Aristeia! - Team Analysis - Deepwater Dragons for AAL

Team Analysis: Deepwater Dragons

Auckland Aristeia League - Main Season

With the pre-season campaign over and the Otono Cup on the mantle, it's time for the Deepwater Dragons to gear up for the main season down here in the very Heart of the Hyperpower. The New Zealand Aristeia scene has been alive with action, as teams finish their preparations and train their new formations for the challenges ahead.

In the main season of the AAL the teams can finally expand beyond the set 4 imposed by the Carano Mod of the pre-season and the Otono Cup, with this part of the competition instead marked by the Koorie Queen Mod. This means our teams will be able to draw from a bench of 8 Aristos, but one will be banned by our opponent at the beginning of each match.

I've already discussed the Carano Mod Team which I used for the Preseason and Otono Cup comprising of Maximus, Valkyrie, Padre Mendoza and Dart. This team proved highly effective in a wide range of scenarios, although it never had to face something for which it would have been truly miss-,matched, such as Conquest, Capture the Flag or Human Target. With Maximus to soak damage, playing most turns with a double move and seldom attacking and positioned next to Mendoza, who would put out healing for the team, and Valkyrie who would hit and run or hold fast in the Zone to score while Dart sniped from the fringes.

When considering who to add for the extra four Aristos to make up the rest of the bench there were two considerations which I kept in mind. The first was the idea that we would now have bans as a factor in Team building. This would mean that every team combination would risk coming apart if I didn't have alternates to put into the team if a key member got banned. Running with this logic I should be looking at a second Tank (probably Prysm), a second Healing Support (probably Parvati), a second Melee Striker (probably Shona), and a second Ranged Striker (probably Koorie Queen). This would give me redundancy in all four of the key roles which my existing team was build around and allow me to play effectively no matter what ban an opponent chose to drop.

The other approach which I considered was bringing a totally new set of Aristos with abilities which would expand the capabilities of the Team in new and interesting ways. It was this alternative model of how the team might look in the new season which really captured my imagination. If we were going to play a wider range of Scenarios (as is the plan for the Season) then sticking with the same core wasn't going to be suitable for every situation. To enable the Dragons to succeed they needed to have new options, new capabilities and the potential for new and exciting combinations.

One obviously missing component of the original team is speed and scoring capability. The obvious answer to this lack was to look to the princess of pace, Gata herself. Even if the team were not otherwise changed (and it seems likely that Mendoza would be swapped out of the Support slot as well) just switching Max for Gata transforms the scoring ability of the team. However Gata also brings a strong counter for opponents who lean heavily into strong ranged Strikers in the form of her easy Dazzle. This will be a great boon in a Lunah heavy meta.

Next up was a swap which I seriously considered during the pre-season (when we allowed one change to teams part way through) and again in preparation for the Otono Cup. This was the substitution of Dart for Koorie Queen. Much of my early play of Dart was with her as an effective scoring piece but seldom an effective Striker. However as I became more experienced with her that started to turn around. Koorie Queen always seemed like a more versatile ranged Striker and I wanted to add her into the team both to keep building on the Striker/Scorer archetype and to add a different angle on ranged offensive potential, or to double down on a winning strategy.

Eclypse was a tough choice, and was the addition which I have considered and re-considered the most times. I am still very tempted to run Parvati or Hannibal in her place, but now that I've made my choice I'll stick with it through 'till the end of the AGL Season 2. Eclypse makes for an excellent option to enhance the effect of either (or both of) Dart and Koorie Queen while also offering effective State Management (offensive and defensive). She also pairs well with Gata to shut down other ranged focused teams and offers all 'round (albeit fragile) utility.

Last, but certainly not least, is the newest addition to the PanOceanian Aristos, Gaia. This mistress of movement and tentacular terror is not only the best answer to Hexxer (well, other than the Dazzled State or regular trips to the Infirmary), but also an interesting addition to the core team as a substitute for Dart (dropping an entirely close ranged team in behind an opposing team? - HILARIOUS) but also as a supplement to Gata (thanks to placing new Obstacles and moving existing ones) and to Koorie Queen or Dart (pulling ranged Skirmishers out of the fire).

I'll be following up with Aristo Analysis articles on Koorie Queen and Gaia in the very near future. You can also expect to see Scenario analysis articles where I look at how the Deepwater Dragons will tackle the challenge presented, what ban I would expect, how I would build the team, what Tactics I would select and then how we would play.

We should have some more game reports for you soon as well, with regular play in the Season kicking off.

So, what do YOU think about this Dragons team?

