Part 11

Behold the Update!

First: good news and bad news. The bad news is that this update will be shorter than expected because I CTD'ed halfway through the dungeon I started to end it, and I don't have time right now to go back in and attempt it again. The good news is that I'm starting a week off so I won't be quite so busy and will update more regularly. Unless I decide to actually go somewhere for part of my break, but that seems quite unlikely. Anyway, let's play some Shandalar!

So when we last left off I'd just finished a couple of dungeons. It seemed the natural follow-up was to continue with what I was doing before I got side-tracked by loot: finding some good cards that I'm missing (the deck as it stands is painfully devoid of kill methods if the Shivans die, for example) and looking for the Sword of Resistance.

Fortunately, glancing at my map, it looks like the thing is actually at a known city.



And I grab it without incident. Sweet. This can happen sometimes -- you hear word about the sword (or some other item) from some obscure source and don't notice, so it is worth looking at the map from time to time and pressing the "info map" button, which shows you what you know about various locations, including what kind of World Magic they have, what kind of spells they will give you for amulets, and the like.

This also happens from time to time:



Each wizard has a single monster that is the "most trusted servant." Unlike most high level monsters, these are mono-color. They also move abnormally quickly and you can never pay them off. You also get no ante if you beat them. In general, they are a pain in the ass and I hate them forever. They're basically the best use for the "risk a red amulet" item, which destroys the nearest monster. Unfortunately I was too slow remembering it existed to avoid having to face this annoying creature.

Luckily, I have about the best opening hand ever:



With both Library of Alexandria and Ivory Tower, it takes either terrible play or an amazing run by the opponent to lose the game. 3 life and an extra card per turn starting on turn 2 is basically cheating. It is an especially synergistic combo because the extra card per turn makes it fantastically unlikely you'll lose the late game, and the extra life means you pretty much can't get beaten down too quickly.



She brought some special hate for me. Luckily she played it very early, making it a glorified Stone Rain. It could have been dire though; I'll know to watch out for this from her in the future.

She seems irritatingly resistant to my attempts to win the game.









Yes, there are two sets of images that are basically the same because she Hurricaned two shivans off the damn board.



Fortunately the third sticks and finishes her off.

I was never in any danger that game, but it was pretty irritating trying to finish her through the flier kill.

Onward, perhaps to people that will drop some cards!

(Incidentally, this deck looks quite good, but still has some layabouts in it, and has a critical lack of Nev's Disk and kill methods, as well as being too low on counterspell variants.)

Picking up the sword left me right next to a city that had been taken over by the green wizard. I figured I might as well stop by and liberate it.



She starts off with a Fungusar, and I decide not to deal with it and just kill it with Immolate instead (which I had forgotten was even in my deck.)



Both of us sit around and ramp up mana without incident. She plays a Coral Helm, I'm not quite sure why.  Coral Helm lets you pay 3 and discard a card at random to give a creature +2/+2 until end of turn. It is an artifact so it stays in play and you can use it over and over, but it is still of questionable value.) 

She then plays a Cockatrice out. Filled with disrespect for the creature, I tap out for the Shivan. She decides I should be punished for underestimating the Cockatrice:



It stings, but my guy hits back harder, and Unsummon laughs at it next turn, leaving the road open for the Dragon to crack back for the win. (Not pictured: her replaying Cockatrice and my Disintigrating it to give the Dragon the honor of the victory.)





I have freed the great city of...uh, something? The text didn't show and I have no idea. But whatever, I have the gratitude of hunchbacks and green women being molested by giant slugs.



I decide to wander along the coast towards unexplored lands. Doing so I run into this guy.



Sure, why not? (Not pictured: an evil laugh and a pop-up saying "Why don't you try this deck?" Oh god.)



I hate you, Conjurer. I really hoped I'd seen the last of Giant Tortoise.



I have no idea what NPC has this deck, but it appears to be terrible. Fortunately for me, I draw a card that is both a) actually good and b) the computer has no clue how to deal with. It keeps casting the Island Fish, I keep bouncing it, and Psychic Venom bites it each time it does. How tragic.

Finally another good card shows up in Ghost Ship, and I start wearing down the life total. (Sadly he drew enough land that he could start casting the Island Fish without getting venomed.)



The Ghost Ship wins the Special Olympics, as, apparently, do I, and it appears that less retarded brain in more retarded deck beats the opposite.

At least I get some good rewards, as one usually does for participating in psychological studies.





Pirate Ship will make the deck to team up with Tim, and I took Ancestral Recall as my duplicate card because it is insane.

I beat up on kids for their lunch money for a while, killing some Tusk Guardians (but getting no Ivory Towers) and Mind Stealers (and getting no dupes.) Then someone drops loot so terrible I take this fateful clue instead:



Hey, that dungeon has two moxes and a broken spell in it, and it is due North of the white castle (the top of which is visible in the bottom of the shot there.) Sweet! I resolve to go North to the white castle and raze it on my way to the loots.

...which is sadly where today's story ends, as I CTD'ed halfway through the castle. So, next time! The white castle, and a dungeon afterwards. It'll be maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow night. See y'all then.

Bonus This is Sparta! section, from my ill-fated run:



That Pegasus just faced down an 8/5 Shivan and lived to tell the tale, thanks to two Righteousness.  Righteousness is an instant for W that gives a blocking creature +7/+7 until end of turn. It isn't that good, but it is hardcore. 

Ok, catch y'all for the siege later!