Mr. Pay-Per-View
Afterburn
by Ryan “The GOAT” O’Donnell

BACKLASH (20)

Pre-match (10)

All Alone In The Night x1
Backstage Shenanigans x1
Boston, Massachusetts x1
It's Time For a Great American BASH x3
Straight-Shootin' Interview x1
The Best Laid Plans x1
The Hidden Dragon: Balance x1
You Rang? x1

Strategy Notes:

Your standard pre-match set-up should consist of The Hidden Dragon: Balance, Straight-Shootin’ Interview and three copies of It’s Time For a Great American BASH. Against a GM superstar who reveals multiple Enforcer cards you will probably want to play All Alone In The Night. Boston, Massachusetts is there in case you run up against a deck that you suspect will play a Venue against you that will be detrimental, such as Eddie Guerrero. Backstage Shenanigans, The Best Laid Plans, and You Rang? are all there to protect against specific deck designs.

Mid-match (10)

[Revolution] Before This Gets Out of Hand x1
A Phoenix Rising x1
Backlash! x1
Fortitude Surge x1
Mr. Monday Night x1
Shoot Counter x1
This is Going Nowhere Fast x1
Trevor Murdoch is Gonna BASH Your Brains In x2
You're As Graceful As a Cow On Ice x1

Strategy Notes:

Aside from the six reversals here in your mid-match we have A Phoenix Rising, Mr. Monday Night, and two copies of Trevor Murdoch is Gonna BASH Your Brains In. Mr. Monday Night should be an obvious choice, as it will grant you 5 extra Fortitude that your opponent can do nothing about, unless they are Roddy Piper or some version of Hulk Hogan. With the 3 Fortitude you will start the game with, you are already at 8 without having to play anything your opponent has the chance to reverse. A Phoenix Rising is another “metagame” choice, to deal with annoying Legend Superstars who depend on Managed by “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart. It has the added bonus of “plunging” your opponent for 30. If they choose not to pack Fortitude Surge, this could really work in your favor. Trevor Murdoch is Gonna BASH Your Brains In will help to get your deck rolling, as you can search for BASH Drop Kick and BASH Aerial Clothesline, both of which can only be reversed from your opponent’s arsenal via your superstar ability. Shoot Counter should help tremendously, as you will be able to play it at the start of the game by combining Straight-Shootin’ Interview with your three copies of It’s Time For a Great American BASH.

ARSENAL (60)

Actions (10)

Flying Higher Than Ever x1
From the Middle Turnbuckle x2
From the Top Rope (TB) x2
Shane O-Mac Delivers the BASH x2
Still…One of a Kind x1
Takin' a BASH x2

Strategy Notes:

From the Middle Turnbuckle and From the Top Rope (TB) are there to help search out your High Risk maneuvers in your ringside pile and arsenal. Still…One of a Kind and Flying Higher Than Ever are your tools for improving your hand and searching out any cards you need to finish your opponent off. Takin’ a BASH and Shane O’Mac Delivers the BASH will help you play your BASH Drop Kick and BASH Aerial Clothesline.

Antics (4)

[Revolution] Look Under the Ring x2
[Revolution] Out Here All Night x2

Strategy Notes:

It’s important to be able to get back cards that end up in your ringside pile. Your antics are aimed at doing just that for you.

Maneuvers (21)

BASH Aerial Clothesline x2
BASH Drop Kick x2
Blindside Elbow Drop x2
Five Star Frog Splash (TB) x1
Rolling Thunder x1
Shoot Forearm x3
Shoot Headlock x3
Shoot Kicker Hold x3
Technical Splash in the Corner x2
Technical Stomp x2

Strategy Notes:

With Mr. Pay-Per-View’s ability, you will want to hit your opponent with as many High Risk maneuvers as possible. Utilizing The Hidden Dragon: Balance, you can search out any of these maneuvers except the Technical Splash in the Corner and Technical Stomp cards. Since you can play every High Risk maneuver in this maneuver set without successfully playing a maneuver before hand, you may be able to actually play the entire game without playing a maneuver that your opponent can reverse from anywhere other than his arsenal! The remaining non-High Risk maneuvers are his superstar-specific Trademark Finisher and the nine Shoot maneuvers. Of those Shoot maneuvers, both Shoot Kicker Hold and Shoot Forearm cannot be reversed by A Revolution of the Mind, which is arguably the reversal of choice to Strikes, Grapples, and Submissions. Shoot Headlock is your safety valve. If you find yourself stuck at lower amounts of Fortitude and you need a little boost, Shoot Headlock is easy to retrieve and can give you 3 more Fortitude when you need it. The Technical maneuvers are a nice addition because they double as actions and they can be played as maneuvers after a successfully played card, not just a maneuver.

Reversals (25)

[Revolution] Body Slam x1
[Revolution] Clean Break x1
[Revolution] Instinctive Reflexes x1
[Revolution] Full Nelson x1
[Revolution] Roll Through x1
[Revolution] Running Elbow x1
BASH Evader x2
Dude…Whatever x1
Elbow to the Face x3
Escape Move x2
Hold the Phone x1
Me Llamo…Armando Alejandro Estrrrrrada x3
Step Aside x2
Step Over Heel Kick x1
The Coach Says, "Today's The Day!" x1
The Return BASH for Scotty's W-O-R-M x3

Strategy Notes:

There is no trick to making this Reversal set work. Ideally you will have a reversal in your hand when your opponent plays a card, but if you do not have one, you might overturn one while applying damage. This is an agro deck, meaning that you will be relying on your ability to pummel your opponent before he can do the same to you. Should you overturn Dude…Whatever, remember to shuffle it back into your arsenal before your draw segment, as not doing so may prove costly.

Any Final Strategy Notes / Insights:

This deck was purposely and specifically designed to contain no Ultra-Rare cards, no Rare cards, no Promos, and no Tournament Prize cards. Aside from 2 premium-rare unique cards, which can be easily obtained from any player at your local scene (Step Over Heel Kick and The Hidden Dragon: Balance), every card in this deck is a Common, Uncommon, or Rumble Pack/Starter Deck exclusive card.

Some of you may ask, what is the point in designing a deck that ignores the best cards put out by Comic Images? Why did I buy so many cards to not utilize my Rares, Ultra Rares, Prize Cards, and Promos? The answer is simple. This deck is not aimed at those of you with extensive collections and access to every Raw Deal card in existence. This deck has been designed to help players with limited card pools, either borrowing from a more experienced player or buying a small quantity themselves.

Raw Deal has often been a game where a deck full of the most expensive cards cannot win you any tournaments, but playing without your Rares and Ultra-Rares may be just as costly. While not taken to the extremity that many other collectible card games have developed, the more rare cards have often been the crux of many decks.

This deck was designed to show the power of Raw Deal’s Commons and Uncommons. While the deck could be better and more competitive with the addition of the more expensive and sought-after cards, it still has the ability to hold it’s own against many decks with a much higher price tag.