Gavel Time (meatier and cheatier) (4th seed)

Easier to read description:

This is the deck I’ve been terrorizing DTO with. It should run less cheating punishment and at least 2 Belligerence. It’s pretty good against most decks, especially ones that rely on skilled (or Kung Fu) dudes. Plus, 7 influence is a lot. Threat assessment and knowing when to back down is key; I’m really bad at that second one. Thanks to everyone who helped theorize or test the deck! Warning: do not play this in casual games against strangers; it is reportedly very NPE to play against.

Third time’s the charm:

This is the deck I’ve been terrorizing DTO with.

It should run less cheating punishment and at least 2 Belligerence.

It’s pretty good against most decks, especially ones that rely on skilled (or Kung Fu) dudes. Plus, 7 influence is a lot.

Threat assessment and knowing when to back down is key; I’m really bad at that second one.

Thanks to everyone who helped theorize or test the deck!

Warning: do not play this in casual games against strangers; it is reportedly very NPE to play against.

Love the deck, and I didn't think it was a negative play experience in our match at all. I like these types of "all in" decks, where people feel like they had no chance when they lose, but in reality this sort of deck has a rough time with early setbacks, so it's not as cut and dry most times.

11 cheatin punishment is a lot for a normal deck, but seems about right for a flush deck. I also ran a flush/SF deck (and have many times in the past), and it's always rough when you get into the position where you draw a flush to their cheatin full house or 4oaK and you can't even trade with them (whereas a traditional 3 value deck might at least be able to trade on a tie).

Do you think it's too much cheatin punishment because it's not needed as much since you're starting Tommy?

I definitely think it's too much, both because of Tommy and because I chronically overestimate how much cheatin' occurs. I think I'd swap the Coachwhips for Belligerences, This'll Hurt in the Morning' for another Fleet-Footed, and the Flight of the Lepus for another Vamoosin', leaving just the 4 Ricochet, 2 I'm Your Huckleberry, and 1 Comin' Up Roses,

Love the deck, super extreme! Curious about Judge Harry's text... The card doesn't mention it but the pop up text says 'Harry cannot be in a starting gang'... Is there a reason for that or just a minor in the pop up?

BTW, Coachwhip is such a harsh cheating punishment in shootouts that once your opportunity knows it is in your deck they probably try to avoid cheating and take a lower hand rank instead? It will be interesting to see if opponents cheat more when you don't have it in there as a threat.

The reason Judge Harry can’t be in your starting posse is because of me! This deck was proving to be a negative player experience for a lot of folks, and I very briefly served as a play tester before my life got hectic, and when discussions around how to resolve the issue were had, we settled on my suggestion of just making Harry ineligible as a starting gang character. So the deck was legal at the time but wouldn’t be now.

As for Coachwhip, that’s an interesting idea. But I think Ricochet is just as punishing, if not more in many situations. The meta as a whole seems to be to avoid cheating as much as possible. I still think it’s worth having the cheating resolutions to actually back up the threat, but I could see trimming down for other options. Although I think this version of the deck can’t really be saved; losing Harry in the starting gang is too big a tempo loss.

Ah... that makes sense... Something of a accolade to make a d deck that is 'too good' so that dude must be nerfed!

Maybe Wyatt Earp in for the judge and swap out Tommy Harden for Thunder Boy Nabbe or Lucy Clover to make up the extra 2GR that Wyatt costs?.