In my opinion... one of the best action cards in the game, currently. Free to play, can be used in lowball, noon, and shootouts (as a resolution). The effect of the noon action is the same (if not better) than a Pony Express but you don't have to pay the deed price or worry about control, and the Cheatin' resolution generates 3 ghost rock like that (snapping my finger).

6 is a middle of the road value so in Huckster and Mad Scientist decks it is not ideal, but you cannot deny the power of this card. There are a lot of powerful cards from 6-10 (Reserves, Rumors, and Unprepared to name a few).

I would love to hear any other negatives about this card I may be overlooking...I just don't see any.

Very affordable influence in non-aggressive decks which rely on deeds for income.

If your opponent contests your early deeds, you get to either avoid Androckles' upkeep or even make up some small amount of money while waiting for your next deed.

He's also a perfect counter for those who like to use Steven Wiles to prevent your income for one turn, especially in your out of town deeds you can't contest easily.

Lady Luck is one of those cards that is easy to overlook the power of. It isn't one of those cards you run 4 of but one or two in a deck really can't hurt. It's great to use when you have a bunch of cards in your play hand that need to be in your discard and it helps you cycle through your deck quicker so you can build a better hands for your shootouts. It's rarely a dead card because if you draw it during sundown, play it first thing the next noon phase. Think of it as a way of playing mind games with your opponent to make them think your hand is worse than it actually is.

This schoolmarm don't take no guff! Story-wise Olivia Jenks is the wife of Wylie Jenks and Game-wise she's the posterchild for neutral cost to raw-stat efficiency early on! If you want the most bang for your buck in terms of out of faction influence, Olivia is your gal!

Observations:

• If you're looking to hang in for the long game with gadget decks or hex based decks that need time to develop, Olivia is a great addition! Sure in terms of pure cost efficiency Irving Patterson, Dulf Zug, or Lucinda "Lucy" Clover are perhaps better if you are playing their respective factions but if you need another high influence low cost character to buy you even more time, Olivia is your best choice! The Sloane Gang has no equivalent low-cost 2 influence dude in faction yet so Olivia can always find a good home there!
• At 2 influence, Olivia is probably going to make up a significant amount of what is keeping you from losing the game so it's not always a good idea to expose her unless there is a great deal to gain by risking her.
• She has 2-Draw Bullets as well meaning she won't go down without a decent fight but unless you've got a massively powerful draw structure you may not want bet 2 influence on just 2 draw bullets!
• Adding onto the previous point, she is a 2-value dude making her extremely vulnerable to Shotgun and to a slightly lesser extent Soul Blast. Nothing stings more than losing 2 influence without having a chance to fight back!
• If you're looking to achieve your win conditions past the 4th day, Olivia might not be the best choice as a starting dude. Her 1-upkeep is going to sting quite a bit by that time if you haven't established a solid economy by then! Androcles Brocklehurst is likely going to be a better choice in that case at just 1 GR more starting off as he is also likely to generate you some GR each turn as well!

The power of jobs like Kidnappin' and Ambush is not so much to catch dudes hiding at home, although that's always good. It's also the instant surprise you can pull on your oppponent who are trying to outmaneuver you.

Let's take the following example. Your starting Posse is only 1 influence dudes. You're facing an opponent starting Steele Archer. They win initiative and attach a Shadow Walk on Steele. On your action, you play a General Store, planning to use it to play your nice Peacemaker. Your opponent's next play is to use Shadow Walk with Steele to jump to your General Store and ninja its ability before you can. You have no time to move there and call him out before he uses it and denies you the cost reduction.

However with a Kidnappin' in hand you can immediately Jump the now defenseless Steele with even a small wimp like Travis Moone who is possibly capable alone of finishing the job successfully. The opponent's greed worked against him.

This kind of setup is the secret power of jobs. Your opponent is trying to deny you early Jackson's Strike production? Kidnap that wimpy Micah Ryse before his buddy Kevin Wainwright can come to save his butt. Your opponent just built a new deed with Irving? Kidnap him now that he's away from home and booted, so neither his Make the Smart Choice nor his Pistol Whip will help him.

My suggestion is, only ever Kidnap someone at home if your shootout hand is amazing and you have chance to wipe out their whole posse if they defend, and if the mark is really critical to their plans (e.g. their single starting Mad Scientist before they get to invent anything). But for all oher cases, it's better to be cautious and use your jobs opportunistically ;)

One of the most badass shooters in the game! Sloane's main draw is the fact that she's the only dude that has a natural 4-stud rating at this moment. Not only does this mean your shootouts with her will likely be awesome but she has 3 influence to nab important deeds and keep you in the game a good long while.

But wait there's more! Sloane also comes with a built in inexhaustible Roan and also gives the effect to everyone else at her location. She's like a walking aircraft carrier for your dudes when shootouts breakout! Sloane is also a super high King Value which means she's nigh immune to Shotgun and very resistant to those wily hucksters trying to tag her with a Paralysis Mark.

Sloane is however a lot of eggs in one basket making her especially vulnerable to cards like Pistol Whip. Did we also mention once she gets a taste of the life of crime she will stay wanted forever? Bounty Hunters will always be on her tail once she upsets the law! Besides her love of living on the edge, she's also a rather expensive gal with a 3 upkeep cost but at least her upfront cost is a bit lower compared to other King Value dudes like Sheriff Dave Montreal and Ivor Hawley!

