This is the third replay. It was another game I played against the computer. To learn about the rules of the game or the characters, please visit the links at the bottom of the page.
set-up: Carcass, ( ), [Rumble], Cloud, Cuspid
stock: Zigue, Albrecht, Tsu-Lung, Savage
weight = 7 + 9 + 6 + 3 = 25
This is a typical orthodox deck, with cheap starting characters, cheap to medium reinforcements, and a final expensive character. Rumble is chosen as the leader for protection against all kinds of rush decks.
| _ | Clo 9-3 | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
| Car 12-3 | _ | [Rum] 19-3 | Clo 9-3 | Cus 4-3 |
As we will soon discover on turn 1, the computer is playing a Hidden non-leader deck. However, the plausibility of the deck is questionable, because Hidden is slow and not quite adequate as a one-man army, unlike Maximillian. His deck does not have enough starting characters to cover Hidden's flanks. He should have used Jolly Roger as the leader, and added another starting character with the saved Mana.
The computer's deck is very light, while mine is a heavy orthodox deck. The computer will go first.
Hidden summon c4 Cloud b5-b3
Computer's Mana: 15 + 5 - 18(summon) = 2
The computer summons Hidden. Marching Cloud forward is probably a mistake, as he will get struck by Carcass for it. 1 Mana is usually not worth taking 3 damage for.
| _ | _ | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | Hid 14-7 | _ | _ |
| ___ | Clo 9-3 | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
| Car 12-3 | _ | [Rum] 19-3 | Clo 9-3 | Cus 4-3 |
Carcass a1-a3 Attack b3 for 3 Zigue summon b1 Cloud d1-d2 Cuspid e1-e3
My Mana: 5 + 5 - 9(summon) = 1
I strike at Cloud with Carcass, summon Zigue as planned, and push my troops forward while staying out of striking range of Hidden.
| _ | _ | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | Hid 14-7 | _ | _ |
| Car 12-3 | Clo 6-3 | ___ | ___ | Cus 4-3 |
| _ | _ | _ | Clo 9-3 | _ |
| _ | Zig 12-4 | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
Hidden c4 Self Healing Hp +1 Celeste summon b5 Hidden c4-c3 Cloud b3-c2 Attack d2 for 3
Computer's Mana: 2 + 6 - 8(summon) = 0
Summoning Celeste is definitely a poor choice in the current situation, for neither of her two purposes would be fulfilled. I don't have any Undead characters in play, and there is no use for healing in his deck: Hidden can't be healed, and Rumble shouldn't be healed. With low Ap, Celeste is a poor character for the purpose of general melee.
An undersized front line, receiving first strike, and wasting Mana on Celeste is going to cost the computer the game.
The computer could have used Pushing on Hidden so that he can strike and kill Cloud or Cuspid, but summoning (a useful character, rather than Celeste) is probably better. That is too intricate a move for the computer AI, anyway.
| _ | Cel 12-2 | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
| Car 12-3 | ___ | Hid 15-7 | ___ | Cus 4-3 |
| _ | _ | Clo 6-3 | Clo 6-3 | _ |
| _ | Zig 12-4 | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
[Rumble] c1 Attack c2 for 3 Cuspid e3-d3 Attack c3 for 3 Cloud d2 Attack c2 for 3X -e3 Carcass a3-b4 Wind Lance for [2]x3 Zigue b1-b3 Attack c3 for 4
My Mana: 1 + 7 = 8
I kill Cloud and start working on Hidden. Now that I think about it, I probably should have summoned rather than striking with Rumble.
As you can see, Carcass's Wind Lance is an excellent skill, provided that one can get into position to use it. The fact that it doesn't cost any Mana makes it even better.
