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From: slyfoxxonius@aol.com [mailto:slyfoxxonius@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 8:52 PM

Counterbalance Strategy Article on Shaman King TCG (this is DefenseIncorporated)



This is DefenseIncorporated, from the Shaman King forums. I come here to relay to you all my strategy, in it's most complete and unabridged form.

Hello all, this is yet a strategy article to serve to narrow the inner workings of a much grander piece. I bare witness to the fact that this a more concise, more readible version of the latter strategies that I have thus conceived, and hope that it serves to enlighten the few that read this lengthy article. Now without sounding so legal; I hope you all enjoy this article, and that it serves to help out a few people. It is a little long, but I hope at least a few enjoy it's content.

This strategy has been in accumulation for awhile, and it has finally reached a point where it satisfies me. I believe that this strategy is developed quite nicely, and with the help of a few players, (known in the Shaman King forums as DanTheTimid and Uchicha Itachi) it has become a full-fledged strategy. I owe a lot of help to Uchicha for actually playing my strategy and critiquing it, and I owe help to Dan for helping me form the variants. So this strategy was originally mine, but Uchicha and Dan helped me critique it, so it is really a three person owned strategy lol.

Foreword

The name of this strategy that I have chosen is "Counterbalance."I chose this as the title, because the furyoku you gain from this strategy balances itself out with the points that you take. So from one force- the points lost- you achieve another force that balances it- the furyoku gained. So in that sense of two forces, they counterbalance each other.

(this one was further developed with help from Uchicha).

The good thing about this strategy is that it doesn't really
matter who controls the opening strike. 9 times out of 10 your opponent will attack you with the opening strike if he gets to control it first. With this strategy it is preferable to have control of the opening strike first, but not entirely necessary.




Counterbalance


Now here is in simple terms, what you will want to do: First, have yourself receive the opening attack (see foreword for reference), either from yourself or your opponent. Now, instead of immediately counterattacking, focus in all three of your zones, completely avoiding any and all cards (no matter what they are, focus them!). The score is now 0-1, with you behind in point score. The furyoku status is your opponent at 2 green, 2 yellow, and 2 red. Your furyoku status, however, is at 4 green (gained from receiving opening attack, and for focusing in the zone), 3 yellow, and 3 red. You already have a furyoku advantage over your opponent. Your opponent does not get to replenish any in his/her celebration, and now choose to receive the opening attack again (choose to defend against it again). Now, this time again, focus in all three of your zones and completely avoid any and all cards. The count now is 0-2, you are behind. The furyoku status of your opponent still remains 2 green, 2 yellow, and 2 red. BUT your furyoku is at a mighty 6 green, 4 yellow, and 4 red. This leaves you behind in point count, but you have a great advantage in furyoku count over your opponent. Now comes the most important part of this strategy: After receiving your second point against you, and your opponent celebrates (gaining no furyoku since he/she hasn't had any chance of playing any cards yet) defend again against the opening attack! This is so vital to this strategy because it not only lets you start off with 7/4/4, but it also lets you control the furyoku of your opponent. Your opponent would not receive that extra green from defending against the opening attack, so he/she would be at a GREAT disadvantage in furyoku.




Summary of Gameplay


First Turn: Defend against the opening attack. Focus in all three zones.

Second Turn: Choose to defend against the opening attack. Focus in all three zones.

Third Turn: Choose to defend against the opening attack. This time, start counterattacking and actually playing your opponent.




Criticism and Helpful Points


This strategy is dangerous, but if you have a well built deck, and some high intercept strikes, you should be able to play this strategy well enough. I further hint at the fact that this strategy is hard to win with, but over more joyous when it is succeeded- and succeeded well.




Variant No. 1


This is a variant of the last strategy, in simple summary format.

First Turn: Defend against the opening attack. Play any and all advantages that allow you to charge zones (in the three zones). Focus any cards in all three zones that are not advantage types.

Second Turn: Choose to defend against the opening attack. Play any and all advantages that allow you to charge zones (in the three zones). Focus any cards in all three zones that are not advantage types.

Third Turn: Choose to defend against the opening attack. Counterattack the opening attack from any zone, and begin actually playing against your opponent.

This variant serves as a quick way of gaining furyoku, and also charging as many zones as possible in the course of the strategy. This variant is for the more aggressive players, and the ones who are less secure with the first one. I like this variant of the first strategy over the first strategy cause it gives you a little more playability, but it is up to the player which one he or she likes better.




Variant No. 2


This one is a little different, but just as good. It is for people who don't want to give up two points, or just don't have many high intercept strikes.

First Turn: Defend against the opening attack. Focus in all three zones.

Second Turn: Choose to defend against opening attack. Counterattack this attack and resume play against your opponent until the end.

This one is to give you a 5/3/3 furyoku count.

Variant No. 3


This is like the last one, but with slight modifications.

First Turn: Defend against opening attack. Play any and all advantages to charge all or most of the three zones. Focus any non-advantage card.

Second Turn: Choose to defend against opening attack. Counterattack the opening attack, and then conitnue play until a winner is decided.

I hope you all liked these variants and the main strategy! I tried shortening the variants into a more concise version that makes it easier to understand. If there is any discrepancy as to the clarity of the variants, you can PM me at DefenseIncorporated; and I can try and further explain the variants and strategy. Thank you all again, though, for being an audience to whom I can convey my many strategies and ideas.