D’oh!
So she is. I’ve played so many games going full aggro that I forgot Lookout did something. :b My apologies.
Well, I don’t want to bother rolling back and redoing the turn (though I probably should), so I’ll just say Rook withered the Prospector instead of Cal. Editing to reflect.
P1T2
TECH
Ferocity
Bone Collector
STARTING HAND
Tiger Cub
Rich Earth
Young Treant
Rampant Growth
Forest’s Favor
WORKERS
Verdant Tree
Rich Earth
Tiger Cub
Spore Shambler
Ferocity
Playful Panda
Forest’s Favor
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($5)
Worker - ($4)
Midband Calamandra - ($2)
Play Rampant Growth on Calamandra - ($0)
Calamandra kills Rook and maxbands
Float ($0)
Discard 3, reshuffle, draw 5
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]:
[I]Elite[/I]:
[I]Scavenger[/I]:
[I]Technician[/I]:
[I]Lookout[/I]:
Base HP: 20[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
P2T2
TECH
Bird’s Nest
Nimble Fencer
WORKERS
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($6)
Worker - ($5)
Build Tech I - ($3)
Recruit Timely Messenger - ($2)
Summon Vandy Anadrose - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, reshuffle, draw 5
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: [I]Elite[/I]: Vandy Anadrose (2+1/3, Lv. 1) [I]Scavenger[/I]: Timely Messenger (1/1)
[I]Technician[/I]: [I]Lookout[/I]:[B]Buildings:[/B]
Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 5[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
[details=Thoughts][spoiler]
So… That was unexpected. It probably shouldn’t have been. Now I know why you always play a unit and a hero and not just a hero and a spell. On the good side, I made him miss his Tech I window? On the bad side, that means he probably just Teched in some spells?
I’m going to build my economy. I doubt he’ll go down on cards to send Cal after my Tech I. He’ll probably just summon a tiger. He probably doesn’t want to take out Vandy, but if he does, the levels will fizzle, and Cal will have 2 HP left, both of which I’m okay with. Most importantly, I’ll have the opportunity to bring Rook back with Bird’s Nest. If he decides to take out TM and give me a money, or just sit there, that’s fine, too. I’m hoping I can either suicide Vandy on Cal, though he’ll probably keep her safe behind some chump. Nimble Fencer could help with that… but I didn’t draw it.
[/details]
P1T3
TECH
Huntress
Hooded Executioner
STARTING HAND
Tiger Cub
Forest’s Favor
Ferocity
Spore Shambler
Playful Panda
WORKERS
Verdant Tree
Rich Earth
Tiger Cub
Bone Collector
Ironbark Treant
Merfolk Prospector
Young Treant
Rampant Growth
Forest’s Favor
Playful Panda
Ferocity
Huntress
Hooded Executioner
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($6)
Worker - ($5)
Build Tech 1 - ($3)
Play Spore Shambler - ($0)
Calamandra kills Vandy
Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 5
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: Spore Shambler (2/3+A) (2 runes) (resist 1 from Calamandra) [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: [I]Technician[/I]: [I]Lookout[/I]: Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 5[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
I was just going to start making Tigers this turn, but I would really like to be able to play the Bone Collector in my next hand, so I decided to build my Tech 1 instead. I decided to have Calamandra kill Vandy because I think it gives her a better chance of surviving. The only way he can kill Calamandra that I can think of is with Two-Step + Nimble Fencer, so next turn I should be able to play Bone Collector + a tiger.
I decided to tech more tech 1 units. If Calamandra lives to be a tiger factory, then there’s a good chance that I won’t build my tech 2 for a while, so I definitely don’t want those units yet. I don’t want any of Calamandra’s spells besides the Ferocity already in my deck, and if Calamandra sticks around I won’t be able to play other spells. If it looks like she’s going to die after next turn, I still have a chance to tech them before I reshuffle. Huntress will be good if he decides to play birds, and Hooded Executioner is decent now and could be valuable later if I get stuck without a lot of action at tech 2 (possibly due to delaying it to summon tigers, etc.).
[details=Thoughts][spoiler]
This seems like a crucial turn, and I have a lot of options. Though resist from Cal means that Wither on Spore Shambler is not one of them (though it’d be neat to get rid of one of its runes; apparently -1/-1 and +1/+1 runes cancel each other out).
I could build Tech II, though I’d have a small chance of actually drawing a Tech II unit next turn. So the big benefit would be getting River out, which isn’t nearly as good if I can’t play Birds this turn.
I could build Heroes’ Hall, and still get out Rook and Birds, and that guarantees that I can get River out next turn if I do draw into Two Step (provided he doesn’t stealth through to kill it; if he doesn’t kill Rook but kills the HH, I’m going to have to work hard ot suicide Rook). Also, I don’t go down on cards. This is probably the smartest move.
I could skip the Heroes’ Hall and either wither Cal or Bloom Rook or Messenger, or play Brick Thief or Tenderfoot. I go down on cards. This might be good, because it delays my cycle so that I can get Tech II in place next turn and also get Tech II units in right before the cycle. Hell, I could go right to TQ+DG in two turns. But as I said last game, Chaos Mirror becomes scary. He just has lots of answers for that strat. And perhaps more importantly, it delays my chance to Two Step the birds next turn. He has two major answers to fliers: Taxman and Huntress. But he might not have teched them yet, so fliers might be strong for a while.
I also have a hard choice on what to cycle. I love all of these cards. Tenderfoot’s probably the weakest, but it’s also the only 1-cost, and it’ll have haste if Fencer is still around next time I see it. Brick Thief has long term benefit if I ever get EQ on line. I really wanted to Wither a lot this game, but with Resist running rampant on his creatures, it might just not be worth it long-term.
