Brass Bullets, Brass Balls.
mysticpickle44 769
This is an aggressive swarm-style Sloane deck. The basic gist is to have a ton of dudes that can start solo shootouts everywhere and on average trade favorably with an extremely strong 4-of-a-kind/Full House 16-16-15 (7s, 4s, 3s) draw structure. With an all-in structure like that, even non-stud dudes like Travis Moone are a force to be reckoned with and you've got a LOT of them starting off. You'll want to send your dudes in solo to force as many different shootouts as possible to minimize casualties from bad beats. Eventually you should be coming out of these shootouts ahead of your opponents. Even if your opponent Coachwhips away your dude (because you will be cheating a lot), you've got plenty more where they came from and they probably don't have enough Coachwhips to take them all down!
The Starting Gang:
A menagerie of the cheapest dudes in town that can still scrap out a good fight! You get a whole 5 starting dudes and at least a whopping 8 Ghost Rock to start the day with even if you lose lowball. This gives you enough capital to put out deeds to pressure shootouts with control points and and to hire dudes to replace any casualties the first day.
Allie Hensman *: One of your better starting shooters and a great way to push enough control points to pressure your opponent into a shootout situation. Allie is only 2 draw bullets but you've got a really decent shot at making a full house or better even with her shooting solo. She's 0 influence so don't be afraid to send her in if a you feel you can get a favorable trade!
Clementine Lepp *: She's cheap precious influence and you've got a few saloons that'll make her even better [edit: as pointed out there are no saloons in this version of the deck but she's worthwhile for her 0-upkeep!) Even though she's got 0-draw bullets, she can still threaten a full-house or better with some reliability if folks decide to come after her! You'll want try to keep her out of fights and controlling enemy deeds or protecting your saloons while your other shooters back you up from town square.
Lawrence Blackwood *: Cheap like everyone else and one of your few precious starting influence characters. You'll only want to send him in after all the non-influence holding dudes have met their end. He can force a great deal of shootout pressure potentially swinging 1-3 control points each turn (0-2 for controlling a deed, 1 for his ability.)
Travis Moone *: You may want to use his mulligan only if you see absolutely no starting deeds in hand. Those deeds add control point pressure that can force shootout situations which is exactly where you want to be. Otherwise he's among your top starting shooters on par with Allie and probably the first you want to send in to start a ruckus or go up against shotgun toting dudes.
Silas Aims *: A cheap second-line dude and a good candidate to go up against shotgun users after Travis. Even with 0-draw bullets solo he can still threaten a strong hand just like Clementine! You can use him to generate control points in town square with the Sloane Home ability, toss him a Whiskey Flask to cycle cards out, or have him take casualties for a more valuable dude like Lawrence or or Clementine! If he gets enough bounty and is given a shotgun, he becomes a fearsome shooter in his own right!
The Rest of the Cast:
Tommy Harden: This deck structure draws high-rank hands on a fairly regular basis even with non-stud, low-bullet values pressuring the opponent into taking higher Cheatin'! hands which Tommy can punish. If Tommy is given +1 bullets via a shotgun, you are all but guaranteed a Full House or better
Ramiro Mendoza/Sanford Taylor: If either of these guys goes into a straight up fight solo, they'll buy you a Full House or better. Simple as that! Don't be afraid to put them in harm's way. If anything you'll save yourself the upkeep!
Marion Seville: A much needed source of influence. He can shoot reliably even without the being wanted if the situation warrants. Generally you'll treat him like Lawrence Blackwood and Clementine Lepp.
Androcles Brocklehurst: Another source of influence and a surprisingly reliable shooter as well with added bonus of discouraging the opponent from crossing the street into your deeds.
Ulysses Marks: Similar to Androcles but with the added benefit of being able to dig out any opposing Clementine Lepp from their saloon!
Actions:
Sun in Yer Eyes: Worsens the opponent's hand and increases likelihood of forcing them to Cheatin'! hands which can be punished with Coachwhip! or Tommy Harden.
