#Introducing my own deck
#Origins of a Real Man’s deck
#My personal thoughts on Moonbreaker
Unknown Worlds, an independent studio under KRAFTON, released its latest game, “Moonbreaker” as an Early Access title via Steam on September 30. Moonbreaker is a turn-based strategic tabletop simulation game in which players command 10 units in a squad to fight in exciting battles, in a similar format to the offline game of chess. We’ve interviewed Krafton members who played Moonbreaker after its launch and heard their personal impressions of the game, their preferred strategies, and the reasons behind such strategies in detail.
※ This review was conducted before the Moonbreaker 1.1 Patch.
Hi. I’m Dr. Vikendi, one of the real men at PUBG STUDIO. I became a video game programmer because I love gaming. I used to play PUBG:BATTLEGROUNDS as a student and now I work at PUBG Studio, which is a nerd’s dream come true. (Laughs) I like shooting games, but I also enjoy turn-based strategy or tactics games where I have to read my opponent’s moves to play. I hope that this review is helpful for the countless turn-based strategy fans out there.
#Introducing my own deck
I’ve recently been using Extilior as the Captain. Extilior’s ability, “Shield of Hope”, blocks 1 damage point, which is very useful for maintaining the resilience of other units. Its base attack damage is decent at 2 points, too, and using “Sword of Justice” to deal 3 damage points to all nearby units can deal a total of 5 damage points by combining the skill with the base attack.
Ursix Scattervine has the ability to charge opponents and replicate itself to deploy another identical unit, which allows it to continue keeping the opponents engaged. Tipu and Antios, Gauntlet can be used to deal decisive blows up close, and if I’ve deployed Drumdancer Tlalli as well, I can deliver a powerful one-two punch combination. Similarly, I also chose Furia and Taria, Arsenal for a two-piece combo. Having said that, I reinforced the team with Stitchy McPatchy and Savria, Safeguard, since I can’t always be on the offensive and the team’s resilience can’t be maintained with Extilior’s shield ability alone. I also added Crankbait to add a little unpredictability to the mix. Crankbait has the ability to keep dragging in the opposing Captain using a hook.
# Origins of a Real Man’s deck
During the in-house testing stage, I often used the strategy of deploying Astra as the captain, using Ursix Scattervine and Ursix Nectarvine together, and deploying multiple healers and tanks as well, which left me highly vulnerable to ranged attacks and orbital strike skills.
No matter how hard I tried to use Ursix Scattervine in a deck, I found it hard to overcome the limitations of 1 ATK and 3 HP. When I kept suffering the same problem even after the Early Access began, I started to think, “Why don’t I try making a so-called ‘real man’s deck instead?’”
That’s how I came to put together a deck designed to deliver a powerful two-punch combination! Originally, I used “Jailbreak” to tie up my opponents, but I quickly died because my opponents tried everything they could to escape it. That’s why I’ve since tried adding Florio, Lancer to keep ranged units in check, since they can counter close-quarters units!
A deck that quickly takes the fight to the enemy based on close-quarters attacks. A deck that can deliver at least 3 damage points at least once each turn. A deck that can attack again as a nice little chaser, even after delivering a lot of damage already. The real man’s deck that I built is designed to satisfy these three conditions.
I wanted to keep summoning units to cover near the opposing Captain and create the feeling that even a light touch can kill opponents since each turn will compound the effects of my team’s abilities. It’s a great deck that, when I win, I win decisively and dominantly, and if I unfortunately lose, I still deliver a spicy amount of damage so that my opponent might even want to copy my strategy.
Since I have to play very aggressively with this deck, my chances of winning diminish as the game drags on, which makes me think that I need to come up with ways to raise my team’s resilience to increase my chance of victory. Having said that, there’s no flawless way to play strategy games like this. You’ll come to form your own unique deck as you keep fighting and improving!
You might not see any immediate room for improvement, but they always exist! I hope that new and more varied units will be released soon, so that I can design a more innovative deck to fight with!
# My personal thoughts on Moonbreaker
Moonbreaker is a game that embodies the saying “easy to learn, hard to master,” since it has a low barrier to entry but a high skill ceiling. Deploying units is simple and each unit has a unique appearance, which allowed me to gain a rough understanding of most skills and tactics after 10 games or so. Each unit also has a great sense of presence, which allowed me to build a unique and personalized deck. I also really enjoyed the process of encountering different opponents, supplementing my weaknesses, and strengthening my deck.
In addition, support abilities are randomly assigned each game, which meant that I ran into so many unforeseen variables with mixed results. I also felt that luck plays a huge part in it, since even ranged units can miss their attacks, depending on the cover nearby and the distance.
As there is no set grid or deployment spaces in the game, moving a mere inch in the wrong direction can drastically alter the enemy’s chance of landing a successful attack on my units, thereby changing the course of the entire game. There were times when I was just out of range to receive damage reductions or healing, while I also sometimes found myself just precariously within the area of effect for skills like orbital strike attacks that wiped out my precious units. No matter how hard I prayed, it was no use hoping for my opponents to make a mistake.
I was pretty serious about the game, but it was also fun to run into players using units painted with fun themes like Gundam and Pikachu. Although everyone might be using the same units, I really liked the fact that painting them differently allowed us to showcase our unique styles and personalities.
From the very first in-house testing to the current Early Access phase, I can see that so many areas have been improved and refined. I’m also proud and appreciative that I was able to personally experience the changes made during that period. I’m excited to learn from users worldwide, now that Moonbreaker is in Early Access.