Cstick suggested I be aggressive last time, though in this case, that might mean I’m not taking proper advantage of my econ bonus from going second.
I’m going to follow his advice. I’m building the Heroes’ Hall, teching in Two Step. I want to put in another one, but I’m going to add Harmony instead. Since I’m planning on playing a bunch of spells this game, having some Dancers around would be nice. I’m working Wither despite that, under the assumption that most of the time I’ll want to play a different spell.
And after drawing… not bad. It’ll be some combination of River, Harmony, Fencer, Tech II, and workering Fruit Ninja. I could do all of them except Tech II, which would put me down on cards. That would get me an extra turn to get Tech II into the next cycle, and would give me enough gold to play Bloom, Tenderfoot (hopefully with haste), and Two Step all in one turn and still build Tech II, hopefully creating two Dancers in the process. If I sac Harmony right then, that’s two Angry Dancers, Tenderfoot, Two Step, and Bloom in one turn. I’m sure he’ll do something to prevent this, but let’s hope!
[/spoiler][/details]
P2T3
TECH
Two Step
Harmony
WORKERS
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($7)
Worker - ($6)
Build Heroes’ Hall - ($4)
Summon Garus Rook - ($2)
Rook casts Bird’s Nest, summoning two 1/1 Birds, Oona and Baba - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 4, reshuffle, draw 1
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: Baba (1/1+a, Flying) [I]Elite[/I]: Timely Messenger (1+1/1) [I]Scavenger[/I]: Garus Rook (2/4, Lv. 1) [I]Technician[/I]: [I]Lookout[/I]: Oona (1/1, Flying, Resist 1 from Lookout) Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 5 Heroes’ Hall HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
P1T4
TECH
Nether Drain
Surprise Attack
STARTING HAND
Ironbark Treant
Bone Collector
Young Treant
Rampant Growth
Merfolk Prospector
WORKERS
Verdant Tree
Rich Earth
Tiger Cub
Ironbark Treant
Playful Panda
Ferocity
Rampant Growth
Merfolk Prospector
Nether Drain
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($7)
Worker - ($6)
Play Bone Collector - ($4)
Exhaust Calamandra to summon Predator Tiger from my Codex - ($0)
Exhaust Spore Shambler to put a rune on Predator Tiger
Float ($0)
Discard 3, reshuffle, draw 5
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: Predator Tiger (5/5+A) [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: [I]Technician[/I]: Bone Collector (3/3) [I]Lookout[/I]: Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 5[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
With birds out, it looks like Calamandra’s going to die, so I’ll tech some more spells. Nether Drain is great against Rook, and Surprise Attack is good for taking control of the board. With Heroes’ Hall in play, I’m worried about Two-Step, but there isn’t much I can do to stop it just yet.
[details=Thoughts][spoiler]
Okay, so he’s finally forced my hand regarding Cal:
I could kill the tiger. It would take both birds (or one and a messenger, but why?), and Rook and Fencer killing themselves. And that’s basically 4 gold for 4 gold, but I’m using a card and wasting my birds’ attacks, whereas he just tapped Cal. And it would leave me with nothing to protect River or my base (excepting a TM that dies to Spore Shambler). So he could just summon another tiger next turn, and me with a substantially weaker board, or (more likely) kill River or my Tech I before they become a real threat. So Cal has to go. And since I’m summoning River this turn, I’ll get some free levels off of it. It just makes me worry. He hasn’t been playing any Cal spells, so what the heck has he been teching? Chaos Mirror? Nether Drain? Whatever it is, me not killing Cal earlier has been what’s kept it from happening, right? Is he putting Cal back row for my birds as a trap, or just to make me work for it? Does he want to keep Cal around? I don’t have a choice.
My big decisions are whether to put levels into River or Rook, and how to patrol.
Even after I kill Cal, he has a 5-atk that bypasses Tech-0 units, a 3-atk BC, and a 1-atk SS, and he’ll be able to summon Zane for 2 to 4 additional attack. Ideally (for him), he’d midband Zane, kill one of my heroes, and use the max Zane to take out my TM. Can I avoid that?
I really want to max River, because (with Cal dying) it only costs me 4 total, then 2 more for Harmony, then 1 (thanks to her ability) for Fencer, and 1 for worker. The Tenderfoot would be 0 next turn as well. But if I then patrol River, she’ll be vulnerable.
Alternatively I could just play River for 2, Harmony for 2, Fencer for 2, and worker for 1. That seems almost strictly worse. I float the gold, but that’s gold that I would have saved from max River playing Tenderfoot next turn anyway.
I could play River for 2, Harmony for 2, Fencer for 2, and put the levels from Cal into Rook. Then spend my last 2 putting Rook to Midband. That give me 8 next turn, which means if I play Bloom and Two Step and build Tech II, I won’t be able to drop Tenderfoot.
So, assuming I level River:
So, assuming I midband Rook (skip worker):
I think I need another patroller. Older Brother isn’t bad, but now I’m not maxxing River or midbanding Rook. I’m actually not going way because I also don’t have the gold to worker. There’s a chance I won’t draw my spells next turn. But maybe Rook won’t die, and he won’t give extra levels to Zane, and TM can actually function as a patroller. First, assume no heroes patrol:
Man, I hate rune tigers. Well, as long as we’re considering skipping a worker, let’s reconsider killing the tiger, shall we?
Birds, Rook, and Fencer (costing $2) kill Tiger (Rook and Fencer die, but Rook’s levels fizzle).
