CH.516 Testing a Skill Weapon
<span style="font-weight:400">“Brian!” Wilma burst into my office, holding a spear in her hands. “It’s done!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Already?” I asked, knowing fully well what she was referring to.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. Just finished. We are about to see if it works.” She responded.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright. I’ll be there.” I agreed, as I put away my current smartphone designs.
<span style="font-weight:400">We then headed to one of the practice grounds, and few of the others were also there.
<span style="font-weight:400">Molly was there, because out of everyone on HomeBase, she was the only actual employee to hold the Spear Technique skill. A few of the current dhampir students also have it, but they are students and not employees.
<span style="font-weight:400">Wilma then brought out a second spear, nearly identical to the one she was holding, and tossed the second one to me. I caught it and tested it out a bit.
<span style="font-weight:400">Because while I might not have the Spear Technique skill, I have held a spear a few times, so I can at least get a feeling for it.
<span style="font-weight:400">I did a few practice thrusts and shes with the spear. Yes, you don’t usually sh with a spear, but depending on the spear point, you can sh with it.
<span style="font-weight:400">I brought out a few practice dummies and retried with them. The spear felt fine, but it didn’t feel like I really knew how to use the weapon, and I was just ying around instead.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright. Can I try the other one?” I asked, as I tossed the spear I was holding to Molly, while making sure I could stop it with Telekinesis in case the centaur wasn’t paying enough attention, but it wasn’t necessary, as Molly snatched the spear I tossed towards her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Of course. How was the base spear?” Wilma said, as she handed the spear she had been cradling in her arms to me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Pretty nice, but I’m no spear expert. I can summon one if you want some better feedback.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Later, please. Test out that one. I think you’ll be able to tell the difference.” Wilma said.
<span style="font-weight:400">I did a simr exercise with the second spear, and admittedly, I did feel the difference. My thrusts were a bit more urate, my shes faster. Almost like the spear was telling me how it wanted to be used.
<span style="font-weight:400">It wasn’t nearly to the point where you can get with Red-Eyes ck Dragon Sword, but it was clearly better than just a regr spear.
Spoiler
[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">I turned back to Wilma, ready to give her my feedback.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I think you noticed, but it is better.” I told her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes, I noticed.” Wilma confirmed, as I returned the spear to her. “1 to 10, how good is it?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“If a regr spear is a 1, doesn’t help at all, and 10 is my Red-Eyes ck Dragon Sword, which can do almost everything, that spear is like … probably 3? Maybe 4.” I answered her, and then exined to her how the spear helped.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... That is worse than my assessment. I hoped it would get at least a six.” Wilma said, sounding more than a bit disappointed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... do you want to test out the Red-Eyes ck Dragon Sword? You’ve never used it, so you don’t know just how much it can do.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, since we are testing out weapons.” Wilma said.
<span style="font-weight:400">She handed the skill spear back to me, and I summoned the Red-Eyes ck Dragon Sword for her. Wilma looked at the dragon sword for a while, and then sent one of my monsters (in an avatar doll) to go get a weapon from the HomeBase weapon showroom.
<span style="font-weight:400">While we waited for that, Wilma was testing out the Red-Eyes ck Dragon Sword and Molly was testing out the regr version of the spear.
<span style="font-weight:400">Wilma was cutting up our test targets at a fast rate and Molly was delivering quick stabs to the targets. I was constantly bringing them back into Storage and using Storage’s repair function to fix them up.
<span style="font-weight:400">… what? Did you forget Storage can do that? Well, it can. It is a unique skill after all.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sure if the dummies arepletely broken, Storage can’t repair them. But as long as they still have durability left, Storage can fix them up.
<span style="font-weight:400">After the first round, Molly changed to the skill spear while Wilma picked up the sword that was brought to her. The sword wasn’t an exact replica of Red-Eyes ck Dragon Sword, but it was pretty close in size.
<span style="font-weight:400">The two then redid the exercise, and while the difference with one of them was minor at best, the difference with Wilma’s sword skills were huge. Simply put, while she wielded the Red-Eyes ck Dragon Sword like a decently skilled swordswoman, her cuts with the regr sword were extremely amateurish. Not quite beginner level, but still not good.
