Kyuukei vs Zerovash

Post by **Kyuukei** » Tue Aug 28, 2012 6:54 pm

This is my playtest of the Imperial March, as used against ZeroVash's aptly-named Fire-Gravity.

Connecting to duel...
ZeroVash has left.
ZeroVash has joined.
Dealing...
Kyuukei calls the toss...
Kyuukei chooses Tails!...
Heads! Kyuukei loses the toss
ZeroVash chooses to go first...
[KV] ZeroVash accelerates tempo.
ZeroVash has left.
ZeroVash has joined.
[KV] ZeroVash ends their turn.
Kyuukei draws a Slim Jackson.
Kyuukei ends their turn.
[KV] ZeroVash draws a card.
[KV] ZeroVash ends their turn.
Kyuukei draws a Air Cannon.
Kyuukei puts Skyscout, the Humble from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei ends their turn.

Considering the high amount of Wind cards in my hand, Skyscout is definitely a good start. It is a card I am personally very fond of; if ZV leaves it because of its draw-on-destruction effect, I get to passively accelerate further Wind plays, and if he instead destroys it, the loss of momentum on my field is exchanged for something new in my hand. Good stuff.

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[KV] ZeroVash draws a card.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Pan, Pilfering Pugilist from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash ends their turn.
Kyuukei draws a Victoria Gale, the Gifted.
Kyuukei puts Slim Jackson from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei sends Energy Charge to graveyard.
Kyuukei accelerates tempo by Slim Jackson's effect.
Kyuukei puts Slim Jackson from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei sends Evade Wyvern to graveyard.
Kyuukei accelerates tempo by Slim Jackson's effect.
Kyuukei ends their turn.

Ouch. Two Slim Jackson in one go was pretty nice, but the discarded options were notably inconvenient. This deck has lots of higher-cost things though, so this is definitely still best in the long run. The Pugilist he played doesn't really worry me, since if he attacks with it I can throw Skyscout at it anyway to compensate, whilst also being able to extrapolate his overall plan based on whatever he searches for.

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[KV] ZeroVash draws a card.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Pan, Pilfering Pugilist from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Sienna Startle from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash ends their turn.

Sienna Startle would normally be a pretty inconvenient thing for him to play right now, but since I got a ton of Wind out early, I can play the Victoria Gale I drew on my last turn to keep my smaller things safe for a bit. Even though three of them are Skyscouts, Sienna would enable him to pick them off at his pace rather than forcing him into my own, so it's definitely best to remove it now.

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Kyuukei draws a Energy Charge.
Kyuukei puts Skyscout, the Humble from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei puts Skyscout, the Humble from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei puts Victoria Gale, the Gifted from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei needs to make a choice before the duel can continue.
Choose a target for Victoria Gale, the Gifted.
Kyuukei has chosen [KV] ZeroVash's Sienna Startle.
[KV] ZeroVash's Sienna Startle was returned to their hand.
Kyuukei has attacked [KV] ZeroVash with their Skyscout, the Humble.
Kyuukei's Skyscout, the Humble does 1 damage to [KV] ZeroVash's Grid (+1 tempo).
Kyuukei has attacked [KV] ZeroVash with their Slim Jackson.
Kyuukei's Slim Jackson does 1 damage to [KV] ZeroVash's Grid (+1 tempo).
Kyuukei: R?
[KV] ZeroVash: nope
Kyuukei has attacked [KV] ZeroVash with their Slim Jackson.
Kyuukei's Slim Jackson does 1 damage to [KV] ZeroVash's Grid (+1 tempo).
[KV] ZeroVash: you can keep attacking :)
Skyscout, the Humble cannot attack this turn, it is still disoriented.
Kyuukei ends their turn.

And this is why I didn't mind the discards from Slim too much. Attacking that swiftly seemed a bit risky, but I figured that he would hesitate to attack the Skyscouts with his Pugilists because of their draw effect, and if he did not and instead opted to hit my grid with them, I could keep on attacking anyway, or would otherwise be able to predict his followup accordingly based on whatever he searched for.

Kyuukei - 5 Grid
ZeroVash - 2 Grid

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[KV] ZeroVash draws a card.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Spotter Dragon from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Sienna Startle from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Sables Duress from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash's Pan, Pilfering Pugilist was destroyed.
[KV] ZeroVash's Pan, Pilfering Pugilist was destroyed.
Kyuukei's Skyscout, the Humble was destroyed.
Kyuukei draws a Evade Wyvern.
Kyuukei's Slim Jackson was destroyed.
Kyuukei's Slim Jackson was destroyed.
Kyuukei's Skyscout, the Humble was destroyed.
Kyuukei draws a Arrhythmia.
Kyuukei's Skyscout, the Humble was destroyed.
Kyuukei draws a Sunbliss Hara.
Kyuukei's Victoria Gale, the Gifted was destroyed.
[KV] ZeroVash ends their turn.

