Join Hymn for an insightful article summarizing his experience piloting a deck with a unique play style at Nationals 2022.
Introduction:
Nationals 2022 was a once in a lifetime experience for me as a new player. I learned the game, taught it, built decks, and practiced growing to love the community in the span of a year. Redemption became one of my prized treasures and the Nationals is a crowning jewel. In this article I will give a brief introduction of who I am, my preparations for Nationals, my deck list in Type 1-2 Player, and experience overall at Nationals.
I am a Christian from Texas (originally Canada). I have a long and complex history with card games and gaming of all kinds both competitively and casually. Redemption is unique among all the games I have partaken of as it melds both my passion for trading card games and my faith as a follower of Jesus. In the past, I stopped playing card games because of the high price of the hobby and usual lack of faith-based fellowship. Redemption was a Godsend in this regard as I could have my cake and eat it too. Redemption allows me to enjoy my love for games while also having a community of fellowship and a tool for ministry.
After being hooked on Redemption’s competitive side, I knew I wanted to compete at the highest level. This required countless hours of combing the REG, asking thousands of questions on Discord, constructing and rebuilding decks, gold fishing, and playing online with the community. I only stood a chance this year at Nationals due to the community and their willingness to play online through Zoom or Lackey. Thank you to everyone who took the time to play against a newbie teaching the strategies and tactics of playing the game. My path towards in-game competency was forged through numerous misplays, and the thrashing I received playing against experienced players. Rotation also created the perfect storm to ease my learning curve into the game by reducing the card pool. Through this crucible I was able to find what my play-style for Redemption was.
The Unique Play-style:
Midrange is a card game play style which revolves around the use of high impact plays and synergies to create an advantage over your opponent controlling the pace of the game to win. This contrasts with speed decks which attempt to outpace your opponent or control where you try to outlast them with attrition. Redemption is distinct from other TCG’s as cards are free and souls must be rescued (usually over the course of many turns) as the only win condition. This creates a polarized play style where most decks are attempting to out speed and or out last their opponents. Out-valuing your opponent is difficult (to impossible) in Redemption because cards do not have an innate cost. Once the pace/tempo of a match has been set, it is rare for it to be altered.
The deck I chose to play at Nationals for Type 1-2 Player is called Resetti given its name by Jay Chambers. I ran a variation of this known as Patriarch’s Resetti. It is a tempo-based midrange deck that can control the pace of the game using the cards Three Nails (GoC) and A New Beginning. I have only found one way to establish a successful midrange strategy in Redemption by utilizing these cards to halt your opponent’s momentum. Redemption has three resources to manage, “Cards, time, and opportunity” as Jay Chambers puts it in “Redemption Strategy and Tactics”
When we use one of the two resets, we can limit our opponent’s advantage and grant ourselves an opportunity to give our cards more impact in battle and time to set up in territory unimpeded. Resetting allows us to create a game state symmetry which we can then break shifting the pace of the midgame due it being our turn. Three Nails is usable on our opponents turn given the chance during a block to stop a rescue. It can also be used to get out of any hard lock currently in Rotation. Nails is a perfect example of an equalizer in this game creating a new play style and giving decks a chance to fight back against faster or more controlling opponents. Resetti and Flood have a unique game plan in Rotation where they can take advantage of the midgame, taking over the pace of a game and directing it in a beneficial way. For more information about the deck and a deeper analysis of it, watch my video where I break down strategy, card choices, and matchups at Nationals: Redemption Nationals 2022 T1-2P 7th Place Deck Breakdown
Nationals 2022 was a highlight of my Redemption career. I got to meet many of the people I have spoken to online and thank them for everything they have done for me and the game. The National tournament is where the community truly shines creating a family gathering atmosphere. Competition was at its peak with no one holding back allowing decks people had been working on for the whole season to truly shine. The amount I learned at Nationals regarding the game is immense. I played the best I have all year during the tournament until the final round in Type 1-2 player where the nerves overtook me at the end. Coming in 7th place is not what I hoped for, but I am proud of the performance I had at the tournament. It serves as a personal benchmark for me to gauge the progress I have made, and how far I must go. Coming in 3rd place for Draft the day prior might have done something to help me accept that outcome. Any new player should be looking forward to attending Nationals as it is a great jumping off point to dive into the game.
Conclusion:
In hindsight, my entry into the game was expedited. Thanks to the community helping me through the learning process and Rotation, I was able to feel comfortable playing with the best in the game. Resetti as a deck and midrange as a play style is what I am eager to play in the future and highly recommend people try it out. Be warned however, Resetti is an intricate deck with a myriad of play lines. I am looking forward to the games future and am excited to see what the elders cook up next. Even if you are not an elder, you can still contribute to having an impact on the community, Jayden, Derek, and Hendrix are prime examples. Thank you to the community, the elders, the tournament hosts, and Rob Anderson for creating and welcoming me into this wonderful game.
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