An Injunction would be extremely useful here, but I didn’t prepare any, regretably, so I can’t keep total control of this situation. I at least want to use Mind Control now while I still have Quince, and I want to build a Tech III before I draw my Gryphons. I can do both and worker one of the Eyes, stashing the other, since he hasn’t yet built his Tech III, I don’t need to worry about multiple invisible attackers yet. I can bet he’ll use his other Executioner to remove the one I steal, exposing my heroes and infrastructure, but Vandy alone shouldn’t be able to break a tech building, and he doesn’t have access to haste, so I think the best defense is a good offense here. Also, if he pays to boost-kill, at least that would leave him less gold with which to present other threats.
GG WP. The nerfs helped a lot; these first 5 games felt fairly well balanced from my side. It was a pretty even split, and I generally felt like I deserved the losses, like “Aw, I should have done that instead.” rather than “Is there any way to make this work?”.
How were they on your end? I know you had some solid wins, but did either of the games you lost feel like you had no agency?
P1T1
StartingHand Workers
STARTING HAND
Lawful Search
Bluecoat Musketeer
Manufactured Truth
Arrest
Jail
WORKERS
Jail
NextHand
Building Inspector
Traffic Director
Spectral Aven
Porkhand Magistrate
Reputable Newsman
It’s hard for me to gauge; I definitely felt hamstrung in the losses but I think that has more to due with what I’m “used to” than what is actually underpowered. I over-indexed on Meta in game 3 (and I agree that opening Jandra just wasn’t as threatening), this last game I definitely felt hard pressed to get much going though. I definitely just totally spaced on Aven though, which felt like a big mistake on my part.
STARTING HAND
Porkhand Magistrate
Spectral Aven
Traffic Director
Building Inspector
Reputable Newsman
WORKERS
Jail
Porkhand Magistrate
NextHand
Spectral Aven
Lawful Search
Arrest
Manufactured Truth
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($6)
Worker - ($5)
Building Inspector - ($4)
Reputable Newsman - ($2)
General Onimaru - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 2, reshuffle, draw 4
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Reputable Newsman (0/3A) $2 blocked
Elite:
Scavenger: Bluecoat Musketeer (1/2A) Long-range
Technician:
Lookout: Building Inspector (1/1) $1 tax, resist 1
In Play:
L1 General Onimaru (2/3) Frenzy 1
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 4
Deck: 3
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 6
Thoughts
Graveyard right out the gate? Interesting… I really want to try punishing that opening, so I’ll go ham with Onimaru. I’m almost tempted to tech in a General’s Hammer to break the Graveyard, but it’s just so unreasonably expensive to cast (compare to Wrecking Ball), so I won’t. Instead, I’ll double down on Elite Training and flood the board. Maybe I’ll try pairing it with Dreamscape later for efficient unit removal.
STARTING HAND
Spectral Aven
Manufactured Truth
Arrest
Lawful Search
Elite Training
WORKERS
Jail
Porkhand Magistrate
Spectral Aven
NextHand
Scribe
Scribe
Manufactured Truth
Elite Training
Traffic Director
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($6)
Lawful Search your hand… yikes! Maybe I don’t wanna kill Vandy after all… - ($5)
Musketeer snipes Javelineer
Tech I - ($4)
Worker - ($3)
Float ($3)
Discard 3, draw 2, reshuffle, draw 3
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Reputable Newsman (0/3A) $2 blocked
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician:
Lookout: Building Inspector (1/1) $1 tax, resist 1
In Play:
L1 General Onimaru (2/3) Frenzy 1
Bluecoat Musketeer (1/2) Long-range
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech I HP: 5
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 3
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 3
Workers: 7
Thoughts
Whiff… gonna have to pull and peek, not sure what to tech though… I guess Scribes since I’m burning cards. … Carrion Curse! Seems he’s planning to punish me for killing Vandy, kinda makes me want to. Odd choice to level her up though, but maybe he just wants me to work harder for the kill. Good that I discouraged his Tech I and Heroes’ Hall, at least, but that won’t last much longer. Graveyard is a pain, and I could break it, but I’d have to spend $3 and 2 cards on spells and $2 to play the Aven which would be a prime target for that Deteriorate, or worse (and more likely), Vandy’s maxband… not really a good value trade, and would require skipping a worker and further delaying my Tech I. So that’s off the table, which leaves me very little to do this turn. I don’t like giving away a Technician bonus, but it’s better than letting Vandy buff the thing right before it attacks… though this leaves the threat of one-sided StW. Well, he can cause plenty of damage, but right now all I can do is try to make it expensive for him.
He skipped a worker??? There were plenty of opportunities to set aside $1 for one, so I guess he just didn’t want to give up any of his cards in hand? Well, I’m not complaining. Since he’s going for discards, and because I seem to have the opportunity, I’ll try to race to deploy Garrisons to counterbalance, despite have non-proc-triggering spells in my cycle.
