Table of Contents

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NG Single Segment

The New Game route uses a luck manipulation until the first boss, Harab Serap. After that point, the general route depends on the stage and needs at the time. You need to be careful with your points, which cards to sell or upgrade that may drop along the way. While you will want to purchase card packs, make sure to leave enough points for any upgrades you want to do.

The routing overall assumes Easy difficulty, as certain bosses can become painfully long on Normal if you don't get lucky drops. Additionally, Easy will remove alerts if you enter a new area from a load transition, making stages like Prototype Factory and Security Section easier.

Which special MGS1 card you are given at the start is seemingly random, you can get either a Roy Campbell or Cyborg Ninja. Cyborg Ninja is preferable, as it can take out distant targets at a low cost.

In order to manipulate our deck, you must follow a sequence of actions in game, and remove/add cards at the right time.

Upgrading cards can affect RNG. Adding an upgraded card versus a non-upgraded card to your deck is different, RNG wise.

Either the rank or number of times guards spot you affect RNG.

Notes

Sentences that are bold and italic indicate a cutscene that will interrupt Snake’s/Venus’s movement (when it is fixed).

To reduce clutter, Venus's deck will only be shown for the stages she is playable.

Findings

Deck Outlines and Menuing

This section will give a brief overview of the strategies and approaches for various decks throughout the game.

Always tap left to sell multiples of a single card. Sell from top to bottom to reduce inputs. Card order in ID is determined by ID, which won't be visible unless you look at a card. If you never look at a card, it is labelled as <N> and can be changed in the IN Deck tab. Going by category can also help.

A card needs to be very powerful to spend any more than 2000 points in a single. Always ask if the value of the card is the equivalent of its pack price.

To learn more about the cards available and their rankings, go to the NG Card Table

Manipulation Deck

After Manipulation

Sneaking Deck

Venus Pistol Deck

Metal Gear Deck

Human Fight Deck

Pack Discussion

Let's look at each pack individually, and consider their usefulness.

MGS3 (METAL GEAR SOLID 3) - Costs 600 to purchase upon completion of Stage 3a (Communications Tower 1)

MGS2 (METAL GEAR SOLID 2) - Costs 900 to purchase upon completion of Stage 5b (the first boss fight, Harab Serap)

CHRN (CHRONICLE) - Costs 1200 to purchase upon completion of Stage 8b (Residential Area 2)

MGS1 (METAL GEAR SOLID 1) - Costs 1500 to purchase upon completion of Stage 10b (Secondary Bridge)

MGS3

This is the first set of cards you can access. Overall, the MGS3 Collection is mediocre with some stand outs.

Cost -4 and Ally Cost -4 are fantastic when upgraded, but are the weakest cost reduction cards in the game. Many of the character cards are pretty bad and should be sold. There are some exceptions. N.S. Sokolov's anti-armor properties can be useful for Qadesh. Ocelot upgrades into Revolver Ocelot, reducing your shooting cost to 2 for 20 cost. Mr. Sigint draws 3 cards instead of 2 each turn. The Fear, if you want to boost your damage when covered in oil, blinded, on fire, bleeding, etc.

If you wanted to grind for points, Military Gain+ is a great way to do it, along with Big Boss on stages where ATK doesn't matter. GRU soldier is more cost efficient than GRU soldier+. Reaction Block sells for 1000 points! Most of the trap cards are bad and should be sold.

Hip Shot+ is a fantastic card. AKM's upgrade AKMN comes in clutch due to its anti-armor properties. ATK Linkage/Hit Linkage/Cost Linkage/Add AP Linkage can all be very useful, especially Add AP Linkage for Metal gear fights. Choke+, Survival Knife+, and William Tell+ are great ways to deal damage and take out enemies. Mk22 is only okay when upgraded. VZ61 is an okay silenced AOE gun, but costly at 8. OICW is only good for providing ammo, and nothing else.

