands:
"War By Attrition"
Stronghold:
The Hidden Keep Of The Assassins
City Sections:
1 Shadows Within the Walls
1 The Lands of the Senpet
1 The Merchant Quarter
1 The River Quarter
Holdings:
3 Belly Dancer
1 Blacksmith
3 Den of Inquiry
1 Doctor
1 Library
1 Spices
3 Wheat Fields
Followers:
1 Bodyguard
Story Card:
1 The Tale of the Last Raid
Actions:
3 Contest of Wills
3 Desert Spring
2 Faith
1 Jackal Ambush
3 Knife Fight
1 Let Him Bleed
3 Lost To The Sands
2 Poison
1 Qolat Master
2 Wisdom of the Stars
Items:
1 Black Steel Sword
2 Dhul Fiqar Knife
Heroes:
2 Adnan
3 Chandra
1 Eyeslicer
2 Faida
2 Fatima
2 Haroun
2 Old Man of the Mountain
2 Sabina
1 The Eye of Night


A theme deck was also included!  This is called "Ever-Ready Heroes", where you basically are as aggressive as possible, without worrying, as your heroes will be available.
Stronghold:
The Empire of the Senpet
Heroes:
2 Caliph
2 Ghiyath
2 Indira
3 Nepherus
2 San'a
3 Tasir
City Sections:
1 Duqaq's School of Astronomy
1 Jewel of the Desert
1 Merchant Quarter
1 River Quarter
Holdings:
3 Belly Dancer
3 Copper Mine
3 Den of Inquity
3 Library
3 Spices
3 Wheat Fields
Actions:
3 Contest of Wills
3 Desert Spring
3 Knife Fight
3 One Dinari
3 Strange Bedfellows
2 The Sahir And the Goddess
3 Voice of the Ten Thousand Gods
Items:
2 Book of the Dead
Spells:
3 Curse of the Rot Within
3 Jinn of Desire

Magic the Gathering:

Killer Deck: Counter Phoenix
4 Bottle Gnomes
4 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Capsize
4 Counterspell
4 Forbid
1 Force Spike
3 Intuition
2 Mana Leak
1 Recall
4 Shard Phoenix
2 Incinerate
4 Shock
13 Island
11 Mountain
3 Reflecting Pool
Sideboard:
2 Arcane Laboratory
1 Earthquake
2 Energy Field
3 Fylamarid
2 Hydroblast
3 Pyroblast
2 Shattering Pulse

Might be kind of fun, but feels realllllly slow.  How's it going to handle surviving long enough to get those Shard Phoenixes dominating.

Non-Killer Theme Deck: Greek Mythology
Gods:
1 Autumn Willow (Artemis)
1 Errand of Duty (Hermes)
1 Hyperion Blacksmith (Hephaestus)
1 Ihsan's Shade (Hades)
1 Keeper Of The Light (Apollo)
1 Lady Caleria (Athena)
1 Lady  Evangela (Aphrodite)
1 Lade Of The Mountain (Hera)
1 Lord of Atlantis (Poseidon)
1 Lord Of Tresserhorn (Zeus)
1 Renegade Warlord (Ares)
Monsters:
1 Beasts of Bogardan (Cerberus)
1 Brass-Talon Chimera
1 Centaur Archer
1 Hulking Cyclops
1 Hurloon Minotaur
1 Infernal Medusa
1 Mesa Pegasus
1 Mountain Titan
1 Petra Sphinx
1 Polar Kraken
1 Seasinger (Siren)
1 Rock Hydra
1 Screeching Harpy
1 Shanodin Dryads (Nymphs)
1 Thundering Giant
1 Willow Satyr
Events:
1 Armageddon
1 Coils of Medusa
1 Flood
1 Pegasus Stampede
1 Prophecy
1 Righteousness (Homer flavor text)
1 Siren's Call
1 Wrath of God (any one of them)
Lands:
3 Forest
3 Island
7 Mountain
1 Mountain Stronghold (Mount Olympus)
7 Plains
1 Reflecting Pool (Oracle)
3 Swamp

I always liked these theme decks.  A fun change of pace from the standard 'win at all costs' style of deck.

