Squad Leader: L8 General Onimaru (4/5A) Frenzy 1, Readiness
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Reputable Newsman (0/3) $8 blocked
Lookout:
In Play:
Solderi (1/1) Sparkshot
Solderi (1/1) Sparkshot
Solderi (1/1) Sparkshot
Buildings:
Base HP: 19
Tech I HP: 5
Tech II HP: 4 (Peace)
Tech III HP: 5
Tower HP: 3
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 4
Deck: 3
Disc: 6
Gold:
Gold: 2
Workers: 11
Thoughts
Time to put this 2-hero Meta question to the test. The fact that he still has no Tech II is rather interesting. Best thing I can do right now is provide lots of targets to choose from and make first contact with my patrol count. I would field a backline Quince in hopes of a faux-haste Gryphon attack, but i expect D&D is incoming, and he wouldn’t survive it.
Going to be Carrion Curse after technician again it seems, can you start spoiler tagging it?
Line I'm working, for posterity, will add as separate post after techn revealed
I just want to point out, for the record, this feels a lot harder to me. Idk if you’re feeling better equipped, and I feel like it’s gonna get rough for me on P2.
I just want to point out, for the record, this feels a lot harder to me. Idk if you’re feeling better equipped, and I feel like it’s gonna get rough for me on P2.
Death and Decay, Dark Pact
Banefire Golem, Death and Decay
Metamorphosis, Blackhand Dozer
Carrion Curse, Hooded Executioner
Dark Pact, Bone Collector
Main:
Dark Pact, base to 14 draw 2
Deteriorate Soldier backline
Vandy trades with Oni, blah, tower has detected
Orpal kills Newsie, plague spreads to other soldiers, you draw 1
Carrion Curse, let’s see what you’re up to… Discard the Garrisons I guess, as I fear for me life from Gryphons (7)
Haunt pings your base to 18, replay from grave
Worker (6)
Workers
Metamorphosis, Thieving Imp, Summon Skeletons, Poisonblade Rogue, Skeletal Archery, Jandra, The Negator, Sacrifice The Weak
Patrol as below
Discard 2 Draw 4
Tech 2 cards before my next turn
Board Info:
Buildings:
Base HP: 14
Tech1 HP: 5
Hero’s Hall HP: 4
In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician:
Lookout:
In Play:
Graveyard (3hp, holding Bone Collector and Hooded Executioner)
Orpal (4/7 lvl 6 invisible readiness)
Pestering Haunt (1/1)
Economy Info:
Cards:
Hand: 4
Deck: 0
Disc: 5
Gold:
Gold: 6
Workers: 11
End of Turn Hand
End of Turn Discard
My Thoughts
No techs here, it’s all about what I draw with DP but I got plenty to spend gold on…
…
Gut punch, oof… Actually, this is okay? I can clear the board, and provided he doesn’t have 3x of Garrison and Free Speech, I can probably just double DnD next turn? That would be epic AF. Okay let’s see what’s goin on there…
Wow! 2x Patriot. Okay I need to be able to end next turn, but 2x DnD means 6 + 8 (4 buildings) is 14, plus Orpal is 18! Man I might actually take this! Incredible, Orpal you da real MVP dawg!
On my end, the early game still feels extremely oppressive, almost as bad as standard Blue vs. Black, but that pressure lets up somewhat in the mid- to late- game where you would want access to 3 heroes, assuming you haven’t already built an overwhelming advantage. Between that and the extreme mileage you’re letting me get out of my Tower as you conveniently proc my Technician bonus every turn, I feel like I’m barely able to hold on, but it could all come crashing down at any moment with a Death and Decay. I agree Metamorphosis isn’t the game-ender that it was when Garth could get in on the fun, but Vandy’s aggression and Orpal’s suppression have me feeling like I’m completely at the mercy of you and the shuffler. There’s very little in my toolbox that Disease can’t shut down, but if we were to keep playing with you as P1, I’d probably try to spam Justice Juggernauts in a game to bait you into using Plague Spitters and overflow your Graveyard, though I have some doubts as to how effective that would be. Maybe part of why I feel like I might still have a chance to win is that you’ve also been bearing the gold cost of suppression this game, whereas usually I’ve borne it through Free Speech. So far, I feel like this is somewhere between no-Vandy and standard, but closer to standard. I definitely don’t feel better equipped, but I do feel like you’re not hitting as hard as usual this game.
