CAPS 2017: robinz ([Discipline]/Fire/Truth) vs. shax (Mono Blue)

Codex Codex play-by-forum
12

"P2T4
I AM SUCH AN IDIOT! I absentmidedly hit “discard/draw” twice in a row so this post is painstakingly cobbled together and might have a number wrong somewhere. 98% sure all the cards and patrols are right though.

TechStartingHand Workers

TECH
Insurance agent
Justice juggernaught

STARTING HAND
Spectral Aven
Scribe
Traffic Director
Arrest
Lawful search(tech draw)
Spectral hound (lawful search draw)

WORKERS
Porkhand Magistrate
Bluecoat Musketeer
Jail
Spectral Aven

NextHand

Manufactured Truth
Art of War
Censorship council
Lawful Search

Technician draw caused a reshuffle.
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($9)
Worker - ($8)
Build tech II, law($4)
Cast lawful search, draw and look at your hand.($3)
Summon spectral hound($2)
Summon traffic director ($1)
Onimaru smashes SQL mirror
Building inspector smashes lookout mirror

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

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

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Spectral hound(3/3+A)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Soldier(1/1)
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Traffic Director(1/1)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • Building Inspector(1/1)
  • Onimaru lvl 8(4/5)
  • Reputable Newsman(0/2)@3
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Law)

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

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 4
  • Disc: 0
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 1
  • Workers: 9
Thoughts

With both mirrors+3 units in play and a lobber in hand he has a potentially explosive next hand that I hope oni can survive. Probably can’t however, because he can punch through my patrol and use the lobber to kill the newsman: snapback. Lawful search was a bid to snipe Art of War but alas it was not to be.

This has a lot of potential to slip out of my grasp like so many other promising starts. At least I have a tech advantage.

"

13

Your numbers look ok to me :slight_smile:

P1T5

Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
Young Lightning Dragon
Young Lightning Dragon

STARTING HAND
Rambasa Twin
Snapback
Aged Sensei
Lobber

WORKERS
Fox Viper
Savior Monk
Grappling Hook
Morningstar Flagbearer
Aged Sensei

NextHand

Young Lightning Dragon
Fox Primus
Snapback

Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Worker - ($7)
Rambasa Twins - ($3)
spar with Primus
Primus trades with Hound
Lobber kills Soldier, you get $1
Quince kills Traffic Director, you draw
Lobber #2, kills Building Inspector - ($2)
Heroes’ Hall - ($0)

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

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

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]:
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]: Rambasa Twin (3+1/2)
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Rambasa Twin (3/2)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • Lobber (2/1, haste)
  • Lobber (3/1, haste, 1 +1 rune)
  • lvl 1 Quince (1/2)
  • Sparring Partner (2/2)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Heroes’ Hall HP: 4

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

  • Hand: 3
  • Deck: 6
  • Disc: 0
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 9
Thoughts

Tech 2 Law, eh? I guess this is the “slowly choke me to death” approach - and signals the need to up the aggression. You’d think that meant Fire for my Tech 2, but I’m going to go with Discipline, because of Young Lightning Dragons, and perhaps Training Grounds (because I know that, outside of Free Speech, mono-blue has a hard time dealing with opposing heroes). Of course I haven’t managed to build Tech 2 yet - but I’m so starved of cards that if I don’t tech two Tech 2s now I’ll never be able to play Tech 2 cards before the game is over.

I’m able to at least swing the board position a fair way in my favour this turn, at least as far as pure numbers are concerned. The main problem is of course the huge likelihood of Art of War coming my way - which will let Oni break my Tech 1 and delay my Tech 2 for far too long. But at least I now have a Heroes’ Hall so I can have 2 heroes’ out regardless (unless he can break both).

An Injunction on Tech 1 would be pretty devastating too, even more so than him breaking Tech 1. I’m just hanging on here, it feels… (And seriously not helped by that sucky draw. At least I should recover my handsize - let’s hope I can do something effective without spending cards.)

