I just started this game about a week or two ago and I wanted a decent deck without putting too much money into it. My buddy and I wanted to pick different teams to start with so that we could trade cards to one another. The first game we played he picked "doom" and I picked "x-men", but later that day I switched to the brotherhood because of a neat card I got that you might have heard of, called "The New Botherhood".

I make it a point not to directly copy anybodies decklist, but I like to read through as many as possible, as well as read strategy articles and discussions. I usually invest a great deal of time in things like this, as if I were preparing for a tournament, only to quit altogether a month later without ever attending a formal event. I shouldn't do that.

Anyway, I don't have many of the rares that I'd like (only one Feral Rage and two Magneto:MoM), but after a few revisions I got together what I think was a pretty good brotherhood deck. I had 8 two and three drops and 5 four drops (4 blob and my one FR).

I tried it out against my same friend that I started this game with in a game last night. He plays with a loosely organized doom deck. He's the type of player you guys would probably all like. He puts cards in his deck that he thinks are "neat", and he doesn't necessarily know how many cards are in it. He guessed about 63. I put cards in my deck that will help me win. Anyway, after turn six I had five brotherhood characters and, due mostly to Lost City, he had none at all. I had initiative on turn seven and was set up to win by some 80 bajillion points, so he quit.

My question is:
How can I not be such a cheese and still care about winning? Is there a cure for my brotherhood addiction? All of the other builds I've seen rely heavily on rares and other cards I'd have to buy. DC seems cool, but then I'd have to buy a ton of those. I know I could easily lose to some good players at a championship, but I'd still walk away thinking that to make a good alternative deck to TNB I'd have to spend a lot more cash than I'd like.

I'm not so much looking for sample decklists as I am attempting to start a philosophical discussion.

My Opinion: Run what makes YOU happy.

why the heck do you care if other people call you 'cheesie' or a copycat for running brotherhood? There are only so many deck types around, and if you found something you like, keep at it! The people who are sore losers or insult for your deck aren't paying your bills, so why should you pay attention to it?

also, if you really feel bad about running brotherhood, there are many other decks that win that are cheap, ever try sentinels? There are many 'Vomit Sentinel' decks out, and about 95% of the deck is commons and uncommons. Give it a try, they're pretty good.

I appreciate the support.

Just to clarify, my friend never called me cheesy, and I don't blame him for quitting. I've won seven of the last eight games we've played, and I'm sure that my brotherhood deck is better now than ever before. He is just as good a strategist as I (whatever that's worth). He just doesn't have the same approach to games. I'm the guy who will ruin an online RPG for myself because I'll do the same thing over and over for days on end just to be the most powerful player. He's the guy who plays to have fun with his friends and then quits because I quit because I burnt myself out by not having any fun. I just don't want anything like that to happen to this game, because I'm having fun as it is now.

I won't feel so bad about playing to win if everyone else is doing the same thing. I think the answer is for me to try to find a small tourney or something around my area (Grand Rapids, MI), which is not all that easy. Is there a good website or something to find unofficial tournaments? The only ones I could find on the UDE website are the PCQs in Detroit. I don't want the PCQs to be my first tournament, nor do I want to drive three hours to go to my first tournament.

If it makes you feel any better, i have a friend i play VS against all the time - i always lose. But, just because i can't beat the guy who taught me how to play, doesn't mean i'll quit, it just makes me want to beat him more!

Also, if you want, call around your card shops and ask if they hold any VS leagues. Or, you could do a search on Google for them, or ask friends where they play. Either way, it'll be fun :)

I googled for a venue and came up empty-handed. I did just put "Baseball Card City" (Grand Rapids, MI) into the VSRealms venue list, though. Hopefully players from this area will start going there so we can get some real tourneys with real prizes going. All I can do now is wait... I'll check the venue list right now. I'm sure at least 30 people have joined it by now.

Personally I play decks that win. But I add alternative cards to them to give them the personal preference I like.

I play Brotherhood because its the first theme I chose and is also a top deck theme within the tournament meta.

I'm a power-player I'll admit it, but who doesn't like winning?

aw the dreaded play for fun or play to win discussion.

what alot of people dont realize is that people that play to win often find it fun so it is the same thing. like myself, i love to win, i play alot of different competitve games, from CCG to fighting games, and i play to win, but i have fun doing it, i love to get beat cuz that means that i have to pratice and find new tricks to win again.

basically play what you like and have fun doing it, if you win then good for you, if not then be a good sport, keep praticing and keep having fun.

