RACE #3: FrozenStorm (Mono White) vs. Anemone (Mono Black)

Codex Codex play-by-forum
1

@FrozenStorm will be going first against @Anemone. Good luck and have fun!

2

Another game against Black! AGH! At least I’m P1 this time, I know a little better how to deal with that.

GL HF @Anemone!

Player 1, Turn 1

P1 White vs P2 Black

[details=Starting Hand]
Morningstar Flagbearer
Grappling Hook
Sensei’s Advice
Fox Primus
Savior Monk
[/details]

##Events of Turn:

###Upkeep:

  • Get Gold (4)
  • No techs turn 1

[details=All Teched Cards][spoiler]

[/spoiler][/details]

###Main:

  • Savior Monk (2)
  • Worker (1)

[details=Workers]
Fox Primus
[/details]

  • :pspurpleshield: Patrol as below
  • Discard 3 Draw 5
  • Float 1g, Tech 2 cards before my next turn

###Board Info:
####Buildings:

  • :heart: Base HP: 20

####In Patrol:

  • :psblueshield: Squad Leader:
  • :psfist: Elite:
  • :pspig: Scavenger: Savior Monk (2/2)
  • :exhaust: Technician:
  • :target: Lookout:

####In Play:

  • Nothing

###Economy Info:

####Cards:

  • Hand: 5
  • Deck: 0
  • Disc: 3

####Gold:

  • Gold: 1
  • Workers: 5

[details=End of Turn Hand]
Aged Sensei
Fox Viper
Snapback
Smoker
Safe Attacking
[/details]

[details=End of Turn Discard]
Sensei’s Advice
Grappling Hook
Morningstar Flagbearer
[/details]

[details=My Thoughts][spoiler]
Woof rough start, both my combat spells and none of my 1-drops. Tough for generating early pressure as P1… Can’t play the 3-drops for fear of StW, so we try to thin the deck w/ the card and force a bad econ trade if he wants to StW, but no matter what it looks to be an early board deficit…

I’m getting really sick of Black though, and starting to think perhaps not enough rigorous balance testing was done on Black. Something needed a numbers adjustment. StW for 3 gold, or Vandy mid/max-banding at 4/6 instead of 3/5, or Dark Pact dealing 3 base damage instead of 2, or BC being a 2/3 instead of 3/3, or Garth only being 2/3 at midband… Something needed adjusting, as after 3 or 4 tournaments now it’s pretty clearly the dominant color.

Sour grapes a bit from me, as its my LEAST favorite thematically and thus I don’t love playing it (despite having a lot of success when playing it), but still I wish it wasn’t winning 70%+ of matchups and the black starter is so prevalent… It isn’t unbeatable-level, but it sure is obnoxious.
[/spoiler][/details]

3

GLHF! I also don’t have the greatest handle on P2 strategy, for what it’s worth. :V

[b]P2T1[/b]
StartingHand Workers

STARTING HAND
Jandra, the Negator
Skeleton Javelineer
Summon Skeletons
Graveyard
Pestering Haunt

WORKERS
Summon Skeletons

NextHand

Thieving Imp
Skeletal Archery
Sacrifice the Weak
Poisonblade Rogue
Deteriorate

Discard

Skeleton Javelineer
Graveyard
Jandra, the Negator

Tech 0 card(s)
Collect 5 gold - ($5)
Worker - ($4)
Garth - ($2)
Garth makes a Skeleton - ($1)
Pestering Haunt

Float ($1)
Discard 3, draw 5

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

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]:
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Skeleton (1/1)
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]:
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • L1 Garth (1/3)
  • 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: 1
  • Workers: 6
4

Player 1, Turn 2

P1 White vs P2 Black

[details=Starting Hand]
Aged Sensei
Fox Viper
Snapback
Smoker
Safe Attacking
[/details]

##Events of Turn:

###Upkeep:

