As someone unbelievably fed up with present Expedition and the midrange slog that it has devolved into, I’ve decided to leave all the testing to my teammates (sorry not sorry :P) and instead focus on a little self improvement.
A while ago, [TIL] camomilk and [FE] Sunyveil started the piloting club in the Friends of Eternal server. You would post a gameplay video of yours and allow others to critique it. For starters, OBS hates me. Plus, for anyone who has ever spectated me, you know that my gameplay is truly embarrassing. I instead thought it’d be better to look at how good players play through the TNE VODs. Though this is mostly for my personal consumption, I figured I’d share it, and have the internet fight me on many things. That never goes wrong…right?
Here is the link to the playlist to the event: (Courtesy of Telemokos)
(I elected not to review every single round because…I didn’t want to. Duh. I picked some matchups that I thought could be interesting/I hadn’t seen before and took a look.)
Round 4: AsheAcer v AlexFiero
I’ve decided to kick things off with 2 decks and 2 players I know pretty well, just to make things easier for me. I think the matchup could go either way: this version of Argenport doesn’t have Defiance nor Annihilate, which could make removing Stonescar’s early threats a little bit trickier. On the other hand, Stonescar will be priced into running into a Harsh Rule before the Varas and Rolants get set-up, so a well-timed sweeper could really make all the difference.
Game 1:
0:45 – I don’t think you run out ChaCha here on AA’s part, and instead go with Cen Wastes Smuggler, probably for Choice. If they play Rolant on 4, great, you kill it. If they KTE or single-target removal, you’re still in pretty good shape. If you knew you could hit undepleted power next turn, and thus go Smuggler into Edict while buffing ChaCha, I think it’d be a different store since you’re guaranteed to clear their blocker. If you’re unsure if you can buff the ChaCha, however, then the Smuggler with Decay is actually likely to be a better attacker.
1:38 – Given the power troubles, I don’t think there’s much AA could have done here besides a ‘make them have it’ situation with the board wipe.
1:51 – I think I would have shot 2 Reapers. Right now, you’re in a pretty bad spot; probably the best way for you to win is chain Highwaymen and push through as such. You can’t take advantage of the Trove as much right now because you’re power strapped and AP just has a much stronger late-game than you. I sort of see the reasoning behind going Jekk, Jekk, pray for Torch, but considering that your odds of drawing a big charging unit are better than your odds of picking up a Torch, I think I’d try to clear the blockers.
I also think pitching Edict is rather strange. If they drop a Sediti now, how on earth do you plan on answering that? I would have pitched 2nd Jekk.
2:21 – Yeah, the market options for AF here are pretty tragic to deal with SS. I do think there’s an argument for taking Orene here though, since you’re clearly planning on playing Massive Greatsword next turn anyhow, though it might be a little risky if you die to burn.
2:36 – Wow. Okay, I guess I just eat my words. I do think Greatsword in a moment is going to render that moot, however.
3:00 – I think it’s a mistake to go for the bigger Jekk here, because you’re dead to double Torch. It’s not as if the 4/5 Jekk has a better way of getting through the deadly Reapers, and all your spot removal treats them for all intentions the same.
4:24 – Although a little unintuitive at 1st glance, I think this makes sense. Knowing the list, only Annihilate is an option to get rid of the Mandevilla, and even if there’s a Buhton waiting in hand, at best it kills the Reaper and trades with Mandevilla, gaining the life. Given the potential for a Smuggler into Menace kill from this position, considering all the Troves AF has cashed in, I believe they have correctly identified bolstering their lifetotal is more important than taking Highwayman off the board.
4:39 – Ha.
5:17 – Yep. Between the TWO Heirlooms and the Research Lab with no way to remove this Mandevilla in sight, that’s a very fair scoop. AP doesn’t play enough spells to be knocked out by Menace from that range.
Game 2:
8:09 – ABSOLUTELY NOT. AA cannot keep that hand, even on the play I think. The risk of not ever finding a threat is way too high. Even if you do, you’re up against AP. Odds of them finding a removal spell for said threat, at least the initial one, are very high. Ashe is being a buffoon. (Still love you though Ashe. <3)
8:49 – I think there’s an argument to be for taking the Sinister Rumors here; after all, with the Rumors, they can just buyback whatever you made them discard. At least here you’re taking away that option. Besides, you have a removal spell in hand, so you’re at least capable of answering 1 threat.
