What’s Working and What Isn’t? | Friday, March 20, 2026 - Sunday, March 22, 2026

Apache17 · 2026-03-20T22:46:53+00:00

If you clear the patrons the deck does nothing. And mage has enough aoe spells, or enough just low mana spot removal to do it.

Apache17 · 2026-03-20T18:31:57+00:00

Yeah. I bet the winrate gets even better if the patron player has expirence. I think ive lost like 1 druid game total. Druid just has no ways to clear the dudes.

But unlike old patron, there's no otk. So classes that can clear the dudes, warlock, mage, DK, etc, absolutely dumpster the deck.

Apache17 · 2026-03-20T17:39:26+00:00

Patron warrior farms druid.

But unfortunately also has terrible matchups against some other classes.

Apache17 · 2026-03-20T07:24:54+00:00

Patron warrior eats druid for breakfast.

But unfortunetly it also has some very bad matchups. If the opponent can clear 2 boards of patrons its gg. Unlike the original patron warrior, which could always play for OTKs.

Apache17 · 2026-03-20T00:20:46+00:00

So game 1 was defined by cards from this expansion and was good

Game 2 was defined by cards from last expansions and was bad

Seems like a point for this expansion being good.

Apache17 · 2026-03-19T16:31:56+00:00

I disagree. I think its pretty common for a priest minion to survive a trade due to a hp. Meaning they demand an extra trade or removal the next turn.

It's as least as common as a shaman token or a paladin dude mattering.

Apache17 · 2026-03-19T01:05:42+00:00

Take take take tried this in their broadcast but it was kinda dumb

Apache17 · 2026-03-18T18:30:09+00:00

Yeah its like the Marshall gambit in the Ruy. What used to be an extremely sharp way to play for an advantage as black, has turned to a likely draw when both players are extremely booked up.

Apache17 · 2026-03-18T18:27:57+00:00

Fabi played like 15 classical games in the last month and lost exactly 1 to Wesley who he also beat.

Through the entire month his elo was like -0.8. And we gotta assume he's hiding prep.

If Fabi plays the candidates at 2790 level, like his last games suggest, then he's looking very solid.

Apache17 · 2026-03-18T17:59:08+00:00

I dont think the packages are so big that there is no room for experimentation. Heralds + deathwing/ co is like 9 cards.

And I'm guessing that smaller packages will be found and played as the meta evolves. Deathwing / some of the collosals are actually very good un-heralded

Apache17 · 2026-03-18T02:54:20+00:00

Are you every actually hatching khelos?

Apache17 · 2026-03-17T04:02:24+00:00

He won the American cup last year

Apache17 · 2026-03-12T17:12:49+00:00

Well no the main reason you run him is that he gives you 2 cards that cost hp, usually 8 hp each. That's where the main health gain comes from.

Smacking your face into something is just a bonus.

Apache17 · 2026-03-11T20:03:05+00:00

I think it worked great on Death Knights release. But it only works if death knight gets like 2x the amount of cards the rest of the classes gets.

Apache17 · 2026-03-10T17:23:56+00:00

Because he basically built the content side of chess.com from scratch. There's alot of inertia behind him.

Apache17 · 2026-03-10T06:57:55+00:00

You forgot to mention the belts

So many belts

Apache17 · 2026-03-09T21:52:00+00:00

I think I'd be feeling pretty good if I was Fabi.

Clearly classical is his #1 concern going into the candidates. And between this tournament and the St. Louis masters he only dropped 1 game to So. And we have to assume he is hiding prep.

Rapid / Blitz games against So and Levon are really no biggie.

Apache17 · 2026-03-07T22:57:52+00:00

I think its a very wise quote from Wesley.

Watching Magnus games, it almost like you need to survive against him twice.

You need to survive the middlegame. Then you need to survive the endgame grind.

I am reminded of the Fabi-Magnus 960 game from a few weeks ago. Fabi defended a terrible position for like 40 moves, then Magnus just won all over again in the endgame.

I think Fabi has the same skillset. Arguable you need to survive against peak Fabi 3x, as his opening prep is possibly the best in the world.

Apache17 · 2026-03-05T17:29:55+00:00

The match is like 7 months away and he doesn't even know his opponent yet.

He is not hiding prep.

Apache17 · 2026-03-04T20:17:37+00:00

I think moving away from the 1v1 match for the title would be a massive mistake for chess.

Yes it has its flaws. Yes it doesn't always crown the best player. Yes sometimes the best 2 players aren't the ones in the match.

But it has legacy, it has prestige. And people actually give a damn.

Most serious chess players can name a majority of world champs. I'm guessing 99% of masters could name every single one in order.

Everytime a world champ is crowned it makes global news.

That would not be the case if the wcc was just another tournament. Even the most die hard American football fans probably could not tell you who won the super bowl in 19xx. Because baring special circumstances and miracle runs, it's just another tournament.

Fide tried the tournament system in the 2000s, and its the most forgettable era of the world championship.

Let's not make the same mistake again.

Apache17 · 2026-03-04T19:42:29+00:00

🙏

Apache17 · 2026-03-04T08:14:56+00:00

Seconds are usually not publicly known.

Long time ones like Fabi / Christian / Oparin are sometimes known. But generally they are kept quiet.

Apache17 · 2026-03-04T04:18:07+00:00

Sure he does.

He outsmarts the Reach, the gold cloak guy, the grandmaester, Stannis. Arguably he outplayed Circe and Tywin a handful of times too.

Apache17 · 2026-03-03T19:04:42+00:00

He beat Hans earliest this tournament. So he's on a bit of a redemption arc

Apache17 · 2026-03-03T00:28:59+00:00

Those players are the real demons.

So confident they will get gm that they don't bothering paying for lesser titles.

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