Soloman’s Alien Legion

[SolomanMedici]

Opening considerations:
This deck was designed to make use of the Aliens of the Imperium expansion set, with the expectation that it would be going up against a dedicated pirate deck. Although some consideration had to be given to combat and defence (of both ship and crew), I felt that my best chance to win was to race for Victory Points before the pirates could wear me down. For this I would need high value contracts and subplots matched by skilled crew and ship capabilities.
In previous multiplayer games I have been hampered by not getting enough crew on the board fast enough, so I decided to put 19 alien crew cards in the deck. To accommodate the crew I needed a ship with a high crew capacity. I decided to go with the venerable Subsidized Merchant with its 5 , supplemented (hopefully) by the Crew Compartment and Specialized Habitat . This was a risky choice as the Subbie is particularly vulnerable to piracy. A safer choice might have been the Broadsword Mercenary Cruiser but in the absence of contracts half of its capabilities would be wasted, reducing my chances of completing . Perhaps this will change with future Ship Decks?
Contracts were selected with the Subbies short in mind.
A particularly important card in this deck is the Diverse Dynamics , with its promise of a late game surge in .

- Subsidized Merchant

: / - 20 cards
Chartered Psionic Research / Back Taxes x1
Foreign Luxuries / Squabbling Crew x1
Group Package / Unexpected Booking x1
Mid Passage Mark / Letting Things Slide x1
Scheduled Shipment / Larger than in the Photo x1
Trans-Shipping / Last Minute Revisions x1
Bulk Hauling / Jump Phobia x2
Employee Relocation / Makeshift Accommodations x2
The Asylum Seeker / Specific Tolerances x2
The Baron's Tour / Local Entanglements x2
The Traveling Saleswoman / The Jump Lazies x2
Tukera Lines Subcontract / Cryptic Rider x2
Zhodani Science Expedition / Unexpected Booking x2

- 4 cards
Crazy Eddy's Discount Depot x1
Sophont Worker's Union x1
Alien Quarter Market x2

- 19 cards
BuffBot-3000 x1
Aokhyuh, Discreet Scholar x2
Dezihdhodhunde Mehro x2
Doc Ozi x2
Gisgo x2
Kydut Naboh x2
Liach, T'zen and Giiar x2
Onjiinuunon x2
Voypa x2
Wabapawap, Speaker of the Tree x2

- 6 cards
Glancing Shot x2
Inhuman Persistence x2
Overextended x2

- 10 cards
Densitometer x1
Grav Assisted Cargobot x1
Grav-Hauler x2
Cognition Wafer x2
EnviroSafe Vacc Suit x2
Panacea Autojector x2

- 9 cards
Lost and Found x1
Surgical Intervention x2
Diverse Dynamics x3
Reap the Whirlwind x3

- 12 cards
Defensive Mines x1
Improvised Defenses x1
Specialized Habitat x1
Crew Compartment x2
Infirmary x2
Q-Ship Conversion x2
Ablative Armor x3

Closing observations:
In solo play this deck performed very well, generating as many as 24 in as little as 4 turns. Could potentially do even better. In one face-to-face game against a dedicated pirate deck abetted by the Trouble on the Mains expansion however it failed miserably. I would be interested in trying again to see if that is consistent. Against a non-pirate opponent I think this deck would have a good chance.

Aliens of the Imperium unite!

[Horizon Jeff]

Considering the one-use , did you think about the Just a Little Longer...?

I'm a little surprised you have so many since your skill list is fairly wide and you aren't packing a lot of with expert level, though I guess Cognition Wafer could help you out there. Did you get much use out of the ?

Also, did you by agreement avoid cards with a specific anti-pirate theme, like the Imlaii or the Crackdown?

[SolomanMedici]

I got good use out of both Diverse Dynamics and Reap the Whirlwind, and indeed both were essential to my deck design. In retrospect I could have / should have swapped out the Lost and Found and Surgical Intervention for Just a Little Longer, but I was worried that my opponent would be going after my crew as well as my ship.

Rather foolishly I did not order Trouble on the Mains during the Kickstarter campaign (didn't think I would actually have someone to game with), so Imlaii and Crackdown were not available to me. I will of course correct this error when the store goes active.