An Explorer's musings on Trials of Time

[hydranixx]

Hey Explorers,

Yesterday I completed my 4th and final game of the Vassal World Series event: Trials of Time, and while (some) of my memory (and notes) are fresh, I thought I'd share my picks and experiences.

This was a 4 round single Master, mixed packet event, with mandatory clocks, run via Vassal.

Anyway, let the essay begin:

 

Round 1 - Nexus2 vs McCabe2 (Ten Thunders) - Nickdubz

 

My Crew:
Nexus One of Many x3, Shambling Nest x2, Botanist x3, Archivist, Nightsilk Creeper, Winston Finnegan

Opponent's Crew:
McCabe2, Luna, Desper LaRaux, Corpse Curator, Cryptologist, Rough Rider x2, Huckster, Low River Monk

Crew Construction:

This round hugely emphasized movement and raw AP, so there was no real choice to make - I just had to pick Nexus One of Many with 3 Botanists. Picking the crew above enabled me to efficiently grow my Botanists and then unpack from my corner so that I could dominate the Strategy and score all my scheme points. 

My Unpack:

I position all 3 Botanists within 4" and LoS of the area in which I'll be creating Web Markers, and all Cadmus models within 4" on a Single Nexus One Of Many, near where those Web Markers will be if at all possible.  

Creeper Unpack - the good unpack - If I have a mid-low : 

• I activate Nightsilk Creeper first, use his free action to Create Web, then use his Web Strand with the  trigger on a centrally positioned Nexus One Of Many, ensuring that both webs are within 4" of all 3 Botanists. The Nightsilk Creeper then Slams one of the Web Markers.
• One other model Slams the second Web to hand out the second grow token. 
• The Stunned and Staggered Nexus One Of Many uses Playthings three times to move itself and all nearby Cadmus models 6" up the board.

Archivist unpack - the bad unpack - If I don't have a mid-low : 

• I activate Archivist first, generating a Web Marker, ensuring that it is within 4" of all 3 Botanists, Slam it, then Concentrate.
• I activate Nightsilk Creeper next, use his free action to Create Web, ensuring that it is within 4" of all 3 Botanists, Slam it, then Concentrate.
• At some point in time a Nexus One Of Many uses Playthings three times to move itself and all nearby Cadmus models 6" up the board - especially important here so that your Archivist and Nightsilk Creeper are further up the board for turn 2.

 

Gameplay:

I took the bottom right deployment. In this game I had a low  so I opted for the first unpack, sending 1 Botanist to each flank with a bomb to secure my Strat and Spread VP while everything else in my crew moved up the middle. This unpack is significantly better in my opinion since the Archivist can activate later on in the turn, after being pushed up the board, which lets it position a new Web for the Nightsilk Creeper to jump to on turn 2, and of course lets it attack enemies.

I came very close to killing a Rough Rider with the Archivist in this way, only missing out on the kill due to a Black Joker on the damage flip.

In response, Desper dived through the crowd to finish the Archivist off and then headed for my deployment, carrying 2 Explosives.

My opponent played pretty well all things considered, and used several tricks with McCabe and the Corpse Curator to contest the centre, while launching Desper into my deployment zone, where he scored 3VP all by himself. However, the Ten Thunders just couldn't cope with the amount of AP Nexus2 offers. My Botanists dominated the flanks they were assigned, while the rest of my mob grinded down McCabe's crew, planted their explosives, and I was able to inexorably build my lead turn after turn.

I win 8-4

My Schemes:
Spread Them Out: 2vp
Deliver a Message: 2vp
Strategy Points: 4vp

Opponent's Schemes: 
Deliver a Message: 1vp
Power Ritual: 1vp
Strategy Points: 2vp

Thoughts on game:

This game all but confirmed to me that Nexus2 in their current state are far too strong and need to be nerfed. They don't require much thinking other than getting your initial unpack right - in some cases you'll have more than twice as wounds in your crew as your opponent does, with some of the most efficient healing and damage available, backed up by Parasites which apply massive pressure whenever they're on key models. 

Nick played pretty well, and I played pretty mediocre, and it... just didn't matter... since Cadmus is so strong.