Coachwhip!: This will be used against you just as often except that in all likelihood, your dudes will be far more expendable than theirs!
Kidnappin': This a sure way to force shootout situations for decks that like to avoid them. Don't be stingy with it! If an opponent's critically important dude moves out of position, don't hesitate to go right after them with this and 1 other dude if a Pistol Whip is likely. The resulting bounties are often a boon to both Silas Aims and Marion Seville as well.
Deeds:
Not much to be mentioned here outside of Yan Li's Tailoring. That is a crucial deed that will provide you much needed influence to bump up the many 0 influence dudes you have into credible control point threats. B&B Attorneys can make Silas into a fearsome shootout threat and reduce the many bounties your dudes will be collecting. Everything else is either strictly used as cash generation or as a source of cheap control points to apply pressure to shootout. Any other use you get out of the other deeds is pure gravy.
Goods:
These are mostly to fill out the draw structure though they can be quite useful in their own right! Shotgun though pricey can keep many a starting dude cowering at home though you'll want to spend the money on another dude if the choice is available. With all the dispensable dudes you have, booting them with Whiskey Flask is a perfectly viable option to cycle out cards. The Faithful Hound mostly serves as a luxury casualty cushion for your more valuable dudes. Pintos let your scarier shooters back up your influence toting dudes while they take over town!
| 22 comments |
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| Dec 13, 2014 mplain |
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Dec 13, 2014
mysticpickle44
hahaha you're right the deck is a bit beardy and can definitely catch folks off guard if they don't know what's coming! You're totally right, there are no saloons! I think some earlier iterations I definitely had Dead Dog Tavern in here but swapped them out for cheaper control points with more B&B Attorneys and Town Council. In this case I could totally see Olivia Jenks being an excellent replacement that's only slightly pricier in the long run! Ah it was a hard hard choice to leave only 1 copy of Ulysses Marks but it was more in anticipation of longer games and the fact that I don't always see Clementine Lepp and saloons out there while Androcles Brocklehurst's ability is almost always helpful! I don't always count on being able to draw or pull off a successful early Kidnappin' which means the game is usually going to go perhaps 3 days or longer if the opponent is just holing up at home! In those cases, I prefer to just let them control my own mostly worthless deeds while I control theirs as low income tends to hurt the opponent more than me. I also have to station a lot of dudes into town square to be ready to nab control points with The Sloane Gang ability so I generally can't spare the manpower to run back to my own deeds to chase off the likes of Micah Ryse with a bajillion Shadow Walks or Jon Longstride on a Mustang. I'm usually happier to see Androcles Brocklehurst who can both control enemy deeds and secure a trickle of income to generate yet more dudes and goods on my end! I've definitely been bitten badly by popping out 1st Baptist Church too early before! With only 2 starting influence in this gang, that deed can be more of liability than asset! I'll usually only drop it on a turn when I can force an unfavorable shootout or just drop it at the last second to just barely secure a enough control to end the game! Thanks for being such a great ambassador for the game mplain! :D |
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Dec 14, 2014
spyke7977
See, after pulling 10 cards with the random card generator the final 5 are almost always something higher than 2 pair. THAT'S what's supposed to happen OCTGN! None of this dumb two pair, pair, "Looks like I win lowball and don't worry, my draw structure isn't 16/16/15." In summation: Pretty lethal deck (Travis is so mean). OCTGN dumb! (Not really I love it!). |
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Dec 15, 2014
Epimer
This was the first five card draw I got from the simulator: Imgur I'm now legitimately frightened of this deck. |
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Dec 15, 2014
db0
Nice. I suspect a decent anti-cheating Law Dogs deck will really ruin your day though. Put down a few Pair of Six-Shooters, a Tommy Harden and a Wendy, and you'll be hard pressed to pull anything higher than they do. Add in a few Bottom Dealin' to deal with the odd 5-of, you and you're down to hoping you topdecking legal full, 4ofs. Still it's a tough deck to tackle, but against a dedicated shooting deck, especially one running Shotguns or Point Blanks, it'll be a bit more difficult to get through. |
