I was trying to pull a Circle of Life, and I needed a cheap unit, and I picked Owl instead of Galina Glimmer since I mistakenly thought flying was a good enough defense.
I always get fixated on the starting hero’s spells, and Drakk immediately made me not want to tech Basilisks or Centaurs because of Kidnapping making it crash with 5/4 Ironbark. And because of what happened last game, though I was already losing by a lot.
T3 I went down on cards because I didn’t want to play Midori or float the gold. With only 2 patrollers you could easily kill him, and I’m too afraid to float gold against Red.
I don’t think going down on cards there was a bad thing, you know your gonna draw back up from me killing your tech, or you have units that you can now play with, either way, win win as green.
But say that you teched a huntress instead of that owl. You can play it instead of the panda and use the extra gold to give a rune from the spore shambled. You now have a 4/4 Sl with A, so I have to trade several units into it. The sporeshambler can go in Tech/Scav to recoup costs, and teh Young treant blocks as well. If I kidnap it, I cant kill the huntress just with your units (its the only big one) and so you end with a board you can attack with. because of this I have to defend, so can’t attack as much.
THis game is balanced on a knife end, so it feels really rewarding when you win, but also 1 decision can spell the end if your opponent capitalises on it.
If you want to play the heavy eco style, that fine, and I can change colours to purple/blue, who it works much better against, but against the agro of Red, your just trying to get a toe hold on the board.
Umm, yeah… Fire’s a spec… I totally know how to use Fire…
On a more serious note, I’m unlikely to use Tech 2/3 Fire against Green, its a good spec, but it doesn’t capitalise on Green’s Weakness or bolsters Red’s weakness. I’m more likely to that against say black or blue. Remember the specs in a colour are made to give them options against all the different things they could face, so don’t expect every card/spec in the colour to be viable in every matchup. Green v Red is one of the better ones, so most of them are, but its always worth asking, what am I giving up to tech this, when would this give me a good outcome. And after each game, I find its useful to go back over my tech choices and look at the hands I had and think, would I prefer to have a different card in this position, and why?
A lot of the learning curve in this game I think is in teching. Your turns are good with the cards you have in hand, but knowing what cards your going to need is a big differentiator in Codex. I’ll post my T1 later this evening
Looking back, I think I already tripped up on turn 2.
If you’re going to midband Drakk, then for me there’s no difference between 5 and 6 HP, since BROgre has to attack and anything else you play will have at least 2 ATK. Thus I have to patrol in Elite to prevent Drakk’s own attack, which means you have to at least trade 2 for 1. I honestly thought I would never need the 3rd ATK against Red, but it’s clear I was wrong about this. The only thing 5 HP lets you do that 6 HP doesn’t is Charge BROgre, but that still uses a card. And if you have to use another card to kill Ironbark, if you don’t go down on cards, on T3 I can Rampant Growth Shambler and kill Drakk for free levels. So I guess opening with Shambler is OK.
STARTING HAND
Careless Musketeer
Bloodburn
Pillage
Bombaster
Scorch
WORKERS
Nautical Dog
Bloodburn
NextHand
Charge
Ember Sparks
Pillage
Mad Man
Bombaster
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($6)
Worker - ($5)
Drak - ($3)
Scorch your base for 2, your base to 15 - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, reshuffle, draw 5
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Drak (1/3, lvl 1, your base takes 1 on death)
Lookout:
In Play:
Makeshift Rambaster (1/2, Haste)
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 4
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 6
Thoughts
As a non-burn player, this is where I immediately regret not playing Bro last turn. I’ve surrendered all board control for 3 points of damage to his base…
but I believe the philosophy here is all the damage I can point at base should go there, so lets go.
STARTING HAND
Playful Panda
Verdant Tree
Spore Shambler
Ironbark Treant
Rampant Growth
WORKERS
Rich Earth
Spore Shambler
NextHand
Tiny Basilisk
Rampant Growth
Centaur
Playful Panda
Forest’s Favor
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($6)
Worker - ($5)
Tech I - ($4)
Ironbark Treant - ($1)
Float ($1)
Discard 3, reshuffle, draw 5
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Ironbark Treant 1/2 + 3A
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Tiger Cub 2/2
Lookout:
In Play:
Calamandra L1 2/3
Buildings:
Base HP: 15
Tech I HP: 5
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 3
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 1
Workers: 7
Thoughts
A full base race, didn’t even build Tech I. Decided not to kill Drakk since he probably wants that 1 damage and maybe more base damage from Jaina spells, and he has no way to suicide him. Hopefully can stall to Growth Tech II for Artisan Mantis’s healing.
