Gone too long. B5 CCG, Hello, Old Friend... let's talk starting hands

Ah, real life... two days of traveling for work that were separated by only one hour from two days of traveling with family.  Now I've returned to B5 CCG.  Schedules and my travels have conspired to leave us with no lunch games this week, but I've decided to continue my posts on tips and tricks for veterans players and also some advice for new players when it comes to choosing a starting hand.

This is part of the game that some seem to treat with only casual regard, "grab some good cards from your deck and off you go".  I, however, feel that you build your entire deck around your starting hand and your starting hand is chosen while considering every other card in the deck.  Now I'd encourage every group to have a standing policy of announcing your deck a day or two before playing... just let others know what faction/race and if there'll be Shadows, Vorlons, Drakh, Psi Corps, Home Faction, Crusade Pile, B4,  or Nightwatch featuring prominently in your deck.  I know some will disagree, but having two Shadow players show up and no one else thought that would happen, can ruin the fun of a game, as can 4 Minbari and no Humans, or the like.  In a ruleset where only 2 people can bring a certain faction to the table, communication is vital before the game even begins.  Nor do you want to play the shell game and ambush people with a deck that no one prepared for (like a B4 or Psi Corps) that can ruin wild if unchecked.

The Starting Hand

Of course, you need to put some heavy thought into this.  Here are a few things to consider in picking those 3-5 cards to accompany your ambassador


What does your ambassador do?
In looking at the ambassador you've chosen, what does he/she do best and what will he/she be doing at the end of the game.  Are they a filler while the Drakh run everything?  Are they an intrigue/diplomacy/leadership/Shadow War/psi/etc monster?  If your ambassador is going to figure heavily into your plan to win, do these cards support that end goal?  So often I see cool upgrades or a nasty event, or a powerful fleet included in a starting hard... but they don't directly help the deck/player win the game.  What a waste.  Cards either move you towards a win, keep someone else from winning, or take up space and dilute your deck.  No where is space more vital than the starting hand.  Fun cards are fine for friendly games, but if your experiences have been less than satisfying, look long and hard at how well your ambassador and your starting hand is working towards the same goal(s).

Are there cards you must have in hand to win?
If so, consider putting them into your starting hand.  Now, if there are 10 planets you need to win (Defense in Depth) or 2 different events that unlock other cards (any mark based deck), seeding multiples of them into your deck may be good enough.  But, if that one rare card that you only have two of will need to show up in 20 cards to win you the game, maybe you should have started with it. Yeah, it make take away your character enhancement/flagship/mean character/killer conflict, but if the goal is to get that card in play, don't take the chance of never seeing it, put it in your starting hand. I cannot count how many times a player looked at me and said "oh you're lucky, if I'd hand such and such in my hand, you couldn't have won".  Well if you could have anticipated that before the game began (and often you can't), maybe it wasn't luck that gave me the game.  Think about it.

Should you be using an early game agenda?
There are so many agendas that can give a strong deck a serious early game boost.  Whether that's sponsoring cards without tapping others, giving marks vital for the late game, providing win-able conflicts early one, letting you pull other cards into your deck, or reducing the cost of necessary pieces to your supporting cast, agendas need a long hard look for a starting hand.  So many of these starting hand agenda won't win the game, but they'll give you a huge lead and build up your spending pool/ supporting cards quickly.  Build Infrastructure is one of those cards, as is Military Buildup. Now you may need to seed 6 more agenda cards into deck to remove these once you've used them, but you should at least consider building your deck and starting hand around an agenda or two... one of which might need to be in your starting hand.

How soon can you get that card into play?
Just ask, speed matters.  Think long and hard about that 12 point card you put into your starting hand. It might be the right move, but how easy is it for you to get your influence (or at least your spending pool) up to that level?  Some decks fly to the early teens, others plod along and then use other means to win.  If that's the case with your deck, that starting hand card that ends the game still in hand may not have been the best move.  Starting hand cards are taking precious space.  I firmly believe that if a card isn't in play in about 13 turns (or you're waiting to put it into play then), it really needs to go somewhere else.

