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Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by sedron »

Zephyr_DragonLord wrote:As for the Battle Card... I've been meaning to offer a few tips. Mainly, you don't want to be turning the Tiger combo cards into guts so recklessly. A 7 or 3 damage for nothing is great, especially since Hares, Pixie, and Suezos cannot dodge that. It's a big part of what makes Tiger so great. Cyclone is simply superior to Quake, and you should probably swap that card in.... Lastly, the effects of the Skates are important. I want you all to see them in action.
We have the next few episodes recorded, so some things won't change for a little bit. I kind of forgot I had the Skates at all, but they'll be on in the future. I remembered like right after this session. =/

Regarding the Tiger Combo cards, I'm sure there are times I discard them where it's not necessarily correct, but the way Monster Rancher works when it comes to drawing cards, card quality and card advantage is weird. A lot of times I'm engutsing (that sounds wrong but I'm going with it,) a combo piece because taking the extra gut and the extra card draw is, as far as I can tell, more likely to result in something good than keeping the card and hoping for the best draw. With the current deck set-up, it's also important because most of Golem's moveset isn't usable without a lot of guts, and since he has such a health advantage on Tiger a lot of times I could just lose Tiger before assembling the combo. Of course, this is all very match-up dependent, so if I see a team with Hare and Pixie, you're right, I should probably prioritize the Tiger attacks a bit more. (Does Suezo actually have that restriction on his dodge? I assumed the zero guts dodges had it, but Side Roll is 1 guts.)

As for Quake and Cyclone, I'm not really interested in either of them. I don't know that, on a team with Tiger and Pixie, having such high-guts moves is generally worth it. Cyclone is fantastic in the right scenario, but I need to ask a few questions before I run it. Am I going to hit 8 guts consistently? Since I use so many lower-guts moves, I don't think so. I just don't have the cards to discard for it. Is it going to hit enough targets? Obviously hitting one target with a Cyclone is a garbage return on your guts, with two still being pretty bad since I can get 8 damage out of a Chop for 5 guts. Once I get to 8 guts, we're probably later in the game. I hopefully KO'd a monster already, and if I didn't I'm probably losing anyway. I'm also noticing that the computers are wising up to the Step and Back Flip game and targeting Golem earlier if they don't think they can actually take out Tiger or Pixie, so he might not even be around to use Cyclone. It's definitely an upgrade over Quake, but I don't think it makes sense for the deck as a whole. I'm aiming to have Kick and maybe a single Chop as the high-end of my deck.

That's my thought process, anyway. I played this game a lot as a kid, but this is the first time I'm playing it after getting into MtG, which is definitely changing how I think about the game. I do think there's a lot of different ways you can play Monster Rancher and still have a powerful deck, though, which leads to situations where some cards are great when they wouldn't be otherwise. I'm really liking the feedback, since it's getting me to think about the game in a new light. Keep it up!
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Zephyr_DragonLord »

Yeah, strategy in engutsing (yes, that's apparently a correct term for this game...) is pretty complicated. Holding on for the full Tiger combo is usually unwise... I usually unleash it when I have two parts in my hand. Of course, sometimes it's better to just use it to finish off a weak opponent, or just turn it into guts..

Yeah, Side Roll has the restriction. It can't dodge moves that take 1 guts, much less zero. It's actually an awful dodge move... but Suezo is sometimes good for the removal of your opponents guts. There's not a single best way to play this game. Which is a little unusual for a badly translated card game. Heck.... Gali can be good. And I consider him to be the worst in the game.

My reasoning on Cyclone over Quake is that Quake also damages Tiger, if he's alive. You'll rarely get 8 guts in a match. But sometimes a match can go south, and Cyclone might be what evens the playing field. And even if it isn't useful... turning it into guts is nice. Then again... you could replace it with something like Sonic Move, which makes Tiger's moves undodgeable.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Pikabread »

After that intense strategy discussion here's video
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Pikabread »

I didn't even like, post this one yet, so here
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Zephyr_DragonLord »

Did I mention that I like whenever you all get angry at Mocchi? Because I do.
Learning to teleport as a baby? Must be the baby from MOTHER that had PSI.

Also, Hide and Protect can be used with other dodge moves, which makes them far more effective. Well... maybe not Hide.
The health values are actually a smart way of making a difficulty curve in this game. Eventually, those values will reach your totals in all battle, except for the betting matches, which are set at one health below the normal. In this way, Chop is pretty darn useful for killing Golems. Recharge actually doubles the power of Golem's moves next turn.... which is probably still not worth investing in.

If you want the REALLY good stuff, try betting Cyclone in an open bet...
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by sedron »

Zephyr_DragonLord wrote:If you want the REALLY good stuff, try betting Cyclone in an open bet...
I like that you posted this right before the episode where we do that.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Zephyr_DragonLord »

Gah, I should have warned you about the whole Skate escort problem. You'll want regular shoes whenever you escort another character, though I think that doesn't pop up anymore.

Oh lord, that Suezo team.