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Sweet Combo Cards:

• Legendary Holster - Sloane is already pretty legendary but you give her one of these and she's uh...DOUBLE LEGENDARY!! Right. So now you've got a 6-stud shooter launching dudes into posses left, right, and center armed with a Death Ray that can vaporize anyone you want. Awesome. You can also now include cards of value 5 or lower into your deck and still have Holster reliably fire off! What can you include now that other 3-bullet shooters cannot? Tons:

1. Useful actions like Pistol Whip and Hiding in the Shadows
2. Sweet deeds like Pearly's Palace and Charlie's Place. Clementine Lepp fans rejoice!
3. Really useful goods like Mustang and Pearl-handled Revolver
4. Classic Sloane gang members like Barton Everest and Pancho Castillo can now be waiting in the wings of your deck safely!

• Shotgun - If you're not into the stringent value constraints that building your deck around Legendary Holster entails, Shotgun is a great choice! Sloane can vaporize a slew of commonly played 5-value characters like Travis Moone, Barton Everest, and Slade Lighbody other 3-stud shooters with a shotgun couldn't touch!

• Point Blank - With this card, in a no-frills 1 on 1 shootout, Sloane will outright slaughter any other dude in the game. You can draw a rank 1 hand. Doesn't matter. Sloane can't miss at Point Blank! She can even Point Blank perennial badass Steven Wiles!

• Kidnappin'/Ambush - With someone else at Sloane's location leading this job, Sloane and the other folks in the location joining the posse don't have to boot to join! This means you can have Sloane ready to finish the job with the aforementioned Point Blank and the other dudes can still use Pistol Whip!

Kidnappin' is one of the most important cards in the current metagame, our only salvation from the rampaging Dudes & Deeds and Curses & Rumors decks! ;P

This job lets you hunt down high-influence dudes holed up at home, as well as those nasty tricky hucksters. Even Clementine Lepp hiding in her saloon is not safe from being kidnapped!

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Reminder for those new to the game on how jobs work:

First, you form a posse by choosing the leader, any dudes in the same or adjacent locations, plus any dudes already at the mark's location or at adjacent locations. So, if you're kidnapping a dude at their home with a dude at your home, then you can send any dudes from any of the following locations: your home, in-town deeds right next to your home, your opponent's home, in-town deeds right next to their home, and the town square. (If you were to lead a job from the Surveyor's Office marking the town square, the whole town could join, including any out-of-town ranches and strikes! Yay!) :D

Next, you boot all choosen dudes (including the leader, because this particular job requires you to do so) and move them to the mark's location. They all get a bounty on their heads, plus a second bounty if the job is opposed and takes place in an opponent's home or private deed. Note that any dudes already at the mark's location don't need to boot -- so you might want to send them in there before the job starts, if you want to use Wendy or Pistol Whip or Point Blank or some such. Of course, once your opponent sees your dudes waltzing into his home turf, he'll realize that you're up to something nasty, and will take all precautions, including calling his best friend Steven Wiles over. So think twice before forfeiting the surprise factor!

Now, a job is better than just forcing a shootout (with Bounty Hunter, Clyde Owens or Run 'Em Down) in that the mark cannot escape by Makin' The Smart Choice or by surviving the first round of shootout -- if the job is successful, the mark is discarded even if it's not involved in the gunfight. Sometimes it might even be worth to not oppose the Kidnappin' and willingly discard the mark - if you try to fight you risk it getting aced instead.

Finally, after the job is finished, any remaining dudes from the attacking posse go home booted. You hear that? Any dudes you send on the job are done for the day! No more movin' or shootin'!

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Unless, of course, you cheat and use one of the following:

♦ The Pharmacy can unboot a booted dude and send them ravaging the town again.

♥ Mustang, Mechanical Horse and Bluetick can move a booted dude to occupy a deed or to assist in a shootout.

♥ Pinto, Shadow Walk or Carter's Bounties let a dude join any shootout anywhere, even if booted.

♥ Buffalo Rifle allows a dude to join a shootout in the town square (or a deed adjacent to home) without moving, any number of times per day.

♠ Angélica Espinosa can do this too, but only once per day.

♠ Jarrett Blake and Gang Yi can swap with someone involved into a shootout.

♣ Run 'Em Down works even if the dude is booted, as long as they have a horse.

♣ Missed! will help you unboot if you managed to get a booted dude into a shootout.

♣ Back Ways and Clear Out! have limited moving effects.

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Couple more hints on using jobs:

♣ Prepare for the job by playing War Paint or Bad Company, or using Charlie's Place.

♠ The bounty can actually be of use if you send Marion Seville or one of the Aims brothers on the job.

Much better card than would first think. Most decks are in shootouts meaning your deck is going to cycle to your discard pile, then you have a search card to crab the missing influence for not to lose or a heavy hitter to even the fight.

In a DMH build to get Steven Wiles out every turn so you dont need to pay his upkeep, something your opponent hates to see. In decks not running A's it can be hard to find the cut, but it deserves a chance.

So useful, such value, wow!

