Archerous' R2M16 Delib

Quality

Well, it would seem like we have a calming, straightforward game of golf on our hands. Though of course, with our players, R.K. Viswanathan Ashok from Heart of the Rose, and David Jackson of the Dead City Haunts, things couldn’t stay so simple for long. Behind this rather mundane sport is a game of subterfuge and trickery. So, who out-golfs who?

Starting with Ashok, we have a fairly straightforward approach to the game. Ashok sets the expectation of making legal and unobtrusive moves whenever possible, such as analyzing the techniques of his teammates and chasing the balls so as not to elicit too much suspicion when they do it for driving/sabotage purposes. From there, Ashok presents a list of moves that can be applied throughout the match, giving them the flexibility to approach each hole and its challenges, be they natural or from an antagonistic force. One thing I’d like to note is that while Ashok presents a list of techniques with little writing to bridge them, I don’t believe this will affect their quality score, given the nature of the match environment. That being said, the techniques provided are organized into two categories: Drives and Sabotages. I’ll be analyzing their effectiveness individually.

The Drives mainly make use of Mandates on their own golf ball. There are buffs, like the JECHT SHOT, and the STONE SKIPPER that give the ball an extra boost in either speed or traversal, especially through hazards. Moves like the SPHERE SHOTs, BUMPER BARS, and the MARIONETTE give Ashok the versatility to alter the course of the ball into more favorable paths. I also appreciate the BLACK HOLE, making use of the Stand’s natural ability in order to pull the ball directly into the hole. This section covers a lot of its bases, making sure Ashok is able to have as much control over their shots as possible.

The Sabotages offer a subtle approach to their trickery. BAD LANDING and OVERDRIVE hides the sabotage through stage hazards and the player’s own perceived failures. SLOW ARC gives Ashok an opportunity to affect not only his opponent’s balls, but his own if need be, being a particularly flexible move. Similarly to the Drives, I’d argue that each Sabotage serves its purpose well, allowing Ashok to control the game to the best of their ability, though stealthily.

Overall, I’m going to give this strategy a 7. It’s a solid set of techniques that cover a lot of ground and make good use of Ashok’s abilities. Well done!

Onto David, we have a few parameters set for how he plans to play the game. These mainly boil down to using his friendliness to gain social grace from his peers so that when he asks favors, such as giving him around 20m of space, they have a better chance to be obliged. It also has the benefit of casting suspicion onto Ashok if he refuses these simple requests. It’s a cogent strategy, for sure, though it is one that David makes use of a little too often. He uses politeness as a passive shield against Ashok, one that doesn’t work for every occasion, and could even backfire in some cases. It can keep Ashok, and thus their portals away from David for a little bit, but David doesn’t go into how exactly Ashok refusing to listen negatively impacts them beyond committing a faux pas. Besides, if David is constantly asking for 20m of space everytime Ashok gets near, David could come across as more irritable than he intends to, potentially souring the moods of his fellow players, and thus making them less willing to meet David’s requests. It’s a good strategy, of course, just one that comes with inherent risks and mechanisms that could’ve been better defined.

Moving to Hole 4, David offers a simple gameplan, but one that works quite effectively. Using the Fine Print to boost his physical abilities, while making use of his own golfing skills, aims to shoot his ball farther than everyone else's. This gives him an opportunity to mess with Ashok’s ball while moving to get to his, transmuting the insides with uneven rock, giving the ball undue heft and instability. After this moment of sabotage, he uses the Fine Print to push the ball into the hole once he’s close enough. A solid section all around.

Once past this hole, David makes use of similar tactics throughout, using the transmutation trick with every ball on the field eventually, reverting every ball but the ones Ashok picks up. He even goes so far as to sabotage their clubs, replacing the solid inside with brittle modeling clay. He also makes great use of this transmutation to deal with hazards such as sand and tall grass to create optimal putting situations.

While David employs a solid strategy for taking the victory, there are some minor, yet crucial missteps he takes while golfing. I had previously brought up the shakiness of his “politeness shield” when dealing with Ashok’s sabotage. In addition, I find that David offers very little against the Mandates laid out by Puppet Loosely Strung beyond swiping the chains away with goo. I also would’ve preferred to see at least a small portion of the strategy acknowledge the water hazard on Hole 13.

That all being said, I’m going to give this strategy a 5. Despite the issues I’ve laid out, I do think this is a solid strategy. David makes excellent use of his punchghost throughout the match, though I believe some more counterplay would’ve helped to round out the strategy.

Jojolity

As for Jojolities, I have little to say. Ashok presented some excellent means of sabotage. However, I found that they focused more on practicality than any particular flair to their actions. This could be inherent to the list formatting, but in any case, I’m going to give their Jojolity a 6.

David, however, definitely brought some style to his golfing, taking risky shots with the jagged rocks and in the hazards, playing up the drama of his game through posturing and skill. This is a performance, and David is doing exceedingly well. Thus, I’m giving his Jojolity a 7. Well done!