#its so good. gotta replay portal 2

[prettycoolducks]

decided to quickly redraw/draw over an old (and I mean OLD) GLaDOS drawing. I liked the idea I was going for! It's GLaDOS standing over Cave Johnson's corpse lol. Original drawing under the cut (:

[dany36]

now that i've S-ranked every stage in the DLC and also completed the map, just have some final junk thoughts from the sonic frontiers dlc (plus me raving some more about the music) before i move on to another game :)

i know i mentioned that playing as amy is the best out of the new playable characters, and i still stand by that opinion, but MAN is tails' MAX rings cyclone flying ability fun as FUCK. like, i kind of have a hate-love relationship with it. on one hand, who the hell doesn't like flying around the island at max speed? like, oh, there's something all the way over there, let me just ZOOM right over in a few seconds!! AND the fact that you can control its height unlike knuckles' flying is just insanely cool. on the OTHER hand though, yes it cheapens tails' flying ability because honestly once you get the cyclone ability, you don't even have to do any of the set-paths that the game wants you to follow to get to the map kocos or skill kocos. you can just fly up to them and boom, didn't have to do the set path. which is kind of sad because those can be really fun and satisfying to complete, so what i'd end up doing was get to the area where the map koco would be, and instead of just flying up to it, try to follow the path and get the map that way to not just suck the fun out of the entire thing

but also, that one M-puzzle where it lit up 3 or 4 red beams of light all across the island and you had to reach all of them under a time limit??? MAN i think that was my favorite puzzle of all!!! i first bumped into that one when i was playing with amy, and at first i thought i was gonna have to come back to it with sonic since i didn't think i'd get another character that would be as fast as him (also didn't have the spin dash ability yet since this was early in the game). but holy shit once i unlocked that ability and saw just how fucking fast you could fly around the island (skells from xenoblade x my beloved), i immediately went back to that puzzle and just completed it as tails. just so damn awesome!!

and SPEAKING OF the spin dash....wow. amy, knuckles, and tails may not be as fast as sonic, but they become just as fast as him with this skill. and i can't believe i went through the entire main game without using the spin dash more often. spin dashing around the island and abusing the hell of its physics was just something that never got old, even in the sonic stages. i don't think i ever used the fast travel with the portals since i mean....spin dashing everywhere the island is just like a damn dream come true: it's always something i'd do in sonic adventures' mystic ruins but at a smaller scale, but this time? the ouranos island is fucking huge and gorgeous and then with that beautiful music playing in the background and just rolling around everywhere at high speeds AAAAAAAAAA this game is honestly just the perfect sonic game!!!!!

i think i already talked about this earlier but the new stages were super fun and actually challenging to S rank, unlike the main game. there were some i wasn't too fond of (like that one where sonic's speed as "gears"?? what was that lol) but overall they were a joy to replay over and over and try to bring my time down. i think my favorites were definitely 4-A (with the rocket boosters and beehive-looking things) and 4-B (the one with the hologram tails and the falling platforms).

the music. GOD how does sega keep doing this!!! every single new character theme is just so on fucking point, but i gotta say amy wins this one as well: there's something just so hauntingly beautiful about her theme that just honestly fits the overall mood of the game. but honestly, all just so good. i neeeeed to get my hands on the ost, especially since i'm late to the party and realized that now they have a GORGEOUS BEAUTIFUL AMAZING remixed version of the windy and ripply (emerald coast 2) song AKA a song so dear and beloved and nostalgic to my heart that just thinking about it makes me want to cry tears of joy. like, running around the islands with that music playing in the background is just so freeing and beautiful and exciting that just makes you feel glad that you get to experience a sonic game like this.

