Umaga
by Andy Covell
Revolution Format

Like most articles I ever post, I like to look closely at the Ability of the Superstar we are working on. Let's take a look at how we can construct Umaga to make him indestructable, or close to.

Umaga (Superstar Card)
Starting Hand Size: 9
Superstar Value: 3
Superstar Ability:
Successfully play a Maneuver, you may overturn 1 card: put up to 1 non-Core Maneuver from your Ringside into your hand.
Successfully play a card with “Samoa” in the title: put up to 3 cards from your Ringside on the bottom of your Arsenal.

Ok, so we have a great handsize, a below average Superstar Value, and a Ability that involves Maneuvers. He also gets a boost by playing his Superstar Specifics, allowing him some recovery. Hmmmm. Right off the bat, without looking at any of his specifics, I would assume he would get more use out of his Ability if the Maneuvers being played were more Means and Colossals, because you can't pick up Cores. Ok. He also dumps a card playing a Maneuver to get a chance to pick up that card if it is a non-core Maneuver, basically fueling his ability. So it looks like you don't need a lot of cards being dumped, as his Ability does it for him. Some is ok though...onto the Pre-match.

BACKLASH (12)

Pre-match (6)

A New Plan x1
Climbing the Ladder x1
Dressed for Success x1
The New Breed x1
Underestimate the Competition x1
<WWE logo> Intercontinental Title Belt x1

Strategy Notes: I think this is an excellent way to stomp the competition. The New Breed is great for getting to become an Extremist against your opponent, which is the only benefit you will get from the card basically except the use of the Specifics. Make sure you play this card as your first card, as you want to always play this card. On top of that, if you can play Climbing the Ladder, you get to have insane amounts of Draw Power!!! Intercontinental Title Belt gains you a Value of one and a chance to add to your already large handsize. Dressed for Success is in there in case of playing against a deck with constant mono assault techinques. This could be Randy Orton (grab Antic reversals), Batista (grab Throw reversals) and Tommy Dreamer (grab Extreme reversals) in known are in your opening hand, or after you play the Belt if you decide to play it. Underestimate the Competition is the way I would go so you can use his Ability to grab Maneuvers early game and take less punishment from control decks. A New Plan can be used to get better cards into the hand as a substitute from Dressed for Success if need be.

Mid-match (6)

Armando Alejandro Estrada: “For Samoa!” x1
Before This Gets Out of Hand x2
Keep Your Eyes Open or It’s Game Over x1
Maryse’s French Finish x1
Talk Is Cheap x1

Strategy Notes: This is basically a standard reversal department. Obviously his Specific is a great tool to grab lost cards and add Momentum, so no one can argue the power there. Now as far as Maryse’s French Finish, it is a nice way, especially at the end of the game, to get rid of unwanted cards from your hand. Picture a match where you and your opponent are having very few cards left in Arsenal, and you think your opponent has some reversals for your Manuvers in your hand. Discard a few cards, and there goes his Arsenal! I think this can be a very good card in which I will experiment with, because he will get a very large hand in most games. If you don't like that luck, you can always put it in I Can Do What I Want for a reversal, or a Mid-match Maneuver like Boot Lace to not dump another 6 for the Agression rule in case your hand is empty of Manuevers, which should never happen.

ARSENAL (60)

Superstar-specifics (11)

A Bloody Nightmare x1
Here’s a Lesson Plan x1
Prepare for the POUNCE x1
The Elijah Experience x1
The Samoan Banzai Drop x1
The Samoan Bulldozer x1
The Samoan Diving Head Butt x1
The Samoan Scream x1
The Samoan Spike x1
The Samoan Wrecking Ball x1
The Samoan Wrecking Machine x1

Strategy Notes: I don't see why you wouldn't pack any of his Specifics. I think Umaga is one of the most balanced decks as far as types of cards. He has got 2 Reversals, 4 Maneuvers, 1 Antic, and then he has a Pre-match and a Mid-match Antic. I think that is amazing. Even if the card itself you may find bland, consider this. You can use his Ability to grab any of his Specific Maneuvers to do some real damage, as well as you recover 3 cards for playing them. All of these cards should be packed in all Umaga decks when using his original Ability. The New Breed cards only needed 3 out of 4. A Bloody Nightmare helps turns Umaga more powerful once all this Extremes Cores are Means, and now he can use his Ability to grab "use to be" Core Extremes!!! Prepare for hte POUNCE allows a few of the reversals for Extremes reverse regular Maneuvers. Here's a Lesson Plan is a nice Extreme reversal. And The Elijah Experience is great to fuel Umaga's ability to the Extreme!!!

Maneuvers (19)

A New Breed Unleashed x1
Eye Rake x3
Flying Topé x5
Homicidal Lunge x3
Into the Barricade x3
Struck by an Unknown Foreign Object x2
Struck by a Singapore Cane x2

Strategy Notes: Lots of Extremes to really take a licking to your opponent. This deck has 10 Mean Extremes in it where Umaga can use his Ability to grab. A perfect set-up/start to a turn would be A New Breed Unleashed, Eye Rake, or Homicidal Lunge to grab (or if you already have in your hand) a Flying Tope to really get off to a great Umaga stampede, and hopefully chain off of that!

Maneuver-Reversal Hybrids (17)

Big Boot x2
Chicken Wing x2
Collar & Elbow Lockup x3
Headlock Takedown x3
Inverted Atomic Drop x2
Only One Solution: Revolution x3
Slap x2

Strategy Notes: Standard reversals as far as I am concerned. Nice thing is you can use these to grab a non-Core to use his Ability.

Reversals (13)

Inertia x1
I Won’t Be Beat Tonight x1
Masochist at Heart x1
Not What We Came to See! x2
Outmaneuver x1
Overexposure x2
Try To Get Away x2
Why Don’t You Kiss My A%$? x2
You Telegraphed It x1

Strategy Notes: I think I have covered most of the basis. As far as the overturn reversals, I am not all that greatly concerened because if I (hopefully) play his Specifics, I get to put them back in my Arsenal, which is a plus. So the need of more these reversals will be less relevent come the end of the game. Even if the Pre-match The New Breed was played by the opponent first, I can still use overexposure and shuffle it in many times

Final Strategy / Other Notes:

This is going to make Umaga a very vicious deck. He is going to play the ever so dangerous Extremes, which are still rather hard to reverse, and bridge into Manuever after Maneuver after Maneuver. Your Ability will regenerate your hand, as every Maneuver you play, you get to pick up a Mean or a Colossal. The only Colossals in the deck will be his Trademarks. The reason for this, is it gives Umaga a chance to play Manevers that deal real damage as early as possible. And after so many Extreme Means, the opponents reversal department will be exhausted, which gives you an easy win. And using his Specifics can keep your Arsenal full of reversals to overturn for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd time, only to frusterate your opponent. If A Bloody Nightare ever gets played, you could literally play 5 or 6 Extremes in a row to totally destroy your opponent.

F: 0 Maneuvers you can play in this deck: 21

Means and Colossals you can gain from Umaga's ability only: 14

A Bloody Nighmare in effect and Umaga's ability with Means and Colossals: 24

As you can see, I think this deck poses lots of threats, and if in the new era of Judgement Day, you don't pack enough Extreme reversals, decks that are Extremists or like Umaga set up like this will plow through you, and take you completely out of the game within very few turns. Beware of the Samoan Bulldozer....UMAGA!!!!!!