Part 1 gear

Catalysts:
3-stars:
Magic Guide: This catalyst is great for Lisa or Mona since it increases dmg against targets inflicted with hydro or electro status by a flat amount and since each of their basic attacks inflicts this every time, they hit an enemy that means the dmg bonus is always active for them while attacking. So even though it has lower base stats then 4- or 5-star catalysts it’s passive for hydro/electro casters makes them deal a ton of dmg and should not be underestimated.
Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers: Now this one is quite the beast and might be usable for a long time. What it does is that when you switch characters the character switched to gets an atk % increase for 10 seconds, it can only occur once every 20 seconds but it can occur for any character switched. So, it doesn’t only affect the one wearing the Catalyst, it also increases hp % as it’s secondary, it is in my humble opinion one of the best catalysts to put on Barbara and one of the reasons I also strongly recommend bringing her to your team. I highly recommend refining this to 5 asap, if possible and you want to bring Barbara on your team.
4-stars:
Prototype Malice: This is a fairly good weapon to put on Barbara for instance however it’s passive only activates when the ultimate is used and thus it won’t see as much use as the Thrilling Tales.
Mappa Mare: This is probably your best catalyst on any catalyst user that is your main damage dealer, unless your using Lisa or Mona and your Magic Guide is refined to rank 5, even then eventually Mappa Mare will be the better choice once it’s refined enough. Triggering an elemental combo will increase your elemental dmg by a % and it stacks twice and lasts for 10 seconds however it doesn't have a cd so if you just keep them combos going, which is fairly easy for a mage character you’ll have your elemental dmg boost up at all time.
Bows:
3-stars:
Slingshot: This bow has a massive dmg increase for anyone using their bow users in close range, while decreasing the dmg at long range. Slingshot in short makes you use your bow user like a melee character and the dmg boost it gives is well worth sticking in melee range.
4-stars:
Prototype Crescent: This bow is probably one of the strongest among when it’s passive is active with a massive boost to attack and a movement speed boost. However, it only procs when a weak point is hit, all enemies have a weak point and if it's not obviously pointed out in almost all cases it will be their head in that case. When your able to hit enemies weak pointsit is quite the beast this is however fairly hard to do while in combat.
Compound Bow: This is probably your best bet for a bow outside of the Slingshot since normal attacks or aimed shots will that hit will increase your atk and atk speed by a % and stacks up to four times for 6 seconds, but you can refresh it over and over. Slingshot hold the higher dmg but requires you to stay in melee range or do less dmg, this bow can be used at any range.
Spears:
3-stars:
White Tassel: This spear is good if your using mainly basic attacks, which you should be doing with most physical users, what it does is increase the dmg of all your basic attacks.
Halberd: This one is my recommendation amongst the 3-star spears since while White Tassel in theory will do more dmg in most cases you will not be able to hit the enemy at all time and therefore the big extra dmg attack Halberd does every 10 seconds will probably give you more bang for your buck. Xiangling’s skills also scales of her atk thus a higher base stat in atk and a secondary that gives an atk % increase helps more especially if she’s used as a support.
4-stars
Prototype Grudge: I would not recommend this spear at the moment since Xiangling is the only spear user and it’s buff that activates on elemental skill use lasts for 12 sec but Xiangling’s skill cd is also 12 sec so it’s pretty much impossible to get 2 stacks of it going unless your using cd reductions which can be done by bringing two anemo characters on your team. Its secondary stat is also energy recharge which is not that great if used on your main dmg dealer.
Crescent Pike: Is probably your best bet outside of the Halberd since you will be picking up elemental orbs/particles fairly often and the dmg % increase to normal/charged attacks for 5 seconds is pretty good. It’s base stats coupled with it’s secondary stats will mean your physical attacks will deal more dmg then with the Halberd which is great for a main dmg dealer, however this will not increase the effectiveness of Xiangling’s skills and thus is not a good choice if using her as a support.
Swords:
3-stars:
Harbringer of Dawn: This sword has a lot of dmg potential being able to increase both your crit dmg and crit chance by a large amount. However, it requires your hp to be above 90% for you to get the crit chance bonus. This means all your attacks will deal a ton of dmg as long as you keep your hp high.
Fillet blade: This will be a much safer bet as it has a secondary stat that increases atk and every attack has a 50% chance to deal a massive bonus dmg attack but it can only occur every 15 seconds. Personally, this is one of my favourite passive effects since most of the time your not able to attack over and over and instead you will get a few hits in and then dodge to attack again.
4-stars:
Prototype Rancour: This is probably your best bet if your using your sword user as a physical attacker and your main damage dealer. Simply hitting with normal/charged attacks will increase you atk and def and its secondary stat increases your physical dmg.
Iron Sting: This sword requires you to deal elemental dmg to start stacking dmg % increases its secondary stat also increases your elemental combo dmg overall this will not be as good as the Rancour most of the time, though if you’re not using your sword wielder to deal physical dmg, Iron Sting will probably be a better choice
Claymores:
3-stars:
Skyrider Greatsword: This one increases your atk by a % up to four times on normal/charged attacks it also increases your physical attack as your secondary stat which means it is a great choice for anyone using their claymore wielders as their main dmg dealers.
Debate Club: This one will probably be your best choice if your elemental skill has a low cd. While it does say it’s cd is 3 seconds between each trigger while using Diluc you can use his e once hit + trigger, e again hit + trigger and e again hit + trigger. This might get “nerfed” shortly to have it work as intended. But again this is a great choice for Beidou/RazoChongyun because of their short cd but not so good for Noelle because of her 24 sec cd which means she can't have the buff up att all time. The Skyrider Greatsword overall is the better choice.
4-stars:
Prototype Animus: This is probably my favourite weapon when it comes to the 3- or 4-star claymores. Every normal/charged attack has a 50% chance to deal a large bonus dmg attack in a small aoe with a 15 sec cd on its effect and its secondary stat is bonus atk %. I will go a bit more in-depth on this effect in a little bit.
Whiteblind: Now this would have been the best choice most likely if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s secondary stat is bonus def %. Like the Rancour this claymore stacks bonus atk/def % while hitting enemies with normal/charged attacks and stacks up to 4 times while lasting for 6 seconds. So while at maxed stacks it’s bonus atk % will be a bit higher then the Animus but it won’t have the bonus dmg trigger.
Now on the mentioned Halberd, Fillet Blade and Prototype Animus weapons. How their effects work is that when they trigger on your attacks you will deal your normal attack at let’s say 100 dmg and then a bonus dmg trigger will pop up for an additional 300 dmg. How this dmg is calculated I am honestly unsure since for instance my main dmg dealer using the Animus deals 850ish dmg on a normal attack with a 300% attack dmg boost on the weapon will deal 850 + 2000 dmg with no gear it would be 381 + 998. But while testing the Fillet Blade my sword user with the Fillet Blade who deals 60 dmg on normal attacks with a 240% attack dmg boost will deal 60 + 390 dmg another sword user would deal 10 + 50 dmg. Doing another test with a weaker 2h wielder who deals 120 dmg on normal attacks triggered attack will deal 120 + 500 dmg. The halberd which has an additional 160% dmg boost would give the results of 25 + 98. Of note is that the claymore triggers in a small aoe, the sword on a single target and the spear only on normal attacks but It triggers on anyone hit by that normal attack. The bonus dmg is also able to crit. Most likely it has something to do with the dmg calculation which thus far I am unaware of how it works.
Still this trigger works wonders in fights since most often you will not be able to attack at all times so you can actually see it as while dodging your actually “charging” a stronger attack so to speak. Most often while fighting against weak enemies this effect is strong enough to either instantly kill them or leave them with very little health.
Artifacts:
Here I will only mention some sets to aim for early on that are fairly common (I believe) and what main stats I personally prefer to see on artifacts.
Sets:
Berserker 2 set +12% crit, 4 set below 70% hp + an additional 24 % crit
Marital Artist 2 set normal/charged attacks +15% dmg, 4 set after using elemental skill normal/charged attacks + an additional 25% for 8 sec.
Sadly, the only artifact sets I have been getting a ton of so far is Berserker, Martial Artist, Instructor, The Exile, Traveling Doctor, Lucky dog and Adventurer. Of these I only find Berserker, Martial Artist and perhaps The Exile to be of any long-term use. There are some really great sets I’ve gotten a single drop of but again this guide is looking at early to perhaps mid game tips and I won’t dive into all possible sets and combinations.
For goblets you’re mainly looking for the type of elemental dmg % your mage is using, physical dmg % for your physical attackers or atk % bonus for use on both.For sands you’re mainly looking for atk % bonus on your dmg dealers, elemental mastery if your using a lot of combos with the character or elemental recharge % if you want to regenerate a lot of elemental orbs/particles to use your elemental burst more often. Atk % is your best bet early on.
For circlets you’re mainly looking for atk % bonus, crit rate % bonus or crit dmg % bonus. Again atk % is best bet early on but crit rate and crit dmg will probably later on be your best source of dmg once you get enough crit rate and crit dmg.

Part 2 who to build

Now on this part I will not go much into particular characters since most people rooster at the moment is fairly varied and frankly it would take too long. Instead I will go over the different weapon and character types.
I am someone who is of the firm belief that characters who are useful in as many situations as possible are the best choice therefore for dmg dealers I strongly recommend building a claymore user for your first main dmg dealer, if this is the type of playstyle you like.
So why do I prefer claymore users?
While swords, spears, catalysts and bows attacks faster than the claymore they pack a bigger umph and also attacks in a very broad spectrum every attack a claymore does is almost a small aoe attack in itself. This makes it easier to hit multiple enemies with each swing they do have the weakness of slower attacks and in certain situations getting attacked too often will make you think about changing weapon, though the charge attack will let you attack over and over in quick successions after a short wind-up. However, this part is pretty much up to preference, what really makes me prefer claymores are as mentioned their overall usage. While out and about claymores will be able to destroy mining nodes and rocks in a matter of seconds there are also enemies with geo shields/armour that only claymores have a great effect against, these enemies become fairly common in Liyue and their commonness is what makes me like claymore characters especially. Catalysts also has the advantage of being great in certain puzzles and against enemies with elemental shields same with bows against flying enemies or enemies with weak spots. Swords and spears on the other hand does not have any enemy or place in the game their extra useful against so far, but hopefully in the future enemies that you have to hit rapidly or something similar appears that will make them shine more, but for now swords and spears have no enemies their especially good or important against.
Still remember that you should enjoy the character you are using foremost and this is based on how and with who I like to play.
Anyhow overall I suggest your main damage dealer to be a physical attacker to start with.
This is because physical attackers will always be useful though they will deal little to no dmg against an enemy with an elemental shield or that only takes dmg from elemental dmg this will disappear once enough elemental dmg is dealt the break their shields most of the time, so far there are no enemy completely immune to physical dmg unless you count the final part of Electro Hypostasis (that I know of) but even then, all physical dmg dealers are able to deal some elemental dmg. Mages on the other hand are only able to deal elemental dmg, so far, certain enemies will therefore be a 100% immune to their dmg if used against enemies/bosses of the same element. So early on physical dmg dealers will have the advantage, mages will probably be the end game choice when used against the right elemental enemy since they get a 50% bonus dmg when used against the right element, for instance hydro vs pyro.
Remember to always max out your basic attack talent for your dmg dealers since this will be your main source of dmg and the increase for each lvl is very big. For instance every lvl will increase your dmg by about 3-10% per lvl depending on your character, weapon type and the talents lvl.
Outside of your main damage dealer you best bet is to build 1-2 supports and 1-2 healers. You’ll want your main damage dealer to be max lvl and with the best gear possible, your supports and healers mostly won’t need much investments above getting them into about lvl 50 early on and your probably better of building another dmg dealer once you’re at the point where you have a maxed our dmg dealer and the support + healers at lvl 50.
I would strongly recommend building the free character Barbara and consider including her into your team, more on this later on, Xiangling is also a free character and a great addition as a support character to most teams. An honourable mention is Fischl though not everyone will have her and Qiqi if your lucky enough to get her is perhaps the best support/healer in the game at the moment.

