I'll accept challenges from anybody, even Friendlies, regardless of ELO. What's the point of a high ranking if you're not good enough to defend it, no matter who you play? However, if you want to play a ranked game with me, I'd appreciate it if you'd use your highest ranked alias (for VF's, go ahead and use whatever).
If you're ranked lower than me and you'd like me to comment on your play, feel free to ask. I don't mind helping other players improve. Just keep in mind that I'm not perfect myself, and I make mistakes too, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
Regarding play style:
1) Sometimes I force surrenders, sometimes I don't. A lot of it depends on what kind of opponent I'm playing and what kind of game. If you're a highly-ranked player who has a lot going on and has to take a time out from a pitched battle, I won't force it. If you're somebody I've never heard of who shows up, makes one move, and then disappears, I'll probably FS just to clear the game off of my radar.
2) I prefer to keep my record as death-free as possible. That whole dying business is overrated, even in friendly games. However, surviving only due to the mercy of my opponents doesn't count - if I've foolishly gotten into a position from which I can't surrender in time, I fully expect you to deliver the killing blow, because I deserve it. Same goes to others - I'll kill if I've got the chance, but I'll never look down on somebody for surrendering early.
3) I would, however, prefer agreeing to a mutual surrender rather than a mutual kill if my opponent is amenable.
4) FFF...F is not cheap. It's part of the game, and a perfectly valid strategy. So is ParaFoD; I have no qualms about doing it to you, nor will I frown upon others using it on me.
Update: Alright, fair it may be, but it's ugly. I'm depressed by how many better players I've been able to take down by lucky guesses. I won't stop using it just because, but I would be in favor of a proposed rule change that made it less useful or altogether absent.
5) I play almost exclusively malaFC games. If I wind up in a paraFF game, expect me to hit you with ParaFoD the first chance I get. I don't have much experience with paraFDF, but my intuition tells me it's a bad idea, except possibly in melees.
Longest Game: 98 turns vs. Toyotami (62400)
Closest Game: 42 turns vs. xade, wound up killing him by gesturing P/P and sending Light Wounds through a dummied mirror while both of us were at 1 health and he had an Ogre. (64872)
Lessons Learned from Games Lost:
55858: This is not Magic: The Gathering. Ignoring a creature for a few turns while you build board position is not okay. Also, Resist Cold is worthless in duels. But cut me some slack, it was my first game.
56072: Being too predictable is lame. As far as I can tell I lost just because my opponent predicted my moves better than I did his.
56703: When your opponent does FF, it doesn't always mean she's going for paralysis. Sometimes it's lightning bolt. Don't forget this, especially when you're at 4 health.
56679: Taking 9 damage to go invisible generally isn't worth it. Clap of Lightning isn't great, but people will still do it to you if you give them a big enough opening.
56984: When your opponent threatens Amnesia, S is a bad choice. Also, trying to keep your opponent locked down with paralysis isn't really worth it unless you have a monster or some other sort of threat.
56985: This game doesn't have one major lesson to learn. I made a few small errors here and there, but overall I think I played fairly well. Should have completed Antispell on turn 27 - when your opponent is in the lead, he is unlikely to charm you into P.
57106: Don't panic. Clapping for a mirror when you're on the defensive is pretty much a death sentence, and should only be done when the alternative is guaranteed death to Bolt or FoD or something. If the spell wouldn't have killed you, it probably wasn't worth clapping to prevent it.
57299: Lesson from 55858 should be modified to include: "... but it CAN be worth taking a few hits from an Ogre while you deal with more important threats." Mucking around to prevent 4 damage from an Ogre while you get hit with Lightning Bolt and Cause Light Wounds is not a good tradeoff.
57230: Don't always assume your opponent is going to do something tricky. Sometimes the obvious play is the best one. Also, DP beats DS in most situations.
58004: Another loss to briana due to overlooking a threat. After thinking a bit more, I believe I understand why I lost; I got overconfident and stopped paying attention to my opponent, or even thinking through my own moves. It takes a special kind of talent to go from a 12-6 lead with a Troll, to being behind 4-2 with the Troll on the opposite side. From here on out, I shall endeavor not to let myself get overconfident, even when I'm ahead.
57785: Apparently I suck at defending my monsters and need to practice at it. The game was going about evenly until I summoned an Ogre, made the wrong play at the subsequent three PSDD/PSDF junctures, and lost to my own monster.
57516: Lots of questionable plays. The D/P loop opening beats going invis, although not in a huge way. My biggest mistake was on turn 24; I hit with Lightning Bolt and let him summon an Ogre in return, figuring that the 5 damage was worth much more than an Ogre. I was quite wrong - the Ogre is at least as good, when handled properly.
60307: See lesson from 56984. I don't know what I was thinking when I PS'ed into Amnesia, but I wound up wasting most of the initiative that Haste had gotten me mucking around with my opponent's Amnesia. Yuck! Also, the SWWSP/WFPSD opening against DS/PS into Disease isn't as flawless as I'd thought; if you counter the potential Ogre on turn 4, and your opponent instead dummies into DSFFF/PSFSS, you're in a nasty spot. But if you don't counter it, you run the risk of dealing with para-ogre... I need to find another answer to DS/PS.
61566: No real mistakes, just lost to the grind. Need to work on my endgame strategy a bit. Endgame invis isn't as awesome as I thought it might be; your opponent can shotgun counters and wounds and have a decent chance at either countering your attack or killing you before you can get it off. Also, I need to start defending ParaFoD sooner. FFF/xPW is already too late, you're liable to be left with only a single 50/50.
62019: Unless you have something brewing on your other hand, Amnesia can be countered easily if the other guy holds DP the turn he's hit. In fact, in general having xD seems to beat DP. Perhaps monsters can offset this?
62100: Too many W's and not enough disruptions makes awall a dull, dull boy. And also a sitting duck for a ParaFoD with only a single 50/50, which I guessed wrong. Phoo. Ladder death in 10 turns, that's a new low.
62148: I may as well assume that Confusion will always send whichever hand it affects to - or >, because that it always seems to do against me. Also, just because you didn't get hit by PSDF doesn't mean you don't have to watch out for the following DFFDD. Don't be dumb and lose ten health because you're not paying attention.
62369: As a matter of principal, I accept all matches, even Friendly ones. However, from now on I won't play on autopilot while at work and make a bunch of stupid guesses that get me killed against a player whose ELO is about 300 less than mine.
63027: Counter the friggin' ogre! There is no ogre defense better than not letting it get summoned in the first place.
63650: Don't get fancy. I knew that the Timestop and the Resist Cold were bad ideas when I went for them, why did I do them anyway?
63909: Put yourself in enough situations where something can go wrong, and it will eventually. Also, When at 5 life and your opponent is showing W, *ALWAYS* have a W handy in case your opponent follows with WP/xW... but I was sorta in a lot of trouble by that point anyway.
64988: Hoisted on my own petard... the only thing more humiliating than losing to FoD in 9 turns is having my opponent point out the thread on the Refuge forums where I had suggested the weave that he'd used against me. I really ought to remember things like that. http://slarty.proboards56.com/index.cgi?board=warlocks&action=display&thread=97&page=3
64706: I think WPFDS would have been better than WPFPS at the end of the game. I had no business risking death, and even if my ploy had succeeded I would have still been in a not-wonderful position.
65041: And the slump continues. I don't think there was ever a moment in this game in which I could be considered "ahead," which worries me. I seem to be playing sub-optimally recently, and I can't put my finger on why this is (other than perhaps not spending as much time on Warlocks as I used to). I definitely made several major mistakes this game (letting Fireball hit, gesturing P/D the first turn of Invis and eating an Ice Storm for it, and then the foolish attempt at endgame Haste when WWP/PPW would have been a far better play), but I can't determine exactly what it is that's been making me lose recently. I think I need to play a few VF's until I'm back on my game.
2007 Warlocks Refuge Tournament champion.
Accepted into d-1337 in January 2008.
I don't want to list my email/AIM here for anti-spam reasons. If you'd like to get in contact with me for some reason, message me and I'd be glad to let you know what it is. |
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