MGS2

This is the second set of cards you can access. Overall, the MGS2 Collection is quite useful, accessible early, and affordable. It provides the best value for the money.

Cost -6 is a marked improvement over Cost -4. There are multiple card draws in MGS2, including Olga Gurlukovich (very nice when upgraded), Johnny Sasaki and Briefing (both are great mulligan cards), and Funds (the weakest card draw, but special). Funds+ literally is just that, providing a 500 point profit when sold. Thus, if you find 2 Funds, you can purchase another MGS2 pack!

The weapon cards can vary from mediocre to excellent. The P90/AKS74u can be great, but you need ammo for it. The H.F. Blade is fantastic for human targets. M9/M9+ lets us sleep guards consistently, useful for stages like Prototype Factory and ??? 1F. There are many great weapon cards, including cost efficient and accurate pistols (USP/P8, Makarov/PMM). The P8 deals the highest damage and fires more quickly than the PMM, however the PMM is 5% more accurate. Spin Kick provides utility with knockdown in a linear direction from you. The blades (H.F./Solidus Snake) are better than Survival Knife, dealing great damage and some can destroy equipment. M4 is only useful for providing ammo to the R5 in CHRN. Nikita Missile can be good against human targets, though be mindful of positioning and its lengthy animation.

The movement cards provide higher cost efficiency than the movement cards in MGS3 (Marines+, Navy SEALs+, Gurlukovich Soldier+). Hang and Solid Snake (MGS2) are useful for certain stages have shortcuts if you can hang from a rail. Hang is a decent filler at 4 cost, Solid Snake (MGS2) needs a 1k upgrade to be a 4 cost filler. Best to keep Solid Snake (MGS2) for stages that need hang. Another situational movement card is Raiden, knocking down and jumping over gaps (such as for the RPG in Proto Factory)

Silenced/Silenced+ allows you to use weapons you normally couldn't use when sneaking around, which can be very useful in certain stages. Double Action can give you a prolific turn with either character, if you have the right cards to complement it. Defense Linkage acts as a filler card that improves your defense. Uniform-B and Uniform-G are better than Body Armor, providing more protection for the same cost.

While CHRN and MGS1 have better weapons, and there are some stinkers in the collection (many of the character cards, Funamushi, Draw/HP Linkage, M4), MGS2's value proposition and access to cards that are useful for the rest of the game make it the most reliable pick when purchasing multiple booster packs.

CHRN

This is the third set of cards you can access. Overall, the CHRN Collection has great attack cards and offers unique options, but is limited in other ways.

The best card in the Collection is Solid Snake (MG). With its upgraded version, the ammo equipped to a gun can be used multiple times over. With well chosen equipped weapons and ammo weapons, the damage can be very high. At 2000 in the singles shop, it is very worthwhile purchasing.

Attack cards in CHRN complement MGS2 well. M92F is the best pistol you will realistically gain during the run. Handgun has 0% reaction, avoiding the annoyances of randomly attacking and losing your gun. Galil Sar upgrades to the R5, a very powerful rifle. While the Five-seveN deals great damage, it has a high reaction and takes 5.7mm. This limits it to P90 and itself for ammo. Fire Trooper and Pyro Bison are essentially buffed up Fury cards. The RC Missile does more damage than its MGS2 counterpart. The Ingram M11 and SMG are more useful for feeding ammo, but the 100% reaction gimmick for Ingram M11 can be situational. Slasher Hawk does not work on Metal Gears, limiting its use.

Chronicle provides great help for Metal Gear Chaioth Ha Qadesh. The PTRS-1941 deals a strong 300 damage with anti-armor. The upgraded Gary Murray protects you from the ! stomp. Gijin-san permanently adds damage to your characters. Just be aware it cuts your point total in half.

Many of the Character cards scale from pointless to interesting effects. Cards like La Clown, Teliko Freedman, Marrionette Owl, and Viper are trash. Leone and Roger McCoy could be useful with extremely good timing. Tony Redwood and Gillian Seed pair well with MGS1 Desert Eagle for 100% hit chance. Alice Hazel and Chris Jenner's anti-knockdown properties can be very useful in stages where getting knocked off can kill or lose time, such as Proto Factory, Train, or Secondary Bridge.