Now the position looks very grim for the computer. Hidden is dying, and he doesn't have anybody else who can really fight, while all my firepower is intact (except for Cuspid the expendable who will be killed next turn).
| _ | Cel 10-2 | [Rum] 17-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | Car 12-3 | _ | _ | _ |
| ___ | Zig 12-4 | Hid 6-7 | Cus 4-3 | Clo 6-3 |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
Hidden c3 Self Healing Hp +1 Hidden c3 Attack d3 for 4X Cuspid summon c4 Celeste b5 Attack b4 for 2
Computer's Mana: 0 + 6 - 3(summon) = 3
Hidden finally gets to strike - his only strike in the game - for 4 damage. Clearly, his deck isn't working. Any deck centered on a big character needs to have ways to keep the character alive. Without friendly characters covering his flanks, no character can survive a gang-up for long.
Cuspid is another poor choice for a reinforcement. Since one gains 5 Mana from the home square every turn, one should be summoning a 5-Mana character instead. If Cuspid is put in a deck, he should be set up. c4 is also as poor a place to put him as it ever can be: as you can see, he is going to be conveniently wiped out by area-effect attacks on my next turn.
| _ | Cel 10-2 | [Rum] 17-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | Car 10-3 | Cus 4-3 | _ | _ |
| ___ | Zig 12-4 | Hid 7-7 | ___ | Clo 6-3 |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
Zigue b3 Attack c3 for 4 -b2 Carcass b4 Wind Lance for [2]x4 -a3 Cloud e3-d4 Hand Grenade [LEFT] for 2x4XX [Rumble] c1-c2 Albrecht summon c1
My Mana: 8 + 7 - 3(Hand Grenade) - 8(summon) = 4
I slay Hidden and conveniently take out Cuspid too. The computer's front line has been annihilated, and his surviving characters have taken a fair amount of collateral damage from area-effect attacks. His position is now hopeless.
| _ | Cel 6-2 | [Rum] 13-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | _ | Clo 6-3 | _ |
| Car 10-3 | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| _ | Zig 12-4 | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | Alb 12-2 | _ | _ |
Albrecht summon c4 Celeste b5-b3 Attack a3 for 2
Computer's Mana: 3 + 5 - 8(summon) = 0
The computer summons and strikes, but it is not going to turn the tables a bit.
| _ | _ | [Rum] 13-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | Alb 12-2 | Clo 6-3 | _ |
| Car 8-3 | Cel 6-2 | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| _ | Zig 12-4 | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | Alb 12-2 | _ | _ |
Carcass a3-b4 Wind Lance for [2]x3 Zigue b2 Attack b3 for 4X -b3 Albrecht c1-c3 Light Saber [c5] for 3 Cloud d4-d5 Attack [c5] for 3 Tsu-Lung summon c1
My Mana: 4 + 6 - 2(Light Saber) - 5(summon) = 3
Celeste is killed, and Rumble is reduced to 5 Hp. Against 4 characters with ranged attack skills, there is no way Rumble can survive my next turn, so I'm truncating the replay here.
The computer doesn't do anything interesting on his next turn, and I easily kill Rumble on my next turn.
| _ | _ | [Rum] 5-3 | Clo 6-3 | _ |
| _ | Car 8-3 | Alb 10-2 | _ | _ |
| ___ | Zig 12-4 | Alb 12-2 | ___ | ___ |
| _ | _ | [Rum] 19-3 | _ | _ |
| _ | _ | Tsu 8-3 | _ | _ |
Big characters in Shadows of the Tusk can be very powerful, provided that you can keep them alive while they stay in range of enemy characters and strike turn after turn. No character short of Maximillian, not even one as impressive as Hidden, can prevail single-handedly against a large horde of enemies. (Maximillian makes a possible exception because of his Roar skill, but you definitely need to Bless him.) In the least, you have to cover his flanks with friendly characters.
During deck construction, choosing which characters to set up with is very important, but the importance of the summoning stock is not to be overlooked. One should choose his reinforcements such that the deck is coherent and performs well in a variety of situations. Summoning random characters without paying regard to their purpose will only be a waste of precious Mana and time.
Copyright 26 June 1999 Alan Shiu Ho Kwan
review (with some rules descriptions)
Alan Kwan / tarot@netvigator.com / created 26 June 99