First, it boots a dude, so he can no longer play Pistol Whip, and cannot move if he's still alive after the shootout (i.e. send Travis to heroically hold off Steven in the town square to prevent him from reaching some important deed).

Second, it blocks the dude's abilities. Relevant ones are: Wendy, Rémy Lapointe, Mongwau.

Third, it boots and blanks all goods and spells! Shutgun, Holster, Flamethrower, Blood Curse - not scary anymore!

Sooo good!

Some notes on using this card:

• Traits like those of Tommy Harden and James Ghetty are not affected!

• Best used if you're the lowball winner - prevent them from ever using those nasty abilities on you!

• Hit the only unbooted enemy immediately if you expect Pistol Whip!

• Hit Rémy / Mongwau before they use their built-in ability!

• Hit a dude with a Flamethrower after they use it, to make them spend some extra cash. But only if you have other plays! Do not pass! Don't get greedy!

• If you play it at a dude with Peacekeeper, the -1 bullet penalty from Unprepared will not apply. But then the gun will get booted and lose it's bullet bonus, and you can now hit the dude with Sun In Yer Eyes!

• Sidekick is neither an ability nor a trait, but a keyword. It can still be used to cover a casualty!

• Hex Slingin' can still be played against you using a booted and blanked hex!

Catch them with their pants down!

A Dude that adds a lot to the Law Dogs versatility, this Dude comes with a built in, reusable, free Ambush, a good card with the drawback of having a high cost. As he is a Law Dog making dudes wanted will not be a problem, and with his high influence he can help with adding bounty to even high influence dudes.

Additionally 2 GR upkeep for 3 influence and a great ability is very good and helps keeping you alive against landslide until you have the time to get rid of the opponents problem dudes.

Add to this that you can choose to start Harry to tailor your starting posse depending on the matchup while action cards like Ambush or Kidnappin' need to be found in your deck makes this one of the most flexible spot removals in the game.

Ramiro is a complete badass mercenary akin to Steven Wiles but more likely to stay around turn after turn.

Pros:

• Provides cheap starting muscle. You'll not find a cheaper 3-stud starting dude anywhere in the game so far! Steven Wiles might have the edge in terms of absolute value but he's a flash in the pan compared to Ramiro who will likely stick with you turn after turn. All other 3-stud shooters will run you at least 2 upkeep a turn. Ramiro is special in that he only asks 1 GR a turn assuming you don't ask too much of him. Ramiro is simply the most consistent 3 stud bullets you'll find in town and most outfits can afford to start him too!

Cons:

• Needs Hazard Pay. If a 0 bounty Silas Aims calls Ramiro's momma a cow while he's booted and you're out of money, he drops his guns and runs crying out of town. You'll often want to reserve some money on the off chance that Ramiro might be called out. This can put a hamper on your plans to get another deed or dude out!

• Low Value means he is a favorite target of the ever popular Shotgun No bones about it when it comes to value targeting cards, Ramiro is going to be the first one the opposition is going after. Besides posting him to places like a Cattle Market he's likely going to be vulnerable unless you can reduce the shotgun user's bullets with effects like Sun in Yer Eyes, Unprepared, Pinned Down

Tips:

• He's most useful as a threat. The threat of power is often just as good as using power. Whenever possible you want to use Ramiro just as a threat because actually using him can get expensive fast! Lets take a look at a comparable 3-stud shooter Pancho Castillo. If you use Ramiro in 1 shootout every single turn he essentially has a total of 2 upkeep. For a mere more 2 GR more upfront you could have had a whole 1 extra influence to play with by using Pancho Castillo!

• Make him a threat. If you want to make Ramiro a threat folks don't ever want to mess with give him a Shotgun! He's about the cheapest 4-stud shotgun user you'll ever be able to muster and he can erase commonly played dudes like Steele Archer and Sanford Taylor 3-bullet shotgun users could not. Station him at Charlie's Place with a Pinto and suddenly folks like Slade Lighbody, Barton Everest, and Travis Moone suddenly come under shotgun's merciless power.

Clementine is a neutral core set dude that will find a welcoming home in nearly any outfit. But she's got 0 bullets and can't hit the broadside of a barn! Why would you want to put her in your starting gang?

Pros:

• Affordable Value: Her 3 starting cost and 0 upkeep makes her at the very least a cheap body to make callouts, catch bullets, and pistol whip when you're in a shootout. Even though she's 0 bullets she can still give 1 draw bullet as long as she isn't the lead shooter! Most importantly she gives you 1 precious Influence which can take control of enemy deeds and keep you from losing. You can always use her take control of the opponent's deeds while your big guns watch her back from town square!

• AMAZING trait: Being able to ignore callouts from the likes of Clyde Owens, a wanted Sanford Taylor, or any other mook looking to start trouble in her saloons is insanely good. What makes it AMAZING is that she gets another +1 influence while serving drinks at a saloon. That puts her on par with the absurdly good value Irving Patterson provides in terms on influence gained per GR paid and who wouldn't want to include him in every outfit if they could?

Tips for use:

• Stay out of range of Shotgun and Soul Blast. With her Ace value, those cards are like Clementine kryptonite and WILL disintegrate her with nary an effort by the opponent.