oh shit got sidetracked talking about this game's overall out-of-this-world soundtrack again um um um what else. i mean, i really don't know what else to say except frontiers just knocked it out of the park and surpassed my expectations in every single way possible. as i was playing the game and would just be exploring the island and completing puzzles/paths, i'd just keep saying to myself "this game is fucking amazing" every once in a while. sega just fucking nailed the 3d sonic formula and any doubt i had about an open-world sonic game was just thrown out the window: i couldn't stop thinking about this being a MUCH larger, more fun, and more gorgeous version of running around mystic ruins than i could have ever imagined, and it's exactly the type of exploration freedom that i had been itching for in a sonic game.

and it goes without saying that sega bringing back amy, tails, and knuckles as playable characters was just soooo fucking good and refreshing to see, and my god did they do them justice. last time they were all playable was, what...sonic adventure?? really?? like, holy crap. sonic frontiers really was a love letter to 3d sonic games and ughhhh i just can't stop saying good things about it. EVERYONE NEEDS TO PLAY THIS GAME!!!

anyway!!! can't wait to see where the sonic 3d series is headed after this, but for now, time to wait for sonic superstars (holy shit that's soon!!!) since that looks fun as hell too, and that's me saying it as someone who prefers 3d sonic vs 2d sonic!

[brightjin]

hhhh why did i have to realise that uni starts in 3 weeks??? i want to cry i dont want to go back to the uk

[katachell]

portal 2 project???

portal 2 has an AMAZING narrative. AMAZING. but if you want to rewatch the story... you cant. your two options are to watch let’s plays and randomly skip around to hopefully hear all the dialogue, or to read the quotes on the wiki... which are seperated by character, not scene, and dont give environmental details. this makes it impossible for people who dont want to put in a massive amount of time in to experience the story of the game in one definitive place. so, i propose:

THE PORTAL 2 PROJECT

the end product of this project would be a video, posted to YouTube, that has all of the relevant scenes and dialogue in order. it would play out like a movie, so people who haven't or don't want to play the game can still enjoy and understand the story in its entirety. it would use screen recordings of the game, so you can see whats happening and hear it.

what would be included in the video:

-any moment where there is dialogue (exceptions listed below)

-plot relevant details: for some examples, getting the portal gun, finding a rattman den, introducing a new puzzle element, when cave says that portals can be placed on the moon. (this is to better help people who aren't familiar with the franchise understand what the things they're seeing on the screen are.) (most of these would be short clips: for example, when hard light bridges are introduced, the clip would show chell walking up to it and standing on it, and then the video would move on.)

-major scenes, obviously. an example is when chell falls into the pit or unlocks old aperture.

-small, funny details. (without lingering for too long.) it wouldn’t be portal 2 if you dont show the little details! examples include the borealis dock, the elevator room screens, or when wheatly is monologuing and you can go back and he’ll keep monologuing (”you’re at my mercy! wait- come back! (chell goes back) FOOL! you’re at my mercy, and i dont have any!”

-exploring the enviroment: for example, the screen recorder would stop to look at the awards in old aperture, zoom in on chell’s name for the potato experiment, listen to the optional/hidden cave experiment dialogue, as well as look at old posters and signs that tell you about the dangers of old ap. just so the audience is grounded.

-ive touched on this in other bullet points, but not everyone has the time or willpower to look for the little hidden things in the game. this would make sure that you get a very full, portal 2 experience.

what would NOT be included:

-puzzle solving. some chambers take a few minutes to solve, and there is no dialogue. this interrupts the story. unless the puzzle solving is relevant to the plot, like quickly introducing new mechanics to the audience, it wont be included.

