Batista
by Andy Covell
Revolution Format

Batista (Superstar Card)
Starting Hand Size: 9
Superstar Value: 5
Superstar Ability:
Successfully play a Throw: your opponent puts 1 random card from his hand on the bottom of his Arsenal.
Great Ability. Hand destruction. Nothing wrong with that. Great handsize as well, and a pretty decent SV. Let's see what we can do with this...

BACKLASH (12)

Pre-match (6)

Hardcore Hell x1
Man of 1000 Moves x1
Ring Psychology: Back x2
Tomorrow’s <WWE logo> Legends x1
<WWE logo> Heavyweight Title Belt x1

Strategy Notes: This Pre-match is not too bad, except I don't have A New Plan in this set-up, which could be bad, but with the way the deck is set up, maybe not all that bad. I will experiment with this idea later on to see the effectiveness of the deck.

He also has a lot of F: 0 cards he can play right from the start, and no Means or Colossals so the opponent's Backlash is trash, which makes A New Plan not so important. And if hand is the only way, minus the Arsenal, I think the opponent is gonna get beat down.

You should be able to play all his Pre-matches normally. If a Judgement day deck comes along it's not that big of a deal, even if they take Man of 1000 Holds, which is what I would take or Hardcore Hell. Play like you normally would. And if the opponent plays the Heavyweight Title Belt first, it's ok. It really is. Play everything else and don't sweat the samm stuff. If you have 2 of the psychologies in play, that means if your opponent even attempts to play a Hold(after 5 Target: Backs in Ring), they have to put 4 random cards from their hand on the bottom of their Arsenal. CM Punk might as well throw in the towel now, because this is an uphill battle for him. the whole strategy doesn't always rely on the psychologies. It's just another card to make the opponent think twice about.

If able to play all the cards, this is how your start of the game should look like.

- Superstar Value of 9
- Starting Hand Size of 10
- opponent has two less cards in hand
- set-up for your target Backs which are brutal, doubling as Throws
- good chance to start the game, unless playing aginst the ECW Orginals Faction.

Mid-match (6)

A Thousand Years of Anger x1
Before This Get's Out of Hand x1
Caution: You’re Entering the O-Zone x1
It’s All Led to This x1
Keep Your Eyes Open or It’s Game Over x1
Talk Is Cheap x1

Strategy Notes: Because with his Specific reversal, I decided NOT to pack another copy of Before This Gets Out of Hand. Otherwise, pretty standard with a nice finish with It's All Led to This. The Faction Reversal covers the Colossal Reversal department.

ARSENAL (60)

Superstar-specifics (7)

I’ll Chew Them Up and Spit Them Out x1
Inside This Pit of Danger x1
The Animalistic Clothesline x1
The Demon Bomb x1 (Back)
The Evolved Spinebuster x1 (Back)
The Guardian Powerslam x1 (Back)
The Hanging Tree x1

Strategy Notes: A really good set of Specifics if you ask me. And 3 of them work on the Back. If a card is needed to make room in your deck, I guess you could get rid of The Demon Bomb. I am not going to keep ranting about how each card is good. Everyone knows(I assume) the power of his Antic and reversals.

Antics (4)

Back to Square One x2
Live Fast—Fight Hard x1
Look Under the Ring x1

Strategy Notes: Well you got an easy way to nail a few cards, but due to lack of high Fortitude Maneuvers, you won't play the Faction Antic that often. Now Back to Square One will deciamte the opponent's Ring, and definately help in losing to the Aggression Rule.

Maneuvers (18)

Atomic Drop x3 (Back)
Japanese Arm Drag x3 (Back)
Scoop Slam x3 (Back)
Snapmare x3 (Back)
Snap Slam x3 (Back)
Snap Suplex x3 (Back)

Strategy Notes: You have recovery, drawing power, search abilities, and discard abilites all in this set of Maeuvers before you. Guess what? They are all Throws, and they all work on the Back!!! Plus they are all low Fortitude! Good in any starting Hand!

Maneuver-Reversal Hybrids (18)

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

Strategy Notes: Standard reversals that keep the opponent in check.

Reversals (13)

Inertia x1
I Won't Be Beat Tonight x1
My Way x1
Not What We Came to See! x3
Outmaneuver x2
Try To Get Away x2
Why Don’t You Kiss My A%$? x2
You Telegraphed It x1

Strategy Notes: I think this is a very good number of Reversals. I didn't put in a Masochist at Heart, like I do with most decks because of Batista's Midmatch and the Faction Colossal Reversal. I thought I would be all set from there.

Final Strategy / Other Notes:

Throws in deck: 24
Target backs in deck: 27

This deck is going to make the opponent discard 1 way or another. Between Back Targets and Throws, the opponent is really in for a Raw Deal battle. With the idea of using no Means or Colossals, it renders most of the opponent's Backlash useless, as well as little amounts of Antics. So the opponent has to rely on his hand, which is ultimately getting destroyed. At that point, the opponent begins losing to the Aggression Rule, and starts peeling cards away and realizes what the outcome of this match is going to be. And in their offense, they may be left to try to play Hold's, only to have to get rid of 4 cards out of their hand. And if your opponent is a mono Assault like Sabu or Rey Mysterio, then they end up feeding into your F: 0 Reversals as they reverse Assaults. Rather depressing. lol

Decks that have a slightly better advantage against you in one way or another: Triple H, Kane, Tommy Dreamer, Randy Orton, Edge with Storyline, and Kevin Thorn.

Otherwise, it's time to unleash the animal....BATISTA!