trish's bedtime stories

by michaelangelo

Trish Stratus. When people heard she was to be the new Limited Edition SS, groans could be heard from Peoria to Peru. "Of all the WWE superstars not in WA!, you give us Trish?" Then they dropped the bomb on us. An SS with possibly one of the most potent specials in WA:

Special: 100%

Choose a Method. When your opponent plays or connects with a move of that Method that costs 6 or more, you get "Crowd Support". Use this ability once.

Plays or connects. So, you can get 2 CS from one move connecting against you. And if they've already played a move from that move type in the current move string, then you get 3 CS. Toss in some Will to Wins, and Trish is an A/Cing machine. Combine that with some sweet TM's, and Trish can be a force to be reckoned with. But a lot of people are going to be predictable and play Trish LE/HR. Not I. Let me show you how to fulfill every red-blooded male's greatest desire: bedtime with Trish.

Repeat after me: The midgame is our friend

Now a lot of people look at her and her measly 53 HP and think speed is the answer. But I gots to say the nay-no to that one, my brotha. You want Trish to hang around to the midgame. It's going to take a bit to get a handle on the method your opponent is primarily using, because if you guess wrong, well, you're up the creek with a toilet-paper paddle. Think of the first 15-20 turns as foreplay. Use this time to suss out your opponent's gameplan while building up your mo and collecting a fistful of CS.

Trish as a heel? Have you lost your mind?

Not at all. We throw a K in the leadoff for 2 cards: Taunt and Get Illegal Leverage. Taunt may be the single most overlooked card in WA. It's the one main reason why many of my decks can't use TME.

Taunt

Cost: 3K

Damage, Heel

Draw a page. Your opponent loses one attitude. Your next move does +2 damage.

Basic. Simple. Effective. And Get Illegal Leverage is no slouch either.

Get Illegal Leverage

Cost: 7KTTT

Gameplan, Heel, Hidden

The next time you connect with a hold in the ring that does body damage, this leaves play and an "Illegal Leverage" special is played (which gives you 1 warning and each turn does +4 body damage but not more than the move's base body damage).

Let Ms. Stratus sing you a lullaby

The gameplan is simple but effective. Build up your mo until you have your minimum TTT. Get your Achilles Heel's and Illegal Leverages into play. Every move in this deck is either going to cause head damage or is a takedown, which allows you to use Mat Wrestling. Save the Stratusfactions for counters. Nothing makes your opponent curse the WA gods more than going for a Power Slam or Throw Over the Ropes only to see it reversed to a Stratusfaction. And at 12 mo, plus a stun, the cheapest finisher in the game may well be one of the best. After that, all that'll be left to do is slap on a Camel Clutch or Dragon Sleeper and watch as Trish turns the lights out on your opponent. And when all is said and done, and your opponent is watching his SS submit to Trish, he'll have only one thing to say:

Dag yo.

Click here to see the deck text.