Lookout: L3 Calamandra (3/4) resist 1, units have resist 1
Buildings:
Base HP: 18
Tech I HP: 5
Tech II HP: 5 (Feral)
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 4
Deck: 0
Disc: 7
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 10
Thoughts
Jaina self-immolating means I have a window to take slightly less burn. Hopefully I can keep them perpetually off tech 2 and just beat down with elephants and bears from here.
Think I’ll throw in the towel here. I don’t see a way to avoid falling further and further behind against those giant resistant units of yours with what I have available. GG WP. Your turn as P1 if you want to keep going.
Tech 0 card(s)
Get Paid - ($5)
Worker - ($4)
Nautical Dog - ($3)
Tower - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 5
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger: Nautical Dog (1/1) Frenzy 1
Technician:
Lookout:
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tower HP: 4
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 0
Disc: 3
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 6
Thoughts
T1 Shambler seems unusual, but holds up pretty well as SQL. Doesn’t seem worth trying to punch through its armor, and I can’t rely on a beefy patroller to survive if he attacks, 'cuz Green starter. I won’t much in the way of follow-up next turn, so I should just play defensively and tech up towards… what? I figure my best bets are either Blood aggression or, perhaps better yet, Chaos Mirror… or I could try worker suppression, though I haven’t found that to be particularly effective in the past and Green’s free workers are probably the worst matchup, so let’s forget about that. Noteably, Chaos Mirror doesn’t target, so I’ll give it a go… and so I’ll want $1, hasty units to drop alongside it… and eventually Pirate-Gang Commanders to produce tokens.
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($5)
Worker - ($4)
Ironbark Treant - ($1)
Tech I - ($0)
Exhaust Spore Shambler to put a +1/+1 on Ironbark Treant
Float ($0)
Discard 3, reshuffle, draw 5
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Ironbark Treant (2/3+AAA) 1 rune
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician:
Lookout:
In Play:
Spore Shambler (1/2) 1 rune to pass
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech I HP: 5
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 3
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 6
Thoughts
If it ain’t broke… Both these creatures seem hard to kill for the red starting deck without spending multiple cards. If they survive AND I draw ferocity again, I don’t see a reason not to set them back a couple turns of material. The other line, Verdant Tree + Cala, just feels too passive.
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($6)
Worker - ($5)
Careless Musketeer - ($3)
Tech I - ($2)
Float ($2)
Discard 3, reshuffle, draw 5
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger: Careless Musketeer (2/1) Shoots stuff
Technician: Nautical Dog (1/1) Frenzy 1
Lookout:
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech I HP: 5
Tower HP: 4
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 3
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 2
Workers: 7
Thoughts
As this is my first time trying a strategy centered around Chaos Mirror, it occurs to me that it has good synergy with weak units with swift strike, overpower, and/or flying… none of which I have… but note to self to try comboing it with Harmony and/or Mirror Illusions sometime. Ah! the unit that attacks doesn’t need to be the one that’s being stat swapped! So I can make good use of it with Crashbarrows… which don’t really have any incentive to survive combat… Maybe I can use it to get some good mileage out of patroller farming with Zane and Taxman? Worth a try, I guess. But for now, I need a second patroller, and I’ll go with Musketeer since he’s more stable and has lower stats.
Okay, not much intel on what opp is up to. With this much pressure on board, I feel like red’s options are hasty stuff under blood or weathering the storm and trying to over the top with Pirate Gunship. Maybe we sidestep into a Murkwood Allies deck in order to have cheap blockers to eat all the hasty creatures? It’s not too much of a commitment on this tech, so I can always pivot off next turn.
It’s fine, just means I need to try a different counter-strategy.
P2T3
Tech StartingHand Workers
TECH
Gunpoint Taxman
Gunpoint Taxman
STARTING HAND
Bombaster
Scorch
Pillage
Chaos Mirror
Bloodrage Ogre
Mad Man
Mad Man
WORKERS
Charge
Bloodburn
Scorch
NextHand
Mad Man
Careless Musketeer
Chaos Mirror
Makeshift Rambaster
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float + Scavenger - ($10)
Worker - ($9)
Captain Zane - ($7)
Mad Man - ($6)
Chaos Mirror, swap Ironbark Treant and Mad Man - ($4)
Zane kills Prospector
Mad Man trades with Calamandra
Midband Zane - ($3)
Bloodrage Ogre - ($1)
Float ($1)
Discard 2, draw 2, reshuffle, draw 2
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Bloodrage Ogre (3/2) Antsy
Lookout:
In Play:
L4 Captain Zane (3/3) Haste
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech I HP: 5
Tower HP: 4
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 4
Deck: 6
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 1
Workers: 8
Thoughts
I feel better about dropping the Ogre with a guaranteed Mirror draw, and Zane won’t die without the Ogre dying first. I’m kind of torn between patrolling as SQL or Technician, but even SQL wouldn’t guarantee Zane’s survival, but I can guarantee the card draw, so I’ll go with that, I guess.
STARTING HAND
Young Treant
Forest’s Favor
Playful Panda
Rampant Growth
Murkwood Allies
WORKERS
Rich Earth
Verdant Tree
Tiger Cub
Young Treant
NextHand
Ferocity
Galina Glimmer
Huntress
Murkwood Allies
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($7)
Worker - ($6)
Argagarg - ($4)
Rampant Growth on Spore Shambler - ($2)
Spore Shambler trades with Bloodrage Ogre
Ironbark Treant trades with Zane, Argagarg > midband
Playful Panda (with wisp!) - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 2, draw 3, reshuffle, draw 1
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger: Wisp (0/1)
Technician: Wisp (0/1)
Lookout:
In Play:
L3 Argagarg (1/4)
Playful Panda (2/2)
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech I HP: 5
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 4
Deck: 7
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 8
Thoughts
Oooh, Chaos Mirror is spicy. After the reshuffle we have to assume opp can do it again. Better to trade the board clear and start building towards a Blooming Ancient engine. Considered turtling behind Ironbark Treant, but there were just so many hands where I ended up with the board wiped anyways (and what am I teching in growth that can survive maxband Zane?)
I want to protect my backline attackers, and only a hero is tough enough to maybe manage that. I’ll be giving away some free levels here, but either the Panda will die in the process, or he’ll have to spend gold and a card to buff it. Or he might choose not to attack… in which case I can probably suicide Jaina to make room for Zane if needed, with the help of my backline units. I’ll have to wait until next turn to build a Tech II, but I wouldn’t draw the Crashbarrows next turn anyway. If he uses Growth spells, he could streamroll Jaina and destroy my Tower or Tech II, but there’s nothing I can do to prevent that.
STARTING HAND
Ferocity
Galina Glimmer
Huntress
Murkwood Allies
Forest’s Favor
WORKERS
Rich Earth
Verdant Tree
Tiger Cub
Young Treant
Forest’s Favor
NextHand
Spore Shambler
Ironbark Treant
Merfolk Prospector
Murkwood Allies
Blooming Ancient
Discard
Ferocity
Huntress
Galina Glimmer
Murkwood Allies
Blooming Ancient
Might of Leaf and Claw
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + Scavenger - ($9)
Worker - ($8)
Calamandra - ($6)
Ferocity - ($4)
Exhaust Argagarg to give Panda +1/+A
Playful Panda kills Jaina, Argagarg > maxband
Tech 2 (Growth) - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 3, draw 5
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Elemental (3/3A) anti-air
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: L1 Calamandra (2/3)
Lookout:
In Play:
L5 Argagarg (1/5)
Playful Panda (2/2) swiftstrike, armor piercing
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech I HP: 5
Tech II HP: 5 (Growth)
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 1
Disc: 6
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 9
Thoughts
Blegh, expensive turn for little effect, but I guess I would pay 2 gold for a 3/3 antiair that also gave swifstrike and AP. I can expect to lose a lot of board presence, but if Calamandra makes it to next turn we’ll be in a decent spot.
