Mr. Kennedy
All Axxess/Smackdown/Heel/Fan Favorite
4-0 CNY Champs Swiss
by Alex Artese
aartese@mail.com
AIM: sexxxymunkie

First off, I need to start by explaining this deck. This is a scoop-ish combo Kennedy that comes with it's own issues. The deck does have auto-losses and very bad matchups, but there are ways to pull out the "W" against these bad matchups. Bad matchups: any Enforcer Superstar, Andre the Giant, and Piper are the three main ones. And just hope no one is packing Fortitude Surge. No one has in about two years, so suffice it to say that the odds are in your favor. Explained a little more later in the article. Dust off your old common boxes and find those Mania rares, we are going back to some old combo t3ch.

Backstage Area (4)

Mr. Kennedy
Signing Appearance
Backstage Signature
5th Anniversary

Reveal all three, every time. Unless you are playing against Edge, then you leave the Appearance hidden.

Pre-Match (10)

Trash Talkin' Interview (TB)
Mr. Kennedy's Mic
WWE Championship Belt
The Champ Is Here!
Pyrotechnic Volley
My Sacrifice
White Wedding
A No Show
Givin' 'em High Fives (TB)
It's Showtime!

STRATEGY: What you need to do is use the Mic to rip a Volley This! out of their deck. If they are BASH, rip out a Return BASH of Scotty's W-O-R-M. If neither of those apply, Sidewalk Slam (TB) is the next choice, and whatever you want after that. Only play My Sacrifice if you are playing agianst Piper or Andre. That is really the only time that you are going to need the extra slots to play White Wedding and such. This deck really hopes that it is a lower superstar value, so you can play Showtime in the Pre-match and gate in High Fives with A No Show. You need to use Trash Talkin' and Pyrotechnic Volley to rip out all of the Volley This! and Sidewalk Slam (TB) out of their opening hand. If they don't have any combination of three of them, you are golden.

Mid-match (10)

Test of Strength
Backstage Shenanigans
The Road to Victory
You're as Graceful as a Cow on Ice
Introduce Your Brain to Your Mouth....
Unscrupulous S.O.B.
This Is Going Nowhere Fast
Restricted Use in This Area
<Revolution> Talk Is Cheap
Sustained Damage

STRATEGY: The only Mid-match card that this deck really needs is ToS. All the other is just filler for when you play against an Enforcer superstar or a deck that packs Restricted Use. If you can't win on the first turn, you just need to keep them from getting fortitude, so the Mid-match is basically entirely red as a backup plan.

Arsenal (60)

Actions (19)

It Pays to be Evil
3x Bait Opponent
3x Deluding Yourself
3x Giving Away the Business
3x View of Villainy
3x Mania
Say It Loud; Say It Proud:
Mmmmmisterrrrr Kennedyyyyy...
...KEN-NE-DY!

STRATEGY: Irreversible actions are fun. You just basically dedicate your Pre-match to making sure that It Pays to be Evil gets in play. Use A No Show to search of It Pays to be Evil and Bait Opponent to get the ball rolling and some fortitude. From there just play the combo cards out. Be careful with Deluding Yourself. You really need to make sure they either a.) Play their Cow, or b.) Are not packing Restricted Use. If you know they are not packing Restricted Use, go nuts. Don't just say "Go."

Maneuvers (16)

3x <Revolution> Gut Punch
3x Blindside Tornado Strike
3x Blindside Choke
3x <Revolution> Garbage Can Lid
3x Whirling Backhand
Kidney Punch

STRATEGY:The three 0F moves are really only in there to give you a game against an enforcer superstar. You basically just need to get really lucky. I wanted to put in enough damage to be able to pin someone if you get caught with your pants down and don't combo out somehow. Otherwise the move selection was just solid moves that bridged from a free Bait Opponent into a ToS. (6F and 8+D), Get the Kidney Punch with the Belt to drop to Pyrotechnic Volley in the Pre-match. You can get it back later if you need to go beatdown.

Reversals (25)

3x A Revolution of the Mind
3x Manager Interferes
3x Me Llamo... Armando Alejandro Estrrrrrada
3x Volley This!
3x <Revolution> Why Don't You Kiss My A%$?
3x Elbow to the Face
2x Get the "F" Out!
2x Hold the Phone!
You Fight Like a Woman
Leg Drag (TB)
The Raw Deal Revolution

STRATEGY: If you can't win with your opening hand and you have to say "Go" just keep them off the board at all costs. It's really that simple.

This deck wants to combo you out on first turn. If you are not packing Restricted Use and/or Fortitude Surge, it probably will win first turn. You might need to say go to have a few draw phases to get more cards, but after It Pays is on the table, you don't really need to worry about them drawing anything you are afraid of. Just don't let your opponent get fortitude, otherwise you can't win via plunge and you just need to beat down.

You might be asking, "How do you guarantee a first or even second turn win with only 6 to 8 cards in your opening hand?"

The answer is simple. Every card in this deck is good. The way that the cards are and the odds that you have, a good opening hand is in your favor. I didn't have a problem with this deck once during the tournament and every opening hand was more than willing to work with. High Fives helps a lot digging 5 cards deeper.

But try this out, let me know if you love it, hate it. But this basically is a scoop deck, you can just randomly lose. I can't guarantee you will do as well with this deck as I did, but I did have a ton of fun playing it. If piloted by the right player and they know the deck well enough, this deck can be a powerhose. I had to play through Restricted Use several times in the tournament, but you just have to be careful with it. Enjoy, and have fun.