The discrepancy in wounds, AP and damage was just too much for him to overcome so me playing ok and him playing well kind of... just didn't matter.

 

Round 2 - Maxine2 vs Sonnia2 - Khyodee

 

My Crew:
Maxine2, Orville Agassiz, Harata Ngaatoro, Beau Fishbocker, Kiya Manimi, Intrepid Emissary, Calypso, Dr Beebe.

Opponent's Crew:
Sonnia2 with Lead Lined Coat, Purifying Flame, Spelleater x2, Guild Mage, Pale Rider, Guardian.

Crew Construction:
Maxine2 is very strong in theory on Recover Evidence, since her keyword is full of 2" melee to control Evidence markers, and because they heal really easily. Seeing I was up against Sonnia, I stacked the crew full of brawlers, and aimed to get to melee as soon as possible.

I was slightly concerned Kyle might take 2 Lead Lined Coats, since it stops Mass of Tentacle trigger from pushing and damaging enemies, so I was pleasantly surprised to see only 1, and to see it only on Sonnia. 

 

Gameplay:

I was given the left deployment. With Harata declaring Ngeri on Haka to switch off enemy flips, I bubbled up just past the middle of the map near the bridge with most of my crew turn 1, clustering around Orville. Sonnia wasn't able to ignore the flips from Orville's Concealment, so couldn't land a hit. Late in the turn, Calypso rolled right into the Guild crew, tying up the Spelleaters and pushing models around with Mass of Tentacles, plinking them for some chip damage.

However, being unable to cheat with Sonnia turn 1 meant that Kyle had sculpted a godly control hand, so when he won initiative turn 2, he went first with Sonnia. Without Ngeri protecting my crew, she dropped several nuclear missiles, killing Orville, Harata, Beau, and half-healthing Maxine all in a single activation before I could so much as blink. In doing so, 3 Evidence markers were placed in the centre of the board - which wouldn't be easy for the Guild crew to capture as they were so deep in their own deployment - but I was 3 models and 3 activations down, and Kiya and Emissary are slooooooooowwwwww without Beau to help push them.

Shortly after this, Maxine was put to 0 Health by the Pale Rider, triggering her Demise. This gave her some free movement to reposition down near the boxes just across the river from the Rider. From there, she used Converging Ley Lines to cross the river, and dove into the Pale Rider and Sonnia. With Kyle's hand depleted by removing half my crew, he wasn't able to protect the rider, which succumbed to Injured, Mass of Tentacles and a lucky Severe damage flip killing it efficiently.

Meanwhile, Calypso and Dr Beebe continued slowly chewing through the Guild standing before them, healing themselves as they went. 

The continual healing and Mass of Tentacle chip damage was telling by mid turn 3, with the Guardian and Purifying Flame dead, Calypso still alive (barely) and Maxine still healthy - and by this stage Kiya and the Emissary had caught up to help pick up markers and finish off models. In the extreme late game, Kyle popped down a Scheme Marker and killed a model to secure a Dig Their Graves reveal, though since all my evidence markers were left half way across the board, wasn't able to score anything for the strat.

I win 7-1

 

My Schemes:
Vendetta (Dr Beebe on a Spelleater): 2vp
Let them Bleed: 2vp
Strategy Points: 3vp

Opponent's Schemes: 
Dig Their Graves: 1vp
Vendetta (Spelleater on Intrepid Emissary): 0vp
Strategy Points: 0vp

 

Thoughts on game:

Mobility and good melee wins Recover Evidence!

I genuinely thought I was done for after Sonnia picked up 3 models at the start of turn 2, before I had activated anything. But, Recover Evidence only really rewards you for killing models if you have the ability to pick up the markers they leave behind. 

Half of my 2" melee models died before doing anything but the remaining 3 still proved more than capable of controlling Evidence Markers and locking enemies in melee - all the while Calypso and Dr Beebe more or less solo'd the rest of Kyle's crew. They didn't kill anything quickly, but they grinded down most of his crew periodically over the course of several turns, while healing themselves, picking up an Evidence Marker, and scoring both sides of Vendetta for a tidy haul of 3vp between them.