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Dec 15, 2014
mplain
I played this deck against Law Dogs and yes, Tommy Harden is a pain... but you can kill him with Shotgun, which is nice ;) I've also seen a version of this deck running 5s instead of 4s. You lose Coachwhip and Marion, but gain Pistol Whip and Pearl-Handled Revolver. This build would probably be stronger vs. Law Dogs. |
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Dec 15, 2014
LordManHammer
Well done. As mplain I am an anti-fan of this deck - but I must recognize its efficiency and value. Well done! |
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Dec 16, 2014
mysticpickle44
Aye those do-gooder cards are just about this deck's nemesis! Persistent cheatin'! punishment like Pair of Six-Shooters and Tommy Harden really rain in on it's parade! > |
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Dec 16, 2014
mysticpickle44
doh comment got cut off. continued... I've found that as most shootouts tend to be single shooter engagements for this deck, the mass casualties that usually result from Bottom Dealin' are less frightening as there's always a chance you could top deck a strong hand compared to Coachwhip! which is a near certain shootout loss if the deck is caught Cheatin'! Thanks for all your awesome work on the Doomtown OCTGN plugin btw db0! The new cheatin' indicator is a godsend! :D Losing 4 value cards means the loss of cheap 2 GR 1 control point deeds in B&B Attorneys and Town Council which can be keenly felt if you're looking to ratchet up the pressure quickly! It also means losing perennial MVP Coachwhip! which most folks are happy to see in their hand! However using 5-values brings in awesome goods like Mustang and Pearl-handled Revolver. You also get awesome saloons like Charlie's Place and Pearly's Palace which make Clementine Lepp all the more useful! There's also little doubting that the addition of Barton Everest would be incredibly powerful as well! The draw structure however is also weakened slightly by 1 card as Travis Moone is one of it's critical starters. I'd consider it an even trade overall to swap for 5s! :D |
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Dec 16, 2014
ttsgosadow
Nice deck, easy and straightforward, and plays into the new-player pitfal of trying too many shoot-outs. Took it because of that (and that I only had 4 hours sleep the night before) and won a 8 player tournament with it. Thanks for sharing! |
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Dec 16, 2014
mplain
My god... we have released a monster... |
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Dec 16, 2014
ttsgosadow
Not sure if it's that bad, but we sure had a good discussion about deck building: is stacking values more valuable that including cards that work together? I sure hope this wont prove to be the case; will make the game a poorer experience. |
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Dec 16, 2014
mplain
This deck is a special case in which card synergy is sacrificed in favor of strong shootout structure. Normally you would be able to manipulate the chances of winning a major shootout with good tactical play. This deck's feature is that its strategy does not culminate in a major shootout - instead it initiates a lot of minor ones, with the opponent eventually succumbing to bad luck while running out of tactical options to mitigate it. This deck is very strong for an unprepared metagame. However, if accounted for (i.e. if the opponents pack enough cheatin' punishment, and if they understand that even a 0-draw dude is a danger to their posse), it is no stronger than any other deck in the field. This deck's greatest weakness is its starting 2 influence: if it does not win fast, it will inevitably lose, since most dudes cannot even take control of the opponents' deeds. Blood Curse + Rumors will also wreak it. |
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Dec 16, 2014
LordManHammer
It is a great 'learning' deck like the Deedslide deck as well. Playing it and playing against it really teaches you the value of chosing your shootouts and anti cheatin'. Furthermore - it is a viable deckdesign (called dudeslide in Classic) often though with more influence dudes, but that is determined by the Card pool. That said if people prepare for it or if you are able to capitalize on the lack of influence it is absolutely beatable. |
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Dec 16, 2014
