Introduction

One of the first aspects of any card game is deck building. Luckily for us Stargate Online TCG players, the client provides a nice proving grounds for initial deck design trials and tribulations. As you might have deduced, from the title of this article, I'm referring to the built in skirmish AI option.

Skirmish has 5 options (currently, as of when this article is written). While I personally wish there were more decks available to skirmish (with something bigger then 16 experience), and a more intelligent AI (it doesn't understand the System Lords cards yet), It still provides an essential testing environment for creative deck ideas to form.

Skirmish will hardly churn out tournament worthy decks by the dozen, but with a few well-played games, you can use it to find holes in your deck design or playing strategy.

The Set Up

The 5 options are:
* Random
* (Easy) Trofsky goes to Washington
* (Medium) Hammond's Heroes
* (Medium) Martouf: Borne Again
* (Medium) Casablanca Cluster Bomb

From Skirmishing a few hundred times (with various deck incarnations) I've found that going against Trofsky is a complete waste of time. With the low experience and team stats, it is unable to provide anything - except maybe the satisfying feeling of crushing an opponent downright, with any old horrible deck you decide to use.

Hammond's Heroes and Martouf: Bourne Again provide a better challenge, and for any inexperienced deck, I'd start there. Yet, the strongest of the decks is Casablanca Cluster Bomb, If only for the fact that you need 16 experience to beat it.

For this exercise, we're going to be Skirmishing against the Cluster Bomb.

Lets first get acquainted with the deck I'm using.

Complications-R-Us

As you can see from my discussion of the deck, We're looking to evaluate hero cards in the deck. As part of this goal we are going to discuss the general 'complication' choices throughout the match.

Complication choice is one of the many in-game decisions that has to be made with split-second timing, and accuracy. Choosing the wrong card could cost you the game.

Each time I have to play a complication I'm going to pause for a moment. We'll examine the cards in my hand, and decide which one is best to use, and most importantly why. I would also encourage you to take the time and mull over which card you would choose - before looking at my decisions and reasoning.

I'd like to note that I'm not the best player on Stargate Online, and at many times you might disagree with what card I choose. This is quite normal, and is encouraged! While I explain my reasoning, it's quite possible there was a better choice for the complication, I just didn't see it at the time.

The Skirmish

* Harold Maybourne (Ally of Opportunity) is stopped.
* You draw Buried Gate, Kheb Monk (Adherent of Desala), Tanith (Lurker), Goofing Off, Ill-Gotten Gains, Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher), Serpent Guards, and Drey'auc (Of the Codai Plains).
* Apophis draws 8 cards.

Iorek: With Tanith (Lurker) in my hand. I'll definitely keep. I'm also looking for 4 Power to play him, so I'm going to give the opponent the first mission, to get up to my Villain Power requirement.

TURN ONE:

* Apophis plays the mission Investigate Plague.
* Investigate Plague: Apophis loses 2 power.
* Apophis assigns Samantha Carter (Problem Solver) to Investigate Plague.
* You pass.
* Apophis assigns Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison) to Investigate Plague.
* You pass.
* Apophis passes.
* Apophis completes the mission Investigate Plague and gains 2 points!
* Apophis places Investigate Plague on Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison).

TURN TWO:

* Iorek plays the mission Seek Assistance.
* You assign Rak'nor (Rebel Convert) to Seek Assistance.
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Vala Mal Doran (Con Artist) to Seek Assistance.
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison) to Seek Assistance.
* Apophis passes.
* You pass.
* Iorek completes the mission Seek Assistance and gains 3 points!
* Seek Assistance: The next mission this turn gets difficulty -1.
* Iorek places Seek Assistance on Rak'nor (Rebel Convert).
* Iorek plays the mission Pandemic Containment.
* You assign Narim (Tollan Friend) to Pandemic Containment.
* Apophis plays the obstacle Out of Your Depth.
* You play the character Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher).
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher) to Pandemic Containment.
* Apophis plays the obstacle Mind Probe.
* You pass.
* Apophis plays a complication to increase the mission difficulty.
* Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher): You stop Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher) to draw a card.
* You draw Buried Gate.
* Apophis passes.
* Goofing Off: You play Goofing Off on Narim (Tollan Friend).
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Narim (Tollan Friend) to Pandemic Containment.
* Apophis passes.
* You pass (auto-pass).
* Iorek fails the mission Pandemic Containment!
* Mind Probe: Apophis moves Seek Assistance to Vala Mal Doran (Con Artist).
* You move Pandemic Containment to the bottom of your mission pile.
* You draw Ill-Gotten Gains.
* Apophis draws 3 cards.