-unimportant dialogue. for example, in the neurotoxin generator area, whealtly will ramble for - i think i lasted 4 or 5 minutes before i left - a while, just trying to convince the neurotoxin generator to shut itself off or something. while entertaining, it takes away from the focus of the project.

an example of the formatting:

i imagine the format to look something like this: (im using chapter 1 as an example)

-full, uncut opening with the wheately escape. the cameraman waits at the door before opening it so you get his full dialogue. ~5 minutes

-chell goes into her old relaxation vault, listens to the announcer, puts a button on the pressure pad, then enters the elevator. this introduces the button/cube mechanic. (this scene comes directly after the last, with no cuts). since there is announcer dialogue and new mechanics, this stays relatively uncut. ~1 minute

-chell exits elevator, hears funny announcer dialogue. the camera looks at the room for 5 seconds so the audience understands the setting for the scene, as well as the act. ~15-20 seconds

-chell presses a button to open a portal. this is the first time a portal is seen. she walks through the portal. this introduces the core mechanic of the game. (~30 seconds) (once the mechanic has been used once or twice, the rest of the puzzle is cut)

that would be the basic format. for things like multiple uneventful test chambers in a row, it would show slow fading shots of the test chamber number so you understand that time is passing. this would be intercut with shots of the setting.

HOW CAN I GET HELP / THIS PROJECT STARTED??

getting all of this footage is too much for one person. editing it... is too much for one person. ALL OF THE FOOTAGE HAS TO COME FROM PEOPLE WORKING ON THIS PROJECT. IT CANT COME FROM OTHER PEOPLES YOUTUBE VIDEOS. For this project, I’ll need people to record the footage, people to help edit the footage, and 1-3 people who know the story well and are willing to go over the game’s plot and determine what scenes and details we need, so the records know what to record and what to focus on. 

Do you want to help capture footage? if so, youll need:

-access to the PC version of the game with LOW LAG gameplay

-a screen recorder program. it CANNOT have a watermark on the finished product. needs to be high resolution footage.

-(the recordings will NOT feature your voice or a face cam.)

-(you do not need mods and please leave the portal gun with its base texture)

-(id be comfortable with each screen recorder person to cover around 1-2 chapters... so maybe 4-5 people, unless i can find more. youd be following some directions on what to record. you do not need to edit, just get the footage.)

Can’t do that? Can you EDIT video footage? you’ll need:

-a video editor. high quality. i dont know the editing industry, i dont know what software exists.

-MUST be able to export it without a watermark and in high quality.

-(each editor will be responsible for a chapter or chapters. then render your final product. one editor will put all of the finished chapters together. this means you can use different software from the other editors, and will have a good amount of control over your assigned part. i dont have a number for how many editors there will be. id like more than one.)

Can’t do that? What about choosing the important scenes and details and acting as a sort of ‘writer’ for the plot? You’ll need:

-a good knowlege of the game and its history and fun facts. if youre obsessed with this game and franchise... yeah same. but as long as youre interested and know it well, thats fine

-be able to browse the wiki

-time to review the game by watching lets plays or playing it yourself

-be able to choose the right details and communicate that to the screen recorders and editors. remember my example about chapter one earlier? youd have to lay it out in a similarly comprehensive way.

-take constructive criticism

-must be older than 14 for this. youve gotta make a lot of decisions in this role. ive seen some really creative and talented high schoolers, so thats where im drawing the age line.

-(im hoping for 1-4 of these people, including myself.)

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN HELPING, SEND ME A DM. IF YOU’RE CHOSEN TO WORK ON THE PROJECT, I’LL SET UP A DISCORD FOR THOSE INVOLVED. IF THIS GETS SOME SORT OF MASS SUPPORT, I’LL SET UP A DISCORD FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN UPDATES.

The purpose of this project is to make it so you can relive the portal 2 plot without having to replay the full game. Other methods do not exist. No one video shows the plot in order with ‘filler’ removed. Voice lines exist in text form, but do not capture the visual aspect of the game, or give context, and are not a full experience. This story is a masterpiece and deserves to be edited so it is comprehensive and all in one place. No one will claim credit for owning portal 2 or writing the story - the video is showing gameplay, and just so happens to be the relevant gameplay. However, screen capture, editing, and direction credits will be given to everyone who participates. This project will allow you to introduce friends and family to the game without sending them a video where only 5 minutes out of the 1 hour video is relevant. I have wanted this project for a while, but I’ve realized that I can’t do it alone. Even if you can’t help directly, please spread the word and reblog.