Part 3 what teams to build

Now to start of I will go fairly in-depth into the free character Barbara just to showcase why I think she is a staple inclusion into almost every team. First of as a catalyst user she can use the catalyst Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers, this weapon will give the passive of “when switching characters, the new character taking the field has their ATK increased by 24/30/36/42/48% for 10s. This effect can only occur once every 20s.” this effect works as long as a catalyst user with it equipped is on your team. So what you want to do is start the fight with for instance Barbara active then switch onto your main dmg dealer for the atk % bonus for 10 seconds, you will then have to time your switches so this passive is always active on your main dmg dealer, but once you get used to it the dmg increase is massive, especially since most likely you’ll be able to get to refinement 5 fairly easy. The books secondary stat is also hp % which is what Barbara’s skills scales of. Her skill which gives a persistent over time heal on active character has the weakness of applying the wet status to the active character but what a lot of ppl don’t talk about is that it also deals hydro dmg and applies wet to enemies around the active character as well, this means that if your short on supports or characters to combo with often she can be a great addition by having her skill deal hydro dmg to anyone close to your character which you can then combo with, many times even though it barely deals any dmg with it’s attack it has helped me break hilly mages shields very quickly since it will combo with their shields on it’s own, unless it’s the hydro mage. In short the catalyst I mentioned on its own gives a great boost to any team and for now at least Barbara is mainly the only useful character to put it on who also adds support and healing on her own. So even if you don’t need her healing just the atk % bonus can be a great addition, of course you could bring another catalyst user to put it on.
When it comes to physical dmg dealers what I recommend for early game is to trigger the superconduct combo, electro + cryo dmg, this gives a -25% def for 12 seconds on the enemy it triggers on and equals about a +30% dmg boost for all physical attacks. Therefore, you want to keep an electro and cryo unit on your team at all time when using a physical dmg dealer as your main dmg source. Fischl is the best choice for a electro unit since you can just switch to her use e summon bird and it will attack over and over with electro dmg for you, switching to Lisa and doing a single basic attack works as well, having Beidou or Razor as your main dmg dealers is also a choice to bring electro dmg. When it comes to cryo dmg your option is either to use Kaeya and switch him in to use his skill to hit with cryo dmg, Qiqi is the absolute best choice since her skill works similar to Fischl only in short range around you but it also heals you, using Chongyun as your main dmg dealer is also a choice though you’ll have to run out of his field after you’ve used it since it makes you deal cryo dmg instead of physical dmg and it has a fairly long cd compared to Kaeya.
If you choose an elemental dmg dealer superconduct is your worst elemental combo to use since it deals a very small amount of bonus dmg and is mostly for its physical defence debuff which does nothing for you. Therefore, you never want to do electro + cryo as your combo.
Xiangling is a free character who is also a great addition to almost any team because of her persistent skills that deal pyro dmg.
I would almost always recommend at this point of the game to build a team with either two or three of Fischl, Xiangling, Barbara and if your lucky Qiqi because of their persistent effects and synergy with almost everyone. Building teams around the different elemental resonances is also a good choice with double pyro giving your team +25% atk, double geo +15 % dmg while shielded and so on.

Part 4 showcase

Lastly to give an example of what I am using at the moment, I am at AR 31 almost 32 so world lvl is 3 and I have so far cleared every content in the game that I could find, that means every elite/boss available at the moment, every hidden quest + their fights and every dungeon open to me.
My main dmg dealer is Diluc but I pretty much use his normal/charged attack 95-99% of the time (mostly the charged attack) so you could pretty much use any claymore weapon user or really any physical dmg dealer for the same or at least if it’s not a claymore user similar effect.
Here are some pictures of how he looks at the moment and what gear I have him using.
https://imgur.com/a/CfMBFZt
At the moment he deals about 850ish dmg on normal attacks and charged attacks deals about 650ish dmg without any buffs or debuffs applied, crits are of course higher and the trigger effect deals an extra 2000-3500 dmg on average depending on if it crits or is a normal/charged attack. With buffs and debuffs the dmg on average is anywhere between 1000-2400 dmg depending on crits or not (and I crit a lot) and if I hit the switch + atk or not with the trigger effects dealing around 3000-7000ish bonus dmg depending on if it crits or not. With this I am able to pretty much kill all normal enemies and some of the elite enemies in a single hit or within a few seconds. I am able to shave of up to 50% of the Regisvine when their in a downed state, most bosses that are incapacitated loses close to 25-50% of their health when their in a downed state, pretty sure this will go down as we move along the game but this is with a max lvl’d character (that can be switched for any other claymore character or physical dmg dealer for similar effect), max lvl’d 4 star weapon that everyone can get and refine to lvl 2 like me, three 3-star artifacts two at +8 and one at +12 and two 4-star artifacts at +12 and to be frank most of the artifacts either have bad or suboptimal secondary stats, lastly his basic attack talent is lvl 4.
What I use in combat is pretty much only the superconduct debuff, the thrilling tales switch atk buff (though I still haven't really gotten the timing down) and then very rarely I will use Dilucs skills to deal pyro dmg to combo with Fischl's e skill when I am low on stamina, but I almost never do this since my normal/charged attacks deals more dmg most of the time.
Any how this post became quite lengthy and I hope this helps at least someone out there and anyone is free to use this post or the info it contains however they like. I also apologize for any misspellings as english is not my first language and it became quite long at 6-7 pages.

Extra part:

So haven't really seen anyone mentioning this part but upon the 2nd, 3rd and I believe 5th and 6th ascension each character will get a boost in a certain area tied to themselves, in short 1st unlocks a talent, 2nd + 3rd boosts a stat, 4th another talent and I believe 5th + 6th will further boost the stat. I'll add the one's I know of so far and feel free to give info so I can add to the list. These additions are in the long run not game defining but in some cases they can show you towards what kind of stats/builds are most beneficial on your character.
Since in some cases I wasn't paying much attention to this while ascending I'll just add the aproximate buff.
5-stars:
Diluc: + crit rate, +4,8% crit at 2nd and another +4,8% crit at 3rd total +9,6% at this point, estimated + 19,2% crit rate at max lvl
Venti: + energy recharge, +8% energy recharge at 2nd, estimated +32% energy recharge at max lvl
Keqing: + crit dmg, +9,6% crit dmg at 2nd, estimated +38,4% crit dmg at max lvl
Jean: + healing bonus, +5,5% healing at 2nd, estimated + 22% healing at max lvl
Qiqi: + healing bonus, +5,5% healing at 2nd and +5,6% at 3rd total +11,1 % healing at this point estimated +22% healing at max lvl
Traveller: + atk, +6% atk at 2nd and +6% atk at 3rd, total 12% atk at this point, estimated +24% atk at max lvl
Mona: +unknown (would love someone with mona to tell me what it is and at what % sadly no friend of mine got her :/ )
4-stars:
Barbara: + hp, +6% hp at 2nd and +6% at 3rd total 12 % hp at this point, estimated +24% hp at max lvl.
Fischl: + atk, +6% atk at 2nd and +6% atk at 3rd, total 12% atk at this point, estimated +24% atk at max lvl
Chongyun: + atk, +6% atk at 2nd and +6% atk at 3rd, total 12% atk at this point, estimated +24% atk at max lvl
Razor: + physical dmg, +7.5% at 2nd, estimated + 30% physical dmg at max lvl
Ningguan: + geo dmg, numbers unknown (guessed to be same as Razor)
Beidou: + electro dmg, numbers unknown (guessed to be same as Razor)
Kaeya: + energy recharge, numbers unknown (guessed to be same as Venti)
Lisa: + elemental mastery, numbers unknown.
Xiangling: + elemental mastery, numbers unknown
Amber: + atk, +6% atk at 2nd and +6% atk at 3rd, total 12% atk at this point, estimated +24% atk at max lvl
Sucrose: + unknown
Xingqiu: + unknown
Bennet: + unknown
That is the info I have at this time but this does show you a little on what the optimal way to build some of the characters are, for instance Diluc and Keqing will benefit the most from crit rate + crit dmg builds, since they already get + crit rate/crit dmg. Razor is best as a physical dmg dealer and so on. These bonuses are as mentioned not game breaking but sort of like having an extra artifacts main stat on the characters.
Edit: While finishing of the marksmanship achievement I found out that hitting enemies in the head count as hitting their weakpoints so I changed my take on the Prototype Crescent bow.
Edit: Changed recommendations on the debate club to more be in line with how I intended.
Edit: I just noticed not a lot of ppl have talked about the bonus stat each character get so added a part about it.

United’s hopeless pursuit of Jadon Sancho – the real story (theathletic.com)

Hi Folks,
Throwaway account here providing the full Article: https://theathletic.com/2115449/2020/10/06/manchester-united-jadon-sancho-transfer-window/ since it's behind a paywall.

