CAPS 2017: payprplayn ([Necro]/Blood/Law) vs. robinz ([Discipline]/Fire/Truth)

Codex Codex play-by-forum
1

@robinz
Player 1 Turn 1

[details=StartingHand Workers]

[spoiler]STARTING HAND
Poisonblade Rogue
Thieving Imp
Skeleton Javelineer
Summon Skeletons
Pestering Haunt

WORKERS
Poisonblade Rogue

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=NextHand]

[spoiler]Sacrifice the Weak
Skeletal Archery
Jandra, the Negator
Graveyard
Deteriorate

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=Discard]

[spoiler]Thieving Imp
Skeleton Javelineer
Summon Skeletons

[/spoiler][/details]
Tech 0 card(s)
Get Paid - ($4)
Worker - ($3)
Garth lvl 1 - ($1)
Skeleton - ($0)
Pestering Haunt

Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 5

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Garth lvl 1 (1/3+A)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Skeleton (1/1)
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]:
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:

[B]In Play:[/B]

  • Pestering Haunt (1/1)

[B]Buildings:[/B]

  • :heart: Base HP: 20

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 5
  • Deck: 0
  • Disc: 3

[B]Gold:[/B]

  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 5

[details=Thoughts]

Lots of options here. I decided to go this way to keep my draw healthy, and give myself options for next turn. It’s a little less board presence than I’d prefer, but it should be fine. I might try to see if I can get away with graveyard or archery next turn.
[/details]

2

GLHF - since the loser goes out, this is clearly the most important match of the round! :smiley:

P2T1

StartingHand Workers

STARTING HAND
Snapback
Sensei’s Advice
Grappling Hook
Morningstar Flagbearer
Fox Viper

WORKERS
Morningstar Flagbearer

NextHand

Savior Monk
Fox Primus
Safe Attacking
Smoker
Aged Sensei

Discard

Snapback
Grappling Hook
Sensei’s Advice

Tech 0 card(s)
Get Paid - ($5)
Worker - ($4)
Fox Viper - ($2)
Grave - ($0)

Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 5

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: lvl 1 Grave (2/3+A)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Fox Viper (2/1, sparkshot)
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]:
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]

[B]Buildings:[/B]

  • :heart: Base HP: 20

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 5
  • Deck: 0
  • Disc: 3
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 6
Thoughts

Sssssseeeerrrrrriiiiioooooously? I’m in a game I have to win, as P2, against the Black engine-of-destruction starter, where he’s been able to play Hero plus 2 units (thanks Garth, although I guess I should be thankful you’re not Vandy) - and what do I draw? Only all 3 of my spells, plus my 2 weakest units. You couldn’t make this up. I actually considered (not seriously, I hasten to add, but the temptation was there) just restarting the game and surely getting a better hand, because surely no-one would know. But of course that wouldn’t be fair or honest, so you work with what you’ve got.

So, black starter. That means I need to be scared of Deteriorate, and Sac the Weak. With only 2 units to work with, one of them costing 3, I see no choice but to play the crummy Fox Viper. Hey, Sparkshot (which Grave also has) might be useful if he goes skeletons. By putting it in Scavenger I should come out pretty well if he uses either of those 2 spells on it. (Much more likely, he kills it with Haunt. I come out 1 gold down then, but I can live with it as P2.) And Grave I thnk is just about safe - I think the only way he can kill him is to level Garth and then attack him with everything he has - but then he can’t afford Tech 1, assuming he plays a worker, while leaving my Viper alive and losing everything of his apart from Garth. Not to mention that he probably won’t want to max Garth before he builds Tech 2.

What to worker - it was between Hook and Flagbearer. I was initially reluctant to let the latter go, but actually having glanced through his cards it’s only really Deteriorate that it would protect from, at least before we hit Tech 2. Oh, and Kidnapping. But he’s so expensive for what he does, I would need more value than that. Meanwhile, Hook can be great for breaking through a patrol zone unexpectedly - or even just killing a key unit who is patrolling behind a fat Squad Leader. So byebye Flagbearer. Next turn I get to choose 1-2 of Sensei, Smoker, SM and SA, so it should be a more pleasant decision. At least until I see Jandra or Poisonblade Rogue on his side of the table :wink:

1 Like
3

Great. How can I decide who to root for when I showed both of you the ropes for play-by-post? :wink:

Good luck to you both!

2 Likes
4

You just root for an exciting and close match and stay out of hoping for one particular winner :wink:

It is too​ bad this is elimination for you both though, gl hf you two!

