JJOCT7 R4M1 Quality

Judge Anna Rose (Logic)

A pretty straightforward 2v2 to start off the round! Lucil and Roxanne have the means to quickly position around the map and pummel Evergreen with attacks, but Deacon is a very capable damage sponge, and Soichi can manipulate the items and terrain to his advantage so that the duo can weather the storm and counterattack!

Starting with EG, it largely coheres for the opening sections: get to a fortifiable position, have Atomic Dog block initial damage, send out New Ways to for utility and harassment. (Planning/Logistics) I don’t have much to say for those first two sections, as I find the tactics sufficient for the challenges presented and organized for the multiple priorities.

However, I think the more ambitious tactics are a bit thinly described, especially as the strat shifts towards its endgame. (Competency/Planning) Deciding to set your fortification (and the shelter!) on fire isn’t unfeasible for you, but arson takes time and setup, both in getting material to catch fire and spread and in locking down your opponents to remain in the flames, especially with GWF’s mobility. (Logistics/Counterplay)

I’ve referred to such discrepancies between sections/phases as structural gaps, giving a 6 for “[not covering] things that could back it up sufficiently, i.e. a notable misstep”, but given the Logistics work of the earlier sections, I think a low [7] is reasonable.

I have less structural criticisms of GWF: Lucil rushdowns onto Deacon (the support) and then onto Soichi with Roxanne providing cover fire. (Planning) However, the sheer number of priorities to juggle between New Ways, Lucil, and Evergreen can overtax Roxanne’s ability to mind them all, especially when Lucil is charging in 1v2. (Logistics/Planning) More broadly, while understandable for her position and role as support, aside from the contingency paragraph, Roxanne’s perch is framed as sufficient when the tides of battle may complicate her ability to contribute.

As a result, while I find GWF’s tactics effective if they get in, that is not a negligible ｢if｣; lest the 2 END Lucil herself receive a reprisal from Atomic Dog and New Ways (again, she is standing right in the middle of Evergreen to pummel Deacon), not only must Roxanne have a window and a sightline to pin down Evergreen (and thus, not be harassed by New Ways), but GWF must crack through any defenses and traps EG builds up over the course of the match.

Again, I think their odds of success are good, and they have contingencies in the case of reprisal, but in stating the efficacy of their rushdown, the process of getting in and the risks of their heavy commitment in doing so is elided over a bit. A certain amount of things need to align for GWF to bring their strat to bear, but even if it stalls, should things go off, it’s clearly an effective strat: [7].

Judge Buffalo Soldier (Arch)

Why build a shelter when you can use it as a sick fighting stage, instead? This is what must’ve gone through the heads of our opponents here at the construction zone. Soichi Utsumi and Deacon Blues of Evergreen vs. Lucil Caravan and Roxanne from the Gallery of Wayward Reverie! In a battle for control, only one team can make it out on top. So, how do they do?

Starting with Evergreen, they move to cover, allowing Soichi to send out a unit of New Ways to start a tunneling network. This allows for ease of travel and resource collection while under cover from opponent interference. Meanwhile, Atomic Dog is sent to scout the field for resources and Input sources on top of the center platform. Evergreen wastes no time in starting to set up their defenses, whether it be resource gathering through New Ways, or by absorbing the sound around Roxanne with Atomic Dog to keep her isolated from Lucil. This is a smart move, especially when facing off against an aggressive pair of Stand Users.

Once they have their supplies gathered, they get to building their modular building. This hampers enemy line of sight and gives them cover from firing shots. They also go over their tactics for dealing with individual opponents. Atomic Dog will distract Lucil, hoping to pull aggro and keep the pressure on her. Meanwhile, New Ways will try to take out base items to isolate Lucil, which is good, considering their strategy involves keeping their opponents where they want them. For Roxanne, they keep their distance and mainly camp inside the building. Their defenses are sound, however, while taking the time to build a massive structure, they don’t seem to account for interference with the resources needed to build said structure. This can turn into a problem once bricks are sapped and wood is destroyed by Around the World. It’s not a glaring weakness, though something more than underground tunnels will be needed to protect resources that are already above ground.