STARTING HAND
Elite Training
Traffic Director
Elite Training
Manufactured Truth
Reputable Newsman
WORKERS
Jail
Porkhand Magistrate
Spectral Aven
Lawful Search
Manufactured Truth
NextHand
Arrest
Building Inspector
Flagstone Garrison
Discard
Scribe
Elite Training
Elite Training
Traffic Director
Overeager Cadet
Overeager Cadet
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($9)
Worker - ($8)
Reputable Newsman - ($6)
Elite Training on Musketeer and Newsman - ($4)
Elite Training on Musketeer and Newsman - ($2)
Musketeer obliterates SQL, double sparkshots Imp to death
Onimaru breaks Graveyard
Whiff on the Garrisons… that’s bad. Now I desperately need to try to use the Newsman to block Carrion Curse, but I think I can actually manage that, probably. Disease is a somewhat concerning choice, especially for dealing with unit spam.
STARTING HAND
Arrest
Building Inspector
Flagstone Garrison
WORKERS
Jail
Porkhand Magistrate
Spectral Aven
Lawful Search
Manufactured Truth
NextHand
Elite Training
Scribe
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($11)
Flagstone Garrison - ($8)
Building Inspector, dies - ($7)
Flagstone Garrison - ($4)
Expensive Arrest - ($1)
Onimaru does 3 damage to your Tech II
Float ($1)
Discard 0, reshuffle, draw 2
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger: Bluecoat Musketeer (0/1)
Technician: Reputable Newsman (0/2) $3 blocked
Lookout:
In Play:
Flagstone Garrison (4)
Flagstone Garrison (4)
L1 General Onimaru (2/3) Frenzy 1
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech I HP: 5
Tech II HP: 5 (Peace)
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 2
Deck: 9
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 1
Workers: 9
Thoughts
Abominations are awkward, but Drill Sergeants can survive them and gain runes even from units that don’t survive being played… Scribes can survive as well. Once I get the engine up, I’ll be able to quickly react with my tech choices, and start phasing out my weaker tech 0 units.
Sacrifice the Weak
Deteriorate
Hooded Executioner
Sickness
Carrion Curse
Events of Turn:
Upkeep:
Get Gold (9+1float)
Tech 2 cards in (except turn 1)
All Teched Cards
Plague Lord x2
Metamorphosis, Dark Pact
Abomination, Cursed Crow
Sickness, Gorgon
Carrion Curse, Hooded Executioner
Main:
Orpal (8)
Sickness Musketeer and Newsman, you get a gold (6)
Deteriorate Newsman, you get a card (5)
Vandy kills Oni, maxbands and dooms nothing
Hooded Executioner (3)
Hero’s Hall (1)
Worker (0)
Workers
Jandra, the Negator, Pestering Haunt, Skeletal Archery, Poisonblade Rogue
Patrol as below
Discard 1 rs Draw 3
Tech 2 cards before my next turn
Board Info:
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech1 HP: 5
Tech2 HP: 2 DISEASE
Hero’s Hall HP: 4
In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician:
Lookout:
In Play:
Vandy (4/5 lvl 6)
Orpal (1/3 lvl 1)
Abomination (6/6)
Hooded Executioner (2/2)
Economy Info:
Cards:
Hand: 3
Deck: 10
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 10
End of Turn Hand
Dark Pact
Plague Lord
Sacrifice the Weak
End of Turn Discard
My Thoughts
Nice break for me, I can wipe his board (save for the Garrisons), gambit a bit for tech 3, and then either Meta or tech up.
…
Shucks, bummer rs draw of Plague Lord
STARTING HAND
Elite Training
Scribe
Building Inspector
Elite Training
Scribe
Arrest
Drill Sergeant
Overeager Cadet
Drill Sergeant
Overeager Cadet
Traffic Director
WORKERS
Jail
Porkhand Magistrate
Spectral Aven
Lawful Search
Manufactured Truth
Building Inspector
NextHand
Elite Training
Injunction
Traffic Director
Free Speech
Arrest
Just cycling in useful spells now. As for patrolling, I’m half-tempted to spread runes around to insulate against Orpal maxband’s free runes, but I want to invest in the Drill Sergeants more than I want to preserve the small fry.
Dark Pact
Plague Lord
Sacrifice the Weak
Summon Skeletons + Thieving Imp (dp)
Events of Turn:
Upkeep:
Get Gold (10)
Tech 1 card
All Teched Cards
Gorgon
Plague Lord x2
Metamorphosis, Dark Pact
Abomination, Cursed Crow
Sickness, Gorgon
Carrion Curse, Hooded Executioner
Main:
Dark Pact, draw 2 base to 18 (9)
Garth (7)
Orpal hits SQL, Hoodie finishes it
Abomination trades with Drill Sergeant
Vandy taps to fetch and then cast Metamorphosis, Garth and Orpal maxband, Garth fetches a Gorgon (0)
Workers
Jandra, the Negator, Pestering Haunt, Skeletal Archery, Poisonblade Rogue
Patrol as below
Discard 1 rs Draw 3
Tech 2 cards before my next turn
Board Info:
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech1 HP: 5
Tech2 HP: 2 DISEASE
Hero’s Hall HP: 4
In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Gorgon (2/4+1armor)
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Garth (4/5 lvl 7)
Lookout:
In Play:
Vandy (5/6 lvl 6)
Orpal (3/7 lvl 6)
Economy Info:
Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 3
Disc: 8
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 10
End of Turn Hand
Graveyard
Deteriorate
Skeleton Javelineer
Cursed Crow
Plague Lord
End of Turn Discard
My Thoughts
Teching a Gorgon so if I draw the meta, I can fetch it
…
No meta, doesn’t really seem wise to try teching up, honestly I think I’m just pretty boned no matter what. So might as well Meta?