Left Hook of God (Gen Con 2019 T4 Law Dog: Blessed Gadgets)

This is an interation of the "Spells and Gadgets" Law Dogs archtype I've been trying to finesse ever since #The Arsenal first appeared. I'm happier with this iteration than all prior versions, though I feel there is still significant room for improvement (a perspective I feel the deck's tournament record ultimately validates).

The core of the deck is simple. Find spells that don't boot to use their ability. Find gadget synergy with those spells. Go out and punch evil!

One quirk of the deck is its ability to start two solid starting possees. I've listed the "original" start here, but the alternative I discovered during the event is:

Padre Ernesto de Diaz Sister Mary Gideon Dr. Erik Yaple Quincy Washburne Henry Moran

This alternate start begins the game with only 1 GR, but starts x2 Blessed, x2 Mad Science, still rocks 4 influence, two studs, and my man Henry Moran, and boasts a 0 upkeep row. Thanks to the Sister, it can also threaten a little more aggression in the early turns... though whether it can deliver on that threat depends largely on your opponent's hand.

Those of you familiar with my deck-building proclivities have doubtless noted the lack of my Usual Crutches. For once, I didn't miss them. I finally found a deck where I could listen to The Consultant's good advice! :)

Overall, I was pleased with the deck's performance. Saturday was a complete blur: I remember having fun playing Doomtown with friendly opponents, but the details elude me at present. Sunday: I remember having fun playing Doomtown with friendly opponents... but I can relate that Charles' Morgan Science was robbed of a Top 4 title match!

Thanks to our combined poor memory, neither of us remembered during the fight that the final shootout-of-doom was a job, so all Charles' dudes would go home booted rather than bein' able to stomp all over my deeds. I stayed way too long in the shootout (surprised, anyone?) so ended up with only 2 dudes forced to reveal a cheatin' full. On seeing my opponent's legal FH and his unbooted Devil's Six Gun, I remarked that this was gonna hurt.

What I assumed to be a clever long-game play (not using Devil's, because he could afford to eat a casualty and keep his powder dry for a possible Hail Mary Cheatin' 5-o-a-K in the final round) was in fact a simple oversight by my opponent, whose Comin' Up Roses in hand was not helpful and who missed the on-board CR that I'd been sweating for 5 or 6 hands! (Maybe there is something to doing our killing after, or at least over, breakfast...).

Not surprisingly, in the final round of the shootout, my last dude took a dirt nap. I assumed it was all over but the cryin; Charles, however, cleaned up the Curse of Failure that started the whole shootout and scooted his posse home booted.

I still thought I was done for, havin' no Ghost Rock and no dudes left and staring down my opponent's Circle M Ranch. Countin' up control, however, I had my full 5 cp, where Charles had committed his whole possee to the royal rumble. Thanks to the tied hand, he was down to 4 inf!

I don't think I've previously experienced such a concentrated rush of emotions from Doomtown before.

Moving on to the T4 match vs. Big Urbs, I naiively assumed that I'd draw into one of my 4 copies of Amazing Grace, which in the Swiss rounds shut down his Jive Talkin' pretty hard. (He still had Scary Tricks, but those I could deal with through aggression and playin' more dudes.) No dice. My opponent's well-timed The Pharmacy + double Blood Curse + Rumors, along with my bloody mindedness in keeping a legal 4-0-a-k instead of a FH in the subsequent shootout with Dr. Dawn Edwards, led to my swift demise!

In terms of room for improvement: I think x2 Sword of the Spirit is too many, x1 generally suffices given the lack of other Melee weapons (and the fact I generally pass the Hydro-Puncher to one of my many 0 studs). I lack casualty soak, and probably don't need quite so many Mad Scientists when I only run 4 gadgets. I occasionally missed starting Arnold Stewart, but found the lack of cycle more irritating than the lack of bounty (most of the time). 9's are a loaded value for LD dudes; much as I like Byron Decker/Dr. Dawn Edwards/Dr. Dayl Burnett, I should probably swap one of them out for Xiong "Wendy" Cheng.

Thoughts for the future, at any rate!

For now, just remember this: no matter the provocation, always turn the other cheek... preferably with a well-placed hydro-punch! :)