Author's note: this is based on a deck I posted on WNOHGB a few months ago. See that article for more strategy and why certain cards were chosen for the deck. This is the updated version I played at the Betazed Regional. At the end is a summary of changes from the previous version.

Draw Deck: K'chiQ x4 Soong Type Android x7 Duras Governor Worf Gowron Margh Martok Morka Kitrick Gorath Zetal K'vort x3 Kivas Fajo – Collector x4 Traveller: Transcendence x3 Kevin Uxbridge x2 Full Planet Scan x2 Scan Temporal Vortex x2 Q's Tent x6 Arbiter of Succession Regenerate Phoenix Palor Toff x3 Q's Tent: Dr. Soong Quark Son of Keldar Altovar Suna Reflection Therapy Full Planet Scan Regenerate Kevin Uxbridge Palor Toff Where No One Has Gone Before Scorched Hand Wake of the Borg AU Door

Seed: Expose Covert Supply Archanis Dispute Fever Emergency Investigate Disturbance Explore Black Cluster Paxan "Wormhole" Q's Tent Space Time Portal x2 The Great Hall HQ: Secure Homeworld Klingon Outpost Spacedoor Assign Mission Specialists Reactor Overload Quark's Isolinear Rods Fair Play It's Only a Game Betazed Gift Box x2 Dead End x2 Friendly Fire Altonian Brain Teaser Alien Parasites Armus: Sticky Situation Chula: the Lights x2 Odo's Cousin Maglock Navigational Hazards In the Pale Moonlight Lack of Preparation DalRok Unscientific Meathod Scientific Meathod Ops Docking Ports OPU Promenade Infirmiry Security Office

Strategy:

Strategy is simple. As the title says, report K'chiQ with Cybernetics for free Androids. Get Quark to Scan to know what to program, select a proper skill on K'chiQ and get a Gift Box. Use the Gift Box for a Phoenix, another Scan, and whatever else you might need. Play the Phoenix just before completing the second mission. That way, when you get the second Gift Box, you can get the Arbiter and play it immediately. 2 35-point missions plus the 2 specialists plus 20 bonus points = 100. Also, with the second BGB, get as many Palor Toffs as possible, or a Q's Tent for one, in case the Arbiter is nullified.

I find that in the first few turns, it's better to play a ship and some Computer Skill to combat Scanner Interference than to play a Kivas. If you know what skills to give the STA's from the start, it's more efficient than having to reprogram. Of course, if you don't have a FPS or Q's Tent in hand, then you might want the Kivas after all. Be careful not to play an AU card the turn you might need a Temporal Vortex.

Future Adjustments:

If I can get 5 more bonus points somewhere, I can get a 2-mission win using Q'onos. I'm adding a Death Yell to play on the Klingon who dies to the Arbiter. Yes, I can get 5 more points with Reflection Therapy on Zetal for Leadership, but this would be more reliable. Or, perhaps it would be easier to just self-seed a Barclay's.

One less Traveler and one more Fajo. Too many Q's Tents get played during the game, making Traveler less useful than Fajo. Also, Fajo gives me the cards immediately, letting me play one of those free personnel that turn.

I'm dropping the Scan for another FPS. I can't get specialist bonuses or Gift Boxes at the space missions, so I always go for the planets. Although, that may change if I start seeing more copies of The Big Picture.

What's different from the previous version and why?

So what's different from my previous version? And why? One less Uxbridge, one more Palor Toff for more flexibility. One additional Q's Tent.

Dropped all the Masakas and Examine Singularity cards because of the new downloading rule ending that broken combo. Masakas were replaced with 3 Travelers and another Fajo. Seeded an extra STP in place of the ES, to escape battle or get an AU Door.

Dropped one dilemma to seed IOAG. Scorched Hand is in the Tent, having moved the Arbiter to the draw deck to be able to get it with a BGB. Dropped 2 other Tent cards, Scan and Traveler, to add 2 anti-PNZ cards, Wake and AU Door.

You may want to change those last few (STP, IOAG, anti-PNZ) depending on your local meta-game.

Long Live the Empire!

Chris 'Rom' Brennan
Rom@wnohgb.com