Instructions on how to build a deck, in five steps.  Theme, Colors, Creatures, Spells, Lands.  They demonstrate by building a Life Gain deck (called "Alive and Kicking"):
1 Bottle Gnomes
1 Phyrexian Processor
1 Wall of Junk
1 Souldrinker
2 Hatred
2 Necropotence
1 Keeper Of the Light
1 Knight of Dawn
1 Order of the White Shield
1 Paladin en-Vec
1 Pegasus Charger
1 Sanctum Custodian
1 Sanctum Guardian
1 Serra Avatar
2 Soltari Priest
4 Soul Warden
2 Staunch Defenders
1 Wall of Essence
1 Angelic Chorus
2 Congregate
2 Disenchant
1 Healing Salve
2 Peace of Mind
1 Worthy Cause
2 Wrath of God
4 City of Brass
4 Drifting Meadow
11 Plains
5 Swamp

Top 10 Magic cards at the time:

1. Stroke of Genius
2. Cursed Scroll
3. Time Spiral
4. Dual Lands
5. Armageddon
6. Wrath of God
7. Mox Diamond
8. Serra Avatar
9. Living Death
10. Oath of Druids

Star Trek 1E:
Bill Chien's World Champion Star Trek Deck:
Seed Deck:
Facilities:
1 Chamber of Minister
Doorways:
1 Q's Tent
2 Space-Time Portal
1 HQ: Defensive Measures
Dilemmas:
2 Armus - Sticky Situation
1 Borg Ship Dilemma
2 Cardassian Trap
3 Common Thief
2 Dead End
6 Hippocratic Oath
1 Hologram Ruse
3 Make Us Go
1 Ooby Dooby
3 Q
1 Strict Dress Code
Q's Tent:
1 Assault Vessel
1 Dr. Soong
1 Genetronic Replicator
1 HQ: Secure Homeworld
1 Hugh
1 Intermix Ratio
1 Oof!
1 Regenerate
1 Revolving Door
1 Scorched Hand
1 The Devil
1 The Traveler: Transcendance
1 Treaty: Federation/Bajorn
Draw Deck:
1 Altovar
2 Amanda Rogers
1 Bareil Antos
1 Bajoran Interceptor
1 Dr. Soong
1 Kai Opaka
2 Kevin Uxbridge
5 Kivas Fajo
1 Mora Pol
4 Q's Tent
2 Q2
1 Regenerate
2 Revolving Door
5 Soong-Type Android
1 Shakaar Edon
1 Surmak Ren
1 The Emissary
1 The Traveler
5 Wormhole
2 Wrong Door
Missions:
1 Aid Fugitives
1 Alter Records
1 Orb Negotiations
1 Paxan Wormhole
1 Relocate Settlers
1 Wormhole Negotiations

My Thoughts: Well, this deck definitely wouldn't be legal anymore (the Dilemma amounts aren't allowed).

Star Wars CCG:
Matt Potter's World Champion Dark Side Deck:
Locations:
1 Eriadu
1 Desert
1 Forest
1 Jungle
1 Spaceport Docking Bay
1 Spaceport Prefect's Office
1 Spaceport City
1 Spaceport Street
1 Swamp
Objectives:
Imperial Occupation
Characters:
4 2X-7KPK
20 Eriadu Operatives
1 Ree-Yees
Creatures:
2 Bubo
Interrupts:
6 Abyssin Ornament
1 Control
3 Ghhhk
1 Lone Warrior
1 Moment Of Triumph
2 Monnok
1 Twi'lek Advistor
Effects:
1 3,720 to 1
1 Den of Thieves
4 Sunsdown
1 Well Guarded

My Thoughts: Using Eriadu Operatives seems like a pretty effective way to go about things- but I'm not sure how this would work in the current environment.

A series of articles outlining four basic strategies to make good decks for Star Wars was included.  I'll include these decks:
"Land-Locked"
Locations:
1 Cloud City: Lower Corridor
1 Jabba's Palace: Entrance Cavern
2 Tatooine: Cantina
1 Tatooine: Jundland Wastes
1 Tatooine: Lars' Moisture Farm
2 Tatooine: Mos Eisley
1 Tatooine: Obi-Wan's Hutt (starting)
1 Tatooine: Tosche Station
Characters:
1 Chewbacca
1 Han Persona
1 Leia Persona
1 Luke Persona
1 Obi-Wan Persona
1 Tawss Khaa
Weapons/Devices:
1 Anakin's Lightsaber
1 Bionic Hand
1 Obi-Wan's Lightsaber
Interrupts:
3 Alter
4 Control
1 Don't Tread on Me
1 Gift of the Mentor
1 Han's Back
1 Leia's Back
1 Life Debt
2 Luke's Back
3 Nabrun Leids
2 Return of A Jedi
1 Rug Hug
3 Sense
1 Skywalkers
1 Smoke Screen
2 Sorry About The Mess
1 The Force Is Strong With This One
3 The Signal
3 Tunnel Vision
1 Warrior's Courage
2 Weapon Levitation
Effects:
1 Disarmed
1 Lightsaber Proficiency
1 Mantellian Savrip
1 Traffic Control