Where CHRN lacks is movement cards and cost reduction cards. Aside from ADA, which only augments movement cards, there are no movement cards. Pure cost reduction is also absent, outside of Solid Snake (MG) and the gimmicky but potentially useful Ideaspy 2.5. The rations are good supplements to the standard ration, but heal for less.

It's not a terrible idea to buy a few CHRN packs, but don't overdo it. Many cards are situational, and gaining cost reduction, movement, and stingers is more important.

MGS1

This is the final set of cards you can access. Overall, the MGS1 Collection possesses some of the best weapons in the game, but in a NG run we won't realistically access most of them due to the prohibitive cost. Think of MGS1 cards as a potential bonus to end the run.

First, the bad - there's a lot of low value cards that should be ignored entirely. Cards 272 (Remove Trap) to 280 (Card Seal) are all horribly expensive and provide little utility. Dumpster cards include Donald Anderson, Wolf Dog, Decoy Octopus, Mine Detector, Body Armor, and Endure.

Put those aside, and some character cards shine. Meryl Silverburgh cuts your cost in half, which can be a nice way to end a big turn. Otacon is similar to MGS3's Sokolov card, giving some needed help for Qadesh. Sniper Wolf is an alright hit + card, if you equip a low accuracy gun. Aim and scope are generally more useful. The other character cards are mediocre.

Cost -10 is so good that upgrading it isn't really necessary. Genome Soldier is a great movement card, but comes way too late into the speedrun. Action+ Linkage and Ammo Linkage are nice boosts to our end game. Eq. Lv 2 will make Snake more useful during the boss fights.

The stand out weapons are FAMAS/G1, SOCOM, and Desert Eagle. Pair the SOCOM with upgrade M1911s, and you have fairly powerful weapon. FAMAS/G1 is an amazing use card! The Desert Eagle will decimate any target it hits, with 400 damage! Just make sure to pair it with a card that increases hit chance. The FIM-92B does great damage against Qadesh!

Due to its uneven collection, prohibitive cost, and end game nature, it's not worth the risk of purchase. However, if guards do drop packs, don't sleep on MGS1!

Starting Decks

SNAKE’S STARTING DECK: Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
006 Stun Grenade 2
021 Claymore 2
049 Action+ 1
069 Survival Knife 1
070 Choke 2
074 Scope 2
075 Body Armor 2
076 Box A 2
078 Ration 2
105 Front Evade 2
109 Cost -4 2
125 Roy Campbell* 1
130 Cyborg Ninja* 1
174 GRU Soldier 3
181 Front Lines 2
237 Hit Linkage 1
256 Mk22 2

VENUS’S STARTING DECK: Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
009 USP 3
010 Makarov 3
012 M4 3
043 M15 Grenade 2
048 Equipment Lv. 2 1
050 Marines 2
051 Navy SEALs 1
057 Spin Kick 1
067 Funds 1
075 Body Armor 2
078 Ration 2
084 Handy Medical Kit 1
085 Survival Kit 1
108 Handy 1st Aid Kit 1
109 Cost -4 1
110 Ally Cost -4 1
147 Olga Gurlukovich 1
266 OICW 3

Depending on RNG, Snake will start with a Campbell card or Ninja card. No other cards change

Deck Change Reference

If you need a reference to just deck changes for each stage, check out the MGA2 Deck Change Reference.

Tutorials

Tutorial 1

Advance to the goal.

Tutorial 2

Advance to the goal by running behind the guard on the left.

Tutorial 3

With one GRU card, move North 4 blocks and enter crawl mode. On the next Rest, move North through the vent, stand again once Snake is through it, and advance to the goal.

Tutorial 4

Move 2 blocks North, press Snake against the right wall and knock, then move towards the goal on the left side. After the guard has moved around the other side, advance to the goal.