TURN THREE:

* Apophis plays the mission Convert Jaffa.
* Apophis assigns Harold Maybourne (Ally of Opportunity) to Convert Jaffa.
* You play the adversary Tanith (Lurker).
* Apophis plays the character Olaf (Cimmerian Fighter).
* Olaf (Cimmerian Fighter): Apophis blocks Tanith (Lurker) from the current mission.

Iorek: Things aren't looking so hot. He's going to get this mission for sure. But we can still play a complication for free, to cycle through our deck.

Cards in hand: 7 Kheb Monk (Adherent of Desala), Drey'auc (Of the Codai Plains), Ill-Gotten Gains, Ill-Gotten Gains, Buried Gate, Serpent Guards, Buried Gate.

* You play a complication to increase the mission difficulty.

Show Complication 1

* Apophis assigns Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison) to Convert Jaffa.
* You pass (auto-pass).
* Apophis assigns Teal'c (Enemy of the Goa'uld) to Convert Jaffa.
* You pass (auto-pass).
* Apophis assigns Samantha Carter (Problem Solver) to Convert Jaffa.
* You pass (auto-pass).
* Apophis passes.
* Apophis completes the mission Convert Jaffa and gains 1 points!
* Apophis places Convert Jaffa on Samantha Carter (Problem Solver).
* You draw Engineered Virus, and Ill-Gotten Gains.
* Apophis draws 1 card.

TURN FOUR:

* Iorek plays the mission Rescue Team.
* You assign Rak'nor (Rebel Convert) to Rescue Team.
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison) to Rescue Team.
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Vala Mal Doran (Con Artist) to Rescue Team.
* Apophis plays a complication to increase the mission difficulty.
* You play the character Kheb Monk (Adherent of Desala).
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Kheb Monk (Adherent of Desala) to Rescue Team.
* Apophis plays the adversary Nirrti (Goddess of Darkness).
* You pass.
* Apophis passes.
* Iorek completes the mission Rescue Team and gains 4 points!
* Iorek places Rescue Team on Rak'nor (Rebel Convert).
* Iorek plays the mission Cure the Vorlix.
* You assign Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher) to Cure the Vorlix.
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Narim (Tollan Friend) to Cure the Vorlix.
* Apophis assigns Nirrti (Goddess of Darkness) to Cure the Vorlix.
* You play the character Drey'auc (Of the Codai Plains).
* Apophis passes.
* Ill-Gotten Gains: You play Ill-Gotten Gains on Narim (Tollan Friend).
* Ill-Gotten Gains: You reveal Glider Cannon.
* Ill-Gotten Gains: You take Glider Cannon into hand from your deck.
* Apophis passes.
* Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher): You stop Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher) to draw a card.
* You draw Warrick (Race Pilot).
* Apophis passes.
* You pass (auto-pass).
* Iorek fails the mission Cure the Vorlix!
* Apophis revives Nirrti (Goddess of Darkness) by discarding 5 cards.
* You move Cure the Vorlix to the bottom of your mission pile.
* You draw Goofing Off.
* Apophis draws 2 cards.

TURN FIVE:

* Apophis plays the mission Loop of Kon Garat.
* Apophis assigns Samantha Carter (Problem Solver) to Loop of Kon Garat.
* You pass.
* Apophis plays the character Cross (Deep Cover Agent).
* Cross (Deep Cover Agent): Samantha Carter (Problem Solver) gets +1 skills until the end of turn.

Iorek: We've both got 2 missions. Time to see if we can stop the AI. Lets take a look at my hand.

Card in Hand: 8 Warrick (Race Pilot), Glider Cannon, Goofing Off, Ill-Gotten Gains, Buried Gate, Serpent Guards, Buried Gate, Engineered Virus.

* You play a complication to increase the mission difficulty.

Show Complication 2

* Apophis assigns Harold Maybourne (Ally of Opportunity) to Loop of Kon Garat.
* You play the obstacle Engineered Virus.
* Apophis assigns Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison) to Loop of Kon Garat.

Iorek: With 2 more complications we should have 9 difficulty to his 8 skill. But it's going to be a tough choice. Same cards in hand as before, but minus that Engineered Virus and the previously played complication.

* You play a complication to increase the mission difficulty.

Show Complication 3

* Apophis passes.
* You play a complication to increase the mission difficulty.

