Ask and ye shall receive.

The notion that Vader has two Paths had never crossed my mind, though in retrospect I do agree with Scott’s point that the red deck, DSD, and ATE indicate a failed PtV.

The discussion thus far has revealed his path as I see it: the attrition Path. (And I should note, that much of what I agree with about a failed melee Path, to me, contributes to an attrition Path.) I don’t think attrition is a successful Path, for all the reasons others have already stated. Before I continue, allow me to digress in reply to this:

QUOTE (volleyballgy Posted on November 10 @ 2007 01:50 pm)
But let's think about a bigger picture here: each of the other decks also has a PtV -- only one is going to end up being successful in each Duel.


This is partly correct in that only one deck is going to win, but one deck can still lose even after following its PtV, and that is the crux of this conversation. Decks like Vader, Luke, and Jango surely have a PtV (intentional, accidental, or otherwise), but the effectiveness – the playability, if you will – of that Path as a means to winning is not on par with the other decks.

Let me further digress by saying that I do not believe all the decks should be on a level playing field (or however you want to say it). I am merely contending that decks, like Vader’s, with a poorly supported PtV are more likely to lose a duel than one with a solid PtV. (Disregarding attack/damage potential, staying power, etc.)

Moving on, as I see it, Vader’s PtV can be summarized in a single word that Tim so aptly applies: attrition. To further dissect Vader’s deck, according the archetypes from DT#8, I’d label his talent cards as follows.

Signature: Choke, Wrath
Support: Throw Debris, Dark Side Drain
Keystone: All Too Easy
Sponge: Choke, Your Skills Are Not Complete
Path Resources: Wrath, Throw Debris, Dark Side Drain, red basic deck, 20 health
Path to Victory: Liberal use of signature, support cards, and basic attack cards to wear opponent’s major character down over time; a high health score and healing helps ensure a long game.

One note: I see this as the PtV not only because of how one is forced to play Vader, but how Vader is depicted in episodes IV-VI.

Now, if that’s Vader’s PtV (and from my point of view, it is) that is a poorly supported Path. Here’s why:
  • If a drawn out game is the point, cards like DSD are good, because healing is good. DSD itself is bad, because it’s only A3 and it’s overlapped by Choke (in practice; in theory it is not).
  • Cards like Wrath fit the concept (low damage, play it multiple times to see damage pile up), but the implementation of Vader’s Wrath is not particularly useful because there is nothing to help you find those cards: no draw power. Plus Wrath, like DSD, is overlapped by the Sponge card, Choke.
  • Because the PtV does not incorporate the Keystone, because the immensely successful Sponge cards comprise almost half the talent cards, and because the cards intrinsic to the Path are less than effective at their job, the attrition Path is an ineffective one at best.
Thus, my answer to, “Are his archetypes rearrangeable into a more successful Path?” is a simple, “No.” As Tim points out, one could add more DD (Throw Debris x3, for instance), but this would not adhere to the intended PtV. To restore this PtV into something competitive with the other successful PtVs, Vader needs some Dooku-esque card drawing power and/or some Yoda-esque defense while toning down the Choke Sponge (probably x1 or x2). To do that requires not only rearranging the talent card distribution but creating new cards, which incidentally explains why, when tweaking Vader, people go for bigger and better changes.

The Sultan

You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.
Dorkistan