Let me talk about some of the rarer cards a bit. Both Hot Battle and Encourage affect BOTH sides of the field, which is good to consider before using them. Nonetheless, they're both pretty good. Tiger and Pixie love Hot Battle, while Golem appreciates Encourage. Wild Rush is a strange offensive card. Dodge is amazing for Naga and Golem, and just solid for a pinch in general. Cool Judge is not good. Grit... doesn't work as often as you would like. Critical is just great for any deck, as we have seen with the Descendants. Confusion just forces deck outs really quickly. Excited is an amazing card for the right decks. (hint: GOLEM)

...Where does this game actually tell you about using the feathers properly?
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by sedron »

Just a heads up, there are some weird beeps in this and some of the next few episodes. We have no idea what caused them but we don't really have the ability to redo the footage or anything so I dunno.



Regarding feathers, the description tells you to trade them, I think. Not sure beyond that, it's not like there's a lot of options to check. No idea where the codes came from.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Zephyr_DragonLord »

You forgot to talk to the priest... he actually had some good dialogue there too.

It was a spoof on saving a lamb. The best part is, he corrects puppy to lamb. It's so bad good...



I never noticed those bats have a face on their portrait until now.

Also, I was WAITING for you all to mention the ending. For the purposes of this playthrough, it's probably BETTER than FF6. I'm just waiting for you all to just freak out about what happens then. I am not spoiling what happens, as to keep the experience pristine.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Pikabread »

BEP there's more beeps and boops as sed noticed, please be CareFul
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Zephyr_DragonLord »

It seems I have amazing timing. Thanks for the amazing mental images.

While neither actually exist in Battle Card (or the sequel), they do in the main series. Suezo x Pixie is actually pretty tame. Pixie X Suezo, on the other hand..... oh boy. It's named Vanity, and...

it's not wearing anything.



The Monster Rancher series is just incredibly loony in general.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Kuupa »

So for those of you still paying attention to the Monster Rancher LP, I would recommend sticking through to the end.

Without spoiling anything, I think this game has a sort of "this will explain everything" moment, a la Darkseed the second

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So here we are. Plays have been enacted. Empires have come and gone. The mightiest have passed away and withered, alike the least. Fires have burned, thousandfold. Yet, did not the great wind serenely continue its course? Does not the blackbird still sing its song? Does not the mistletoe still dwell in the oak's crown? Forgotten, what once has been told. Veiled, the words that once so rang out. Shrouded, like the larva in its cocoon. Let him hear it, who will.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by sedron »

Speaking of that thing!




We're in the home stretch!
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by sedron »

More new stuff! Wow!




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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

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The reckoning is nearly upon us.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by BurntTenda »

We need a horror game or something based on the Ketchup men.
Something goes here sometime.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by sedron »

BurntTenda wrote:We need a horror game or something based on the Ketchup men.
Monster Rancher Battle Card is the scariest horror game. No other game makes you go through terrifying ruins filled with Ketchup Men, Minty Fresh Boys, Irishmen and Tristans.

Speaking of the scary game:





The Finale is next. I hope you're prepared.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Zephyr_DragonLord »

The growing nihilism of all of you about this game is pretty hilarious. There is one last surprise in store, and I sincerely hope that it does come as a surprise to all of you.

....You know what the sad part about all of this is? This game isn't even the most repetitive game I played as a child.

That... goes to Digimon World 2. Yes, I was playing Monster Rancher AND Digimon.



Also, I agree that Phoenix is pretty bad in his Battle Card iteration.
I am prone to almost everything... except spontaneous violence.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by sedron »

Zephyr_DragonLord wrote:....You know what the sad part about all of this is? This game isn't even the most repetitive game I played as a child.

That... goes to Digimon World 2. Yes, I was playing Monster Rancher AND Digimon.



Also, I agree that Phoenix is pretty bad in his Battle Card iteration.
I don't think this is the most repetitive game I've played either, but I'd be hard pressed to remember exactly what was. I never was into Digimon as a kid, though there was a text-based Digimon World 1 LP that I enjoyed a good deal (I believe it was by Orange Fluffy Sheep.)

Phoenix seems like a weird case, and I wish there was a reason to actually play it. By the time you start getting Feathers you probably have a solid team and you'd need so many feathers to use Phoenix effectively that there's no way it's worth it. It doesn't actually seem bad as a stall monster with 3 reasonable defensive moves and Reborn, but it's definitely high-risk since some monsters can just KO it with a low-cost move of their own, like Charge or Brow Hit. None of Phoenix's offensive options strike me as particularly good though. It can't attack for less than two guts and only gets a really good damage return at like 5 guts with Flame Beam, and realistically speaking you probably don't want to run too many cards that cost that much when you're planning on using your cards to dodge. The fact that it can't move immediately after using Reborn also strikes me as disappointing. Maybe I'm just used to MtG Phoenix-type cards, which basically all have haste.
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Re: Salt n' Batteries - Oh Wow Monster Rancher is Done

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Re: Salt n' Batteries - A Wide Selection of LP's For Reasonable Prices

Post by Zephyr_DragonLord »

Oh my lord... that is the exact thing I was hoping that reaction would be! This has been an amazing ride, all of you. Thanks for the videos.

By the way... Hot Battle is actually the best card. +1 damage to everything is devastating with Pixie and Tiger.

You... won't see an ending like this for a long time. If you decide to come back to the series with an actual main title (with a working disc, of course. Emulated is far less fun), the ending and the text at least make sense.

...Though I have a feeling this series won't be revisited in a long, long while. And that's fine by me.
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