The problem here is how to keep a Gryphon alive. He has enough gold to D&D and then boost his Executioner to kill a Gryphon, and I can only afford to play one of them this turn (and he STILL hasn’t built a Tech II… !!!). However, Vandy just died, and without Garth, that means he’s out of card draw. No reshuffle, so assuming he didn’t already tech 2 copies of D&D, I have a better than 50/50 chance of escaping it, just considering the math… but there’s plenty suspicious about this situation. With an empty deck and no reshuffle, he knows exactly which cards he’ll have next turn, and there must be a reason he’s floating so much gold. Best case scenario, he wants to keep the Executioner available in Graveyard at all costs, so doesn’t want to play any more units, and therefore the Tech II would be rundundant given his Heroes’ Hall and lack of a 3rd hero… so he’s not floating gold for a specific purpose, but just has nothing better to spend it on. If he had one copy of D&D and it was in hand last turn, why would he spend gold on Carrion Curse when he could D&D, then use the Haunt to finish off my Tech II… and save himself a card on Deteriorate at the same time? And why is his Haunt pinging my base when he could be working towards tech supression? Very strange, and I wouldn’t put it past Frozen to bluff being concerned about the Gryphons only to follow up with a D&D/Execution/double-Tech-break. Then again, if he does cast D&D next turn, I’m screwed regardless of what I do, so I’ll gamble everything on the assumption he can’t, bluff or no. Deteriorate is confirmed unavailable, but he still has Orpal midband to take out the Flagbearer; the Haunt and/or Orpal can kill a Mirror, and that clears the way for Executioner to down the Gryphon… which means I need both Mirrors, which means I can’t afford to stash the other Gryphon… and it’ll all be for naught if he has a 2nd Executioner, a StW, or a Sickness in hand. Man, this is rough… there are so many ways it could fail, but if it succeeds, I might have a chance. Teching in Alphas, because they’re the only cards available that won’t evaporate in the face of D&D or Carrion Curse, assuming the game drags on long enough for it to matter. Sure would be nice to have been able to play a Garrison or two… if I’d expected him to go so heavy on Carrion Curse, I would have workered all my starter spells and buildings and only teched in units… then again, if not for the threat of Garrisons, he probably wouldn’t be spending all that gold on Curses, but looking at his excess gold now, I’m not sure it’s worth the card loss for me.
I agree with that assessment from my end. Early game Vandy + DP + BC still gets insane gold and card trades, combined with Deteriorate, Graveyard, and Imp I feel like I have a nearly free board wipe up through turn 5 or so where you’re not even getting a comparable amount back via Scav / Techn.
But when it gets time to setup the “answer Meta or get wrecked” portion of a normal game where I’d get a tech 2 after putting Garth out on Hero’s Hall, I feel I have to start really giving things away to grind out much smaller advantages, and can’t close unless I line up Death and Decay and Carrion Curse well against Garrisons and Free Speech. Tower is definitely your MVP so far, it’s much harder for me to access it.
I might be mistaken but I think this may be a forum-first double death and decay turn, GG WP!
Death and Decay
Skeleton Javelineer
Death and Decay
Dark Pact
Events of Turn:
Upkeep:
Get Gold (11+6float)
no techs
All Teched Cards
Death and Decay, Dark Pact
Banefire Golem, Death and Decay
Metamorphosis, Blackhand Dozer
Carrion Curse, Hooded Executioner
Dark Pact, Bone Collector
Main:
Death and Decay, your Mirrors, Flagbearer, and Quince die, Base to 15, Tower breaks base to 13, other buildings cripple (9)
Death and Decay again, your base to 10, all three tech buildings break to put it on 4hp, Gryphon continues barely staying afloat (1)
Orpal breaks your base, GGWP!
I was simultaneously unlucky last turn to have not draw DnD, but also kinda lucky to be able to safely use a double this turn! Wild finish, on to you for P1!
GG WP. I’m gonna rescind my previous statement about Garth maybe being a better compliment for Vandy than Orpal. No amount of extra tech 0-II units can outweigh the ability to snipe key cards like Flagstone Garrison, Free Speech, and Judgment Day or the ability to wipe out my board and infrastructure. I’m confident saying that in Black vs. Blue, at least, Garth is the least dangerous hero, hands down.
Alright, here we go. GL HF.