"Spaced-Out"
Locations:
3 Clouds
1 Corulag
1 Hoth
1 Kashyyyk
1 Kessel
1 Kiffex
1 Tatooine
1 Yavin IV (starting)
Characters:
1 Admiral Ozzel
1 Danz Borin
1 Darth Vader
1 DS-61-2
1 DS-61-3
1 DS-61-4
1 Grand Moff Tarkin
1 Lieutenant Cabbel
1 Officer Evax
1 OS-72-10
Startships:
1 Avenger
1 Bossk in Hound's Tooth
1 Devastator
2 Dreadnaught-Class Heavy Cruiser
1 Obsidian 7
1 Obsidian 8
2 Obsidian Squadron TIE
1 OS-72-1 in Obsidian 1
1 OS-72-2 in Obsidian 2
2 TIE Avenger
Interrupts:
4 Control
4 Dark Maneuvers
2 Gravity Shadow
4 Tallon Roll
3 Twi'lek Advisor
Effects:
1 Imperial Decree
2 Lateral Damage
2 Presence Of The Force
1 Reactor Terminal
1 There is No Try (starting)
2 There'll Be Hell To Pay

"Swamp Drain"
Locations:
4 Clouds
1 Dagobah (starting)
1 Dagobah: Bog Clearing
1 Dagobah: Jungle
1 Dagobah: Swamp
1 Dagobah: Training Area
1 Dagobah: Yoda's Hutt
Characters:
1 Figrin D'an
3 Ithorians
1 Obi-Wan Kenobi
1 Princess Leia
1 Son Of Skywalker
2 Tibana Gas Miners
1 Yoda
Starships:
2 Rebel Leaders
5 Z-95 Headhunter
Weapons/Devices:
1 Anakin's Lightsaber
2 Landing Claw
1 Obi-Wan's Lightsaber
Interrupts:
5 Control
2 Corellian Slip
3 It Could Be Worse
1 Luke's Back
3 The Signal
4 Tunnel Vision
1 Yoda, You Seek Yoda
Effects:
1 Do, Or Do Not (starting)
3 Encampment
1 Lightsaber Proficiency
1 Reflection
2 Revolution
Jedi Test:
1 A Jedi's Strength
1 Great Warrior

"Force of Nature"
Locations:
1 Dagobah: Cave
1 Death Star
1 Jabba's Palace: Audience Chamber
1 Jabba's Palace: Droid Workshop
1 Jabba's Palace: Dungeon
1 Jabba's Palace: Entrance Cavern
1 Jabba's Palace: Rancor Pit
1 Tatooine: Jabba's Palace (starting)
Characters:
1 Bane Malar
1 Boba Fett
1 Djas Phur
5 Eg-6
2 EV-9D9
2 Gailid
3 Gamorrean Guard
1 Jabba the Hutt
2 M'iiyoom Onith
1 Prophetess
1 Zuckuss
Interrupts:
5 A Dangerous Time
3 Monnok
6 Scanning Crew
2 Surprise
4 Twi'lek Advisor
5 Voyeur
Effects:
1 Broken Concentration
1 Expand the Empire (starting)
2 Presence Of The Force
1 Reactor Terminal
1 Resistance
1 Scum and Villainy

Ten Best CCGs of All Time:
I love top ten lists!  This one is is about the top ten by quality

1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Deadlands: Doomtown
3. Legend of the Five Rings
4. Star Wars CCG
5. Middle-Earth
6. Mythos
7. Babylon 5
8. Netrunner
9. Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
10. Kult

My Thoughts: I've never played Kult or Mythos, but some day I will. Many of these are still around in some form.  MTG is doing quite well.  Doomtown, L5R, and Netrunner are (or will be) around as LCGs/ECGs.  Star Wars and Vampire have active player committees.

Top Ten CCGs:

1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Star Wars CCG
3. Legend of the Five Rings
4. Star Trek CCG
5. Battletech
6. Babylon 5 CCG
7. Doomtown
8. Aliens/Predator
9. Rage
10. Highlander

Final Thoughts:
Lots of good stuff in this issue.  A great mix of CCGs, decks for a variety of games.  Just a good all-around read

My Card Gaming, Week Ending 6/18/16

Games played:

• Star Wars LCG - 1 game.  Played against Dan, using my Sith defensive control deck against his Jedi/Neutral Ewok deck.  Ended up winning- I easily took command of the Force Struggle, and most of his best attacks I didn't bother defending, instead using events to keep his units limited.

New acquisitions:

• Android: Netrunner - Fear the Masses Data Pack
• Star Trek CCG 2E - A few random singles still.
• Warhammer 40K: Conquest - Jungles of Nectavus War Pack

Very limited this week.  Too much going on, and next week won't be much better, since my birthday is coming up... along with like all of my friends being out of town :(.

Small revision to Back Issues articles

So, just as a notice, I'm going to go back and correct some of these back issues posts I made, and add a bit more information from the magazines, including some of the Magic decks posted.  True, there's more than enough Magic articles available... but some of these decks had fun, unique ideas, and I'd hate to see them not be available to people nowadays.

Also, it looks like I will be including Duelist magazines at some point.

Back Issues: Scrye 80

This issue came out February 2005.

Inuyasha TCG:
Two deck lists included.  First, "Seventh-Grade Win":
4 Kagome, the Student
4 Yuki, Kagome's Friend
4 Eri, Kagome's Friend
4 Ayumi, Kagome's Friend
4 Hojo
3 Buyo
3 Inuyasha, Demonic Half Breed
3 Kaede, Village Priestess
2 Kagome's Mom
2 You Think He Likes You?
2 Caretakers of the Shrine
2 New Age Technology
2 Kagome's Birthday Present
2 Be As One
1 Going To The Other Side
1 I'll Never Let You Go
1 Change
1 Thank You For Showing Me Mercy
1 You Tried To Kill Me!
1 I Didn't Say Get Naked!
1 Returning Home
3 School Girl Outfit
2 Pieces of the Puzzle
2 Tetsusaiga
2 Kagome's Backpack
1 Kagome's Bicycle
1 The First Shard
1 Medic Kit
3 Tokyo
2 Kagome's Junior High

This uses only cards from the first set, and focuses on the school kids, apparently.  Use Kagome as the focal point of the offense, and combine with Kagome's Junior High to get the pieces you need.

"I Leave Them To You":
3 Jaken, Sesshomaru's Pawn
3 Jaken
2 Sesshomaru, Aristocratic Assassin
3 Sesshormaru, Transformed
3 Un-Mother
4 Hiten, Enraged Demon
4 Manten, Bald Demon
3 Staff of Two Heads
1 Medic Kit
2 Hiten's and Manten's Thunder Cloud
2 Tetsusaiga, Transformed
3 I Leave Them to You
3 Give Me My Clothes!
3 Halt!
1 I Didn't Say Get Naked
1 Thank You For Showing Me Mercy
1 Enraged
1 Burst of Power
1 Here He Comes To Save the Day
1 Returning Home
1 Charge
2 Take That!
2 What?  Broken?
2 Defeated
2 Falling
2 See You  in Hell!
1 Inuyasha's Destructive Path
3 Sacred Tree

This one focuses on different characters, and what seems like disruption and control.

My Thoughts: This is yet another game that I've never played (although after reading this, I ordered some cards off of eBay to learn the game).  One thing I found worthy of note is that although the Inuyasha card game doesn't apparently have limits for the amount of any particular card in your deck, both decks chose to limit themselves to 4 of any particular card. I remember watching the cartoon on Adult Swim when I was in college, and it was alright, I'm glad to see the game seems to have had enough complexity to be worth looking into (although only a 5.5 rating on BGG doesn't speak great for it).  We'll see!

Legend of the Five Rings:
"Moving On Up":
Stronghold: The Meeting Place
Sensei: Tomorrow Sensei
Wind: Black Heart of the Empire

Dynasty:
1 Doom of the Dark Lord
1 Regions of Rokugan
1 A Favor Returned
3 Barley Farm
3 Gifts and Favors
1 Shrine to Daikoku
3 Treasure Hoard
1 A'tck
2 Ch'krit
2 Chithith
3 D'gr'n-ki
3 D'nir'ch
1 Ik'krt (Experienced)
1 Ikm'atch-tek
1 Kan'check
3 Ratling Conjurer
2 Ratling Raider
3 Set'tchr'foo
1 Te'tik'kir (Experienced)
1 Te'tik'kir (Exp. 2)
1 Musume Mura
1 Plains of Otosan Uchi
Fate:
2 Ambush
1 Armed and Ready
3 Feign Death
3 Heart of a Hero
2 Into the Darkness
3 Outer Walls
2 Overwhelmed
3 Refugees
3 Return for Training
3 Ten Thousand Swords
3 The Path of Wisdom
3 The Tribes Gather
3 Tireless Assault
3 Crippled Bone Runner
3 Suitengu's Uncertainty

My Thoughts: I think I own most of the cards for this deck!  This is a combo deck of sorts.  Send everything to a big battle, bump everything up, use Suitengu's Uncertainty to move them to other provinces, and depend on send home to win the battles and take out all the provinces.  This would have been tough to do back in the day... in the current eternal format... man, I have no idea.  But heck, I do have the cards. If I can get my opponents up for it, I'll give it a shot.

Lord of the Rings TCG:
"The Age of Man"
Ring-Bearer:
Boromir, Bearer of Council
The One Ring, Answer to All Riddles
Adventure Deck:
Anduin Banks
Crags of Emyn Muil
Fangorn Glade
Cavern Entrance
Pelennor Fields
Caras Galadhon
Helm's Gate
Osgiliath Reclaimed
The Prancing Pony
Free Peoples:
1 Arwen, Elven Rider (starting)
1 Faramir, Ithilien Ranger (starting)
1 Aragorn, Strider
1 Aragorn, Guide and Protector
2 Madril, Ranger of Ithilien
4 Ranger of Westernesse
1 Anduril, Flame of the West
2 Sapling of the White Tree
1 Scroll of Isildur
1 Gwemegil
3 Gondorian Blade
2 Armor of the Citadel
3 Gondor Bowmen
2 Noble Leaders
2 A Ranger's Versatility
4 Battle Cry
3 Elf-Song
2 The Highest Quality
Shadow:
2 Archer of Harad
2 Armored Easterlings
4 Column of Easterlings
2 Ferocious Haradrim
2 Fletcher of Harad
4 Patroller of Haradrim
4 Rampaging Easterling
2 Strange-Looking Man
2 Throng of Harad
4 Long Battle Bow
2 Pavise
2 Lathspell
2 Wielding the Ring
2 Elevated Fire

My Thoughts: Believe I've mentioned before, I really need to play this more.  This is using cards from the Shadows expansion, to showcase on all the Men tricks.  I don't know how well it does, because my experience at present is literally a single game.

Won a 12 person tournament, Oct 23, 2004 (piloted by Tim Long):
Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms
The One Ring, Answer to All Riddles
Steps of Edoras
Rohirrim Camp
Hall of Kings
Pelennor Plains
Stewards Tomb
Minas Tirith First Circle
Ruined Capital
Northern Ithilien
Dagorland
1 Faramir, Ithilien Ranger
1 Legloas, Greenleaf
3 Aragorn, Elessar Telcontar
1 Garrison of Gondor
1 Aegnor, Elven Escort
1 Cirdan, the Shipwright
1 Arwen, Queen of Elves and Men
2 Aragorn's Bow
2 Faramir's Bow
1 Phial Galadriel
1 Asfaloth
1 Ranger's Sword
4 Elven Bow
1 Nenya, Ring of Adamant
1 Citadel of Minas Tirith
1 The Last Alliance of Elves and Men
1 Shadow Between
2 Feathered
2 Company of Archers
3 Reckless We Ride
1 Orthanc Champion
3 Uruk Crossbowmen
1 Elite Crossbowmen
4 Uruk Crossbow Troop
3 Ranged Commander
2 Orthanc Assassin
3 Lurtz, Servant of Isengard
1 Desert Lord
1 Ulaire Enquea
4 Cloud of Arrows
1 One of You Must Do This
4 Weapons of Isengard
1 Siege Engine
1 Greed
1 Tower of Orthanc

Star Trek 1st Edition:
Won an 11 person tournament, October 15, 2004 (piloted by Jeremy Commandeur)
1 Expose Covert Supply
1 Secret Salvage
1 Espionage Mission
1 Unseat Dictator
1 Inversion Mystery
1 Salvage Operation
1 Space Time Portal
1 Transwarp Network Gateway
2 Q The Referee
1 Mission Debriefing
1 Defend Homeworld
1 Delta Quadrant Spatial Scission
1 Chula: The Lights
1 Chula: The Chandra
1 Friendly Fire
1 The Nexus
1 The Whale Probe
1 Magic Carpet OCD
1 Volcanic Eruption
1 DNA Clues
1 Hippocratic Oath
1 Dead End
1 Hanonian Land Eel
1 The Weak Will Perish
1 Lethean Telepathic Attack
1 Ferengi Infestation
1 Kelvan Show of Force
1 Ankari "Spirits"
1 Unscientific Method
1 Ferengi Bug
1 Female's Love Interest & Garbage Scow
1 Spacedoor
1 Transwarp Hub
1 Blugill Infestation
1 Three of Nine
1 Two of Nine
1 First
1 Fifth
1 Seven of Nine
1 Third and Fourth
1 Q's Tent
1 Adapt: Negate Obstruction
1 Salvage Starship
1 Divert Power
1 Shape-Shift Inhibitor
1 Borg Tactical Cube
1 Four of Nine
1 Borg Data Node
1 Borg Vinculum
1 Maturation Chamber
1 The Big Picture
1 Strategema
1 Temporal Vortex
1 Fair Play
1 Add Distinctiveness
10 Awaken
1 Borg Nanoprobes
1 Cranial Transceiver Implant
1 Nanoprobe Resuscitation
1 Ready Room Door
1 We Are The Borg
1 Lower Decks
1 Regenerate
1 A Change of Plans
1 Assimilate Counterpart
1 Assimilate Species
1 Assimilate Table
1 Assimilate Planet
1 Eliminate Starship
1 Assimilate Homeworld
1 Borg Scout Vessel
1 Third and Fourth
2 First
2 Three of Nine
2 Fifth
2 Two ofNine
2 Seven of Nine
2 Borg Queen
1 Four of Nine
1 One of Eleven
1 Ten of Nineteen
1 Eight of Fifteen
1 Eight of Eighteen
1 Eleven of Twelve
1 Second
1 Calibration Drone
1 Gowron of Borg
1 Eleven of Nineteen