This game is another example of why you see 2 Lead Lined Coats in almost every single Guild list. It would probably have been a completely different game had the Pale Rider purchased one, as it would have taken only about half the damage I inflicted upon it with Maxine in the turn I dived it, instead continuing to stack Fate Tokens for the Irreducible damage so desperately needed to take down Calypso, and offering a meaningful way to break out of the deployment zone and collect Evidence Markers.

 

Round 3 - Maxine2 vs Nexus2 - Radek

 

Note - The Strategy in this pool was replaced with Covert Operation as GG3 was released partway through the event.

 

My Crew:
Maxine2, Orville Agassiz, Harata Ngaatoro, Beau Fishbocker, Calypso, Dr Beebe, Mr Ngaatoro, Vernon and Welles

Opponent's Crew:
Nexus One of Many x3, Shambling Nest x2, Botanist x3, Archivist, Nightsilk Creeper, Winston Finnegan

Crew Construction:
I knew Radek would pick Nexus2 as he's been soloing them for quite some time now, but I didn't want to play the mirror match; Nexus2 vs Nexus2 just sounds awful, even if it would be the best option. 

Instead, I landed on Maxine2. As she targets WP, I have a way to avoid Nexus' Df trigger. I brought in Vernon and Welles to add additional WP defense, as surviving the endless Drain Life pressure that Nexus unleashes is absolutely pivotal to surviving in the match up. The plan was to combine Vernon and Welles aura with Orville's Concealment aura to reduce the efficacy of Drain Life and Inaudible Whisper, and in the timing allowed, combine this further with Ngeri to make it almost impossible for any Nexus to land hits on my keyword models.

I also brought in Mr Ngaatoro, figuring that the abundance of 8ss and cheaper models around him would give him plenty of options on his Bully ability, and since he can switch off Soulstones and Triggers if he gets near an enemy with Poison - which he himself can hand out - all of which is great tech to take down Nexus. Obey is also the only way of dislodging a Botanist if it gets in an awkward position, so the inclusion of Mr Ngaatoro gave me at least one option to reach out and meaningfully threaten them.

 

Gameplay:

I had considered several (and practised a couple) of different unpacks from the north deployment in which my wall of flip models carefully move forward, staying in each other's auras, covered by Harata's Haka. However, it would mean surrendering the middle of the map for the entire first turn, letting Nexus set up and move around me too easily, which I deemed unacceptable. So, I aggressively moved forward with Vernon and Welles just shy of the Centreline, discarding a card to place a Scheme Marker either in preparation for Leave Your Mark, or to bait Radek to come try deny it. I planned to move Orville next to stack their auras, and thirdly bring Harata's Haka aura to support. 

Immediately following Vernon and Welles activation, however, Winston used Fortune's Favour twice to move forward and stack his deck, then cast Dirigible Ride to fling Vernon and Welles 4" towards his crew, and with a 50mm model, that's a huge distance. He ended up touching a Cactus, completely isolated from the rest of my crew.

Fair play - that was the perfect counter to my castle, it was a massive psychological blow, and I would spend the rest of the turn and basically all my cards trying to keep Vernon and Welles alive and salvage things. At the same time, Radek poured cards and AP to inefficiently try to kill Vernon and Welles before they could escape, including Black Jokering a crucial flip. 

It was a very, very strange opening turn, since the start of turn 2 saw Vernon and Welles still alive (though with only 1 wound) and most of my crew more or less where I wanted them to be. Plus, not all of Radek's Botanists were grown up. I pulled Vernon and Welles back into range of Orville, healed them up, abused Harata's Distraction aura to auto-bury Winston with, killed the Nightsilk Creeper, and felt like I could still make a game of this. 

However, by using Focus and a Soulstone to get a plus flip to counter my stacking auras, one of the Nexus kids sniped out Orville, effectively halving my defenses. Orville dying was pretty much the turning point of the turn, as the Shambling Nests were now in my crew, and I started failing the plethora of Simple Duels thrown at me. Vernon and Welles died shortly afterwards, leaving me completely exposed to the unbridled fury of the Nexus kids, who were in good positions and had saved Focus on them.