$2 for River, $2 for Harmony, and final $2 on Vandy. Now he’s got BC at 3/3, Cal at 4/2, and SS at 1/2, and he can’t summon Zane without suiciding Cal. I have a 2/3 River that needs protecting, a 1/1, and a 2/3 Vandy.
Pulling out OB is the only way I’ve seen to probably guarantee River survives. The Birds would get their Two-Step (probably), and one would get Bloomed, and that should be enough to kill Zane and Tiger, though one might die to an anti-air unit. And I’d have two dancers that could patrol, and maybe swing in next turn. And River might survive next turn, too. And she’d be at midband. Sigh
So do I go for better next turn if he plays conservatively? Or worse next turn, but guaranteed decent? Poop, I say. Okay, take out Cal and big expensive turtle for now.
Oh, right! I need to Tech something! The stuff I tech now will show up (I hope) after I have Tech II. So I need to choose my spec now.
I’ve still got Bloom and Two Step in my deck, so Strength for Doubling Barbarian seems really good.
On the other hand, I love all of the Finesse units. Leaping Lizard has the same base stats as Barbarian, but as a 1-drop. Grounded Guide makes Fencer into a 4/4, and birds into 2/1 base. Maestro makes Fencer free and lets it poke at tech buildings directly. And Backstabbers are better than dancing birds, really. I also like Blademaster better than Oathkeeper.
I’m going to start with Strength. Maybe I’ll trade my HH for a Tech Lab later. And I’ll tech in a spell, because more spells work with Harmony, and I was missing ways to deal with patrollers last game. I’m thinking Thunderclap to deal with Skeletons and BCs.
[/spoiler][/details]
P2T4
TECH
Doubling Barbarbarian
Thunderclap
WORKERS
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Skip worker
Summon River Montoya - ($6)
River casts Harmony - ($4)
Oona and Baba peck Calamandra to death; River midbands
Recruit Nimble Fencer - ($2)
Recruit Older Brother - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 2, draw 4
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: Older Brother (2/2+a) [I]Elite[/I]: Nimble Fencer (2+1/3) [I]Scavenger[/I]: Garus Rook (2/4, Lv. 1) [I]Technician[/I]: [I]Lookout[/I]: Timely Messenger (1/1, Resist 1 from Lookout) Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 5 Heroes’ Hall HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
P1T5
TECH
Chaos Mirror
Huntress
STARTING HAND
Nether Drain
Merfolk Prospector
Rampant Growth
Playful Panda
Ferocity
WORKERS
Verdant Tree
Rich Earth
Tiger Cub
Ironbark Treant
Merfolk Prospector
Hooded Executioner
Surprise Attack
Huntress
Forest’s Favor
Young Treant
Nether Drain
Spore Shambler
Rampant Growth
Ferocity
Playful Panda
Chaos Mirror
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Worker - ($7)
Play Garth - ($5)
Bone Collector kills Older Brother and makes a Skeleton
Predator Tiger kills Rook, Garth to L3
Play Nether Drain to steal River’s levels and level Garth to 5 - ($4)
Maxband Garth, getting a Huntress from my discard - ($2)
Summon a Skeleton - ($1)
Spore Shambler kills Timely Messenger
Spore Shambler moves a rune onto Predator Tiger - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 5
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: L7 Garth (3/4+A) [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Skeleton (1/1) [I]Technician[/I]: Skeleton (1/1) [I]Lookout[/I]: Huntress (3/3) (anti-air, sparkshot) Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 5[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
I could have killed River this turn, by playing Zane, having Spore Shambler w/ Rampant Growth kill OB, moving the rune to BC and having it kill Rook to give Zane levels, leveling Zane to 4 and having him trade with the Fencer, then having the Tiger ignore the Messenger and kill River. That would have left me with a skeleton, a 4/2 Bone collector, and a 5/2 Tiger against his messenger and birds. I think this line is a little better, though. I’m expecting Two-Step on the Birds, but with the Huntress around and the Tiger at 4 health, I don’t think he can do too much damage, and I should be able to break through and kill River to get rid of Two-Step next turn with Surprise Attack. It doesn’t look like either of us will be going to Tech 2 soon, so I’m curious about how this game will conclude.
edit: included abilities on Huntress for clarity
[details=Thoughts][spoiler]
While I was playing around Zane (or maybe because I played around Zane), I thought it likely I’d see Garth. I didn’t anticipate the Nether Drain, but I’m not that surprised, and at least it wasn’t Doom Grasp. I anticipated an anti-air unit coming out in that case, too, and I thought it likely I’d have enough atk to kill it, but I thought it would show up in SQL, not Tech. I really didn’t expect him to SQL Garth.
Long story made short: I’m not going to be able to kill Garth and the tiger and play Tech II. But I can do a lot if I give up on Tech II for now.
My big decision was whether to worker or play Brick Thief. I ended up playing him because the 1 damage to Tech I makes it vulnerable to a single hit from Oona next turn, even though I’m going down to 2 cards. Also, I need 4 patrollers to protect River from Skeletons, BC, and Zane.
If Vandy dies, I’ll get a third card. If Vandy dies, she’ll be able to fetch a spell, like Dark Pact, Shadowblade, or Soul Stone if I need to make a patroller last.
So, since I don’t have Tech II up, I should tech more spells/Tech I units. If I never make it to Tech II, Twilight Baron might be worth it. And he benefits from Bloom and Two Step with his Overpower. AB is my go-to patroller, especially since I have Birds for damage. And I could always use another Fencer, or, for that matter, another Two Step. Well, actually, I don’t want to draw a Two Step without two units to receive it, so I might not want to draw it now. Let’s stick to two units. I’m going with TB and NF.
