JJOCT7 R1M2 Quality

Judge Big Ball (logicsandwich)

T7 has opened with more complex matches than some may have expected, but they’re object lessons in learning how to make models of problems, how to see what’s high priority and determine what’s the “gist” without being overwhelmed by “form”. If M1 was a ranged scaler and melee rushdown fighting over resources, M2 asks players to perform 5 tasks in any order, then 1 final task.

The question and gameplay come in the “how”; Mali must use his Stand’s area control and setplay to deal with the multiple objects/people per task, while Windy has her charisma and muppet body to deal with the fewer, more difficult objects/people per task. While voting turned on Completion, Stealth, and Panache, my delib will focus on how they execute the strat theses, particularly whether they justify and manage the consequences that arise from their actions—“is what happened what you said would happen?”

Windy’s strat places a strong emphasis on Narrative by sheer volume of (flavor) text. Not the usual blending of narrative and mechanics that scratches that ludonarrative itch, but if I was consistently smiling as I read, I can’t complain. The opening section is simple enough: get a permission slip and Ichi’s favorite recipe, some pastries, and slip the microfilm in the book. I think the permission slip is a bit of a thin disguise (getting a waitress uniform along with it would be effective), but I’ll save my comments for later.

The second section has a fun refusal to “to get to the top floor without using the vents and avoiding drawing attention to herself,” rappelling herself up and combat rolling into Sing Now!’s office instead. There is a slight point in Technical/Reading (what does it mean to “recalling each [ball of yarn] as soon as they make impact”?), but I think the sneaking in is Competently done.

I don’t have much to say with regards to the strat as it continues from here, it’s well Planned and executed. If I had to say anything, it’s a little bit happy path, especially with its reliance on Windy’s 5 skill, especially given its multipart/generalist nature. Mind, Windy does have high charisma, but since it can be relied on “in restricted areas to a point...[and convincing guards] to escort her back to the ball [is] a hit to her overall score”, walking in and directly accosting them with pastries and a (potentially forged!) permission slip is dicey. (Planning/Competency/Logistics) Relying on Mali having finished his guard incapacitation or the blackout for trickier sections is viable, but it does make understanding the timeline of the match difficult, especially since the black out is halfway into the 4 hours soiree.

Ultimately, while I think that the strat falters a bit on the particulars and the kit’s interactions with the map elements (Logistics/Competency/Technical), it is “undeniably solidly good in how it approaches its central thesis.” While its flaws arguably justify a 6 or so, I think the Planning and Narrative keep it afloat at a 7. Good job! Always remember that treating “narrative” and “mechanics” as a trade off is a false choice. You, like the best strats before you, can use one to further reinforce the other.

Judge Met Gala (CPU_Dragon)

Starting with Dr. Mali, out of the gate Stand phasing is something that is restricted; I understand that there was not necessarily signposting of what I expected to get Tropical Solution to the second floor as the mapmaker, so I’ll not be hammering home on phasing to get to the second floor. However, I will note that phasing through the ground to affect a water line is not kosher outright.
As for the rest of the strategy, I overall thought that Dr. Mali did fairly well! I think that the plan to take out a lot of guards at once, while ambitious, should get a chunk and is well set up. If it doesn’t work perfectly, then I think that Dr. Mali has enough leeway to do cleanup, even if I feel it could have been tightened up.

I also think that swapping around the bugs via bar change is interesting, but likely not terribly effective, and slightly more could have been done with the gallery statues. That said, I think that overall Mali’s play is very solid, and I want to again bring up the guard hotbox as a real centerpiece of planning. Additionally, his use of water is very solid, and even with the phasing putting a pin in the mass poisoning somewhat, he has enough control over the drinks overall to make it work.

I think Dr. Mali’s strategy overall shows a good direction on high range control play, and his kit is well utilized and conceived. I’ll be giving him a low 7/10; his kit is well utilized and many of the centerpieces of his strat work very well. That said, there were sections that felt somewhat less cohesive like the gallery, and as tight as the strat is, it could be argued Dr. Mali relies too much on spending the last about hour filling in the holes he had. That said, I believe he can fill in those holes; good job!

As for Windy, I think that overall this is a strat that knows exactly what it wants to get done. There’s a genuine air of sweetness a lesser writer would have made saccharine. I think that narratively this is something to be proud of and a damn good first go at the tourney.

