Here we go again.  Bringing you the best mediocre content that we know how.  I really feel like we’re getting the hang of this whole mediocre thing.  You know what they say, “once you go mediocre… you apathetically lose interest in your life’s ambitions.”  If one phrase could surmise all that we represent, that one might overstate it–but it would be close, for sure.

So many cards so little time.  No, literally.  There were a ton of cards and we reviewed them in record time.  Not that we wanted to gyp the audience of voluminous content, but rather, we felt we were being a little too inefficient in how we shared our thoughts.  That said, we bring you more sound for your ear faces.  Enjoy it or not.

As always links to our bumper music:

Click below for links to full versions of the songs:

Roccow

Alpha Brutal

Sadly, we weren’t able to sequester the time required to do a full review of all the cards in one sitting.  While that is unfortunate for us logistically it’s great for us as players.  Having as many cards released at once is so exciting.  While I personally liked just dropping twenty bucks and having all the new cards, this release breathes some long term energy into the meta.  Cards will trickle into ladder as opposed to having immediate and direct effect on the meta of the game.  In addition, it’s nice to have to take a moment to consider what to craft for your decks.  Immediately having a drastically different deck takes a commitment of personal resources that limits your ability to append all of your faction decks at once.  Not only that, but assessing what cards are relevant is even more important as knowing where and when to place your commitments is important, especially early in a release.  So, listen along as pump your heads with more card chatter.

As always links to our bumper music:

Click below for links to full versions of the songs:

Roccow

Alpha Brutal

 What a day to be alive and playing Duelyst.  Today we bring a short episode to discuss the big big news of the Namco Bandai partnership.   Doesn’t it go to figure that the day after we record an episode  gigantic news is released.  Rather than discuss it a week after the fact we felt this news warranted immediate response.  So, here it is.  Sadly, Kevin was out of town and unable to record with us, but we do our best to make due without his sarcasm.  Also, the episode is so short because I had no one to short over and interrupt the whole time… THUNDERHORN!

As always links to our bumper music:

Click below for links to full versions of the songs:

Roccow

Alpha Brutal

I know, I know, you’re drowning in reviews right now.  Just chin deep in card chat.  You know what though?  That’s part of the fun of the game.  Taking a moment to immersing yourself in all the new great content is one of the reasons we keep coming back to the game.  Now is the time to be alive in the world of Duelyst.  So many great new cards, and so many great players reviewing them–ourselves excluded of course.  We may not be great, but we are reviewing them nonetheless.

There are a lot of good things going on in the world of Duelyst.  We’ll be bringing a special episode tomorrow to discuss somethings that came to light just after we had recorded this week’s episode.  When we started the podcast I remember thinking that there was a lot of great potential latent within this game, and I can’t help but feel we are all on the beginning of a long and exciting journey in the days to come.

For the audiophiles among you I must apologize.  I made a novice mistake and didn’t wear my headphones during this recording.  I thought my noise-gate was catching any possible cross talk, but alas I was wrong.  It isn’t too egregious, but it is there and quite noticeable.  I won’t let it happen again.

As always links to our bumper music:

Click below for links to full versions of the songs:

Roccow

Alpha Brutal

The more of these I write, the more I feel that we’re growing to know one another better and better.  You, understanding that you’re safe on the other side of the glass as you stare in on me like the animal I am wanting for food.  You know, our keepers don’t feed us well.  Of course, they feed us.  They make sure to make a show of it when you’re watching, but it’s never enough to fully satisfy.  Enough for sustenance, but lacking fulfillment.

I suppose that’s what we’re doing for you.  Giving you enough to sustain your appetite for entertainment, but I’m sure it’s not fulfilling.  Not with the evident demand that you solicit for new and exciting media. More, More!  Your jeers echo through our nightmares as we writhe in their demands, never fully able to know rest from their torment; tossing out quips and tropes in order to indulge your clear lust for audio delights.  Well, here is our latest attempt…

This week we cover all the big news in the Duelystsphere (How’d you spell it?  You think you’re such a great speller.).  Patch stuffs, new cards, all that stuff.  We hope you enjoy.

