Kodama of the South West – MTG Resources by Sean Samuels

Kodama of the South West – MTG Resources by Sean Samuels

Article on mtgUK, where I list some good sites for information and improving your skill at Magic the Gathering

The First Week of HATE

Due to other commitments, only 2 people turned up for the first practice week of the Highly Antagonistic Tournament Event. Disappointing, but at least if that continues, working out the maths on the prize winners should be easy ;)

They played three games, using three different teams each. The first game;

Thor 150 fast forces

Loki 150 fast forces

300 points Asgardian theme team.

I'm not a fan of this team. It might be ok taking down a tentpole, but if the tentpole is able to take down Loki while a tie-up piece holds off Thor, then that's probably all she wrote. Equally, a balanced team probably tears Thor apart before Loki can do any good. Also, if Thor gets hit to his mid-dial, his stats are a little poor til he takes more damage. So a couple of well timed hits can mess up his day.

Nightcrawler 86 web of spider-man

Atrocitus 202 dc75th

288 points.

Again, this team is not so hot. I'm a fan of Atrocitus, but he can be beat down if swarmed. Also, Nightcrawler seems to not have much of a role in this team. Bringing people to the already mobile Atrocitus? Nightcrawler is good, but needs to be taking targets back to something that can kill the target in one turn.

The Asgardians won this game. I believe this being due to Nightcrawler not pulling his weight. Still, an interesting pair of teams.

Next game;

Benjamin J Grimm 100 secret invasion

Reed Richards 100 secret invasion

Sue Storm 100 secret invasion

300 points Fantastic Four

The LE Fantastic Four. I don't like either version of the Human Torch, so I'm not surprised to see him absent here. Sue is better than the Invisible Woman as a secondary attacker, and her trait is gravy when it works. Reed and Mr. Fantastic are comparable, the choice comes down to wanting Outwit or the +2 Perplex. Ben, however, is the weak link. Giving the team Toughness is nice, but The Thing is a much better primary attacker, which is what the team needs. Get the balance right, and the team is Primary Attacker, Secondary Attacker and Support Piece. But for that to work, all three need to be the optimum choices.

Jason Blood 44 brave and bold

Sinestro 249 dc75th

293 points

This is the epitome of tent-polling. A piece whose sole role is to tear the enemy apart,  and a figure who is there simply to provide re-rolls. A mid and final click of a power that stops damage and gives access to Regeneration makes Sinestro hard to take down. Jason Blood has the option of turning into The Demon, giving you a Secondary Attacker as well. This looks like the team to beat.

And it was, Sinestro took no damage (did I mention he has Quintessence) while demolishing the Fantastic Four. Even Jason was pretty much unscathed.

The final game;

Hogun 100 fast forces

Fandral 100 fast forces

Volstagg 100 fast forces

300 points Warriors Three

Like with the LE Fantastic Four, the problem I have with these guys is the original versions. While it's nice that this Volstagg gains Charge, and the special power on their final clicks is nice, the loss of Fandral's Outwit hurts them. I've played these guys against the originals plenty of times and the originals always win. I guess that doesn't make these guys bad, just not what I'd field.

The Atom 50 dc75th

Steve Rogers 99 captain america

Kilowog 145 green lantern

294 points Soldier

Steve is pretty good, but I think he's better at the core of a team built to benefit fully from his trait. Kilowog, on the other hand, is a beast. I'm yet to be disappointed in him. The Atom seems like filler, a slot that others can try for in the limited points left. With practice and tweaking, this team might be ok.

The Warriors Three won, though a lot of that was inability to hit when they were on thier final clicks. How much of that was luck and how much of that was stats remains to be seen.

So, a couple of potential teams have been eliminated. Hopefully, next week more players will show up and the metagame will open up. Equally, if the late-comers have read this post, they know what to expect and what the teams to beat are. Let's see what happens next week.