Are there any surprises?

Is there anyone you would have picked instead?

Do you think I was right to go with supplementing the team rather than running backups?

Let me know in the comments.

Aristeia! - Team Analysis - Deepwater Dragons 4 Otono Cup

In the PreSeason League and for the Otono Cup here in Auckland, New Zealand, we decided to run with the Carano Mod, meaning that we would each be playing with a fixed team of four Aristos. While the opportunity to change the team once was offered during the League, I stuck with my initial choice, and took the same four Aristos into the Otono Cup tournament

The decision to use the Carano Mod was both to encourage newer players, with the idea being that learning just four Aristos would be easier, and to encourage painting of our teams. It worked well on both levels and while I know it's the least popular Mod at the moment I sincerely hope it isn't dropped as I see it as an excellent tool for growing a meta which simply hasn't been fully appreciated yet.


My decision to stick with the same Team for the Otono Cup was partly driven by a desire for continuity between the PreSeason League and the Cup, to treat it as a capstone event to the PreSeason. The other part of it was experience with the team and a genuine belief that they would be effective in the three Scenarios we would be playing in the event, Assault, King of the Hill and Carnage.

Overall timing and positioning strategies within the team are simple, with Maximus, Valkyrie and Mendoza sticking together as a squad while Dart ranges away. Generally Dart isn't needed for scoring, but she's effective when brought in late with Ambush.

Generally speaking activating Maximus early and advancing him into the zone for the rest of the team to follow up works well as an opening play (when opponents will largely be out of range of the rest of the Team) or in later turns when you have eliminated active threats.

Valkyrie and Mendoza will usually be mid-order activations, with Valkyrie moving up to eliminate whichever Aristo the opponent sent in to match Maximus, while Mendoza follows to heal and finish off that target if it survived the initial assault. Dart, on the other hand, will nearly always want to activate late and pick off a target of opportunity inside the Scoring Zone if necessary or a key support outside it.

Assault

Maximus: Block, Scram
Valkyrie: Odin's Breath, Frostburn
Mendoza: Tabula Rasa, Hic Et Nuc
Dart: Ambush, Surprise Factor

Overall game plan: Win first turn with overwhelming attacks and then last with Tactics, draw when possible in mid game, closing the deal with Dart.

King of the Hill

Maximus: Block, Scram
Valkyrie: Ice Wall, Odin's Breath
Mendoza: Tabula Rasa, Hic Et Nuc
Dart: Ambush, Batrachotoxin

Overall game plan: Get Maximus and Mendoza into the center together and then hit and run with Valkyrie and Dart for points and to prevent opponent stacking.

Carnage

Maximus: Block, Adamantine
Valkyrie: Ice Wall, Valkyrie's Cry
Mendoza: Tabula Rasa, Hic Et Nuc
Dart: Batrachotoxin, Predatory Instinct

Overall game plan: Score the zones where possible but focus on damage output and keep pushing out healing with Mendoza, go for repeat small kills and avoid Tanks unless Marks force us to instead focus fire.

Both the Block from Maximus and Ice Wall from Valkyrie feed directly into both Valkyrie and Dart's damage output. Mendoza is notable as the only Aristo with the same Tactic selection throughout the
event, with Tabula Rasa and Hic Et Nuc just being overwhelmingly better except in very narrow team and scenario matchups.

Carnage is the Scenario with the most unique set of selections, as mobility and manipulation are less relevant while abilities which can be translated into direct damage are at a premium. This also brings out the strength of the defensive dice buffs and the likes of Adamantine.

Overall this build has proven to be much deadlier than either I, or my opponents, expected. It has pulled well ahead on Frags in many games, as well as forcing opponents to deal with missed activations and poor positioning from re-spawning.

On the other hand it is not as mobile as I would like, and it can be vulnerable to opponents with effective Status based approaches. Mendoza is an excellent healer, but he is not strong at state management. It can also suffer from really dedicated ranged Striker capabilities, due to the aforementioned lack of sterling mobility and also absence of Smoke.

For more on my thoughts about Maximus head here.

For more on my thoughts about Valkyrie head here.

For more on my thoughts about Mendoza head here.

For more on my thoughts about Dart head here.

While there are some changes I'm considering, this base team has proven to be very effective. I look forward to the Otono Cup tomorrow and I'll have a review up for the event in the next few days. Hopefully I remember to get plenty of photos for the games (which will decide if that's one article or three).

After that we will have a discussion about expanding this set of four Aristos out to a bench of eight, as that's going to be the setup for the upcoming Seasonal League.

Wish us luck!