Aaaand, I drew my Barbarbar. 2/13 chance, and bad luck. I think it’ll be a worker, or ignored.
He’ll be able to get some very efficient trades if he uses Zane (including max-band shove to one of the dancers). He could actually have us both draw 2 cards from Technician if he wants to, but I doubt he will. He’s stronger on econ than I am now, so he’ll probably try to minimize my gains. But I’m pretty sure River is safe for another turn, and then Rook can come out.
Edit: I should really be afraid of Cal and Behind the Ferns. Again. That just kills River, and Oona and Baba become much weaker.
[/spoiler][/details]
P2T5
TECH
Twilight Baron
Nimble Fencer
WORKERS
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Skip worker
Dying Rook pops money like a piñata (though his Bird’s nest crumbles) - ($9)
Level River to midband, bringing her back to 2/4 - ($7)
River casts Two Step on Oona and Baba, making them 3/3; Harmony creates a 0/1 holiday Dancer - ($5)
River casts Bloom on Oona, making her 4/4; Harmony creates a 0/1 holiday Prancer - ($3)
Baba (3/3) safely hits Garth, knocking off armor and dealing 2
River (2/4) kills Garth and survives, levels to max and heals (3/4)
Recruit Tenderfoot for free, thanks to River; Tenderfoot has haste thanks to Nimble Fencer
Tenderfoot suicides against Huntress for 1 damage
Nimble Fencer trades with Huntress
Oona (4/4) safely kills Predator Tiger
Recruit Brick Thief for 1, thanks to River; he deals 1 damage to your Tech I - ($2)
Summon Vandy - ($0)
Sacrifice Harmony for a Dance Dance Revolution; Dancer and Prancer become 2/1 unstoppable and Angry
Float ($0)
Discard 0, reshuffle, draw 2
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: Brick Thief (2/1+a) [I]Elite[/I]: Angry Dancer (2+1/1, Unstoppable) [I]Scavenger[/I]: Angry Prancer (2/1, Unstoppable) [I]Technician[/I]: Vandy Anadrose (2/3, Lv. 1, Sparkshot) [I]Lookout[/I]: Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 5 Heroes’ Hall HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
P1T6
TECH
Hooded Executioner
Surprise Attack
STARTING HAND
Huntress
Young Treant
Hooded Executioner
Forest’s Favor
Surprise Attack
WORKERS
Verdant Tree
Rich Earth
Tiger Cub
Ironbark Treant
Merfolk Prospector
Surprise Attack
Rampant Growth
Ferocity
Playful Panda
Hooded Executioner
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($9)
Play Zane - ($7)
Play Surprise Attack - ($2)
Sharks kill Brick Thief and Vandy, Zane to L3
Zane to L4 - ($1)
Zane kills Scavenger Dancer. We both get gold. - ($2)
A skeleton trades with Elite Dancer
Bone Collector + the other skeleton trade with River. Zane maxbands, I get a skeleton, and Two-Step disappears.
Play Huntress - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, reshuffle, draw 5
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: Huntress (3/3+A) [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: [I]Technician[/I]: Skeleton (1/1) [I]Lookout[/I]: Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
This was a good turn. Surprise Attack did its job, and now I’m ahead on board, cards, and workers. Both birds surviving is a bit annoying, but it’s mitigated by the Huntress. I think that the longer this game goes, the further I’ll get ahead.
No one expects sharks in barrels! I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I totally was.
[details=Thoughts][spoiler]
I’m really wishing I’d Teched EQs last turn. I was planning on keeping River around, not maxxing Rook. But EQ would be sweet, since I pinged his Tech I last turn. I’m going to tech in Metamorphosis and EQ in case something like this happens again.
He’ll probably sac Zane against Rook, bring in Garth and Nether Drain again, then do 1 more damage with Skeleton to kill Rook. Huntress kills birds. I’m hoping he didn’t draw the Nether Drain this turn. I’ll put Rook in Lookout, just to make him pay more for it.
Okay, after draw, I’ll have some options. If Rook’s around, I could summon River, play Harmony, throw Oona and Baba at something, build a new nest and get a dancer, and have $2 left over.
If Rook’s gone, I could play Twilight Baron, summon Vandy, or maybe summon River and play Harmony.
If he’s still there, I could play TB, I could still poke with Oona and Baba, and I could still build a new nest.
Did he draw the Nether Drain? Another Surprise Attack?
[/spoiler][/details]
P2T6
TECH
Earthquake
Metamorphosis
WORKERS
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Scavenger - ($9)
Draw a card from Vandy’s technician death
Skip worker
Summon Garus Rook - ($7)
Level Rook to Maxband - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 5
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: [I]Technician[/I]: [I]Lookout[/I]: Garus Rook (4/6, Lv. 8, Two Lives) Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 5 Heroes’ Hall HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
P1T7
TECH
Doom Grasp
Murkwood Allies
STARTING HAND
Rampant Growth
Hooded Executioner
Ferocity
Surprise Attack
Playful Panda
WORKERS
Verdant Tree
Rich Earth
Tiger Cub
Ironbark Treant
Merfolk Prospector
Playful Panda
Forest’s Favor
Huntress
Surprise Attack
Predator Tiger
Surprise Attack
Rampant Growth
Hooded Executioner
Ferocity
Doom Grasp
Murkwood Allies
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($9)
Worker - ($8)
Play Surprise Attack - ($3)
Play Rampant Growth on Zane - ($0)
Zane kills one of Rook’s lives
The Sharks kill Rook for real
Huntress kills Oona
Float ($0)
Discard 2, draw 4
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: [I]Technician[/I]: Skeleton (1/1) [I]Lookout[/I]: Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
My priority this turn was being able to kill one of the birds. If I didn’t, he could play Two-Step on them again, which would be really bad. I had to spend all my gold and take some damage on Zane to kill Rook, but since he spent 9 gold to play him we’re roughly breaking even. Zane’s at risk of dying and giving him levels, which also sucks because my next hand isn’t good with Zane dead. He’s pretty far behind on econ now, so I still think I should be able to start pulling further ahead soon.