Show Complication 4

* Apophis passes.
* You pass (auto-pass).
* Apophis fails the mission Loop of Kon Garat!
* Engineered Virus: You destroy Cross (Deep Cover Agent).
* Apophis moves Loop of Kon Garat to the bottom of its mission pile.
* You draw Kendra (Child of Jebanna), Chaka (Tribal Leader), Gairwyn (Cimmerian Ally), and Memory Stamp.
* Apophis draws 1 card.

TURN SIX:

* Iorek plays the mission Infiltrate Summit.
* You assign Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison) to Infiltrate Summit.
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Vala Mal Doran (Con Artist) to Infiltrate Summit.
* Apophis plays a complication to increase the mission difficulty.
* You assign Narim (Tollan Friend) to Infiltrate Summit.
* Apophis plays the obstacle Carnivorous Creature.
* You assign Kheb Monk (Adherent of Desala) to Infiltrate Summit.
* Apophis passes.
* You pass.
* Iorek completes the mission Infiltrate Summit and gains 3 points!
* Iorek places Infiltrate Summit on Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison).
* Iorek plays the mission Wormhole X-Treme!.
* You assign Rak'nor (Rebel Convert) to Wormhole X-Treme!.
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Drey'auc (Of the Codai Plains) to Wormhole X-Treme!.
* Apophis assigns Nirrti (Goddess of Darkness) to Wormhole X-Treme!.
* Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher): You stop Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher) to draw a card.
* You draw Plan B.
* Apophis passes.
* You play the gear Glider Cannon.
* Apophis passes.
* Plan B: You play Plan B to gain 2 power for each failed mission.
* Apophis passes.
* You pass (auto-pass).
* Iorek fails the mission Wormhole X-Treme!!
* Apophis revives Nirrti (Goddess of Darkness) by discarding 5 cards.
* You move Wormhole X-Treme! to the bottom of your mission pile.
* You draw Tanith (Lurker).
* Apophis draws 2 cards.

TURN SEVEN:

* Apophis plays the mission Prison Break.
* Prison Break: all support characters are stopped.
* Apophis assigns Teal'c (Enemy of the Goa'uld) to Prison Break.

Iorek: A Complication would be nice here. Since Sam has her Glyph, we don't want to play an Obstacle until we know we can stop the AI.

Cards in hand: 8 Gairwyn (Cimmerian Ally), Chaka (Tribal Leader), Kendra (Child of Jebanna), Buried Gate, Serpent Guards, Buried Gate, Memory Stamp, Tanith (Lurker)

* You play a complication to increase the mission difficulty.

Show Complication 5

* Apophis plays the character Malcolm Barrett (NID Investigator).
* You pass.
* Apophis assigns Malcolm Barrett (NID Investigator) to Prison Break.
* You assign Tanith (Lurker) to Prison Break.
* Apophis assigns Samantha Carter (Problem Solver) to Prison Break.
* You play the obstacle Serpent Guards.
* Apophis assigns Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison) to Prison Break.

Iorek: Well, it's time for another complication, With one complication (and a Tanith (Lurker) boost) we can foil the mission. Same cards as above, but minus the Serpent Guards, and the previous complication.

* You play a complication to increase the mission difficulty.

Show Complication 6

* Apophis passes.
* You discard Tanith (Lurker) from hand to give Tanith (Lurker) +1 skills.
* Samantha Carter (Problem Solver): Apophis stops Samantha Carter (Problem Solver) to turn Serpent Guards into a complication.
* You pass.
* Apophis passes.
* Apophis fails the mission Prison Break!
* You revive Tanith (Lurker) by discarding 5 cards.
* Apophis moves Prison Break to the bottom of its mission pile.
* You draw Mark Devlin (NID Assassin), Camulus (Celtic God of War), Nicholas Ballard (Outcast Scholar), and In-Fighting.
* Apophis draws 1 card.

TURN EIGHT:

* Iorek plays the mission Disclosure.
* You assign Rak'nor (Rebel Convert) to Disclosure.
* Apophis plays the adversary Yu (The Great).
* You pass.
* Apophis plays the obstacle Historic Writings.
* You assign Kheb Monk (Adherent of Desala) to Disclosure.
* Apophis assigns Yu (The Great) to Disclosure.
* You play the character Nicholas Ballard (Outcast Scholar).
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Nicholas Ballard (Outcast Scholar) to Disclosure.
* Apophis plays a complication to increase the mission difficulty.