14

"P2T5

Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
Free speech
Lawbringer gryphon

STARTING HAND
Manufactured Truth
Art of War
Censorship council
Lawful Search

WORKERS
Porkhand Magistrate
Bluecoat Musketeer
Jail
Spectral Aven
Lawful Search

NextHand

Arrest
Justice juggernaught
Insurance agent

Discard

Traffic Director
Spectral hound
Building Inspector
Art of War
Manufactured Truth
Free speech
Insurance agent

Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($10)
Worker - ($9)
Onimaru learns the art of war - ($6)
Play censorship council - ($2)
Summon quince - ($0)
Onimaru destroys your tech I, 2 base damage.

Float ($0)
Discard 1, draw 3

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

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]:
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]: Onimaru lvl 8(7/7)
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]:
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • Reputable Newsman(0/2)@3
  • Censorship council(5)
  • Quince(1/3)
  • Mirror(0/1)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Law)

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

  • Hand: 3
  • Deck: 1
  • Disc: 7
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 10
Thoughts

Just killing the tech 1 and stalling that big board feels too passive, but I’m not sure what could be better.

"

1 Like
15

P1T6

Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
Training Grounds
Burning Volley

STARTING HAND
Young Lightning Dragon
Fox Primus
Snapback

WORKERS
Fox Viper
Savior Monk
Grappling Hook
Morningstar Flagbearer
Aged Sensei
Fox Primus

NextHand

Young Lightning Dragon
Free Speech
Sensei’s Advice
Smoker

Discard

Snapback
Young Lightning Dragon
Training Grounds
Burning Volley

Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($9)
Worker - ($8)
rebuild Tech 1
Jaina, to midband - ($3)
Quince to midband and heals - ($1)
spar with Jaina

Float ($1)
Discard 2, draw 4

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

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Rambasa Twin (3/2+A)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]: Rambasa Twin (3+1/2)
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Lobber (3/1, haste, 1 +1 rune)
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Lobber (2/1, haste)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • lvl 3 Quince (1/4)
  • Sparring Partner (2/2)
  • lvl 4 Jaina (4/4, 1 +1 rune)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 18
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Heroes’ Hall HP: 4

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

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 2
  • Disc: 4
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 1
  • Workers: 10
Thoughts

Yep, Art of War - we saw that one coming. But if all it does is break my Tech 1, then annoying as that is, I don’t feel so bad. (OK, by putting his swift-strike Oni in patrol he also stops me attacking him for a turn, but I can live with that.) Delaying my Tech 2 build is rather annoying, since I’m likely to draw my second YLD next turn (which indeed I did) - but Tech 2 law doesn’t really have a “win condition”. Mind you, Tech 3 certainly does (I can cope with the Gryphon itself, including the flying base, due to my YLDs - but Obliterate 4 is ridiculous). I’m not too worried by his Cencorship Council at the moment, since I have plenty of units on board and am trying to build my handsize back up. And his play of Quince means I don’t have to worry about Injunction for a little while either (unless he improbably suicide Quince or Oni).

Am I still losing? Hell yeah - or at least I think so. But this game is going some distance, I think. If I can get a protected Tech 2 I could be back in the game. I need to stop him playing AoW every turn though (he likely has a second one in the deck), which likely requires me to play Snapback. Which in turn means that the Newsman has to die…

16

"P2T6

TechStartingHand Workers

TECH
Insurance agent

STARTING HAND
Justice juggernaught
Insurance agent
Arrest
Scribe
building inspector(scribe draw)

WORKERS
Porkhand Magistrate
Bluecoat Musketeer
Jail
Spectral Aven
Lawful Search
Building inspector

NextHand

Free speech
liberty gryphon
Insurance agent
Art of War

Discard

Arrest
Building Inspector

Tech 1 card(s)
Get Paid - ($10)
Insurance agent, insures rambasa twin in SQL - ($9)
Onimaru kills Rambasa twin, cash in insurance & draw - ($13)
Max quince - ($9)
Play justice juggernaught, mirror becomes one as well. - ($3)
Summon scribe, reshuffle & draw card - ($1)
Worker - ($0)
Mirror juggernaught kills Jaina

