Composed by: Aegoth on or about the 5th of Glacian, 756 AF.

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                         | STRATEGIES |
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Here we will focus on solo combat using the three main kill strategies
of Magi, and the different paths towards achieving them. These
step-by-step strategies are followed by more detailed discussion. It is
important to note that while these methods have been proven to be
effective, it does not necessarily mean they are the most optimal to use
in all situations. These are simply guidelines to follow for coming up
with your own unique style. It is your job to plan around things such as
cutting off escape routes, handling monolith sigils, thinking of ways
around parrying, how to account for defensive measures such as shield
and rebounding, and other such events. A good Magi is always prepared
and thinks ahead.

Part of being a Magi is coming up with creative, innovative ways to kill
people. We are Artists of Destruction, and every bloodied stroke we make
upon the white canvas of Life is a testament to the masterpiece we
create in Destruction.

A Word on Dueling Traits:

Quick-witted v. Nimble: For many of these Duelist strategies, having the
Nimble trait will significantly improve your performance, as Staffstrike
speeds are generally slower than Golem abilities. Closing the gap
between these balance times is beneficial to those looking to shave off
time while prepping limbs. The knowledgable Magi should be aware, of
course, that this comes with the consequences of being less efficient in
following the Damage strategy tree, having slower escape skills, and
other equilibrium-based consequences. It is important to take careful
consideration into which trait will better suit your combat style.

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Brilliance v. Robust: This choice is mainly about personal preference.
Brilliance will give you more burst-damage potential, while Robust will
allow you to last slightly longer in a fight, and allow for a larger
margin of error in your tactics. Whichever you choose, be sure to always
bear in mind that you will be responsible for making up the difference
in whichever quality you eschewed.
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[========]
 Prepping
[========]

The main strategy of Magi combat revolves around the concept of
"prepping" an opponent's limbs. Here's what you need to understand:

- Each limb (head, torso, left/right arm/leg) has a "breaking point".
When you staffstrike a limb enough times, it will mangle that limb (this
is what's called a level 2 break). Curing this takes an application of
regeneration, giving a 4 second delay until they can apply mending to
cure the crippled limb completely.

- "Prepping" a limb means hitting a limb enough that the -next- hit upon
that limb will mangle it. In order to "prep" a limb with staffstrike,
you need to hit a limb six (6) times. The seventh (7) hit will mangle
that limb. A limb will heal naturally after three (3) minutes from the
last time it was struck.

*Below 3500 maximum HP, it will take five (5) earthstrikes to prep a
limb, and two (2) additional airstrikes to break it.

** Above 6700 maximum HP, it will take six (6) earthstrikes to prep a
limb, and two (2) additional airstrikes to break it.

- Airstrike works differently than other staffstrikes in that it does
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less limb damage overall, therefore it is ill-advised to use airstrike
for prepping.

Firestrike: Will strip an opponent's frost salve or set an opponent
ablaze.

Waterstrike: Will strip an opponent's caloric salve or give them a level
of freezing.

Earthstrike: Will break a random unbroken limb. It will also break
anopponent's shield, should they have one active.

Airstrike: Will strip an opponent's aura of rebounding or knock them
onto the ground.

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[=================]
 Damage Strategies
[=================]

Straightforward and often brutal, damage strategies for Magi are useful
for ripping apart physically weak foes such as Serpents, Bards and even
other Magi. They can also, if utilised correctly, bring down more hearty
foes in the case where other methods may not work.
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[Strategy 1]

1) Embed damage vibes such as Palpitations, Energise and Dissonance.

2) Cast Hellfumes.

3) Staffcast, Stormhammer or Holocaust your opponent until they're dead.

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Straightforward and simple for extremely weak opponents. In many cases
like this you can even eschew step 2.
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[Strategy 2]

1) Embed damage vibes.

2) Cast Hellfumes.

3) Drop Retardation.

4) Hinder with Impurity, Transfix, Web.

5) Apply damage or behead.

This strategy is a little more involved in that you are utilizing the
aeonic effects of Retardation in order to hinder your opponent before
damaging them. Hellfumes is crucial here, simply because chances are
your opponent will not have the breathing defence up within Retardation,
and will slowly succumb to hunger. This causes the victim to collapse
unconscious from hunger, opening an enormous window of opportunity
within Retardation. While they lay unconscious, you can further hinder
your foe or even just damage or behead your opponent for a quick kill.
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[Strategy 3]

1) Embed your damage vibes, along with Heat. Make sure your Efreeti is
active.

2) Cast Hellfumes.

3) Prep two legs, or an arm and a leg.

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4) Timeflux your opponent.

5) Drop (or ring) Retardation

6) Break a leg with Airstrike and Golem Smash. Then, break the other
limb with Firestrike and Golem Dehydrate.

7) Cast scorch twice.

8) Conflagrate your victim.

9) Proceed to staffcast or stormhammer to death.

This more advanced strategy requires some setup, and is an extremely
powerful method of obliterating even the most hearty opponent. By
utilising the potent damage of Conflagration, your damage output will
multiply greatly due to the frequent, powerful effects of the spell. It
is important to note that there is a short window of time with which to
capitalise on this, as a smart opponent will quickly attempt to cure
their burns. The Retardation after Step 4 can do much to assist with
slowing down your opponent's healing, so keep that in mind as well.
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[==================]
 Destroy Strategies
[==================]

Calling upon the powers of Kkractle, this strategy focuses on obtaining
the necessary requirements to Destroy your opponent. Destroy is arguably
the most rewarding kill setup for a Magi to acquire, and because of
that, it can often be the most watched for by opponents. There are many
things you need to take into account when devising such a strategy,
since the heavy reliance on staffstrike can be easily interrupted by
shielding, rebounding, and parrying.
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The basic Schematic setup for the Kkractle tree consists of: cylinder,
diamond, disc, polyhedron, pentagon, and pyramid.
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[Strategy 1]

1) Cast Timeflux, reapplying whenever it wears off.

