When it comes to hard work, dedication, and seeing the fruits of your labor, there’s nothing quite like the Level 3 Sen-… well, explosions and disruptions aside, when it’s well protected and built, the Level 3 Sentry in Team Fortress 2 demonstrates a surface-level win condition that locks down and controls space for your team. With such an alarming presence and game-altering status, it’s no reason that Level 3’s becomes a high-priority target for the opposing team to destroy. Uncle Dane has said it multiple times, but the key to being an effective Engineer doesn’t come from the “one and done” Level 3 sense, but from how you stay proactive in building, working around, and picking yourself back up when your building falls apart. This is the LETC mindset, and just like the little engine that could, crafting a sturdy and patient mind is the key to succeeding with a “build a win-con” playstyle.
The Titanic Machine of Neo – Daedalus
Having gone from competitive Yugioh to Pokemon TCG starting in early 2007, I missed out on a lot of different cards and strategies. In 2011, I stumbled upon the Yugioh 2006 World Championship GBA game. Giving it a go from a love of past Yugioh games, I picked the “Fury from the Deep” Structure Deck. I recognized Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo Daedalus from a card shop poster, but after reading his effect, I was amazed and interested in pushing the potential of such a momentum-swinging card. I got back into competitive Yugioh and dedicated my involvement to this card as my main deck to this day.
At its core, Plan A for Neo – Daedalus requires this sequence: Summon Levia Dragon Daedalus via Tribute or Special Summon + have Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus in hand to Special Summon + successfully play Umi + spend Umi as a cost for the effect = Every card on both sides is sent to the Graveyard.
Pulling off the effect never gets old, even in matchups that benefit from hand discarding and graveyard resources. With so many moving parts needed to be arranged, how does a competitor handle it when one of those parts stops working? One Effect Veiler, Solemn Judgment, Ash Blossom, Joyous Spring, and stops Plan A stopped in its tracks. The key? Keep fighting.
Primal Groudon’s Continental Consequences
For the Pokémon TCG 2014–2015 season, I made a deck called “Fist Bump”, using Landorus (FFI), Aegislash EX (PHF), Terrakion (NVI), Deoxys (ROS), Sudowoodo (BKP), and Primal Groudon EX (PRC), recognizing the potential in Landorus’s damage and acceleration to blitz with from the get-go. Using Terrakion to steal back momentum and Aegislash EX to halt the opponent’s, it was able to perform pretty well, including a Top 4 City Championship placement in Nebraska. At Nationals 2015, I had recognized that a late-game Level 3 Sentry was the perfect solution to the burnout weakness the deck was showing during the season. But.. this wasn’t a Plan A sentry, rather, the much needed late game finale that a fast deck prone to burnout needed.
Primal Groudon EX has a key attribute that both The Engineer and Neo-Daedalus manually work for: built-in sabotage immunity. The Omega Barrier ancient trait prevents Primal Groudon EX from being affected by any trainer card. From bench-pulling Lysandre’s to disruptive Enhanced Hammers, being able to never worry about key disruptors provides a huge opening for this “moving glacier” playstyle. At U.S. Nationals 2016, there were multiple games that ended in victory because I realized that Landorus and Terrakion were beginning to lose momentum in the mid-game. Once even one Primal Groudon EX is set up, it can be hard to stop as it usually nabs a KO every time it attacks in that format.
The Proactive Omega Barrier
When life doesn’t give you an Omega Barrier, make the most of you and your team’s other strengths. For The Engineer, it’s realistic to expect your Sentry Gun to go down multiple times in a game. But just like “Fist Bump”, Primal Groudon EX was only part of the entire team that aimed to win. The Engineer’s weapon arsenal provides him with a shotgun and pistol, both of which are integral to Team Fortress 2’s high-risk/high-reward playstyle with aiming and positioning. A Demonman just double-grenaded your sentry? Accept the loss early and begin your approach to killing a class that’s designed to be vulnerable at close range. A Spy has entered your nest? Use the pistol to quickly check where he might be.
With my 12-year run of playing Neo – Daedalus, there have been a ton of different deck partners tested amongst multiple metagames. From the early-year searchers of Deep Diver and Mother Grizzly to the Summoning and Graveyard powerhouse of Frogs and Slushy, there have been a lot of fun monsters played throughout my career that helped Neo – Daedalus achieve his Plan A. When it comes to covering for Plan A while providing backup Plans B to Z, the Mermail and Atlantean monsters aided Neo – Daedalus with the perfect, well-rounded remedy he was looking for. While Mermail Abyssteus and Atlantean Dragoons directly amplify Plan A, Mermail Abyssmegalo and Poseidra the Atlantean Dragon provide brand new win conditions and pressure placed upon the opponent as you look for the window of opportunity to get out Neo – Daedalus or just win the game the turn they were summoned.
Pick Up and Keep Rolling
“Keep moving forward” is a lifelong lesson that serves as a competitive asset for these games and beyond. If your sentry gets sapped, go help your Soldier on the flank. If your Daedalus gets destroyed, call in Kairyu Shin and the boyz. If your Groudon’s are in the prize cards, bait out a big attack and bring in Sudowoodo. Rather than sulk in your dismantled plans, make it your objective to keep getting back up and use your resources to push yourself towards winning the game, and more importantly, recognize what hard work and ingenuity can bring you, no matter the opposition.