3 Likes
5

Player 1 Turn 2

[details=Tech StartingHand Workers]

[spoiler]TECH
Tax Collector
Bone Collector

STARTING HAND
Graveyard
Skeletal Archery
Deteriorate
Sacrifice the Weak
Jandra, the Negator

WORKERS
Poisonblade Rogue
Jandra, the Negator

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=NextHand]

[spoiler]Sacrifice the Weak
Skeleton Javelineer
Thieving Imp
Summon Skeletons

[/spoiler][/details]
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($5)
Worker - ($4)
Deteriorate Fox Viper, you get a gold
Pestering Haunt hits your base for 1
Graveyard - ($2)
Tech I - ($0)

Float ($0)
Discard 2, reshuffle, draw 4

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]:
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Skeleton (1/1)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:

[B]In Play:[/B]

  • Pestering Haunt (1/1)
  • Garth lvl 1 (1/3+A)
  • Graveyard (4)

[B]Buildings:[/B]

  • :heart: Base HP: 20

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 4
  • Disc: 0

[B]Gold:[/B]

  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 6

[details=Thoughts]

So I went back and forth on Graveyard vs Skeleton Archery this turn. Graveyard pays dividends sooner, but could backfire by dumping at an inopportune moment and flooding my deck with what would otherwise be workers by then. Skeleton Archery’s main contribution would likely be that I get more scav and tech triggers because my opponent is incentivized to kill my skeletons and stop them from getting free swings. Speaking of scav triggers, I think that rather than double bone collector, I’ll go with mixed collectors (one bone, one tax) to steal floating gold or scav triggers. I think bone collector is probably the better unit, but Tax collector gets more value out of the graveyard.
[/details]

6

P2T2

Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
Sparring Partner
Lobber

STARTING HAND
Savior Monk
Fox Primus
Smoker
Aged Sensei
Safe Attacking

WORKERS
Morningstar Flagbearer
Fox Primus

NextHand

Grappling Hook
Sensei’s Advice
Sparring Partner
Safe Attacking

Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + scavenger - ($7)
Worker - ($6)
Tech 1 - ($4)
Grave kills Skelly, you draw
midband Grave, he heals - ($2)
Smoker - ($1)
Aged Sensei - ($0)

Float ($0)
Discard 2, reshuffle, draw 4

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]:
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Smoker (1/1, Stealth)
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Aged Sensei (1/1)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • lvl 3 Grave (3/4)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 19
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 4
  • Disc: 0
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 7
Thoughts

I have to be prepared to see Crashbarrows etc. rising from the Graveyard once he hits Tech 2, which is never fun. So I’m planning to go into aggressive mode quickly. I’m playing multiple cheap units as protection from Sac the Weak, and teching my good cheap Tech 1s in order to keep playing more stuff. I will probably end up hurting for cards, with no built-in way to recover (unless you count Smoker, who is more likely to get workered than played next time I draw him), but so be it. I think Tech 2 Fire with Molting Firebirds should be effective, and I’m planning to build it next turn. That should let me hit his skeletons, and Haunt, while taking care of his buildings (the SP is primarily there to let a Firebird take down a Tech building in a single attack - and I also have Sensei, or his Advice, to allow that). If this goes well he’ll feel forced to play Skeletal Archery (if he hasn’t workered it already), but that will only slow the onslaught a little bit.

I realise this is probably hopelessly optimistc. But he doesn’t really have any good Tech 1s available, other than Bone Collector. (I have to be wary of Executioner later in the game, but not yet.) That’s a great card and all, but Firebirds will kill skeletons while hitting a building, so provided I can keep Tech 2 protected for a couple of turns I hope I can come out to pressure him strongly. Perhaps I should have used one of my tech choices this turn for Rambasas, and the extra (very card-efficient!) protection they provide. But I don’t want to be forced to choose between them and Tech 2! Both my actual techs can function as very cheap blockers, as well as their obvious other uses.

