"I Cheat, I Laugh, I Kill you"

A Blackjack Original Home Uber-Cheater Deck by David Wilson

I played this deck at GenCon SoCal in the multiplayer tournament. I could shoot with the best of them and had a lot of fun. Perhaps the coolest part of the game was frustrating my fellow blackjacks player across the table from me. It seems he worked hard to get "Nasty Docs" in play. I would go over and camp on his deed and he would send a guy to fight me. He made certain to have control of the terribly bad doctor's office so if I killed him (which I invariably did) he could harrow the dude, which he would do by acing another dude he controlled. It annoyed him to no end that when it came time for his newly harrowed compadre to get his pull, I would pull an Ace. This I did at least three times in a row, before pulling a two. This meant that he lost at least six dudes all in fighting over Nasty Doc's.

I'll explain why certain cards are in the deck as I list them.

STARTING POSSE:

Black Jack Experienced 2

Bob Bidwell Experienced

William Rose

Lawrence Goodman

Starting Posse Cost is 17, leaves enough to pay Jack's upkeep if (more likely WHEN) I lose lowball. With this deck, even Bob and William Rose can shoot pretty darn straight. Bob is just added income or influence where needed, as well as improved cardflow.

ACE VALUE DUDES:

Dustin Halloway

Shouting tom

Victor Navarro

Charlie Landers

Alfred Barkum, Jr.

Shouting Tom can be worth a victory point. Dustin has his built-in deputize. Victor Navarro is excellent for joining those odd shootouts where Death's Head Joker's appear, just in case Blackjack gets out there in trouble.

TWO VALUE DUDES:

Cassidy Greene

Walkin' Dead

Seeking Fury

Cassidy can help with bullets, Seeking Fury helps with Cards. Walkin' Dead is just a cheap shooter and originally this deck had four of them in it, before I toned it down a bit. I decided I needed some guys with influence in it.

THREE VALUE DUDES:

Mr. Bones

Singing Feather

Rhett Caufield

Reggie Cornell

Hope in Winter

Devil Bats

Dread Wolf Pack

"Lucky" Ted

Each of these cards have a valid purpose in the deck. "Lucky" Ted can take a bullet, a shotgun blast, and is dirt cheap. The Wolf Pack likes to catch dudes off alone and call them out to earn a +3 bullet bonus, making him the baddest lobo in town as long as the werewolf doesn't show up. Hope in Winter should be a staple in most Blackjack decks, as only the dealer who starts a job boots at the beginning and end of the job. Devil Bats are useful when you outnumber another player in a shootout, Reggie can kill some bothersome events, plus is a cheap two influence to drop into the game, even if he does not stay in play. Rhett can annoy the other player by stealing Ghostrock. Mr. Bones can go grab that cheating card that just walked by in lowball. Of them all, though, Singing Feather is my absolute favorite. Keep Running into Harrowed stuff-- Singing Feather is the answer. My favorite thing for Singing Feather to do is to cancel the original Ghost when he attempts to cancel an action which targets him..

MIXED VALUE DUDES:

4 Wendigo Garrison (unexperienced)

7 Mae Parker

Q Rachel Sumner (experienced is preferred)

Mae is a great off value shooter, Rachel experienced has her job to grab control points and convert them to victory. Wendigo makes your hand better when you cheat.

ACE VALUE ACTIONS: (and you know they speak louder than words)

Cheatin' Varmint

Night Haunt Attack

Out of Ammo

Only Winged 'Em

2 x Human Shield

TWO VALUE ACTIONS: (and these speak loudly enough, too!)

Deputize

2x Start Again

2x Stoker Versus Knicknevin

It is likely that a future version of this deck will swap out the Night Haunt for another copy of Deputize or another copy of Human Shield. Also, I may give up a Start Again for a second Deputize. Sometimes having only one deputize in the deck makes it hard to get to.

THREE VALUE ACTIONS: (and these are voice raisers as well!)

2x Massacre at High Noon

OFF VALUE ACTIONS: (and these CAN SHOUT! or make an opponent curse!)

8 Dominion

8 What this Town Needs

J Shallow Grave

Q Legal Deck

These cards are open to change depending on what you really want to do. I've seen some players pack 4 copies of ACE in the HOLE in these slots and perhaps at least one of them ought to be an ACE in the HOLE. Dominion is just really, really nasty against a harrowed power deck, but this deck doesn't really care if the opposing player is harrowed or not because it intends to kill the opposing harrowed dudes by pulling ACE's after the shootout is over. The once copy of legal deck is primarily to deal with DHJ and/or spell deck's Fool's Jokers. Shallow Grave lets me shuffle another dude of the right value back into my deck. The dominion might also be replaced with an extra copy of what this town needs.

EVENT: Just ONE, but it is a crowd pleaser!

Gareth Comes to Town

Once upon a time, someone said, "Somethin's got to be done about them stinkin' spell decks!" They were right, and Alderac responded with this spell- hosing event which forces all dudes with spells to discard ALL but one of their spells.. . If you ever want to see a Whatley weap, this is the event that brings more tears to their eyes than peeling a passle of onions.

ACE VALUE DEEDS:

The Lode

Lord Grimley's Manor (experienced)

Union Train Depot

No- Tell Hotel

TWO VALUE DEEDS:

Big Doc's Casino

Buffalo Chip Saloon

THREE VALUE DEEDS:

New Town Hall

The deeds are all pretty self-explanatory. Rachel Can do her job on any control point deed, so she can quickly convert the control points on deeds I control to victory points. This is helpful with the lode, because should, for some unforeseen reason, I lose a gunfight there, my opponent should not have a huge stack of control/Ghost rock producing stuff there until such time as I return. Big Doc's lets me deny my opponent ghostrock from lowball, while the New town Hall and the Lode can just grow and grow, especially if they are positioned next door to one another. Lord Grimleys won't need defenders unless someone goes to arson it.

ACE VALUE GOODS:

3x Kenny

THREE VALUE GOODS:

New Hat

The goal of the deck is to kill other people's dudes with Blackjack (protecting him with Kennys or wimpy mooks from Death's Head jokers etc.) while building points on the lode, converting them with Rachel, and gaining victory on the New Town Hall as well.