Ack. I wasn't really expecting the Sables play, but in exchange for his instant field advantage my hand was also replenished by three, mostly equalizing our momentum as expected. The Spotter Dragon kinda sucks, but Sienna Startle isn't nearly as useful now, since there's nothing it can hit right now.

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Kyuukei draws a Arrhythmia.
Kyuukei puts Air Cannon from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei needs to make a choice before the duel can continue.
Choose a target for Air Cannon.
Kyuukei has chosen [KV] ZeroVash's Spotter Dragon.
[KV] ZeroVash's Spotter Dragon was returned to their hand.
Kyuukei's Air Cannon was destroyed.
Kyuukei puts Evade Wyvern from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei ends their turn.

I definitely needed to stop the Spotter Dragon to prevent a counterattack; at this point, since I took a risk in attacking his Grid this swiftly, it is crucial to prevent him from gaining too much momentum with his new Tempo. Fortunately, I couldn't ask for a better counterattacker myself right now than Evade Wyvern; Sienna can't hurt it without some means of assistance, and even if he does manage to destroy it that way, I can just keep on replaying it anyway to tie him up a bit.

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[KV] ZeroVash draws a card.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Mesmera Cobra from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Compost Bri from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Spotter Dragon from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash ends their turn.

Herein lies the risk of attacking that quickly; the opponent is able to chain multiple things per turn that much faster. Fortunately, I have the perfect counter for this in my hand...

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Kyuukei draws a Air Cannon.
Kyuukei puts Imperial Blue from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei needs to make a choice before the duel can continue.
Choose targets for Imperial Blue. Type /end to end selection early.
Kyuukei has chosen [KV] ZeroVash's Spotter Dragon.
Kyuukei has chosen [KV] ZeroVash's Compost Bri.
[KV] ZeroVash's Spotter Dragon was returned to their hand.
[KV] ZeroVash's Compost Bri was returned to their hand.
Kyuukei has attacked [KV] ZeroVash with their Evade Wyvern.
Kyuukei's Evade Wyvern does 1 damage to [KV] ZeroVash's Grid (+1 tempo).
Kyuukei ends their turn.

It is precisely in situations like this where Imperial Blue thrives. Not only did he slow ZV down rather notably, but neither Spotter Dragon nor Compost Bri can actually hurt him, should they be replayed. In addition, it also lets my Evade Wyvern swing at his Grid again without any fear of being blown up himself.

Kyuukei - 5 Grid
ZeroVash - 1 Grid

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[KV] ZeroVash draws a card.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Spotter Dragon from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Compost Bri from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Impel End from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash needs to make a choice before the duel can continue.
[KV] ZeroVash has chosen Kyuukei's Imperial Blue.
Kyuukei's Imperial Blue was destroyed.
[KV] ZeroVash's Impel End was destroyed.
[KV] ZeroVash ends their turn.

Poor Imperial Blue. On the plus side, he's functioned just as he should, albeit within slightly unorthodox circumstances. The hope was that I could stall ZV's momentum enough to win from here, though the Impel End was a bit inconvenient, given Blue's high base power. Oh well. At least Bri can't draw from things like that.

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Kyuukei draws a Mammoth Trumpeter.
Kyuukei puts Mammoth Trumpeter from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei needs to make a choice before the duel can continue.
Choose a card for Mammoth Trumpeter.
Kyuukei: this is the second time in a row the card I wanted has been on the top of my deck ~_~
[KV] ZeroVash: :|
Kyuukei draws a Imperial Blue.
Kyuukei puts Air Cannon from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei needs to make a choice before the duel can continue.
Choose a target for Air Cannon.
Kyuukei has chosen [KV] ZeroVash's Spotter Dragon.
[KV] ZeroVash's Spotter Dragon was returned to their hand.
Kyuukei has attacked [KV] ZeroVash with their Evade Wyvern.
Kyuukei's Evade Wyvern does 1 damage to [KV] ZeroVash's Grid (+1 tempo).
Kyuukei: R?
[KV] ZeroVash: nope
Kyuukei ends their turn.
Kyuukei's Air Cannon was destroyed.

Looks like Mammoth Trumpeter likes me. This was a bit annoying, given that hypothetically I could have done more if I hadn't taken the Deplete for search, but still not complaining overall. Still, it looks like my early attacking may have backfired, as he can do quite a lot in one turn now. If he can take out Evade Wyvern and prepare for the upcoming Blue simultaneously, he'll likely gain control of the game.

