TRIFIELDING

WHAT’S UP FAM, TODAY I WANT TO SPIT ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WILL PROBABLY RUSTLE SOME JIMMIES BUT FUCK IT, I DON’T CARE ANYMORE. IT’S TRIFIELDING, SPECIFICALLY ON YOUR FIRST TURN, GOING SECOND. I KNOW YOU FUCKERS OUT THERE LOVE IT. YOU DO IT ALL THE TIME. YOUR FRIENDS DO IT. YOUR MOM DOES IT. PROBABLY YOUR DAD TOO, IF HE’S EVEN STILL AROUND. THE ISSUE IS, ALMOST LIKE 90%+ OF THE TIME, IT’S STRAIGHT UP WRONG TO DO. NOW WEISS IS SUPER COMPLICATED ALL THE TIME AND ALL THE FARTSNIFFERS (ME INCLUDED) WILL JUST “IT DEPENDS”-YOU OVER AND OVER INTO OBLIVION, SO IN THE INTEREST OF CLARITY I’M GONNA LAY OUT A TYPICAL SCENARIO FOR YALL SO WE CAN AT LEAST START SOMEWHERE.

YOU GO SECOND, YOUR OPPONENT GOES FIRST. THEY DRAW, CLOCK, DROP A SINGLE LEVEL ZERO, AND SWING AT YOUR FACE. YOU TAKE 2 LIKE A FUCKING CHAMP, THEN DRAW AND CLOCK. YOU GOT 7 CARDS TO YOUR NAME AND TWINKLE IN YOUR EYE, SO WHAT THE EVERLIVING FUCK DO YOU DO NOW?

OK, SO TO FIGURE THAT OUT, WE GOTTA ASK OURSELF MORE QUESTIONS. THERE’S GONNA BE A LOT OF THESE, SO IMAGINE IT’S LIKE A LIST THAT GOES ON AND ON AND MY VOICE IS DUPLICATED JUST SPITTING THESE OUT AND SHIT.

• WHY DO WE WANNA ATTACK 3 TIMES? DO WE WANNA PUSH THAT DAMAGE??? DO WE HAVE A REALLY STOCK HEAVY PLAY WE WANNA DO LATER?

• WHAT ABOUT YOUR HAND BRUH? YOU GOT RIKIS IN THERE? AQUAS? ANY WAY TO REFILL THAT HAND? WHAT IF YOU GET STUCK AT ZERO? IS THAT CRINGE?

• WHAT DID OUR OPPONENT PLAY? CAN IT SCHMOOVE AROUND AND SHIT? CAN IT BLOCK OUR LANES? DO THEY HAVE THOSE LAME-O BOMBS THAT CAN STOP OUR PLUSSES? WHAT IF THEY GO TO LEVEL 1 FIRST? GOT A PLAN FOR THAT?

YOU CAN REALLY JUST KEEP ASKING YOURSELF SHIT LIKE THIS FOREVER, AND I TOLD YA THAT I WASN’T GONNA “IT DEPENDS” YOU, SO LET’S DIG INTO TO SOME OF THESE.

EVERYBODY LIKES TO TALK ABOUT DAMAGE. SWEET SWEET DAMAGE. IF YOU SWING 3 TIMES, YOU INCREASE THE CHANCE THAT YOU’RE GONNA STICK THAT SHIT AND SEND YOUR OPPONENT TO THE MIDDLE OF LEVEL 1. I DON’T WANNA BE A DEBBY DOWNER ALL THE TIME, BUT THAT SHIT SHOULD GIVE YOU AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT OF PAUSE. DO YOU REALLY WANNA BEAR DOWN YOUR OPPONENT’S BOARD OF LEVEL 1 DUDES NEXT TURN WHILE YOU’RE STUCK AT ZERO LIKE A CHUMP BECAUSE YOUR DECK DECIDED TO FUCK YOU, WHICH IS EVEN WORSE WHEN YOU ONLY GOT 4 CARDS PLUS YOUR RANDO-ASS DRAW AND CLOCK TO WORK WITH BY THE WAY. BUT HEY, MAYBE YOU ARE A GOD GAMER. YOU HAD THAT GOOD MULLIGAN, YOU GOT AN AQUA ON THE BOARD, CLEAN-CUT LOCKED AND LOADED TO SEND YOUR BRAINSTORM TO THE BACK ROW, AND YOU’RE READY TO ROCK AND ROLL AT LEVEL 1 OR SPIN YOUR WHEELS A BIT IF YOU HAPPEN TO CANCEL. THAT BRINGS US RIGHT BACK TO THE TOP- SURELY IT’S FINE TO TRIFIELD NOW RIGHT?

i dropped my whole hand turn 1 and my deck stopped working what is happening this is so unfair holy shit weiss is so rng bullshit ugh im just gonna go play tragic the garnering cause it has so much more skill

