[{"text":"Hello everyone and welcome to another week of the bat signal!&nbsp; This week I would like to discuss a few concepts of DC Deckbuilding (DCDB) that we, as a gaming community, are still trying to figure out.&nbsp; The first topic I want to discuss is how we are going to \u2018keep score\u2019 during a game."},{"header":"keeping score in dc deckbuilding "},{"image":[{"src":"kee582869keeping-.jpeg"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"In most games, there is typically some goal, often in the form of a number, that you are trying to aim for in order to win.&nbsp; For instance, you might win the game if: A.)&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;You deal X damage to your opponent(s) B.)&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;You deplete all of your opponents resources C.)&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;You gain X points "},{"text":"And the list of win conditions across various games goes on and on.&nbsp; Unfortunately for us, in DCDB things aren\u2019t quite that simple.&nbsp; Because of the multitude of cards which affect your total Victory Points (VP) at the end of the game, this can be very difficult to do.&nbsp; Let\u2019s consider Saint Walker (although the same arguments applies to other, similar cards) because he tends to be worth a continually changing amount of VP."},{"image":[{"src":"sai854455saint-wa.png"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"One turn you gain a card that makes him worth another VP, next turn you destroy a card so he is worth one less.&nbsp; Next turn a supervillain causes you to destroy a card that makes him lose another VP value.&nbsp; A few turns later something else (probably really bad!) happens and you lose your Saint Walker all together, potentially for -5, -10 or -15 VP points.&nbsp; The same applies, but in reverse for the turn you gain him: your decks total VP can change substantially in ways that other players weren\u2019t expecting.&nbsp; In essences, the cards with varying amounts of VP can really \u2018throw off the math\u2019 in ways that we aren\u2019t used to having to deal with."},{"image":[{"src":"thr109365throws-o.jpeg"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"These variable VP cards make \u2018keeping score\u2019 throughout the course of a game difficult.&nbsp; Typically I might just keep a running total of all VP that goes in and out of a person\u2019s deck, based on gaining and losing\/destroying cards.&nbsp; Then I could make a column for each player, and quickly record changes each turn.&nbsp; Due to the inclusion of Saint Walker, Science Cell, etc it\u2019s no longer that easy.&nbsp; Now you have to track how many of each type of card are in a person\u2019s deck, how many cards are in their deck, and many other variables."},{"text":"Were this game played online, I could write a program that follows along with the game state, continually tracking all of these variables, and providing me with a real-time value of the VP in each person\u2019s deck at any given time.&nbsp; Unfortunately, we don\u2019t have a friendly bot to provide us this information during real life tournaments, so we as players need to find a means of keeping score throughout the game.&nbsp; I want to emphasize this because each round of the tournament in which one of my opponents defeated the final Super-Villain it resulted in them losing the game for themselves, as my deck had the highest VP once everything had been tallied up."},{"image":[{"src":"sel218767self-def.jpg"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"Had they been able to track each player\u2019s VP, they would have known that defeating the final Super-Villain would guarantee their loss, and that they should instead buying cards from the lineup until they have sufficient VP to win the game.&nbsp; Unfortunately, nobody has been able to come up with a shorthand notation system for quickly tracking VP, so the community must continue trying to develop a solution for this!"},{"header":"Main Character draft "},{"text":"Next I want to discuss the main character (hereafter MC) draft, and the corresponding game play order. "},{"image":[{"src":"mai240619main-cha.jpg"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"As you draft your MCs, you should keep in mind your seating order for playing, because this can influence your MC selection.&nbsp; As a refresher: if you are drafting first then you will be playing last and if you are drafting last you will be playing first (unless someone chooses Flash).&nbsp; For the sake of this article, I\u2019ll assume that no one picks Flash during the draft. "},{"image":[{"src":"fla233206flash.png"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"When I am one of the first two players drafting I prefer to avoid choosing MCs which benefit from one particular card type.&nbsp; This is because the players drafting after you will have an opportunity to disrupt your strategy.&nbsp; This can get complicated, so let\u2019s go step by step through an example draft for a three player game:"},{"text":"Player A rolls highest and wins the die roll, follow by player B and then player C.&nbsp; Therefore, player C will play first, followed by player B, then player A."},{"image":[{"src":"dra573561draft-or.png"},{"caption":""}]},{"image":[{"src":"pla39255play-ord.png"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"5-cost MC round: No players draft any 5 cost MCs. "},{"text":"4-cost MC round: Player A (drafting first, playing last) does not choose a 4 drop MC.&nbsp; Player B selects Batman.