[solienna]

//BARGES INTO YOUR ROOM, THE VIDEO GAME ASK!!!! I name, Mass Effect (any of them), Dragon Age (any of them), Fallout 4, Portal, Legend of Zelda Wind Waker, Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door, Assassin's Creed 2, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, and Harvest Moon DS!!! (and yes, i did just hit you with all of my fave games why do you ask) (okay not all of them, i didnt mention folklore but it's obscure so i doubt you've even heard of it) also, also bc you make jokes about it all the time, Skyrim

thank u meander im crying very much ur the best, under a read more bc video games are my lifeblood

mass effectnever played | want to play | terrible | boring | okay | good | great | a favorite

ok so as u know i beat mass effect 1 like. three days ago and all i have to say is AJDHGASDG!! DEFINITELY A FAVORITE!! WHERE HAS THIS GAME BEEN ALL MY LIFE!!! WHY DID I HESITATE FOR SO LONG BEFORE PLAYING IT!!! I WAS MISSING OUT ON SO MUCH I LOVE IT!! ALL THIS LORE AND THESE STRONG DIVERSE CHARACTERS!!! WTF THE FUCK!!!

rn i am in the process of playing me2 (im like 20 hrs in but i’ve done like nothing bc i am a completionist gamer and spend all my times stripping planets bare of their resources before leaving forever, and also just walking around everywhere looking at shit and messing around with my crew and avoiding the main questline) and oh my gosh!!!! also definitely a favorite im so in love with this game!!! its heartbreaking and genuinely funny and ridiculous and DID I MENTION THE COMBAT SYSTEM I LOVE IT. also any games that give u the option to dance are 10/10 in my book. also when garrus laughed once i died.

in summary mass effect is a great found family simulator. however there’s this really persistent bug where ppl keep talking to me about these reapers and their followers the goths geths, its kinda distracting me from the main purpose of the game, which is to gather up as many ragtag sad friends as u can. hopefully theyll remove all that other stuff in the next patch

dragon agenever played | want to play | terrible | boring | okay | good | great | a favorite

dragon age origins is definitely one of my favorite games ever of all time, i BELIEVE it was my first bioware game and oh my GOD it was so good. the lore. the LORE. the CHARACTERS. the DRAMA the SCANDAL. it was so good i wanna cry. i was taken aback by how real all the companions were and how u could actually talk to them…. wild

dragon age 2 is no match for origins in my book but i still enjoyed it a lot, gotta give that one a good, the combat was definitely a lot simpler and a lot more fun and look. im a typical gamer i love a good fight, i love spamming buttons and having shit work out somehow. also a good cast!

i played like 150 hours of da:i with just one inquisitor and yet i have no memories of this game. i remember nothing, i know cole was there and i was real shook bc i read the dragon age books (i was super into dragon age like?? two years ago i think) and then varric was there and also i fought a lot of dragons. dorian carried us. my dream team was me, blackwall, varric, and dorian we had a lot of fun. alistair died. ummm i spent a lot of time standing in the tavern listen to the lady with the nice voice sing. gotta give this game a solid good, i don’t remember anything abt this game but i sure had a lot of fun playing it, whatever it was

fallout 4

never played | want to play | terrible | boring | okay | good | great | a favorite

ok so i have like 300+ hrs into this game bc i keep starting over with new sole survivors and all of them are named washington. i still havent beaten this game. if u had asked me what my opinion of this game was like six months ago i wouldve been like this is a favorite for sure but now its like…. eh…. i play it for an hour every once in a while but it’s honestly started to bore me a little… like don’t get me wrong i very much enjoyed this game!!! (i wouldnt have 300+ hrs invested into it if i didn’t like it) but the game doesnt really have much replayability to me… sorry todd. thanks for preston and deacon and nick i love them a lot but other than that this game doesn’t really pull me in like it used to

portalnever played | want to play | terrible | boring | okay | good | great | a favorite

OK LOOK. i do own this game and also portal 2. and i do want to play them. im just lazy. EVENTUALLY ONE DAY i will get around to playing this game, it looks like a ton of fun, even tho im not too big into puzzle solving. fair warning my list of games i want to play is like a mile long bc i just keep replaying the games i have LMAO

legend of zelda wind waker/paper mario the thousand year door/phoenix wright ace attorney/harvest moon DS

never played | want to play | terrible | boring | okay | good | great | a favorite

ok i am lumping all of these together bc 1) i’ve never played them and 2) i don’t have much of an interest in playing them unfortunately, unless someone persuaded me to try them out i wouldnt really spend time on them, im too busy replaying games ive already played 1000 times

assassins’ creed 2

never played | want to play | terrible | boring | okay | good | great | a favorite

OK I WILL ADMIT IT. i am a liar and a fraud. the only AC games i’ve ever played are black flag, rogue, and syndicate. no i don’t have a clue what’s going on in the real world with the animus or w/e and yes i had lot of fun with the parkour mechanics and killing ppl in impossible ways. AC1 and 2  and whatever games come after it are other games that are on my ever-growing list of games i want to play, i started AC1 like two years ago but then totally forgot about it BUT YES. I DO WANT TO PLAY THIS GAME. EVENTUALLY

skyrim

never played | want to play | terrible | boring | okay | good | great | a favorite

i have never heard of this game in my life i’m not really sure what you’re talking about- *trips* *thousands of hours spent playing this game spill from pockets* fuck those aren’t mine i swear i’m just holding them for a friend i- *slips on a pile of my skyrim OCs* fu ck no they’re not mine i’ve never heard of this game i just- *216387213 unfinished skyrim fanfics fall out as i fall to my knees, desperately trying to pick them up* hang on a sec jUst LISTEN

[hs-freeloader-blog]

Deconstructing a Loss

I’ve been a coach for a long time (not for Hearthstone, but for youth sports), and I’ve always been a big proponent of video analysis - especially analysis of failures.  I find great value in deconstructing a loss to see if there were other choices / plays that could have been made to better our chances of a successful outcome.  With that in mind, I recently played (and badly lost) my first Best of 5 in a team league.  I recorded all 3 games of the match (yep, 0-3) with the fantastic HSReplay tracker, which allows us to review the entirety of the game WITH additional information (we can easily see our opponents draws based on the app tracking his cards in realtime and matching them up with what was played).  So, without further ado:

https://hsreplay.net/replay/HLHpRHynwaP7hPQt6pG3o3

My first pass analysis was: I played well to win the board, was in a very good position to simply dominate to a win in Game 1 of the match, but my opponent drew Aluneth and that was “GG”. After talking it over with some (much) more experienced players, a question was posited about my turn 6:

That was the board as I had established it and my opponent essentially “passed” on turn 6 to play the most game-determining card in his deck.  At this point, things don’t look too bad for me... but the longer the game goes on, the harder it will likely be for me to win.  My analysis at the time: I gotta PUSH.  I play Doomguard and it discards the Councilman and the Voidwalker... not bad! The next choice may have proven to be pivotal to the outcome of the game.  I attack with my entire board and knock my opponent to 12 life.  I am staring at two cards in hand: the Dreadlord and the Soulfire.  I have one extra mana unused this turn, and - rather importantly - my secret mage opponent HAS NO SECRET UP!  (Background: 2 secrets have already been played this game, both Explosive Runes).  My in-game read: there are likely 3 secrets left in my opponent’s deck: two counterspells and one ice block.  That means that the next secret to be played is 66% likely to make the soulfire a dead in hand resource (it’s the only spell in the deck... there’s another, so maybe I top deck it and get to play one of the two). The result of this decision is pretty easy to watch in the above linked replay: he gets a crystal runner, frost bolts the Doomguard, kills my chain gang, and races for the win.