[details=Thoughts][spoiler]
If I’d have teched a second Two Step instead of Twilight Baron, I’d be in better shape. I could bring out River and OB, step OB and Baba, and safely take out Zane.
I could trade Baba for Huntress, and play Twilight Baron, but I’m afraid he’s just drawing Surprise Attack again and again.
I think I have to forego TB for heroes. I’ve got two Nimble Fencers and Thunderclap coming next turn, so it should be interesting. Alternatively, if he Nether Drains Vandy, I can just level her again for more damage on a Fencer. I don’t have a chance to draw Meta here, but he doesn’t know that.
I’d like to play Tenderfoot and worker (finally), but I think I need a better blocker, and that means feeding Zane to River.
My deck’s super-bloated. I’m teching in 2x Dark Pact.
Edit: I should have doomed the Huntress. If he patrols her, I won’t be able to Thunderclap her out of the way.
[/spoiler][/details]
P2T7
TECH
Dark Pact
Dark Pact
WORKERS
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Skip worker
Summon and max Vandy, dooming Skeleton and Baba with +2/+2 - ($2)
Summon River - ($0)
Baba (3/3) kills Zane; Vengeance for Oona! Though Baba will die on my next upkeep; River levels to midband
Float ($0)
Discard 5, draw 5
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: River Montoya (2/4+a) [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Vandy Anadrose (4/5, Resist 1) [I]Technician[/I]: [I]Lookout[/I]: Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 5 Heroes’ Hall HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
P1T8
TECH
Rampaging Elephant
Rampaging Elephant
STARTING HAND
Forest’s Favor
Predator Tiger
Huntress
Surprise Attack
WORKERS
Verdant Tree
Rich Earth
Tiger Cub
Ironbark Treant
Merfolk Prospector
Playful Panda
Forest’s Favor
Young Treant
Bone Collector
Chaos Mirror
Spore Shambler
Hooded Executioner
Surprise Attack
Rampant Growth
Hooded Executioner
Ferocity
Doom Grasp
Murkwood Allies
Predator Tiger
Surprise Attack
Huntress
Rampaging Elephant
Rampaging Elephant
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($10)
Build Tech 2: Feral - ($6)
Build a Tower - ($3)
Play Calamandra - ($1)
Hire a Worker - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 5
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: L1 Calamandra (2/3+A) [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Huntress (3/1) [I]Technician[/I]: Skeleton (3/3) (doomed) [I]Lookout[/I]:[B]Buildings:[/B]
Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 4 Tech II HP: 5 (Feral) Tower HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
He’s all set up to for Metamorphosis next turn, and I can’t kill Vandy. I deliberately avoided attacking River here, because I want to avoid him buffing Rook with Metamorphosis if at all possible. I even stuck Calamandra in SQL so that he can’t suicide River into her. I finally get my Tech 2 built, so hopefully I can start winning soon.
[details=Thoughts][spoiler]
I did not expect to see Cal again. She’s obviously a sacrificial blocker until Nether Drain can come out. Which will be next turn because of his Tech II, or because I kill Cal.
Because he didn’t kill River, I can’t pull out Rook, so no Thunderclap. (I was expecting skeletons.) Though it would have only sidelined the Huntress, so not much help anyhow.
Option 1: I fetch the other copy of Metamorphosis and play it for $7. How often do I have max Vandy at the beginning of my turn? She’d be a 6/7. River would be a 5/6. But I see no way to break his Tech II if I do that, and then he can go into Elephants and straight into Tech III and all kinds of badness. Plus multiple heroes. It’d maybe be worth it if I could somehow break the tower this turn. But I can’t do that either. So if I attack with River, I’ll just take out Cal (levels fizzle), the patrol as, 5/3+a. I could still worker for $1, but no Fencers.
Patrol is 5/3 River, with 6/7 Vandy on the board and he has Tech I and II.
Option 2: I level River to max manually for $2. Bloom her for $2. Now she (4/5) can take out Cal and survive as 4/2. NF for $2, trade with Huntress. NF #2 for $2. NF and Vandy take out Tech II (to 2/2 and 4/4). Shark and Zane to trade with Vandy, then have Garth Nether Drain River to 4/1, last shark kills River or NF. Not good.
No patrol, 2/3, heroes at 4/2, 4/4. He has no Tech II.
Option 3: Same as above, but Vandy breaks Tech I, and patrol the NF in SQL. Then he needs more than 1 shark to break through, and Rampant Growth to take Vandy. He’d just turtle up, I think, and drop big stuff with his Tech II. And I can’t get through. He’ll have $12. That’s enough to drop a Gigadon hard and still play Garth and Nether Drain. But I’d be able to get River killed, maybe favorably, and bring in Rook next turn and probably Metamorph him. But even if I draw into it, the Metamorph won’t let me get Vandy past a patroller.
Patrol is 2/3 (or 2/3+a), heroes at 4/2 and 4/4. He has Tech II.
Option 4: Sideline Huntress with River’s midband. Both NF’s ($4) team up to take out Cal (both die to Tower, River to 3/4). Bloomed ($2) Vandy takes out Tech II (to 5/5). FN patrols ($2). But now he has a Huntress to hit me with in addition to sharks. 1 shark takes out FN. Shark and Huntress take out Vandy. Max Zane takes out River, or Zane trades and Garth comes out. Not great. But he really has to work for it.