Basically, he probably has the advantage once we both get to Tech 2, while I have the better Tech 1s, and the P2 advantage of being able to get to Tech 2 quicker. So I’m going to try to milk the latter for all it’s worth, and choose an aggressive Tech 2 option to never let him get settled into his Tech 2 plan. I’m sure by next turn I’ll know what’s wrong with this thinking :wink:

1 Like
7

Player 1 Turn 3

[details=Tech StartingHand Workers]

[spoiler]TECH
Lich’s Bargain
Doom Grasp

STARTING HAND
Sacrifice the Weak
Skeleton Javelineer
Thieving Imp
Summon Skeletons
Bone Collector

WORKERS
Poisonblade Rogue
Jandra, the Negator
Summon Skeletons

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=NextHand]

[spoiler]Skeletal Archery
Tax Collector
Deteriorate
Sacrifice the Weak

[/spoiler][/details]
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($6)
Worker - ($5)
Pestering Haunt trades with sensei. You draw.
Garth kills smoker, takes 1 damage. You get money
Thieving Imp. You discard #1 of 5 - ($2)
Bone Collector - ($0)
Pestering Haunt from Graveyard

Float ($0)
Discard 2, draw 3, reshuffle, draw 1

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Thieving Imp (2/2+A)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Bone Collector (3/3)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:

[B]In Play:[/B]

  • Pestering Haunt (1/1)
  • Garth lvl 1 (1/2)
  • Graveyard (4)

[B]Buildings:[/B]

  • :heart: Base HP: 20

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 3
  • Disc: 0

[B]Gold:[/B]

  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 7

[details=Thoughts]

I’m actually considering summon skeletons here. The extra chump blocker might be worth the extra gold. Thieving Imp+Bone Collector makes some sense, but Pestering Haunt+BC+TC+Imp is 4 units, and could lead to him breaking my graveyard on his turn 4, which could mess up my draws at a critical moment. I could also just play bone collector and a skeleton and float 2 gold. The extra skeleton could potentially be the start of a skeleton wave if I play archery next turn. On the other hand, he’s got multiple ways to get through a 1/1 SQL from hand, whereas 2/2 is tougher, so the imp probably keeps my BC safe. That settles it. I’m going with the Imp, graveyard issues be damned. I’m teching Lich’s Bargain because it’s interesting, not because I necessarily intend to play it. It just seems like it could be an interesting option to have.
[/details]

8

P2T3

Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
Molting Firebird
Molting Firebird

STARTING HAND
Sensei’s Advice
Sparring Partner
Grappling Hook (discarded to Imp)
Safe Attacking
Lobber (technician draw)

WORKERS
Morningstar Flagbearer
Fox Primus
Safe Attacking

NextHand

Snapback
Fox Viper
Savior Monk

Discard

Aged Sensei
Smoker
Grappling Hook
Sensei’s Advice
Molting Firebird
Molting Firebird

Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + scavenger - ($8)
Worker - ($7)
Tech 2 Fire - ($3)
Lobber - ($2)
Sparring Partner - ($1)
Grave kills Imp, sending him to your Graveyard

Float ($1)
Discard 1, draw 3

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Lobber (2/2+A, haste)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]: Sparring Partner (2+1/2)
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: lvl 3 Grave (3/2)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]

[B]Buildings:[/B]

  • :heart: Base HP: 19
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Fire)

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 3
  • Deck: 0
  • Disc: 6
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 1
  • Workers: 8
Thoughts

Well, no surprise that he’s threatening to make me eat my overconfident words from last turn - by hitting my handsize and getting some relatively threatening units out there. Still, I’ve been lucky (drawing Lobber through the technician bonus, then keeping both units through the Imp discard - although I’d rather have lost Advice or Safe Attacking than Grappling Hook, which would have let me take out the dangerous Bone Collector), and intend to make that luck count.

I wanted to play Sensei’s Advice on Lobber in order to kill the Bone Collector as well - but in the end I decided I couldn’t allow a situation where I went down to zero cards, guaranteed to draw rubbish even if I got a card back from Technician. Grave and Lobber would both be left with 1HP, and it would only take him having both Deteriorate and StW in hand for him to wipe my board, while keeping a reasonable one himself - and therefore zero chance of me keeping my Tech 2 intact until I get to play a Firebird. While patrolling rather than attacking with Lobber does go against the grain, I think I like this way better on balance, despite his Bone Collector (and the high likelihood of him replaying Imp from the Graveyard to attack my hand again). All my units have at least 2HP, and while he’ll probably kill Lobber with BC and get a skeleton, the rest of my board holds up reasonably well.

I think it would have been better to kill of BC if all else was equal, but 1 gold, a crucial card, and weakening 2 of my bodies (not just Lobber, but Grave would have had to kill the BC and be left with just 1HP) strikes me as far too high a price for it. I think I may need some more good draws over the next couple of turns to not fall behind here - but surely I’m still due some after my dreadful T1 hand?

So I’m hoping next turn to recover my handsize by spending gold on Grave and another hero - but much of course depends on what he leaves the board looking like.