Here’s the 64K question: If I had chosen to hold the Soulfire, it would have allowed me to play another big minion as opposed to HOPE to draw another big minion... would that have given me a better chance for lethal? AS PLAYED

First, let’s analyze my outs as played.  The next turn my opponent plays a secret (to keep this analysis simpler, we will only evaluate Ice Block and Counterspell as the possibilities, since those are the two secrets played alongside Runes in MOST secret build currently).  

I had 19 cards left in the deck, including 2 Bonemares, another Soulfire and another Doomguard.  Drawing any of those 4 cards would have meant that I could have popped the block or killed him (depending on the spell).  He left 4 attack power able to hit him with a 3/5 and a 1/2.  Bonemare on the 3/5 would have meant I could pop him at 1 life, with a 7/9 taunt now needing some attention (or, you know... kill him if the secret was Counterspell).  Doomguard would have allowed me to pop him at 2 (again, or kill him).  The other Soulfire is a little more iffy, since we don’t know about the secret... so for the sake of argument, I had a 4 in 19 chance of drawing a card that popped his one and only Ice block (~21% chance of the top deck), with 3 of those being lethal if the secret was Counterspell (~16%).  No Arcanologists were played during the game, so his secret was from draw order and not player selection based on situational benefit.  So, 21% to pop his block, 16% to win, all based on a 33% chance it’s block and a 66% chance its Counterspell.  These aren’t dominant odds, but Aluneth is a heck of a card.

IF I HOLD SOULFIRE: ASSUMING ICE BLOCK

let’s say that on Turn 6 I chose to hold the Soulfire.  The next turn, here’s how it plays out: 

His Turn 7

At 12 life, my opponent plays his Lackey, his Mana Wyrm, his Ice Block the Frost Bolt to hold my Doomguard, and the Valet to kill the Chain Gang, rubbing salt in the wound by playing a free Crystal Runner.

My Turn 7

I draw a Flame Imp, meaning that I have 7 mana worth of cards and 7 mana to play it... wow!  I start with the Imp (just in CASE it’s mirror, it cannot be Runes) which knocks my life total to 17 and then Dreadlord, finally shooting the Soulfire into his Crystal Runner.  Since we cannot pop the block this turn, we work on controlling the board: my 3/5 hits his 2/3 Wyrm to kill it, and my 1/2 goes face (Opponent now at 11).  At the end of my turn, the Dreadlord kills the 2/1 Lackey and the 5/1 Crystal Runner, it hits his Valet for one (now a 2/2).

His Turn 8

Now at 11 life, my opponent has a bit more board to have to deal with. The issue with this analysis is that we don’t know all the cards in his hand.  We know he’s played one Frost Bolt (last turn into the Doomguard) and we know he doesn’t draw one of his Fireballs until Turn 9, but if it’s Ice Block I think the right play is to simply play it as a two-turn-lethal.  I’m at 17 life, and if he went all face with what we know he has in hand (Deckhand, Firelands Portal, and the Valet on board) he can knock me to 8. If he already had the second Portal or a Fireball in hand with the second Frost Bolt, this SHOULD ABSOLUTELY be his line, since it would be a lethal I cannot stop even with a taunt - but if he only had ONE of these, perhaps he choses to control the board instead. Since he only had 11 cards left to go, and would be drawing 4 prior to his next turn, one could argue that he should take this line regardless and just play to his outs (since he’d draw so much).

But what if he goes conservative? Well, he can play the Portal to kill my Doomguard, getting a 5/5 on his side (let’s just keep the same minion as in the original), he can clear the 3/2s with his Valet and Deckhand.  That leaves me with a 1/2 and an undamaged Dreadlord and him with a 5/5. He’s at 11 and I’m at 17.