Float ($0)
Discard 1, draw 3

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

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Insurance agent(2/2+A)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]: Reputable Newsman(0/2)@3
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Scribe(1/3)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • Onimaru lvl 8(4/2)
  • Censorship council
  • Quince lvl 5(1/5)
  • Mirror Juggernaught(4/2)
  • Justice juggernaught(4/6)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Law)

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

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 3
  • Disc: 2
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 11
Thoughts

Well I drew art of war despite onimaru going to die next turn. I got the juggernauts rolling out but I had to kill Jaina so she couldn’t just potshot my mirror with maxband. Here’s to not getting nailed by free speech next turn! Killing a hero immediately after a big investment($5) is nice, especially since he invested in a heroes hall. Teched the second insurance agent before the reshuffle.

We shall see what justice can do. Most likely getting tech III next turn. Maybe tech jurisdiction or judgement day.

"

17

Well this is getting pretty interesting. And leads me to a rules question as I plan my next turn:

What happens if I make a mirror and use Quince’s midband to make it a copy of your Justice Juggernaut (yes, mirror Juggernauts are all the range these days, it seems)? I’m supposed to trash the mirror at the end of the turn, but JJ has 2 lives. Does that mean the mirror survives? I guess so. But is it still a copy of Juggernaut, or is it a plain ordinary 0/1 mirror? (From my own reading of the card texts, I think it will stay as a Juggernaut, with a crumbling rune of course, but I’m not certain.)

Oh hang on, I think I remember reading somewhere else that trashing something doesn’t cause it to “die”. So the mirror would still be trashed? Does anyone else with more rules knowledge want to weigh in here?

(Although, I’ve just realised I can’t spar with my own mirror without killing it, so the play I was planning is less impressive than I thought anyway :slight_smile: )

18

you wouldn’t be able to attack with the mirror anyways since justice juggernaughts don’t have haste.
I’ll cross post your question in the rules thread for my own enlightenment as well.

1 Like
19

oops. There I go, thinking of impressive complex plays and missing the blindingly obvious :blush:

20

Otoh, you could spar with the mirror juggernaut; two lives would save it from that effect.

2 Likes
21

Lovely in theory, but of course useless to do this turn, when the mirror would get trashed without being able to do anything :slight_smile:

22

OK, this is more complicated than I thought. I’ve never had so many units on the board when I’ve been clearly losing :slight_smile: I might not take by turn until tomorrow.

1 Like
23

take your time :slight_smile:
Next post HAS to contain a smiley now.

3 Likes
24

Happy to oblige :slight_smile: Although it doesn’t reflect my feelings on the game state - after much deliberation I’ve let Oni live, despite knowing you have that AoW somewhere in your deck. I’m as dead as a dead thing, but hoping for a few miracles somewhere…

P1T7

Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
Hallucination
Burning Volley

STARTING HAND
Young Lightning Dragon
Smoker
Free Speech
Sensei’s Advice

WORKERS
Fox Viper
Savior Monk
Grappling Hook
Morningstar Flagbearer
Aged Sensei
Fox Primus
Smoker

NextHand

Burning Volley
Firebat
Young Lightning Dragon
Safe Attacking

Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($11)
Worker - ($10)
Tech 2 Discipline - ($6)
Grave - ($4)
Sensei’s Advice on Rambasa twin and yet-to-spar Lobbeer - ($3)
sparred Lobber trades with Insurace Agent
Sparring Partner kills Newsman, exposing his les - 3 cost spells are perfectly OK!. Oh, you get $1.
the remaining Lobber kills Scribe, staying alive due to the Sensei’s armour. You draw.
ready Sparring Partner - ($1)
spar with Rambasa
Rambasa kills Quince, taking no damage. Mirror Juggernaut is trashed, Grave to lvl 3.