Patrol is 2/2, then 3/4 and 5/5 heroes. He has Huntress
Option 5: One NF ($2) and River (2/4) take out Cal. River survives, maxes, heals to 3/4. Next NF ($2) trades with Huntress. Bloom Vandy ($2). Vandy takes out Tech II (and goes to 5/5). FN ($2) patrols. He would have to shark FN, then trade shark and Zane into Vandy. Even if he then pulls out Garth and ND, River stays at 2/3, and he won’t have much else. Pretty good. Could also leave me room to summon Rook and build my own Tech II next turn.
Patrol is 2/2, then 3/4 and 5/5 heroes. Strictly better than Option 4.
Option 6: Have Vandy kill Cal to freely max River; Vandy at 4/2. 1st NF for $2, trades with Huntress. 2nd NF for $2, hits Tech II for 2. River takes out Tech II, goes to 3/3. FN for $2, to SQL as 2/3. I could Bloom River up to 4/4, or Vandy to 5/3 (doesn’t help much against sharks) or FN up to 3/3. He’ll patrol as 3/3+a. Cstick could trade Zane and shark against FN, then shark Vandy. If I bloom Vandy, it’s even easier for sharks to kill her. Then Garth could come out and ND River, but she’d still be alive as a 2/2 midband, or 3/3 if I bloom her. Rampant Growth would change all that of course. But I could float $2 instead of Blooming, or worker Thunderclap or Bloom and have a 3-card hand and $9 next turn!
Patrol is 3/3+a or 2/2, with a 2/2 Fencer, 4/2 and 3/3 heroes. Seems much better than Option 2.
I think that’s pretty much it. It’s really a choice between Options 5 and 6. Do I make it easy to get through, but harder to kill my heroes (and Vandy especially)? Or harder to get through, but easy to kill my heroes (and Vandy especially), and I have some extra attack from Fencer next turn. Hrrrm. I choose 5. I’m going to cycle again. What do I add? It seems likely that River will be alive, but if I ever want to go to Tech II, now is the time to add it in, right? How about Appel Stomp? Maybe another EQ?
…And not a great hand. OB adds a body. Dark Pact will be wonderful if Vandy survives. EQ is useless.
[/spoiler][/details]
P2T8
TECH
Appel Stomp
Earthquake
WORKERS
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Baba and Skeleton die; you draw a card from Technician
Skip worker
Recruit Nimble Fencer - ($6)
Fencer hits Cal, knocking off armor and doing 1 damage; takes 2 and dies to tower
River hits Cal, killing her; takes 2 + 1 from the tower, but survives to maxband and heal
Recruit a second Nimble Fencer - ($4)
Fencer trades with Huntress
Vandy casts Bloom on herself - ($2)
Vandy destroys your Tech II, taking 1 from the tower
Recruit Fruit Ninja “cheaply” from River - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 1, reshuffle, draw 3
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: [I]Technician[/I]: Fruit Ninja (2/2, Frenzy 1) [I]Lookout[/I]: Base HP: 20 Tech I HP: 5 Heroes’ Hall HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
P1T9
TECH
Doom Grasp
STARTING HAND
Young Treant
Spore Shambler
Chaos Mirror
Hooded Executioner
Bone Collector
Nether Drain
WORKERS
Verdant Tree
Rich Earth
Tiger Cub
Ironbark Treant
Merfolk Prospector
Playful Panda
Forest’s Favor
Doom Grasp
Surprise Attack
Huntress
Doom Grasp
Hooded Executioner
Tech 1 card(s)
Get Paid + Scavenger - ($12)
Play Garth - ($10)
Nether Drain Vandy - ($8)
Play Boosted Hooded Executioner, killing Fruit Ninja - ($3)
Play Bone Collector - ($1)
Summon a Skeleton - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, reshuffle, draw 5
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: Hooded Executioner (3/3+A) [I]Elite[/I]: Bone Collector (4/3) [I]Scavenger[/I]: [I]Technician[/I]: Skeleton (1/1) [I]Lookout[/I]: Base HP: 18 Tech I HP: 4 Tech II HP: 5 (Feral) Tower HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
Edit: Noting base repair from Brick Thief and Resist on Brick Thief. Thanks @cstick!
[details=Thoughts][spoiler]
Well, I did not expect that. I guess I knew the Nether Drain had to come; it was the most efficient way to put off Meta for a turn. But now he’s given me outs to kill River and bring in Rook next turn. Or I have the space to bring in my own Tech II and do it that way. I’m obviously going to play Dark Pact, and I need to see my Technician draw before I can make any other decisions. But he left a low-level Garth in play to try to tempt me away from his Tech I and Tech II if I can even break his defense.
The Technician draw is a Brick Thief. Not bad for a cheap patroller that damages his Tech II. That leads me toward setting up for Earthquake. Not as good as a NF, with max Vandy’s power to doom and River’s power to sideline. But not bad.
Dark Pact drew me into my second Dark Pact (great!) and a Two Step (I wish it was Harmony).
It’s a Timely messenger! All right! Some Haste! And Thunderclap! That would be perfect if River was already dead. With Two Step… maybe I should try to kill Vandy instead? Is that possible?
Actually, Vandy’s a 4/4 thanks to Nether Drain, with the possibility to doom more stuff. And with his Tower, his HE essentially hits for 4 and his BC for 5. I can kill whoever I want. But my patrollers cost 2 total, so I can’t play them and Rook and Thunderclap and Two Step and level Vandy.