<span style="font-weight:400">And if you didn’t catch it, the difference for Molly wasn’t great. She did well with the regr spear, and she did just minorly better with the skill spear. The difference could be counted down to the fact that she was doing the exercise for the second time in a row.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... Okay. I think I get what you are talking about. Your dragon sword is way too good.” Wilma said. “It is a living weapon. So my goal of making a weapon with a skill is nothing but a stepping stone. My real goal should have been, and will now be, making a living weapon as good as that dragon sword!” She eximed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... you know, that escted quickly. But happy to hear that.” I told her.
<span style="font-weight:400">Molly then walked up to us with the two spears in hand.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What will we do with these?” She asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You can keep the regr one, if you want.” Wilma said. “The skill one will be stored in the showroom, because it was the first weapon that came with the appropriate skill.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... I’m sorry, but this isn’t the type of spear I like.” Molly apologized.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s fine. I’ll just put it into weapon storage.” Wilma said. “Some dhampir will probably want it, and it isn’t made of super expensive materials.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Probably not. They always want vampiric steel or blood iron, as long as we allow it.” I reminded Wilma. And as someone who holds the True Blood Magic skill, I can definitely tell why they prefer those materials. They just feel better and since you can influence them with the magic …
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, we can always sell it.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Or keep it until we have some human students. We will run out of dhampirs to teach eventually.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Or that.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Before we took the weapons to where we will store them, I summoned Gravekeeper''s Spear Soldier to test out both the skilled and regr spears.
Spoiler
[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">With him, the difference between the skilled and regr spear were even less than with Molly, likely because his Spear Technique was higher leveled than hers.
<span style="font-weight:400">But despite that, there was a difference that you could notice, so we were able to confirm that even in the hands of a more skilled person, a weapon with a skill is slightly superior to one without a skill.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sadly, it didn’t mean much in the end. The ‘enchanting space’ on the weapon that was used to write the skill enchantment could be used for other enchantments that would just be overall better.
<span style="font-weight:400">So for now, while it wasn’t exactly a failure, I think the ‘weapons with skills’ idea will have to be shelved.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">Now, for the next thing. Continuing with Pack Opener.
<span style="font-weight:400">Today isn’t singles day, instead it is a speedrun day. Aka. let’s try toplete a set.
<span style="font-weight:400">And the set that is facing 200 pack tokens today is … .
Spoiler
<span style="font-weight:400">200 ABPF packs
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<span style="font-weight:400">Temple of the Sun (Common) x18
<span style="font-weight:400">Advance Force (Common) x37
<span style="font-weight:400">Machine Assembly Line (Common) x29
<span style="font-weight:400">Spiders'' Lair (Common) x29
<span style="font-weight:400">Forgotten Temple of the Deep (Common) x25
<span style="font-weight:400">Machine King - 3000 B.C. (Common) x37
<span style="font-weight:400">Serpent Suppression (Common) x26
<span style="font-weight:400">Widespread Dud (Common) x34
<span style="font-weight:400">Power Invader (Common) x33
<span style="font-weight:400">ck Potan (Common) x46
<span style="font-weight:400">Consecrated Light (Common) x35
<span style="font-weight:400">Bicr (Common) x31
<span style="font-weight:400">Informer Spider (Common) x26
<span style="font-weight:400">Rose Fairy (Common) x28
<span style="font-weight:400">Reptilianne Gardna (Common) x28
<span style="font-weight:400">Apocatequil (Common) x31
<span style="font-weight:400">Power Supplier (Common) x29
<span style="font-weight:400">Pandaborg (Common) x30
<span style="font-weight:400">Reptilianne Servant (Common) x31
<span style="font-weight:400">Weeping Idol (Common) x27
<span style="font-weight:400">Shreddder (Common) x37
<span style="font-weight:400">Tricr (Common) x41
<span style="font-weight:400">Reptilianne Naga (Common) x27
<span style="font-weight:400">Magic Hole Golem (Common) x36
<span style="font-weight:400">Codarus (Common) x22
<span style="font-weight:400">Reptilianne Rage (Common) x26
<span style="font-weight:400">Break! Draw! (Common) x39
<span style="font-weight:400">Rocket Pilder (Common) x36
<span style="font-weight:400">Unicycr (Common) x35
<span style="font-weight:400">Pot of Benevolence (Common) x37
<span style="font-weight:400">Variety Comes Out (Common) x37
<span style="font-weight:400">Viper''s Rebirth (Common) x35
<span style="font-weight:400">Gravekeeper''s Stele (Common) x45
<span style="font-weight:400">Nature''s Reflection (Common) x31
<span style="font-weight:400">Inverse Universe (Common) x33
<span style="font-weight:400">Call of the Reaper (Common) x25
