Hey guys,

I love melee, but I just can't get into Joust. It feels too Magic-y to me and my girlfriend (whom I'd be playing with most of the time). I think, however, the failing is on how we're building our decks. We play a lot of Melee and don't really change our decks for that. We started to do it a bit, but I thought I'd ask everyone's opinion on what big differences you need in your deck in order to make it play well in Joust (and make the game fun). She plays Lannister, and I like Martell and Greyjoy, but I'd be more interested in thoughts for Lanni (I don't have an issue building a deck...yet). Also, does the game ever take on the strategic decisions of Melee, or is it always a quicker game?

Joust play is all about control elements, either the ones you are using against your opponent and countering your opponent's attempts to control you. That is very different than Melee where the emphasis seems to be taking advantages of oppurtunities as they arise and claiming power. You really need to remember that when transitioning from melee to joust and joust to melee.

What about the Joust games makes it feel like Magic too you?

The strategic decisions in Joust are just as rich as those in Melee, but with a different focus. Melee's strategic decisions are about diplomacy with the various players. You can get a pretty good advantage by not calling attention to yourself and making yourself out to be the least threatening opponent. In Joust, that aspect is gone because there is only you, and your opponent's attention is completely focused on you.

Melee is essentially about convincing your opponents to take certain available options over others. Joust, kp implies, is often about eliminating the options available to your opponent (hence the focus on control). I tend to think of it as the difference between poker (Melee) and chess (Joust). One is about group psychology, one is about individual psychology.

Melee is about getting into your opponent's society. Joust is about getting into your opponent's head.

Darksbane said:

I think that, as others have said, we have to focus a little more on control in Joust. Without control, it ends up just being a 'beat up on the other person at the table' game, which was why it seemed very Magic-y to us. I was just pulling decks out of the core set to try it, but I think I'll make up Lanni and Martell decks with a lot of events/kneel tonight to see if that adds the dimension we're looking for. I also think that getting back home and getting some extra copies of Valar/Wildfire will help.

Thanks for the responses, I'll let you know how it goes!

ktom's chess-poker analogy is a good one. Summarizing the style of play, to me, joust is about making the right play, while melee is taking advantage of opportunities. Joust is highly structured and strategic, whereas melee is more fluid and tactical, so it's not surprising to like one more than the other, depending on what kind of gameplay you enjoy. I like both equally, but they're almost like different games to me.

I would say Joust is both making the right play and taking advantage of opportunity, while Melee is making the right play and making opportunities.