Also, if you’re reading this and want to make suggestions for our next survey e-mail us at: [email protected]   Or you can just post in the comments section on Reddit or something…

As always links to our bumper music:

Click below for links to full versions of the songs:

Roccow

Alpha Brutal

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, consistency is not our strong suit.  At least in regards to scheduling.  We can all certainly agree that consistency and quality are what keeps us separate from all of the other pure audio Duelyst based content on the internet…  Yup, quality, and certainly not the complete lack of competition.  That said, we’re back again this week (I mean it’s within the week’s time period that we would like to be posting so we kind of get points for that…) with another challenge episode.

Let’s be honest, the meta can get a little stale.  Playing the same old meta-staple decks gets boring for us and our opponents.  Sometimes all we need is a reason to not do that.  If we take a moment to accept the fact that we just may lose a few games in order to find some new fun synergies we can breath a little life back into ladder between now and the next set release.  Last episode we mentioned that Lyonar, and especially Zir’an had been a little under represented on ladder, and we wanted to do what we could to see if it could be at least semi-viable.  Our consensus is, yes.  It is viable.  As such, we discuss how we went about building our decks, and what our experiences with them were.  While we do mention the builds, of course, they are listed below for you to judge accordingly.  We hope you enjoy, and if anyone wants to give poll topic suggestions feel free to leave them in the comments of the \r\duelyst post for this week’s episode.

Kevin’s Zir’an:

Jeremy’s Zir’an:

Jason’s Zir’an:

Like a bag of chips that has been mistakenly left open for too long, this meta has gotten a little stale.  Either the players or the developers didn’t put that little chip clip on the bag and now we’re all a little unhappy.  We could just choose a healthier option, but health is really a small price to pay for stale potato chips.  Each bite absolved completely of the fresh crunch which is itself one of the satisfying features of partaking of potato chips.  It has been replaced with a soft slightly moist resistance to our palette.  For those of you lost in my analogy Vanar is the temped soggy air that has wrought havoc on our once crisp ladder experience.  Not that meta’s don’t grow soggy over time in general, in this instance we live in a world that is overshadowed by Vanar control.

With a new set to be released not soon enough we wait with anticipation, and consider the things we are doing to keep ourselves entertained.  Specifically, I made my cohorts comply with my demands of reviewing why I like a single card a whole lot.  Since the release of Ancient Bonds I have enjoyed nocturne quite a bit.  Perhaps more than I should, but he/it has been a center piece to some of our in show debates for some time.  As such, I payed Jeremy to put it in a deck to appease me.  Today we discuss builds we but Nocturne into, and what our overall thoughts on the card are in general.  It is a ‘go deep in a very specific direction’ episode.  We also talk a little bit about decks we are currently playing and why we like them.  Below you will see the deck lists in all their glory.  Feel free to openly discuss about how you would have built them much better than us, because by default you know more than us about the things we like.

I would also like to note that this episode was recorded before our previous episode.  It wasn’t planned this way, but the way somethings worked out with the timing of our episodes as well as general Duelyst events brought this about.  It doesn’t really hurt the content as the episode is largely timeline agnostic.  We hope you enjoy.

Kevin’s Nocurne:

Kevin’s Songhai:

Jeremy’s Nocturne:

Jeremy’s Kara:

Jason’s Nocturne:

Jason’s Vetruvian:

Well, at least I didn’t ask what everyone thinks of me personally, God only knows how that would have gone.  OK, let’s be honest, we all know that would go poorly.  If ever there were a precursor to a suicide it would have to be an open survey to an anonymous public regarding overall acceptance levels.  Only the president or manically depressed should endeavor to do such research.  Next down on the list would be general market or community research.  Whenever a question such as, “how much do you like the thing I made,” is posed one must be prepared for an onslaught of potential disdain.