Okay, so this is gonna be a bit harder than I thought… I want to use Zane’s maxband to move the Elemental, but more than that, I want to get free levels. And more than that, I don’t want Calamandra to be able to act next turn. And to stop her, I need to pay to midband Zane, which means I can’t buy any patrollers… that’s not gonna be pretty, but especially with him going Growth, I can’t afford to let him maintain any more board presence than absolutely necessary. I have a choice here of having Zane get me an extra card or not, and I’ll avoid it since it wouldn’t help me and I don’t want to pull a valuable card from my next cycle. For my tech cards, I’m looking at either Desperation or Glider… Desperation could help me with board presence and consistency, but I’m going into next turn with a 5 card hand, so it might be too awkward to play. Gliders could help me deal with backline threats, but if my Tech II goes down, I could get stuck unable to do much. Still… it’s probably better to save Desperation for when I have access to Pirate-Gang Commander, I think, so Gliders it is.
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($9)
Worker - ($8)
Blooming Ancient - ($4)
Merfolk Prospector, rune for Ancient - ($3)
Ironbark Treant, Rune for Ancient - ($0)
2 runes from Ancient to Panda
Exhaust Argagarg to give Panda +1/+A
Panda breaks Tech 2
Float ($0)
Discard 2, reshuffle, draw 4
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Ironbark Treant (1/2+AAA)
Elite:
Scavenger: Merfolk Prospector (1/1)
Technician: Blooming Ancient (2/4)
Lookout:
In Play:
L5 Argagarg (1/5)
Playful Panda (4/4) 2 runes
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech I HP: 5
Tech II HP: 5 (Growth)
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 4
Deck: 6
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 10
Thoughts
Well, we know that opp’s deck is some portion chaos mirrors and wimpy hasters. I can handle getting hit by that if I can keep them off everything else. I’d rather go down on cards with Treant than feed XP with a hero along the way.
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($10)
Rebuild Tech II
Zane hits Ironbark
Rambaster trades with Ironbark
Mad Man - ($9)
Chaos Mirror, swap Zane and Mad Man - ($7)
Mad Man trades with Ancient
Float ($7)
Discard 3, draw 5
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician:
Lookout:
In Play:
L6 Captain Zane (4/3) Haste, copies bonuses
Buildings:
Base HP: 18
Tech I HP: 5
Tech II HP: 5 (Blood)
Tower HP: 4
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 2
Disc: 8
Gold:
Gold: 7
Workers: 10
Thoughts
Yeap, I was afraid I might lose my Tech II this turn, but having both 'barrows and both Mirrors in hand really hurts. Well, that Ancient needs to die, even if it means I have to lose my Tech II again. I can’t use Zane to kill the Ancient and get a draw without casting a 2nd Mirror… but maybe it’s actually worth it? Let’s see… no, it won’t work, because whatever unit I attack with will die before I can perform the 2nd swap.
Seems like we’re in a good place. I’ll keep breaking Techs and just wear them down with raw bodies. Next turns draws all seem amazing. They haven’t explicitly seen Murkwood Allies, so maybe they haven’t teched against it?
STARTING HAND
Murkwood Allies
Blooming Ancient
Stampede
Blooming Elm
WORKERS
Rich Earth
Verdant Tree
Tiger Cub
Young Treant
Forest’s Favor
Spore Shambler
NextHand
Might of Leaf and Claw
Huntress
Murkwood Allies
Blooming Ancient
Stampede
Tech 0 card(s)
Get Paid + Galina Gold - ($13)
Stampede - ($7)
Frog 1 kills Nautical Dog, deals 2 to base
Frog 2 trades with Bloodrage Ogre, deals 2 to base
Frog 3 kills Jaina, deals 1 to base, maxbands Calamandra
Frog 4 trades with Gunpoint Taxman, deals 1 to base
Cala (4), Panda (4), and Galina Glimmer deal (2) lethal to base.
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Bombaster (2/2)
Lookout:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Bombaster (2/2)
Lookout:
Base HP: 18
Base HP: 18
Maybe I can use it to get some good mileage out of patroller farming with Zane and Taxman? Worth a try, I guess. But for now, I need a second patroller, and I’ll go with Musketeer since he’s more stable and has lower stats.
