Max(X)imum Buffer (2nd @ Montréal Online)

lukesim3 468

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This is a MaxX deck I've been tinkering with, and it's been winning a lot (although it eats it to Scarcity, so thanks to all the decent folks who aren't playing that right now). The plan is to mow through your deck, set up the incredible companion engine and install some pressure cards, and then just recur Boomerang over and over.

Sounds simple, right? Not always. The joy of the deck comes from all the decision points you've got along the way. How best to use your limited recursion? Which ice to Hippo? Is Stargate or Turning Wheel your wincon? Which card should you buffer (hint: it's money; always put money back in your deck)? Your cards and your credits are limited, so you've got to take calculated risks.

I took it to the Montréal Online tourney today and won vs. Azmari, Seidr, and Palana, with losses to a Palana and Biotech in the cut. Grindy, net damage games are obviously not the best matchup, but you can apply a lot of pressure in the mid-game and then stick to high-impact runs late.

Most of the card choices are driven by the limited recursion. With no Same Old Thing, recurring events is tough, hence the absence of Stimhack. Devil Charm fills that slot nicely, can be recurred with Reclaim, and synergizes well with Turtle and Hippo.

Anyway, you can watch me die to a a Snare on stream here, and watch me lose a tight game vs. Biotech in the grand finals. Not as much fun to watch as a win, but they're both good examples of how the deck plays.

My corp deck was just plain ol' FA Titan. As I said, this deck has a lot of decision points and a bit of a skill cap. Titan doesn't.

Shoutout to everyone in Montréal for organizing the tournament, and to my Toronto meta-mates for crashing it. See you all at Worlds!

3 comments
29 Mar 2020 lukesim3

Oh, and I know there's no Rebirth. Maybe that's a mistake. I opted for No One Home instead because a) events are a pain to recur, and b) not dying to tag and bag is sort of more important than getting cheap Omar accesses.

If you really wanted one, you could probably go down to a single Turtle, but that just stresses your recursion even more in matchups where Aumakua is ace.

30 Mar 2020 @Bookkeeper

I've got mad respect for you taking the high road and playing a MaxX deck - with such great results! I've given up on the ID and it's very inspiring to see what it can still do. First Vatzlav's Apoc build, now this. Kudoz!

30 Mar 2020 lukesim3

@@BookkeeperThanks! I had written MaxX off after Levy, but after playing this for a few weeks, I really don't think the ID is as high-risk as people think. I think there's an archetype here, and with some tuning, it could be just as strong as lots of other decks post-Scarcity.