United’s hopeless pursuit of Jadon Sancho – the real story
^{Laurie Whitwell, David Ornstein and more} (Other contributor: Raphael Honigstein)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer identified Jadon Sancho as his principal target this summer in what was seen as a vital opportunity for squad enhancement following Champions League qualification.
But after 10 weeks of opportunity for talks, Sancho remains a Borussia Dortmund player and the simple truth is that United never got close.
The Athletic has been told that Solskjaer urged Ed Woodward to keep trying, and financial concerns meant other signings were pushed to the periphery until the final 48 hours of the window.
Donny van de Beek arrived on September 2 but sources say United waited to pull the trigger on other purchases until it became clear Sancho was not arriving.
So for the third window in a row, United were active on deadline day, completing the signings of Edinson Cavani, Alex Telles, Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri. In January, it was Odion Ighalo, hot on the heels of Bruno Fernandes. Last summer, the club were trying to sign Mario Mandzukic or Paulo Dybala.
The cause for this year’s unedifying sense of late freneticism appears to centre on the priority given to the Sancho move and, fundamentally, a misunderstanding by United of Dortmund’s intentions.
Essentially, United did not believe Dortmund would stay firm on the price-tag of €120 million or their deadline of August 10, embarking on a long-running game of poker without realising that the Bundesliga club weren’t even at the table. United effectively sat still in the hope Dortmund would blink first and place the call they were ready to do business. Intermediaries attempted to broker a deal but were waiting on United to move, which did not happen.
Some sources felt Woodward was holding until the last moment to place an all-in bet, giving the impression of resistance in the ambition of driving the price down. But instead, United kept their chips and stayed true to their valuation. By never ruling themselves out of the deal though, United’s actions seriously annoyed Dortmund’s executives, who became even more entrenched in their position as the weeks went on.
When Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc stood at the side of their training pitches on August 10, the first day of pre-season, and said the decision on Sancho staying was “final”, one alarmed United director made a call to check whether the statement was genuine. The response was along the lines of, “What did you expect? You knew the terms.”
Hans-Joachim Watzke, Dortmund’s chief executive, is said to have personally phoned United at the start of the summer and explained very clearly how much the deal would cost and when it needed to be done by.
United privately argue that the continued conversations after that point, conducted via intermediaries Emeka Obasi and Marco Lichtsteiner, were evidence of Dortmund remaining open to a sale. But the reason for the involvement of agents is hotly disputed.
United insist Dortmund wanted talks done through Obasi and Lichtsteiner, and some believe this was so Dortmund could stick to their public stance while having a backchannel to a potential resolution. United held lengthy discussions and made known what they were willing to pay, which held a firm limit given the current economic environment.
Sources say Dortmund reject that idea and deny they ever appointed agents. Previous deals with Arsenal and Barcelona for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele respectively were based on face-to-face meetings with club counterparts.
On this occasion, they believed that they had provided the fee to United and since Woodward failed to match it by August 10, there was no need for further direct discussion.
United felt there was tacit encouragement to keep lines of communication going but the only way they could have got the deal on after that date was with a “crazy” offer along the lines of Neymar’s £200 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. Sources told The Athletic that if United had come in with an offer of €140-£150 million then Dortmund might have done business. Conscious of their reputation having set their position out so publicly, Dortmund would have been able to sell that as a turnaround made in extraordinary circumstances.
United argued that the €120 million price tag did not take into account the financial hit caused by the pandemic. Executives genuinely felt it should come down, given the full total of the transfer was potentially enormous. The Athletic has been told initial calculations rose to €250 million including wages and agent fees. United made what has been described as a “calm decision” to refuse that amount and felt vindicated when the government postponed the return of fans to stadiums costing the club another £50 million in lost revenue.
But it is understood that Dortmund originally planned for the €120 million as a “minimum” — and ideally wanted nearer the €147 million fee that Barcelona paid for Dembele — so it was an adjustment to even consider a bid that could reach that figure in installments.
In any case, United never got near to that guaranteed sum. One offer, submitted by chief negotiator Matt Judge through the agents in the final week of September, amounted to £80 million, plus add-ons. Once passed to Watzke, it was immediately rejected as too little too late. There was a sense at the Westfalenstadion that United did not take Dortmund’s demands seriously or were acting without full intentions to actually complete the signing.
All proposals were said to have been relayed to Dortmund via the agents knowing full well they would be turned down.
Sancho himself is believed to have felt undervalued by the offers and even if United had placed the right bid late on, it is understood he would have questioned why it did not come earlier.
Sancho was never going to agitate for a move unless United came close to Dortmund’s demands. Illness kept him out of the squad for Saturday’s 4-0 win over Freiburg but Sancho then attended a house party in London with Tammy Abraham and Ben Chilwell, in breach of lockdown rules, and will join up late with England as a result. He has since apologised.
The forward was prepared to join United but not “desperate” to move this summer. He was relaxed either way. That was the sense drawn by England team-mates at the September camp.
That being said, others close to United were under the impression he “would walk to Old Trafford”. Sancho texted Marcus Rashford about United, and the pair were said to be excited at the prospect of linking up. Sancho has many friends in Manchester from his time at Manchester City.
Other United players were in touch too and so was Solskjaer, who as long ago as January wanted to ascertain Sancho’s willingness to join and to get a personal sense of his character. Having privately acknowledged the possibility of a sale, Dortmund were aware of the conversations, which are standard for most transfers.
There had actually been dialogue with Sancho’s representatives dating back to when he left Manchester City for Dortmund in 2017, but talks commenced in earnest this year once United had secured Champions League football on July 26.
United’s exit from the Europa League was disappointing, but some close to the club felt it would at least reinforce the impetus for signings — a reminder to the Glazer family that funding was required to take the next step. “But extending the window to October 5 is probably the worst thing for Solskjaer,” said a source. “I can see United taking talks to the wire again.”
There were some raised eyebrows at United over reports of Sancho’s lateness to training and fines for breaching lockdown regulations in Germany. But United viewed the indiscretions as attributable to a desire to move on from Dortmund. “We’ll make Carrington a place where he wants to come to work every day,” one member of staff told a colleague.
Solskjaer had determined Sancho would be his main target, with one source saying in April: “We are ready to go, we know who we want, the people at the top are now certain.”
But that conviction was not found in the pursuit, with Dortmund soon frustrated at United’s reluctance to commit to a fee or structure. There were allegations of “freestyling”, a refusal to provide a top line, and when pushed for answers, Judge suggested the issue lay with “the owners”. Agents proposing other players were told of a £50 million net spend budget. Executives feel they have a responsibility to protect the long-term strength of the club by not over-paying.
The Athletic has previously reported how Joel Glazer, in daily contact with Woodward, is involved in all major signings and paid particularly close attention to the Sancho deal. There were accusations of a split in opinion between the pair over the price to be sanctioned, with Woodward advocating a higher fee, but United insist board members were united on their view that €120 million was too much in the post-COVID-19 climate. Recruitment staff were told about a significant budget being allocated to Sancho but later the internal line back from Woodward was that the deal was “too much money”.
Privately United suggested the €120 million figure could be reached including some unrealistic bonuses, which may have allowed Dortmund to save face with a headline figure. Dortmund were resolute in their stance though and believed a higher price could be achieved next summer. The cause for their confidence was revealed when Zorc announced a previously unknown extension to Sancho’s contract, meaning it did not run out until 2023.
United insist they knew all those details and were for a long time frustrated by what they perceived to be the slow process of dealing with Dortmund through Obasi, Sancho’s agent, and Lichtsteiner, the brother of former Arsenal player Stephan. The two intermediaries are described as “very close”. Lichtsteiner previously assisted on the departures of Aubameyang and Dembele to Arsenal and Barcelona respectively, and has vast experience of difficult transfers. He is said to be well-regarded and very discreet with information.
United have in the past worked on deals through agents, and last summer placed an offer for the Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff in this manner. Sources at Newcastle suspected this was so United had deniability if unsuccessful.
On other occasions, the technique has worked well. Woodward conducted the purchase of Juan Mata from Chelsea without one word to his counterparts at Stamford Bridge to block any chance of Wayne Rooney being brought into the conversation. Chelsea wanted to buy Rooney that window.
Before any fee could be finalised this time, there were difficulties over wages and agent fees.
It has been suggested to The Athletic that the opening contract offer to Sancho was actually slightly lower than his Dortmund salary. As is customary in Germany, Sancho’s contract was heavily incentivised and contained bonus payments for each point Dortmund achieved.
Conscious of maintaining a certain wage structure, United’s initial proposal was less than Sancho’s total pay packet at Dortmund. Van de Beek joined on £110,000 a week, for instance, and his representatives were told that was in line with a refined structure given Fernandes signed for £150,000 a week.
A second offer to Sancho, in early August, is said to have achieved parity with his Dortmund deal, with the potential for a fractional increase based on performance. This was not accepted. Sancho’s representatives, who carefully organised a move away from City in 2017, were clear in their view of Sancho’s worth and expected to be recompensed as such.
Though not asking for money equitable to David De Gea, who signed a deal worth more than £375,000 a week within the final 12 months of becoming a free agent, the terms desired were thought to be in the region of Paul Pogba’s £250,000 a week.
There were reports that wages had been sorted in the first week of August but this was not the case. United believed leaks to that end emanating from Germany were an attempt to “put pressure” on the process.
Still, there was positivity about a solution. Sources say the Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was keeping himself abreast of Sancho’s situation and around this stage told friends he believed the player would end up at Old Trafford.
There was eventually a breakthrough on Sancho’s salary in the second week of September.
Running parallel were negotiations over agent fees. Some have suggested an initial proposal for a payment to the agents put United on the back foot. After negotiations, a lower sum was agreed. But that still left the transfer fee and, as the gap remained, other options were considered. A prospective loan deal for Gareth Bale was set up but the Wales international declined to wait as a reserve for Sancho. He had the emotional pull of Tottenham Hotspur in any case.
Watford’s Ismaila Sarr, previously not regarded as a genuine option, came into the reckoning in the final fortnight of the window when United explored a loan move. With Watford in the Championship, Sarr has until the domestic deadline of October 16 to join a Premier League club.
Talks also commenced over Dembele. An original inquiry for the Barcelona forward was made in July but at that stage, Dembele was not interested. Sources say Liverpool also made a check back then.
But while Liverpool instead signed Diogo Jota on September 19, it was United returning in the dying embers of the market to investigate whether Dembele might join on loan. It was a late move. A source close to the Barcelona dressing room said at the time: “He intended to stay at Barcelona. In pre-season, his attitude was really different and the players were super happy to see how he was training and how involved in the routine. Therefore, everything has to have changed a lot for him to have decided to go to United.”
In the end, United only wanted a loan. Barcelona demanded a sale, so the situation looked unlikely to develop until a late change of stance by the La Liga club on Monday evening. Barcelona indicated they would agree to a loan but only if Dembele extended his contract at the Nou Camp, and the deal was off.
Industry insiders reported numerous other inquiries and proposals put to the club by representatives, such as Real Madrid’s Luka Jovic, Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic and Juventus’ Douglas Costa. There was exasperation among some at Carrington that United were leaving business so late again and having to work down their list to second and third options. “Looks like a panic buy,” was the assessment by one source close to the dressing room of the Cavani signing.
United did ask Bayer Leverkusen for Kai Havertz in January but were put off by the €100 million fee and never made a follow-up call this summer, clearing the path to Chelsea.
Meanwhile, the Sancho failure represents the third time Dortmund have got their way over United this year, after the signings of Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham — two episodes that have caused lingering frustration.
Some agents who have worked with United on other deals believe the club should have halted talks on Sancho much earlier if €120 million was seen as too much and pursued alternatives. There are accusations the delay speaks to a fundamental issue in recruitment, which sources call a paralysis of decision-making. But given how much Solskjaer wanted Sancho, United wanted to try for their No 1 target for as long as possible.
United accept they have missed out on a top player but insist they have not over-extended their finances. The signings of Diallo and Pellistri, both 18-year-old wingers, are regarded as viable options for the first-team once bedded into England through the under-21s side. Diallo’s cost of €21 million plus €20 million is not insignificant, however, inevitably inviting questions about why United refused the extra money for Sancho. Diallo has been scouted since 2016 and is considered one of the most exciting prospects in Italy. There are echoes when Anthony Martial signed for big expense and little experience and became Joel Glazer’s favourite player.
Sancho will stay in the crosshairs, for the next time trading opens. It’s understood he long since shifted his focus to a future transfer rather than moving in the current window. But it is anticipated more clubs will be in the reckoning for his signature by then.

