So after that quick beat-down match we immediately staged a rematch. I told him to take a good book, because I was using my favorite.
So the basic idea behind my book is to teach me how to use creatures. I'm too dumb for that, playing mainly solo mages and getting slapped whenever I try to do buddies or swarms. If it's at least with my best mage, I thought to myself, I might just get the gist of the basic playstyle. It has Mhegedden, an Afflicted Demon, a Grey Wraith, Drokarr, Goran, a Lava Golem and a Fire Elemental. (No, I do not expect to ever summon all of these. I think of this as a versatile toolbox)
So I start with move down and Doubleflower (B2 and C1). He opens with move up, to build Lair (B3) and harmonize it.
My usual T2 would be Mhegedden into forge, but with such dedication to the spawnpoint, I switch to Mhegedden and an Idol of Pestilence into the deliberately left empty A1. He opens with a Wychwood Hound (WWH) from Lair, then moving into Lair zone to get a beast ring and summon another WWH.
Lair summoned another WWH. I conjured a forge into my Zone (B1) and placed Chains of agony onto one of the hounds. One hound moved into B2 to guard, the other followed him to attack flower for 4 dmg. Beastmaster followed, enchanted me and summoned another WWH.
His lair summoned a Thunderift falcon. I considered preparing my Grey Wraith and prepared the Afflicted Demon instead. My forge equipped some cheap leather onto me. I let him move in and use his actions to attack me, then summoned the Afflicted Bloodreaper and used Death Link on one of the WWH.
For a while, the match turned into a brawl in that zone, with me trying to kill his creatures with Mhegedden, a bloodthirsting Afflicted and a Hellfire Lash, while trying to tank up and protect my 29 hp ass through Regrowth, Bloodreaper-Attacks and hopefully more Death Links. Joke's on me though, he never summoned anything big enough to warrant Death link, nor left me without Pblood for any extended amount of time.
He, on the other hand, used Pbloods, Rusts and his creatures, in conjunction with his own melee Attacks to damage me, while armoring up against the attacks from my Afflicted Bloodreaper. When he had 2 Weaks on him, he ceased the attempts to melee me.
The game ended with a masterstroke from Aridigasfan. He had previously moved up into A1, then A2 to get rid of the 7 dice Afflicted Reaper-Attacks, since bloodthirst pretty much nailed that Demon into the Battle Zone. I was at a dangerously low point, he was in Semi-Danger with 3 armor at that point and mid-twenties of damage on him. I was still in B1, the battlefield of that match.
I had a Dispel wand and just equipped a dark cloak. Everything I did after Deploy was stupid and useless though, or rather, brilliantly countered by my opponent. His lair had finally summoned Slavörg, so Instead of using Ghoul Rot onto the enemy Mage, I used Death Link on the Kitty, then moved down to C1 and removed Pblood. After that, I had rust, a corrode, Hauberk, one Leather part and Regrowth on me.
Aridigasfan had completely read me, moving a Lynx (with 2 damage from idol) to attack my Afflicted demon (brought that one to 7 damage) and, via bloodthirst, Nail it to that zone. As his QC, he followed that up with a Deathlock into A3. Mhegedden, with him in A2 had the options of attacking him or the Deathlock. I chose the mage and brought him up to 28. He then moved down into B2. My Afflicted Demon slaughtered the Lynx, for all the good that did me.
The final turn was a good old round of Rock Paper Scissors. I had no armor, 5 hp left and no way to get that Deathlock lifted. His Initiative.
I had no Push, no Tangle. I could Enfeeble him, but if he only goes for a boulder, he will move and then throw it. I had to assume that he would play around enfeeble. I decided to look at his Lair, then decide whether to Equip a fire Ring from Forge and throw a lucky Fireball (against 3 armor and 7 remaining hp) or use my QC to dispel Rust and then... hope to survive his one shot, enfeeble him afterwards and walk away to kill him during the next turn.
My hopes were thwarted. His lair did nothing. I dispelled Rust, he moved and used his 9 mana to throw an Acid ball for no damage and two corrodes, as well as a Geyser, that brought me to 1 hp remaining.
With a Deathlock on the board.
And my own Idol of Pestilence.
Out of options, because I couldn't afford my fireball any more, I simply walked into his zone and Attacked with Lash. It dealt 4 damage and gave him 2 burns. He then killed me with a Lynx.
Noteworthy:
Idol of Pestilence has nice synergy with Bloodthirst but I still think, in hindsight, the Grey Wraith would have been better to defend me, while also immune to Idol.
I'm too scared to bet my life on a Fireball.
Early pressure always fucks me. My opener with doubleflower into Forge/Idol and Mhegedden basically leaves me helpless. Even more than helpless if it's Idol.
Maybe I should have Skipped Mhegedden and Teleported a Lava Golem into the Lair zone instead. I did that once and found it hilarious.
Aridigasfan played the match pretty much flawlessly.
Death Link is dumb against swarmy little critters. Especially when there's focus on my mage. Of course I'll eat Pbloods.
I'm a bit bummed out because I consider that my most favorable matchup.
Losing this one was much more enjoyable than winning the one before it with Pillar.
