Shadowfist Deck: The (Fire) Ants Go Marching... by Tim Linden

Home > Decks > Decks: The (Fire) Ants Go Marching... (2007 Canadian National Championships winner)
[posted 17 Mar 2007]

Originally posted to the Shadowfist Forum on Yahoogroups on 2 Mar 2007 by Tim Linden. Republished with permission. If you're a member, read the original in the archives.

Tim Linden won the Canadian National Championships multiplayer tournament at Pandemonium 24 (2007) using this deck

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   23 Fire Ants   
   5 Sinister Priests   
   5 Shamanistic Punks   
   2 Jueding Shelun(new) 
   
   5 Armies of the Monarch   
   2 Fanatacism   
   2 Stand Together   
   1 Ruby Eye   
   1 Throne of Skulls
   
   1 Secret Pact
   
   2 Pocket Demon  
   5 Inauspicious Return 
   
   5 Booby Trapped Tombs  
   5 Big Red Barn   
   4 Temple of the Monkey King

Fortunately, having lots of Fire Ants means the irrational hatred shown to my poor, industrious little ants does not stop lots more from showing up. You really need the force multipliers out to have any real chance - they are necessary to take things, kill threats, and allow the two site taking method this deck wins best with. Booby Trapped tombs help kill Ant Attackers, and the Big Red Barns can get big enough to shrug off major attacks - that gave me a very nice window in the final game - Cavebear's 15 odd damage attack for the win was foiled by a 21 body Big Red Barn, and left most of the opposing characters turned. A second AofM, a couple more ants, and I was able to take two sites for the win.

The Temple of the Monkey King sites are in there from before - mostly because they were available, and when I built the deck awhile back there were enough dudes out their being played that it would be good to cancel. They should be replaced with better sites, probably including a Turtle Beach or two to keep the Ants alive a bit longer. There should probably be another Ruby Eye in the deck as well, as Cavebear was also playing Diamond Beach/etc. While you can bull over toughness, it is useful enough to want it available when necessary. (like, say, the only FSS on the table is a Curio Shop.)

There isn't any room for defense in this deck, really. But, it does excel at whacking one monster hitter threatening the whole table. This time around Derek Han got nibbled to death by the Ant Horde, but the deck has eaten Desolation three times over in the past. Them ants are hungry! Now if I could give them Ambush so that they don't all die making such attacks.

I managed to scrape up enough Fire Ants for a CiA legal deck, but even 15 odd ants should be enough to make the deck work - put in some other useful stuff, hand size/card draw toys and/or just leave the deck smaller and it should work about as well - a smaller deck means you will get the force multipliers up and running quicker too - I often am waiting around for the pieces I need to stand together, or even play the IR's in hand, etc.

It is a fun deck to play, even if certain opponents say 'Kill the ants! Just to stop Tim from singing, if for no other reason!"

Tim.

[writeup by Tim Linden]

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