Think it through:
Option1: Level Vandy (2) and doom TM and Skeleton. TM at 3/3. River trades into HE… no, she doesn’t kill it.
Option2: Level Vandy (2) and doom TM and Sk. Brick Thief (1). River casts Two Step (2) on Brick Thief and TM. TM at 5/5. TM takes out HE and surives with 1 HP. River trades into BC (TM dies with Two Step, Garth to Lv. 5, 2/4). Rook (2). And now only $1 left. Not enough to Thunderclap the skeleton out of the way so Vandy can step through.
Option3: Level Vandy (2) and doom TM and Sk. Vandy (5/5) takes out HE and survives with 1 HP. River trades into BC and dies (Garth to Lv. 5, 2/4). Rook (2) and Thunderclap (2) skeleton out of the way. Early Brick Thief (1) hits a building. Now doomed TM can take out Tower or Tech I. (1) for early OB. Not enough for Two Step in there, and not enough attack to take out Garth. But that puts BT, OB, and Rook between Vandy his Skeleton (and Zane, and sharks), so he’ll have a hard time taking her out, and he’ll probably have to rebuild the tower. But he’ll get whatever he techs (Bear or Tiger) at the end of my turn for for free from his discard pile. If he summons Cal, it’ll be an invisible Stalker.
Option4: Level Vandy (2) and doom TM and Sk. Have River sideline HE. TM trades with BC. Build Tech II (STR) (4). Brick Thief and OB (2). Patrol Vandy in Technician, BT in Scav, OB in SQL? No Two Step, but set up for EQ down the line, potential Meta next turn?
Option5: Level Vandy (2) and doom TM and Sk. Fetch and play Soul Stone on TM (3). TM (4/4) trades with HE+Tower, regenerates to 3/3 (but will die next turn). No way to get Rook out without trading River, but that’s $2. Not enough to Clap. Few patrollers.
Option6: Vandy fetches and uses Shadow Blade (4) on BC. Build Tech II (STR) (4). Have River and Vandy patrol? Doesn’t leave much defense, but forces him to work a bit harder to level Garth for the free play.
! Option7: Have Vandy trade into BC+Tower (Garth at Lv. 5, 2/4). Rook (2) and Thunderclap (2) the BC and Skeleton out of the way. OB (1) and Brick Thief (1) (hitting a building). River and TM team up to take out Garth (levels to Rook) or Tech II (if hit by BT); TM dies and River 3/3. Two Step OB and BT (to 4/4, 4/3) or level Rook to 3/5 if Garth is dead. Great! But I’m giving up on Metamorphosis. He’ll have a 3/3 and a 1/1 to hit back with, plus 2 (probably 3) from Garth. (But not Zane or sharks! 'Cause no Tech II and Garth!)
! Option8: Same as above, but have Two Step hit OB and TM. Have BT hit Tower (setting up for later EQ). TM and River still take out Tech II, but now TM survives as a 3/2 on the back line.
Option9: Same as above, but BT hits Tower or Tech I, and TM takes out Tower or Tech I by himself. River can hit Tech II or Tech I for 3, but won’t kill it. But if I Rook is alive when I draw my next Bird’s Nest, the birds become an alternate way to take out Tech. But if I’m not playing Tech II now, isn’t it better to take his Tech II before he can use it?
I have to think about either 1) what would help me the most or 2) what would annoy him the most. The Tech II would probably help me most long-term. But I might not have long-term, and breaking his Tech II would definitely be the most annoying.
So Op7 or Op8. Either way, OB in SQL as a 4/4+a means he’ll have to fight through, and won’t have enough juice to kill Rook (unless he suicides Garth to free Zane and Sharks). He’ll almost certainly do that to get rid of OB and Two Step. That would straight up kill the damaged TM. Another HE or StW would take out BT. But if Messenger’s not alive, then when he kills OB, BT will drop back to 2/1 anyway. (Same as other situation.) So the real question is: what’s best if he doesn’t take out OB: OB (4/4), BT (2/1), TM (3/2) or OB (4/4) and BT (4/3). 4 atk is an awesome number, but it’s just not as good as 3 bodies. So Option 8 it is.
Without Tech II, it might not be worth it to him to max Garth, because he’d have to Tech in new Tech I to get use out of the maxband ('cause his discard’s empty except for what he techs). So say he does suicide midband Garth and BC into OB and killing TM. Then he has plenty for Zane+sharks (7). Shark+skeleton takes out Rook, putting Zane at 3. Max Zane for 3 to kill BT (get gold or card) Shark takes out River. Board wipe, and him with 4/4 Zane, maybe another worker. All my heroes will be dead on my turn or his, so none coming back next turn. That’ll probably be game. I guess I have to hope that won’t happen!
Can I stop it with alternate patrol? If Rook is on the back line, he could hit BT (in tech) with midband Zane for the draw. Then shark could take out River, and shark+skeleton takes out Rook to max Zane. Just as bad. Better to put Rook in Technician in case. This is probably the best move for me, because cstick is probably not aggressive enough to do this; but if he is, it might win him the game? (Or at least force me to finally drop a unit and build Tech II.)
What if I don’t Two Step (more cards for me), sacrifice TM, and level Rook to 3? With OB in SQL as a 2/2+a, it’ll die to BC. Max Garth for 2. Garth and skeleton team up to kill Rook, but Garth lives. Play a bunch of cards for $9 (or a few and float). This actually leaves Rook open to another ND, which would be like feeding Garth a free level; better to just float the gold. But Rook might be alive, and River would definitely be alive. Unless he still has that pesky Rampant Growth. This gives me a much weaker board position next turn, but a better hand (I hope), and more money, and more of a guarantee that I have at least one hero left in play. And I’d have a chance at Harmony+Appel Stomp, or Tenderfoot, or Turtle, so there’s still some value there.
