Cactus Game Design Message Boards

Good morning everyone,
I have been blessed with the opportunity to play more games recently through webcam. I primarily play with a Rotation Ruth offense. I wanted to ask the wiser and broader community what some notable lines of play they use while running the offense in Rotation. To better clarify I am speaking about round one plays, what you search out with Elimelech (LoC), and who you generally go into battle with. I understand this is a broad topic so please feel free to ask for clarification.
I will share some of my personal testimony on the play lines I usually choose when playing: If I am first turn player and my opponent is representing no LS's in territory, I like to attack, search for, or band in Amminadab (LoC) in to generate a soul for rescue. Another obvious line I use while playing is to start off my combat chain with David, HAG (LoC) or Elimelech, then searching for Obed (LoC) if I already have Ruth in hand. Jesse (LoC) and Obed (LoC) create a sticky board state for my opponent to navigate so getting them out early is important. Boaz' Foreman (LoC), Book of the Law (LoC), Threshing Floor (LoC), and Bethlehem (LoC) all are useful protective options to set up after I get my main attackers and support on the board.
I am looking forward to see what y'all respond back with on this post. I need learn more information about matchups in the Rotation format and the wider nuances Ruth offenses have to offer. I am still looking into pairings for my defense, but the obvious choice is gray due to its innate synergy.

Thank you for your time and God bless,
Jared Strauss

For Rotation specifically. LoC only line would be interesting to know about as well if you have them!

For first turn consistency, Ruth has some really nice options. Off the top of my head, I'd probably run Land of Moab, Boaz' Offspring, Virgin Birth, Ruth meets Boaz, and Love Righteousness. Best early game rescues will be David or Boaz to set things up. Rotation gray is pretty mediocre right now, so I'd look at Brown or even Crimson defensively.

Rotation gray is pretty mediocre right now

I definitely disagree with this. Gray defense helped to win 1st place at Nats this year. With the exception of two cards (NCH and Proud Pharisee), the gray defense Josh used was all rotation cards. Jayden won an online tourney recently with a gray defense. Rob Smith also won a recent online tournament using a gray defense. Gray is very powerful and has many abilities and characters that can easily win battles or stall rescues. Now, if we were living in pre-PoC times, then I’d say gray was mediocre.

I think gray paired with Ruth is clearly one of the best defenses to use with that offense. Splash in some gray Moabites to work even better with the Ruth theme and you got yourself a winning defense.

Quote from: Watchman on December 13, 2021, 09:19:19 AM

Quote from: Red Wing on December 11, 2021, 01:07:48 PM

Rotation gray is pretty mediocre right now

Jayden won an online tourney recently with a gray defense.

I haven't used gray in any online tournaments lately (mostly cuz I've been playing LoC Only the last two times and LoC gray is pretty meh IMO), but perhaps you're thinking of the teal/gray deck I built that Rob adjusted and piloted to the tourney win. I agree that gray is still pretty decent though. It has access some of the best battlewinners with Unsuccessful, Balaam's, False Prophecy, Scattered, and Scattered Sheep. The only thing it really lacks are interrupts and negates to the point where I considered putting Crucify Him! into the aforementioned teal/gray deck but decided it wasn't needed since the battlewinners are hard to stop anyway.

I thought you used gray (Naaman) with the Ruth/Prophets deck?  I thought the game we played for your recent video was the same one you used at the tourney. If not my apologies.

Quote from: Red Wing on December 11, 2021, 01:07:48 PM

Rotation gray is pretty mediocre right now

I definitely disagree with this. Gray defense helped to win 1st place at Nats this year. With the exception of two cards (NCH and Proud Pharisee), the gray defense Josh used was all rotation cards. Jayden won an online tourney recently with a gray defense. Rob Smith also won a recent online tournament using a gray defense. Gray is very powerful and has many abilities and characters that can easily win battles or stall rescues. Now, if we were living in pre-PoC times, then I’d say gray was mediocre.

I think gray paired with Ruth is clearly one of the best defenses to use with that offense. Splash in some gray Moabites to work even better with the Ruth theme and you got yourself a winning defense.

Proud and Chariots were the absolute lynchpins of that defense. Mostly Chariots to enable Rezin abuse, but Proud was still an elite play first option. The battle winners are definitely still great, but the characters took a big hit. It's probably still fine as a small defense. Death of Family is probably the best white/gray DAE for the battle extension, but that should almost always be played as good and I'm not even sure it's worth running. I do think Moabite messenger is an underrated EC though.

Gray is a profoundly efficient defense for actual tactical play that is seeking to exhaust an offenses resources. Everyman's Sword and Mercenary Chariots are great targets for Captain of the Chariots. The Roman Emperors still in rotation are also sneaky good blockers.

Quote from: Watchman on December 13, 2021, 09:19:19 AM

Quote from: Red Wing on December 11, 2021, 01:07:48 PM

Rotation gray is pretty mediocre right now

I definitely disagree with this. Gray defense helped to win 1st place at Nats this year. With the exception of two cards (NCH and Proud Pharisee), the gray defense Josh used was all rotation cards. Jayden won an online tourney recently with a gray defense. Rob Smith also won a recent online tournament using a gray defense. Gray is very powerful and has many abilities and characters that can easily win battles or stall rescues. Now, if we were living in pre-PoC times, then I’d say gray was mediocre.

I think gray paired with Ruth is clearly one of the best defenses to use with that offense. Splash in some gray Moabites to work even better with the Ruth theme and you got yourself a winning defense.

Proud and Chariots were the absolute lynchpins of that defense. Mostly Chariots to enable Rezin abuse, but Proud was still an elite play first option. The battle winners are definitely still great, but the characters took a big hit. It's probably still fine as a small defense. Death of Family is probably the best white/gray DAE for the battle extension, but that should almost always be played as good and I'm not even sure it's worth running. I do think Moabite messenger is an underrated EC though.

This is true. Both cards are core to what that defense was trying to do and it does not function consistently without both. Grey may very well be viable post rotation but my style is not. The goal of the defense is to blank all the opponent's battle resources by making every single block a play first into something CBI/N. A post-rotation grey defense may share many of the same cards but the game plan will be fundamentally different.