Some early game tips on teams/weapons/artifacts

So, I did some posts on team buildings to give tips on what teams to build and lately I have been getting some requests on team building and how to build your team both through the topic and by direct messages. I will just say upfront that I have only been playing the OBT for a few days and then played since launch so my knowledge is mostly from in game testing and what I have gathered from reading around a bit.
This post is towards ppl who wants to increase their damage and/or get some tips on what teams to build, who to build and a bit about what to gear. This is not to be seen as an in-depth guide and I apologize if I give wrong information in any way, shape or form here.
To start of I’ll briefly go over some gear choices and my own opinion on these. Since this guide is mostly geared towards these early stages and things that are fairly reasonable for everyone to get. I will only touch on 3-star gear and the 4-star weapons you get/craft for free in game, since pretty much everyone will get these, the 3 star weapons are gacha gated but I am pretty sure everyone who has done the gacha will get these at least a couple of times.
Part 1 gear
Catalysts:
3-stars:
Magic Guide: This catalyst is great for Lisa or Mona since it increases dmg against targets inflicted with hydro or electro status by a flat amount and since each of their basic attacks inflicts this every time, they hit an enemy that means the dmg bonus is always active for them while attacking. So even though it has lower base stats then 4- or 5-star catalysts it’s passive for hydro/electro casters makes them deal a ton of dmg and should not be underestimated.
Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers: Now this one is quite the beast and might be usable for a long time. What it does is that when you switch characters the character switched to gets an atk % increase for 10 seconds, it can only occur once every 20 seconds but it can occur for any character switched. So, it doesn’t only affect the one wearing the Catalyst, it also increases hp % as it’s secondary, it is in my humble opinion one of the best catalysts to put on Barbara and one of the reasons I also strongly recommend bringing her to your team. I highly recommend refining this to 5 asap, if possible and you want to bring Barbara on your team.
4-stars:
Prototype Malice: This is a fairly good weapon to put on Barbara for instance however it’s passive only activates when the ultimate is used and thus it won’t see as much use as the Thrilling Tales.
Mappa Mare: This is probably your best catalyst on any catalyst user that is your main damage dealer, unless your using Lisa or Mona and your Magic Guide is refined to rank 5, even then eventually Mappa Mare will be the better choice once it’s refined enough. Triggering an elemental combo will increase your elemental dmg by a % and it stacks twice and lasts for 10 seconds however it doesn't have a cd so if you just keep them combos going, which is fairly easy for a mage character you’ll have your elemental dmg boost up at all time.
Bows:
3-stars:
Slingshot: This bow has a massive dmg increase for anyone using their bow users in close range, while decreasing the dmg at long range. Slingshot in short makes you use your bow user like a melee character and the dmg boost it gives is well worth sticking in melee range.
4-stars:
Prototype Crescent: This bow is probably one of the strongest among when it’s passive is active with a massive boost to attack and a movement speed boost. However, it only procs when a weak point is hit, all enemies have a weak point and if it's not obviously pointed out in almost all cases it will be their head in that case. When your able to hit enemies weak pointsit is quite the beast this is however fairly hard to do while in combat.
Compound Bow: This is probably your best bet for a bow outside of the Slingshot since normal attacks or aimed shots will that hit will increase your atk and atk speed by a % and stacks up to four times for 6 seconds, but you can refresh it over and over. Slingshot hold the higher dmg but requires you to stay in melee range or do less dmg, this bow can be used at any range.
Spears:
3-stars:
White Tassel: This spear is good if your using mainly basic attacks, which you should be doing with most physical users, what it does is increase the dmg of all your basic attacks.
Halberd: This one is my recommendation amongst the 3-star spears since while White Tassel in theory will do more dmg in most cases you will not be able to hit the enemy at all time and therefore the big extra dmg attack Halberd does every 10 seconds will probably give you more bang for your buck. Xiangling’s skills also scales of her atk thus a higher base stat in atk and a secondary that gives an atk % increase helps more especially if she’s used as a support.
4-stars
Prototype Grudge: I would not recommend this spear at the moment since Xiangling is the only spear user and it’s buff that activates on elemental skill use lasts for 12 sec but Xiangling’s skill cd is also 12 sec so it’s pretty much impossible to get 2 stacks of it going unless your using cd reductions which can be done by bringing two anemo characters on your team. Its secondary stat is also energy recharge which is not that great if used on your main dmg dealer.
Crescent Pike: Is probably your best bet outside of the Halberd since you will be picking up elemental orbs/particles fairly often and the dmg % increase to normal/charged attacks for 5 seconds is pretty good. It’s base stats coupled with it’s secondary stats will mean your physical attacks will deal more dmg then with the Halberd which is great for a main dmg dealer, however this will not increase the effectiveness of Xiangling’s skills and thus is not a good choice if using her as a support.
Swords:
3-stars:
Harbringer of Dawn: This sword has a lot of dmg potential being able to increase both your crit dmg and crit chance by a large amount. However, it requires your hp to be above 90% for you to get the crit chance bonus. This means all your attacks will deal a ton of dmg as long as you keep your hp high.
Fillet blade: This will be a much safer bet as it has a secondary stat that increases atk and every attack has a 50% chance to deal a massive bonus dmg attack but it can only occur every 15 seconds. Personally, this is one of my favourite passive effects since most of the time your not able to attack over and over and instead you will get a few hits in and then dodge to attack again.
4-stars:
Prototype Rancour: This is probably your best bet if your using your sword user as a physical attacker and your main damage dealer. Simply hitting with normal/charged attacks will increase you atk and def and its secondary stat increases your physical dmg.
Iron Sting: This sword requires you to deal elemental dmg to start stacking dmg % increases its secondary stat also increases your elemental combo dmg overall this will not be as good as the Rancour most of the time, though if you’re not using your sword wielder to deal physical dmg, Iron Sting will probably be a better choice
Claymores:
3-stars:
Skyrider Greatsword: This one increases your atk by a % up to four times on normal/charged attacks it also increases your physical attack as your secondary stat which means it is a great choice for anyone using their claymore wielders as their main dmg dealers.
Debate Club: This one will probably be your best choice if your elemental skill has a low cd. While it does say it’s cd is 3 seconds between each trigger while using Diluc you can use his e once hit + trigger, e again hit + trigger and e again hit + trigger. This might get “nerfed” shortly to have it work as intended. But again this is a great choice for Beidou/RazoChongyun because of their short cd but not so good for Noelle because of her 24 sec cd which means she can't have the buff up att all time. The Skyrider Greatsword overall is the better choice.
4-stars:
Prototype Animus: This is probably my favourite weapon when it comes to the 3- or 4-star claymores. Every normal/charged attack has a 50% chance to deal a large bonus dmg attack in a small aoe with a 15 sec cd on its effect and its secondary stat is bonus atk %. I will go a bit more in-depth on this effect in a little bit.
Whiteblind: Now this would have been the best choice most likely if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s secondary stat is bonus def %. Like the Rancour this claymore stacks bonus atk/def % while hitting enemies with normal/charged attacks and stacks up to 4 times while lasting for 6 seconds. So while at maxed stacks it’s bonus atk % will be a bit higher then the Animus but it won’t have the bonus dmg trigger.
Now on the mentioned Halberd, Fillet Blade and Prototype Animus weapons. How their effects work is that when they trigger on your attacks you will deal your normal attack at let’s say 100 dmg and then a bonus dmg trigger will pop up for an additional 300 dmg. How this dmg is calculated I am honestly unsure since for instance my main dmg dealer using the Animus deals 850ish dmg on a normal attack with a 300% attack dmg boost on the weapon will deal 850 + 2000 dmg with no gear it would be 381 + 998. But while testing the Fillet Blade my sword user with the Fillet Blade who deals 60 dmg on normal attacks with a 240% attack dmg boost will deal 60 + 390 dmg another sword user would deal 10 + 50 dmg. Doing another test with a weaker 2h wielder who deals 120 dmg on normal attacks triggered attack will deal 120 + 500 dmg. The halberd which has an additional 160% dmg boost would give the results of 25 + 98. Of note is that the claymore triggers in a small aoe, the sword on a single target and the spear only on normal attacks but It triggers on anyone hit by that normal attack. The bonus dmg is also able to crit. Most likely it has something to do with the dmg calculation which thus far I am unaware of how it works.
Still this trigger works wonders in fights since most often you will not be able to attack at all times so you can actually see it as while dodging your actually “charging” a stronger attack so to speak. Most often while fighting against weak enemies this effect is strong enough to either instantly kill them or leave them with very little health.
Artifacts:
Here I will only mention some sets to aim for early on that are fairly common (I believe) and what main stats I personally prefer to see on artifacts.
Sets:
Berserker 2 set +12% crit, 4 set below 70% hp + an additional 24 % crit
Marital Artist 2 set normal/charged attacks +15% dmg, 4 set after using elemental skill normal/charged attacks + an additional 25% for 8 sec.
Sadly, the only artifact sets I have been getting a ton of so far is Berserker, Martial Artist, Instructor, The Exile, Traveling Doctor, Lucky dog and Adventurer. Of these I only find Berserker, Martial Artist and perhaps The Exile to be of any long-term use. There are some really great sets I’ve gotten a single drop of but again this guide is looking at early to perhaps mid game tips and I won’t dive into all possible sets and combinations.
For goblets you’re mainly looking for the type of elemental dmg % your mage is using, physical dmg % for your physical attackers or atk % bonus for use on both.For sands you’re mainly looking for atk % bonus on your dmg dealers, elemental mastery if your using a lot of combos with the character or elemental recharge % if you want to regenerate a lot of elemental orbs/particles to use your elemental burst more often. Atk % is your best bet early on.
For circlets you’re mainly looking for atk % bonus, crit rate % bonus or crit dmg % bonus. Again atk % is best bet early on but crit rate and crit dmg will probably later on be your best source of dmg once you get enough crit rate and crit dmg.
Part 2 who to build
Now on this part I will not go much into particular characters since most people rooster at the moment is fairly varied and frankly it would take too long. Instead I will go over the different weapon and character types.
I am someone who is of the firm belief that characters who are useful in as many situations as possible are the best choice therefore for dmg dealers I strongly recommend building a claymore user for your first main dmg dealer, if this is the type of playstyle you like.
So why do I prefer claymore users?
While swords, spears, catalysts and bows attacks faster than the claymore they pack a bigger umph and also attacks in a very broad spectrum every attack a claymore does is almost a small aoe attack in itself. This makes it easier to hit multiple enemies with each swing they do have the weakness of slower attacks and in certain situations getting attacked too often will make you think about changing weapon, though the charge attack will let you attack over and over in quick successions after a short wind-up. However, this part is pretty much up to preference, what really makes me prefer claymores are as mentioned their overall usage. While out and about claymores will be able to destroy mining nodes and rocks in a matter of seconds there are also enemies with geo shields/armour that only claymores have a great effect against, these enemies become fairly common in Liyue and their commonness is what makes me like claymore characters especially. Catalysts also has the advantage of being great in certain puzzles and against enemies with elemental shields same with bows against flying enemies or enemies with weak spots. Swords and spears on the other hand does not have any enemy or place in the game their extra useful against so far, but hopefully in the future enemies that you have to hit rapidly or something similar appears that will make them shine more, but for now swords and spears have no enemies their especially good or important against.
Still remember that you should enjoy the character you are using foremost and this is based on how and with who I like to play.
Anyhow overall I suggest your main damage dealer to be a physical attacker to start with.
This is because physical attackers will always be useful though they will deal little to no dmg against an enemy with an elemental shield or that only takes dmg from elemental dmg this will disappear once enough elemental dmg is dealt the break their shields most of the time, so far there are no enemy completely immune to physical dmg unless you count the final part of Electro Hypostasis (that I know of) but even then, all physical dmg dealers are able to deal some elemental dmg. Mages on the other hand are only able to deal elemental dmg, so far, certain enemies will therefore be a 100% immune to their dmg if used against enemies/bosses of the same element. So early on physical dmg dealers will have the advantage, mages will probably be the end game choice when used against the right elemental enemy since they get a 50% bonus dmg when used against the right element, for instance hydro vs pyro.
Remember to always max out your basic attack talent for your dmg dealers since this will be your main source of dmg and the increase for each lvl is very big. For instance every lvl will increase your dmg by about 3-10% per lvl depending on your character, weapon type and the talents lvl.
Outside of your main damage dealer you best bet is to build 1-2 supports and 1-2 healers. You’ll want your main damage dealer to be max lvl and with the best gear possible, your supports and healers mostly won’t need much investments above getting them into about lvl 50 early on and your probably better of building another dmg dealer once you’re at the point where you have a maxed our dmg dealer and the support + healers at lvl 50.
I would strongly recommend building the free character Barbara and consider including her into your team, more on this later on, Xiangling is also a free character and a great addition as a support character to most teams. An honourable mention is Fischl though not everyone will have her and Qiqi if your lucky enough to get her is perhaps the best support/healer in the game at the moment.
Part 3 what teams to build
Now to start of I will go fairly in-depth into the free character Barbara just to showcase why I think she is a staple inclusion into almost every team. First of as a catalyst user she can use the catalyst Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers, this weapon will give the passive of “when switching characters, the new character taking the field has their ATK increased by 24/30/36/42/48% for 10s. This effect can only occur once every 20s.” this effect works as long as a catalyst user with it equipped is on your team. So what you want to do is start the fight with for instance Barbara active then switch onto your main dmg dealer for the atk % bonus for 10 seconds, you will then have to time your switches so this passive is always active on your main dmg dealer, but once you get used to it the dmg increase is massive, especially since most likely you’ll be able to get to refinement 5 fairly easy. The books secondary stat is also hp % which is what Barbara’s skills scales of. Her skill which gives a persistent over time heal on active character has the weakness of applying the wet status to the active character but what a lot of ppl don’t talk about is that it also deals hydro dmg and applies wet to enemies around the active character as well, this means that if your short on supports or characters to combo with often she can be a great addition by having her skill deal hydro dmg to anyone close to your character which you can then combo with, many times even though it barely deals any dmg with it’s attack it has helped me break hilly mages shields very quickly since it will combo with their shields on it’s own, unless it’s the hydro mage. In short the catalyst I mentioned on its own gives a great boost to any team and for now at least Barbara is mainly the only useful character to put it on who also adds support and healing on her own. So even if you don’t need her healing just the atk % bonus can be a great addition, of course you could bring another catalyst user to put it on.
When it comes to physical dmg dealers what I recommend for early game is to trigger the superconduct combo, electro + cryo dmg, this gives a -25% def for 12 seconds on the enemy it triggers on and equals about a +30% dmg boost for all physical attacks. Therefore, you want to keep an electro and cryo unit on your team at all time when using a physical dmg dealer as your main dmg source. Fischl is the best choice for a electro unit since you can just switch to her use e summon bird and it will attack over and over with electro dmg for you, switching to Lisa and doing a single basic attack works as well, having Beidou or Razor as your main dmg dealers is also a choice to bring electro dmg. When it comes to cryo dmg your option is either to use Kaeya and switch him in to use his skill to hit with cryo dmg, Qiqi is the absolute best choice since her skill works similar to Fischl only in short range around you but it also heals you, using Chongyun as your main dmg dealer is also a choice though you’ll have to run out of his field after you’ve used it since it makes you deal cryo dmg instead of physical dmg and it has a fairly long cd compared to Kaeya.
If you choose an elemental dmg dealer superconduct is your worst elemental combo to use since it deals a very small amount of bonus dmg and is mostly for its physical defence debuff which does nothing for you. Therefore, you never want to do electro + cryo as your combo.
Xiangling is a free character who is also a great addition to almost any team because of her persistent skills that deal pyro dmg.
I would almost always recommend at this point of the game to build a team with either two or three of Fischl, Xiangling, Barbara and if your lucky Qiqi because of their persistent effects and synergy with almost everyone. Building teams around the different elemental resonances is also a good choice with double pyro giving your team +25% atk, double geo +15 % dmg while shielded and so on.
Part 4 showcase
Lastly to give an example of what I am using at the moment, I am at AR 31 almost 32 so world lvl is 3 and I have so far cleared every content in the game that I could find, that means every elite/boss available at the moment, every hidden quest + their fights and every dungeon open to me.
My main dmg dealer is Diluc but I pretty much use his normal/charged attack 95-99% of the time (mostly the charged attack) so you could pretty much use any claymore weapon user or really any physical dmg dealer for the same or at least if it’s not a claymore user similar effect.
Here are some pictures of how he looks at the moment and what gear I have him using.
https://imgur.com/a/CfMBFZt
At the moment he deals about 850ish dmg on normal attacks and charged attacks deals about 650ish dmg without any buffs or debuffs applied, crits are of course higher and the trigger effect deals an extra 2000-3500 dmg on average depending on if it crits or is a normal/charged attack. With buffs and debuffs the dmg on average is anywhere between 1000-2400 dmg depending on crits or not (and I crit a lot) and if I hit the switch + atk or not with the trigger effects dealing around 3000-7000ish bonus dmg depending on if it crits or not. With this I am able to pretty much kill all normal enemies and some of the elite enemies in a single hit or within a few seconds. I am able to shave of up to 50% of the Regisvine when their in a downed state, most bosses that are incapacitated loses close to 25-50% of their health when their in a downed state, pretty sure this will go down as we move along the game but this is with a max lvl’d character (that can be switched for any other claymore character or physical dmg dealer for similar effect), max lvl’d 4 star weapon that everyone can get and refine to lvl 2 like me, three 3-star artifacts two at +8 and one at +12 and two 4-star artifacts at +12 and to be frank most of the artifacts either have bad or suboptimal secondary stats, lastly his basic attack talent is lvl 4.
What I use in combat is pretty much only the superconduct debuff, the thrilling tales switch atk buff (though I still haven't really gotten the timing down) and then very rarely I will use Dilucs skills to deal pyro dmg to combo with Fischl's e skill when I am low on stamina, but I almost never do this since my normal/charged attacks deals more dmg most of the time.
Any how this post became quite lengthy and I hope this helps at least someone out there and anyone is free to use this post or the info it contains however they like. I also apologize for any misspellings as english is not my first language and it became quite long at 6-7 pages.