Bloodshot I get where you are coming from. I absolutely hate to see TNBs or netdecks that are obviously a rip-off of the decks listed online. There's completely zero creativity and individual deck-building at least in my area and that sucks.

I would love to be able to create decks from cards which I can distinct from myself that it works rather than copying the decks published online. Vomit Sentinel deck? We have one right here, and I'm in total disgust if it was to be played in tourneys. Who are you (he/she) to use it and win the prize because at the end of the day he/she doesn't deserve it.

This is the probem i see with originality -

Little Timmy goes to the card shop and buys a box. "Boy oh boy, i'm going to make an original Brotherhood deck," thinks Timmy. He builds an original Brotherhood deck using cards like Sauron and Unus as important hitters, even though he pulled 2 Feral Rages.

Timmy then sleeves his cards and sits down to play. Turns out he gets crushed by a TNB deck first round.

"Why can't i win, why is it so?!" Cries Timmy, holding his deck in front of him. His oh so nice opponent noticed and comes to the rescue.

"Mind if i take a look young Timmy?" he takes Timmy's deck and his binder and builds him a similar deck to his. Timmy watches in amazement as he hands him back his deck. They have a rematch, and Timmy comes out winning this time, a smile covering his face.

"Hey, where did you get this deck idea?" Asks Timmy to his new friend.

"I copied it off the PCQ Winner from this area, go to suchandsuchsite.com for a decklist!"

So Timmy now builds all winning decks - Timmy likes winning, and these decks win for him. In the end, he is happy.


I know it's a corny story, but lets face it, it's the truth for most beginners.

Don't feel guilty. Personally, I despise the Brotherhood. It *is* a "cheese" deck- but it wins. A wise guy once told me that if you want to win- you run the deck that wins. Well, I ignore that advice. Run what you want to run, keep tuning it. Brotherhood doesn't always win. Its just the major cookie cutter out there right now.

Point, short and simple: Play what you want to play.

If you want to win, you play the BEST DECK.

There is always a BEST DECK.

The BEST DECK doesn't win everytime.


If you don't care AT ALL if you win, then by all means play anything that is legal. However, please don't be upset if you do lose. Please don't call the decks that beat you cheese. Please don't assume you lost to a net-deck.

best ( P ) Pronunciation Key (bst)
adj. Superlative of good.
Surpassing all others in excellence, achievement, or quality; most excellent: the best performer; the best grade of ore.

Courtesy of dictonary.com

The best deck doesn't always win, but it wins the most.

The deck isn't the only thing that matters, it's also the player, you could give two different players the same opponent, and have them draw the same hands and one player (the one with more skill) would win while the other wouldn't.

Personally I'm not a fan of net-decking, I don't mind if you looked at some net-decks, took some ideas, and changed it to your liking; since that would probablly be the best option for you.

I posted that the best deck doesn't always win.

If you want to give yourself the best oppurtunity to win, then you play the best deck.

Never convince me otherwise.

You just have to figure out what is the best deck.

That is where the fun comes in.

I have found for me it's a matter of fitting a playing style as well. Everyone has a certain that they adopted when they started playing CCGs with whatever game. It translates over to any other CCG. For example...

I play L5R. In that game I like to run The Crab Clan for beatdown and card disruption. I played that way in Magic too, so when I came to Vs. I started testing decks. What I found i enjoy the most right now is the new Arkham Inmates team.
Are they good? Yeah, i think all the teams have inherent strengths.
Are they a tier one deck? Not right now, but I am willing to put the time in because I like the playing style.

I think in the end this will attract the most players because of the variety of teams and different playing styles for each team. My advice would be to not only find a team you like, but a playing style that suits you. Then you get the best out of both sides.

you know what, ringwraith hit it dead on

I tend to play decks that are aggressive in style, that why i played red or black in magic

the aggressive fighters in street fighter etc...

its my playstyle. Right now every deck i make is an aggressive deck. heck my FF beats, gotham knights and arkum all run around the same curve and plot twists my brotherhood deck uses. I just cant escape the pattern

oh and by the way their are so many people playing this game that the frist person to win a major PCQ or event, that deck type is basically theirs, doesnt mean that others before him or after him have been copied

but net decking is alive and well and if oeople do it they do it, at least you know what will be coming after you or being played when you play against a net deck

but over all have fun, if your not having fun why play

Captaincarl