By the middle of turn 3, the damage and Parasites were stacking up. Although I had inflicted a lot of damage on Radek's crew, there were just far too many wounds to get through - plus their healing is extremely efficient. My Soulstones were gone, and my crew was now being removed wholesale. The writing was on the wall with Orville dying, and although I managed to secure a couple of points before the game ended, I was never going to come close.

I lose 3-7

 

My Schemes:
Leave Your Mark: 1vp
Bait and Switch: 0vp
Strategy Points: 2vp

Opponent's Schemes: 
Leave Your Mark: 2vp
Breakthrough: 2vp 
Strategy Points: 3vp

 

Thoughts on game:

 It's fitting that Radek, the same player I spanked 8-2 in the last tournament when I played Nexus2, picked up Nexus2 and came back with a vengeance to curb-stomp me 7-3 with them 😂 

Is this another game confirming Nexus is far too strong and need to be nerfed, or was this just the result of me making a single (albeit fairly big) mistake and the game snowballing from there? Probably both.

Sending Vernon and Welles so far forward so early was a massive blunder, as I ended up having to react to the catastrophe of them being ~6" further forward than I intended instead of playing out the rest of the turn as I planned to. My castle was eventually restored, but the resources I spent it were dearly needed to pressure Nexus with Maxine late turn 1 / early turn 2 as I originally intended.

Looking back at the game, though, I'm not sure trying to stack auras was ever going to completely work - if at any point Haka was down, a single Nexus with Focus could easily scalpel out Orville. Even if I had Haka up, with Drain Life being Stat 6 and Orville's WP a mere 4, sustained attacks would most likely hit even through several modifiers.

Maxine was probably not the right pick. She certainly isn't very good at the scheme pool, so I probably would have had more success with Anya or Nexus.

How would I actually beat Nexus?

So, scheme pool aside, how do Explorers actually beat Nexus2?

Sadly, and unironically, I think the correct answer is by also picking Nexus2...

Nexus2 is really well placed to counter an enemy Nexus2 - Drain Life avoids enemy Nexus' Df trigger, can hit Botanists (who are pretty much doomed as soon as they get a Parasite) and Drain Life has a stat advantage over most of the rest of the crew. The Archivist's bonus action would also be great for nullifying the plethora of non-,non- attacks. Plus, you can actually compete with the insane AP Nexus offers since you'll have that as well. 

 

When I was pondering if I would make it a Nexus duel, I also thought to myself that Spell Eaters, as mediocre as they usually are, seem like they'd be really good in the mirror match. They strip enemy suits in all opposed duels, meaning that they can freely target enemy Nexus models without fear of their Df trigger, plus they get their Drain Magic trigger built-in for free since that is built into Nexus' duel Df total. They'd also never get hit by Drain Life's or Inaudible Whisper's Parasite triggers.

If I had my time again, I would definitely go with Nexus2 myself, bringing 2-3 Spell Eaters, 2 Botanists (3 is almost always correct, but I think they're really weak to enemy Nexus so 2 feels right in the mirror match up), and of course, the Archivist. I'd probably avoid Nightsilk Creeper since his abysmal WP would make it easy prey for the enemy.

...it's kind of depressing to think that the best way (and, maybe the only way) to beat a good Nexus2 player in Explorers is to also play Nexus2, but with them being as strong as they are right now, I think that's just the way it is.

 

Round 4 - McCabe2 vs Reva1 - CapShin

 

Note - The Strategy and Schemes in this pool were replaced, as GG3 was released partway through the event, to: 

Flank Deployment - Guard the Stash
Secret Meetup, Load 'Em Up, Public Demonstration, In Your Face, Set the Trap

The building used Advanced building rules, so models could not be Placed inside if there were outside, or vice versa.

 

My Crew:
McCabe2, Luna, Huckster, Cryptologist, Hopeful Prospect, Calypso, Dr Beebe, Botanist x3

Opponent's Crew:
Reva1 with The Whisper, Corpse Candle x2, Dead Rider, Bete Noire, Shieldbearer, Draugr, Restless Spirit, Gravedigger.

Crew Construction:
When I first read the scheme In Your Face, I knew I had to find a way to break it, and this is the closest I've come to doing just that.