Extra part:

Ranting about every single SSBU character - Day 7 : Fox

SSBU is agreed to be the most balanced of all the smash games, so naturally all the characters are broken beyond comprehension and I hate them all.
Keep in mind that this is not a serious post, I am not directing this at anybody, this is just for fun and to relieve the immense amount of salt I've accumulated
Day 7 : Fox
A lot of you know that one person who just peaked in high school, and are forever trying to regain the fame they had then. Fox is their character. Cursed to have been good in exactly one game, that notoriety now follows him throughout the series, and every game you'll have someone swear up and down that this time they're top tier, really, Fox is good again, but the hollow ring of their empty words isn't enough to convince anybody, let alone themselves.
I guess the main reason people pick Fox is because it's a really nice feeling to simply press all the buttons you want and watch as everything leads into everything else. A veritable combo wonderland. It's enough to entrance anybody into thinking Fox is top tier.
Secondly there's something about Fox's design that just appeals to those who're way too serious about Smash. The sleek, clinical white. Utilitarian, nothing too flashy. The quick, sharp attacks that are practical and elegant. It makes them feel like pros, even though they're playing Ultimate because they get completely thrashed in Melee.
Here's how a typical match with a Fox main goes.
Pre-Match
You both plug in your controllers, and you attempt to make conversation with the Fox main, but their answers are clipped and precise. You see, they are far beyond your puny mortal plane of existence. As you pick a heavy character, because you enjoy playing as them, you hear a condescending chuckle from their corner, and, because you have telepathy for the purpose of this tale, you hear them think "Oh man, free combo food! I'm going to beat this poor sap so hard that he'll have to hire a lawyer to get me to stop!!" And as they internally guffaw at their clever joke, they slightly smile and shake your hand, not with a firm hold and a good up-and-down pump like a functioning adult, but with that deadfish grip that suggests you're a bacterial paradise. Having selected a stage (Final Destination, for this story) and their character skin (default Fox, so that they can be like their god Leffen), the match begins.
The Beginning
As the GO completely fills up the screen, your ears are assaulted by a cacophony of clicks. It's your opponent, slamming the B button down to get off a few lasers before the massive text fades away. You can't really blame them. It's free, easy damage if you didn't immediately shield or jump, and now you wearily prepare yourself to hear the "pew pew pew" punctuate the music that they chose for the rest of the match.
By sheer coincidence, the music is from Melee too.
The beginning of the match goes exactly how anyone expects. The Fox is careful to never actually engage in combat, preferring to kite you with lasers from across the stage, and only go in for those grabs when you shield to gain a reprieve from his endless shots. It doesn't matter what the throw is, you're a heavy, everything is a true combo.
Like this, they have gotten you up to 70%. You try to stave off the thoughts beaming from their skull, but it's a bit hard because of how hard they're jacking off for playing an excellent "neutral", which I believe is FGC terminology for the filler between anything actually interesting in the fight, and "shield pressure", which is what they call hitting you and sprinting the fuck away if your blue circle takes the hit.
Now the Fox is throwing out a lot of aerials, or to be more exact, lots of one aerial, since the others are at best situational. If you concentrate, you can hear them lamenting the loss of their runoff Fair footstool from 4.
After just 2 seconds of observing Fox hop around like there's a penalty for touching the ground, you realise that they just really want that falling nair.
The Fuck Up
If there's one thing you can bet your life on, it's the Fox fucking up. They've spent so long shooting lasers that it's not a far cry for them to shoot themselves in the foot. All you have to do is wait, and you'll get an opening so big you could park NASCAR'S roster in there.
Most often they'll side b into your shield, briefly forgetting that it doesn't cross up any more.
And that's the opening. Do what you like, but as long as you punish the Fox there, you've ruined any flow or momentum they've been building up. Congratulations.
For the rest of the match, things simply don't go the Fox's way any more. You can hear every nerve tautening in your opponent, but the magic that they were spewing in the beginning is gone.
First Stock - The Recovery Debacle
In being enamored with Fox, the player tends to forget that he has a glaring weakness, which is returning to stage. Both his recovery options are linear and predictable, and it's up to you to take advantage of that.
At some point, you hit the Fox offstage and he goes for the recovery, and that's when you edgeguard/dunk the sonuvabitch so hard it would make a cold blooded sociopath wince. Fox's scream lingers through the air, like a funeral dirge, if the funeral was for that uncle no one really liked.
As the platform drops the Fox back in, you hear the opponent try and pull themselves together. But you've shattered something deep within their soul, and they'll never really bounce back from that.
Funnily enough, Fox mains seem to really hold it against you if you take advantage of that weakness, like it's poor taste to go offstage and stomp them into the abyss.
Second Stock - Desperation Plays
Now that you're a stock up, the Fox main starts to get desperate, and desperate Foxes default to their favourite attack : usmash. For the remainder of your first stock, the Fox is going to constantly run in and try to catch you with a usmash, or a dsmash near the ledge if you happen to play anyone with a subpar recovery. You'll see them constantly shoot lasers and then dash in to do their fucking kickflips until either you're dead or you're wishing you were. God forbid you jump to avoid this, because Fox immediately leaps in for his uair or bair. He just kinda taps you with his legs, and you straight up die. I'm sure cybernetic limbs were banned by the Geneva Convention, and shall be reporting Fox to the respective authorities.
Final Stock
The game went on without much interruption. Your opponent lost another stock to a throw, you lost a stock to either a late nair to usmash or a dash attack to uair, both of which your opponent had labbed for an hour and now they won't shut the fuck up about how much they lab with Fox.
Occasionally they'll run off to try and Shine you with that eyesore down B. It never works, but gosh, wouldn't it be such a cool clip if it did?
As the game draws inexorably closer to its finale, you get an ftilt. Nothing too big, Fox is offstage now.
Your opponent frowns. There's a vague sense of deja vu that's intensifying rather uncomfortably.
You close your eyes. The noise dims, a dull thudding separate from you.
All that goddamn parading around in Melee. All that attention. All that praise. All the pretentious dickwads who'd play Fox and label literally every action as some sort of calculated play. All the pathetic attempts to elevate Fox to high tier again. All that constant comboing because it's too much to ask to have fun. Every single one of your friendlies becoming wayyy too serious because they play such a "technical character".
You remember it all.
You haven't opened your eyes. But your character is now directly above Fox. There has never more perfect positioning on your part. No amount of maneuvering can save him now. He has only one way to go.
You haven't opened your eyes. You can feel your opponent looking at you. You can feel them fighting back tears, their lips parting to form a silent plea. It is about to gain volume. The words come out.
"P-please..."
You haven't opened your eyes. You simply flick down on your control stick.
"FIIIIIIR-"
A slam. A deafening noise. A sob.
GAME
Misshun campurete.
Links to the previous rants -
Mario
Donkey Kong
Link
Samus/Dark Samus
Yoshi
Kirby

CBL World Rankings, S3-R6-D3 + Announcement

Dwarf Fortress Gladiator Tournament V Finale fight!