WRONG BITCH, OF COURSE IT’S TRICKIER THAN THAT. ONE THING THAT GO-SECOND, FIRST-TURN TRIFIELDS ALWAYS DO IS MAKE YOUR GAME SHAKIER THAN A SAILBOAT IN A TORNADO. WHEN YOU DO THIS, YOU’RE MAKING A (HOPEFULLY) CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO MAKE THE GAME UNSTABLE. YOU GO DOWN IN RESOURCES TO HOPEFULLY PRESSURE YOUR OPPONENT INTO HAVING LESS TIME TO PLAY THEIR GAME. QUESTIONS AGAIN- DOES YOUR DECK PLAY BETTER UNDER THAT CRUNCH THAN YOUR OPPONENT’S? CAN YOU KEEP THAT PRESSURE UP SO THEY STAY UNDER CRUNCH? IS THE GAMBLE OF POTENTIALLY REMOVING AN ENTIRE TURN FROM YOUR OPPONENT’S GAME WORTH THE RISK OF LOSING THAT EXTRA CARD, LEAVING YOU HIGH AND DRY ON THE FOLLOW-UP? ONLY YOU, IN THE MOMENT (AND THE MATCHUP), CAN ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, BUT IT’S THIS KIND OF SHIT THAT SHOULD GUIDE YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS WHEN YOU’RE IN THE SAUCE.

SO BACK TO DAMAGE- IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT YOUR OPPONENT CAN ALWAYS “JUST CANCEL” LIKE A FUCKING LUCKER. FIRST DECK IS RANDOM AF AND GENERALLY THE MOST ROMPER-ROOM PART OF THE GAME, AND ALTHOUGH SIMU’S SAYING OF “DECK THICK, DAMAGE STICK” STILL HOLDS, IT’S MORE VALUABLE TO LOOK AT ATTEMPTS TO PUSH EARLY DAMAGE LIKE YOU’RE A SUPER CONSERVATIVE INVESTOR. WE WANT INDEX FUNDS AND SECURITIES, NOT BIMBO BOMBO CRYPTO BULLSHIT. YOU GOTTA LOOK AT THIS SHIT WITH AN EYE OF DOWNSIDE RISK. BY BURNING THE EXTRA RESOURCES WITHOUT A SURE-FIRE PLAN TO RIP THEM BACK LOCKED AND LOADED, YOU COULD EASILY END UP FUCKED AND UNABLE TO RECOVER, WITH A SHAKY-ASS GAMESTATE ON YOUR HANDS. NOW, THERE’S A GOOD, BASIC, CANNED WAY TO MITIGATE THIS. IT ISN’T ALWAYS RIGHT, BUT ONE THING YOU CAN DO IF YOU WANNA TRY TO PUSH DAMAGE IS TO JUST SWING TWICE IN THE OPEN LANES. YOU SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE AND GET 2 STOCK, 2 +1 SOUL SWINGS, BUT YOU STILL KEEP A 5 CARD HAND FOR THE NEXT TURN, GIVING YOU A FULL GRIP OF 7 AFTER YOU DRAW AND CLOCK. ONE THING PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE IS THAT JUST ONE SOUL TRIGGER IN ONE OF THOSE DIRECTS THREATENS TO PUSH YOUR OPPONENT TO LEVEL 1, AND WITH BUSHIROAD GIVING OUT SOUL TRIGGERS LIKE OPRAH WINFREY, THAT’S MORE LIKELY NOW THAN EVER. ON THE FLIP SIDE, IF YOU WANNA THROTTLE YOUR OPPONENT WHILE STILL GETTING 2 STOCK, SUB IN A FRONT/SIDE INSTEAD OF THE SECOND DIRECT. THIS IS GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR A QUICK SIDEBAR- THIS IS WHY PEOPLE SAY THAT CHASERS AND RUNNERS HELP YOU “CONTROL THE EARLY GAME”. THEY GIVE YOU THE AGENCY TO FOG OR INCREASE YOUR MAXIMUM DAMAGE TAKEN BY BLOCKING OR OPENING UP LANES.