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

[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]: lvl 3 Grave (3/4, sparkshot, readiness)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • lvl 3 Quince (1/4)
  • Sparring Partner (2/2)
  • Rambasa Twin (4/3, 1 +1 rune)
  • Lobber (2/1, haste)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 18
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Discipline)
  • :heart: Heroes’ Hall HP: 4

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

  • Hand: 4
  • Deck: 8
  • Disc: 0
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 1
  • Workers: 11
Thoughts

From my myriad of options, I think there are 2 key decisions here. The first was: which of the 2 spells in my hand to play (given that Censorship Council stops me from playing more than 1)? The second was, which hero to kill?

Free Speech is obviously a really great spell for me here. It stops any Art of War (I know he’s got one in the deck somewhere), as well as Oni’s readiness and frenzy. It stops Quince getting up to any more mirror shenanigans for a turn. It stops any Injunctions or other of Bigby’s nonsense, if he had any of that planned. It seems a no-brainer, and was how I was first planning the turn.

But in the end, I decided that leaving both his Juggernaut and its mirror brother on the board was just a mistake. Admittedly, I’m likely to be dead whatever I do - but allowing him to not only do 8 base damage next turn, but likely keep that up indefinitely, is just too much. I may not get another chance to kill Quince so “easily” in the future, so I think I have to take it. That sadly necessitated the play of Sensei’s Advice, so Free Speech can’t happen. Down with censorship! (Although I’d have struggled to pay for both and get everything else done.) And it meant I had to leave Oni alive, with AoW likely to come next turn. I have a clear advantage in bodies, but I’ve only got a few turns to get my own aggressive options online before I just lose.

The advantage of playing this way is that, if he doesn’t have AoW, my Tech 2 is likely to survive. I’m loading the deck with spells, aiming for a pure heroes strategy, supported by YLDs. I have Training Grounds in the deck, if I ever get time to use it, so I’m happy to put in a second copy of Jaina’s ultimate, as well as a Hallucination. Wouldn’t it be fun if I can get those to line up?

But realistically, his Juggernaut, by itself (and he could well have a second in the deck) is just too strong. I could sword it next turn if he leaves Grave alive (unlikely), but that of course only half kills it…

25

[Details=Further comment]
Ooops, I just realised that I wrote Hallucination, when I meant to tech Dreamscape. (I knew which spell I intended to tech, just misremembered what it was called.) I’m not sure if I’m allowed to correct it, but I can’t be bothered asking because it likely doesn’t matter anyway.
[/Details]

26

"P2T7

Tech StartingHand Workers

TECH
judgement day

STARTING HAND
Free speech
Insurance agent
liberty gryphon
Art of War

WORKERS
Porkhand Magistrate
Bluecoat Musketeer
Jail
Spectral Aven
Lawful Search
Building Inspector
Free speech

NextHand

Spectral hound (goes back into deck as per my next post explains)
Traffic Director
liberty gryphon
Manufactured Truth

Discard

Arrest
Reputable Newsman
Scribe
Insurance agent
Art of War
Insurance agent
judgement day

Tech 1 card(s)
Get Paid - ($12)
Worker - ($11)
Onimaru continues to study the art of war - ($8)
Onimaru smashes tech II, 2 base damage
Summon bigby - ($6)
Kill grave with justice juggernaught, you draw and bigby to lvl 3
Build tech III - ($1)
Summon insurance agent, insure rambasa twin. - ($0)

Float ($0)
Stash 1, Discard 0, draw 2

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

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]:
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]: Onimaru lvl 8(7/4)
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]:
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • Censorship council
  • Bigby lvl 3(2/4)
  • Justice juggernaught(4/3)
    *Insurance agent(2/2)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 20
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Law)
  • :heart: Tech III HP: 5
    [B]Economy Info:[/B]
    [B]Cards:[/B]
  • Hand: 3
  • Deck: 1
  • Disc: 7
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 12
Thoughts

Liberty gryphon next turn. I’d say it’s GG but he could snapback my onimaru for a sudden reversal.

