INWO Deck: Double Predator

This deck uses hardly any rare cards, but it does use multiple copies of uncommon cards. What? You don't have three of every uncommon plot? Well, you need to buy some more cards then, don't you?

Evil Scheme #1: Plot Predator

What's the best way to deplete your opponent's plot deck? The IRS? No. The Internet Worm will force your opponent to discard the top three cards of his deck. Las Vegas' action allows you to "bet" up to three cards with another player, then roll the dice: If the result is 7 or more, you get to draw three cards from his deck! All you need is a little help from WITCH, a Computer Virus, or Murphy's Law to rig the game heavily in your favor. In a long game, you can actually deplete someone's plot deck entirely!

Evil Scheme #2: Resource Predator

Take a look at the Suicide Squad resource. Not only does it allow you to destoy any resource, not just artifacts and gadgets, but if you manage to roll a 1, the Squad survives to destroy again! So, all you need is WITCH and some Computer Viruses (and maybe a Bribery or two) to keep your opponents Resource-free. Furthermore, with a Cover of Darkness (or two), and some Hat Tricks, you can pick up your favorite Artifact and Gadget Resources from your enemies!

I combined these two Evil Schemes into a single deck.

The Deck

Illuminati

The Network

Groups

Resources

Plots

Strategy

Lead

Lead with Fraternal Orders. Why? Because your group deck is so large (21 cards) and Resource-laden (9 of them), you need to get them into your hand quickly.

The Wind-Up

Get Flying Saucer, Eliza (linked to the Network) and Center for Weird Studies out as quickly as possible, in that order, using Illuminati actions. Once the Network gets two actions per turn, use one to play a resource and the other to draw an extra group card. Use your automatic takeover to bring out a new group each turn, but don't attack anybody. Get the following groups out quickly: NSA, WITCH, International Weather Organization. Also get out some high-powered computer groups (Japan, Phone Company, Post Office, Hackers). Use your Suicide Squads for intimidation: "If you attack me, I'll destroy your [insert his favorite resource here]." Once you're set up, play Las Vegas.

The Punch

You should endevor to get the following in your hand: Computer Virus, Hat Trick, Bribery. Use one of your Suicide Squads against a Resource you find annoying. If you have Cover of Darkness in your hand, too, target one you covet. If you roll low, use a combination of Computer Virus, WITCH, and/or Bribery to bring the roll to a 1. If you roll a 6, use WITCH to bring it to a 5, so you at least destroy the resource. Use your Hat Trick on your Cover of Darkness, if possible, or your Computer Virus, so that you can use it again, and again. Repeat every turn, or even twice in a turn if you rolled well.

The KO

Once you have Las Vegas out, you should have a pretty good idea who still has a large supply of plots and who is running short. Target that person, stealing three plots with Las Vegas (with a guarentee from Murphy's Law, WITCH, and/or Computer Virus), and destroying plots with The Internet Worm. The last is more useful if you use the NSA to look at people's top three cards, then destoy (or steal!) them if they are at all useful. Use The Auditor from Hell to steal these useful plots after he's drawn them. Once your opponents are out of plots, victory is nearly assured.

Caveats

Don't try either combo if someone is in position to cancel your actions, especially the Nuclear Power Companies! It's probably best to form some sort of truce with the owner of the NPC's, since you can still do a lot of damage to his deck. Also beware of other Network players, since they will be more geared to just controlling Computer groups, especially yours!

Substitutions

If you have more than one Cover of Darkness or Computer Security, by all means include them! Additional Computer Viruses and Hat Tricks are extremely useful, too. All of the duplicated plots are important to this deck: if you don't have three of them (for example, I only have two each of Bribery and Secrets MWNMTK, so that's what's in the deck), include what you have, but you should have at least two of each, especially Computer Virus. The same goes for Eliza and Suicide Squad: two is barely enough, three is better, and four is possible if you don't have something better to do with the slot.

Other Plans

Favorite Resources to steal via Cover of Darkness are: The Holy Grail (to protect Las Vegas), Crystal Skull, Perpetual Motion Machine, and the Orbital Mind Control Lasers.

You can reduce this to just a Resource Predator by eliminating Las Vegas, The Auditor from Hell, The Internet Worm, and Murphy's Law from the deck. Resource Predator is better in a large game because you can't deplete the decks of 4 or 5 opponents no matter how hard you try. Be sure to replace those cards with some more defensive cards, because you won't be getting cards from your opponents.

You can also reduce this to just a Plot Predator, especially in a game with only two or three players. Remove Suicide Squad, Bribery, Cover of Darkness, and Fraternal Orders and add some defenses. In a three player game, lead with Las Vegas, unless your opponent is playing Cthulu, in which case lead with NSA or WITCH. In a two-player game, lead with Japan or the Phone Phreaks so as to get your groups out quickly.

Is there such a thing as a Deck Predator? Well, you can use the action token of the Society for Creative Anarchism to force an opponent to discard a plot card. With the Perpetual Motion Machine and Center for Weird Studies you could force three discards a turn. You could force another discard every time you played Voodoo Economics, Seize the Time, The Big Sellout, or Freaking the Mundanes. If someone was foolish enough to put less than 10 cards in their group deck, they would be quite vulnerable to this attack. I expect they will wise up after getting hit with this once, so it's not something you'd do often.

Deck design by Aaron Curtis.

Back to the Deck of the Week.