<span style="font-weight:400">Psi-Curse (Common) x39
<span style="font-weight:400">Alien Brain (Common) x33
<span style="font-weight:400">Meteor re (Common) x40
<span style="font-weight:400">Changing Destiny (Common) x27
<span style="font-weight:400">Destruct Potion (Common) x39
<span style="font-weight:400">Lair Wire (Common) x33
<span style="font-weight:400">Ritual of Destruction (Common) x30
<span style="font-weight:400">Gundari (Common) x25
<span style="font-weight:400">Supay (Common) x29
<span style="font-weight:400">Sword Master (Common) x30
<span style="font-weight:400">Fire Ant Ascator (Common) x34
<span style="font-weight:400">Oilman (Common) x41
<span style="font-weight:400">Majestic Red Dragon <span style="color:#ff00ff">(Ghost Rare) x4
<span style="font-weight:400">Ascending Soul <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x16
<span style="font-weight:400">Ritual Cage <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x8
<span style="font-weight:400">Core st <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x14
<span style="font-weight:400">Cyber Dragon Zwei <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x7
<span style="font-weight:400">Skull Conductor <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x10
<span style="font-weight:400">Gravekeeper''s Descendant <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x8
<span style="font-weight:400">Dark Bug <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x11
<span style="font-weight:400">Berfomet <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x11
<span style="font-weight:400">Viser Des <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x6
<span style="font-weight:400">Shield Worm <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x17
<span style="font-weight:400">XX-Saber Garsem <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x13
<span style="font-weight:400">Reptilianne Vaskii <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x11
<span style="font-weight:400">Djinn Prognosticator of Rituals <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x7
<span style="font-weight:400">Djinn Cursenchanter of Rituals <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x11
<span style="font-weight:400">Gale Dogra <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x9
<span style="font-weight:400">Power Pickaxe <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x8
<span style="font-weight:400">Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x8
<span style="font-weight:400">Offering to the Immortals <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">Evil st <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x7
<span style="font-weight:400">Drill Synchron <span style="color:#800080">(Rare) x16
<span style="font-weight:400">Djinn Disserere of Rituals <span style="color:#ff6600">(Secret Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">XX-Saber Emmersde <span style="color:#ff6600">(Secret Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Earthbound Linewalker <span style="color:#ff6600">(Secret Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Underground Arachnid <span style="color:#ff6600">(Secret Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Tuner''s Scheme <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Fiendish Chain <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Saber Hole <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">Dragonic Guard <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">Oracle of the Sun <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x3
<span style="font-weight:400">Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Gravekeeper''s Priestess <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Gravekeeper''s Visionary <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Iron Core Specimen Lab <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Super-Nimble Mega Hamster <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">Cards of Consonance <span style="color:#008000">(Super Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">Alchemist of ck Spells <span style="color:#ffffff">(Ultimate Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Sun Dragon Inti <span style="color:#ffffff">(Ultimate Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">Drill Warrior <span style="color:#ffffff">(Ultimate Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Moon Dragon Qui <span style="color:#ffffff">(Ultimate Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">XX-Saber Hyunlei <span style="color:#ffffff">(Ultimate Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Witch of the ck Rose <span style="color:#ffffff">(Ultimate Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Alchemist of ck Spells <span style="color:#00ff00">(Ultra Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">Koa''ki Meiru Urnight <span style="color:#00ff00">(Ultra Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">Gandolf, King of Destruction <span style="color:#00ff00">(Ultra Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Moon Dragon Qui <span style="color:#00ff00">(Ultra Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">Majestic Red Dragon <span style="color:#00ff00">(Ultra Rare) x1
<span style="font-weight:400">XX-Saber Hyunlei <span style="color:#00ff00">(Ultra Rare) x3
<span style="font-weight:400">Sun Dragon Inti <span style="color:#00ff00">(Ultra Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">Drill Warrior <span style="color:#00ff00">(Ultra Rare) x2
<span style="font-weight:400">Witch of the ck Rose <span style="color:#00ff00">(Ultra Rare) x1
[copse]
[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">Okay. As expected, a bunch of new stuff.