&nbsp; Player C (drafting last, playing first) does not choose a 4 drop MC. "},{"image":[{"src":"bat103152batman.png"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"3-cost MC round: Player A (drafting first, playing last) selects The Comedian. "},{"image":[{"src":"com329640comedian.png"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"Player B cannot choose a 3 cost MC due to the max allowable of 6 points worth of MCs."},{"text":"Now let\u2019s look at the game state from player C\u2019s (drafting last, playing first) perspective."},{"image":[{"src":"wha609985what-to-.png"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"Player C will be playing after a player benefitting from Villains and Attack cards (Player A, using The Comedian), and before a player benefitting from Equipment (Player B, using Batman).&nbsp; Player C can use this information to gain an advantage in the following ways: A.)&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Avoid a MC that relies on Villains and\/or Attack cards.&nbsp; This is because Player A should be purchasing these from the lineup, and therefore few (if any) of these type will be available for purchase on Player C\u2019s turn. B.)&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Take a MC that relies on Equipment.&nbsp; This is because Player B (who plays immediately after you) benefits from purchasing these type of cards.&nbsp; You can purchase Equipment before Player B has a chance to, effectively isolating Player B and putting him\/her at a disadvantage heading into the game. Player C (drafting last, playing first) chooses&nbsp; Nightwing as their first 3-drop MC. "},{"image":[{"src":"nig739443nightwin.png"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"(We\u2019ll ignore any other MCs chosen by the three players so as to not make this to confusing.)"},{"text":"By choosing Nightwing, Player C has utilized his draft &amp; play position to give himself a better chance of winning, compared to Player B.&nbsp; Player C plays immediately before player B and will be prioritizing Equipment cards extremely high, in order to deny Player B the chance of purchasing Equipment from the lineup. "},{"image":[{"src":"pla512374play-ord.png"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"Let\u2019s evaluate some potential outcomes of the game: A1.) A normal distribution of equipment cards come from the main deck on each players turn. A2.) Player C (Nightwing) will have more equipment cards available for purchase each turn, because Player C (The Comedian, playing immediately before him\/her) is not buying equipment at a high priority. A3.) Player C effectively has two-players worth of Equipment for purchase.&nbsp; Player B (Batman) has fewer equipment available for purchase because Player C (Nightwing) is buying them all up.&nbsp; Player B (Batman) really only gets a chance at equipment that comes from the deck as a result of replacing cards purchased by Player C (Nightwing). A4.) Since Player B (Batman) will typically have little to no equipment available for purchase, that player will likely buy the best cards available per turn, no matter what they are.&nbsp; This will inevitably lead to Player B (Batman) buying either Villain\/Attack cards at some point in the game. A5.) Player B (Batman) buying Villain\/Attack cards at some point in the game effects the quantity &amp; quality of Villain\/Attack cards available to Player A (The Comedian).&nbsp; This effects Player A in a small, marginal way. Overall I consider these to be bad scenario's for Player B (Batman), and potentially bad scenario's for Player A (the Comedian).&nbsp; Considering only the MC draft choices, I assume that either Nightwing or The Comedian will win this game, with a slight edge given to Nightwing.&nbsp; Batman will have a rough game, and is not expected to win."},{"text":"Some alternate outcomes of the above are possible, and I will cover a few of them here: B1.) Player C (Nightwing) highly prioritizes equipment, and buys them at every chance, to deny them to Player B (Batman).&nbsp; The DCDB gods feel bad for Player B (Batman), and replaces every card purchased by Player C (Nightwing) with an Equipment.&nbsp; Player B (Batman) is grateful and buys a plentiful assortment of Equipment and wins the game.&nbsp; Overall odds of this happening --&gt; Lower than low. B2.)&nbsp; Equipment is never available for purchase from the lineup (maybe the DCDB gods are tired of Equipment for one day\u2026who knows, but it could happen).&nbsp; The game will most likely go to Player C (The Comedian) as he will likely be able to utilize his MC during the game, while the other two players cannot.&nbsp; Overall odds of this happening --&gt; Low. "},{"text":"The point I am trying to make is that you should be cognizant of which MCs your opponents have chosen, and you should use this information to your advantage as you select your MCs.&nbsp; It may not be best to counter-draft MCs every opportunity you can, but this should be a strategy that you keep in the back of your mind.&nbsp; It might cause your opponents to second guess their picks, alter their draft strategy, or generally mess up their draft, giving you an advantage heading into the game.&nbsp; If presented with the above circumstances, the player selecting Nightwing has gone a long way towards winning the game already, by lessening the chance that another player will win.&nbsp; Its easier to win against less players, so removing one or more of your competitors before the game ever begins improves your chances of coming out victorious."},{"image":[{"src":"vic859451victory.png"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"That\u2019s it for today, I\u2019ll be back next week to discuss more DC Deckbuilding.&nbsp; If anyone wants me to discuss a particular topic, evaluate a combination of main characters, or has another idea for an article let me know in the comments and I will do my best to address your thoughts in an upcoming article. "}]