my first impulse was obviously to pick vandy in order to neglect you the chance for nightmare, but on second thought this seems like a rather interesting challenge as P2 with a better version of daymare against it: Discipline and Strength it is!
Which let’s me play this match with:
netral starter plus all three white heroes
I thought you were aiming at Neutral+White but taking Finesse kept you off any weird combos I wasn’t aware of and made taking Vandy more of a jank/bad option for you
Nightmare vs Daymare++ it is!
I don’t often play black so it’s a fun experiment for me too. One of the joys of this format is I don’t have to play it every game and I’m not going to play less games if I don’t pilot it well
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($6)
Worker - ($5)
Tech I - ($4)
Jav - ($3)
Vandy hits Rook to 3HP, takes 2, Sparkshot Turtle
Haunt trades Turtle
Midband Vandy - ($1)
Float ($1)
Discard 3, reshuffle, draw 5
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Skeleton Javelineer 1/1A [Javelin]
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician:
Lookout:
In Play:
L3 Vandy Anadrose 3/4 [Sparkshot]
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech I HP: 5
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 5
Deck: 4
Disc: 0
Gold:
Gold: 1
Workers: 6
Thoughts
Can’t kill Rook but I can get to the Turtle with Sparkshot and Haunt. Concerned about Wither killing Vandy if she’s on 1HP so let’s midband her to make a kill a big commitment.
Oh my god what a blunder on my side. I was so worried about det + haunt killing turtle that I overlooked this obvious line… This one extra damage on rook is probably going to matter… a lot…
XCAFS24 round 1 P2T2
P1 [Necromancy]/Finesse/Future vs. P2 [Discipline]/Ninjutsu/Strength
59,5% for him to have stw + fencer or two fencers… well this sucks! and the opening split hurts a second time significantly as I really really don’t want to worker bloom, but well, what can you do… As I now am even farther behind against probably the strongest deck in the current format I’ll have to take some risks. let’s see where it takes me.
Skeleton Javelineer
Dark Pact
Metamorphosis
Sacrifice the Weak
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($7)
Worker - ($6)
Vandy kills Tenderfoot, takes 1
Fencer x2 - ($2)
Haunt
First fencer kills Brother, takes 2, you draw
Second Fencer kills Rook, takes 2, Vandy maxbands, doom Haunt
Heroes’ Hall - ($0)
Float ($0)
Discard 1, draw 3
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader:
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician:
Lookout:
In Play:
L5 Vandy Anadrose 4/5 [Sparkshot]
Nimble Fencer 2/1
Nimble Fencer 2/1
Pestering Haunt 1/3 [Doomed]
Buildings:
Base HP: 20
Tech I HP: 5
Heroes’ Hall HP: 4
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 3
Deck: 1
Disc: 4
Gold:
Gold: 0
Workers: 7
Thoughts
Haunt is merely a way to keep both Fencers alive for Graveyard next turn, or at least to force him into spending a bunch of cards to try and kill them off before then. Considered no HH but wanted more pressure to make his early mistake compound.
Ok, bad turns to worse as you hit the 59,5% for any two out of stw/fencer/fencer. But going down to three cards should hopefully provide me with the much needed breathing space. And PS: I was lucky myself, Messenger came from technician draw.
XCAFS24 round 1 P2T3
P1 [Necromancy]/Finesse/Future vs. P2 [Discipline]/Ninjutsu/Strength
actually I think this HH plus going down to three cards is not an ideal move. with early maxbanded Vandy and the risk of not having a fencer in the next cycle, it completely makes sense, but the two early gold and low card count really reduces the pressure in the following two turns. at least that’s what I’m hoping for… T5 maxband rook plus birds is what I’m hoping for in order to survive this nightmare - let’s see whether I can pull that one off.
Omg, second big blunder on my side - I only realized my vulnerability to Det until after I posted this turn. Yes I wanted to go for risky moves against nightmare, but doing two big blunders in three turns really is not the level of gameplay I’m expecting from myself…
XCAFS24 round 1 P2T4
P1 [Necromancy]/Finesse/Future vs. P2 [Discipline]/Ninjutsu/Strength
I was reallly hoping for him to not have value in his 3 tech 0 cards. At least it was not det… Now the finesse engine really is an as big threat as Meta, which I will not be able to stop both at once while progressing my own game plan. Hence I’ll have to either gamble on stopping only one of his two plans and stick to my own plan or to focus on going against both of his plans while not progressing my own plan, which equals accepting a slower but then unstoppable defeat. Hence I choose a swiss cheese defense.
Post draw: seriously? Bottom decking my only tech 2 unit?