SO, ON TO MORE QUESTIONS. ONE THING I HEAR PEOPLE STILL SAY IS THAT TRIFIELDING GOING SECOND “MAKES YOUR OPPONENT’S LEVEL 1 WORSE”. NOT SURE WHAT YEAR THESE PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN BUT THAT SHIT IS STRAIGHT UP FALSE IN 2025. MODERN UTILITY IS FUCKING CRACKED, AND PEOPLE CAN RIP DOUBLE OR EVEN TRIPLE COMBO OUT OF NOWHERE WITH EVEN JUST 1 STOCK. JUST USE YOUR INVESTOR EYES AGAIN- IS THE RISK OF EXPENDING THOSE EXTRA RESOURCES AND SHAKING UP THE GAME SO EARLY WORTH IT? THAT ANSWER IS GONNA BE NO IN LIKE, ALMOST ALL MATCHUPS THESE DAYS. THESE OVERLOADED CARDS THAT SUCK YOUR DICK AND HAND YOU 20 BUCKS WHILE STOCK CHARGING YOU ARE JUST TOO FUCKING GOOD, AND TOO COMMON THESE DAYS. IN SOME WEIRDO OR OLD MATCHUPS, THIS MIGHT STILL HOLD, BUT THAT’S GONNA BE UP TO YOU TO EVALUATE. REMEMBER- DOWNSIDE RISK. 

this profile makes it really hard for newer players to learn fundamentals but that's a topic for another post

OK, LESS NEGATIVITY NOW- WHAT ABOUT TIMES WHERE YOU ACTUALLY WANNA TRIFIELD GOING SECOND? THIS IS REALLY ONLY GONNA BE THE CASE WHEN EITHER YOU GOD DRAW, YOU’RE PLAYING SOME DUMBASS DOG-BRAINED SHIT LIKE NEW BANG DREAM, OR, MOST COMMONLY, WHEN YOU GOTTA PAY FOR A CRAZY 10+ STOCK PLAY LATER ON. WHEN YOU PLAY STRATEGIES LIKE THAT, YOU GOTTA ACCEPT THE INSTABILITY YOU INTRODUCE TO THE GAME AS “THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS”, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE HAVE TO BE IDIOTS ABOUT IT. SHOVE SOME OF THAT GOOD, PREFERABLY COSTLESS, PLUSSING IN THERE. I’M TALKING CLEAN-CUTS, ON-DEATH RIKIS, HELL, EVEN CLOCK-ENCORES SHOULD BE ON TABLE. AQUAS ARE FUCKING CRACKED HERE BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH YOU SPEND A STOCK, AND THE CARDS YOU GET ARE RANDOM, YOU STILL HAVE A DAMN GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING DOUBLE THE CARDS FOR YOUR MONEY. THERE’S SO MUCH GODDAMN STUPID UTILITY IN THE GAME NOW THAT YOU CAN LIKELY TURN THOSE CARDS INTO WHATEVER YOU NEED FOR FREE. IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT DOING THIS AND WARPING YOUR DECK FOR YOUR STANDARD, PUSSY-ASS FINISHER TURNS THAT ONLY COST LIKE, 7 OR 8 STOCK. IF YOU CAN’T HIT THAT SHIT WITH NORMAL PLAY, YOU GOT A SKILL ISSUE TO WORK ON. I’M TALKING ABOUT THE BIG BOY PLAYS, ONES THAT COST 9, 10, OR EVEN 11+ STOCK. EVEN STILL, IF YOUR SET HAS ACCESS TO STOCKCHARGING OF ANY KIND, YOU SHOULD PLAY THAT SHIT INSTEAD OF PLANNING TO ALWAYS TRIFIELD GOING SECOND. HAVING THE OPTION TO PIVOT AND DO THE CORRECT PLAY IS BETTER THAN PLANNING TO POSSIBLY PUNT FROM THE JUMP.

even the cringe google AI knows this shit is wack

WE COULD GO ON FOREVER WITH MORE QUESTIONS BUT I THINK I’M GONNA LEAVE IT HERE. THIS SHOULD AT LEAST GET THE GEARS TURNING FOR YA’LL ON THE KINDS OF THINGS YOU SHOULD BE CONSIDERING WHEN YOU’RE APPROACHING THE EARLY GAME. PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO ADMIT IT SINCE IT’S SO EASY TO JUST GO “LOL OMG RANDOMNESS RNG SO KOOKY AND CRAZY” BUT YOU CAN INDEED JUST FUCK UP AND LOSE THE WHOLE DAMN GAME ON YOUR FIRST TURN BY DOING SHIT LIKE TRIFIELDING WITHOUT CONSIDERING HE CONSEQUENCES. I GOT MORE SHIT LIKE THIS FLOATING AROUND ON THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND HERE ON THE BLOG, SO FEEL FREE TO CHECK THAT SHIT OUT IF YOU WANT. REALLY HOPE THAT SOME OF THIS CAN GET THROUGH TO PEOPLE SO I CAN STOP FLOATING THROUGH ROUNDS 1 TO 4 OF EVERY REGIONAL HALF ASLEEP. PEOPLE BE PLAYING LIKE THE SIM BOT OUT HERE, FOR REAL.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY AND I’LL SEE YA’LL IN THE NEXT ONE. 🦅🦅🦅

- @BEANWOLF