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sniffnoyOh man. I just beat someone 11 ranks higher than me at Kongai. (I was rank 17, he was rank 28, and he had a hugely positive win-loss record). That's at least 144 points right there. Naturally I went up a rank - though it's not as awesome as when you're really low rank, and you beat someone much higher than you and go up 2 ranks at once. I made just 3 intercepts that game - and only one missed.
He starts out, Tafari vs. my Marquis. Tafari? I'm not afraid of Tafari! Of course he hoses the Marquis's special ability, but Leafy Trap does nothing against the Marquis, and Tafari's no big threat if you're careful, right? I guess not. I constantly make sure that if we're at close range, to have 50 energy available next turn - of course, this means I can't *do* very much. He uses Hide to keep me at far range, at my own expense; then poison darts the hell out of me when I either Teleport or rest (either to get the energy to Teleport, or so that I'll have more energy after Teleporting). What makes it really bad, though, is not the poison dart itself - this is the Marquis after all, 10 dark resistance - but that he has the Deadly Poison equipped, so I'm constantly getting poisoned, sometimes twice from the same dart. Finally, after spending 2 turns resting at far range, and one turn teleporting, I'm finally at close range, with enough energy to cast Life Drain and still have 50 left over, and I cast it... and he switches out.
I knew I should have intercepted, I thought - I was at such low health that the poison would kill me that turn. Why stay in and take a hit, while spending energy on a redundant attack? (Especially when they're going to heal!) But I'm generally pretty reluctant to intercept, it being a risky move and all, and so I didn't, Phylactery failed to trigger, and I died, with Tafari mostly unhurt (I hadn't been able to land a single Life Drain on him, IIRC). Not a good start.
He brings in Anex, and I respond by bringing in Higashi and getting close. I Sweep, as I can't interrupt a Chakra Slash (as she's got the Valkyrie's Charm equipped), and I want to stay in a position where I have the advantage. No stun, she gets far, but doesn't have enough energy for a Power Toss, so I go with a Dashing Strike. Surprisingly (to me, anyway), she casts Enchant Blade, which, being 0 cost, *does* leave her with enough energy for a Power Toss. I get the hell out of there, brining in Rumiko, and am hit by Boomerang Chakra.
...crap. She can *still* do a Power Toss. I do not want to get hit by that, and I just switched in, so I get close... and he also gets close. Wait, why would he get close? Maybe to avoid a Shuriken Barrage, but that doesn't seem very likely... I figure he's getting close in order to switch in his remaining character (who I still have yet to see), so I intercept. Bam! 35 damage leaves Anex with less than 6 health, and I switch out and she dies to the Yellow Rock, Rumiko still unhurt.
Now we're each down a character and the game is more even; he's still winning, though - Rumiko and his third character are both unhurt, but Higashi's considerably more damaged than Tafari. I have to switch in Higashi, and he responds by putting in Tafari. Ooh, unlike the Marquis, Higashi is restricted considerably by the Leafy Trap, so this could be trouble.
Hide; Open Palm[0]. I get far. Dashing Strike; Leafy Trap. As expected, and not very good for me. So I start resting, and he starts poison darting. When I get to 75 energy, I'm not really close to death, but I'm kind of close, and it's only a 5 energy difference from resting, so I intercept, thinking this might be when he switches out, like before. I'm wrong. In any case, I now have enough energy to cast Chi Blast; do I go for that or the interception? The question is rendered moot when he gets close.
I'm at 95 energy and close, but still under the Leafy Trap. So I've got nothing better to do but intercept. It works! And Tafari dies. Suddenly I've gone from trapped, and nearly down a character, to barely up a character (Higashi is now *very* close to dead from all that poison; good thing he's got the Healing Salve). Rumiko is unhurt, his mysterious 3rd character is unhurt, and Higashi is close to dead, and everyone else is dead.
Well, he has to bring in that third character now, and it's Ubuntu. Unfortunately Higashi is still under the Leafy Trap. Do I attack anyway, since Higashi will die soon from poison anyway? Or do I finally switch out, and risk getting intercepted as it's the obvious thing to do? I figure Higashi's not going to die *immediately*, and, IINM, he hadn't intercepted that entire game (though Ubuntu was equipped with the Mindreader's Chalice!), so I go with the latter option. Rumiko comes in, Eviscerates, goes back out, Higashi gets in a final Open Palm before dying, Rumiko Eviscerates once again and has exactly enough energy left over to deliver a final Poison Dart for the win.