2 Likes
9

Player 1 Turn 4

[details=Tech StartingHand Workers]

[spoiler]TECH
Captured Bugblatter
Crashbarrow

STARTING HAND
Tax Collector
Deteriorate
Skeletal Archery
Sacrifice the Weak

WORKERS
Poisonblade Rogue
Jandra, the Negator
Summon Skeletons
Sacrifice the Weak

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=NextHand]

[spoiler]Doom Grasp
Lich’s Bargain
Skeleton Javelineer

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=Discard]

[spoiler]Deteriorate
Skeletal Archery
Captured Bugblatter
Crashbarrow

[/spoiler][/details]
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($7)
Worker - ($6)
Bone Collector kills Lobber. I get a skeleton.
Grave Garth summons another Skeleton - ($5)
Tax Collector. Steal your float - ($4)
Blood tech II - ($0)
Deteriorate Sparring Partner
Pestering Haunt trades with Sparring Partner
Play Pestering Haunt from Graveyard

Float ($0)
Discard 1, draw 3

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Tax Collector (2/3+A)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Skeleton (1/1)
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Skeleton (1/1)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:

[B]In Play:[/B]

  • Pestering Haunt (1/1)
  • Garth lvl 1 (1/2)
  • Graveyard (4)[Thieving Imp]
  • Bone Collector (3/1)

[B]Buildings:[/B]

  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Blood)

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 3
  • Deck: 0
  • Disc: 4

[B]Gold:[/B]

  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 8

[details=Thoughts]

Hey look, it’s Blood Tech II! I’ve got to make sure I don’t fill my Graveyard at the wrong time. If I can manage that, I think I should be able to out-race them. Also, because I wiped his board last turn, I’m a little bit discombobulated if Garth dies, particularly since 2 of the 3 cards in my next hand are Garth spells. Luckily, both of my opponent’s Garth-removal options are costly (Sword rune and Flame Arrow) so I’m probably okay with that. Free Speech would be really annoying, though.
[/details]

10

I think you mean Garth, but if their names had been switched it would have worked out well. Grave is a better name for a necromancer. I hope Garth’s is a tribute to Garth Nix’s Abhorsen series; either that or Wayne’s World. (“It’s Vandy’s World! And with her as always is Garth.”) Otherwise it’s just not suitably spooky.

3 Likes
11

I’d never realised how well Haunt comboed with Graveyard. He’s certainly pestering me…

P2T4

Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
Rambasa Twin
Ember Sparks

STARTING HAND
Snapback
Fox Viper
Savior Monk

WORKERS
Morningstar Flagbearer
Fox Primus
Safe Attacking
Fox Viper

NextHand

Aged Sensei
Sensei’s Advice
Lobber
Grappling Hook

Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid (my float was stolen…) - ($8)
Worker - ($7)
Quince plus mirror - ($5)
maxband Grave - ($0)
Grave kills Tax Collector, without exhausting. He can discuss taxes with the Thieving Imp in the Graveyard :slight_smile:
Grave throws his sword at Garth, Quince to level 3

Float ($0)
Discard 2, reshuffle, draw 4

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: lvl 3 Quince (1/4+A)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: mirror illusion (0/1)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • max Grave (4/3, no sword)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 19
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Fire)

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 8
  • Disc: 0
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 9
Thoughts

Trust me to get a Tax Collector from him at the very moment I had a floating gold :frowning:

Tech 2 Blood is of course no surprise, I really hope his low handsize restricts him like it usually does for me, especially when I play Blood. My board is not in good shape if he plays a Crashbarrow - but otherwise I don’t feel that things are too bad. Since all of the units I’m scared off die at the end of his turn, there’s no point saving up Grave’s sword to use on a big unit. I’d rather use it on a max-level hero than a 1/2 Garth, but those skeletons are undoubtedly getting annoying (until they are killed by my Firebird), and I have Snapback for that case. Meanwhile I get 2 free levels on Quince - admittedly he’s highly likely to die anyway, but that 1 extra HP could be pretty significant given that, other than Bone Collector (frail enough for even Quince to kill him), all his attacking options have just 1HP. Oh, and his hasty Tech 2 options. Not to mention Drakk…

But there’s only so much I can do - with a 3-card hand, he’s unlikely to be able to completely devasate me - and if he does, he’ll have to go even further down on cards. I’m teching Ember Sparks to blast weeny units and buildings, as well as Rambasas for card-efficient defence (and for something good to do if Tech 2 gets destroyed). I was tempted by Hotter Fire or Firehouse (Lizzo is not so great against Blood, surely) - I’m sad to miss those when I’m about to reshuffle, but I’d rather use things with an instant impact at this stage.

