Into the Wild Blue Yonder - Episode 6: Return of the Numasai

Continuing on with the Star Wars naming theme.

Little dad joke opener for our wiser readers

Game 6

Another Masons rematch, attempting to regain my dignity after the last game.

Here I won the roll and chose to kick, like a proper Fisherman, meaning I also got to draft reactively (win-win!):

Draft:

• Wrecker / Salt
• Mallet / Sakana
• Granite / Avarisse + Greede
• Flint / Greyscales
• Chisel / Siren2
• Hammer / Shark

Hammer, Wrecker, Mallet, Granite, Chisel, Flint  vs Shark, Salt, A+G, Sakana, Greyscales, Siren2

We both agreed that Granite was not an optimal choice here - with all the 2" melee and dodges on the Fish, her low speed would be a detriment and her tarpitting ability would go to waste. This turned out to be a very accurate prediction as she (spoiler) did almost nothing all game but feed everyone else's abilities via Hammer and his Heroic.

Putting out Siren2 leads one to think I would player Corsair, but without any real way to stop the Shark first activation blitz, this was looking pretty good for Shark.

Turn 1:

I kicked off with Shark just to the edge of a forest, barely across the centre line (as you do), which forced Flint to blow all his INF trying to get to it. It was hopped that Close Control would be enough to protect the ball from the Shark onslaught. Alas.

Shark activated with his 6 INF, did a momentous G&S on the charge, followed by 2 tackles, a non-momentous 2" dodge to get within 8" of the goal, and banged the ball into the Mason post, running the length back behind the forest and outside Mallet's LoS.

The ball was kicked back to Wrecker, who ran it back into the middle of the table next to an obstacle. What a hero this little douche turned out to be.

Other than that, the only real action was Hammer stealing everyone's INF to go in on Avarisse.

4:0 Fish

Turn 2:

I think the first activation here is Shark who thinks he might be able to score by stealing the ball off Wrecker despite having to run through both Mallet's and Granite's melee zones to do so, thanks to the Wingback plotcard.
Despite best intentions, Shark rolls a few too many 1s when it counted and is left 1 INF short of making the goal shot. ARM 3 + cover is a monster, especially when crowded out. He throws up Caught in a Net, catching all Masons but Flint. This renders Granine a sweet 0/1" MOV.

Mallet takes the opportunity to shut Shark's potential scoring game down with Smashed Shins + a tackle (shit dice, even with a Vengeance token from Who Are Ya?), passing the ball to Flint over the forest, while Chisel hits Shark for a little damage.

Hammer responds by finishing what he started on Avarisse, taking him off the pitch, and knocking down Greyscales. He is promptly swarmed by Sakana, Greyscales and Siren who farm momentum off him, pushing him onto an obstruction (to stop charges) before safely retreating away to various pieces of cover near Flint.

The last activation of the turn is Wrecker, who sprints a little further up the table.

4:2 Fish

Turn 3:

Masons win first activation, despite being behind a momentum (10 to 9). Given Flint's current location, he would not have been able to reliably get the momentum to take a goal shot, so he instead attempts to put the ball into a safe place, namely Wrecker's loving embrace.

Sakana, who had somehow been knocked by Granite the turn before, decides to yolo a winning play by using his momentum to stand up, momentous dodging off Granite, running to attack & tackle Wrecker (dat Anatomical Precision, so good) and pass the ball to Shark, who tapped in a Screamer! Snap Shot, and used 1 MP to dodge into the forest for the cover bonus. What a hero. The ball is given directly to Mallet thanks to the Super Fan plot, who attempts promptly gets it away from Shark (to Chisel? I think) and beats him up a bit, applying Smashed Shins to stop further Sharkamania.

Shark decides to help Greyscales back into the action, dodging away from Mallet and using Tidal Surge (spending the INF) to dodge the old timer through the forest, which helps Greyscales get back into the fray. Shark spends the rest of the game hiding out in this little corner of the forest, farming up momentum when he can.

Granite and Siren have a bit of a scrap near some rubble, which results in nothing exciting.

Hammer is now left mostly on his own in the centre of the pitch, with no great targets but decides to help Chisel take Salt out of the equation on the upper left wing, as the little critter is getting dangerous.

A+G trot back on and admire the scenery.

8:3 Fish

More classic Shark action - he is everywhere.

Turn 4:

I believe I lost first activation again, and Hammer decides to go to town on Sakana with a full stack + Iron Fist and gets him to the box, thanks largely to his neat Beat Back ability.

Salt, who had just come back on, runs back to his previous spot on the upper left wing, while Granite, Siren and A&G farm momentum off each other and achieve very little otherwise.

Wrecker somehow ended up with the ball during this engagement, and runs to next to the same obstacles as before.
At this stage I start to bleed VPs due to clocking out on my last activation (likely Shark).

8:7 Fish.

Turn 5:

Masons win the initiative, and Mallet beats up on Shark but leaves him alive, but debuffed enough to be near useless in the scoring game and soon to die (that old momentum GB on one hit, classic).

Sakana had just come back on the table, takes the ball from Wrecker (again) and passes to Salt, who uses the momentum to dodge away from any possible threat (thanks, Home Crowd change). 1 VP is given at the end of Sakana's activation.

Faced with an imminent Salt goal, Masons curse their lack of a ranged game and Hammer decides to please the fans by beating Shark into the ground, while Salt soaks up the glory that comes from a 2-dice Tap In.



Final Score:

12 - 10 to Fish

Fish goals = Shark, Shark (snapshot) and Salt
Mason takeouts = Shark, Sakana, Avarisse + Greede, Salt + 3 VP to clock.

Look at this smug Mason destroyer.
A chin that would make Batman jealous.

MVP definitely goes to Sakana who had an assist on the last 2 Fish goals, both via getting the ball off Wrecker in cover, where other Fish would really struggle to do so without at least a crowd out. Even Shark had a hard time! What a mascot. What a player.

I am surprised to see Sakana fitting in so well with the lineup - granted, Masons are an ideal matchup for him due to Anatomical and Poised, but his flexibility is undeniable, which I think gives him a slight edge over Jac and Angel in a 9man 2 captain roster. TBC.