My Thoughts: I basically wrote it out as it was in the magazine.  Kind of tough to read as is, haha.  I'll clean it up some day.

Star Trek 2nd Edition:
"All Borg"
Missions:
1 Fissure Research
1 Intercept Maquis
1 Plot Invasion
1 Restock Ketracel-White
1 Unicomplex, Root of the Hive Mind
Dilemma Deck:
2 A Royal Hunt
1 Assassination Attempt
1 Casualties of War
1 Center of Attention
2 Chula: Pick One to Save Two
2 Exposed Power Relay
2 Gomtuu Shock Wave
2 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
1 Kelvan Show of Force
1 Maglock
1 Personal Duty
1 Picking Up the Pieces
1 Plasma Shock
1 Rogue Borg Ambush
1 Secret Identity
2 Talosian Trial
2 Training Accident
1 Traitor Exposed
1 Tragic Turn
2 Tsiolkovsky Infection
2 Whisper in the Dark
Draw Deck:
2 Adapt
2 Borg Cube
2 Borg Queen, Guardian of the Hive
2 Computation Drone
2 Endangered
3 Expand the Collective
2 Five of Twelve, Secondary Adjunct of Trimatrix 942
1 Guidance Drone
1 Heightened Perception
2 How Would You Like a Trip to Romulus?
2 I Don't Like to Lose
3 Information Drone
2 Invasive Drone
2 Locutus, Voice of the Borg
1 Locutus' Borg Cube
2 Machinations
1 Queen's Borg Cube
3 Reconnaissance Drone
2 Seven of Nine, Part of the Greater Whole
1 Stir Crazy
2 Storage Compartment
1 Tempted by Flesh
1 The First of Many
3 Transwarp Drone
3 Unexpected Difficulties
2 Unyielding
2 You've Always Been My Favorite

My Thoughts: To start with, I really have no idea what's going on with the dilemma deck.  I almost never see any decks with two copies of dilemmas, it's always one or three.  There's a mix of stuff in here, but that's just about how every dilemma deck I ever build looks, myself.

The draw deck is a bit easier to understand.  Basically, do Plot Invasion, then use Expand the Collective on either Restock Ketracel-White or Intercept Maquis (or both) for the points to win.  Use Borg tricks to get through dilemmas.  This deck came out just after Fractured Time was released, so there are a lot of toys that would help make this even better, now.

Warlord: Saga of the Storm:
"Yedraw's Counter Attack"
Starting:
1 Yedraw
1 Kayle Rowan
2 Tyren Ruskin
2 Brine Fiend
Characters:
2 Devourer
2 Halo of Fire
3 Kabal Spire
2 Kayle Rowan
3 Mothusi Rahsaan
2 Ivaas
3 Sarakian Ooze
2 Titan
Items:
2 Mind Gate
3 Yedraw's Tooth
2 Footman's Pike
3 Altar of the Mind
Actions:
3 Tzin's Attention
3 Retaliation
3 Knife After Dark
3 Perfect Focus
3 Mental Assault

My Thoughts: No idea, yet.  I did go out and buy some Warlord starters though :)

Wars TCG:
"Space Shi"
Locations:
1 Seyal/Light Side (starting)
3 Ganymede/Harvesting Camp
1 Ganymede/Pilgrims' Camp
1 Ganymede/Traginium Source
2 Mercury/Untapped Planet
1 Seyal/Dark Side
1 Vesta/Covered Rock
Ships:
4 Damir Quarrel
4 Reliable Quarrel
4 Tilak Quarrel
3 Jikoku
2 Zocho
Characters:
4 Ranarti-Anant
1 Devanar-Damir
4 Kizen Sentinel
4 Sumadar-Damir
2 Tavang-Damir
Weapons:
2 Assailing Vatarma
2 Daunting Vatarma
Interrupts:
4 Easy Prey
3 Expansion
Assets:
2 Cerebral Incursion
2 Premeditated Reaction
1 Vestiges
2 Aggressive Stance

My Thoughts: Focusing in one arena, but putting enough out to help mitigate drains in the other (space/ground) seems to be the way to go in WARS, and this focuses on using the great Shi fighters, along with help from Gongen capital ships (giving the Shi some reaction abilities when combat starts), with Tavang Damir in a ship keep the ground drains to a minimum.  Seems like it would make a pretty good start, and there was help in the first expansion for this, I believe.