The list has 7 6ss models, all capable of scoring the end point of the scheme, and your opponent can't score the Reveal against you. At the same time, the Huckster and Botanist line up gave me great options for scoring Set the Trap, Public Demonstration and even Secret Meetup was a possibility, and McCabe is the only model which is available for the opponent to score Public Demonstration from.

 

Gameplay:

I took the lower left deployment, and split my Botanists up, one going north and one going south (with a Faded Mirror) outside of the mausoleum, while the third carried a Phantasmal Mask into the building itself to contest stash markers, accompanied by my Cryptologist, Calypso, and McCabe himself, with the Prospect and Huckster trailing in the doorway behind them, Luna left behind.

Across from them, Reva's crew handed out Focus courtesy of Blasphemous Ritual and also elected to split up, with the Dead Rider and Gravedigger heading south, the Restless Spirit going west, the rest of the Revenant crew piling into the mausoleum directly and Bete Noire burying herself.

We began trading blows just above the pool of blood (which was Hazardous, Concealing, Dense and Severe!). Despite having impressive stats and handing out an aura of -1 to enemy Attack Actions, Botanists are vulnerable to ranged attacks, and to Jokers. This poor botanist suffered both, as Reva hit it with Feed on Grief from outside of the 5" aura range, and Red Jokered the damage flip. CapShin continued piling on the pressure with endless  flips courtesy of Blaze of Glory, and killed my poor plant shortly thereafter - a massive blow since I had picked it for Public Demonstration, though McCabe did killed the Draugr around the same time. Calypso hopped onto Reva and swung wildly, but her periodic healing and shielding kept her healthy throughout.

In the meanwhile, the Dead Rider had made its way down to the southern most stash marker with the Gravedigger, and, deeming the Df7 Botanist with Faded Mirror too annoying to deal with (correctly!) entered the mausoleum from the south east entrance late in turn 2, charging and nuking the Hopeful Prospect down to 1 Health, preparing for a big turn 3.

The southern Botanist and Gravedigger would spend two turn trading blows. I was happy with this, as I had more control on the other stash markers, so just tying up the Gravedigger meant he was denied strat points. Eventually the Botanist did dispatch his foe, proving once and forever that Plants > Zombies.

Bete Noire appeared from the Corpse of the Draugr and almost killed the Cryptologist. However, my Huckster and Calypso could both ignore her Df trigger, so once she had committed, I dogpiled her with both, using Mass of Tentacles to push her within 3" of McCabe before finally killing her to secure a point for In Your Face.

The Dead Rider revelled in death, declaring Soulfire, Injuring almost my entire crew, and killing the Hopeful Prospect, before diving onto my home objective. McCabe managed to Stun it in preparation for the next turn, but it still managed to one shot my Huckster on the way in. In response, Calypso killed the Shieldbearer, and McCabe pushed the Dead Rider off of the Stash marker. I was already ahead on the strat at this point, and my Botanist in the south was able to freely meander his way to CapShin's home stash marker to claim my 3rd Strat point and seal my In Your Face end game vp. 

However, Capshin had deviously positioned enough Corpse Markers and a Scheme Marker near McCabe to score the end game vp for both Set the Trap and Load 'Em Up, and used a trigger to push Reva away from the Botanist that had spent most of the game camping up north, and which had run inside the mausoleum to engage her to try to score Public Demonstration at the last moment.

I win 5 - 3

 

My Schemes:
In Your Face: 2vp
Public Demonstration (all 3 Botanists): 0vp
Strategy Points: 3vp

Opponent's Schemes: 
Set the Trap:1vp
Load 'Em Up: 1vp
Strategy Points: 1vp

 

Thoughts on game:

This was a very, very difficult game, because CapShin played very, very well.

On paper, I had all the advantages. It was extremely difficult for him to score against my crew, and fairly easy for me to secure In Your Face. My crew was full of tech that countered his crew; Grim Feast and Treasure Trove to pick up Corpses, a way to Stun Dead Rider/Bete Noire and two models that ignore Df triggers outright to take them head on, and plenty of cheap, durable models to contest and control the Stash markers.