P1T1
StartingHand Workers
STARTING HAND
Lawful Search
Reputable Newsman
Arrest
Porkhand Magistrate
Building Inspector
WORKERS
Lawful Search
NextHand
Jail
Manufactured Truth
Traffic Director
Bluecoat Musketeer
Spectral Aven
Discard
Arrest
Reputable Newsman
Porkhand Magistrate
Tech 0 card(s)
Get Paid - ($4)
Worker - ($3)
Building Inspector - ($2)
General Onimaru - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 5
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger: Building Inspector (1/1) $1 tax
Technician:
Lookout:
In Play:
L1 General Onimaru (2/3) Frenzy 1
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 0
Disc: 3
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 5
Thoughts
I ran into gold issues last game, and now I’m at a worker disadvantage, so I don’t think spamming Technician patrollers is gonna work this time around. The Tower helped a lot last game, but it was also very limiting. Still, without Free Speech, I probably have to build one, and if so, the sooner the better, but when can I afford to? I think I’ll try going with Law tech I units and follow them up with Insurance Agents. I need card draw and gold, and Garrisons aren’t working, so I don’t see any other option, really.
I am a little surprised but I guess I shouldn’t be. I always used Disease as my Tech 2 meta plan in this matchup, because it’s the most effective at broadening the threat range and also at breaking a Garrison stall. And I agree that Carrion Curse is a very good countermeasure for most of your Vandy / Meta breakers, so despite being a worse “combat partner” for meta (can’t kill buildings AND doesn’t bring a nasty Ghoul or Crow or Gorgon or Dozer with to the Meta party), Orpal is the nastier partner in this particular matchup.
I also agree that this is more like the normal matchup than the no Vandy one so far, though it is definitely less nasty than the normal one.
GL HF! Let’s see if I can’t be quite as oppressive as P2
Man tough opening hand, no blockers… I probably want to deteriorate BI, and Graveyard + Haunt with a hero in front of it isn’t bad… but if I go Vandy, he probably just maxbands Oni. So I’ll go Orpal so that if max Oni is the choice, at least he’s gimpy
I feel like trying something unorthodox. This should more quickly make my hands resilient to Carrion Curse, and there’s no point killing an attacking Haunt next turn with the Graveyard ready and nothing else to reanimate. Since the Haunt is already in play, and will go to the Graveyard when killed, it can’t be used to freely push something else out of Jail, so hopefully this will slow him down a bit.
Summon Skeletons
Jandra, the Negator
Deteriorate
Dark Pact
End of Turn Discard
My Thoughts
Such a weird start by him… I think I’ll just leave Oni there, Neko clearly wants him dead, and then tech spells. DP + Sickness ought to be able to handle most things Neko would be up to, right?
Summon Skeletons
Jandra, the Negator
Deteriorate
Dark Pact
Skeletal Archery + Thieving Imp (DP)
Events of Turn:
Upkeep:
Get Gold (7)
Tech 2 cards in (except turn 1)
All Teched Cards
Hooded Executioner, Metamorphosis
Dark Pact, Sickness
Main:
Dark Pact, base to 18 draw 2
Orpal (5)
Midband Vandy (3)
Skeletal Archery (1)
Vandy kills Scribe, takes 3
Haunt trades with Oni, Vandy maxbands and doom whiffs
Replay Haunt from the grave
Worker (0)
Workers
Jandra, the Negator, Poisonblade Rogue, Sacrifice The Weak
Patrol as below
Discard 3 Draw 2 rs Draw 3
Tech 2 cards before my next turn
Board Info:
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech1 HP: 5
Hero’s Hall HP: 4
In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Orpal (1/3+1armor lvl 1)
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician:
Lookout:
In Play:
Vandy (4/5 lvl 5)
Pestering Haunt (1/1)
Graveyard (3hp)
Skeletal Archery
Economy Info:
Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 4
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 8
End of Turn Hand
Skeleton Javelineer
Sickness
Hooded Executioner
Deteriorate
Dark Pact
End of Turn Discard
My Thoughts
I’m mostly expecting Free Speech? I mean this sets up too easy for meta… Grabbing a Hoodie in addition. If I draw Sickness I probably do that, if not… Well lets see.
…
Hmmm. I guess I could play Archery just to thin the deck? Sure, okay. I don’t have a ton of other useful ways to spend the 2g right now anyway.
Squad Leader: L8 General Onimaru (4/5A) Frenzy 1, Readiness
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Reputable Newsman (0/3) $8 blocked
Lookout:
Squad Leader: L8 General Onimaru (4/5A) Frenzy 1, Readiness
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Reputable Newsman (0/3) $8 blocked
Lookout:
Base HP: 19
Base HP: 19
Patrol as below
Base HP: 14
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician:
Lookout: