BattleCON G22 - Accountant (Malandrax) vs. Zorblag (Cesar)

[Zorblag]

It's another game of BattleCON! We change our pace this game as this match features the Deadly Genius, Malandrax faces off against the Reliquary Hunter, Cesar! Is the immortal hunter's simple Ironstar and taciturn doggedness enough to overcome the insidious traps laid by the reincarnated genius?

If you're interested in learning about or playing a game yourself at some point I'll point you to the BattleCON discussion thread in the Arcade. For now, thanks to Accountant for stepping up to be the next scummer to whale on a Troll in the pbf fighting series!

We'll be playing with Dodge and the Force Gauge.

@Accountant, go ahead and submit your discard 1, discard 2 and finisher. Remember that Discard 2 is the one you'll get back first.

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Zorblag]

Ante the first beat will go to Malandrax on 1 and Cesar on 2.

Original Roll String: 1d2

1 2-Sided Dice: (1) = 1

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Zorblag]

Spoiler: Opening Discards and Finisher

Discard 1: Force Special Grasp
Discard 2: Phalanx Dodge
Finisher: Level 4 Protocol

As a heads up, I'll probably be fairly busy this weekend, so I might not get many beats in.

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Zorblag]

So the nice thing about this matchup over the last is that I have no fear that I'm going to have the inherent advantage. Malandrax seems better suited to work against player who tend to move around, and that movement is a huge part of Cesar's game. Malandrax is somewhat intimidating, but I need to remember going through this that often, the things that he can do don't actually hurt all that much especially as there are ways I can mitigate the timing being a typically slower character. It should be fun seeing how the flow of the game goes!

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Accountant]

After having seen how competent Zorblag is, I'm a little worried about playing a character as complex and tricky as Malandrax. Still, I'm not aiming to win, but to improve and to try out interesting characters. I'll watch the BattleGUIDES for both characters and get back to you, re: discards.

[Zorblag]

I suspect that you're overrating my competence here. Sure, I'll be trying to stop you from winning, but I'm fully confident that this game will go much better for you than the last one. I had so many tools in my Mikhail toolbox there that Seth had trouble countering without both assuming I was going for a non-obvious move and correctly guessing which one. The Normal Seth style of cover all the options so that you're at worst trading evenly didn't have a chance when Mikhail had access to the Seal Tokens. Malandrax has a lot more counters to what Cesar has up his sleeve. Mostly I'm just hoping for a fun game regardless of the win!

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Accountant]

Spoiler: Opening Discards and Finisher

Discard 1: Force Special Master Plan
Discard 2: Ingenious Dodge
Finisher: Deathtrap

[Accountant]

Spoiler: Beat 1 Attack Pair

Precision Strike

[Zorblag]

START OF GAME

ooMoCoo

Malandrax 20/2
Discard 1: Force Special Master Plan
Discard 2: Ingenious Dodge
Finisher: Deathtrap

Cesar - 20/2
Discard 1: Force Special Grasp
Discard 2: Phalanx Dodge
Finisher: Level 4 Protocol
Threat Level Counters: 0
Stats for Beat 1: +1 Power, Stun Guard 1

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Zorblag]

I'm not going to bother listing the Threat Level Counters in the my antes; they happen during the ante phase and I'll capture that information in the End of Beat Summaries.

Also, the only effect which gives me more tokens does it after the power, stun guard and soak are already calculated in the start of beat phase, so I'll try to always list what I'm going to have for the beat there.

Spoiler: Beat 1 Attack Pair

Inevitable Shot

Opening Ante: Pass

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Accountant]

I ante a trap card.

Spoiler: Trap Card - Don't Look!

Alarm Trap!

[Zorblag]

Pass.

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Accountant]

Pass.

[Zorblag]

OK, looks like you win ante and hit first for 3 damage. I have the stun guard to take that and hit back for 4 damage. I don't move this beat, so unless you anted and care to activate the Smasher Trap that should be it for the beat.

A tentative END OF BEAT 1

ooMoCoo

Malandrax 16/3
Discard 1: Precision Strike
Discard 2: Force Special Master Plan
Finisher: Deathtrap
Stats for Beat 2: -3 Power

Cesar - 17/3
Discard 1: Inevitable Shot
Discard 2: Force Special Grasp
Finisher: Level 4 Protocol
Threat Level Counters: 1
Stats for Beat 2: +2 Power, Stun Guard 2

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Zorblag]

If you have the Smasher Trap then I'll take some more damage, but it doesn't change what my next move will be:

Spoiler: Beat 2 Attack Pair

Unstoppable Suppression!

Spoiler: Reaction Ante

Pass if you ante a Trap.

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Accountant]

No trap card reveal. Do I have to show you my trap card if it's unactivated?

[Zorblag]

I don't think that you do. In theory it would give me insight for future moves, and I could try to go look up a ruling if we really cared, but I'm happy to play that you don't as there's no mechanical implications. Do you mind if I look after the game is over at what traps you chose?

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Accountant]

Spoiler: Beat 2 Attack Pair

Ingenious Dodge

I ante a Trap Card.

Spoiler: Trap Card

Alarm Trap

PEdit: Sure, it's okay if we go over the game and I'll explain why I chose the traps I did.

[Accountant]

Spoiler: Reactive Ante

Pass if you pass.

[Accountant]

There we go! That seems to be a double-pass through reaction antes.

[Zorblag]

I'm happy to talk about reasons for the traps, yeah!

For this beat, I was hoping for Plotting Dodge, but I'll take that. You win priority and get to move first. You can't move through me. I think that even if you choose not to move it's activating a move effect (I suppose I should go look that one up as it's pretty important,) so when you do I'll get to advance 1 or 2.

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Zorblag]

So it looks like BGG agrees that even if you choose to move 0 or move me 0 with a movement effect it counts as it being activated. I will get to advance whether or not you choose to move with dodge.

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Accountant]

I'll advance one space with dodge. I just finished a movement effect, so you have to advance either one or two spaces.

[Zorblag]

*nods* I advance 1 space.

ooCMooo

-Zorblag R`Lyeh

[Zorblag]

That would leave me hitting you for 4 damage unless you activate a trap.

A tentative END OF BEAT 2

ooCMooo

Malandrax 12/4
Discard 1: Ingenious Dodge
Discard 2: Precision Strike
Finisher: Deathtrap

Cesar - 17/3
Discard 1: Unstoppable Suppression
Discard 2: Inevitable Shot
Finisher: Level 4 Protocol
Threat Level Counters: 2
Stats for Beat 3: +3 Power, Stun Immunity

-Zorblag R`Lyeh