Cohort Of The Pretorian Legion - Emea 2024

Hello folks! I finally managed to get a few hours to do this write up. This is the corp I took to Emea. I've tested this deck for around 3 months and for this side, I was completely sure it was the right call. On the other side instead I didn't know what to play till the very end.

Lets start from a little bit of history eheh

The cohort of the Praetorian Legion, known as the Praetorian Cohort (Cohortes Praetoriae), served as the elite unit responsible for the protection of Roman emperors and high-ranking officials. The Praetorian Guard was established by Augustus in 27 BC as a permanent force, though the concept dates back to earlier Roman Republic practices where generals had personal guards. Initially, the guard comprised nine cohorts, each consisting of approximately 500 to 1,000 men. Over time, the number and size of these cohorts varied based on the needs and preferences of different emperors. he Praetorian Cohorts were organized similarly to the regular Roman legions, with centurions and other officers leading them. They were highly trained and well-equipped, often receiving higher pay and benefits compared to regular legionaries. The Praetorian Guard wielded significant political power, often influencing or directly participating in the appointment and removal of emperors. Their support was crucial for any claimant to the throne. Over time, the Praetorian Guard’s involvement in politics and their growing power became a source of instability. Various emperors attempted to reform or control the guard, with varying degrees of success. The final blow came in 312 AD when Emperor Constantine the Great defeated the Praetorian Guard at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge and subsequently disbanded them, replacing them with other units less involved in political machinations. The Praetorian Guard remains one of the most famous military units in history, symbolizing both the heights of elite military service and the potential dangers of concentrated power in the hands of a few. Their legacy is often cited in discussions of military and political power dynamics in the Roman Empire. And I couldn't exempt me from citing it for a deck playing 3x Cohort Guidance Program.

It all started when this amazing list got published. I tested it a bit, realising a few pieces didn't fit my game plan style. Firstly Bloods, i'm not a fan of having a 6/2 agenda. I almost immediately switched those out for Regenesis. Also, the Hearts and Minds and the Hostile Architecture felt a bit useless. For how I play, I wasn't rich enough to rez those architectures, the hearts didn't stick for more then a turn and playing against @tuno in testing I realized that Cupellation exists :') So the total switch to a more FA idea, introducing The Holo Man. Got in the Tatus on suggestion of @koga, testing against @wowarlok's World Tree Ari Wake Up Call looked a good inclusion to me (firing the monolilipad on the turn it gets installed feels

A M A Z I N G.

Turns out that living in the same city of these amazing players allows you to become better

Urticas without Hearts started feeling a bit unneeded, while Snare! looked always amazing. The inclusion of one of my (and of @Council's) favorite cards ever made me immediately think of Mindscaping, both for having more econ to always be sure to fire those snares, but also for the sleight of hand that allows you to put the snare on top. On top of it, in case the runner runs on a snare as last click and has only 3 cards in hand, you win with the damage due to the tag (never happened but always good to keep in mind).

The deck is incredibly hard to play, every turn has a lot of options to consider and having few ices force you to do well considered installs. Spin is your best friend when it comes to fast advancing with Front Company installed.

Thanks a lot to all the players that came to EMEA 2024. Thanks to Atien and Porkobolo for the incredible organization. It felt amazing to finally be able to associate a face to every player I face on jnet. Thanks to Taib for the wonderful dinner concluding one of the most wonderful weekends in a while, thanks to tuno for allowing me to Snare! her on streaming having the winning line (admit it, you did it on porpoise knowing you would have ended winning the tournament anyway, you can see it happening here) and to all the other players I faced during Swiss, it's always wonderful to meet new players.