The EC in numbers - The Meta Charts | openCards

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The EC in numbers - The Meta Charts

    This Strategy-Note article was written by openCards user thsch at Nov 16th, 2008.

    (with assistance from Sebastian Kirstein and Tobias Rausmann)

    Two days, three tournaments, thirty-four players, seventy-two decks, a total of 978 played cards. Here are the 22 that have been used the most:

    20. Chula: Pick One to Save Two

    We start with one of the oldest cards in the Top 20. Simple but useful: Remove one personnel from the attempt or stops three. More or less the little brother of Hard Time. (0.71 copies per deck)

    19. Gorgan

    I was a Staarfleet player for a year or so. You really learn to hate that card when you play Staarfleet! Now I am playing Dominion. And you really start to love good old Gorgan when you play Dominion (or Borg). And since a bunch of people played these affiliations at the EC, nobody should be surprised to see Gorgan in the Top 20. But will it stay there now that Reyga is available? (0.74 copies per deck)

    18. Old Differences

    Two stops and only one overcome dilemma. And all that for (usually) three counters. Well, great card. (0.76 copies per deck)

    17. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

    Finally a dilemma that requires a skill. And while its Treachery counterpart is not longer in the Top 20, this one stayed. Well since despite my suggestions in the Regional statistic Gomtuu is still played that is not so surprising. (0.78 copies per deck)

    16. Tactical Disadvantage

    OK, I could just copy and paste what I said about Gorgan. But I wont, because in contrast to Gorgan, Tactical Disadvantage can also be useful for other affiliations than Borg and Dominion. If for whatever reason you are playing a rather high amount of ships (or rather strong ships), Tactical Disadvantage may be an opption for you. I even saw it played once in a TOS deck! Not sure if it ever was used successfully, but at least it was included. (0.79 copies per deck)

    15. Personal Duty

    Oldies but goldies- part 2. A really use full card at the EC, but it has to be seen if it will be used as frequently as it was before, now that FtB and thus Klag and Neral are tournament legal. (0.83 copies per deck)

    14. Emergency Transport Unit

    With all those killing dilemmas and bloodthirsty Klingons around, nearly every deck needs a way to save personnel and the ETU is the obvious choice for that. And it even helps to get arround some dilemmas... (0.86 copies per deck)

    13. Necessary Execution

    One of only a few opponents choice killer. It is expensive, but if you want to remove one personnel (without the risks of Secret Identity, or the potential higher price of Neural Parasites), you will have to pay that price. Of course if your opponent decides to go planet first, it suddenly becomes a lot more effective... (0.94 copies per deck)

    12. These Are The Voyages / Moral Choice

    A Federation deck won the World Championship, so it is no surprising that the anti-Federation card managed to get in the Top 20. It is also not suprising that one of the best available draw engines made them. What is surprising is that these two cards are again (as in the Regional statistic) sharing a rank. So is there any deeper connection between them? (0.96 copies per deck)

    11. Fesarius Bluff

    10. Excalbian Drama

    Together with Outmatched (that is ranked 21st) the only zero-cost walls and thus the obvious choice for Machianation. And in contrast to Outmatched this cards don't ruin you dilemma pile. (1.00 and 1.17 copies per deck)

    9. Chula: The Chandra/ Gomtuu Shock Wave

    Chula: The Chandra became a standard part of many Dilemma piles since it was realesed and that for good reasons. But it is another potential victim to Reyga, so let's see if it will stay there. Gomtuu on the other side is not only not hurt by Reyga, but is also a good weapon against Ferengi, so maybe it will even increase in popularity. (1.18 copies per deck)

    8. At What Cost?

    Back then, when Necessary Evil was released (and sold out), this card was nearly impossible to get and even now with the reprint you still do not see to many copies available for trade. And since nearly each expansion gives some more ways to get bonus points, I doubt that this will change soon. (1.22 copies per deck)

    7. The Dreamer and the Dream

    The worst thing about The Dreamer and the Dream is, that it is usually the first dilemma to be revealed. Which immediately gives you a bad feeling about the mission attempt... And usually that feeling is right. (1.24 copies per deck)

    6. Machinations

    Not many cards managed to get into (nearly) every deck the moment it becomes tournament legal and to stay there since then (which in this case means more than five years) but Machianations is just to good to play without it. (1.35 copies per deck)

    5. An Issue of Trust

    Precisely 100 copies of An Issue of Trust have been played at the EC, and most of them with good results versus Romulans, Klingons and Ferengi. Well the first two may be quasi-immune to an Issue of Trust after FtB, but at least it is still working against Ferengi. (1.39 copies per deck)

    4. Unexpected Difficulties

    The highest ranked card from the Regionals didn't even make it in the Top 3 at the EC. And that not because it was played less in the EC (1.4 versus 1.5 copies per deck), but because some other cards drastically increased their popularity.

    (1.40 copies per deck)

    3. Inferiority

    Inferiority made the highest jump in popularity from the Regionals to the EC and nearly doubles the average number of copies played per deck. The reasons are clear: What can you dislike about a universal Stir Crazy, that is immune to Event destruction and is played without using any „real“ counters. (1.51 copies per deck)

    2. Skeleton Crew

    With all those high attribute personnel around, minimal attempts are getting more frequent and so is the weapon against them (1.56 copies per deck)

    1. Hard Time

    141 copies in total. Included in 75% of all decks! So once again I have to quote the vice world champion: „The best dilemma ever!“ But once again, vulnerable to Reyga... (1.96 copies per deck)

     We're done! The 22 most played card at the European Championship. But interestingly enough, the most mentioned card in this list was not even revealed to the public when the EC was played. Reyga, Young Ferengi Scientist may drastically change this list. Eleven out of the seventeen dilemmas that made it into the Top 20 can be prevented by Reyga. And to make it worse two out of the other six are vulnerable to Klag, Second Officer and Neral, Seasoned Politician. So what will the typical Grand Prix Dilemma pile look like? Business as usual (plus some prayers not to be paired against Ferengi) or the new Reyga-proofed pile. And will Hard Time finally leave the Top 20? We play in interesting times...