Despite this, my over-reliance on Botanists to not only score VP, but also to deny VP and to try tie up enemies, meant that when the first one died on turn 2, it was a massive blow to me. Looking back, I think it would have been better to pick Public Demonstration with 1-2 Botanists, Calypso or Dr Beebe, and possibly the Huckster.

While I continue to enjoy playing Botanists with McCabe, they are susceptible to randomly dying to Jokers and occasionally to sustained pressure, and the entire game plan can come crashing down with them when they do. When you bring 3 Botanists, you have very little damage output in those 18ss. That's completely fine with Nexus2 since they bring damage in spades, but McCabe only has 3 AP, and he needs to be very careful with where he commits himself, so at times you can feel like your crew has literally no damage output - luckily Calypso and Dr Beebe could pick up the slack and carry the DPS front. At 14ss out-of-keyword, however, and being vulnerable to any anti-armour in the game, I don't think they're going to be a frequent hire.

 

Final thoughts of the event:

• I ended the event at 3 wins and 1 loss, and a decent differential of +8.
• Masters' new titles were picked 7/8 times, with Reva1 being the lone original title selection.
• McCabe continues to prove hard to play for me - even though he is a great master, it's just infinitely easier to pick up Nexus2 and steamroll people.
• Speaking of, Nexus2 is, in my view, way too strong already, and looks to be even stronger in GG3. Of course, the scheme pool and map plays a part, but Nexus is fantastic at 3 out of the 4 strats in GG3, and is only realistically weak in 1 Scheme, being Assassinate. Even then, killing even just 1 Nexus through 6+ Soulstones is extremely hard if they position well. 
  • In the Explorer vs Explorer match up, it feels like if you do not pick Nexus2, and your opponent does, you're almost immediately behind. None of the other masters appear to have a good match up into Nexus.

[Maniacal_cackle]

Is nexus even bad at one of the strategies? Cursed Objects both nexus can summon models without tokens.

And yeah I agree assassinate is not a bad scheme for them as I've never seen it two pointed.

Assassinate is rough for masters that have to be in your face, imo. So I'd say maxine 2 for example is worse at it.

[hydranixx]

11 hours ago, Maniacal_cackle said:

Is nexus even bad at one of the strategies? Cursed Objects both nexus can summon models without tokens.

I could believe it.

 

It strikes me that I didn't add anything about using the clock for all four games - but I'm a big fan of it now. Rather than pressuring you to play fast it actually does the opponent, because you have visibility over your own remaining time, so you don't feel guilty for taking 2-3 minutes to ponder what to do.

I'll probably pick up a clock for my own IRL games at events. 

[exploring society]

Can we also nerf all summoners due to the extra wounds and AP their crews get

[Maniacal_cackle]

2 hours ago, exploring society said:

Can we also nerf all summoners due to the extra wounds and AP their crews get

Oh, which ones do you think are a problem?

Or is that a bad faith take? 😛

[exploring society]

All of them. If wounds and AP is an issue with nexus 2 then it must be the same with summoners? 

Adding 20 points of models over 2 turns for 2x11 cards feels easier than the AP that takes to remove.

 

[Maniacal_cackle]

5 minutes ago, exploring society said:

All of them. If wounds and AP is an issue with nexus 2 then it must be the same with summoners? 

Adding 20 points of models over 2 turns for 2x11 cards feels easier than the AP that takes to remove.

 

Can you name a summoner that commonly puts as much AP and wounds on the table as Nexus 2 and the eyes and ears?

Of course there's tons of other factors (nexus 2 models are strategy-relevant, the parasites, etc).

But I'm curious if even on this one specific metric what else compares.

[exploring society]

Can you name non-summoners that can summon models and add AP and wounds like summoners?

Th OP also won by a much higher margin with Maxine 2 after Sonnia 2 killed 3 models on the first activation of turn 2, so they both must need nerfed too.

[Maniacal_cackle]

3 minutes ago, exploring society said:

Can you name non-summoners that can summon models and add AP and wounds like summoners?

I don't see how that's relevant, but some of the replace mechanic crews (Iike Nekima).