Finally, once their structure is built up, they set it ablaze with no hesitation. The aim is to create an inferno to trap Lucil and Roxanne into, cornering them into either knockout by Stand User or by flame.

Ultimately, I’m going to give this strategy a 6. It’s a perfectly good strategy that answers the question: “how do we defend against an especially aggressive pair of Stand Users” with “we built a flammable bunker to obscure their movements and eventually use it to smoke them out”. It’s a defensive strategy that works, though it has some flaws.

Moving onto the Gallery, Roxanne coats Lucil in a layer of sap around her torso and hands her a sap nail. She then wastes no time grappling up to the central platform to make a sniper’s perch. Meanwhile, Lucil prepares herself and then teleports to the nearest toolbox with her nail, grabbing as many small objects as she can, developing the Worksite Waltz. This is a pretty strong opening, as the two waste no time in moving into position. It would be dangerous to let their opponents set up, so they move to beat them to the punch.

In terms of priority, they choose to deal with Deacon first, who is a problem for the Gallery given his high defense and ability to bring attacks back to sender. So, Roxanne shoots sap nails around wherever Deacon is, allowing Lucil to close the gap and start attacking him, using the sap to hold him in place. It's an incredibly reckless move, but one that pays dividends by eating through bulbs and wires as she beats the stuffing out of Deacon. And with Roxanne on support, she can take care of New Ways and Atomic Dog from moving in too close. That being said, Roxanne is also taking shots at New Ways, or the objects they are possessing to hinder the progress of any trap Soichi might be trying to set.

Once Deacon has been dealt with, the duo use Lucil as a beacon to bring Soichi out of hiding. Whether by hunting him down by using AtW teleports or by breaking down the walls of any defense he’s hiding around, Lucil intends to grab a hold of Soichi and not let go. Once she has him in his grip, it's only a matter of moving him around and working with Roxanne to take out the remaining New Ways units to finally retire Soichi.

Overall, I’m going to give this strategy an 8. When dealing with two tricky, resourceful opponents, one must act efficiently and tactfully. The Gallery manages to do this especially well. Whether through leveraging their opponents into making difficult, but ultimately fatal choices, or keeping in mind what should be prioritized, the Gallery duo does it all; coming out with an airtight strategy to take their opponents down. Well done.

Judge Lucil Caravan (Extra)

To start with Evergreen, there's a strong plan at the core of this to hunker down and overwhelm the opposition via consuming tons of energy with Atomic Dog. However, the strategy feels very meandering at points, with ideas that don't seem to add much to the strategy (Atomic Dog staking a claim to the platform only for it to immediately leave without a fight when challenged comes to mind) or don't feel fully fleshed out and lack a conclusion to their use (the tunnel network for New Way, for example). This could have been a shorter strategy without sacrificing any effectiveness, and the length somewhat works to your detriment in my opinion, making it more difficult to follow any particular component through the strategy to see what it adds to the whole. Because of that, I think this is a pretty solid **6** - competent and effective, but needs a lot of tightening up for that competence to shine through.

As for the Gallery, you come out swinging and simply don't stop. While it's not a full-on rushdown, the sheer aggression in the strategy gives you command of the pacing, and everything Roxanne and Lucil do, from the moment they start their setup to the moment they land their finisher, adds up to a massive snowball. The only gripe I have is that Soichi feels slightly undersold during the portion of the fight where you focus down Deacon - turning a 2v2 into a 2v1 isn't quite as easy as it seems you expected it to be, especially given the versatility of New Way. That said, you are cognizant of him and take efforts to hamper any independent action he takes, so it's no dealbreaker. For how smooth and efficient this strategy is, I think it earns itself a strong **8.**