9:02 – Ditto here. Alchemist is in the unique position of being small enough to be plucked off by Highwayman if you draw it, and you have 4 of them. It’s annoying, but I still think you take Rumors.
9:29 – I sort of understand why you’d want to clear the Enforcer with Annihilate so that your charge units can come barrelling through, but given the likes of Sediti and Mandevilla which you will really struggle to deal with without Annihilate, coupled with the fact you have the Torch in hand, I think on balance of probabilities, you’re more likely to draw into a unit where you should have just saved the Torch for Enforcer instead. (Including Jekk, since you have a Sigil in hand, and can pick up the double damage clause.)
10:17 – I agree with Harsh Rule here. I think if I were AF in this seat, and I saw AA fire an Annihilate on an Enforcer, I would read them as having another Annihilate in hand, which means my Sediti is unlikely to serve as an effective blocker.
(Subsequently, you’re forced to just ‘make them have it’ since the alternatives are atrocious, which I think is fine.)
11:29 – I think I understand AA’s reasoning for wanting to save the Open Contract for Rolant, since at this point, it’s quite possible for AF to go Rolant + removal spell, which would make life very difficult for AA. I think the problem with that is they’ll still get the Reaper out of it since Open Contract is slow, so that might not be worth playing around.
11:32 – I think AF should have spent Rumors either to take out Skullbreaker or buyback Vara – either way, I don’t think it’s worth representing Defile for the Skullbreaker. I think taking out Skullbreaker here is correct, though I think both above lines are defensible – waiting to get extra mileage out of your KTEs seems a little greedy, however.
12:40 – Buying back the Vara now makes more sense, since you know AA has nothing in hand to disrupt, and 1 hit with this souped-up Vara should pretty much be GG on Stonescar’s part.
Round 5: duocat v OldRich
Ok, so now we get to 2 decks I’m pretty unfamiliar with, although given how long they’ve been popular for, I really should. Honestly, it feels like it will boil down to how many Bubble Shields OldRich can find. That card is completely devastating in this matchup.
Game 1:
0:27 – A pretty slow hand out of both sides, although slightly better from DC’s side given the 2 Crests. OldRich really needs to rip an earlier play in the next 2 turns to start applying pressure.
1:24 – I’m very surprised Duocat played the Amber Lock there and holding up Defiance as opposed to the Ancestral Oasis. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want to avoid walking into an Etchings into Vision from OldRich’s side, but given the types of threats the Kira deck can have, an Icaria that has already expended her ultimate wouldn’t be what I’m looking to take out with my Defiance. Besides, even if OldRich had the Etchings, there’s a decent chance he’d want to save it for the likes of Gemstone or Ageworn Vestige. On the other hand, since you missed your power drop here, you really need the extra power from Oasis next turn so that you can keep developing.
1:57 – Huh. Playing the Velise there is very interesting to me, given you had no way of triggering her ability next turn. I get not wanting to expose your Kira to say, an SRS, but the odds of that are so minimal. Given that you can see that they’re strapped on power, I definitely see a case for playing Kira, Etchings and going for either Palace or Vision here. (more likely Palace.)
2:59 – I like that play from OldRich a lot, being very cognisant that Duocat is strapped for power – which the Combrei Relics deck is very dependent on – and cutting that out from under him. My contention here is that I’d put away Valkyrie Enforcer instead of the Sigil. You have a Kira on board, you have a Kira in hand – you’re going to be drawing a lot of cards, so you want to make sure A. You have the power to use it, and B. You can get to 8J and start really doing some damage.
4:00 – Again, I feel like OldRich is overvaluing the Valkyrie Enforcers here, pitching the Huntress instead of a 2nd Enforcer. Enforcer is really only effective against the Dianas in the matchup – in other instances, they go too wide or too big. Playing the 2nd Kira is fine, but I think keeping the Huntress to plunder away the other Enforcer could be a reasonable line. Particularly with a Velise already on board, you’re going to start doing some damage very quickly if you can get the Kira buffs up and running.
