HOLDER'S HEROES

If you play sports, or maybe poker, you've probably heard the expression "put on your game face". In Redemption, this doesn't really mean get angry and get ready to hit somebody, like it does in football. Rather, it's more like poker where you don't want to give anything away with your facial expressions. Unless, of course, you do want to give something away, but most of the time you don't.

Follow up:

Most players have a good grasp of Redemption fundamentals. However, using strategies outside of card combos isn't something that everybody does. Most people don't take the time to remember various Dominants, Enhancements, and Artifacts that have been used. Therefore, when they go into battle, they have absolutely no idea what's going to happen. If you try to keep tabs on what your opponent has and hasn't played, your record will improve tremendously.

Example 1: Your playing against a Site deck. You have 2 access cards in your deck, Angel at Jerusalem and Dragon Raid. Your opponent is using a black defense and you're worried about him stealing your Sites. Playing against a Site deck, you have to play your offense a bit differently than normal. You want to make sure that you can win the battle before they can steal your Sites. However, if you rescue with The Strong Angel and Dragon Raid, thinking you'll get a Lost Soul, then your opponent will most likely use Simon the Magician and Joseph in Prison to get rid of one of your most powerful characters, and your only access Site. You have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. If you aren't, then it will most definitely happen, and your opponent will gain the advantage.

Example 2: You are playing against a speed deck. Your opponent did the whole "I'll draw my whole deck by turn 2" thing, and you're still sitting there with 11 cards trying to figure out what to do. Remember, you're going for worst-case scenario. Therefore, you'll rescue, but your opponent will play CM. Answer? BAND! Yeah, then your opponent will probably give you half the "Lost Souls" card and play Burial. Also, your opponent will probably be playing AOC promo sometime soon, so don't put all your EC's in play. You have to think about possible situations before you attack. For newer players, I understand this may be hard to do, because you don't have the experience needed. However, it will come with time, don't get frustrated.

Bluffing is another commonly-used tactic in Redemption, especially online. Last time I checked, you can wear sunglasses at tournaments, so feel free to do so. When you don't get a good draw first turn, act ecstatic. Your opponent will be worried that his "mediocre" offense won't be enough to beat your defense, even though you didn't draw anything great. Also, talking "trash" or "smack" is recommended (Ed- but not very Christ-like. -Schaef). Use caution with this one, though. Bragging about how good your deck is, who you beat, etc., can get annoying. However, telling your opponent how your EC's will own their Heroes can be good. Not only can it throw off their train of thought, but sometimes they'll get mad enough to attack with that Hero which you can beat easily.

Another great bluffing tactic is to mumble under your breath, just loud enough for your opponent to hear. Saying stuff like "ah crud, I forgot to activate 3 Nails", can make your opponent block with a demon. Or, staying stuff like "should've banded, now I'll just get AOTL'd" and making your opponent think you've got something good to play on your not-so-good character is great.

Bluffing is something you can do in deck-building as well. I've heard that some people put AOC promo and Haman's Plot in their deck without anything to play them on, just so people use Gabriel on them. Use a couple Sites if you have extra room, you can really freak your opponent out if you get them early game. Another one is putting a few "standalone" Evil Characters in your deck, just so it looks like you have some defense but got a bad draw. This makes your opponent more cautious to rescue when they see Red Dragon, Sapphira, and King Zimri in your territory. Try to hide your strategies as much as possible while playing and make it look like you're using an archetype you're not. When I'm playing Speed decks, I always try to put the FBTN/Banding Heros in play early on, and use Artifacts that match that archetype. When playing defenseless of any kind, I try to keep Heroes in my hand for as long as possible, so my opponent doesn't know I'm playing defenseless. If you put 7 Heroes in play first turn, it's gonna be obvious that you're playing defenseless.

The greatest bluffling tactic in my opinion is pretending to have something good when you don't. Example, your opponent has HOH in Solomon's Temple and Golden Calf active. You activate some random Artifact that will help you minimally, like 3 Nails, Blue Tassels, Jacob's Ladder, or Elijah's Mantle. Your opponent will look at you funny for a second, then wonder about AOTL, then block cautiously with somebody they normally wouldn't. Why would they do that when they could just use their big immune character? If you rescue confidently then they'll think you have something to win the rescue, when you really don't. However, they're preparing for worst-case scenario, and sometimes this can win you the battle.

Lastly, distract your opponent as much as possible. I don't mean every five seconds you should ask them what time it is, I mean do things that are subtle but still annoying. Sleeves that have a nasty glare, or really bright colors are great distractions. Wearing bright colors, or funky clothes of any sort will most definetly be a distraction for a while. Try to eat during games if possible. Always shuffle your opponent's deck so the cards face all different ways (Ed- If you ever do this to me, I will light your entire deck of cards on fire and tap dance on the ashes. -Schaef). Tap your fingers on the table, jiggle your leg (I know some people do this without thinking about it), listen to music just loud enough so your opponent can hear the beat (unless of course this distracts you).

Another great distraction tactic I heard was to put the "good" cards in your hand reversed. That means your opponent will see your AOC Promo, AOTL, Sog/NJ, etc. I'm not sure if this is legal, but another good one is talking to the other player in a multi-player game that isn't involved in a rescue or anything. Or, show your entire hand to 1 person at the multi-player table and keep everybody else excluded from the fun. (Ed- as revealing your hand is allowed by special abilities, I would suggest that revealing your hand at any other time is NOT allowed. I would not recommend this tactic. -Schaef)

So, what do you need to make sure you do at tournaments?

• Be distracting/annoying
• Remember what your opponent has played
• Try to imagine worst case scenarios and how you can overcome them
• Bluff.