Tutorial 5

Immediately use the M1911a1 card to right to kill the guard.

Tutorial 6

Use a GRU card to move up the ladder and then one block East. End turn. Equip an M4 card and load with the other M4 card to kill the guard.

Stage 1 | Harbors Area

STARTING HAND: Body Armor, Choke, Front Lines, Cyborg Ninja/Roy Campbell, Claymore, Cost -4

All moves will be done with the card selected on the first slot, aside from Cost -4s and Cyborg Ninja.

When both Cost -4s are at the start of the hand, press left to use the back items.

93 Cost, 1 Found, 1 Kill, Pts Earned 1800, Total Pts 4000, Rank B

Stage 2 | Control Section

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <b>ID Tab:</b><br>

<span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x1 [181] Front Lines <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x1 [157] Running Man<br>

<b>Upgrade Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x1 [049] Action+<br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x1 [157] Running Man<br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x2 [174] GRU Soldier<br>

END<br> </html> DO NOT UPGRADE RUNNING MAN FIRST, UPGRADE AFTER ADDING IT TO YOUR DECK!

SNAKE'S DECK: Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
006 Stun Grenade 2
021 Claymore 2
062 Action++ 1
069 Survival Knife 1
070 Choke 2
074 Scope 2
075 Body Armor 2
076 Box A 2
078 Ration 2
105 Front Evade 2
109 Cost -4 2
130 Cyborg Ninja 1
174 GRU Soldier 1
181 Front Lines 1
237 Hit Linkage 1
256 Mk22 2
441 Running Man+ 1
458 GRU Soldier+ 2

STARTING HAND: Ration, Box A, GRU Sld, Ration, Front Evade, Cyborg Ninja

103 Cost, 1 Found, 1 Kill, 1700 Pts Earned, 3000 Total Pts, Rank C

Stage 3a | Communications Tower

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br>

<b>Upgrade Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x2 [109] Cost -4<br>

END<br> </html>
SNAKE'S DECK: Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
006 Stun Grenade 2
021 Claymore 2
062 Action++ 1
069 Survival Knife 1
070 Choke 2
074 Scope 2
075 Body Armor 2
076 Box A 2
078 Ration 2
105 Front Evade 2
125 Roy Campbell* 1
130 Cyborg Ninja* 1
174 GRU Soldier 1
181 Front Lines 1
237 HIT Linkage 1
256 Mk22 2
398 Cost -5 2
441 Running Man+ 1
458 GRU Soldier+ 2

STARTING HAND: Ration, Choke, Hit Linkage, GRU Sld+, Cost -5, Running Man+

RESULTS: Cost 62, 0 Found, 1 Kill, 2200 Pts Earned, 2200 Total Pts, Rank B

Stage 3b | Communications Tower

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br>

<b>Upgrade Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x2 [006] Stun Grenade<br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x1 [181] The Fury<br>

END<br> </html>
SNAKE'S DECK: Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
021 Claymore 2
062 Action++ 1
069 Survival Knife 1
070 Choke 2
074 Scope 2
075 Body Armor 2
076 Box A 2
078 Ration 2
105 Front Evade 2
130 Cyborg Ninja 1
174 GRU Soldier 1
181 Front Lines 1
237 HIT Linkage 1
256 Mk22 2
305 Stun Grenade+ 2
398 Cost -5 2
441 Running Man+ 1
458 GRU Soldier+ 2
464 The Fury+ 1

STARTING HAND: Mk22, Combat Knife, Choke, Box A, Scope, Running Man+

RESULTS: Cost 30, 0 Found, 4 Kills, 2500 Pts Earned, 2700 Total Pts, Rank S

Stage 4a | Research Block

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br>

<b>Upgrade Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x2 [007] Chaff Grenade<br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x1 [069] Survival Knife<br>

<b>ID Tab:</b><br>

<span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 [N] Chaff Grenade+<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x2 [256] Mk22 <br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x1 [226] Front Lines <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x1 [N] Hang<br>