Welcome, our dearest spectators, to the Grand Arena once again. Today is the great day: the day of the Finale! Two brave fighters, the best of the best, will finally show us who of them is worthy of a title of Champion of the Arena, and the tournament will come to a close - until the next year at least.
But, before that, let us remember those who did not make it, those who gave their bloody due to Armok and who managed to entertain the public, no matter how far they made it in. Gilbert “Crazy Legs”, the toad bard giving us the Ballad of the Pits. Adrinna Catastor, the dimension travelling fighter for a new home. Anyola the Obscured, Grekk the Deranged, Shendau Goldpeak, Urist McGladiator. They and more brave fighters have given their lives today for the glory and for the public. And so let it be known that their sacrifice will not be forgotten, and they live still in the Arena through the blood they have spilled on the cold floor of the Arena.
But enough about those who were lost, for we have our two finalists, the most glorious of them all!
The Finale: City Guard NPC vs. Molurus
And so, let us introduce the two mighty warriors who have made it this far, in spite of all the odds and to the expectations of few. In the upper corner, standing proudly, his pike rising up into the sky like a mighty oak, his expression unwavering as steel, the hero of the common folk, the Relatable One, the slayer of favorites and an all-around great guy… BOB, the City Guard NPC (managed by u/CalamarRojo)! A man seemingly born into his profession, he might not have a grand goal in mind; he might not have backstory which could be written ballads about; he might not have a quirky character; but what he does have is ultimate relatability and undoubtable skill in weaponry, which he has proven time and again.
In his very first round, he defeated a murderous environmentalist, a penguin who could have become the next Paul, Flipper Gut-Ripper, through the strength of his armour and his indomitable will alone. The next round, he has made cheese out of Ipetynalzo Toothbreaker without breaking a sweat. But these achievements pale in comparison to what he managed to do next.
The third round had him face off against Zip Zop, a goblin who was thought unbreakable due to her spectacular performance in her first two rounds: winning with a WOODEN dagger against Mephisopheles the Foul Blendec, and then outwrestling a troll - Van the Dungeon Master, to be precise! Still, her luck has run out against the staunch Guard, allowing him to move to the next opponent.
Kosak Stormclaw, the Polar Bear Man Adventurer who was one step away from becoming a legend, from his help in defending the Fortress of Stonegleam from yeti invasion. Known best as the slayer of Shendau Goldpeak, this polar bear man as well could not hold against Bob in the quarter-finals.
And, at last, the most surprising victory of all: one against Anyola the Obscured, the kinslayer in hiding, who seemingly was on the track to finally reconciling with her family. Her skills, proven by her one-hit kill of Beul the Executioner in the Quarter-finale, have earned her many followers, and some rumours even started that she was merely holding back and that she could beat Paul himself. But she too was felled by the City Guard’s pike, shocking many.
Now, he stands truly ready for the Quarter-finale: new finely-made steel armour glinting in the sun, pike raised high up to the sky. Bob seems more confident than ever before, and even his pose, while still completely compliant with one of the common guard, has been filled with something more than boredom of one. It has been filled with determination and strength, and soon, the pike is pointed at his opponent, and the confident smirk appears on his face. Today, we will find out whether this human will become our first champion of the Civilized Races. His job will not be easy, because…
His opponent is standing no less stalwartly, shining in the summer sun like a glorious star himself. His scales and his steel armour blending in a great bling, almost reflecting the warm that is filling the arena. This is a no-less beloved champion of the reptilekind with a grand purpose… Molurus, the Python Man (managed by u/Rowsdower11)! The crusader of the Global Warming, he has deduced that the increased temperature of the world is going to help every cold-blooded creature in the world; as such, he has decided to participate in the Great Tournament to gather funds to start a charity promoting the climate change. Whatever you think of his policies, one thing cannot be denied: he is a force to be reckoned with.
He has cut a bloody swath through Crowemurphy the game developer and Little Tooth the Troll with his scimitar, not facing much resistance from either of them. Then he killed an interdimensional traveler, Lucius Postimus Corvus, the slayer of Gilbert “Crazy Legs” the Toadman Bard and Frostquake the Polar Bear Man, in a quick and efficient display of swordsmanship.
After that, he continued onto the Quarter-Finals, where he faced a fan favorite, a dwarven elf by the name of Dak Vagush, the inheritor of the dwarven hopes and avenger of Urist McGladiator. The brave woman stood her ground in a long and gruesome duel, but eventually had to give to her larger opponent, extinguishing the last hope of the dwarves to win this tournament.
And in the semi-finale he faced yet another fan favourite, She Intends To Stab You the Axolotl Woman. The cold-blooded killer in all senses, her abyssal eyes could send shivers down anyone’s spine, and her gruesome methods of dealing with her opponents, involving slowly bleeding them out, were surely entertaining for some of our more bloodthirsty patrons. Still, even though she had her adamantine dagger, the snakeman’s choice of ditching his armour for the fight against her proved a good decision, and he managed to survive the axolotl woman’s deadly assault.
And, surprisingly enough, he has dropped his faithful scimitar, instead opting for a set of armour. His only means of offense is now his own natural arsenal. He looks extremely confident, as the crowds of reptile men are cheering him up. His snake eyes are shining with determination and readiness. Today, his idea will finally get due funds for its realization… or will have to be delayed because of his death. Which will it be?Take your deepest breaths, bring out your merchandise, for in a few seconds…
The Horn Sounds!
Combat Log; Video
The two fighters are moving towards each other slowly, carefully, calculation and anticipation in their eyes. There is little room for mistake, and it is all or nothing: either the eternal glory and achievement of their goals - or death and dust. Both fighters know this, and look at each other intently. Still, Molurus gives Bob a courteous hiss, and Bob nods his head back, as a sign of mutual respect. And then Molurus lunges, quick like a viper striking its prey.
But still, combat reflexes of the City Guard allow him to step away just in time, with Molurus flying right by him. The pike is quickly turned and strikes at the python man, tearing right through his leather robe and making a scratch on the arm. The hiss of the snakeman increases, and he jumps right at his opponent, making him fall over and directing his fist towards him - but the Guardsman manages to roll away just in time and jump right back on his feet with little difficulty, before sending his pike in his direction - the strike to be dodged by an agile body of a snakeman.The fighters enter a dance, pike and armours shining in the sun, neither opponent giving a single inch. The strikes are evaded as deftly as they are sent, and this is no small feat. The eyes sparkle with concentration and confidence, a small scratch not dissuading Molurus from his seemingly certain victory. With half the tribunes chanting Bob’s name - or moniker, and the other half cheering for Molurus - many hissing even despite not being reptiles - the atmosphere gives off a tensity only the Finale can provide.
Soon, another wild fist is thrown in the air, whizzing past the pike already breaking through to stab at Molurus’ arm, leaving a serious wound on the snakeman’s bicep! Still, the snakeman does not seem too unfazed by this, quickly grabbing the pike and once again moving in, pushing the Guardsman over with his shoulder! He is quickly pushed away when he tries to impale his fangs on Bob, and the fighters move a few steps back once again.
Still, this time Molurus manages to follow up on the momentum, as his fist flies into the guard/s armored leg - not dealing too much damage. Then another hook follows, to the other leg, and Molurus is pushed away by the shaft of the pike. City Guard’s eyes start to glow with fury, and he goes on the offensive once again. A few stabs whizz past the snakeman’s scales, and he does knock over Bob the third, then the fourth time! Bob’s fans become more and more anxious, calling for their favourite to get himself together.
And it does not take him long to do so, for, from the ground, he stabs right in Molurus’ right arm, and, after a few attempts by Molurus to get back at his rival, another stab follows, managing to hit the same spot, and a bone-chipping sound is heard loudly. For the first time, some resemblance of fear appears in the pained eyes of the python man - but it is extremely brief, and he immediately lashes out at Bob’s arm, the fangs sliding off the steel.The City Guard has the advantage, and he understands it, easily pressing his advantage by making two more holes in the snakeman’s unprotected arm, seemingly trying to mangle it far beyond any recognition. And, in a desperate move, Molurus once again pushes his opponent to the ground, his teeth now trying to bite through his opponent’s leg - and failing yet again. Once more, City Guard rses up, plunging his pike right into his opponent’s hand. Quickly retrieving his pike from his opponent’s hand, Bob moves out of the grappling distance, and braces his pike yet again.
After evading a few more stabs from the pike of the City Guard, the bleeding snakeman quickly takes a look around him, seeing as the hopes of the reptile men around the arena seem to dampen, their faces in desperation. He takes a look at the shining sun, feels the warmth upon his scales, and turns his gaze back to the City Guard, determination renewed in his eyes. He quickly charges once more, and starts to bite the City Guard - first in his hand, trying to get through the gaps in the gauntlets, before biting right on his opponent’s face and starting to shake his around by his head!The City Guard starts to bleed from his mouth, and the snakeman bites off his ear, then impales his teeth through the joints on the gauntlet, sinking them deep into his opponent’s forearm. He starts shaking the human around by his arm, and a pained scream erupts from his opponent’s mouth. As the bleeding intensifies, he bites through the other arm, shaking it around as well, and the trusty pike is dropped from Bob’s hands!
Still, the heat of battle has taken its toll on both fighters, and they both tumble to ground, where Molurus continues biting at his opponent, still trying to kick his opponent off him. Still, soon enough a hand is ripped right off from the rest of his body. This, combined with the continued biting, about does it for the City Guard. With his last breath, he mutters one thing: “Someone… help… please...”
With that, brave guardsman Bob’s head drops on the ground, and Molurus slowly, exhaustedly, rises up to standing, roaring ovations of the public. The python man looks at his warm-blooded opponent, giving him a solemn, respectful bow. After that, he manages to break out a smile, and bathes in the sun and the cheers of the spectators. He has done it.
Congratulations, Molurus! You have prevailed in the tournament despite everything, and you are the winner of the Fifth Gladiator Tournament!
But wait a moment…
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The crowds shake as the gates are knocked on heavily. A deep, wrathful roar resounds through the tense air of the Arena. The people start to whisper among themselves, and some even start to leave in a hurry. And soon enough, the door opens, revealing a terrifying figure of a harp seal man, dressed in full adamantine armour, a blue hood over his head. He raises his morningstar far up in the air and smirks malevolently. He cannot be mistaken for anyone. Paul the Pulverizer is here to defend his title.
And so, the Arena staff quickly patches up Molurus for the newest fight, as Paul stretches and swings the morningstar around, warming his muscles. The two stare off for a long time, hatred soaring through their eyes, and the two of them square off in the Arena again. Another match is in order…
The Title Match: Molurus vs. Paul the Pulverizer
The contender for the title has already been introduced, so let us reintroduce the current holder of the title of the Champion of the Arena - though everyone knows him already. Paul the Pulverizer (managed by u/LegalPusher), the infamous environmentalist crusader, has been driven away from his home by the Global Warming and has departed on a quest to cull the world in order to slow it down the previous year; and in the name of the ice caps everywhere, he has murdered his way through many.
First, it was an unnoticeable kobold, Sneekris. Then, in a fit of brutal strength, he has killed Shakkan D’armignan with his own teeth after being disarmed of his morningstar. After that, he brutalized one of the fan favourites of the Tournament, Glovely Graypelt the bravest of opossum women. In the quarter-finals he destroyed lovable Kisat Dur Panda. In the semi-finals, Cowlvin the Cowvalier, a minotaur with a starving family, fell to his vicious morningstar. And finally, in the Finale he defeated the tough guy batman En Yaw Ecurb, before wrestling the title away from Notorious Breakfast and commencing the Massacre of the Arena. But do not worry, the Arena Officials have ensured that there will be no second one even if the sealman wins.
Weirdly enough, a few of the previous tournament’s fans have turned out, flying the ‘Seal the Deal’ banners from the previous year. Paul’s expression is one of unrivalled confidence - after all, in the eyes of the many he has become something akin to a demigod of slaughter. How could Molurus possibly stand up to such a force of nature?..
Molurus himself for a moment seems a bit insecure, but his commitment to his cause soon overpowers whatever dread his heart holds. This harp seal man is the antithesis to all he stands for. It is either his awful vision of a cold hellish world, or the hot paradise. He will fight for his dream, whatever the cost. He straightens up, looking at Paul and hissing through his teeth.
One thing is absolutely certain. We are in for one hell of a title match.
The Horn Sounds once again!
Combat Log; Video
Paul moves straight to his opponent, as quickly as a harp seal man can, his posture exerting supreme assurance. After all, he has defeated all his opponent without much struggle, and this puny, disgusting snakeman will be an easy pulverizing target. In a few moments, Molurus attempts to lash out at his opponent, but his head is slapped away, and the deadly morningstar rams itself into the snakeman’s hand, the force tearing the scale on the snakeman. Still, the response from Molurus comes immediately, as he punches his opponent’s arm, the force enough to slightly tear the skin higher up the seal man’s arm. Slight confusion briefly appears on the seal man’s face, before he decides to charge at the snakeman, and the two of them tangle and fall to the ground together.
Molurus manages to push his opponent down, and stand up before him, but the grounded harp seal man manages to drive his morningstar into the python man’s hand. In response, another punch follows, striking Paul’s arm, though most of the force is dissipated by the armour.
Soon after, Molurus manages to grab Paul, in hopes of making him an easy target for his fist - but the head moves away just in time, and Molurus is forced to release his opponent. He quickly manages to get behind the seal man and punch him in his flipper - once again, without significant consequences, and Paul retaliates by bashing his opponent’s tail. Then, a punch to the seal man’s arm is met by a morningstar flying right into the snakeman’s mouth, pushing him quite a bit back! Molurus spits some blood on the floor of the arena, before getting back to the fight,
The two fighters are quick to get back at fighting, the glint of the sun reflecting from the python man’s armor contrasting with the blue adamantine like flame and ice. A wild lunge from Molurus - and he is bashed in his tail once again. The follow-up, however, is evaded quite deftly by the snakeman, and he tries to sink his teeth into his opponent’s flipper - but the fangs slide off the armour yet again. Molurus continues his assault, and two out of many punches land, failing to cause significant damage yet again - before his jaw finally grabs the sealman’s head!Just as with the Guard, he manages to shake Paul around by the mouth for a bit, before he is thrown off by a morningstar’s jab in the gut. Blood starts to pour from Paul’s mouth, giving him a decidedly sinister look, as the duel continues on. And yet, the sight of blood covering Paul is a sign that even in all his armoured and brutal glory, he is not immortal. The scared fans start to perk up just a bit…
Molurus continues punching his opponent, with predictable results, and some of the public simply starts to shout for Molurus to “bite the hell out of that bastard”, and soon enough Molurus knocks his opponent’s teeth out and uses the distraction to bite the sealman’s finger! Even the two morningstar strikes, with the spikes of the weapon stuck in snakeman's flesh after the second one, do not prevent the snakeman from viciously ripping the finger off!Another bite to the head quickly follows, and once again shakes the seal man around to the best of his ability, before Paul again takes them both down to the ground. Molurus once again rises up over his opponent - but not before receiving a morningstar strike to the head. he delivers three punches to his opponent, but the morningstar to the tails throws him a bit back, allowing Paul to get back to his feet.And right afterwards, snakeman’s fangs sink into Paul’s secondary arm, and Molurus shakes it around with an audible sound of tearing flesh. Afterwards, he delivers a left hook to the sealman’s head, his head slightly turning, and he attempts to deliver another strike to the arm, but the force is deflected by the adamantine. The retaliation is quick, and the offending hand is quickly proven the target of the morningstar. Still, the snakeman quickly grabs the sealman’s gauntlet and starts punching his opponent again and again.
But the battle has been going for long now, and the strain of tiredness finally gets to the fighters, who collapse on the floor, breathing heavily. As soon as Paul tries to get back up, the snake fangs slide across his flipper, force not enough to break through but enough to send the seal man back to the ground. With the shaft of the morningstar, Paul immediately knocks out one of the snakeman’s fangs! But this does not stop Molurus.
With both fighters too exhausted to evade attacks, the final test of toughness starts. The snakeman bites at his opponent, the armour deflecting less and less force from the desperate bites of the snakeman, as the morningstar bashes him time and again. Sooner or later, someone will have to give, and the crowds start to cheer more desperately for their chosen gladiators…
After a bit of this, Molurus plunges his teeth into the hand of the sealman, shaking it around again, before managing to get straight to the sealman’s throat! In a desperate attempt to throw the snakeman off before it’s too late, he drives the morningstar into his arm - but when Molurus starts to shake his opponent around, Paul finds his body quickly paralyzed, and the morningstar - the weapon of slaughter - drops to the ground! Molurus bites on his defenseless opponent’s head, shaking him around violently - and for the first time, the pain makes the dreaded, undefeatable Paul lose his consciousness.
Molurus continues to wrathfully shake around his opponent’s head, almost as if trying to drain every single drop of blood from Paul - or rip his head off. And he succeeds in the first part soon after. The crowds stand in shock, as they watch the seal man finally take his last breath… before erupting in cheer perhaps unheard in the Arena ever before. The Slaughterer is gone, and Molurus is the hero of the day. Bathing in all the attention and the rays of the sun once more, he gives the world a true, genuine, wide smile. Now, he will not be stopped in his goals of making the world embrace Global Warming. At least, until the next year comes.
Congratulations, Molurus! Despite all odds, all expectations, all fears, you have managed to defeat Paul, who once seemed absolutely invincible, just a year after he went up on his throne, and now you are officially the Champion of the Arena!
-----
And so concludes the Fifth Dwarf Fortress Gladiator Tournament, our dearest spectators. It has been a great honour having you all here, watching, cheering, booing, weeping. We really hope that all of you will come back to the next tournament, at this Crucible of Legends. The Arena will await you in a year. Farewell, and may Armok be with all of you.