Iorek: While it's not a complication, I'm about to discard a card to use Nick's ability. The decision that goes into discarding a card from your hand is exactly the same as choosing a complication. So lets take a look at my hand.

Cards in Hand: 7
Gairwyn (Cimmerian Ally), Mark Devlin (NID Assassin), Buried Gate, Buried Gate, Memory Stamp, In-Fighting, Camulus (Celtic God of War)

* Nicholas Ballard (Outcast Scholar): You discard *CARD* to give Nicholas Ballard (Outcast Scholar) +2 culture and Nicholas Ballard (Outcast Scholar) is destroyed at the end of the mission.

Show Complication

* Apophis passes.
* You pass.
* Iorek completes the mission Disclosure and gains 1 points!
* Apophis revives Yu (The Great) by discarding 3 cards.
* Iorek places Disclosure on Rak'nor (Rebel Convert).
* Nicholas Ballard (Outcast Scholar) is destroyed at end of mission.
* Iorek plays the mission Stop Prim'tah.
* You assign Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison) to Stop Prim'tah.
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Vala Mal Doran (Con Artist) to Stop Prim'tah.
* Apophis passes.
* You pass.
* Iorek completes the mission Stop Prim'tah and gains 1 points!
* Iorek places Stop Prim'tah on Martouf (Tok'ra Liaison).
* Iorek plays the mission Prevent Invasion.
* Prevent Invasion: Apophis takes Endure the Tests into hand from its discard pile.
* Glider Cannon: You stop Glider Cannon, pay 2 power, and stop Drey'auc (Of the Codai Plains) to discard the top card of your deck.
* Glider Cannon: You discard Jamala (Unlikely Ally).
* Glider Cannon: You destroy Nirrti (Goddess of Darkness).
* Apophis passes.
* You pass.
* Iorek fails the mission Prevent Invasion!
* Iorek plays the mission Explore Genetics Lab.
* You play the character Gairwyn (Cimmerian Ally).
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Narim (Tollan Friend) to Explore Genetics Lab.
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Osbourne (Antarctic Researcher) to Explore Genetics Lab.
* Apophis passes.
* You pass.
* Iorek completes the mission Explore Genetics Lab and gains 3 points!
* Iorek places Explore Genetics Lab on Narim (Tollan Friend).
* You move Prevent Invasion to the bottom of your mission pile.
* You draw Chaska (Caledonian Minister), Frank Cromwell (Strike Team Leader), and Plan B.
* Apophis draws 2 cards.

TURN NINE:

* Apophis plays the mission Conduct Repairs.
* Apophis assigns Samantha Carter (Problem Solver) to Conduct Repairs.
* You pass.
* Apophis plays the character Kendra (Child of Jebanna).
* You pass.
* Apophis assigns Kendra (Child of Jebanna) to Conduct Repairs.

Iorek: Complication Time!

Cards in hand: 8
Frank Cromwell (Strike Team Leader), Chaska (Caledonian Minister), Plan B, Buried Gate, Buried Gate, Memory Stamp, In-Fighting, Camulus (Celtic God of War).

* You play a complication to increase the mission difficulty.

Show Complication 7

* Apophis assigns Harold Maybourne (All of Opportunity) to Conduct Repairs.
* You play a complication to increase the mission difficulty.

Show Complication 8

* Apophis passes.
* You pass.
* Apophis completes the mission Conduct Repairs and gains 2 points!
* Apophis passes.
* Apophis places Conduct Repairs on Harold Maybourne (Ally of Opportunity).
* You draw Engineered Virus, and Buried Gate.
* Apophis draws 1 card.

TURN TEN:

* Iorek plays the mission Defeat Ashrak.
* You assign Vala Mal Doran (Con Artist) to Defeat Ashrak.
* Defeat Ashrak: Apophis loses 1 power.
* Apophis passes.
* You assign Rak'nor (Rebel Convert) to Defeat Ashrak.
* Defeat Ashrak: Apophis loses 1 power.
* Apophis passes.
* You pass.
* Iorek completes the mission Defeat Ashrak and gains 3 points!
* You have won an experience victory! You have won the game!

Iorek: 8 complications (plus 1 Fake complication) later, We've won the skirmish. Told you they were easy. But we did learn a few things about the deck, and some insight into complication choices. Not many tough calls in this game, but it goes to show a bit of reasoning behind complications. Knowing your Deck and assessing the board are the two best ways to insure good decisions.

I wish you luck in your skirmishes and matches! I hope you enjoyed the Complication walk-through. See you in the Casual Lobby!