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Bucky · June 2, 2018, 3:37am

Bucky 3>1 Variable

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Counterpick 1: (- knockdown + combos are hard)
Counterpick 2: (- + )
Counterpick 3: (- + )

Props to variable for pressuring me out of cashing in Combos are Hard in game 3 without having Dragon Form up.

Game 1 ( ) : Variable opened on knockdown+3gem vs. my good old combine+2gem. Variable followed with money and One True Style while I got my double combine going. Then on turn 5, I skipped playing a combine to buy It’s Combo Time. Variable had a 9-buy in response, but double bought One of Each and Combine rather than It’s Combo Time, Degenerate Trasher or Double Crash. This proved decisive, as I had the means to fairly reliably crash a 4-gem every two turns while he hadn’t put together any late-game yet.

Side note - This game would have quickly spiraled out of control in my favor if Variable’s turn 3 knockdown hadn’t broken up an 8-buy! As is, it became a demonstration of backing up a rush with Big Rocks money.

Game 2( ): This game was another Bang then Fizzle+3Gem vs. Combine+2Gem, but this time Variable didn’t have Knockdown to break up the turn 3 It’s Combo Time. Variable used Combos are Hard for his own ICT and a Combine despite being under considerable pressure. Once again, he had no answer to my quick Strength of Earth, ICT, 2xcombine pressure package.

Game 3 ( ) : For the third game in a row, Variable opened BtF and money into my combine and money, but because he upgraded money using Midori’s character chips rather than buying it, he also got a combine. He skipped Dragon Form so I skipped playing my turn 3 combine to buy Combos are Hard; I then drew the Combos with my crash gem and couldn’t play it. When he did play Dragon Form, I immediately let him Rigorous Training up a second Crash, which he used next cycle to send two s at me on consecutive turns. I had a chance to survive if my purples lined up properly, but they didn’t.

Game 4 ( ) : Variable opened with another money-heavy Bang then Fizzle start. I copied the BtF, but in a turn-2 Ouch! opening. I initially wanted to turtle with Ouch!, but variable keept buying money and didn’t pressure my BtF. So I followed up with Combine and One True Style, and won with a 4-crash on turn 6 that he obviously didn’t expect.

Proven · June 2, 2018, 4:15am

I’m sorry everyone. I was off by one week for when I would finish classes (last project was handed in last Friday night) and then didn’t notice the email due to a quirk of Inbox I thought I had mastered. I wasted Skiff’s week, and that’s something that deserves and apology too. Sorry Skiff.

Keep me as inactive for now, and I’ll message when I’m 100% ready for Puzzle Strike again. I need time to knock the cobwebs out…

Bucky · June 4, 2018, 10:37pm

My reasoning for the Geiger counterpick was, roughly, that he could out-BtF Midori, and the other cheap s formed a decent plan vs. Dragon Form.

vengefulpickle · June 6, 2018, 3:15pm

Week 9 standings

SuperBronze League (5+ )

Player	Points	Active
Skiff

Bronze League (0+ )

Player	Points	Active
Bomber678
Bucky
ZenDog
variable
Feebs
Hobusu
Proven

Week 9 matches

Bucky/Skiff

Bucky ━━━━━┓
           ┡━ Bucky ━┓
Bomber678 ─┘         ┃
                     ┡━ Bucky ─┐
variable ────────────┘         │
                               ├─
Proven ──────────────┐         │
                     ┢━ Skiff ─┘
Skiff ━━━━━┓         ┃
           ┡━ Skiff ━┛
Bomber678 ─┘

ZenDog/variable

ZenDog ───┐
          ├─
variable ─┘

Bryce_The_Rice · June 7, 2018, 5:24am

Knock me over for now

Skiff · June 9, 2018, 7:43pm

Bucky didn’t show up for today’s match, its a pity I was really lookin forward to play

Bucky · June 9, 2018, 7:50pm

Sorry I was late; I’m here now.

Bucky · June 9, 2018, 9:23pm

Skiff - Bucky ended up happening about an hour late. Here’s my short report.

Skiff 2 - 3 Bucky

-----Bank-----
Bang then Fizzle (-> Improvisation)
It’s a Trap
Thinking Ahead
Training Day
Chip Damage
Chips for Free
Gems to Gemonade
Hundred Fist Frenzy
Self Improvement
Master Puzzler (-> Stolen Purples)
-----Counterpicks-----

Counterpick 1 (bky): Bang then Fizzle -> Improvisation
Counterpick 2 (skf): Master Puzzler -> Stolen Purples
Counterpick 3 (skf): Onimaru -> Midori
Counterpick 4 (bky): Training Day -> Color Panic

Longer report to follow.

Bucky · June 10, 2018, 12:31am

Game 1: Skiff had no turn 2 Wartime Tactics, opening + Combine. I opened with Chips for Free and Thinking Ahead, and upgraded my crash to a on turn 3. But I matched the combine rather than go all in on money, and repurchased the crash quickly. As a result, my economy stalled out after one DCG and I massed combines. Skiff kept pressure on me with combines while slowly improving his cash with Training Day. On about turn 12, he drew most of his big money with Wartime Tactics and was able to Thinking Ahead a Master Puzzler to the top. Master Puzzler beats no Master Puzzler. 0-1.

(Bang then Fizzle -> Improvisation)

Game 2: I once again cash in my crash for a with Chips for Free. Skiff uses an early Training Day to boost his money and gets his own CFF. But this time I ramp my money further instead of buying purples, and on turn 5 I’m able to Training Day my Chips for Free into money to buy Master Puzzler. When I don’t dead-draw the Master Puzzler off Chromatic Orb next turn, the game’s effectively over as the turn after I’m guaranteed to be able to loop Master Puzzler with Thinking Ahead. 1-1

While I did use the counterpicked Improvisation off Master Puzzler, it was probably not necessary. The counterpick would serve me well for the rest of the series.

(Master Puzzler -> Stolen Purples)

Game 3: Skiff opened on a Hundred Fist Frenzy buy, following up with money-Training. I did the Chips for Free for opening again, with my own Training Day. Skiff ramped into a DCG, using the HFF only off Wartime Tactics for Stolen Purples, while I trashed half my s and set up an Improvisation engine.

The game turned very quickly when I hit the DCG with Stolen Purples. This apparently intimidated Skiff into not buying another DCG, and with no other high end buys available, his money couldn’t do much to compete with an Improvisation engine with a Hundred Fist payload - although he took one chance to win with an Improv’d Double Slash which would have killed if I didn’t have the counter-crash. 2-1

(Onimaru -> Midori)

Game 4: Very simple game. Skiff played Dragon Form on turn 1 and bought Training Day. I bought Chip Damages to dodge Rigorous Training but lost to his purples from Training Day because I didn’t just bite the bullet and buy Stolen Purples. 2-2

(Training Day -> Color Panic)

Game 5: Skiff opened on Chip Damage, Color Panic (Training) and Combine with a delayed Dragon Form. I opened on a turn 1 Hundred Fist Frenzy into Chips for Free, keeping my crash. The game turned into an HFF mirror, which I won because I my Three Colors lined up with both HFF and a couple of reds. 3-2

ZenDog · June 12, 2018, 3:23pm

Very impressed with the write-ups for the matches, neat to get a glimpse at the decision-making behind certain plays. And it gives some substance to the stats, gives a sense of the ebb and flow of the battle!

Sadly, I was too preoccupied with monitoring my wife’s taking the helm of our boardgame night group to be my usual chatty self with my matchup with @variable. Hopefully he can add some insight beyond my meagre thoughts.

My recollection is that the initial bank was pretty balanced for both of us, but the versatility of Acrobatics was balanced by shutting down Surgical Strike with Riposte. It felt like each game was just about to swing over to @variable when I managed to get a good sent over.

I’ll do a more fleshed out write-up when I take a look at the replays and gather my thoughts. Thanks to @variable for a fun matchup and putting up with my distraction.

ZenDog · June 12, 2018, 5:33pm

vs
Bank

-Really Annoying
-Button Mashing
-Risk to Riskonade
-Gems to Gemonade
-One-Two Punch
-Repeated Jabs
-Chip Damage
-Dashing Strike
-Improvisation = MixMaster
-Signature Move

Game 1: We trade early to boost econ, I go for extra and @variable gets 2 Gem [what is the code for the cool gem icon?] and Really Annoying (this slows me down a bit with Surgical Strike). We trade red chips back and forth for a bit, but now we both have shield chips so it gets to be a bit of a slog. Midgame we grab econ and Combines, One-Two Punch now getting used. War Time Tactics is fixing a lot of my bad draws, and Riposte seems to always be in hand to counter. I get a timely Double Slash in to get the win.

Game 2: @variable goes with early econ and OTP, I go hard on red chips and Combine. Stunlock messes with my plans so I use Double Slash liberally. Red chips are piling up Wounds and gems on my opponent, I get off a 4-gem before he hits his MixMaster. Another turn and he would have done the same!

Game 3: Random Bank for the last game, mix of banners. We both grab econ early, @variable going for Combines and I get a couple of my favourite chip, One of Each. My gem pile is actually getting filled faster, but all the Pigs let me groom my hands. WTT and Chip Damage slow down the attack enough for me to stabilize and dig out with Double Slash. @variable gets a 4-gem but comes up empty on the dig for his second . I had no response in hand if he had sent, so another close one!

Fun matchup, glad we are getting these games in!

Bucky · June 13, 2018, 12:21am

That’s @ZenDog winning 3-0 over @variable rather than the other way around.

The game 3 bank was Just a Scratch, Really Annoying, Chip Damage, Gems to Gemonade, Ouch!, X-Copy, One True Style, Improvisation, One of Each, Custom Combo.

Playing vs. is, according to some of the old masters, the hardest matchup in the game. I would have been impressed if Variable took a single game.

vengefulpickle · June 13, 2018, 7:35pm

Week 10 standings

SuperBronze League (5+ )

Player	Points	Active
Skiff
Bucky

Bronze League (0+ )

Player	Points	Active
Bomber678
ZenDog
variable
Feebs
Hobusu
Proven

Week 10 matches

Bucky/variable

Bucky ────┐
          ├─
variable ─┘

ZenDog/Skiff

ZenDog ━━━┓
          ┡━ ZenDog ─┐
variable ─┘          │
                     ├─
Skiff ───────────────┘

Skiff · June 16, 2018, 6:09pm

Skifff 1 - 3 ZenDog

No changes

No changes

Randomized bank

Sorry, am really tired after full day of rock climbing, so writeups are short
First game: ZenDog out-ecos me, starts with a starting hand that allows CombosAreHard, I start with the worst possible hand where CombosAreHard is delayed until turn 3 and 4.
Second game: Can’t really remember what happenend, nothing special I guess, probably got an edge for starting first etc.
Third game: I out-eco ZenDog really hard because ZenDog gets really unlucky starting hand (unable to align CG and Upgrade, despite a piggy on turn one: i.e. the missing piece is bottom-bagged). But I refuse to keep gem count low when I should have, was not considering how long it takes to rotate my deck, hence a good crash from ZenDog kills me.
Fourth game: I randomize the bank cause not really able to think of a good change of a single chip because we are mirror matched. Also changing a character would probably also result in an unfavoured matchup. Not sure what happened here but ZenDog buys many DcG’s really early, at which point I probably already lost. Nevertheless I stay alive with many combines but loseout in the end anyways.

Really good games overall, although I feel I played quite bad and should have randomized bank earlier or sthing. Well played ZenDog!

Bucky · June 16, 2018, 8:37pm

Not sure what happened here but ZenDog buys many DcG’s really early, at which point I probably already lost.

Here’s where the large economic lead came from:

ZenDog used his first Upgrade to turn his crash into a , while you used yours to get rid of s.

ZenDog purchased a on his first turn, where you purchased a because you’d Upgraded your s .

ZenDog had 3 turns of Cog Engine money before you played your own Cog Engine.

In compensation, ZenDog pitched $5 and a Cog Engine to rebuy the crash gem, you crashed for , and you used Training Day to make a into a .

At turn 5, ZenDog has accumulated a larger economy. Also, his economy is mostly in s while yours is locked behind ender actions. When you draw all your economic investments at once, you choke and can’t play them all. When ZenDog draws his, he gets a DCG.

ZenDog · June 16, 2018, 10:21pm

It was super weird to be playing a mirrormatch in BBB of all characters! It was a fun contest, thanks for writing it up @Skiff. Is there a cheat sheet for getting the other symbols, like Gems and such, into the write-ups? You helped me figure out the characters, Crash, and Generic Chip…but I couldn’t find any others lol.

ZenDog · June 16, 2018, 10:53pm

Oh and it was 3-2, I conceded second game because I messed up and rematched before @Skiff was able to change the bank. I think we alternated wins the whole match!

Bucky · June 17, 2018, 6:04pm

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Skiff · June 17, 2018, 7:01pm

Wow, thanks for the review Bucky! This explains why it felt he was a mile ahead. Still have a lot to learn with BBB, these were my first games vs a human opponent with BBB

ZenDog · June 17, 2018, 11:28pm

Sweet, I’ll use that next time I’m reporting back. Cheers!