"

27

strange issue with the spreadsheet thinking I had two copies of a card despite me only teching one. So I only had one card left in hand and stashed it but somehow drew up to 4 cards. Used rng.org to put one of the cards back into my deck so I only have 3 cards in hand like I should.

Edit: sorry about the slew of edits, forgot to update tiny little side numbers. should be all good now.

1 Like
28

you played an Insurance Agent, but he isn’t listed in your board state…

29

whoops fixed!

30

Insured rambasa is a nice combo of things

1 Like
31

P1T8

StartingHand Workers

STARTING HAND
Firebat
Safe Attacking
Burning Volley
Young Lightning Dragon
Training Grounds

WORKERS
Fox Viper
Savior Monk
Grappling Hook
Morningstar Flagbearer
Aged Sensei
Fox Primus
Smoker

NextHand

Free Speech
Burning Volley
Sensei’s Advice
Lobber
Young Lightning Dragon

Discard

Safe Attacking
Young Lightning Dragon
Training Grounds
Burning Volley
Firebat

Tech 0 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($12)
rebuild Tech 2
summon and max Jaina - ($4)
Quince makes 2 mirrors - ($0)
spar wth Jaina

Float ($0)
Discard 5, draw 5

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

  • :psblueshield: [I]Squad Leader[/I]: Lobber (2/1+A, haste)
  • :psfist: [I]Elite[/I]:
  • :ps_: [I]Scavenger[/I]:
  • :pschip: [I]Technician[/I]: Rambasa Twin (4/3, 1 +1 rune)
  • :target: [I]Lookout[/I]:
    [B]In Play:[/B]
  • lvl 3 Quince (1/4)
  • Sparring Partner (2/2)
  • max Jaina (5/4, sparkshot, 1 +1 rune)
  • mirror Illusion (0/1)
  • mirror Illusion (0/1)
    [B]Buildings:[/B]
  • :heart: Base HP: 16
  • :heart: Tech I HP: 5
  • :heart: Tech II HP: 5 (Discipline)
  • :heart: Heroes’ Hall HP: 4

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

  • Hand: 5
  • Deck: 2
  • Disc: 5
    [B]Gold:[/B]
  • Gold: 0
  • Workers: 11
Thoughts

Well, this is probably pretty much it. A Gryphon is about to appear (surely that’s his stashed card, and he doubtless has a second one in the deck too). I don’t have any real way to deal with it - except for hoping that I draw a YLD next turn (and can play it!). If so I should have at least one mirror alive to copy it and take out the Gryphon.

And at 10 gold it’s so expensive he won’t be able to do a lot else. I’m sure that is why he insured the Ramabasa twin, being the most expensive unit around (that is actually likely to die). That’s why I’ve hidden it behind the Lobber in SQL. Of course he can kill the Rambasa with the Juggernaut wherever I put it, but at least then he can’t use it to kill Jaina or (in combination with some buff) break a tech building. And by putting it in Technician I at least get some reasonable benefit out of it (increasing my odds of getting that YLD).

Of course, he might well be planning a Judgement day. If so, killing everything of mine, getting the 4 gold from the insurance, while his JJ stays alive AND he plays the Gryphon, is probably game over. Annoyingly, he has exactly enough gold to do it all (6 to max Bigby and play JD, leaving 6, which with 4 from insurance, lets him spend 10 on LG). Oh, and he can save 2 gold by killing Jaina with the Juggernaut first. It would be a sylish way for him to get his deserved win though :slight_smile: (Although I’m curious why he didn’t just pummel me with Peace Tech 2. Probably too boring, but I think it would have finished me off a lot quicker!)

As it is, if he doesn’t have both JD and LG in hand, AND my Tech 2 stays alive, AND I draw YLD (and I probably need Jaina to stay alive too), I may have some slight chances. Just the odd straw to clutch at then :slight_smile: