Hangin' Judgement

published May 20, 2015 | | |
Card draw simulator
Odds: 0% – 0% – 0% – 0% more
Derived from
None. Self-made deck here.
Inspiration for
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mt_axel2006 186

Howdy ya'll, this is my Hangin' Judgement deck. It's a classic Law Dogs shooter deck with Clyde Owens in the starting posse, built around bounty manipulation and Dead Man's Hand.

This is the strongest shooting deck I have ever made.

When I began constructing this deck, I wanted it to include the Dead Man's Hand, since that is the highest hand rank, but without sacrificing on probability for other high hank ranks. With that in mind, I settled on A's, 5's, and 8's as my draw values (with 4 Jacks of Diamonds as outliers) This insured a very, very tight deck structure, and the ability to consistently pull Full Houses, 4-of-a-kinds, and 5-of-a-kinds. When bullets are equal, you will beat any other deck structure. No question.

As for the strategy of this deck, the aim is to enter the shootout game early and dominate the town with pure strength and intimidation. With your superior deck structure, you should never back down from a fight, as it grants the opportunity to thin out your opponents ranks. Your best opponent will be other Rush-Shooter decks (The Sloane Gang, Desolation Row, The Arsenal,etc.) because they will rush headlong into shootouts with you, which you should win constantly. Push any advantage you get, and force your opponent into shootouts early to cripple them for the rest of the game.

Your harder opponents will be your long-game, defensive decks (esp. Deedslide) These opponents will be happy to camp at home and build out their town for a safe victory. For these opponents, you will want to take advantage of several of your Call-Out cards. Clyde Owens is the headliner in this category, and can kick down the door at a Wanted dude's home and drag him out kicking and screaming. The earlier you do this, the better. It lowers the chance of your opponent getting cards to send you home (Soul Blast, Ridden Down, etc) You'll want to send in some backup with Clyde to account for these, or play Hiding in the Shadows for protection. You can also use The Evidence and a Bounty Hunter to Call-Out a dude at home, ensuring that your opponent will be safe nowhere.

Several cards in this deck will also improve your overall bullets, increasing your chances of pulling that DMH. Charlie's Place is one of my favorite cards because it provides a +2 bullet bonus with Control and +2 Production. Another card that most people don't use with Law Dogs is Bad Company. You can use either your home ability, The Evidence, or just kick down doors to make your dude wanted, and give them a massive boost in bullets. Steven Wiles is included of course for some quick, cheap bullets and Influence. Also starring in this deck is the constantly underestimated Silas Aims. With unlimited bounty potential and a Pearl-handled Revolver, this man can become an absolute MONSTER in the late game.

This deck is not without it's weaknesses, making money is a trial. Firstly, you will never win Lowball. Ever. The draw structure is simply too tight, so don't ever count on it. With the current setup, you will start out with only 2 GR, so what your absolute first priority should be, is to spend that on a cheap Deed (California Tax Office, Jackson's Strike, or Pat's Perch) to get you some income for the game. Travis Moone ability will prove invaluable in this regard. You can also use Reserves to buy a more expensive deed (Circle M Ranch, Charlie's Place) Influence can also be difficult to come by, so try not to spread your dude's too thin across the town. If you are new to this kind of deck, you can swap out Tommy Harden with Clementine Lepp or Jake Smiley, which will give a money boost, but weaken your early game presence a little.

With this in mind, this should be one of the strongest decks you will play, or play against. The Hangin' Judges will walk through Gomorra again, my friends.

8 comments
May 20, 2015 byronczimmer

Draw structure is tight --- probably too tight. As you say, you're never going to win lowball, ever. That means that you'll constantly be Unprepared, catch the Sun in Yer Eyes and suffer similar effects.

I'm a bit sad to not see Legal Instruments in this deck, for flavor if nothing else, though the + Influence is nothing to sneeze at when combining it with the Law Dogs home ability.

It also feels like Judge Harry Somerset should be in any deck named "Hanging Judge***".

The lack of an Undertaker is also a bit surprising. You've stated a willingness to play an 8 of Diamonds... if you could get a 4 rock start and an Undertaker out, that makes dealing out death a profitable venture.

The new Shane & Graves Security might do you better than Charlie's Place, though that reduces the number of places for Clementine Lepp to bar tend.

The money is a concern as you've noted. All of your actions are free except Carter's Bounties, who is a hefty 2 rock. For some reason that seems expensive in this deck list.

As always, try it out and let us know if you've giving yourself enough rope to be the one hangin'.

May 20, 2015 byronczimmer

And totally forgot... Having the Gomorra Jail is another path towards gaining Control. If you can't hang 'em, you can at least throw them in the pit to rot.

May 21, 2015 mt_axel2006

Thanks for the feedback byron.

And yes, the draw structure is tight, and with that comes the acceptance that you will not win lowball. This is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you plan for this inevitability. Don't count on a GR boost at the beginning of the day, and be prepared to have tour opponent always playing Shootout actions first. If you keep to this mentality, then you can plan accordingly. For example, I like to give Hiding in the Shadows to Clyde Owens before getting into a Shootout to avoid getting hit with Unprepared or Sun in Yer Eyes. Recently, the most annoying one has been Xiong "Wendy" Cheng's ability. The thing is though, even if your bullets are lowered a bit, you still have a great chance of pulling better cards then your opponent, thats the beauty of the draw structure. Also, you are free to lower the bullets of your opponent as well, with Make 'em Sweat and Charlie's Place.

Yes, I would have liked to put more flavor into the deck, but it would of course make the deck weaker :P When I thought of the name, I was not thinking of literal 'Judges', I was thinking of the arm of the law, which would act as Judge, Jury, and Executioners. Enforcers that kick down your door, convict you on the spot, and blast you away. It's more of a tounge-in-cheek name, since these deputies are acting as judges by not following due process.

I actually did have Undertaker in my deck instead of California Tax Office at the beginning, but it was too expensive for my current setup. The Tax Office was cheaper, and solved the GR problem for less. As you said, alot of these cards are not expensive, I don't really need to make alot of money, but I do need to make SOME money, and the Tax Office had a quicker payoff.

You may be on to something with the Shane & Graves Security suggestion. It IS a cheap deed which offers some more bullets and a warm body, so I'll probably throw 2 in there, so I'll have 2 Charlie's Place instead of 4. (Its still my favorite deed :])

I'm also sure you meant to say Bounty Hunter is an expensive card, and I would agree. It should be used with discretion, just like anything else in this deck that costs money, but its yet another good way of calling out a wanted dude at their own home, plus it fits right in with the DMH structure, and I'ts actually been a great late-game card for me once I've set up a deed or two.

And you had yet another good idea with the Gomorra Jail, I'll have to weigh the pros and cons a little more, but I think thats a viable option.

Thanks again Byron!

May 21, 2015 byronczimmer

ayup. Meant to say Bounty Hunter :)

I might be using this as the idea basis for a thematic "Hang 'em High" deck that tries to incorporate many of the theme elements.

I want a #Gallows so bad now... :)

May 21, 2015 mt_axel2006

Haha, that and an ACTUAL Hangin' Judge

May 21, 2015 byronczimmer

Judge Harry Somerset is pretty close.

You there, wanted person clear across town. We're coming to get you, and if we aren't chased off, you're DEAD.

Yeah, he's a hangin' judge alright.

Jun 10, 2015 byronczimmer

Ol' Fashioned Hangin' wants to be in this deck, very badly.

Jun 11, 2015 mt_axel2006