u/ERR40 wins the betting, with good a margin!
-----
Written by u/Black_Griffin23
Edited by u/Morpheus_Darkwater
Tournament run by u/Morpheus_Darkwater

Honeymoon over - Critique time

First off, congratulations to the Devs for all their hard work in bringing Paradox's greatest title launch in recent memory into being. I'm not sure how the financial side of things is looking but, if the overwhelmingly positive reception from both fans and critics is anything to go by, CK3 represents a high point in both quality and user satisfaction which any company would envy, product-wise as well as dev-team-wise.
As for myself, I'm closing in on a full 24hrs of playtime and have certainly been enjoying the honeymoon period alongside the rest of the playerbase. 2500+ hrs on CK2 should hopefully give me some credibility when I make critiques of its sequel and when I write a long-form post like this it comes from a place of positive passion, not hate. By all means, if I take issue with something that has an existing solution, rendering the point mute, point it out because I'd very much like to play with as few gripes as possible.
1) The game offers the wrong kind of roleplay and is hostile to alternative ways of playing.
As it stands, memers and power gamers are out of luck if they were hoping for a sandbox to fully explore. The stress system nixes a lot of options by strongly suggesting that players don't make certain decisions and to expect further punishment for ignoring this advice. One shouldn't require a cheat menu in order to fulfil their goals.
I personally only ever roleplay in my CK games. However, I find it disheartening that player agency has been stripped from the gameplay philosophy to the extent that, during some events, there's sometimes only a single repercussion-free option available which the game tells you by omission is the correct decision insofar as your current character is concerned. At that point, I'm not roleplaying so much as clicking through a paint-by-numbers experience. The game decides my traits and I bow to its suggestions because to stray from the path is to incur a mental break.
2) The military system needs to go.
The way the game handles fleets is appalling and the way rally points have been handled has made every war feel the same. There's a lot lost and nothing gained in the decision to replace the military mechanics of CK2 with those in CK3. I appreciate that PDX wanted to make the game more accessible and cut out what might be considered unnecessary micro by getting rid of the old levy system, but the substitute is barren of strategic depth and repetitive. Once upon a time, I might only mobilise my eastern levies to deal with a war, sparing my western vassals from the exertion and saving them for another front opening. Now, everyone just piles in and hates me for being at war universally. It's not my fault that the game rallied your troops on my behalf. Given the choice, the player would play the game more strategically and I've tried; setting multiple rally points is sub-optimal because the AI groups into a single stack which can only be repelled when you do the same.
The amount of times a landlocked nation has sailed to my coast and marched through several counties to siege down my capital is beginning to make me hope for EU4-style fort mechanics just to rectify the situation with some strategic depth. But please, if the Devs are listening, don't put EU4-style fort mechanics in my Crusader Kings experience. It deserves better than that.
3) Despite the change to 3D graphics and animations, the characters have never felt more like static portraits.
Restricting the player to three personality traits is bad enough, considering what we had in its predecessor. Denying trait fluidity and the chance for our characters to grow and develop into something more than they were at 16 years of age is flawed. Sure, you can acquire additional traits through experience, but this does nothing to make the characters feel alive when their core remains static. In fact, I'd go so far as to bet the restrictions on traits were necessary in order to implement the stress and 'roleplay' mechanics with minimum fuss. If the characters were as fluid as they used to be, with five or six core traits to juggle in every calculation, the stress mechanic (and especially its restrictive influence on player choice) would expose itself for the hostile system that it is.
Add to this, characters quickly become caricatures when the bonus EXP earned in particular trees is concerned. There are now only five main ways to play a character now, following each focus respectively, with the result being all of your diplomatic characters holding the same three end-tree traits along with the same trees of perks under their belt to acquire them. The education trait one's child receives informs the way you're going to develop them throughout the rest of their life, and anything else would be sub-optimal and, to some extent, a break away from the roleplay the game is encouraging with bonus EXP in your proficient stat. The trees needed to be a hell of a lot more expansive and exploration-oriented in order to capitalise upon their potential. As it stands, I'm already bored of playing the same hyper-martial-oriented warrior king every time my child randomly gets assigned a martial education. It'd be somewhat better, though by no means perfect, if experience points could be spent on any of the trees at one time, providing more well-rounded characters during adulthood with investment across multiple stats, nixing the requirement to focus on one lifestyle during any five-year period.
If this were implemented, it would allow for the end-of-tree perk to vary, reflecting your investment in completing, say, the intrigue tree while holding a martial education. Like EU4 ideas, such an occurrence should result in a syncretic bonus being acquired; Economic+Naval ideas = National Tax Modifier. Martial education+Intrigue Tree =Sleight of Hand Trait, +2Intrigue, +1Martial, +2Prowess. Every outcome should be provided for. The system as it stands is a one-and-done for exploration.
4) It would help my roleplaying experience if I could see how my character feels about others, and not just how they feel about me.
Relationships go both ways and there's no excuse for the game not to provide me with the vital information regarding how I feel about someone when it supposedly wants to promote roleplay. Again, I imagine the restrictive nature of the stress mechanic is at fault here since it'd become more complicated to keep track of how much I liked the guy I murdered, on top of how my traits alone dictate how I feel about murder. The fewer factors, the easier the calculations and damned be the shallowness that results from such streamlining.
This post is long enough but I'd like to address the UI in a follow-up, if this one gets a decent discussion going. Considering the game just released, it shouldn't be so surprising when I say that I like the game a lot but don't love it, nor does it replace CK2 in my heart just yet. In a coming months, I hope PDX is open to changing existing systems as well as bolting on new ones in future expansions and although this post is 99% complaint, I don't dislike the first steps they've taken with the successor to my favourite game.

