“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
by Justin “The Devil” Brook
Revolution Format

It was good to see Austin back in the ring on Saturday Night’s Main Event and what perfect timing it was. What? Austin is back in Raw Deal and has entered into the Revolution! What? What? What? What?

167/206 (STARTER DECK – FOIL – Stone Cold Steve Austin)
Stone Cold Steve Austin (Superstar Card)
Starting Hand Size: 5
Superstar Value: 8
Superstar Ability:
Once during each of your turns, you may put up to 6 cards from your hand on the bottom of your Arsenal: draw up to the same number of cards and your next Maneuver this turn is -3F and +1D.

The main gist and strategy of this deck is Austin’s ability. Being able to cycle through your arsenal as fast as he can provides you with an excellent advantage over your opponent. While he has a measly hand size, we will easily clean that up during the Pre-match phase. Also, as of right now, Austin has the largest Superstar Value of any Superstar or Extremist, so you always get to start the Pre-match phase first.

BACKLASH (12)

Pre-match (6)

A New Plan x1
See Kristal Clear x1
Tomorrow’s WWE Legends x1
The Degenerates x1
WWE Intercontinental Title Belt x1
You’re Drafted x1

Alright, most of the time you are going to play your Pre-match in this order.
1. WWE Intercontinental Title Belt (draw 2)
2. You’re Drafted (draw 1)
3. Tomorrow’s WWE Legends (plus 1 Pre-match)
4. The Degenerates (draw 2, discard 1)

This setup will bring your small hand size of 5 up to a much better looking 9 cards. In the case of where you starting 5 cards are so bad that the extra 2 cards from your title belt won’t help you, then you have A New Plan to use to get 5 new cards. See Kristal Clear is basically a filler card that will hardly ever be used. You always play numbers 2,3, and 4 no matter who you are facing.

Mid-match (6)

Before This Gets Out Of Hand x1
Boot Lace x1
Caution: You’re Entering The O-Zone x1
One For The Money… x1
Talk Is Cheap x1
The Stone Cold Truth x1

Now, onto the Mid-match. Austin has some very nice cards to play around with here. His superstar specific, “The Stone Cold Truth,” reverses any Antic and can let you get rid of 3 cards in your opponent’s ring while letting you shuffle 3 cards back into your arsenal as long as you have the card titled “Do I Have Your Attention…?” in your ring area. You really would like to get the secondary effect activated every time you play this card. Caution: You’re Entering the O-Zone also lets you get rid of a card in your opponent’s ring and can reverse a Colossal. “One For The Money…” is a key card. It is an Antic that for 1 fortitude, lets you grab a faction card from your arsenal. The card you always want to grab if you don’t have it already is “Live Fast-Fight Hard” because it allows you to play almost any colossal in your deck when combined with your ability for 0 fortitude. “Boot Lace” is basically in there to be a 0/7 (using your ability) Mid-match Extreme when you have less fortitude. The other two cards, “Talk is Cheap,” and “Before This Gets Out of Hand,” are staple reversals for any backlash deck.

ARSENAL (60)

Superstar-Specifics (7)

A Decade of Whoopin A$$ x1
Arrive-Raise Hell-Leave x1
Austin 3:16 Says x1
Do I Have Your Attention…? x1
Strike of the Rattlesnake x1
The Adjudicator Stunner x1
The Toughest S.O.B. x1

All of Austin’s Superstar-Specific cards are helpful in one way or another. He has a reversal to a Mean or Mid-match maneuver with “The Toughest S.O.B.” He also has one of the best Colossal reversals in the game, “Austin 3:16 Says…” For 3 fortitude, it reverses any Colossal as long as it isn’t your opponent’s first card of the turn. Guess how much damage it deals? 16 damage! What? Yeah, you read that right 3 fortitude, and 16 damage. Austin has another card that lets him pick up 3 non-Uniques from his ringside, one that give his next maneuver momentum, and a 3 fortitude, 6 damage core. Remember Austin’s ability? That core now becomes a 0/7 Trademark core. His best card though is this one.

168/206 (STARTER DECK – FOIL – Stone Cold Steve Austin)
Arrive—Raise Hell—Leave!
Antic
Discard 3 cards.
Your next card this turn is -16F.
Unique
F:0 D:0

Think of all the possibilities. Just like Live Fast-Fight Hard, this card lets you play a Colossal first turn.