What to tech in? I probably should have done Discord and another Two Step a while back. But I’m kinda feeling Starlets and Gargoyles now. And what about Boulder? How about Gargoyle and Discord?
[/spoiler][/details]
P2T9
TECH
Gargoyle
Discord
WORKERS
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Skip worker
Draw from Technician
Vandy casts Dark Pact; my base takes 2 and I draw 2 cards
[details=DarkPactDraw]
Dark Pact and Two Step[/details]
Vandy casts a second Dark Pact; my base takes 2 more and I draw 2 more
[details=DarkPactDraw]
Timely Messenger and Thunderclap[/details]
Recruit Timely Messenger for free (Thanks, River!)
Recruit Older Brother for 1 (Thanks, River!) - ($7)
Recruit Brick Thief for 1 (Thanks, River!); your Tech II takes 1 damage - ($6)
Vandy (4/4) trades with your Hooded Executioner because of Tower; Garth to Lv 5 (2/4)
Summon Garus Rook - ($4)
Rook casts Thunderclap, sidelining your Bone Collector and Skeleton - ($2)
Messenger hits your Tech II for 1, dying to Tower
River hits your Tech II for 3, destroying it again; your base takes 2 more damage, to 16 (like mine!); she takes 1 from the Tower
Float ($2)
Discard 2, draw 4
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: Older Brother (2/2+a) [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Brick Thief (2/1, Resist 1) [I]Technician[/I]: Garus Rook (2/4, Lv. 1) [I]Lookout[/I]: Base HP: 17 Tech I HP: 5 Heroes’ Hall HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
EDIT: Don’t forget that Brick Thief repairs one of your buildings as well.
P1T10
TECH
Centaur
Moss Ancient
STARTING HAND
Surprise Attack
Doom Grasp
Doom Grasp
Huntress
Hooded Executioner
WORKERS
Verdant Tree
Rich Earth
Tiger Cub
Ironbark Treant
Merfolk Prospector
Playful Panda
Forest’s Favor
Huntress
Surprise Attack
Spore Shambler
Rampaging Elephant
Rampaging Elephant
Hooded Executioner
Doom Grasp
Surprise Attack
Doom Grasp
Moss Ancient
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($11)
Play Boosted Hooded Executioner, killing the Older Brother - ($6)
Skeleton trades with Brick Thief
Garth and Bone Collector kill Rook, Garth maxbands and gets a Centaur
Sac skeleton from Bone Collector to play Doom Grasp, killing River - ($2)
Summon a Skeleton - ($1)
Hire a Worker - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 2, draw 4
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: Centaur (3/4+A) [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Skeleton (1/1) [I]Technician[/I]: Hooded Executioner (3/3) [I]Lookout[/I]: Base HP: 16 Tech I HP: 4 Tech II HP: 5 (Feral) Tower HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
Slowly but surely. I think I’m in a pretty commanding position now, with a full board to his nothing. Next turn, I can play double elephants, and that seems impossible for him to beat.
No heroes this turn! Harsh!
It looks like I made a big mistake last turn because I was afraid of Zane. It may be all downhill from here. Great techs on the HEs and DG.
P2T10
TECH
Doubling Barbarbarian
Whitestar Grappler
WORKERS
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($10)
Worker - ($9)
Draw from Technician Rook and get paid from Scavenger BT - ($10)
Recruit Nimble Fencer Iniga - ($8)
Recruit Nimble Fencer Thessaly - ($6)
Build Tech II (Strength) - ($2)
Float ($2)
Discard 2, draw 4
[B]Board Info:[/B]
[B]In Patrol:[/B]
[I]Squad Leader[/I]: Nimble Fencer Thessaly (2/3+a) [I]Elite[/I]: [I]Scavenger[/I]: [I]Technician[/I]: Nimble Fencer Iniga (2/3) [I]Lookout[/I]:[B]Buildings:[/B]
Base HP: 17 Tech I HP: 5 Heroes’ Hall HP: 4[B]Economy Info:[/B]
[B]Cards:[/B]
[details=Thoughts][spoiler]
Why do I always worry about edge cases? Hell, he may have workered Surprise Attack by now. I should have gone down on cards/$ to keep OB beefy and keep Messenger alive as HE fodder. He was able to kill all my heroes and build board. He wouldn’t have been able to do that with Zane. Booo, me.
Since I have nothing to spend my money on but Tech II, I’m teching in the Grappler and the other Barbar.
[/details]
P1T11
STARTING HAND
Spore Shambler
Rampaging Elephant
Surprise Attack
Rampaging Elephant
WORKERS
Verdant Tree
Rich Earth
Tiger Cub
Ironbark Treant
Merfolk Prospector
Playful Panda
Forest’s Favor
Huntress
Tech 0 card(s)
Get Paid - ($12)
Play Zane - ($10)
Maxband Zane, shoving SQL Fencer to lookout - ($5)
Play Surprise Attack - ($0)
Sharks trade with Fencers
Garth, Centaur, Bone Collector, Executioner, Skeleton, and Zane all hit your base for exactly 17
GG! That was a slog. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game go so long without either player building Tech 2. I think you skipped way too many workers, to the point where I basically just had to wait for you to beat yourself. I think the game was pretty close up through your turn 5, where you were in a pretty good position with paired birds. After I broke through on turn 6 is when things started to move slowly but surely in my favor.