Q's Universe

5.17.04  Evo
By IQ


Characters: 31

4x Boliver Trask
5x Wild Sentinel
12x Sentinel Mark IV
3x Nimrod
4x Master Mold
3x Magneto (7)

Plot Twist: 22

3x Burn Rubber
4x Cover Fire
4x Combat Protocols
4x Reconstruction Program
4x Relocation
3x Savage Beatdown

Locations: 7

4x South American Sentinel Base
3x Underground Sentinel Base


I don’t think any team can currently offer as many different deck archetypes as this affiliation can. I’ve seen a lot of Sentinel decks and come to the realization that everyone has their own very unique version and play style for this affiliation.


OTHER SENTINEL DECKS

SWARM

The very first deck I ever built with this team was Swarm (focuses on Wild Sentinels) and it did pretty well until around turn 4. The major problem with the deck was that if you couldn’t get Combat Protocols off consistently you ran into some problems when Mr. Blob or any other fatties came into play.

The major problem of this variant is the lack of consistency and card drawing for sentinels. The deck couldn’t work too well with out getting South American Sentinel Base early and once you started drawing Wild Sentinels in the late game while your opponent was drawing his Invincible Woman, Sabertooth or Dr Doom it was over. The deck could go off and completely overwhelm your opponent but it simply wasn’t consistent enough to be able to survive 5 rounds of a tournament.

MARK’S REUNION

This is the variant that focused more around Mark IVs and didn’t care too much for the early game. The only two characters the deck could play prior to turn 4 where Boliver Trask and Longshot. The rest of the characters consisted of 4 Master Molds, a couple of Bastions and a ton of Mark IV to be able to use Longshots Ability.

This variant normally does a lot better than Swarm because decks like brotherhood don’t really start dropping threats until turn 4 and the 3 drop Quicksilver is not too much to worry about. With this variant you’re focusing more on using Longshot to draw as many cards as you can by always naming Sentinel Mark IV and another card you might need that you’ll still have 4 copies of in your deck. Thanks to Longshot the deck runs 4 copies of most of the cards it’s using so the deck is pretty consistent… well, as consistent has it can get while still running Longshot.

The major advantages this built has over Swarm are that it can use Underground Sentinel Base a lot better and that Mark IVs are not as easy to stun as Wild Sentinels which also helps with breakthrough damage.

EVO

Evo is more or less a hybrid of Swarm and Mark’s Reunion I’ve been working on for a couple of weeks. I’ve always liked sentinels as a whole and can’t complain about always having Flight and Range on my side.

HOW IT WORKS

Evo’s built is closer to Mark’s Reunion than Swarm but it still has its unique touch to it. I’m personally not a big fan of Longshot and would rather have a couple of Wild Sentinels to help boost Mark IVs. I also run Nimrod in this variant because I personally feel he’s a must in just about every Sentinel deck. He makes a good wall and buys you some time so that when you drop Master Mold you’re not about to lose. I think the most radical addition to this deck and what makes it stand out from others is Magneto, Master of Magnetism. He’s there because Sentinels don’t have any really late game characters and I’m not a big fan of Bastion because his ability is not that great and he normally drops on turn 7 anyway thanks to Master Mold. Magneto gives the deck a late game finisher and makes for a good wall for Mark IVs or Wild Sentinels looking for a place to hide.

This variant doesn’t really do much until turn 3 other than drop Boliver Trask. This deck doesn’t like playing Wild Sentinels until turn 3 to ensure some of them will actually stay in play to be able to boost your first Mark IV. Besides a few points of damage is not worth sacrificing a Wild Sentinel over. And don’t forget that the Wild Sentinels will also help your Cover Fires so you can keep your Mark IVs from getting stunned.
Most players know to rush a Sentinel deck because once the game hits turn 6 things could get ugly. To make sure you can survive and early rush you have Cover Fire to increase your characters defense, Burn Rubber to keep your opponent from dealing you a ton of breakthrough damage after running over Boliver or a Wild Sentinel and Relocation can help you deal with Lost City, Antarctic Research Base and even the Danger Room.

HOW IT BEATS YOU

This deck’s way to victory is Mark IVs and good old Master Mold if he decides to make an appearance. The great thing about this version is that unlike most Sentinel decks this variant can win with out Master Mold. Of course it helps if you get him in play but even if you can’t draw him you don’t worry about it too much. Mark IV’s, Nimrod and the Under Ground Sentinel base is enough to win a game. There have been times when I’ve had to activate Underground Sentinel Base on turn 5 to recruit and extra Mark IV even tough I had Master Mold in hand and there is nothing wrong with doing that.
If you NEED to use the Underground Sentinel Base before you can get a chance to play Master Mold then do it. There’s no point in taking a beating that could have been avoided on turn 5 to play Master Mold on turn 6 and loose the game that same turn or the next. Don’t forget that having 2 Mark IVs and a Nimrod or 3 Mark IVs on turn 5 is more than enough to keep your opponent at bay.
You should be able to trade blows with your opponent starting on turn 4 and that’s when the deck’s just getting started. Turn 5 is usually your best turn so even if you get stuck on odd turns it won’t be too bad. Try not to use the Underground Sentinel Base until you can drop Magneto but if you have to use it before then don’t even think about taking a lil damage to be able to drop Magnus on turn 7. Yes, if you get him in play the game’s pretty much won but what’s the point if you’re sacrifices of Endurance end the game prior to turn 7?

This is all I got for now and the only thing I can add is that if there’s one change I would make to the deck it would probably be drop the Magneto’s for the 4th Nimrod and a couple of Mark IVs. Magneto has proven his worth many times in the past but there have also been many times when he doesn’t get to see any action thanks to the Underground Sentinel Base. I personally like having the late game finisher but play the deck a few times and see what you think. After all what’s the fun of playing the game if you’re deck is not reflecting your play style? ^_^

Q signing off.

 

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