How to deal with NR (using Alchemy)?

[Bleach25]

How to deal with NR (using Alchemy)?

I know I won't see as many NR decks as there rete during the factions' event; yet I find them really problematic to face (I'm using a slightly modified Alchemy deck)

Anyway:

Henselt: together with winch he is really overkill, so I have started to run The Sweers; but when I don't get him it's a pain in... I also try killing his machines and crew units ad soon as I can, but that doesn't stop him from getting a lot of value
Foltest: I Honestly have no idea how to counter stripes. Again, Sweers can be destructive - if I get It- but without him it's really hard

Radovid: I generally try to use my slave driver to steal armor, but this kind of deck is the anti Witchers and often out tempos me

Ok, that's it I Guess. Any advices?

 

[4RM3D]

Updated the topic of the thread to better reflect its content.

Ironically, the roles are also reserved.

 

[Tad30s]

Foltest Swarm is very unfavorable, with witchers having reduced value and slave drivers bringing absolutely none back home, your best chance is high rolling like crazy, getting a sweers off the runestone or weather from Black Blood. The second best chance is your opponent having terrible draws Failing both of these, witcher down his blue stripe scout, it may deny value from reavers, keep in mind that killing a unit with only 4 power on a long round actually kills an 8-point one, if not more.

VS Henselt you need to keep track of a few extra things, compared to other decks : his machine play and Dun Banners; you cannot kill ALL of his Henselt targets, that's just impossible, prioritize instead on the crucial ones, don't blow your witchers too early in most cases. If your board has no units <4/5 hp, it is less important to remove Rams; did he play a machine from hand or is he only winching them out? Are there doompockets created? Consider Vesemir->Mandraking his annoying sack of **** silver officer if the opportunity presents itself for that to be enough to put you ahead. Feels wrong to mandrake a 1-power minion? DON'T BE FOOLED - he's not a 1-power minion, he will have that same power next turn and adds 2 points average to 10-13 of his other cards, making him potentially a 28-point mandrake play. If you do that, killing his remaining 3 crewmen might just do the trick, henselt + shani bringing it up to 5 potential crewmen; that's far more managable to kill than 14 machines. Definitely the most annoying deck to play against in the entire game (winch being a create card with a 6-CARD POOL and no bricks is simply broken)

Radovid Armor is as skewed in your favor as Foltest Swarm is against you, Slave Drivers alone can put you in a spot where losing is just not an option anymore; Do not be afraid to break his armor if no Cavalry was played yet, you have a mandrake for a Redanian Elite that becomes too big, hell : you might want to encourage him stacking all eggs on one basket. Knight-Elects are perfect targets for witchers, dying even to a 9-alchemy variant, but don't ruin your entire game trying to murder these, they are merely 9-point bronzes on the first turn and 11's after you ignore them for a turn, vico novice is a 14 right off the bat. Passing is extremely crucial in that match-up too, as he only ever gets one unit back from the grave - if that. The graveyard game of a 3-rounder favors you, not him.

 

[Khreygond]

Yup. Alchemy has a very problematic matchup against swarm decks. Even Moonlight swarm has got a positive matchup against it. Foltest in particular is THE counter but lucky for you, as said, you won't have to face it too much.

A good strategy if you are running Dragon's Dream (for which you need to run 3 spies: Cantarella, De Wett, Iris. Even a row with 2 bronzes makes Dragon's Dream worth 19 points of damage if you play all your spies in that row, not to mention Iris) is to run Sihil. Use it at the end of a long round to deal a lot of damage and gain a literal mountain of points. Ideally, your finisher on a long round is Dragon's Dream - Iris into the Fog (steps interchangeable) - Sihil to target the enemies with odd or even power. This is an absolute killer against Foltest because all of its units come at the same value (Aretuza Adepts, Blue Stripes Scouts and Commandos, Temerian Infantrymen). However your deck will suffer reduced power against other decks that way, most notably Greatswords and Nekkers. If you are looking for a counter that's it, though.

As for Henselt, it's all been said above. Dragon's Dream can save you in this situation too, since Henselt players rowstack like crazy (plus their machines are also at the same power so if they bring a lot of them, you can deal a lot of damage with Sihil.) If you don't happen to have Mandrake, Assire to shuffle Ronvid back into the deck is also a viable tactic but watch out for Reinforcements.

Radovid Armor is a favorable matchup for you. However it's the only one of the NR matchups where Dragon's Dream + Sihil won't help you that much. Prioritize eliminating the Redanian Knight Elects and Reinforced Trebuchets to disrupt his longterm gameplan, steal armor synergy and longterm units yourself with your SDs and target other units with your vipers only after their armor has been broken. If you happen to run the DD + Sihil deck, wait until they break their armor (Heavy Cavalry - Vincent Meis), Rowstack your spies and hope for the best.