Poisonblade Rogue
Skeletal Archery
Thieving Imp
Jandra, the Negator
Deteriorate
NextHand
Metamorphosis
Sacrifice the Weak
Summon Skeletons
Discard
Dark Pact
Hooded Executioner
Grounded Guide
Leaping Lizard
Tech 2 card(s)
Get Paid - ($8)
Dark Pact, my base takes 2, draw 2 - ($7)
Worker - ($6)
Maestro - ($3)
Fencer from the Grave
River - ($1)
Vandy and Fencer kill Rook, each take 3, River midbands, Fencer to Graveyard
Fencer from Hand, exhaust to break Tech II
Float ($1)
Discard 1, draw 3
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: L3 River Montoya 2/4A
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician: Maestro 3/5
Lookout:
In Play:
L5 Vandy Anadrose 4/2 [Sparkshot]
Nimble Fencer 2/3
Graveyard -/3
Nimble Fencer [Buried]
Buildings:
Base HP: 18
Tech I HP: 4
Tech II HP: 4
Heroes’ Hall HP: 4
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 3
Deck: 2
Disc: 4
Gold:
Gold: 1
Workers: 9
Thoughts
Great pull off Dark Pact, would have been an even nastier turn if I had teched Guide instead of Lizard!
Don’t much like workering Deteriorate but I think vs hero spam I won’t really need it as much as good / cheap units and he’ll have to still patrol around it. Also good to keep my deck nice and lean. Just need to hope I draw into meta to max out my threat.
I’m expecting maxband Grave with TG, Grave attack to kill River and then sword to kill Vandy or Maestro, plus whatever units he brings to the party, but that still leaves me plenty of threat via Fencers, Garth and/or Meta next turn. My patrolling River in SQL is a little attempt at to make it look like I’m not playing for Meta, in case that pushes him towards hitting my Finesse engine over Vandy
well then I really do consider myself lucky, but your current draw 2+2 from the new cycle hitting 3 out of 5 teched cards also really doesn’t sound bad…
You being able to kill Rook AND break tech 2 really is bad news, so I’ll take that citation by the word and enjoy a few breaths while I still can.
XCAFS24 round 1 P2T5
P1 [Necromancy]/Finesse/Future vs. P2 [Discipline]/Ninjutsu/Strength
puh, I would bet my mother in law that he has teched at least one meta. But if I sword vandy here, his virtuoso machine plus garth fetch will just wreck me directly, so let’s just hope for the best.
And now I’m happy that I bottom decked the adept
But this game is sooo over - I really need a miracle!
PS: can you please do me a favor and create a random post in the tournament thread? I already created the last three posts in a row and spam protection rules neglect me the option to create a fourth one without anybody else replying. Thanks in advance!
Tech 2 card(s)
Technician draw
Get Paid + float - ($10)
Fencer suicides into Brother, deals 1 after armour, to Graveyard
Sac the Weak, Messenger dies, you draw - ($8)
Garth - ($6)
Metamorphosis, transform Vandy and Garth, second Maestro from Discard - ($0)
Fencer from the Grave, trades with Brother
Vandy breaks Tech II, takes 1, your base to 16
Skip Worker
I don’t know if the psychology worked or not but we got a meta off. Unfortunately I had to retech a Maestro to get a tech break and that slows me down and leaves me at risk of my Graveyard bursting if he has Reversal in hand. If he doesn’t I’m in a very good spot even with Maxband Rook completely faceup. Speaking of, I need Nether Drain in deck to get rid of Two Lives and the threat of Earthquake for only 1g.
Well I have this awesome reversal in hand, so it really feels like I’m back in the game, but as both of your invisible demons are still alive that needs to be seen…
XCAFS24 round 1 P2T6
P1 [Necromancy]/Finesse/Future vs. P2 [Discipline]/Ninjutsu/Strength
Tech 0 card(s)
Get Paid + float - ($14)
tower spots Garth, reversal disables him - ($11)
Grave trades maestro, you draw, gy floods over
rook, directly to maxband from TG - ($9)
birds - ($7)
rebuild tech 2
tenderfoot - ($6)
Float ($6)
Discard 2, draw 4
Board Info: In Patrol:
Squad Leader: Tenderfoot (1/2)
Elite:
Scavenger:
Technician:
Lookout: Rook (4+1/6, lvl8, twolives)
In Play:
Training Grounds (4)
Bird’s Nest
bird #1 (1/1)
bird #2 (1/1)
Buildings:
Base HP: 16
Tech I HP: 5
Tech II HP: 5 (Discipline)
Tower HP: 4
Economy Info: Cards:
Hand: 4
Deck: 1
Disc: 5
Gold:
Gold: 6
Workers: 10
Thoughts
wow, I really am back in the game! ok, nether drain still is an easy answer, but everything else probably is game with my guaranteed earthquake next turn
, Discard a card → Fetch any non-ultimate Demonology spell from your codex, reveal it, then put it in your hand.”
Base HP: 20