• Park her in a saloon you own ASAP This should go without saying, Clementine doubles her starting influence by plopping her in a saloon you own. Which means you should be including them in your deck if want to maximize your investment in her! Saloons are also the safest place for her by far; even safer than home in many cases. The only thing that can kill her once she's dug into a saloon are cards like Kidnappin'/Ambush.

• Use high production saloons: Most folks won't be willing to drop 3 influence to wrest control of a saloon away from Clementine so any saloon she's stationed at is all but guaranteed income. As such you might as well put her in high-yield saloons like Pearly's Palace and The Union Casino. They not only generate 3 GR a turn the opponent can't easily take away from you but they also offer insanely powerful abilities to boot!

Silas at first glance is not that spectacular dude from The Sloane Gang. He has 0 starting bullets and influence making him an absolute mook to begin with. Travis Moone is the same price but starts with 2 bullets and gives you the flexibility of a start of game mulligan. So what does Silas have going for him?

Pros:

• Dirt cheap. Quantity is it's own quality they say! Would you turn down another warm body to make callouts, pistol whip, or absorb casualties for you for only 2 GR?
• High Value. Silas' high card value means he is immune to being aced by the popular Shotgun and highly resistant to Soul Blast.
• High Potential Silas can, with time and attention to his trait, become one of the scariest shooters in the game.

Combos:

• Law Dogs. Silas is one of those rare dudes who at the moment probably works better in other outfits outside of his native Sloane gang. The main thing holding back the potential of his trait is his ability to make himself wanted. The combination of his 0 influence and the Law Dog's home ability allows him to gain 1 permanent bullet each and every turn by booting a cheap 1 influence dude like Philip Swinford or Clementine Lepp. This is in addition to any other illegal activity he commits!
• B&B Attorneys. After you establish the initial bounty with the Law Dog's special home ability or other illegal actions, you can now stack even more bounties on Silas with this deed!
• This is a Holdup!. There's no faster way to stack bounties on Silas than with this card if you can get him unbooted to an opponent's 3 GR production deed.
• Kidnappin'/Ambush. An excellent way to project Silas' power once you've built him up a decent amount. In addition it will likely add to his bounty and his power later on!
• Pearl-handled Revolver. With a lucky draw of the aforementioned cards above and this fancy pistol, Silas can easily become a 5-stud shooter within the first day! He has no influence to control enemy deeds to shop from so be sure to equip it before he goes out to make a name for himself.
• Shotgun. If you can get Silas to 7 bounty and give him one of these he simply erases the vast majority of dudes before the shootout even starts.
• Pinto. If you can't get Silas into fights then he's not good to you. This is the most reliable way to project Silas' power once you've built him up. Suddenly a 5 stud shooter could appear anywhere!

I agree with everything Kain has said. Another use for this card can be with the Law Dogs. It's easy to make your own dudes wanted with Law Dogs or you can hit a chump, like Travis, with Bad Company right before you run in and hit him with a Shotgun to make four easy Ghost Rock. You could have your own Clyde Owens or Wylie Jenks up to 6+ Stud easy.

Pros:

+3 bullets and making your dude a stud is massive.

Combos well with a lot of the Sloane Gang, especially Marion Seville, making him a 6 stud!

Combos with Shotgun allowing you to ace any dude with at least a value of 4 and lower in a shootout.

Gives the dude a lot of control over wherever they are. Hold down the Town Square and call out anyone that is foolish enough to come out there. Hold down a deed that you're wanting to keep under your thumb, or even a deed you want to take over.

Cons:

A value of 5 of clubs is the same as Pistol Whip, so Bad Company has some stiff competition to be in your deck.

If your opponent does manage to tie in the shootout and your boosted dude is the only dude on your side, your opponent is getting that 4 ghost rock.

The dude has to already be wanted. So you do have to do start stirring up some trouble in some way to be able to use Bad Company.

Overall:

Bad Company can be devastating if used at the right time. The ghost rock risk is pretty heavy though. Also, sharing the same value with Pistol Whip hurts Bad Company a lot. It's pretty balanced for what you get, just proceed with caution if you do decide to play it.

Rating: 2.5 / 5

Hot Lead Flyin' is a very questionable card, one that I don't see much use for. Let's try to analyze it:

The situation in which you'd want to play this card is when you have a large posse and you take only 1-2 casualties, ideally in a draw. This does happen quite often because the most common hand ranks in a shootout involving studs are 7 and 8. You can also use Force Field to raise your hand rank to that of your opponent, so that you both suffer 1 casualty but you're still considered to be the loser, and then play Hot Lead Flyin'.

Still, in a big gunfight you'd probably prefer to play cards that help you win in the first place and keep all your dudes alive, rather than orchestrate a kamikaze explosion.

Next, the pull part. This forces some serious deckbuilding restrictions: you need to play lots on low value cards, and at the same time have high-value dudes in your posse. This puts an end to the idea of zerg-rushing with lots of small dudes from the start, because those cheap dudes all have very low values.

Actually, it might work in the Sloane Gang, where you have not only Travis Moone (5♠) but also Barton Everest (5♠), Ulysses Marks (7♠), and Silas Aims (8♠), all costing less than 5.

The worst part of this card is its value of 6♣, which is counter-productive to its pull effect. If you build around 6s, you probably won't find many dudes with a higher value in your posse, so the best you could get is 1-2 casualties for your opponent. And if you build around lower values and take Hot Lead Flyin' off-value, well, that just doesn't seem very cost-effective.

Verdict: Hot Lead Flyin' forces some serious deckbuilding restrictions on your deck, while providing only average effect in the best of circumstances.

P.S. All that theorizing made me want to build a deck around it though... Maybe Sloane A+2+3 with Legendary Holster, or maybe some crazy Morgan deck with Jon Longstride (8♠) and Roderick Byre (7♠) with Force Field, or even Max Baine luring the enemy posse into Le Grande Shootout at the Cattle Market ;)

Pros:

+1 to bullets is always a welcome bonus.

Gives protection from Sun In Yer Eyes, Pinned Down's bullet reduction, Unprepared's bullet reduction, Blood Curse's Shootout ability,

Cons:

A 2 value means you'll need to concentrate your draw structure somehow with 2s, which besides Law Dogs, aren't exactly prevalent dude wise yet. See Darguth's deck from November 26th to see a good example.

Overall:

A bullet boost, protection from bullet reduction, and making sure your stud stays a stud is all yours for 2 ghost rock. Just like Pearl Handed Revolver, in the right hands, can be pretty effective.

Rating: 3 / 5

Clyde is pure offense. His high value and 3 Stud bullets make him one of the toughest shooters in the game right now, and his decent 2 influence allow him to take over deeds right from the get go. His cost is high, as is his upkeep, but you get good raw numbers for what you pay.

His Noon ability is what really sets him apart however. At first glance, it just seems to be a way to force Wanted Dudes to accept call outs with Clyde, which while useful isn't that impressive on its own, so its worth breaking this ability down to see what else it can give you.

First, as a Noon ability that doesn't require booting, it can still only be used once per turn barring effects such as Good Stiff Drink. However, as it doesn't require booting, it can be used even while booted. This gives Clyde a once per turn call out that he can use even if he's booted to move somewhere, or been booted by an effect. This makes him very good at pursuing mobile dudes, or dudes that boot to move to an out of town deed. Remember that booted dudes as well as wanted dudes cannot refuse this call out from Clyde, so he is difficult to get away from.

While you can't run, you also can't hide, as Clyde's ability also allows you to call someone out at their home, as it isn't the Call Out Noon Play. Use the Law Dogs Outfit ability to make them wanted first so they cannot refuse, or simply scare them into booting themselves uselessly at home. This can be very useful if you play Clyde in your starting posse, as he can pressure an opponent that wants to rely on high influence to keep them in the game while building up a bit, but can be equally useful against a Sloan Gang deck that builds up a few control points with The Sloane Gang Outfit card or Allie Hensman and then tries to run them off home to hide and protect their Control.

Clyde is one of the few Law Dogs without the Deputy Key word, which might make him seem to not synergise too well with Rafi Hamid's ability, but if you have a Government deed you want to protect, Clyde could boot to move there, and still be able to call out the trespasser with his ability, and then Rafi could send in the back up. There are worse places for Clyde to end up than The Town Hall, as it will offset his high upkeep cost.

Clyde is an extremely strong Law Dog card, and worth considering starting against certain deck types.

Lane Healey is actually a pretty good dude for a starting posse in a Morgan deck that wants a dedicated shooter from the start (that is, not Landslide).

As compared to the usual stud of choise, Jarret Blake, Lane costs 1 more up-front and 1 more during upkeep. For this money you get +1 stud bullet (conditionally) and +2 influence. Paying 1 gr each turn for 2 influence is actually not a bad deal (there are only two dudes in the whole game that have 2 influence and no upkeep - Irving and Arnold).

The good thing about having a high influence dude in Morgan is that you can use the outfit ability more effectively. The bad thing about it is that you will have to boot your main shooter in order to do so.

♥ This is where Pinto comes to help. Not only does this horse give +2 bullets to Lane Healey, it also allows him to use his 3 influence to bring new deeds into play, while still letting him enter into shootouts this turn! And it also makes it easier to come back to town from an out-of-town deed, like Blake Ranch.

♦ Blake Ranch has a value of 7, just like Pinto, it costs just 1 gr to buy using Lane's influence, and it generates a lot of money that helps to pay his upkeep. Another deed at 7, Cattle Market, is not bad either.

♣ Run 'Em Down! is a great action that is very synergic with Lane Healey. Imagine the following scenario: you boot Lane to play an in-town deed, then watch as the opponent's dude moves through the town square on his way to occupy another one of your deeds that is seemingly defenseless now. And you Run 'Em Down!

♣ Kidnappin' and Pinned Down are also great actions that you'd be happy to play in your deck. Kidnappin' in particular is so much better combined with Pinto! And even Hired Help might come in handy, especially if you play James Ghetty.

♠ James Ghetty, another good card with a value of 7! In the late game he'll cover all yer flamethrowing needs, making him another great stud with pretty good influence.

♠ Other dudes at 7 are Androcles Brocklehurst and Roderick Byre - the first will provide extra influence and might generate you some money, the second is a backup mad scientist whose skill is just enough to reliably create those Flamethrowers in a deck full of 7s, where James Ghetty might fail.

Lane Healy saves you money on deeds, he keeps the opponent from winning, and he shoots your enemies dead - even while booted! The only thing he asks in return (besides upkeep) is that you play enough horses in your deck. Pinto is great, but if you want to make your deck even more stable [hehe, stable... get it? ;) ], you might want to consider adding other horses as well.

♥ Roan is a cheap horse, which is good, but its ability is not really all that great. Especially in a deck where your main shooter will spend a lot of time booted. And it's a 6, which is not a very good value.

♥ Mustang's ability is great, but the cost is quite high, and its value of 5 might make you fail at creating Flamethrowers. But if you're not playing gadgets, then by all means! 5s are a great value, with Pistol Whip and Charlie's Place and Pearl-Handled Revolver for your Travis Moore... no good dudes at 5 for Morgan, sadly.

♥ Mechanical Horse is the same as Roan - same cost, same ability - but it also acts as a multiple-use Mustang, if you have money. It's a gadget, though. And a 9, on value with Cheatin' Varmint and Jarret Blake.

Lane Healy is a great starting dude -- if you build your deck to support him, that it. 7s are his best friends, and 8s are generally excellent. More cards that are synergic with Lane are General Store, Pharmacy, Missed! (all Queens), and Buffalo Rifle.

The Ghostly Gun has been a solid starter for me and I think is significantly under-rated due to his cost and the misconception that you are going to be "throwing him away" due to his ability. So let's see if we can set the record straight a bit...

A typical 2-stud character costs 5 with 1 upkeep, so the question we need to look at is, does he offer enough to pay an extra 2 rock?

First, he has a higher than average Influence, which is harder to come by in the 4th Ring than usual. He also sports a high value that put him out of typical Shotgun/Soul Blast range.

Being an Abomination is a small benefit since you can fetch him with Raising Hell, but I would expect more synergy with this trait in the future so that eventually it will pay off more.

And then finally, his ability. A lot of people seem to think you're going to be triggering it all the time and losing 7 rock every time he gets into a shootout. This is entirely the wrong way to look at him. You're only going to use the resolution in a few instances. First, if he's alone and going to be aced, you can use the resolution to cut the shootout short so that he only gets discarded. This lets him come back later, and if 8's are part of your shooting structure it has benefits there as well. You can also use this to win a critical shootout, usually late in the game, where a wildcard can raise your hand several ranks, say from a 4-of-a-kind to 5-of-a-kind. I like to use Ace in the Hole in my deck as well so that I have a couple of options for manipulating my hand.

He's not someone you just throw into a deck, but with the right setup I haven't found anyone else to replace him without dropping my influence or leaving me without a solid starting shooter that's ready on the first action to defend against Kidnappin', etc...

Mongwau combines the roles of huckster and shooter in the starting posse of The First Ring.

True, huckster 1 is enought to cast Blood Curse reliably in a deck full of 8s. Huckster 2 is slightly better because Paralyze Mark becomes more reliable, and Bobo gets stronger, but this is not a critical issue. Huckster 1 is good.

Now, although a 4R deck might be less aggressive than the Law Dogs or the Sloane Gang, it's still a good idea to have a dedicated shooter, a stud, in your starting posse, because in the current meta many decks play cards like Kidnappin', Bounty Hunter, and sometimes even Run 'Em Down. You don't want to be caught with your pants down, right?

• In order to use Mongwau as a stud you will need some cheap spell fodder, like Forget. This shouldn't really be a problem because you do want to have lots of cheap and expendable spells in your 4R deck in order to play Hex Slingin' and possibly Magical Distraction, and to use your outfit ability.

• The problem is that you can only use Mongwau's ability once per turn. So if your opponent sends Steven Wiles to harass you and you manage to deal with him, you're no longer able to protect yourself against his regular starting stud (or the other way around).

• The other problem is that Mongwau will not protect you against that first click Kidnappin' if your opponents decides to remove him before you have a chance to teach him a single spell.

• And the biggest problem is Shotgun. This card means that you actually cannot have your main shooter and spell-slinger participating in major shootouts. That's bad.

Now, all these three issues you have to keep in mind, but you can still play around them if you plan your battles carefully.

• First of all, just stay away from battles that you don't want to get into. Lure the bad guy into a deed, then use Shadow Walk to run away, leaving him trapped there, unable to follow you. Of course, this will not always work, because your opponent is probably just as mean and nasty as Barton Everest. But smart use of movement can still win you a game that you would lose in a shootout.

• Paralyze Mark will also help you keep that nasty dude with Shotgun at bay. If you boot him in the town square he won't be able to trade goods with another dude (cannot do this in town square). Just don't get into a shootout in this location, a booted dude can still shoot you dead (...dat sounded kinda like rap...)

• If you won lowball this turn (or if you control Pearly's Palace), you can neutralize the Shotgun-weilding dude with Unprepared, Soul Blast, or Pistol Whip, before he get's a chance to shoot ya. Just hope your opponent doesn't play The Stakes Just Rose in the latter two cases.

• If the opponent got you with Kidnappin' before you could pull your pants up (that is, learn your first spell), well... just give Mongwau to the wolves, don't try to protect him with the rest of your dudes. It might even be a good idea to just let the job succeed without a fight, this way you at least guarantee that he won't get aced, just discarded.

So, even though at first glance Mongwau looks like a badass, in truth he's quite fragile. But if you're smart and careful, you can outmaneuver all the traps that your opponent laid for him. And if not, well, maybe you should try Kevin or Tyx as your starting stud ;)

Alright, let's talk Mongwau.

Ignoring the fact that he's a machete chuking, ponytail boasting Monk of sorts, I feel that he's one of the better options for Fourth Ring right now.

The reasons for this are twofold:

First, he's a shooter. This might seem like a minor detail, but Fourth Ring players will surely agree on how hard it is to setup a properly balanced starting posse with solid influence, traits and abilities, as well as shooting capacity. With two new hexes in NTNR, the Circus player will have access to more spells to use-and-discard for his ability to matter. And believe me, having another 3-stud in the posse is a tremendous opportunity.

Secondly, he's a Huckster 1. This allows you to run the wondrous 8 value; abusing Steven Wiles, Rumors, Paralysis Marks, as well as relying on cheap economy deeds like Circle M Ranch and Pat's Perch. And all of this while you're still reliably checking the required 9's on Blood Curse!

On the flipside, his downsides are pretty obvious. He's expensive (sadly, like all Fourth Ring dudes for some reason) and he's shotgun fodder. He's not too hard to disintegrate with a Soul Blast.

With all that said, if you 're lookin for a versatile huckster, which can serve as a pretty solid shooter with proper setup compared to, say, Wilber Crowley, give Mongwau a try!

Tommy is an early game bully boy for the Law Dogs. His stats are nothing to write home about, but he is notable as the only Law Dog Stud without an upkeep cost. Like the majority of the Law Dogs, he has the Deputy Keyword, which is currently only useful with Rafi Hamid's ability.

With only a single stud bullet, he's not an amazing fighter, but his trait does give him an edge over similarly priced dudes. This increases your hand rank against a cheatin' opponent, and even further if your hand is legal. This can allow him to punch above his weight, but is more useful in the early game where an opponent's bullets might not be good enough to prevent them from accidentally cheating. If your opponent has the option, it becomes a simple numbers game - If cheating will improve your hand rank by at least 2, you lose nothing - if it will increase your rank by 1, you gain nothing, and if it increases it by 3 or more, you definitely come out ahead. This can be played to your advantage however, if you also have some nasty Cheatin' Resolutions such as Coachwhip! in your deck as well.

As its a trait, it is always working so long as Tommy is in the Shootout, so can be used multiple time per turn and can also be combined with other Law Dog Traits that punish cheating, such as Lucinda "Lucy" Clover, Philip Swinford and Sheriff Dave Montreal.

Tommy makes a good starter for Law Dogs, due to his reasonable cost and ability to fight. He can start exerting his influence over the town from turn 1 and take part in some early shootouts. Like all low value dudes, he is vulnerable to Shotguns and the like, but otherwise he's a good all rounder who can do a bit of ever thing.

To start, I just want to thank mplain for correcting me on Remy Lapointe and Repeat abilities.

Pros:

A cost of one ghost rock is very reasonable for any goods card.

Can be made free still with General Store if you have no other goods to play that turn.

It makes a lot of draw dudes pretty scary. Marion Seville, Allie Hensman, Olivia Jenks, Travis Moone, Rafi Hamid, Dulf Zug, and Jon Longstride can all use Pearl-Handed Revolver to great effect.

Cons:

Obviously, it doesn't do anything for your dudes that are already studs.

It's effectiveness is a function of how many draw dudes you have in your deck. This is more of a deckbuilding balance than a negative, but it is a consideration you need to make.

Overall:

Pearl-Handed Revolver can make a dude your opponent was writing off as a credible threat. If you have a draw structure that isn't geared towards straight flushes, this pistol can be a good fit. It's a bit narrow in it's application, but the payoff is quite decent.

Rating: 3 / 5

Some comments on Kain8's review:

You cannot really play the 'game of chicken' with Rémy, because any abilities that do not have the 'Repeat' keyword are only usable once per turn, including shootout abiities. So if you pay 1 gr to boost him, you lose the ability to do that again this turn, unless you play Good Stiff Drink.

Also, in the current meta Rémy is not very good because he's a prime target for Forget. Every 4R deck packs this spell, and some occasional Sloane and even Morgan decks do too.

When combining Rémy and James Ghetty, to counter Pistol Whip I'd suggest playing 'The Stakes Just Rose' (to get the dude back into action) and 'Make The Smart Choise' (to get the other dude out of trouble).

Pros:

2 influence and a starting 1 stud value are not overwhelming stats, but decent enough.

Jack value is always good if you go the DMH route with any outfit.

His shootout ability makes him very very scary, but in a roundabout way. Yes, he can become a freaking 5 stud shooter if you spend 4 ghost rock on him. But if your opponent has a Pistol Whip, Sun in Yer Eyes, or any other Shootout action waiting for Remy, then the ghost rock you just spent will be wasted.

Remy basically amounts to a game of chicken that you get to end whenever you want. (Also dependent on the amount of ghost rock you have at the time.) Pay 1 ghost rock and see what your opponent does. They may play something to affect Remy. If they do something to Remy, better that they do it now before you just spent 4 ghost rock. If your opponent passes, well, now you can try to boost Remy's bullets again or if you're good with a 2 stud, pass back! Now you just locked your opponent out from any tricks they may have been saving for a 4 or 5 stud Remy, but weren't willing to use on a 2 or 3 stud.

James Ghetty and Lillian Morgan both help fuel Remy's ability for free, provided they're in the same posse of course.

Toss Remy a Shotgun and watch out! Being able to potentially ace up to a 5 value dude is plain unfair.

Cons:

Remy is quite pricey but just like I said with Wylie Jenks, play him at the start of the game. Thankfully, Remy can be played easier if you don't start him since as a Morgan player, you should be able to accrue and spend 7 ghost rock faster than your opponent.

If you're caught with no ghost rock in a shootout, Remy is a blank 1 stud. Remy does require some shrewd budgeting to be played effectively.

Like I indicated above, Remy can seriously backfire. Just be smart in using his ability and spend wisely. This of course goes out the window if James Ghetty is in a shootout with Remy.

Overall:

Remy is one of my favourite dudes in the game right now. He can play mind games with your opponent as long as you have ghost rock to spend. Remy rewards smart play. Use him well and he won't disappoint.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Philip is an excellent starter for the Law Dogs - his stats are nothing to write home about - 1 Influence is better than nothing, but 1 Draw means he's better as back up for a better shooter, but his low cost and zero upkeep make him affordable.

What really sets him apart for me is his Trait. This allows you to discard a card and draw a card every time an opponent reveals a cheatin' hand and you have a legal one. This is potentially very powerful to prevent cards becoming stuck in your hand for whatever reason, and can allow you to see more of your deck in a turn, and perhaps play more cards in a turn.

As its a Trait, it can be used multiple times per day, doesn't require you to boot Philip and crucially can be used from home. It also doesn't prevent you using other Traits that work on the reveal of a cheatin' hand (such as Lucinda "Lucy" Clover, Tommy Harden or Sheriff Dave Montreal) or playing a Cheatin' Resolution card, allowing you to stack the penalties on an opponent who cheats.

This also works on Lowball, unlike most other cheatin' punishment which requires you to have a posse in order to benefit. Low ball is basically luck of the draw so, there is a reasonable chance of getting the effect at the start of the turn if your deck isn't too prone to cheatin'. The effect is even stronger in multi player games, where a legal low ball hand could net you 2 - 3 card cycles.

As Philip can effect shootout draws he's not even involved in, he makes a good candidate to sit in the relative safety of home and a good card to boot for the Law Dogs Outfit ability, to start making some low influence dudes wanted. This can expose him to cards like Kidnappin' however, and his fighting stats aren't good enough to save him without a bit of back up.

In conclusion a strong starter for Law Dogs who can help improve your hand right from the get go.

Pros:

Rumors is a versatile card that can fit in almost any deck if your draw structure involves 8s.

Play Rumors on an opponent's 1 influence dude hanging out at your location, all by their lonesome, and you'll immediately get control back. Considering that a lot of dudes in the game are only 1 influence, this can happen quite frequently.

As narrow of a situation it can be, Rumors can literally win you the game if your control equals your opponent's influence. Just make it your last Noon play and if your opponent doesn't have an answer for it, then good game!

Cons:

Rumors can be less effective against Morgan Landslide decks who will just keep playing locations until they overwhelm you.

-1 influence doesn't prevent your opponent from using the dude altogether. They can still move, use all their bullets, and their other abilities are still intact. Chances are they'll be picked first for a casualty, notwithstanding if the dude you used it on isn't a 3 bullet stud or someone else really valuable.

If you're running The R & D Ranch and / or Elander Boldman, just like all other clubs, Rumors doesn't fit in.

Overall:

Rumors is quite useful in dictating which of your opponent's dudes will be occupying both their own and your own deeds. Its applications range from surprising your opponent in gaining control of their deeds, winning back your own, and flat out win the game if the conditions are there.

Rating: 4 / 5

Pros:

Three cost and no upkeep makes Kyle an excellent starter for Morgan Landslide decks.

Mad Scientist 2 is a high value allowing you success on Gadget pulls quite often.

His booting ability at the moment is only relevant on Circle M Ranch and The R & D ranch, but earning yourself 4 ghost rock every turn is a pretty large advantage to have over your opponent. Ditto for Circle M Ranch if you're running low on cards.

Cons:

0 influence means that almost anyone your opponent sends to the ranch that Kyle is occupying, will likely control it. Kyle's the brains, not the brawn. You'll need to have a good influence value dude along with Kyle to hold the ranch down, even if it's Irving Patterson.

A 1 draw bullet isn't going to light the world on fire, but it's better than nothing.

Overall:

The more ranches that come out with boot abilities, the better Kyle will get. Right now, use him in a Dudes & Deeds deck, and have him make you 4 ghost rock a turn on R & D ranch.

Rating: 3.5/5

This guy should be the busiest Sloane on the board from turn 1. He's a bully plain and simple, no flash, no glitz, just a cheap bully who can intimidate must starting games from the get go. The upkeep is a bit steep for a starting posse but the dividends in return are worth it.