Drat - no Firebird in my next hand, or even Ember Sparks! Still, that mirror has a million ways to die…

12

Player 1 Turn 5

[details=Tech StartingHand Workers]

[spoiler]TECH
Captured Bugblatter
Bloodlust

STARTING HAND
Lich’s Bargain
Doom Grasp
Skeleton Javelineer

WORKERS
Poisonblade Rogue
Jandra, the Negator
Summon Skeletons
Sacrifice the Weak

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=NextHand]

[spoiler]Bloodlust
Lich’s Bargain
Captured Bugblatter
Captured Bugblatter

[/spoiler][/details]
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Midband Drakk - ($3)
Bone collector and one Skeleton trade with Quince. I get a skeleton. Drakk Maxbands.
Pestering Haunt kills Mirror. You draw.
Skeleton Javelineer - ($2)
Skeleton Javelineer and Skeleton token kill Grave. Levels fizzle.
Bone Collector from Graveyard. - ($0)

Float ($0)
Discard 2, reshuffle, draw 4

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Bone Collector (3/3+A)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Skeleton (1/1)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]: Drakk lvl 6 (3/4 resist 1)

[B]In Play:[/B]

  • Pestering Haunt (1/1)
  • Skeleton Javelineer (1/1, no jav rune)
  • Graveyard (4)[Thieving Imp,Tax Collector]

[B]Buildings:[/B]

  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Blood)

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 4
  • Disc: 0

[B]Gold:[/B]

  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 8

[details=Thoughts]

So he did kill Garth, after all. That’s ok. Frenzied Skeletons are good. I’m not sure what to tech. Do I go with more units or spells? Bloodlust is good with the bone collector in my graveyard, so I’ll tech that and another bugblatter.
[/details]

1 Like
13

More to the point, Grave is a strange name for anyone who isn’t a necromancer.

4 Likes
14

P2T5

Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
Cinderblast Dragon
Cinderblast Dragon

STARTING HAND
Aged Sensei
Sensei’s Advice
Lobber
Grappling Hook
Savior Monk

WORKERS
Morningstar Flagbearer
Fox Primus
Safe Attacking
Fox Viper
Aged Sensei

NextHand

Molting Firebird
Sparring Partner
Snapback
Rambasa Twin
Molting Firebird

Discard

Grappling Hook
Savior Monk
Sensei’s Advice
Cinderblast Dragon
Cinderblast Dragon

Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($9)
Worker - ($8)
Jaina - ($6)
Tech 3 - ($1)
Lobber - ($0)

Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 5

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]:
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]: Lobber (2+1/2)
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: lvl 1 Jaina (2/3)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]

[B]Buildings:[/B]

  • :heart: Base HP: 19
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Fire)
  • :heart: Tech III HP: 5

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 5
  • Deck: 2
  • Disc: 5
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 10
Thoughts

Welp - this looks like time to call it quits. (And somehow I forgot about Drakk’s midband while thinking about what he might do that turn.) That’s a pretty ridiculous board, given that I have nothing. I’m not even going to think about the crazy things he might be able to do. If my draws had been more co-operative, to give me a Firebird this turn (although last turn would of course have been even better), then there might be some hope - but as it is there is pretty much none.

The “sensible” thing to do would be to fill the patrol zone as well as I could, and try to keep Tech 2 alive. But that’s almost impossible, with that board, including a max Drakk, and likely Crashbarrows to come. I’m leaving my patrol zone lightly defended, and going for a desperation diversionary tactic of building Tech 3. Cinderblast Dragon might just be powerful enough for me to start turning this around - and while I’ve no hope of drawing one next turn, he doesn’t know that. If he gets scared into breaking my Tech 3 instead of Tech 2, then just maybe something could happen. (He can likely break both, but I have to try something or I’ll just lose without a fight.) Let’s hope he doesn’t have a War Drums, which probably lets him get lethal next turn (although I haven’t calculated it).

The saddest thing is that I feel forced to play Jaina, who will of course die, meaning that I can’t use ES if I draw it next turn. Really, apart from a good moment on T3, my draws have sucked this whole game. While I know I contributed to my bad luck by having a low handsize through turns 3 and 4, the difference between my current predictament and what might have happened had I been able to play a Firebird last turn is pretty huge.

15

Tech III? The inosolence!!
Player 1 Turn 6

[details=Tech StartingHand Workers]

[spoiler]TECH
These Cards
Don’t Matter

STARTING HAND
Captured Bugblatter
Bloodlust
Captured Bugblatter
Lich’s Bargain

WORKERS
Poisonblade Rogue
Jandra, the Negator
Summon Skeletons
Sacrifice the Weak

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=NextHand]

[spoiler]These Cards
Skeletal Archery
Crashbarrow
Doom Grasp
Deteriorate

[/spoiler][/details]
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Captured Bugblatter (w/haste from Drakk maxband) - ($5)
Captured Bugblatter - ($2)
Skeleton Javelineer trades with Lobber. 4 bugblatter triggers, your base to 15.
Skeleton token and Pestering Haunt trade with Jaina. 4 bugblatter triggers, your base to 11.
Drakk, Bone Collector and Bugblatter hit your base for 3+4+5=12. Game Over.

Float ($2)
Discard 4, draw 4, reshuffle, draw 1

[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Bone Collector (3/3+A)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Skeleton (1/1)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]: Drakk lvl 6 (3/4 resist 1)

[B]In Play:[/B]

  • Pestering Haunt (1/1)
  • Skeleton Javelineer (1/1, no jav rune)
  • Graveyard (4)[Thieving Imp,Tax Collector]

[B]Buildings:[/B]

  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Blood)

[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]

  • Hand: 5
  • Deck: 5
  • Disc: 0

[B]Gold:[/B]

  • Gold: 2
  • Workers: 8

[details=Thoughts]


So he probably would have died this turn regardless, but if he’s not even going to try to put down a board, or more importantly, deal with mine, probably becomes certainly.
[/details]

Edit: FYI, since I knew I had lethal damage, I didn’t bother with updating my board or teching actual cards. If that bugs anybody, I can go back and do it, but I don’t really see the point.

3 Likes
16

@EricF - entirely predictably, I’m out :slight_smile:

WP - although tbh I’m mainly massively frustrated that draws were against me virtually the whole of that game. Teched 2xMolting Firebird on T3 - they could have totally wrecked your skeleton game, but I never drew one until I died.

I was expecting Crashbarrows, or perhaps the total overkill of War Drums - 2xBugblatter was a nice finishing touch :slight_smile

Good luck in the rest of the tournament!

PS: having read your thoughts, especially your last one: I’d have loved to have dealt with your board, but with no units alive, and no Jaina spells in hand (although I only teched one all game), I’d love to know what I’m supposed to have done! I did consider playing more units, but I decided that would just lead to a slow and painful loss so why not go for the crazy confusion option of building Tech 3? (I now remember, having looked back, that it was impossible to have drawn a Firebird on T4, and it also now looks like T5 would have been much too late. Now I’m really not sure what else I should have done that game. I mean, I thought I was playing as aggressively as I could, to stop you getting up and running, but it didn’t work. OK, I could have killed your Bone Collector as well on T3, but as I noted in the comments that would very likely have let you wipe my board while keeping plenty of yours. Which of course was pretty much what happened anyway - but at least I made it less likely.)

2 Likes
18

It was a tough one, for sure. Your first draw wasn’t great. As you noted in your thoughts, though, I have very few cheap ways to target your units (Deteriorate and Bigby midband are the only options that cost less than 4 gold). What’s more, the power of Blood tech II is it’s efficency: cheap units that deal a lot of damage, but don’t live very long. It wuns by spending less to break your stuff than you spent to play it. For that reason, I think perhaps Illusion-based play might have been the way to go. You get units that are big for their cost, and the only downside is that they die when they’re targeted. To that end, I might have tried opening with Granfalloon Flagbearer, and floating a gold. It’s got a big enough body that there’s a decent chance it survives, and if it does, You can play Quince on turn 2. Because you floated a gold, you can even afford a second Mirror token (or a mirror plus Savior, smoker, and/or sensei. If you manage to keep a mirror alive, you have the opportunity to swing first with tech I, potentially even a Bone Collector, which gets you your own skeleton.

Edit: After taking a second look at Morningstar Flagbearer, I realize that it’s just 2/2. I had thought that it was 2/3 for some reason. Taking this into account, the Flagbearer opener is probably pretty bad, but I still think Illusion shenanigans are worth a try in this matchup. Playing Quince+Fox Viper on T1 might have been more threatening than Grave+Fox Viper, although maybe not so much with Haunt in play (Deteriorate FV, kill mirror for free with the haunt).

4 Likes