5:34 – This is going to sound bananas, but hear me out. Play Kira instead of Steyer’s Eyes, and Valkyrie Enforcer. I absolutely concede that you won’t be able to hold up protection, and if Duocat Equalizes you, you’re in a pretty bad spot. I don’t think you can afford to play around that. If Duocat suspected you had Bubble Shield, you would have clearly played it the previous turn, so unless that was your draw for the turn, you clearly don’t. I get wanting to protect your Kira, but given Duocat’s removal for it is Defiance/Ageworn Vestige, I think lining up a lot of damage next turn between Steyer’s Eyes and marketing for Trickshot Ruffian seems very viable. On top of that, you’re plopping the buff on a unit with Revenge, which might prove problematic for a deck like Combrei Relics to deal with. The risk of them having another SRS is certainly there, but unlikely enough that you don’t have to justify playing so safely.
(Look, I think it’s easy to say in hindsight, oh look they had Equalize, boohoo, clearly you shouldn’t have run out a Kira, but given that you had enough power and the Steyer’s Eyes as a way to trigger Kira and get some pretty big damage in, I think it’s stranger to not acknowledge that.)
6:36 – I think I would play Diana here over the 2nd Perilous Research – you’ve already played 1 copy, so if you hit an Amber Lock or Pillar of Progress, you’d be able to play that. Barring another Valkyrie Enforcer, you’ll also be able to block. Given that you currently control 1 relic and don’t have any more in hand, I’d be skeptical on the weight placed on the value of these Alarming Findings, particularly given you already have 1 in hand. Playing the 2nd Research just puts you even further behind.
The counterargument here is that it makes your subsequent Equalizes potentially worse, and Kira as a deck is notorious for packing not enough removal maindeck, so even Silenced your Diana will likely stick around. You can also take an extra card out of their hand with Equalize if you hit power, which, now that they’re running on fumes, is also nice.
6:54 – Wholeheartedly agree with the line here, and not running out your other Kiras, since you can drop Palace, and follow that up with an Aegis protected Kira.
7:28 – I think OldRich punted here by not running out Palace, presumably playing Wisdom, before dropping Kira and Painting (or another depleted power should they draw 1.) Duocat has already played 2 Equalizes, so the odds that they go after your hand are minimal. Having Aegis on Kira to block SRS or Defiance is more important than the single card for Withstand. I think the consideration would be different if OldRich had a unit to buff with the Kira attack next turn since Sack the City could really close things out against duocat.
Game 2:
10:55 – I am uncertain as to whether this hand is too slow against Kira, particularly with no ramp elements. I do think that between the Crest and Diana, duocat should have fewer power issues than last-game, but I would consider firing off a Builder’s Decree on Turn 2 without amplifying just to slow them down a notch. Seems like a fine keep from OldRich’s side.
11:38 – I understand the rationale for ditching Justice Etchings here, but given you have a Kira in hand, I think there’s also a reasonable argument for keeping it, and pitching Velise instead. Both Vision and Palace can be quite powerful in this matchup, and while Velise is good, it’s also very contingent on Duocat not having a SRS on Turn 5.
12:29 – Even if duocat thinks that OldRich pitched market access because he has more in hand, I do still think it’s correct to play the Builder’s Decree here and amplify once. Even if they have a Bubble Shield in response, you still get the 5/5. Them going Etchings into B2J/Pristine Light isn’t the worst thing since they won’t have it down the line. Plus, with the Seat, you can still play Speaking Circle the next turn, and if they can’t remove the Sentinel, then you have a bonus blocker.
12:50 – I think that’s a very questionable attack from OldRich – to avoid losing your Kira, you’re forced into playing Intrusion, which means duocat knows you have no protection for any of your units. If they had a SRS, it would be absolutely devastating.
On top of that, as sacrilegious as it sounds, I think I pitch my THIRD Kira here. Getting to that 6J is pretty crucial, and after this attack, you’re left with the single Levitate, so you’re going to need to get pretty lucky to chain enough spells for all 3 Kiras.
13:25 – Oof, that is a pretty terrible agenda from Speaking Circle. I would be pretty tempted to fire off the Enter the Monastery here, instead of the Silence on the Kira. Here’s why: your Speaking Circle is toast anyway, given your agenda. No 2 ways about it. You also have a 2nd one in hand, so it’s not the most awful thing if your 1st one goes down. You also know they probably don’t have Bubble Shield in hand, otherwise OldRich would be more hesitant to go shields down. Consequently, I think you want to set yourself up to clear the board with Equalise the next turn, and accrue resources this turn.
14:39 – This feels like a misclick? Shen-Ra Speaks is the only way Duocat has to silence Icaria, and Hooru Kira doesn’t run ways to recur units from the void anyway. The 4/3 Endurance flier just seems better than the 2/2 flier in all regards.
