Faction Fight 2nd Place - Show the Encroachment

Taking the deck title from a professional axiom - (I am a surveyor by profession)

Not my most creative deck - pretty straightforward. Use Phantasm and Shadow Walk to outmaneuver. Use Blood Curse and the Home ability to reduce influence.
Plenty of Dudes and Plenty of Deeds. Although the dirtiest of tricks is the starting Mourning Mist. As long as it doesn't have to die for an early casualty, you just wait for the critical mass of Control on the Board and Blood Curses, and BOOM.

First Up – IndigoRielle with First Peoples. (WIN( Indy’s deck caught me off guard with the number of Sidekicks. I went all in on an at home fight on Day 3, and found a natural STRAIGHT FLUSH (Diamonds) with 1 stud 4 draw. That removed enough moving pieces that I was able to secure the win on the following turn. *note – even though this deck CAN shoot, the 13-13-13 structure, without Jokers, should only be going into shootouts when I think they are lopsided in my favor or if I have few options.

ROUND 2 – Deputy Greg Melnyk with Outlaws (WIN) Greg was running an unruly amount of influence for Outlaws, at one point having TEN. Ultimately I won a couple of back to back gambling phases and drew into a bountiful harvest of deeds after I was able to manipulate the Outlaws into being all booted out.

ROUND 3 – the mighty DoomDog and his Anarchists. (LOSS) I cannot claim to have put up much of a fight in this game. I lost all four days of lowball. Anarchists were controlling the means of production, and when I did feel like I could pressure the fight, they drew better hands with fewer cards.

ROUND 4 – Vince Turner with Fort 51. (WIN) Vince and I go way back, and we made an endurance game out of it. Facing a double Hydro puncher Thunderboy, I had to keep myself under house arrest since no Bounty Hunters showed up. I did get uppity and start a fight, and I ate 5 casualties for my insolence. His combination of Gadgets and Miracles had answers for all of my dirty tricks. In the end, Vince got greedy and build one HydroPuncher too many, Camilla booted the Padre, a couple of Blood Curses, a Shadow Walk, NICODEMUS WHATELEY WITH A CHAIR!! – 9 Control over 8 Influence. (And I had 13 influence somehow).

ROUND 5 – Don Gratouille with Saved By Grace (WIN) My deck did what it was supposed to do, and in the end left five of his dudes sitting booted in Town Square while I created a couple of lopsided fights to separately remove Amity Hopkins and Thunder Boy. His combination of Sentinel and Ken Carnes had him on the cusp of victory too often for my comfort, - and I did not have enough dumb confidence to enter the murder blender to deal with him. MVP card on my side was Shadow Walk to avoid the aforementioned shooting Gallery.

THE CUT – HufftheBEAST with First Peoples Game one, New Town hall and Ken combined to put me on the spot faster than I was really ready for, accepted a fight, hoping to hit new Varney with a Ricochet. No such luck. No luck at all. I went down in mess. Game Two. No Town hall, so slower. We locked horns in town square ... Tonton, Val, and Jaqui. I legal full house, he cheating four of a kind. INWYK. then I retreated the Pinned Down valeria. Tonton eventually chases the rest of them away. Too much influence lost. win for me. Game Three. I get a nuts start. Bairds, General store, shadow walk, and Phantasm. Varney and Ken take over my Baird's - Varney picks up a Ragged Mule. Not good. Rob Wilby straps on Jacc's Failsafe and comes running for Landon. I let it happen, boots the posse home. Mourning mist hits his dude on my general store. then --- the mistake. huff spends the last of his money on Enapay - leaving the tax office to claim 100 years of back taxes on the New Varney nosferatu. For a moment I think I have it, move Carmilla to the Cattle Market only to realize that we do not have another Ranch in play. then Carmilla fails to hit the grit to Boot Enapay. A fight happens - Enapay versus my 4 draw (three dude) posse. long service to a dark power and I draw up into a legal four of a kind. -not wanting to risk another skin of my teeth shootout, I booted Skin walker to lower Sifting Squirel's influence and secured the win.

The Semis – Prodigy with Saved By Grace (WIN) While I was able to drop down a couple of early deeds, Prodigy had a ... prodigious number of miracles hit the table. And Fearmonger take particular offense to Get Behind Me Satan. and my puny starting posse takes issue with Turn the Other Cheek. But I did get a pair of phantasms to try and counter the Walk the Path. Day 3 both of The Law Dog Studs were booted, so Jaqui stepped into town square to test the waters (booted Amity, unbooted but Forgetful Rosenbaum, Rob Wilby, and Maggie Harris) with a little posturing Rob and Jaqui went toe to toe. then each dropped to 0 bullets, and we each pulled a pair. but It is not what you know saved my bodyguard. Day 4, after some phantasms, a shadow walk dance, and a Mourning Mist, I had him down to just Laura Banks and Maggie Harris for unbooted dudes. He Pressed me into check with a deed, but Landon Booted across town to his Baird's Build and Loan. Walk the path brought Maggie back to town, and then she went to evict poor Landon. Carter's Bounties brought in Miss Isham, and we both had cheating four of a kinds with no punishment. I was afraid for a dude in Joe's last three cards (and 5 ghost rock), but Joe didn't have it. Papa Marias and his Blood Curse sealed the deal

THE FINALS - More Doomdog and More Anarchists. The fix was in. No hexes for me. Allie and a Mayor’s office for him. I would be lying if I said I made a go of it, I tried – and died.