Kyuukei - 5 Grid
ZeroVash - 0 Grid

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[KV] ZeroVash draws a card.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Vibra from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Thirteen from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Spotter Dragon from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Impel End from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash needs to make a choice before the duel can continue.
[KV] ZeroVash: oh
[KV] ZeroVash depletes tempo.
[KV] ZeroVash depletes tempo.
[KV] ZeroVash: Evade Wyvern please :)
Kyuukei's Evade Wyvern was destroyed.
[KV] ZeroVash's Impel End was destroyed.
[KV] ZeroVash consumes tempo.
[KV] ZeroVash: <,<
Kyuukei: mm?
[KV] ZeroVash accelerates tempo.
ZeroVash has left.
[VR] Burner: o_O
Kyuukei: huh...
[VR] Burner: i think he derped out.
ZeroVash has joined.
Kyuukei: just exhaust and I'll blow it up
[KV] ZeroVash: mk
[KV] ZeroVash exhausts their Sienna Startle because of the effect.
Kyuukei's Mammoth Trumpeter was destroyed.
[KV] ZeroVash ends their turn.

Dammit. Another Impel End. That makes things rather tricky. On the plus side, while bouncing that annoying Compost Bri is a bit imprudent due to Thirteen, it looks like my second Imperial Blue might slow him down just enough to secure the win.

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Kyuukei draws a Suna.
Kyuukei: oh
Kyuukei: you get to draw for Compost
[KV] ZeroVash draws a card.
[KV] ZeroVash: thank you lol.
Kyuukei puts Imperial Blue from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei needs to make a choice before the duel can continue.
Choose targets for Imperial Blue. Type /end to end selection early.
Kyuukei has chosen [KV] ZeroVash's Spotter Dragon.
Kyuukei has chosen [KV] ZeroVash's Thirteen.
[KV] ZeroVash's Spotter Dragon was returned to their hand.
[KV] ZeroVash's Thirteen was returned to their hand.
Kyuukei ends their turn.

It is at this moment that I of course wish Sienna didn't take out Mammoth Trumpeter; looks like it came back to bite me after all. On the plus side, given that yet another Impel End is unlikely, his options for taking down this Imperial Blue should be quite limited.

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[KV] ZeroVash draws a card.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Brave Hessus J from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Brave Hessus J from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash puts Spotter Dragon from their hand into the conflict.
[KV] ZeroVash's Sienna Startle can attack ready creatures until the end of the turn.
[VR] Burner: Gotta discard for Brave Hessus H's
[KV] ZeroVash has attacked Imperial Blue (slot 1) with their Sienna Startle.
[KV] ZeroVash discards their Fair Wind from their hand.
[KV] ZeroVash discards their Thirteen from their hand.
[KV] ZeroVash: i was onto it
[KV] ZeroVash's Sienna Startle was destroyed.
Kyuukei: Imp Blue is 6k
[KV] ZeroVash draws a card.
[KV] ZeroVash ends their turn.
Kyuukei: ah
[KV] ZeroVash: i know :|

I was a bit too relieved at this moment to notice that he had discarded Fair Wind, which would have enabled him to take out my other Blue as well with Sienna Startle. Since he did not, however, I get to swing for the win. Yay.

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Kyuukei draws a Energy Charge.
Kyuukei puts Suna from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei's Suna has setback [KV] ZeroVash's tempo by one.
Kyuukei's Suna has setback their own tempo by one.
[KV] ZeroVash: still wouldnt matter
[KV] ZeroVash: :)
Kyuukei puts Arrhythmia from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei's Arrhythmia has setback [KV] ZeroVash's tempo by one.
[VR] Burner: You had Fair Wind.
Kyuukei puts Arrhythmia from their hand into the conflict.
Kyuukei's Arrhythmia has setback [KV] ZeroVash's tempo by one.
[VR] Burner: You could Have powered it up..
[KV] ZeroVash: ._0
[KV] ZeroVash: oh yeah
[KV] ZeroVash: didnt even saw that <,<
Kyuukei: still not enough
[KV] ZeroVash: 3500 + 3000?
[VR] Burner: 6500 vs 6000 isn't enough?
Kyuukei: oh
Kyuukei: I thought it was 2000 >>
[KV] ZeroVash: ah
[KV] ZeroVash: oh well :)
Kyuukei has attacked [KV] ZeroVash with their Imperial Blue.
Kyuukei wins.
You may challenge your opponent to a rematch by using /rematch

If ZeroVash weren't too distracted by his apparent multitasking to Fair Wind my Blue into nonexistence, things would have gotten hectic for me, since his hand was still substantially larger than mine. Still, this was a rather interesting duel; I wasn't remotely expecting this deck to make me want to attack swiftly.

Overall, I rather like this deck. I expected to use my tempo-burn cards such as Suna and Arrhythmia far sooner than I actually did, but that's simply not the direction it felt like taking. The Imperial Blues were absolutely invaluable, and this game definitely shows how well they can supplement swift attacks by compensating for the opponent's newly-gained Tempo. Very fun.