END<br> </html> DO NOT MOVE CHAFF GRENADES BEFORE UPGRADING!
SNAKE'S DECK: Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
021 Claymore 2
062 Action++ 1
070 Choke 2
074 Scope 2
075 Body Armor 2
076 Box A 2
078 Ration 2
105 Front Evade 2
107 Hang 1
130 Cyborg Ninja 1
174 GRU Soldier 1
237 HIT Linkage 1
305 Stun Grenade+ 2
306 Chaff Grenade+ 2
360 Survival Knife+ 1
398 Cost -5 2
441 Running Man+ 1
458 GRU Soldier+ 2
464 The Fury+ 1

Section A

STARTING HAND: Box A, Chaff Grenade+, Scope, Choke, Cost -5, Stun Grenade+

Section B

RESULTS: Cost 111, Found 0, Kills 0, Pts Earned 2700, Total Pts 2900, Rank S

Stage 4b | Research Block

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br>

<b>Upgrade Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x2 [070] Choke<br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x2 [076] Box A<br>

END<br> </html>

Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
021 Claymore 2
062 Action++ 1
074 Scope 2
075 Body Armor 2
078 Ration 2
105 Front Evade 2
107 Hang 1
130 Cyborg Ninja 1
174 GRU Soldier 1
237 HIT Linkage 1
305 Stun Grenade+ 2
306 Chaff Grenade+ 2
360 Survival Knife+ 1
361 Choke+ 2
367 Box A+ 2
398 Cost -5 2
441 Running Man+ 1
458 GRU soldier+ 2
464 The Fury+ 1

STARTING HAND: Body Armor, Scope, The Fury+, Box A+, Body Armor, Box A+

RESULTS: Cost 111, Found 0, Kills 0, Pts Earned 2700, Total Pts 3600, Rank S

Stage 5a | Security Section

NO DECK CHANGES, but check your Singles in case a worthwhile card is for sale!

Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
021 Claymore 2
062 Action++ 1
074 Scope 2
075 Body Armor 2
078 Ration 2
105 Front Evade 2
107 Hang 1
130 Cyborg Ninja 1
174 GRU Soldier 1
237 HIT Linkage 1
305 Stun Grenade+ 2
306 Chaff Grenade+ 2
361 Choke+ 2
367 Box A+ 2
398 Cost -5 2
441 Running Man+ 1
458 GRU Soldier+ 2
464 The Fury+ 1

STARTING HAND: GRU Sld+, Chaff Grenade+, Box A+, Action++, Hang, Stun Grenade+

Section A

Section B

RESULTS: Cost 87, Found 6, Kills 1, Pts Earned 3000, Total Pts 6600, Rank B

Stage 5b | Security Section (BOSS: Harab Serap)

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br>

<b>Upgrade Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:yellow”>UPGRADE</span> x2 [256] Mk22<br>

<b>ID Tab:</b><br>

<span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 [N] Mk22+<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x1 [N] Box A+ <br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x2 [105] Stun Grenade+ <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x1 [N] C96<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 [N] M1911<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x2 [105] Front Evade <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 [N] AKM<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x2 [021] Claymore <br>

END<br> </html> Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
032 AKM 2
062 Action++ 1
074 Scope 2
075 Body Armor 2
078 Ration 2
107 Hang 1
130 Cyborg Ninja 1
174 GRU Soldier 1
237 HIT Linkage 1
257 M1911 2
262 C96 1
306 Chaff Grenade+ 2
360 Survival Knife+ 1
361 Choke+ 2
367 Box A+ 1
398 Cost -5 2
441 Running Man+ 1
458 GRU Soldier+ 2
464 The Fury+ 1

Boss HP Per Difficulty:
Easy: 800
Normal: 1000

Starting Hand: The Fury+, AKM, Mk22+, Survival Knife+, Cyborg Ninja, Body Armor

NOTE: This is where the manipulation ends, due to so many possible variations on this fight. So, if you have extra weapons you picked up along the way, you can add them. However, the manipulation does lead to a decent starting hand and fight overall. It's risky to add a card, but potentially worthwhile with a William Tell+ and other weapon cards.