  • Get Gold (5+1float)
  • No techs turn 1

[details=All Teched Cards]
Sparring Partner, Bird’s Nest
[/details]

###Main:

  • Rook (4)
  • Safe Attacking (3)
  • Aged Sensei (2)
  • Savior Monk safely kills skeleton, you get 1g
  • Worker (1)
  • Tech 1 (0)

[details=Workers]
Fox Viper, Fox Primus
[/details]

  • :pspurpleshield: Patrol as below
  • Discard 2 rs Draw 4
  • Tech 2 cards before my next turn

###Board Info:
####Buildings:

  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • Tech1 HP: 5

####In Patrol:

  • :psblueshield: Squad Leader: Rook (2/4+1armor)
  • :psfist: Elite:
  • :pspig: Scavenger:
  • :exhaust: Technician: Aged Sensei (1/1)
  • :target: Lookout:

####In Play:

  • Savior Monk (2/2)
  • Safe Attacking

###Economy Info:

####Cards:

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 3
  • Disc: 0

####Gold:

  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 6

[details=End of Turn Hand]
Grappling Hook
Smoker
Snapback
Sparring Partner
[/details]

[details=End of Turn Discard][spoiler]

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=My Thoughts]
Proceeding forward with cheap stuff, hoping to drop Birds in short order and try to generate advantage with them!
[/details]

5
[b]P2T2[/b]
Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
Plague Spitter
Plague Spitter

STARTING HAND
Deteriorate
Skeletal Archery
Sacrifice the Weak
Thieving Imp
Poisonblade Rogue

WORKERS
Summon Skeletons
Poisonblade Rogue

NextHand

Deteriorate
Sacrifice the Weak
Plague Spitter
Graveyard

Tech 2 card(s)
Collect 6 gold + float - ($7)
Worker - ($6)
Tech 1 - ($5)
Deteriorate Savior Monk
Pestering Haunt trades with Savior Monk
Garth makes a Skeleton - ($4)
Thieving Imp - discard a random card - ($1)

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

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

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Thieving Imp (2/2+1)
  • :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]
  • L1 Garth (1/3)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5

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

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 4
  • Disc: 0
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 1
  • Workers: 7
6

Well I’m kinda sad I lost my Monk…

Player 1, Turn 3

P1 White vs P2 Black

[details=Starting Hand]
Grappling Hook
Smoker
Snapback (discard)
Sparring Partner
[/details]

##Events of Turn:

###Upkeep:

  • Get Gold (6)
  • Discard #3 of 4 per random.org
  • Tech 2 cards in

[details=All Teched Cards]
Young Lightning Dragon, Training Grounds
Sparring Partner, Bird’s Nest
[/details]

###Main:

  • Midband Rook (2)
  • Sparring Partner (1)
  • Rook kills imp, takes 2 damage
  • Aged Sensei safely kills scavenger skeleton, you get 1g
  • Worker (0)

[details=Workers]
Grappling Hook, Fox Viper, Fox Primus
[/details]

  • :pspurpleshield: Patrol as below
  • Discard 1 Draw 3
  • Tech 2 cards before my next turn

###Board Info:
####Buildings:

  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • Tech1 HP: 5

####In Patrol:

  • :psblueshield: Squad Leader: Sparring Partner (2/2+1armor)
  • :psfist: Elite:
  • :pspig: Scavenger:
  • :exhaust: Technician:
  • :target: Lookout:

####In Play:

  • Rook (3/3 from 2 damage, lvl 5)
  • Aged Sensei (1/1)
  • Safe Attacking

###Economy Info:

####Cards:

  • Hand: 3
  • Deck: 0
  • Disc: 5

####Gold:

  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 7

[details=End of Turn Hand]
Morningstar Flagbearer
Sensei’s Advice
Bird’s Nest
[/details]

[details=End of Turn Discard][spoiler]

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=My Thoughts]
Whiffed on the Birds draw despite good odds but at least I got SP down in relative safety. Black is so annoying though for real… Next turn I can decide whether to Bird’s + Tech 2 (I’m going to go Discipline, YLD seems a very good choice as P1 to do some damage, and Training Grounds against no building hate besides Carrion Curse is a favorite of mine XD
[/details]

7
[b]P2T3[/b]
Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
Plague Spitter
Blackhand Dozer

STARTING HAND
Sickness
Graveyard
Deteriorate
Sacrifice the Weak

WORKERS
Summon Skeletons
Poisonblade Rogue
Graveyard

NextHand

Skeleton Javelineer
Jandra, the Negator
Sickness
Skeletal Archery

Discard

Thieving Imp
Deteriorate
Plague Spitter
Sacrifice the Weak
Plague Spitter
Blackhand Dozer

Tech 2 card(s)
Collect 7 gold + float + Scavenger - ($9)
Worker - ($8)
Level Garth to 4 - ($5)
Garth + Skeleton kill Sparring Partner
Maxband Garth, pull a Plague Spitter from discard - ($2)
Garth makes a Skeleton - ($1)
Deteriorate Sensei

Float ($1)
Discard 2, draw 4

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

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Plague Spitter (3/3+1)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Skeleton (1/1)
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]:
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • L7 Garth (3/4)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5

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

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 0
  • Disc: 5
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 1
  • Workers: 8
8

Player 1, Turn 4

P1 White vs P2 Black

[details=Starting Hand]
Morningstar Flagbearer
Sensei’s Advice
Bird’s Nest
[/details]

##Events of Turn:

###Upkeep:

  • Get Gold (7)
  • Tech 2 cards in

[details=All Teched Cards]
Earthquake x2
Young Lightning Dragon, Training Grounds
Sparring Partner, Bird’s Nest
[/details]

###Main:

  • Bird’s Nest (5)
  • Maxband Rook (2)
  • Worker (1)

[details=Workers]
Morningstar Flagbearer, Grappling Hook, Fox Viper, Fox Primus
[/details]

  • :pspurpleshield: Patrol as below
  • Discard 1 rs Draw 3
  • Float 1g, Tech 2 cards before my next turn

###Board Info:
####Buildings:

  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • Tech1 HP: 5

####In Patrol:

  • :psblueshield: Squad Leader: Rook (4/6+1armor, lvl 8, two lives)
  • :psfist: Elite:
  • :pspig: Scavenger: Tweetie Bird (1/1)
  • :exhaust: Technician: Big Bird (1/1)
  • :target: Lookout:

####In Play:

  • Safe Attacking
  • Bird’s Nest

###Economy Info:

####Cards:

  • Hand: 3
  • Deck: 6
  • Disc: 0

####Gold:

  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 8

[details=End of Turn Hand]
Earthquake
Savior Monk
Training Grounds
[/details]

[details=End of Turn Discard][spoiler]

[/spoiler][/details]

[details=My Thoughts]
I have no idea what I’m doing… I want Rook but I also want my tech 2… and I also also want Birds… this game is hard and I am unsure how to beat Black… I think birds are just not the answer and yet I continue to stubbornly tech them… oh well I guess… let’s just go for broke and hope he isn’t holding nether drain or doom grasp (I think it’s pretty likely he is, though perhaps he whiffed it?) I’m not playing this well at all
[/details]

9

shouldn’t he keep the 2 -1 runes?
EDIT:

Ur sensei in the afterdeck. I doubt he can buff anyone :confused:

10

I realized hallways through my turn sensei was gone, and I guess I missed removing rooks attack in my edit :confused: sorry about that yall!

11

I’m gonna have to drop out for time constraints, in any case, so don’t worry about it too much. Good luck going forward!

@EricF

12

@Anemone sorry to hear that, GG WP! Peeking at your hand, I guess I was closer in the game than I thought, I imagined you definitely had a Nether Drain.

Hope all is well IRL!