My Turn 8

I top deck a... wait for it... Kobold Librarian!  I play it, dropping to 15 life, because I NEED GAS.  I get it in the form of the most powerful card in my deck: Bloodreaver Gul’dan.  Unfortunately, this game isn’t reaching turn 10, so he’s useless.  I have 7 mana to go... you guessed it: Tap. Now at 13 life, I’ve got the badly needed Doomguard.  It’s played, discarding Gul’dan.  The 5/7 crashes into his 5/5.  I have complete board control again with a 1/2, a 2/1, a 4/5, and a 5/2.  My opponent get’s knocked 5 more from 11 down to 6.  Getting there!

Unfortunately, to get there I’m now at 13 life and I haven’t popped the block.  My opponent draws a Fireball and simply hits face and pings.  Next turn I can pop the block, but the following turn is Turn 10 and he’s drawn all but 3 of his cards needing Portal, Fireball, or Pyro - OR the combination of 2nd Lackey, ANY secret, Medivh’s Valet #2 and second Frost bolt.  Since there’s no way the bottom 3 cards can be holding all of those outs, I’m simply dead. IF I HOLD SOULFIRE: ASSUMING COUNTERSPELL

This, statistically, is the more likely scenario.  Also (as said above) since my opponent was VERY likely to have me at a 2 turn lethal starting on Turn 7 if the secret was Ice Block... I’m betting it was Counterspell.  This explains why he went through such pains to clear my board (He was dead if he didn’t!).

My Turn 7

I draw a Flame Imp, meaning that I have 7 mana worth of cards and 7 mana to play it... wow!  I start with the Imp (just in CASE it’s mirror, it cannot be Runes) which knocks my life total to 17 and then Dreadlord, finally shooting the Soulfire into his Crystal Runner which get’s countered.  Since we cannot pop the block this turn, we work on controlling the board: my 3/5 hits his the Crystal Runner as does the 1/2. At the end of my turn, the Dreadlord kills the 2/1 Lackey and the 5/1 Crystal Runner, it hits his Valet and Wyrm for one each (both now 2/2).

His Turn 8

My opponent is in a little bit of a pickle... Just kidding!  He trades both 2/2s into the Doomguard and hits the Dreadlord with the Portal.  He gets his 5/5 and the maybe drops the Deckhand to knock me down 2.  He’s still at 12 and now I’m at 15 with no board.

My Turn 8

I top deck a... wait, I’ve already written all this... Kobold Librarian!  I play it, dropping to 13 life, because I NEED GAS.  I get it in the form of the most powerful card in my deck: Bloodreaver Gul’dan.  Unfortunately, this game isn’t reaching turn 10, so he’s useless.  I have 7 mana to go... you guessed it: Tap. Now at 11 life, I’ve got the badly needed Doomguard.  It’s played, discarding Gul’dan.  The 5/7 crashes into his 5/5.

His Turn 9

I have a fearsome 5/2... he has a 2/1 just hanging on board.  My board is yet again cleared and he simply drops everything he can either into my face or onto his board.  Chance of winning: 0.

SUMMARY

We could go through and look at each possible top deck to see if there was a statistically better way to run the last few turns (in terms of chance to top deck lethal).  My in-game analysis was that I could not continue to fight for board because he was getting twice the resources I was each turn, while not taking any face damage to do so (Lifetap can be a bitch!).  In the end, I feel like I gave myself outs for the next turn (which didn’t happen, granted), but the next turn was really the only turn that I COULD have used to win.  This analysis was more to see if I had actually missed a winning line, and the answer is: nope.  The only real winning line I see is top decking Doomguard or either Bonemare on Turn 7, and the only way those top decks are game winning is if my opponent is within striking distance... and that’s where the Soulfire on 6 decision happened.

I guess I should feel better that I didn’t misplay into a loss, but knowing that I was playing a 60% favored matchup and lost still stings.  I do think looking at these kinds of choices and there possible outcomes is a VERY good thing for any aspiring player to do - especially in a case like this because at the time I did not think there WAS another choice... hearing someone else pitch one opened my mind up to other lines that I was clearly overlooking in the moment, and not running the analysis now would mean that the next time I found myself in that situation... well, I’d wonder what to do!