If I can’t begin the game with scrapping, I will hopefully start with Patrol Cutter. Because this format allows you to stack your deck, you will reliably generate 9 points of action (2 trade, 3 combat, and 4 authority) every time you go through your deck. This is an amazing value for just three trade! The authority gain should not be dismissed…

If you’ve read my articles this year, you know my basic take on formats where bases are not favored. Against an opponent who is not gaining authority, you getting 10 authority over the course of the game is usually enough to give you an extra turn and a final chance to win the game. If you are hoarding the blue cards, your opponent is unlikely to get them. And since you want trade for the entire game (as ships you purchase will be drawn on the very next turn), the value of the entire Trade Federation fleet goes up.

Usually Avoid Bases, and Create “The Clamp”

I will quote from my prior article, as this part of the strategy remains the same:

Since bases are generally not worth buying, they tend to clog up the trade row. You can use this to your advantage with a strategy I call The Clamp. There are three steps to this strategy: First, either get trade row scrappers into your deck, or be in the lead.

Then, don’t purchase bases. You were likely avoiding bases anyways, as was your opponent.

Finally, you want to end your turn with bases in all five spots in the trade row. (Ending with only four is good enough.) This strategy greatly reduces your opponent’s options for improving their deck. Sure, they can buy a base, but every base they buy is a card they don’t get to take advantage of for several turns, whereas every ship they buy is a card they get right away. If bases are not finding their way into the trade row, you can’t make The Clamp happen. But if the game starts with three bases, prioritize those Blob scrappers and give yourself a chance to lock the game down.

There are some bases I will usually buy: if a base will draw me cards, or costs 6+ (only 5+ this week), I will usually buy them if there isn’t a ship worth getting. The stats on the large bases should not be ignored, and they can force your opponent to find answers. I’ve also purchased Warning Beacon late in the game, when it would mean triggering an ally ability. (By buying it late in the game, I would be unlikely to draw it again.)

Another Path To Victory: “The Stall.”

One strategy I saw work this week was buying as many bases as possible, coupled with card-scrapping cards. There are extremely few cards with a “destroy target base” ability this week. If you can hit a critical mass of bases, and you thin out your starting cards, you can put 8 to 12 points of defense on the table every turn. This is a high-risk strategy, I believe, because you need just the right set of bases and scrappers to appear. It isn’t a likely route to win, but it is viable.

Cards of The Week

I’m changing how this section works. Most of the rare cards, the ones that appear once-per-deck, are great. But for planning, you should focus on the commons and uncommons. They should shape your gameplan.