...it was awesome.
-Harry
[0]Or did I use Sweep? Open Palm seems more likely.
He starts out, Tafari vs. my Marquis. Tafari? I'm not afraid of Tafari! Of course he hoses the Marquis's special ability, but Leafy Trap does nothing against the Marquis, and Tafari's no big threat if you're careful, right? I guess not. I constantly make sure that if we're at close range, to have 50 energy available next turn - of course, this means I can't *do* very much. He uses Hide to keep me at far range, at my own expense; then poison darts the hell out of me when I either Teleport or rest (either to get the energy to Teleport, or so that I'll have more energy after Teleporting). What makes it really bad, though, is not the poison dart itself - this is the Marquis after all, 10 dark resistance - but that he has the Deadly Poison equipped, so I'm constantly getting poisoned, sometimes twice from the same dart. Finally, after spending 2 turns resting at far range, and one turn teleporting, I'm finally at close range, with enough energy to cast Life Drain and still have 50 left over, and I cast it... and he switches out.
I knew I should have intercepted, I thought - I was at such low health that the poison would kill me that turn. Why stay in and take a hit, while spending energy on a redundant attack? (Especially when they're going to heal!) But I'm generally pretty reluctant to intercept, it being a risky move and all, and so I didn't, Phylactery failed to trigger, and I died, with Tafari mostly unhurt (I hadn't been able to land a single Life Drain on him, IIRC). Not a good start.
He brings in Anex, and I respond by bringing in Higashi and getting close. I Sweep, as I can't interrupt a Chakra Slash (as she's got the Valkyrie's Charm equipped), and I want to stay in a position where I have the advantage. No stun, she gets far, but doesn't have enough energy for a Power Toss, so I go with a Dashing Strike. Surprisingly (to me, anyway), she casts Enchant Blade, which, being 0 cost, *does* leave her with enough energy for a Power Toss. I get the hell out of there, brining in Rumiko, and am hit by Boomerang Chakra.
...crap. She can *still* do a Power Toss. I do not want to get hit by that, and I just switched in, so I get close... and he also gets close. Wait, why would he get close? Maybe to avoid a Shuriken Barrage, but that doesn't seem very likely... I figure he's getting close in order to switch in his remaining character (who I still have yet to see), so I intercept. Bam! 35 damage leaves Anex with less than 6 health, and I switch out and she dies to the Yellow Rock, Rumiko still unhurt.
Now we're each down a character and the game is more even; he's still winning, though - Rumiko and his third character are both unhurt, but Higashi's considerably more damaged than Tafari. I have to switch in Higashi, and he responds by putting in Tafari. Ooh, unlike the Marquis, Higashi is restricted considerably by the Leafy Trap, so this could be trouble.
Hide; Open Palm[0]. I get far. Dashing Strike; Leafy Trap. As expected, and not very good for me. So I start resting, and he starts poison darting. When I get to 75 energy, I'm not really close to death, but I'm kind of close, and it's only a 5 energy difference from resting, so I intercept, thinking this might be when he switches out, like before. I'm wrong. In any case, I now have enough energy to cast Chi Blast; do I go for that or the interception? The question is rendered moot when he gets close.
I'm at 95 energy and close, but still under the Leafy Trap. So I've got nothing better to do but intercept. It works! And Tafari dies. Suddenly I've gone from trapped, and nearly down a character, to barely up a character (Higashi is now *very* close to dead from all that poison; good thing he's got the Healing Salve). Rumiko is unhurt, his mysterious 3rd character is unhurt, and Higashi is close to dead, and everyone else is dead.
Well, he has to bring in that third character now, and it's Ubuntu. Unfortunately Higashi is still under the Leafy Trap. Do I attack anyway, since Higashi will die soon from poison anyway? Or do I finally switch out, and risk getting intercepted as it's the obvious thing to do? I figure Higashi's not going to die *immediately*, and, IINM, he hadn't intercepted that entire game (though Ubuntu was equipped with the Mindreader's Chalice!), so I go with the latter option. Rumiko comes in, Eviscerates, goes back out, Higashi gets in a final Open Palm before dying, Rumiko Eviscerates once again and has exactly enough energy left over to deliver a final Poison Dart for the win.
...it was awesome.
-Harry
[0]Or did I use Sweep? Open Palm seems more likely.