dboeren
This seems like a trap for the unwary. With their influence so low, you don't need to fight them but maybe you get greedy and then get stung. Ignore them and go about your business. But, against new players who are itching for a fight it should be a nasty surprise. |
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Dec 30, 2014
Strichnine
Thank you for this deck list. I am a new player and I used this to win our 2015 Deputy tournament. It is a very fun deck, and brutally efficient. My first few rounds my opponents misjudged my shootout power, but by the time they saw the pattern it was too late. |
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Feb 10, 2015
neishin
I will try it out, looks very good. Yet I think I will swap: - Clementine Lepp for Fred Aims (only 1 GR more, can shoot, you can pump Influence, since you have 4x Kidnappin') - Silas Aims for Steven Wiles (unexpected Steven is even better then the Spanish Inquisition and Silas without a bounty on him is completelly rubbish). - 1xBlake Ranch for 1 Circle M Ranch (it lowers your chances for a better shootout hand, but gives you a control point and a draw and is a nice deed for an opponent to take, then you can Androcles Brocklehurst his ass!) :D |
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Mar 18, 2015
maxwelljrj
Hello, as a new player I was refereed here as a good Sloane starter deck. Do you have any updates with the newer cards? |
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Mar 18, 2015
maxwelljrj
Hello, as a new player I was refereed here as a good Sloane starter deck. Do you have any updates with the newer cards? |
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Mar 18, 2015
maxwelljrj
Hello, as a new player I was refereed here as a good Sloane starter deck. Do you have any updates with the newer cards? |
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May 04, 2015
elclavoelclavo
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Aug 10, 2018
davido
NECRO! here is a 108 Drunken Masters deck that won Gencon 2018 (in a field of 31 very good players). Same general principles - spam dudes and use baijou jars for cycling and influence on the saloons. Hired Guns tutors out weenie chumps. Ambush and It's Who you know rub out turtles. Longwei buffs everybody to ensure reliable shootout hands. |
I must say I really, really hate this deck.
I haven't been around at the time of GenCon, and even though I consider myself an experienced player of Doomtown, I only play in OCTGN, and I've only met this type of deck for the first time about a week ago. And I completely, totally loathe it.
I mean, when an opponent charges with a single draw dude into my stud posse, I just assume that it's some n00b who doesn't know better. When whis draw dude gets a hand that's better than that of my stud + backup, I curse and promise to teach that n00b a lesson next time. Next time I cheat and get coachwhipped. Yeah, I won the shootout and his 0-influence draw dude is dead now... just like my Lane Healey.
I'll probably have to adjust my deckbuilding now that I know this type of deck is around.
Now, my dear friend mr. pickle, I have some comments regarding this particular build :)
Clementine Lepp - you said that you've got some saloons, but I don't see any. I suspect that previously you played Dead Dog Tavern, and I actually think that it might be a better fit than the Town Council. Still, Clem won't do much in protecting it, yeilding control to any intruder due to her 0 bullets. What do you think about substituting her with Olivia Jenks? For 1 upkeep you get +1 influence and +2 bullets, which in this deck is no small deal!
Ulysses Marks - this guy seems more useful to me than mr. Brocklehurst, because you mainly attack their deeds rather than defend yours from intruders. Kicking the opponent's Clem out of her saloon seems like an awesome ability for this deck. I'd suggest at least 2x Ulysses.
1st Baptist Church - since you played this on turn 1 in every single game against me, and since I read someplace else that Sloane Rush is able to get 4-5 control on turn 1, I suspected that 4x Church was the standard for this deck. Seemed logical as you're not planning on long-term economy wars and control-influence games, all you need is to kidnap their highest influence dude and build 4 control points to win on the 1st turn. So I am rather surprised to see that you went 3x Yan Li's. While I understand the importance of extra influence for a deck that only starts with 2, this choice seems counterproductive to the zerg-rush strategy of going for the win on turn 1 or 2.
Thanks for sharing the decklist, and for all the awesome games! :)