How reliable is that card in your meta?
You're looking at this great card, it really helps your cause, and it seems to easy to get into play.  But that Narn player over there reliably removes one enhancement a game and its an enhancement... so either have a plan, or find a card that actually gets into play.  Cards that are nerfed in your meta really don't serve a purpose.

Does this card need other cards to work?
Don't put Lorien on your starting hand without a plan.  No point.  I, for example, put Councilor Na'Far and the Euphrates Treaty in one of my starting hands.  Turn one, sponsor the conflict, gain 1 influence (no Centauri starting ambassador can stop it... and it doesn't hurt them), meet the requirements for the Councilor, upgrade for free, play aftermath of choice, and bam! a monster for the early game conflicts.  However, looking up a question, if someone decides its too big of a head start for the Narns, they could start packing a starting hand card that removes the conflict, or the like, and I've wasted a turn for nothing.  If that happens, new starting hand.  Vorlon Space or a Z'ha'dum are simple musts for starting hands using Vorlons/Shadows.  You need those marks for so many other cards.  Either seed your deck with cards that unlock your starting hand choices (which is a valid approach) or just put those other cards in hand.

In looking at a given type, which card is the most vital to have?
You love this one character.  However, you only get one character (besides your starting ambassador) in the starting hand.  Maybe that fun media character or that trolling Zathrus just isn't the best character for the starting hand.  Believe me, there have been many times I've stared at two cards of the same type, feeling like I need/want them both for my starting hand.  Tough choices, but the wrong one can bite you early and often in a game.

Is there synergy among your starting cards?
One card boosts your ambassador, another gets you cheaper fleets, the third helps you with conflicts. Well that's nice, but this game rewards decks that chain fire strong cards.  A starting hand that makes your ambassador Godzilla among bunnies, or instead makes your Mil 7 fleets recycles, or instead lets you spawn win-able conflicts at will is much much better.  You get exponential results from boosting boosts.  For the B5 CCG three cards that boost different things by two gives you one +2 boost at a time (nice, but meh).  However a +2 that improves a +2 that improves a +2 is like a +16 boost that drops like a hammer every turn.  One Chuck Norris is better than three Ralph Macchios (no offense Ralph).

Does this card count as a one of your starting cards?
There are cards (Crusade for a... Drakh Ambassadors, Non-Aligned second team, etc) that you can put in your starting hand, but don't count as one of those 3 choices.  Be sure you're aware of these and know when they run best in your deck/hand.  Also consider maybe using a Crusade Pile or a Drakh 5th column in your deck if they align well with what you're already doing/trying to do.

Is there a better ambassador for your deck?
With Severed Dreams and Wheel of Fire the amount of alternative ambassadors exploded.  Maybe a slightly weaker ambassador but a bonus card is better for you.  Maybe one of the Home Faction ambassadors runs your deck better than the B5 one.  Maybe your starting hand isn't helping much and Londo the Gambler is better for your Centauri deck.  Maybe all the hoops your jumping through to get President Sheridan in, just aren't working/worth it and Sinclair is the better choice.  Look your ambassador square in the eyes and see if they're the right one for you (well, eye contact with the Drakh can be unnerving, careful).

...wait for it ...wait for it

Is this better than your homeworld?
After you've come up with the perfect starting hand... are every one of those cards better than your homeworld?  Its the perfect parking spot for enhancements, gives you an extra +1 on influence gains from conflicts, and it can take the homeworld out of play for another faction of your same race.  Homeworlds are the golden standard that all other cards must be held to in a starting hand.  Often the answer is "yes, this card is better than that dumpy old planet", often its not.

Is this better than an upgrade to your ambassador?
After the homeworld test, I often add another one... is it better than a better version of your ambassador.  Transformer Delenn and Signs and Portents takes a starting hand from 3 cards to 7. That's huge.  As in look down your Minbari nose at everyone else and pity their backwater planets and miserly forces huge.  Many other variations of ambassadors can do other (though less horrific) things to the competitive balance of the game.  Consider them carefully.