Which card is your favorite??

https://strawpoll.com/ajnEOYXAmZW


Mine is, definitely not sanctions

Sanctions card can be an outstanding choice, but there is no middle ground. If you pick it, you either didn't understand how it works, or you are skilled enough to calculate the game far enough into the future to observe that reaching 17 income is likely for you considering your starts. In either way, you are likely to be either a beginner or an elite player if you pick that card.

I think I prefer the reinforcement card

You can play the reinforcement card first turn in order to keep a different card, Dan

Card Power Rankings -

1. Delay Card
2. Priority Card
3. E-Block Card
4. Sanctions Card
5. Blockade Card

I don't know if we'll ever see a game where the blockade card was genuinely the right choice. Also, E-Block is overrated, super high risk card that can just lose you significant armies if your opponent doesn't fall for it, I prefer safer options.

I’ve played a lot of Tarabonia. Before playing my first game I would’ve had identical rankings to Octane.

Now I think it’s:
1. E-Block
2. Priority
3. Delay
4. Sanctions
5. Blockade

The thing is, this list is pointless. If you decided cards before picks then this would be an incredibly important discussion. But because you decide picks before cards there’s no point discussing what is good on average. There are clear OP boards and clear Sanctions boards. The rest are trickier and frequently EB is the best in my opinion.

I chose delay. Though was tempted to choose priority, because I can emulate a delay, with delays (in a game with no delay cards, I'm well aware I can't out-delay a delay card without playing one of my own), but I can't emulate priority in a game without priority.

If i had to choose card before seeing dist/picks, i d agree with octances list.

After seeing dist+picks, i rarely end up picking delay though. Delay is always solid, but with the extra info there often is another card i prefer and i think if i had to rank by what i actually end up picking in % it d be:

1. prio
2. sanction
3. delay
4. e-block
5. blockade

But thats def not a power rating pre-picks/dist. Also your opponent matters. Generally doesnt make sense to take a very high-risk card like e-block if you are up against a QM-rando.

Interesting everyone now places blockade on last place. The stats (which i still didnt finish, because i got lazy filling in the csv...) surely support that blockade is the one card performing worse than all the others.
Blockade is easiest to balance tho, so in hindsight i would ve bumped that number up to 500% maybe, rather than the 400% its got rn.

1. E-block
2. OP
3. Sanction
4. OD
5. Block

Depends a lot on the map. E-block is great if you have to play defense, OP for offense if you need some important chokepoint. Tarabonia has lots of chokepoints, which favors both e-block and OP. Sanctions are useful if it looks like people are achieving 17 income, it's like a permanent OD card with 5 extra delay armies.

OD can be useful sometimes.

I used blockade in one game with a perfect counter to an enemy bonus, and he just ignored the block and took another bonus. The block card was totally useless.

E block is insanely powerful card. Even the threat of having E block is better than delay. Prio is situational but there are games it feels forced. Sanction can be useful, but 9/10 times i will prefer to use a card earlier to try to maximize position. Block card is the least useful because it is light fog and there are few chokes which you can’t just go around in a few turns. It also eats armies and 400% is good but not good enough

Also whatever trolls voted sanction in straw poll, why? :D

You can have the threat of having e block and still hold delay or any other card. As long as you don't visibly play your card, the e block threat is always there :)

Edited 5/14/2024 10:42:47

Sanctions card can be voted in the poll because it's the most forced card, if applicable. If you can foresee that you'll reach 17 income, you have to pick sanctions in 9/10 cases, not the other way round!