RESULTS: Cost 48, Found 0, Kills 1, Pts Earned 3400, Total Pts 9000, Rank S (ideally)

Stage 4c | Research Block

END OF MANIPULATION ROUTE, for the rest of the game, the routing becomes fluid, depending on your card drops, singles you can buy, etc.

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <br> <b>Upgrade Tab:</b><br> Tap R once to quickly go to Marines and Navy SEALs<br> <span style=“color:Yellow”>UPGRADE</span> Marines x2<br> <span style=“color:Yellow”>UPGRADE</span> Navy SEALs x1<br>

<br>

END<br> </html> SNAKE'S DECK: Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
032 AKM 2
062 Action++ 1
074 Scope 2
075 Body Armor 2
078 Ration 2
107 Hang 1
130 Cyborg Ninja 1
174 GRU Soldier 1
237 HIT Linkage 1
257 M1911 2
262 C96 1
306 Chaff Grenade+ 2
360 Survival Knife+ 1
361 Choke+ 2
367 Box A+ 1
398 Cost -5 2
441 Running Man+ 1
458 GRU Soldier+ 2
464 The Fury+ 1

VENUS’S DECK: Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
009 USP 3
010 Makarov 3
012 M4 3
043 M15 Grenade 2
048 Equipment Lv. 2 1
057 Spin Kick 1
067 Funds 1
075 Body Armor 2
078 Ration 2
084 Handy Medical Kit 1
085 Survival Kit 1
108 Handy 1st Aid Kit 1
109 Cost -4 1
110 Ally Cost -4 1
346 Marines+ 2
347 Navy SEALs+ 1

Ideally, use Venus for this stage, since she is 2 blocks closer to the end goal. If you have a nice starting hand with Snake (Action++, Running Man+), go with him.

Rank A provides 2400 points and 2 cards, Rank S provides 2700 points and 3 cards.

Stage 4d | Research Block (BOSS: Vince)

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> You should focus on editing Venus's deck<br> <br> <b>Upgrade Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Yellow”>UPGRADE</span> USP x2<br> <span style=“color:Yellow”>UPGRADE</span> Makarov x3<br> Tap L 2 Times<br> <span style=“color:Yellow”>UPGRADE</span> Cost-4 x1<br> <span style=“color:Yellow”>UPGRADE</span> Ally Cost-4 x1<br> <span style=“color:Yellow”>UPGRADE</span> Olga Gurlukovich x1<br> Tap L 1 Time, scroll up<br> <span style=“color:Yellow”>UPGRADE</span> Funds x1<br> <span style=“color:Yellow”>UPGRADE</span> Spin Kick x1 (optional, the upgrade is expensive and not great)<br> <br> <b>In Deck Tab:</b><br> Tap R 1 Time, scroll up<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x1 [084] Handy Medical Kit<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x2 [085] Survival Kit<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x1 [108] Handy 1st Aid Kit<br>

<br> <b>ID Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x3 low cost cards, attacks, or mulligans<br> <br> <b>Card Shop: This sell menu can be done at Terminal as well</b><br> <span style=“color:Orange”>SELL</span> x2 [021] Claymore<br> <span style=“color:Orange”>SELL</span> x1 [084] Handy Medical Kit (optional, can be saved for Qadesh)<br> <span style=“color:Orange”>SELL</span> x1 [085] Survival Kit<br> <span style=“color:Orange”>SELL</span> x1 [108] Handy 1st Aid Kit<br> <span style=“color:Orange”>SELL</span> x2 [226] Front Lines<br> <span style=“color:Orange”>SELL</span> x? [XXX] Junk<br> <span style=“color:Orange”>SELL</span> x2 [021] Claymore<br>

