Shemti's Temple

Here is one deck idea I have been pondering about for awhile that I am having serious trouble in fitting down to 90 cards. Basic idea is to use Shemti's and Keller's specials along with some other cards in the deck to whittle down your predators minions to the point that they can't bleed me anymore while putting temptations on them so that I can use them to put more pressure on my prey. The main thing I am worried about is pool gain that I don't think I have enough there right now, but I am having hard time to find room for more and not really sure of what pool gain cards would work best anyway.

Crypt:
1x Ahmose Chambers
3x Keller Thiel
2x Clea Auguste D'Holford
2x Bupe Kuila
4x Shemti

Library:

Master: 17
2x Archon Investigation
2x Crocodile Temple
2x Dummy Corporation
1x Giant's Blood
1x Metro Underground
2x Opium Den
1x Retribution
1x Temple Hunting Ground
5x Villein

Action: 20
2x Conceal
6x Enticement
6x Horseshoes
6x Temptation

Action Modifier: 16
8x Cloak the Gathering
8x Swallowed by the Night

Ally: 4
1x Amam the Devourer
1x Mylan Horseed
1x Nephren-Ka
1x Ossian

Combat: 6
6x Majesty

Equipment: 1
1x Heart of Nizchetus

Event: 1
1x Hunger Moon

Reaction: 25
6x Confusion of the Eye
7x Eluding the Arms of Morpheus
6x Mental Maze
6x Touch of Pain

A player in our local group had a deck like this for a while. The major problem with this deck is that it's doesn't actually make you win. All it does is make your predator lose, assuming he doesn't play some sort of bleed deck to which this still dies horribly.

Meanwhile your prey, being the guy with no predator, cleans up the table fairly easy unless he's bad. I'd suggest going back to the drawing board and asking yourself "ok how do I actually put pressure on my prey".

One option might be to use Form of Corruption to slow down your predator, but that still won't help you win - it's more likely that someone crosstable will just sweep around and run you over.

I also think Keller is OK, but having a 9-cap sit around untapped to slow down bleeders is really expensive.

Overall, even the defense seems really matchup-dependent. If your predator is relying on bleeds for 1 or 2, you're in a great spot. If they can bleed you for 6 at a time, you're toast; ditto if they're running a vote deck. Ferraile and Archon Investigation seem like reasonable adds here, but you're still aiming backwards.

You do have a bunch of POT around; maybe you could start rushing people?

finbury wrote:

One option might be to use Form of Corruption to slow down your predator, but that still won't help you win - it's more likely that someone crosstable will just sweep around and run you over.

I also think Keller is OK, but having a 9-cap sit around untapped to slow down bleeders is really expensive.

Overall, even the defense seems really matchup-dependent. If your predator is relying on bleeds for 1 or 2, you're in a great spot. If they can bleed you for 6 at a time, you're toast; ditto if they're running a vote deck. Ferraile and Archon Investigation seem like reasonable adds here, but you're still aiming backwards.

You do have a bunch of POT around; maybe you could start rushing people?

Form of Corruption might be possible, I have the Eludings there just so Shemti doesn't have to stand around but he can just untap on either my preys or predators turn to attempt to block something and if succesful either majesty or mental maze to stay untapped, and there is Metro there too that will show up eventually to let him do it late game. Archon Investigations are in the deck already, Ferraille might be a possible thing to add as well there is already confusion of the eyes to deal with parity shifts and stuff like that. I have some rushy allies there already, I was originally going to be more fighty, but in the end that just took too much deck space. Consignment to Duats would be one possibility to put more hurt on preys minions also.

Klaital wrote:

Here is one deck idea I have been pondering about for awhile that I am having serious trouble in fitting down to 90 cards. Basic idea is to use Shemti's and Keller's specials along with some other cards in the deck to whittle down your predators minions to the point that they can't bleed me anymore while putting temptations on them so that I can use them to put more pressure on my prey. The main thing I am worried about is pool gain that I don't think I have enough there right now, but I am having hard time to find room for more and not really sure of what pool gain cards would work best anyway.

Crypt:
1x Ahmose Chambers
3x Keller Thiel
2x Clea Auguste D'Holford
2x Bupe Kuila
4x Shemti

Library:

Master: 17
2x Archon Investigation
2x Crocodile Temple
2x Dummy Corporation
1x Giant's Blood
1x Metro Underground
2x Opium Den
1x Retribution
1x Temple Hunting Ground
5x Villein

Action: 20
2x Conceal
6x Enticement
6x Horseshoes
6x Temptation

Action Modifier: 16
8x Cloak the Gathering
8x Swallowed by the Night

Ally: 4
1x Amam the Devourer
1x Mylan Horseed
1x Nephren-Ka
1x Ossian

Combat: 6
6x Majesty

Equipment: 1
1x Heart of Nizchetus

Event: 1
1x Hunger Moon

Reaction: 25
6x Confusion of the Eye
7x Eluding the Arms of Morpheus
6x Mental Maze
6x Touch of Pain

If you can make Shemti a 10-cap or clan impersonate malks, you can act out of turn to either bleed or, better yet, set up for stealing/borrowing a minion. This also wouldn't waste his potential action/turn. I had a deck like this and I'd suggest dropping Eluding and mental maze and add a couple more touch of pain. Dreams could be good instead of doubles of some of those masters. Aranthebes and Unmasking would go well in this deck. Maybe Blood Doll instead of Villein? Thrones Crumble could be OK if you weren't as focused on Potence.

Here's a version of a similar deck, but I never played this iteration:

4x Shemti 9 OBF POT PRE SER vic 1 vote Follower :5
3x Abdelsobek 5 for nec obf pre ser Follower :5
2x Ahmose Chambers 3 obf ser Follower :5
1x Renenet 5 OBF PRE ser Follower :4
1x Reverend Djoser Jo 3 pre ser Follower :4
1x Belle Equitone 2 ser Follower :4


Library [83 cards]

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Action [17]
1x Divine Sign
2x Dream World
3x Form of Corruption
1x Summoning, The
10x Temptation

Action Modifier [20]
6x Cloak the Gathering
1x Elder Impersonation
1x Faceless Night
6x Lost in Crowds
4x Truth of a Thousand Lies
2x Veil the Legions

Action Modifier/Combat [2]
2x Swallowed by the Night

Ally [3]
1x Gregory Winter
1x Mylan Horseed (Goblin)
1x Nephren-Ka

Combat [6]
6x Majesty

Event [1]
1x Restricted Vitae

Master [17]
1x Barrens, The
5x Blood Doll
1x Crocodile Temple, The
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
4x Eternals of Sirius, The
2x Heidelberg Castle, Germany
1x Metro Underground
1x Opium Den
1x Perfectionist

Political Action [1]
1x Autarkis Persecution

Reaction [16]
4x Ecstasy
2x On the Qui Vive
2x Poison Pill
8x Touch of Pain