Written by Otaku Apologist
As I’m already rank 1 in the Neostesia ladder since today, which happened frankly too easily, I want to share thoughts to help level up the competition. This isn’t a comprehensive guide, I’m just showing how I play. Mine is a sightly modified Red Starter deck. If you haven’t, read my official review of this stellar card battle game.
Having been an amateur tournament player in Magic: The Gathering, occasionally winning drafts and local weekly tournaments, there are things I know about competitive card games. More advanced players could give better insights, but here goes.
Here’s my deck. I modified it just today, so some things may be moving around later.
Now, before we get into the commentary, please accept my apologies, the title is misleading. The “Red Starter” is more of a mid-range deck. It has an explosive early economy and a powerful mid-game. With most players still figuring out just the basics about the mechanics, I’m yet to meet an actual control deck that would surely counter this. Right now, against the shit level of competition, it’s a definite ass-kicker.
Let’s look at a match. I won this one very quickly. I expand in the direction of my opponent and play a 4/6 Drugs Mobster who requires 1 red zone and 6 money. Meaning, you can play her in 2 turns (your default income being 3). Drugs Mobster creates a red zone adjacent to her, so while my opponent was just setting up his economy, I already have a burly 4/6 to challenge his 2/4 Party Prostitute (yes, that’s the actual name of the card). I’m poised to unlock my strongest cards, which require 3 red zones.
We’re early into the game and my “tech tree” is open, economy started, I’m two turns away from storming his base.
My Drugs Mobster killed his Party Prostitute. This fool actually thought he could afford spending 6 money to summon a 6/5 Mecha-Lolo and start up his economy on the right. He even thought he could take both right-side banks with it. But because he left his left flank undefended, I built a red zone right on his doorstep and summoned a 7/7 Drug Lord Enforcers.
Sure, bitch, you can play the long game, but when I’m poised to kill you in 3 turns, good luck with that.
And it’s not like I’m going to stop making territories and summoning more gangstas in your face. What you think this is, the kindergarten? I am coming to kill you, what you gonna do, huh? You fucking die, you piece of shit.
Don’t forget to read how to defend against aggressive players in Neostesia.
The Red Starter grabs territory quickly and starts looting the banks. Similar to how it works in real life, with gangsters fighting over the best positions in a city to sell synthetics to fiends. Gang wars are a small-scale simulation of geopolitics in this regard: The gang who owns the best spots to sling product will have the most income and therefore be the most powerful.
Look, even the in-game tips are telling you to play fast and furious or get stomped to the curb.
Now, let’s look at another match. This guy actually fought back amicably. Once again, I expanded my turfs to his side and scared him shitless with my 7/7 Drug Lord Enforcers. He yielded the corners without a fight. And because I don’t want to offer him an even game, I’m also taking the left side. He is not fortified there at all, so his territory is all up for grabs, motherfucker.
The below screenshot will have you scratching your head, because I’m skipping ahead multiple turns. Most important was giving my 7/7 Drug Lord Enforcers a Force Field, which protected him against all damage and allowed him to kill a strong unit, unharmed. I took out his economy on the right with Martial Artist (3/3 with Haste: Attacks the first turn he comes to play), I could thus move my 7/7 to kill another unit without losing income, while taking out his right-side 1/1 New Girl with the Martial Artist. Also killed his left-side 1/1 New Girl with my Bouncer (2/3 with Taunt).
Sorry if I’m being confusing, but there are so many decisions and mechanics to explain, I didn’t want to screenshot every fucking play and explain every little thing going on inside my head. Anyway, I killed all his shit and placed a looter near three banks.
My income was thus 6 money per turn, his was only 4 per turn. In just a few turns, you pull way ahead with that.
So you’re not completely confused, look at the base color of the zones and the frames around the cards. It’s like chess, I am white, my opponent is black. I can only create a zone next to another zone of mine, or next to a zone my unit is standing on.
The final blow was moving my 2/3 Bouncer on the left side to an enemy territory, so I could build a red zone next to him and summon a 5/6 Killer, triggering the special ability of my 3/4 Crime Boss Lady, giving Killer +1/+1. Next turn I killed his 6/5 Mecha-Lolo with the buffed-up Killer, leaving Killer at 1 health. My Bouncer died, but he served his purpose.
See how this worked out? I control all four banks. He didn’t last very long from here.
Here’s some general advice to help get your thoughts straight. In any competitive game, if you can pull ahead in any area, whether you draw more cards than your opponent, gain territory faster, summon more minions than them, tech up faster, or fire up your economy just one turn sooner than your foe, the next step is to build on those choices. Your moves should force reactions from your opponent. And if they don’t have the perfect counter, make sure they suffer.
Neostesia offers deck formulas, which you unlock by playing the game’s tutorial. You can auto-assemble starter decks in the ‘My Cards’ tab. These formulas have a complete thought process behind them, so just pick a formula and play! After a few matches, you can remove the awkward cards and adjust things more to your liking.
The serious question you need to ask yourself is, why aren’t you playing Neostesia? Are you afraid? Did your testicles not drop when you were a baby? Come on, come on, show me what you got. I show mine, you show yours, that’s how it goes, right?
I’ve already crushed you spiritually. That’s why you won’t play me. You recognize my absolute dominance.
Accept the challenge, hit the ladder.