I think that the choice to use social engineering instead of direct stealth to bypass many of the challenges pays off dividends, getting the party on your side and using that cover to go further into the espionage elements. I’ll especially highly knocking out the head guard as very clever. I think that Windy’s strategy is overall solid and competent, and I don’t want to litigate everything in the match, so I’ll highlight the area I feel was the weakest, which generalizes to the rest of the strategy.

I feel that the Microfilm task was the most suspect of all of them. There are points where Windy planting the microfilm seems like it puts more on her social skills to distract-- for example in the kitchen or guard room-- while she’s actively getting attention to do her social engineering. As fun as she is, I think that it’d be more difficult to explain away the more suspicious actions she has to do.

Again while I don’t feel this is poor, I feel that Windy doesn’t put quite enough stock into making her distractions really land and solidifying the more hard to explain aspects of her plan. That said, think that overall I’ll give Windy a 6/10. While overall solid and well reasoned, at times I feel that she’s a bit too brazen and confident with her story when more could be done to corroborate. That said, good job!

Judge Olympus Gala (Archerous)

We’ve got ourselves another match! Windy from the Moonbeam Riders vs. Dr. Mali with the Lotus Street Manifold. Though, to call it a competition would be a tad inaccurate. This was a party filled with espionage and trickery, and our contenders were more busy completing their assignments than getting in the other’s way. How polite! But just how did our secret agents fair?

Starting with Windy, we have quite the performance! With a dedication to keep the lonely Ichi company throughout, our muppet spy makes a dash to the kitchen to get a head start on her tasks. Using her charm and celebrity status, Windy resolves to solve her problems with kindness, offering food to everyone she comes across. Sneakily so, this also serves as an excuse to do her tasks without drawing suspicion. I think this plays well to Windy’s strengths, allowing her to both be a ray of light and a crafty agent for ｢Her｣. The plan is solid!

However, an issue arises once Windy goes outside. I find that her method of getting onto the second floor is ultimately doable, but she doesn’t seem to account for the fact that she is a lightweight, felt puppet going outside during a monsoon. Further thought into the environment and it’s obstacles would be preferred.

Though, once she’s on the second floor, she’s able to take control of the situation once more, getting the secretary on her side, and gaining the info she needs. I find that the strategy hits another snag when she deals with the guards, as she distracts them while Autonymph does it’s tasks. While she accounts for the guards being able to see her Stand, I think it’s stretching her social skill’s capabilities a bit to have Autonymph doing tasks in front of them. While I don’t doubt it could work, it is a bit of a risky move that could’ve been extrapolated upon.

Beyond that, I think the rest of the strategy holds very well! With the rest of her tasks taking place in the gallery, the muppet spy is able to hang out with Ichi, make her a gift, and end the night on a sweet note. I’ll also add that I appreciate how the strat accounted for the blackout in each section, covering all their bases.

Overall, I’m giving this a 7. While there are a few issues I find with the strat, I think the rest makes up for it. It reads incredibly well and is packed with a lot of creative solutions for our G-Rated friend!

Onto our dear doctor, Mali wastes no time in getting into the library and clearing it out with his pollution. He then sends his stand into the room above to gather information for him. This is a creative play, one I’m quite fond of, though it’s important to note that Stand phasing is a tenuous issue within the mechanics of tourney. Nothing major, but It’s definitely something to look out for.

Mali then takes care of the guards by getting both their suits and glasses dirty. I find this to be a good way to strip the guards of their advantage, all the while forcing them into a more favorable position for the doctor. A solid play! We also run into Windy in this section, allowing Mali to play around her. I find he does this very well, making sure to take into account Windy’s tasks, while not completely relying on them being done. I think this is particularly well thought-out.

Heading to the bar, Mali seeks to both poison the drinks and subtly bug the soldiers with coins. An efficient strategy. Onto his play against the guards, Mali sets up a plan to take them out in one fell swoop. Having his Stand loom in the backrooms while telling the guards about a disturbance in said backrooms is a pretty creative use of his Stand. It’s even better when accented by timing the gas attack with blackout. A masterful play, indeed.

Beyond that, the rest of the strat goes swimmingly, allowing the doctor’s prior actions to bear fruit. He then destroys the important documents and leaves behind the ever elusive mark, ending the match with a subtle flourish.

Overall, I’m going to give this a 7. There are a lot of good plays in this strategy and the character writing is stellar. Though there are a few mechanical issues sprinkled throughout, this is an excellent first showing from the good doctor!