Really. Making me guess between Flame Arrow and Ember Sparks. I don’t think he pre-teched Tech I units, and I don’t think he teched Kidnapping. Decided it wasn’t worth it putting Caly in LO. Need Ironbark to have 2 ATK to stop Bombaster abuse.
STARTING HAND
Scorch
Careless Musketeer
Ember Sparks
Bloodrage Ogre
WORKERS
Nautical Dog
Bloodburn
Mad Man
NextHand
Bombaster (2/2)
Bloodrage Ogre
Lobber
Fire Dart
Scorch
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($7)
Jaina - ($5)
Ember Sparks Ironbark - ($2)
Drak kills Ironbark
Bombaster trades with Tiger Cub
Rambaster hits your base for 3, your base to 10
STARTING HAND
Young Treant
Verdant Tree
Merfolk Prospector
Playful Panda
Rampant Growth
Artisan Mantis (technician draw)
WORKERS
Rich Earth
Spore Shambler
Forest’s Favor
Verdant Tree
NextHand
Artisan Mantis
Murkwood Allies
Centaur
Tiger Cub
Young Treant
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Worker - ($7) Tiny Basilisk trades with Jaina, Caly midbands Caly kills Drakk and maxbands, my base to 9
Merfolk Prospector - ($6)
Artisan Mantis, my base to 12 - ($2)
Float ($2)
Discard 3, draw 2, reshuffle, draw 3
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Artisan Mantis 4/5 + A
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Merfolk Prospector 1/1
Lookout:
In Play:
Calamandra L5 4/5
Buildings:
Base HP: 12
Tech I HP: 5
Tech II HP: 5 (Growth)
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 5
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 2
Workers: 9
Thoughts
Feral Strike seems really bad because of Kidnapping possibility. Shame cause two Gigadons sounds really fun. Not sure if Growth Tech III is any good, since I probably won’t tech Growth spells, and my Tech II’s are too expensive already.
STARTING HAND
Scorch
Bombaster (2/2)
Lobber
Bloodrage Ogre
Fire Dart
Ember Sparks
WORKERS
Nautical Dog
Bloodburn
Mad Man
NextHand
Ember Sparks
Crash Bomber
Pillage
Crash Bomber
Charge
Discard
Bloodrage Ogre
Ember Sparks
Fire Dart
Scorch
Kidnapping
Chaos Mirror
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + Float - ($9)
Max Zane, Artisian Mantis to Scav - ($2)
Zane trades with mantis, we both get $1 - ($3)
Lobber - ($2)
Lobber kills Prospector
Makeshift Rambaster hits your base back to 9
Bombaster - ($0)
Playful Panda
Blooming Ancient
Rampant Growth
Tiny Basilisk
Murkwood Allies
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($11)
Scav bonus - ($12)
Worker - ($11)
Artisan Mantis, my base to 12 - ($7)
Centaur - ($4)
Caly maxband fetches Predator Tiger - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 4, reshuffle, draw 1
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Artisan Mantis 4/5 + A
Elite:
Scavenger: Centaur 3/4
Technician:
Lookout: Predator Tiger 4/4
In Play:
Calamandra L5 4/5
Buildings:
Base HP: 12
Tech I HP: 5
Tech II HP: 5 (Growth)
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 6
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 10
Thoughts
NVM what I said before, Feral Strike sounds great! I hope I get to fetch double T-Rex and destroy his econ. I don’t think he can kill Caly with 7 gold and still on Tech I. Wonder if there’s ever a point in playing non-boosted FS
Ooh! BA + MA combo! But then no Tech III…
STARTING HAND
Charge
Crash Bomber
Crash Bomber
Ember Sparks
Pillage
WORKERS
Nautical Dog
Bloodburn
Mad Man
NextHand
Ember Sparks
Chaos Mirror
Ember Sparks
Careless Musketeer
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($7)
Jaina - ($5)
Ember sparks your base, your base to 9 - ($2)
Crashbomber - ($1)
Pillage, your base to 7 - ($0)
Lobber deals 1 to your base, your base to 6
Float ($0)
Discard 2, draw 1, reshuffle, draw 3
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Crash Bomber (2/2, Dies, deals 1 to your base)
Base HP: 20