END<br> </html> SNAKE'S DECK: Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
032 AKM 2
062 Action++ 1
074 Scope 2
075 Body Armor 2
078 Ration 2
107 Hang 1
130 Cyborg Ninja 1
174 GRU Soldier 1
237 HIT Linkage 1
257 M1911 2
262 C96 1
306 Chaff Grenade+ 2
360 Survival Knife+ 1
361 Choke+ 2
367 Box A+ 1
398 Cost -5 2
441 Running Man+ 1
458 GRU Soldier+ 2
464 The Fury+ 1

VENUS’S DECK: Deck Size: 30

Card Number Name Number of Cards
XXX Insert Cards 3
009 USP 1
012 M4 3
043 M15 Grenade 2
048 Equipment Lv. 2 1
057 Spin Kick 1
075 Body Armor 2
078 Ration 2
308 P8 2
309 PMM 3
342 M15+ 2
346 Marines+ 2
347 Navy SEALs+ 1
359 Funds+ 1
398 Cost -5 2
399 Ally Cost -5 1
433 Olga Gurlukovich+ 1

Stage 4e | Research Block

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> Snake only; don't change Venus's deck.<br> <br> <b>In Deck Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Body Armor (rations are more cost effective, but keeping Body Armor gives peace of mind during the run)<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Box A+ (the only stage where Box may be effective is Proto Factory, otherwise it is a filler<br> <b>ID Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Weapons<br> END<br> </html>

Stage 4f | Research Block

NO DECK CHANGES

This stage is just a cutscene. Skip it.

Stage 6 | Terminal

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <br>

<b>Card Shop:</b><br> <span style=“color:Purple”>BUY</span> x2 MGS2 Boosters (optional)<br> <br> <b>In Deck Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> AKM (save these for Qadesh)<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> OICW (save these in case you get a Galil later, M4 preferred)<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> M4 (save these in case you get a Galil later)<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> M15 Grenades (these are useless and can now be sold)<br> <br> <b>ID Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> low cost cards<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> movement cards<br> END<br> </html>

Stage 7 | Cargo Train

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> </html>

Stage 8a | Residential Area

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> END<br> </html>

All guards start with 10 cost. Advance Snake and Venus to the goal downstairs in the Northwest side of the room.

Stage 8b | Residential Area

NO DECK CHANGES

Don't move Snake on this stage; only Venus needs to get to the secret underground entrance. Remember to hold triangle to skip Snake's turns.

Stage 10a | Secondary Bridge

NO DECK CHANGES
This stage is just a cutscene. Skip it.

Stage 9a | Metal Gear Prototype Factory

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <br> <b>Card Shop:</b><br> <span style=“color:Purple”>BUY</span> x10 MGS2 Boosters<br> <span style=“color:Purple”>BUY</span> x3 CHRN Boosters (optional)<br> <br> Remember to leave some money for any upgrades you'd like to do. <br> <span style=“color:Orange”>SELL</span> x1 [359] Funds+<br> <span style=“color:Orange”>SELL</span> x? [XXX] Junk<br>

<br> <b>ID Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Hang/Solid Snake (MGS2)<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Raiden<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> low cost, stealthy (Silenced, suppressed guns, blades)<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> ALL Stuns<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 [361] Choke+<br>

END<br> </html>

This stage requires patient play, and is probably the hardest stage in the entire run

Considering how large the starting area is, it's really important to keep cost to zero as much as possible on this stage. For Snake's and Venus's first turn, incur cost and reduce it to zero without moving so that every guard in the area will have at least 4 cost.

