The Best Offense is a Good Defense

You’re at the armory, and it’s round 2. You have been playing a grindy matchup for the past 40 minutes, and you go to draw your hand. To your surprise, it’s four blues: three Wounding Blow and a Brutal Assault. You then get hit with a question that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, as a million years of evolutionary instinct kicks in.

“How many cards are left in the deck?” Your hands shake as you spread out your deck, miscounting the first two times but then finding the strength to say “Five. What about you?” Your opponent has a glint in their eye, and they’re practically licking their lips. Your question is irrelevant, but they respond because they are legally required to.

“Twenty”

Your ears start ringing. How did you even get to this point? You pitched these cards; this is your fault. It’s okay, we can salvage this. All you have to do is win in the next few turns. That can’t be hard, right? You’ve been throwing heaters all game; your opponent is on their last legs. You are a killing machine, finish them! You look over at the life totals, and your heart falls through the floor, passes through the center of the earth, and ends up in Australia. If you are not in the Northern Hemisphere (the author apologizes for self-inserting bias here), flip this story.