[exploring society]

Ok, can you name non-summoner or replace crews

[Maniacal_cackle]

13 minutes ago, exploring society said:

Ok, can you name non-summoner or replace crews

Crews that hand out fast or healing.

But I think this is a bit of a tangent. The point isn't that Nexus 2 has wounds and AP. Everyone has those.

The point is they have so much that it is very difficult to deal with (to the point of being overpowered when combined with their other abilities).

[exploring society]

Ok, my point is summoners have so much and that costs AP to deal.

Eyes and Ears and Shambling Nests aren't exactly on the same level as most of the summons and replaces you come up against. 

[Maniacal_cackle]

Although it is interesting bringing up summoners...

Almost all of the original summoners have been nerfed (Kirai, Sandeep, Von Schtook, Somer, etc) AND they errataed the rules so that summons are weaker at scoring points.

Having tons of strategy-relevant AP and wounds has a history of breaking the game.

[exploring society]

Eyes and Ears and Nests can't score points. E&E have also been nerfed. The whole Cadmus keyword got heavily nerfed because everyone complained about it and now people say's it's terrible, so good/bad.

Nexus 2 actions aren't as strong as other masters. 

I agree being able to flood the board with AP and wounds is a struggle to deal with. Summons don't need to score points, they just need to stand in engagement while the rest of your 50ss deals with that. 

 

[Maniacal_cackle]

Just now, exploring society said:

Eyes and Ears and Nests can't score points. E&E have also been nerfed. The whole Cadmus keyword got heavily nerfed because everyone complained about it and now people say's it's terrible, so good/bad.

Nexus 2 actions aren't as strong as other masters. 

I agree being able to flood the board with AP and wounds is a struggle to deal with. Summons don't need to score points, they just need to stand in engagement while the rest of your 50ss deals with that. 

 

Nests (and eyes) CAN score points - Nexus has a trigger to remove insignificant until the next turn.

The individual actions aren't as strong it is true, but if you look at the results they're doing extremely well. Though they do have some counters, so there's certainly a debate of how strong is too strong.

[exploring society]

Ah, so they can! By that point your having to use a master (albeit 1 of 3) AP to get them to do what another summon can do already though.

They have had results in recent games that have been posted, I assume some of these people are pretty strong players though and able to win with a variety of crews.

Radek is no.1 on the UK Rankings so seeing him win with solo nexus at the Scottish GT doesn't really seem as significant as it looks.

The new titles are obviously the most recent models so people probably playing these more also.

[Maniacal_cackle]

40 minutes ago, exploring society said:

Ah, so they can! By that point your having to use a master (albeit 1 of 3) AP to get them to do what another summon can do already though.

They have had results in recent games that have been posted, I assume some of these people are pretty strong players though and able to win with a variety of crews.

Radek is no.1 on the UK Rankings so seeing him win with solo nexus at the Scottish GT doesn't really seem as significant as it looks.

The new titles are obviously the most recent models so people probably playing these more also.

Yeah for sure. People play new titles for lots of reasons like

• They're new!
• They think they're overpowered (when they're not)
• They think they're overpowered (when they are)

Initially when Nexus 2 came out people immediately cried broken, but personally I was waiting til I saw enough games.

The first two times I faced it I got stomped, but was still reserving an opinion.

After following Radek's progression (and beating him xD) and also being part of Hydranixx's meta, I feel like I can confidently say that Nexus 2 is 'too strong' compared to original masters and even most titles. 

However, she definitely has some counters (soft counter Pandora, hard counter Kirai). And also the things she is weak to are probably good against ES in general, so you're not losing *too* much by declaring them... But I'm not certain every faction can beat them.

Just my take of course xD

[Maniacal_cackle]

A bit ironic that I didn't call Nexus overpowered until I successfully beat it, though 😂

[exploring society]

Haha, if some of the things they're weak to are already crushing the rest of explorers already then they need buffed! 

But I'm hearing you, nerf nexus 2 and buff the rest of the faction 

And remove summoning 😀

[hydranixx]

9 hours ago, exploring society said:

But I'm hearing you, nerf nexus 2 and buff the rest of the faction 

I'd be so down for this, but unironically.

[exploring society]

Haha, there was no irony in my comment.