That said, I am fairly surprised, albeit, I likely should not be quite so surprised given the extent of the feedback, as to how much the community is unhappy with the meta and Vanar.  The vast majority of people think that Vanar is a problem and would like the majority of their core cards nerfed.  What a world to live in.  The game is in an awkward place at the moment, and the community seems to be struggling with it.

The entirety of this situation is very interesting to me.  I often consider how this game compares to Magic the Gathering as that is the community I left to play Duelyst, and I find myself viewing this game from a paper card game perspective.  When I played Magic Online, I was very frustrated at how limited my opportunity was to play due to the pay wall.  What I realize now is that the pay wall is in part what keeps the game so healthy.  Limiting the extent to which people can play reduces the rate that the game is able to become ‘stale’.  Perhaps that’s a topic for another day, until then let’s reflect on where we all are; here together wondering what in the world is going to happen next…

Also, we are featuring some sweet new music. The intro bumper is by RoccoW, and is a cut from his song Electric Donkey Muscles, and the outro is a cut from Alpha Brutal, Epic Song.

Click below for links to full versions of the songs:

Roccow

Alpha Brutal

‘Consistency’ isn’t our middle name.  But to be fair, neither is ‘entertaining podcast’.  To be even more fair, I think my middle name is just something normal like ‘Michael’.  I suppose when you think of it in those terms we really shouldn’t be defining ourselves by things like our middle names, right?  Like, what is a Michael?  So, I guess, not that we have that all straightened out I don’t really have to feel so bad that we don’t have posts anywhere near a consistent schedule.  That said, I will quietly be disappointed in myself…

This week we get back to some good ‘ol Duelyst chatter.  The bosses are getting harder, so that’s demoralizing, and Rift is… odd…  Also, what’s the deal with little with how we respond to this game and card synergy?  Is synergy good, or bad?  Listen in and see what where we land.

Also, we are featuring some sweet new music. The intro bumper is by RoccoW, and is a cut from his song Electric Donkey Muscles, and the outro is a cut from Alpha Brutal, Epic Song.

Click below for links to full versions of the songs:

Roccow

Alpha Brutal

For those of you that have been waiting, wait no more!  At least in terms of the release of a new Duelcast episode.  If you want to keep waiting for something else–like the liberation of a segregated social group you identify with–you may keep waiting.  Or, better yet, wait no more!  Take action and be liberated!  Start a movement or something.  But, you know, be cool about it.  Don’t hurt other people or anything.  Just like, responsibly begin to take action to make people around you be aware that their actions may not be as good as they should be in regards to how they act or treat you in your specific group.  We are all free to disagree, but we shouldn’t be jerks about it, you know?  Maybe like a news letter that has a really easy opt out feature.  That way, if people want to know more and get involved in upcoming events they can, but they also don’t feel like they’re getting spammed beyond their control.  Basically, what I’m trying to say is we have a new episode this week.

Last week someone, who will remain nameless, was on a business trip and didn’t have time for us.  Or, should I say you.  But we’ll take it easy on them, because they are nameless and as such cannot be identified with pronouns, and to be honest dealing with the fact that their parents couldn’t even name them at birth is kind of heavy.  I mean, to not even be assigned a name is pretty cold.  Even dolphins name their young, and they’re one of the least evolved mammals of all the mammals.  They never even bothered to go onto dry land, and they name their young (I think…).  And if you don’t have a name you are just constantly being referred to by general descriptors like ‘it’ or ‘that’ or ‘Jeremy’.  But because life has treated this unnamed person intrinsically worse than you or I could ever imagine we’ll give them a pass.

That said, we did a thing and you should listen, because we like you and you like us and let’s be happy, the end.

Also, we are featuring some sweet new music. The intro bumper is by RoccoW, and is a cut from his song Electric Donkey Muscles, and the outro is a cut from Alpha Brutal, Epic Song.

Click below for links to full versions of the songs:

Roccow

Alpha Brutal