Area 1

Area 2

Stage 9b | Metal Gear Prototype Factory (BOSS: Golab)

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <br> <b>In Deck Tab:</b><br> <br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Any irrelevant sneaking cards<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Stun Grenades<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Chaff Grenades<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Movement cards<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Hang cards<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x2 [361] Choke+<br>

<b>ID Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Any relevant attack cards<br> END<br> </html>

Stage 9c | Metal Gear Prototype Factory (BOSS: KODOQUE)

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <b>In Deck Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> AOE attack cards<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Any Blades<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x1 [057] Spin Kick<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> x1 [237] HIT Linkage<br> <b>ID Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Any [565] FIM-92A (upgrade of Redeye-II)<br> <br> PRESS TRIANGLE TO SWITCH TO VENUS<br>

END<br> </html>

Stage 10b | Secondary Bridge

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <b>In Deck Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Stingers<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> High Cost Weapons<br>

<b>ID Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 [305] Stun Grenades+<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 [306] Chaff Grenades+<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x? Movement<br> END<br> </html>

Stage 11a | ??? 1F

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br>

<b>ID Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 [361] Choke+<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x? Movement<br> END<br> </html>

Stage 11b | ??? 2F (BOSS: Chaigadiel)

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <b>In Deck Tab:</b><br> <br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Any AOE attacks<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Boxes<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Movement<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> ALL [305] Stun Grenade+<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> ALL [306] Chaff Grenade+<br> <br> <b>In ID Tab:</b><br> <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Relevant Attack Cards<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Body Armor/Uniforms<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Nikita/RC Missile<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Rations<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Serum+<br>

END<br> </html>

Stage 11c | ??? 3F (BOSS: Vince)

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <br> <b>In Deck Tab:</b><br> <br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> Serum+<br> <b>In ID Tab:</b><br> <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Blades<br>

END<br> </html>

Stage 11d | ??? 4F (BOSS: Metal Gear Chaioth Ha Qadesh)

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <br> <b>Card Shop: Last time you should purchase boosters!</b><br> <span style=“color:Purple”>BUY</span> x10 MGS2 Boosters<br> <br> <b>ID Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> ANY FIM-92A (ugpraded Redeye II) <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 AKMN <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x1 Type-17 Pistol <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 PSG1-T <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x2 Scope+ (one to each character) <br> END<br> </html>

One character should have AKMN, Type-17, and PSG1-T to build anti-armor. Equip AKMN and use other guns for damage. If the other character does not have access to any good cards, stack pistols.

Stage 11e | ??? 5F (BOSS: Venus)

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> Snake only; don't change Venus's deck.<br> <b>In-Deck Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> ALL Guns<br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> ALL Attacks, including Stingers<br> <b>ID Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> ALL [306] Chaff Grenade+ to Snake<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> ALL movement<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> ALL filler support cards<br> END<br> </html>

Venus mirrors Snake's deck, except she has level 3 equipment! Thankfully, we can exploit the balcony and take out Venus quickly.

Move Snake to the corner railing on the East side of the stage and face West so that his back is to a railing and his left side is to a railing. Keep cost as low as possible and at least 3 cards in Snake's hand at all times. Venus will continually run up to Snake and use Punch on him. Once Snake has made it to that corner and Venus is adjacent to him from the West, use Punch to knock her off the balcony.

Stage 12a | Escape Route

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> <br> <b>In-Deck Tab: Venus</b><br> <span style=“color:Red”>REMOVE</span> ALL high cost weapons<br> <b>ID Tab:</b><br> <br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> ALL Chaff to Venus<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> ALL Stingers to Venus<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> Movement/low cost cards to Venus<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> ALL Hang/Solid Snake MGS2 to both characters<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> ALL Raiden cards to both characters<br>

END<br> </html>

Stage 12b | Escape Route

<html> <span style=“color:White”>DECK CHANGES</span><br> Venus Only; don't change Snake's deck.<br> <b>In Deck Tab:</b><br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x4 [299] Redeye-II<br> <span style=“color:Lime”>ADD</span> x4 [565] FIM-92A<br> END<br> </html>

Mash through the cutscenes until a cutscene showing Venus and Dr. Takiyama appears on the screen. This cutscene is unskippable. Once it ends, the ending credits will play. After the credits are over, a skippable cutscene showing Snake in bandages will appear. RTA ends at the Clear screen that appears. Press Circle to close this screen, then save your cleared file for IGT.