<span style="font-weight:400">ck Potan, the onemon I somehow didn’t yet have, is not very good. Sure it keeps itself from being destroyed by battle, and even heals when a Tuner monster leaves the field, but its stats suck.
<span style="font-weight:400">Berfomet isn’t technically new, got it from the fusion challenge, but didn’t have it from this set yet.
<span style="font-weight:400">Evil st is dumb and I have way better cards that do the same.
<span style="font-weight:400">Djinn Prognosticator of Rituals is fine. More Djinns are always nice to have, because if I use Ritual monsters, with the Djinns, I can give them additional effects.
<span style="font-weight:400">Djinn Disserere of Rituals is the same, but it is arguably worse than Prognosticator. Being immune to traps is nice, but there are barely any traps anywhere, so it doesn’t really matter.
<span style="font-weight:400">XX-Saber Emmersde is an X-Saber battle recruiter, so it is nice.
<span style="font-weight:400">Earthbound Linewalker is good if I want to use an Earthbound Immortal without needing a Field Spell. … actually, all of my Earthbound Immortals can survive without a Field Spell if they are in a divine sleeve, so … still nice to have.
<span style="font-weight:400">Underground Arachnid is pretty meh, but it has its uses.
<span style="font-weight:400">Tuner''s Scheme is too situational.
<span style="font-weight:400">Dragonic Guard is too slow to be good in the TCG, and I have unlimited searching and summons, so it is useless to me.
<span style="font-weight:400">Oracle of the Sun is fine, but I’ll only use it as Synchro material for the Sun and Moon Dragons.
<span style="font-weight:400">Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings is fine. A bit low on the stats, but it isn’t bad. Looks a bit creepy though.
<span style="font-weight:400">Gravekeeper''s Priestess is fine, but I don’t really use Gravekeepers.
<span style="font-weight:400">Iron Core Specimen Lab is good, but it just feels like a stop-gap for the Koa''ki Meiru archetype. Like the archetype is so bad that it needs to have a busted card like this to be even usable.
<span style="font-weight:400">Cards of Consonance makes Pack tokens, nothing more to it.
<span style="font-weight:400">Alchemist of ck Spells works with Spell Counters, so nice to have ess to it.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sun Dragon Inti is nice. Just the entire Inti Qui loop is really good. And even outside of that, Inti is a 3k attacker that destroys the monster that destroyed it.
<span style="font-weight:400">Moon Dragon Qui is the second part of the loop. It isn’t as good as Inti, but the healing it can give is no joke.
<span style="font-weight:400">Witch of the ck Rose isn’t new, I already got one from the Synchro challenge, but new from this set.
<span style="font-weight:400">Koa''ki Meiru Urnight is another one of those OP Koa''ki Meiru monsters that is just OK because Koa''ki Meirus suck.
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[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">Now, let’s check out what I’m missing.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">And there aren’t many of them. Six in fact.
<span style="font-weight:400">The Dragon Dwelling in the Deep isn’t a dragon, it is a sea serpent. And it isn’t that good.
<span style="font-weight:400">Battle Fader is fantastic. Don’t know if it is better than Swift Scarecrow, but both are great.
<span style="font-weight:400">Shield Wing is not bad, but not amazing either. Just a wall that can take a few attacks.
<span style="font-weight:400">Core Transport Unit is another good Koa''ki Meiru card, but I still think the archetype sucks. Outside of a few specific cards. I mean, have you ever seen anyone run a pure Koa''ki Meiru deck?
<span style="font-weight:400">Cactus Bouncer prevents special summons, so no thank you.
<span style="font-weight:400">And Synchro Control is too situational and people won’t summon Synchro monsters against me.
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[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">But that is Absolute Powerforceplete.