So given what we now know to be true, (characters can use actions from outside of battle, and bowed characters can take actions), how would you have played the turn differently if you were Alex in the scenario in the Banzai article?

Here are the rules for the remix:

Both players consider this battle to be important enough to try to win.

Jenny's thought process doesn't change. She will try to play out her turn exactly as printed, in the order printed.

Jenny will take her action to the next best legal target if she can't carry it out as written.

You only have access to cards that are explicitly shown in the article.

Anything shown in pictures accompanying the article is available to be used (even if not mentioned in text)

Can Alex do it? What's the best case scenario for him?

Jenny is, by far, the superior player in this match up regardless of what Alex does. There is no coming back from the humiliation Jenny has put on Alex's play ability. Alex may as well give up on playing any game from now on. Why would anyone choose to play Phoenix in the first place?? Alex should just go home and think about life decisions.

Best case scenario for Alex is to table flip!

Best case scenario for Alex is not great because he has pretty poor cards. The best case scenario can't save the province. It can just improve the overall board position. I think it is:

Alex: Bows Masajiro to discard the seeker of enlightenment.

Jenny: Honors togashi initiate

Alex: Pass.

Jenny plays the two swords and breaks the province, maybe playing cloud the mind on Masajiro.

Alex still loses, but the seeker of enlightenment which had 2 fate on it is gone, and Alex still has a bunch of cards in hand and didnt waste 2 fate.

I was thinking that there was a way to get it so that Jenny didn't take the province, but I've played it out and no dice. My original thought was to Cloud the Mind the Agasha Swordsmith to remove shugenja from him and prevent him from doing the same to Isawa Masahiro, giving Alex a chance to use Masahiro's action. The real game swinger is Bonzai though, held to the end. Since there are no targeting requirements for it, unless we can completely remove or bow Jenny's characters, she'll have at least 1+4=5. Which is equal still one more than the Peacemaker.

Better luck next time Alex.

Sometimes a male player may unintentionally expect an easy victory when paired against a female and get careless and lose as a result. Not sure if that's what they intended to convey in the play example, but it was my take.

11 minutes ago, Kiseki said:

... unless we can completely remove or bow Jenny's characters, she'll have at least 1+4=5. Which is equal still one more than the Peacemaker.

Better luck next time Alex.

But his PS is 4, so if he only loses by 1 he saves the province.

5 minutes ago, Yogo Gohei said:

But his PS is 4, so if he only loses by 1 he saves the province.

Oh wait, so let me double check my best one.

5 minutes ago, Yogo Gohei said:

But his PS is 4, so if he only loses by 1 he saves the province.

It looks like my best attempt got him to 4-4 before Banzai. If I could have drawn out Masahiro by one more turn, Jenny would be toast. One more action Alex!

5 hours ago, Builder2 said:

Sometimes a male player may unintentionally expect an easy victory when paired against a female and get careless and lose as a result. Not sure if that's what they intended to convey in the play example, but it was my take.

I was gonna post something about how do you know that Alex is a male player... But then I reread the article and they use him/he for Alex.

I don't see why losing the province is a big deal when Masahiro destroys their best person, from home no less. Long term probably a better decision, make Jenny burn cards. Alex loses only some pride in exchange for card and personality advantage.

9 hours ago, Kiseki said:

I was thinking that there was a way to get it so that Jenny didn't take the province, but I've played it out and no dice. My original thought was to Cloud the Mind the Agasha Swordsmith to remove shugenja from him and prevent him from doing the same to Isawa Masahiro, giving Alex a chance to use Masahiro's action. The real game swinger is Bonzai though, held to the end. Since there are no targeting requirements for it, unless we can completely remove or bow Jenny's characters, she'll have at least 1+4=5. Which is equal still one more than the Peacemaker.

Better luck next time Alex.

Actually Cloud the Mind doesn't remove traits like shugenja, so that wouldn't stop Jenny from using another one on Masahiro.

6 hours ago, Doji Tori said:

Actually Cloud the Mind doesn't remove traits like shugenja, so that wouldn't stop Jenny from using another one on Masahiro.

Ah. I missed that line. Good catch.

On 5/13/2017 at 2:42 AM, Sparks Duh said:

Jenny is, by far, the superior player in this match up regardless of what Alex does. There is no coming back from the humiliation Jenny has put on Alex's play ability. Alex may as well give up on playing any game from now on. Why would anyone choose to play Phoenix in the first place?? Alex should just go home and think about life decisions.

Best case scenario for Alex is to table flip!

Dude, you play Spider...

On 5/13/2017 at 4:53 PM, Builder2 said:

Sometimes a male player may unintentionally expect an easy victory when paired against a female and get careless and lose as a result. Not sure if that's what they intended to convey in the play example, but it was my take.

Common Gaming Mistakes 101

I fully expect to see a lot more of this when this game comes out.

EDIT: My money is still with Jenny.

On 5/14/2017 at 2:05 AM, Isawa Syd said:

I don't see why losing the province is a big deal when Masahiro destroys their best person, from home no less. Long term probably a better decision, make Jenny burn cards. Alex loses only some pride in exchange for card and personality advantage.

Why is Alex's pride involved at all? is his ego so frail that it's tied up to how he fares in a card game? Is it because he lost a province to a "girl"?

4 minutes ago, AllWingsStandyingBy said:

Why is Alex's pride involved at all? is his ego so frail that it's tied up to how he fares in a card game? Is it because he lost a province to a "girl"?

I think it's just a saying.

I don't think pride has anything to do with it. The only card Alex knows Jenny has is Ancestral Dashio. The choice to defend is fine, but the line of play is a poor one. The province is getting taken if Jenny wants to. She has the superior cards in this example. Alex has no way of knowing this. Alex can only hope to play for a better position in the following turns and he failed to do that.

It appears that Alex failed to consider his opponent would have had Cloud the Mind. He tried to hedge against the possibility of being able to kill a character when his opponent invested enough on it to make it a positive skill trade. He overlooked the fact that he had a positive skill trade and passed his only opportunity to get use out of Masahiro. Once that happened he played way too many cards to try and keep up in conflict that he was I'll equipped to win. The whole conflict was a complete disaster got Alex.

Wasted the only use of his province card. Wasted the use of Masahiro. Wasted cards he didn't have to play. I don't think gender has anything to do with it. Alex is likely inexperienced, nothing more.

4 hours ago, RandomJC said:

I think it's just a saying.

5 hours ago, AllWingsStandyingBy said:

Why is Alex's pride involved at all? is his ego so frail that it's tied up to how he fares in a card game? Is it because he lost a province to a "girl"?

Um. What does gender have to do with pride? It's a saying. Calm down. My wife crushes my provinces all the time.

I'm more intrigued by the quotes around the word "girl." When we have the ability to use italics but still opt for quotes, it suggests irony in the word choice.

55 minutes ago, Builder2 said:

I'm more intrigued by the quotes around the word "girl." When we have the ability to use italics but still opt for quotes, it suggests irony in the word choice.

Semantics, semantics

On 5/13/2017 at 3:42 AM, Sparks Duh said:

Jenny is, by far, the superior player in this match up regardless of what Alex does. There is no coming back from the humiliation Jenny has put on Alex's play ability...

Swoon...

1 hour ago, Isawa Syd said:

Um. What does gender have to do with pride? It's a saying. Calm down. My wife crushes my provinces all the time.

I am unsure why I was quoted. Lol