2) Using Earthstrike and Golem Smash, prep both legs and an arm OR a leg
and both arms.

3) Cast Inferno

4) Break leg with Airstrike and Golem Smash, break leg/arm with
Firestrike and Dehydrate.

5) Scorch once.

6) Break arm with Earthstrike and Scorch.

7) Scorch once or twice more.

8) Destroy your foe.

This strategy is mainly for opponent who prioritise leg breaks over
burns. As you can see, there is a lot going on here, and because of
that, a lot can go wrong. Mainly, it's important to get your timing
down. If you fall behind, allow your opponent to catch up on their salve
balance, or fail to anticipate shield/rebounding, the entire setup can
unravel. It can be helpful to have Retardation prepared after you
execute your breaks in order to further slow their curing. Remember that
Scorch itself has a fast equilibrium recovery, so depending on how
poorly your opponent cures, you can kill them in three quick Scorches.
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[Strategy 2]

1) Cast Timeflux, reapplying whenever it wears off.

2) Using Earthstrike and Golem Smash, prep both legs and an arm OR a leg
and both arms.

3) Cast Inferno

4) Break leg with Airstrike and Golem Smash, break leg/arm with
Firestrike and Dehydrate.

5) Scorch once.

6) Conflagrate your opponent.

7) Break arm with Earthstrike and Scorch.

8) Continue to Earthstrike and Scorch for about 2-3 hits.

9) Destroy your opponent.

This method is for opponents who prioritise limb breaks over burns. This
method utilises Conflagration to damage your opponent while stacking
some burn levels. The idea here is to reduce the need for Melting Burns
in order to get an easier Destroy. While this is a complex method, there
is a lot of room for creativity here.
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[Strategy 3]

1) Cast Efreeti

2) Timeflux your opponent, making sure to reapply when it wears off.
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3) Cast Inferno.

4) Begin prepping any leg with Earthstrike and Golem Smash.

5) When Inferno or Efreeti ticks, hit with Airstrike and Dehydration.

6) Begin using Golem Scorch instead of Golem Smash to prep.

7) When you finish your prepping, make sure Inferno is still up. Here,
you'll want to break the leg with Airstrike and Scorch.

8) Optional Conflagrate here

9) When you see your opponent apply salve to leg, Scorch 2-3 times.

10) Destroy.

This method is for opponents who prioritise burn afflictions over limb
breaks, and requires a little more skill, as a lot of it relies on
keeping your opponent's salve pressure behind while pressuring their
limbs. Timing here is crucial, as there's a lot that can go wrong with
the execution of this kill setup, so it's always a good idea to keep an
eye on your opponent's Tree tattoo use, as well as their rebounding.
When you break the leg, your opponent should have a level or two of
burning already on them, making it a trivial issue to add on Conflagrate
or to go for more scorches in order to get the Destroy.
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[=================]
 Pummel Strategies
[=================]

These strategies make use of the Sllshya tree in Artifice in order to
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execute a Pummel kill on your foe. There are many avenues to take with
this setup, though these are the most popular.

The basic Schematic setup for the Sllshya tree consists of: cube, disc,
pentagon, and torus.
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[Strategy 1]

1) Cast Timeflux, reapplying whenever it wears off.

2) Using Earthstrike and Golem Smash, prep a leg, and then torso.

3) Break leg with Airstrike and Golem Smash.

4) On restoration apply to leg, immediately cast deepfreeze.

5) Hit with Waterstrike and Hypothermia. Have your waterstrike hit torso
to break it.

6) Pummel away.

This strategy takes advantage of slower salve applications via Timeflux.
It is imperative to make sure you're aware of how your opponent is
applying salves. If your opponent rubs salve on their SKIN after you
deepfreeze then they did not apply restoration yet. If this happens,
don't panic, and just cast deepfreeze as soon as you see them apply to
LEGS. The torso break will ensure that your opponent needs TWO
applications of Restoration in order to cure Hypothermia, which can give
you more time to Pummel if they try to tumble away.

This strategy is the basic out-of-Retardation strategy for landing a
Pummel kill and will usually work on opponents who have decent curing
priorities. It is important to prep the torso for a break on Hypothermia
in order to prevent your opponent from curing it quickly, as well as
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allowing your Pummel to deal much more damage than usual.
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[Strategy 2]

1) Embed Lullaby and Retardation.

2) Destabilise Lullaby and proceed to Hypnotise, re-applying whenever
your opponent wakes up as you perform step 3.

3) Afflict with stupidity, paralysis, slickness, asthma and anorexia for
a softlock if able.

4) Cast deepfreeze twice to account for caloric defence.

5) Pummel away.

This is an effective method of killing your opponent with Pummel. By
taking advantage of the effects of Retardation, you are more easily able
to stack afflictions in order to overwhelm your foe. It is important to
keep certain afflictions like stupidity and paralysis applied, as these
will hinder your foe enough to apply everything else. By destabilising
Lullaby and sleeping your opponent, you take immense control of the
fight. Be wary of opponents using creative ways around this method such
as setting pets to hit them awake periodically. As well, remember that
you are just as vulnerable in Retardation, especially if you are
fighting classes that can double-afflict you.