Antics (3)

Eat Spit x1
Four Now Go, Cat Go x1
Live Fast-Fight Hard x1

“Eat Spit” and “Four Now Go, Cat Go” are for more card drawing power, and as said earlier, the more cards Austin sees, the better. As spoken about earlier here is “Live Fast-Fight Hard.”

144/206 (PREMIUM RARE)
Live Fast—Fight Hard
Antic
Requirement: “Revolution Tomorrow’s WWE® Legends” Faction in your Ring.
If your Superstar Value is higher than your opponent’s: this card has Momentum.
Your next card this turn is -15F.
If you have 3 or more Superstar-specifics from “Tomorrow’s WWE Legends” Faction Members and/or cards with “Tomorrow’s WWE Legends” in the text in your Ring, put up to 3 Maneuvers from your Ringside into your hand.
Unique
F:0 D:0

There is a good chance that this card will have Momentum as an added bonus. I’m really starting to dig the possibilities of first turn Colossals!!! WHAT???

Maneuvers (21)

Eye Rake x2
Garbage Can Lid x3
H-Line x1
Into the Barricade x3
Steel Chain Shot x3
Superkick x3
Three to Get Ready… x1
Toe Smash x3
Torture Rack x2

The maneuvers are really interesting. There are 9 Colossals that can possibly be played first turn with the aforementioned fortitude reducing Antics. Also included are 3 Garbage Can Lids which can be played for a minuscule 3 fortitude with your ability. A 3 fortitude Extreme Mean is pretty good as it bridges perfectly off of any of your 0 fortitude Cores. Eye Rakes, Toe Smashes, and with your ability, Into the Barricades, and Three to Get Ready…, are all there for your liking. They are also all Extremes except Three to Get Ready, so they are difficult to stop. Once you get any amount of fortitude with this deck, Austin can be a real beast with that ability, and playing Colossals cheaply.

Maneuver-Reversal Hybrids (3)

Only One Solution: Revolution x3

These are staples in pretty much any deck right now.

Reversals (26)

Assisted by the Dirtiest Player in the Game x1
Heartbreaker x1
I Won’t be Beat Tonight x3
Inertia x3
Not What We Came to See x3
Overexposure x3
That’s Extremely Un-Original x3
The Second Solution x3
Try to Get Away x2
Two For The Show… x1
Why Don’t You Kiss My A$$? x3

For the lack of space I found myself with in constructing this deck, I decided to run “The Second Solution.”

67/206
The Second Solution
Reversal: printed 1D—7D Assault, Hold, or Throw
Pack this card: you cannot pack F:0 Maneuver / Reversal Hybrids.
Draw up to 2 cards.
F:0 D:2

Now since there aren’t many Core reversals in my arsenal besides these, and the aforementioned “Only One Solution: Revolution,” I also decided to run 3 of the card “Overexposure.” Even though “Overexposure” can only reverse from the arsenal because I am not an Extremist, is was still worth packing 3 of them. Even if I draw them in my opening hand or for my turn, they will get put right back in my arsenal because of my ability, so I won’t get stuck with useless cards in my hand. Other than those and the two Faction reversals, the reversal set is pretty standard. Now, here are the Faction reversals.

134/206 (PREMIUM RARE)
Assisted by the Dirtiest Player in the Game
Reversal: Core
Requirement: “Revolution The Degenerates” Faction in your Ring.
If you have 3 or more Superstar-specifics from “The Degenerates” Faction Members and/or cards with “The Degenerates” in the text in your Ring, put up to 2 Cores from your Ringside into your hand.
Unique
F:4 D:0

135/206 (PREMIUM RARE)
Heartbreaker
Reversal: Mean or Colossal
Requirement: “Revolution The Degenerates” Faction in your Ring.
If you have 3 or more Superstar-specifics from “The Degenerates” Faction Members and/or cards with “The Degenerates” in the text in your Ring, look at the top 10 cards of your Arsenal and put them back on the top and/or bottom of your Arsenal.
Unique
F:8 D:4

These are both very good reversals, and their secondary effects are just as good. With the way Austin cycles through his arsenal, you shouldn’t have a problem eventually obtaining these cards.

As you can see, just like in real life, Austin is one beer-bashing S.O.B. who is greatly deserving of respect when someone steps into the squared circle with him. Your opponent might just end up asking himself, “WHAT just happened?” (sorry that was a bad attempt at a pun) Enjoy folks.