A number of synthetic approaches towards NOG and MEN have been reported, culminating in an enantioselective synthesis of MEN by Terashima in 1988 and a racemic synthesis by Hauser in 1991. However, while there is no reported total synthesis of NOG, there are approaches to the simpler analogue MEN. Terashima used a Diels-Alder cycloaddition between a CDEF-ring quinone fragment and an AB-ring diene to furnish MEN with 28 steps in the longest linear sequence. Hauser employed a key Hauser annulation to give racemic MEN with a longest linear sequence of 30 steps and published an enantioselective synthesis of the DEF-ring system in 2000. Related model studies towards the preparation of the CDEF fragment include work by the groups of Krohn and Franck, while strategies to forge the anthracycline core were reported by Wulff. The VanNieuwenhze group achieved the most advanced partial synthesis of NOG 30 using a late-stage convergent synthesis involving a key Hauser annulation. Despite this success, approaches to the shared CDEF ring of MEN and NOG are lengthy and scaffold diversification must be done early in the synthesis. From a practical standpoint, late-stage installation of the A and D-ring sugars would allow easier access to diverse analogs. Similarly, common approaches to the aglycone core lack versatility, as Hauser annulation is limited to chemistries tolerant of the preinstalled phthalide and Michael acceptor, while Diels-Alder approaches require electronic matching for high selectivity. A more efficient route to install as much functionality as possible in a few steps would be enabling.