15:11 – I would potentially hold the Kira in hand so that it can naturally trigger Aegis, particularly since you don’t have Intrusion in hand. Next turn, you might have enough power to drop both Palace and Kira in the same turn, which will be quite strong. That being said, I also understand OldRich’s line: if you can pick up 8J next turn, those are going to be some massive units coming Duocat’s way.
15:51 – I’m unsure if dropping Palace here and going for Withstand right off the bat here is correct. I think your primary goal here is to find your 8th Justice influence because it turns both of your Kiras online. To that effect, I think it would be correct to Levitate first to see more cards. If you can’t find power there, then you can Plunder a Justice card with Huntress to find power. If you do, then you can drop the Palace and swing in with massive Kiras.
I think OldRich got lucky finding the Hooru Painting here. If he hadn’t, then he wouldn’t have had good attacks, giving Duocat some much needed breathing room. (Granted, finding at least 1 power is pretty likely, but you never know.)\
Finals: r3as0n v gozuuu
I think that r3as0n is favoured in this matchup for 1 simple reason: gozuuu has no maindeck Annihilates, which is your most efficient answer to the huge monsters that Xenan plans on churning out. The 2 of maindeck Pristine Light can be quite tricky for r3as0n to play around, but most games their units are just going to outclass gozuuu’s 1 for 1.
Game 1:
0:41 – The fabled sort of T1 Sinister Rumors on its 3rd mode. In open decklists, I think the move is far more defensible, given that Might is really the only way that Xenan has of gaining card advantage. I would never do such a thing against a non-combo deck, but I see the appeal.
0:58 – This is how you know gozuuu is a Tier 1 player – I surmise a lot of people wouldn’t want to trade 1 for 1 here with a sweeper. Your deck is much better at dealing with cheap things than expensive ones, so you want to delay r3as0n from dropping their big threats as much as possible.
1:08 – I think I would be tempted to play Merchant here, finding Xenan Temple or Burden. If they play a threat you need to deal with, then you can just play your market card on a later turn. There is also no removal that deals with Merchant, but no Tocas, in gozuuu’s deck. This way, you open yourself to the possibility of dropping a difficult to deal with threat next turn.
2:01 – While I think that it’s unlikely that gozuuu will be able to clear both units, I would put away the Etchings instead of the Crest to guarantee that I can play Burden next turn.
2:33 – Again, I think r3as0n is playing maybe a little bit too greedily. I would put away the Merchant with the Time Etchings. Knowing that gozuuu has no way of dealing with the Burden, it means that you can always rely on Burden to convert your extra power into cards. This means I would always be inclined to keep hitting my power drops here.
Game 2:
5:35 – I am shocked that gozuuu kept this hand because you have a lot of reactive elements. As we saw the last game, once r3as0n is able to drop Burden, you’re in a really bad spot. You also have no way of dealing with bigger threats in hand. I think the hand is fine to keep say, against someone random on ladder, but given the known threat I think you have to mulligan for something better.
6:47 – This Exploit decision is kind of tricky. I think it definitely falls between the Merchant and the Stranger. Stranger is more powerful and you don’t have a way to deal with it right now, but it’s also a lot of turns away, and you might draw into something by then. I think taking the Merchant would be correct here, because of the Time Etchings. Even if you silence with Enforcer, it’s still a Time unit you can use in conjunction with Etchings to pull Gnash. By taking Merchant, you’re also making it harder for them to play the Etchings and Stranger.
(Not that we’d have known, but WOW that panned out poorly when r3as0n rips another Grodov’s Stranger off the top.)
7:11 – Impressive read that gozuuu has Valkyrie Enforcer. I’m not going to lie, I would have absolutely run my Merchant into the Valk. >.<
8:01 – Well, that’s game. gozuuu has not been able to apply any pressure this game, and their draw has turned out horribly against the bigger units.
…
That’s it for this Diary Entry. Do you disagree with my rather dubious lines? Probably. If so, @ me in General chat so that we can all learn together. When you’re ready to articulate my questionable play, find me lurking in The Misplay, Friends of Eternal or Team Eternal Journey Discords. Until next time. 😉
Friends of Eternal:
https://discord.com/invite/MYh7hUs
The Misplay:
https://discord.com/invite/7Qk6HXq
Eternal Journey:
Careful Considerations - Ramblings of an Aspiring Azorius Lawmage 