Won a 6 person tournament, October 15, 2004 (piloted Rich Parrott)
2 Ganymede/Triangium Source
1 Ganymede/Occupied Tunnels
1 Ganymede/Core Shaft
2 Ganymede/Vantage Point
3 Ganymede/Frontier Camp
5 Ganymede/Hunter's Camp
1 Luhustika
2 Takha Quarrel
3 Katal Life Ship
2 Volt Scourge
2 Quay Navigator
1 Sitka
1 Luhus Mauler
2 UV - IR 739
1 Talkan
4 "Two-Way" Berson
2 Tanka Chuluk Squad
4 Alnak
2 Kulak
4 Certel Legate
4 Revenge
3 Capture
4 Fuel Theft
3 Reaping

Won a 9 person tournament on October 16th, 2004 (piloted by Jason Luminella)
1 Alnak Station/Launch Bay
1 Ganymede/Occupied Tunnels
1 Ganymede/Vantage Point
1 Ganymede/Triaginim Source
1 Ganymede/Mining Platform
5 Ganymede/Hunter's Camp
1 Frozen By Fear
2 Luhus Dalaka
2 Natural Talent
2 Arhnaknak
2 Reaping
3 Makal Shrieker
3 Talkan
3 Rising Dread
1 Makaltika
2 Tahka Chuluk Squad
1 Portent
2 Kulak
3 Alnak
4 Sitkatika Hekaton
2 Volt Scourge
2 Kucha
1 Frenzied Luhus
1 Luhustika
3 Tahka Life Ship
3 Makal Claw Beast
2 Tunnels
3 Luhus Mauler
2 Revenge

Won an 11 person tournament on October 16th, 2004 (piloted by Will Raiman):
1 Alnak Station/Captured Base
1 Alnak Station/Launch Bay
1 Alnak Station/Hallway
2 Pallas/Asteroid Stronghold
1 Ganymede/Traginium Source
1 Ganymede/Vantage Point
3 Ganymede/Pilgrim's Camp
2 Expansion
1 Tamon
4 Tamon Fighter
1 Zocho
2 Zocho Fighter
4 Jigoku Fighter
3 Komoky Fighter
2 Taihu
2 Amorian Ship Yard
2 Ikazuchi
2 Ikazuchi T.S.V.
2 Shikami
3 Shikami Follower
2 Higen Orochito
2 Plasma Cannon
2 No Bot Battle Sword
2 Junshi
3 Kulak
2 Sitka
3 Waylaid
1 Cloak of Fear
1 Chuluktika
2 Tunnels

Won a 6 person tournament on October 17, 2014 (piloted by Carlos Fernandez):
1 Themis/Mobile Asteroid (starting)
1 Titan/Raving Red's Refuge
1 Europa, The Gambler's Hideaway
1 Mercury/Untapped Planet
1 Ceres/Belt Hideaway
1 Earth/Humanity's Home
1 Ganymede/Traginium Source
3 The Gambler
2 Ace McCallister
2 Misty Miller
4 Racing Sloop
4 Nimble Jockey
2 Maverick Bot
4 Razorjack
4 Vulture
4 Plundering Bandit
3 Modded Type IV
1 Hawk's Wing
4 Fifth Ace
4 Traginium Heist
2 Simple Wager
2 Chicken
2 Mechanic's Grip
1 Reload
1 Price Of The Game
1 Clanton Grau Grenade
1 Over Burdened
1 Aggressive Stance
1 Chained

Won a 14 person tournament, October 17th 2004 (piloted by Jed Hamphries):
2 NoBot Battle Sword
1 Plasma Cannon
2 Shikami
2 Junshi
1 Zocho
4 Tamon Fighter
3 Higen Orochito
3 Zocho Fighter
4 Jikoku Fighter
1 Ikazuchi
3 Shikami Follower
1 Jikoku
1 Komoku
1 Amorian Shipyard
1 Rising Morale
1 Loremaster
2 Cloud
2 Jet Pack Attack
1 Ganymede/Vantage Point
2 Ganymede/Underground Bunker
1 Alnak Station/Hallway
1 Alnak Station/Launch Bay
1 Pallas/Asteroid Stronghold
3 Ganymede/Pilgrim's Camp
1 Alnak/Captured Base
3 Talkan
2 Kulank
1 Tunnels
2 Sitka
1 Cloak of Fear
1 Waylaid
1 Chained

Won a 6 person tournament on October 17th, 2014 (piloted by Andy McClure):
2 Expansion
3 Anant Aeronaut
3 Nimble Jockey
1 Sultry Opportunist
3 Kizen Sentinel
3 Stinger
3 Well-Concealed Charge
2 Ore Hound
2 Irgma-Vishul
4 Sudeva Quarrel
4 Seyalshi Veholder
2 Ranarti-Anant
3 Assailing Vatarma
3 Jilak Quarrel
1 Davanar-Damir
1 Traginium Heist
1 Squadron Land
1 Easy Prey
1 Mechanic's Grip
1 Panneen Provider
1 Squadron Wad
1 Hellcat Aviatrix
1 Selfless Protector
1 Price Of The Game
1 Ganymede/Forward Base
1 Ganymede/Vantage Point
1 Ganymede/Traginium Source
1 Tremis/Mobile Asteroid
1 Seyal/Light Side
3 Ganymede/Frontier Camp
3 Ganymede/Harvesting Camp

Won a 11 person tournament, October 17, 2004 (piloted by Ben Robinson):
2 Jack Wilgress
2 The Gambler
2 Starhawk
1 Misty Miller
1 Ace McCallister
3 Boxer
2 "Two-Way" Berson
1 Tamon
1 Zocho
1 Jikoku
2 Guardian-Class Carrier
2 Tamon Fighter
1 Zocho Fighter
1 Jikoku Fighter
1 Hawk's Wing
1 Vulture
2 Racing Sloop
1 Chijo Katana
2 Aggressive Stance
2 Amorian Shipyard
1 Ensnared
1 Simple Wager
1 Overburdened
2 Fifth Ace
2 Rising Morale
3 Trumped
3 Junshi
2 Themis/Mobile Asteroid
2 Expansion
1 Europa/The Gambler's Hideaway
1 Titan/Raving Red's Refuge
1 Ganymede/Frontier Camp
1 Gongen/Pilgrim's Haven
1 Pallas/Asteroid Stronghold
1 Vesta/Coveted Rock
1 Mercury/Untapped Planet
2 Ganymede/Pilgrim's Camp
1 Ganymede/Underground Bunker

Seems like there might be a bunch of typos here, but that might be from copying from the magazine.  Will correct as I look closer at these some day.

The 10 Most Important Collectible Games:
Who doesn't love top 10 lists?

1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Pokemon
3. Star Trek CCGs (1st and 2nd Editions)
4. Mage Knight
5. Legend of the Five Rings
6. Yu-Gi-Oh!
7. Heroclix
8. Star Wars CCG
9. Jyhad/Vampire
10. Vs. System

My Thoughts: This is 'Most Important' and not 'Best' or any other metric.  These are the games that did the most to make the collectible game hobby what it was in 2005 (and what it is today, really).  It's actually kind of nice to see that all of these are still around in some form or another (Star Wars, Star Trek and Jyhad all are actively supported by Player Committees, and L5R will return in 2017 as an LCG). 

Top 10 Selling CCGs:

1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Yu-Gi-Oh!
3. Vs. System
4. Lord of the Rings TCG
5. Pokemon
6. Dragon Ball Z/GT
7. Inuyasha
8. Warlord
9. Game of Thrones
10. Legend of the Five Rings

My Thoughts: Because of this issue, I went out and bought Inuyasha and Warlord starters, to get some exposure to those games.  The other ones I've played and have cards for, other than Yu-Gi-Oh, which I can't seem to scrounge up interest for.

Final Thoughts:
One of the things I find... maybe not enjoyable, but certainly interesting about reading these magazines is what they discuss as the future for some of these CCGs, knowing as I do now their final fates.  For instance, the Wars TCG talked about the release of the upcoming Edge of a Sword expansion, which was never released (although you can find the cards online, without art).  They also mention an upcoming 330 card Motion in Mind set that was to come out after that.  Just a shame that they never came out.  Speaking of which, a lot of Wars decks were mentioned, giving anyone a good starting point.

VS System gets a couple of decks, which I don't include because they aren't compatible with the current VS 2PCG.  One thing I do find interesting is how different these cards are.  Plot Twists with costs, Locations that are more interesting than just providing resources, Equipment.  It'd be nice to see some of this make its way into the current VS game.