I've got a second job "leasing" my mind while I sleep. My last assignment ruined my life.

Lots of people these days have second or third jobs. The days of a K-12 education getting you the mortgage, the car and the white picket fence are long gone. I used to get frustrated at the fact that I “did everything right”, studied hard, went to a good college, got a decent qualification, and I still struggled. But after a few months of averaging four hours sleep a night and getting stock levels between your daytime employment at the cafe and your job night-managing a big box store mixed up eventually you just resign yourself to it in a numb way. But when these two grim service industry hustles still didn’t make ends meet I used to turn to the surveys.
They are lots of websites that pay you a little cash (or vouchers or coupons or rewards points) to spill little details about yourself. Age, gender, occupation, education, favourite colour, preferred holiday destination and so on. In the era of “big data”, social media espionage and surveillance capitalism it’s really no different than submitting yourself as a guinea pig for medical trials, only instead of expending a liver or appendix for quick cash you’re selling little parts of your personality to keep the lights on.
So when I spotted the “Happy Valley Dream Survey” I was intrigued.
None of these surveys had ever asked me about my dreams before. Oh aspirations definitely. Where do you think you’ll be in five years, what’s your ideal occupation, what was your dream job as a kid. Little pieces of personal minutiae dedicated to building up an advertising profile in some corner office somewhere so they could figure out what kind of toaster all the baristas that used to dream of being vets would collectively prefer. But none had ever inquired about those mad nighttime hallucinations all of us humans merely take as a matter of course. Wake up sweating at 3am after facing down a High School English test in your boxer shorts? All a lovely part of the human condition.
So I clicked in and answered. It was relatively simple, only asking you to describe the strangest dreams you’d had in the last month and rate the frequency at which you remembered your dreams as well as the relative strangeness of your reported dreams in comparison to more ‘regular dreams’. As a teenager I had been briefly obsessed with the idea of lucid dreaming, the ability to remain conscious in and take control of your dreams, and although it had never fully come to fruition it had kept me in the habit of keeping a dream journal which meant, in comparison to most of my population, I tended to remember much more of my dreams. I threw in some bullet points on some my strangest recent night-time reveries (one of which involving a spirited debate with Mr T and Queen Elizabeth about the relative benefits of Robespierre’s Reign of Terror) pinged off the information and used to newfound spare change to grab myself a little breakfast pastry on the way to my coffee shop job.
I tend not to answer unknown numbers, having that perennial fear it’s a scammer or a debt collector of some kind, so I have no idea what compelled me to answer that one. On a rare night off I was peaceful dozing, tongue lolling out and drooling, the whole nine years, when I was awoken by the cacophony of my factory settings ring tone. When I answered the phone I thought curiously that I couldn’t remember what I had just been dreaming about.
“Hello...am I speaking to DBTraven right now?”
“Uh...yeah”
“Oh how very wonderful. I’m calling from the Happy Valley Subconscious Services Centre. We were very interested to see the results of your survey and feel you may be an excellent candidate for much more lucrative opportunities. Could you come down to our Services Centre on [My City Street] immediately?”
My foggy brain took a moment to process the request. It was 3am...who in their right mind is operating some kind of survey centre at 3 o clock in the morning. My immediate thought was I had accidentally joined some kind of cult and would end up roped into a kind of group marriage scenario was I to head down there.
“If we see you in the next half hour we’re pay you one thousand dollars no questions asked. All we ask is you come and talk to us”.
At that point I was certain of two things. One, I had in fact volunteered myself to be part of some kind of bizarre end-times cult where I would have to drink poison to ascend into a UFO. Two, that 1000 dollars upfront would go a long way to digging me out of the rent hole I was in and maybe might even give me enough breathing space to afford an apartment where I couldn’t fry bacon on the stove from where I lay in the bed. I got dressed in a flash and head downtown…
...to find myself standing outside a Nail Salon. “Cutie-cles” the sign blared in hot pink, with an attractive woman winking slyly and brandishing her long, ornate nails. The lights were off inside and you could almost see the space where bustle and gossip were meant to occupy, between the gaudy vanity mirrors and cream recliner chairs. There was something eerie about it but, more importantly, an empty nail salon seemed unlikely to be the source of my dreamed-of cash injection. Just as dejection was beginning to seep in I received a text.
“Side Entrance. Say your name, followed by the word “Awake”.”
Things got more ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ by the minute but, mind filled with far off dreams of an apartment where the “bed-room” was in fact a separate room, I floated on down the alley beside the nail salon. I came to what looked like an emergency exit and rapped on the door a couple of times, producing a few hollow thuds. After I heard nothing for a few seconds I called my name into the darkness and, after a moment of hesitation, said the word “awake”.
The door swung open to reveal a halogen-humming hallway. A man in a security officer’s uniform regarded me, while his fellow behind him patted down a girl about my age who seemed dazed and drowsy. He instructed me curtly to follow him and we walked down the hallway as the girl behind me had something taped to the inside of her coat and was ushered out the door. My heart rose into my throat as we walked, passing peeling paint and bare walls. This looked neither like an innovative survey start up nor some kind of death cult, but instead the sort of place where organised criminals might bet on bare knuckle boxing matches. I was shocked when we emerged into an airy foyer and I was greeted by a smiling, professional looking receptionist in a neatly pressed pantsuit.
“Mr Traven! We are just so very delighted to meet you”.
She looked away from me and started tick-tacking on the computer in front of her before I could respond and she then swiveled around to face me and informed me the 1000 dollars had now been deposited in my account. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth and still a bit stunned by the whole situation I elected not to question the fact that the survey sites had always said your banking details were held securely and were inaccessible by any of the private organisations you were surveying for. Before I could say one word I was being whisked into a little glass cubicle behind reception marked “Dream Lab 1” to be greeted by a woman, a few years younger than myself, in a lab coat draped over a hideous lime green sweater.
“Have you ever wanted to do good in the world, without lifting a finger, and also benefit yourself financially at the same time?”
No ‘hello’. No ‘how are you’. Not even a quick review of my medical history or further strange surveys. I could feel my hair begin to prickle with suspicion. It was the kind of conversation opener you expected to be quickly followed by a reassurance that “no, this is in fact a kind of ‘inverted funnel’ funding model!”.
But I just nodded. I figured I could squeeze these freaks for a little more before I got the hell out of dodge.
“Have you ever read about those people who used the idle processing power of their gaming consoles to simulate protein folding and assist in fighting disease?”
Recalling some fragment of a headline I had read somewhere I told her that I had. She smiled and continued with her earnest-sounding sales pitch.
“Well we do something like that here. While you sleep we borrow some the subconscious processing power you ordinarily use for dreaming and lend it out to private clients working on everything from medical solutions to prime number generation. If you’ve ever dreamed of...um desired to get paid handsomely to sleep then this is an incredible opportunity to be on the cutting edge of science and fill up your pocket at the same time”.
It didn’t immediately scream “orgies, sister-wives and armed stand offs with the government” but I couldn’t help but feel that there was more to the whole process. I inquired about how exactly the whole process worked and the woman, who I would later come to know as Dr Tanner, pulled a thin metallic shard from her pocket and offered to show me how. Feeling the weight of my landlord’s unread text message in my pocket I went for it.
I awoke and equations were swimming in the halogen. Mathematical symbols floated along in the light like those alphabet spagetthios, Greek symbols in a synchronised swim with incomprehensibly large numbers for someone used only to price tags and sales taxes as his primary act of numeracy in the day to day. As they vanished I rose from the firm mattress and met the face of a smiling doctor Tanner.
“You may have just helped to advance the field of theoretical mathematics by a year or more. Not a bad way to make 3 grand huh?”
My head was hazy and, grabbing beneath the fog, I felt the warm intensity of my original suspicion. My phone didn’t seem to work in the confines of the ‘services centre’ so I asked Dr Tanner if there was some way I could check my account. She gladly volunteered her information and there was 4 grand staring back at me, more money than I had ever seen in one place, never meant my perennially barrel scraping bank account. Taking all precautions to delete my login information from her computer also gave me time to collect myself and pick my jaw up off the floor.
“Would you be interested in continued opportunities with Happy Valley?” she asked.
As I walked toward the exit one of the security guards begin to rustle in his desk for something to give me but the other held a hand up at him.
“Awake” he cautioned his colleague and the two let me out into the night air without incident.
The next day I went looking for a luxury beyond my wildest imagination: an apartment with windows.
If you’ve ever turned around to a domineering boss, told them “I quit” alongside some choice profanity and home truths, you’ll understand the sense of pleasure that coursed through my veins on the day I strolled out of the coffeshop for the last time. I had already moved to part time in my retail gig, full of the inimitable pleasure of half-assing things when you come in on your weekend shift and knowing your incompetence will be erased by whatever calamities occur in the days you’re off. I felt totally and completely free and the only inconvenience I had to show for it were the sometimes odd residues of those tasks that occupied my sleep: the chemical formulae I spotted sometimes in the early morning light or inheritance task calculations drizzling down my shower curtains as I open my eyes after washing my hair. A small price to pay, I thought, as I strode to the door of my 1st floor one bedroom apartment. I greeted the doorman-my doorman!- as I stepped inside and for a moment I thought he looked just a tad familiar.
I convinced myself it was another piece of ‘dreamy debris’ when I heard him mutter the word “awake” as I crossed the threshold.
For the past several months I had been “working from home” so the speak. Dr Tanner had informed me that the first few sessions usually required pretty strict observation of the ‘sleeper agent’ as she liked to jokingly call me, but eventually Happy Valley were content to send me home with the NeuroChip and inform me by email of clients and payment information every couple of nights. At that point I simply couldn’t believe my luck and my friends marveled at my tasteful, airy apartment and the carefree manner in which I ordered rounds of drinks at the bar with wild abandon. It also didn’t hurt my love life, is all I’ll say.
Happy Valley kept me under a strict non-disclosure agreement, which Dr Tanner said related to the ‘experimental prototype nature’ of the subconscious interface technology I was using. When people asked I told them I had picked up a job with a research-related start up which technically wasn’t all that far from the truth. They didn’t also need to know that when they saw me stare blankly into the head of my beer sometimes it was because I was seeing visions of molecules breaking apart and recombining in new and indecipherable ways.
When Dr Tanner told me I would have to come back to the services centre for my next appointment at the unsocial hour of 1am I must admit I bristled slightly. I had grown used to my comfortable, dream-computing playboy lifestyle and any imposition on it seemed like an intolerable demand. I had come along way from glumly agreeing to stay behind and clean out grease traps.
“This assignment is of a serious and sensitive nature. We feel you are the most capable agent we have at the moment and we would very much like you to take it on”.
The flattery was pleasant but I needed a little bit more convincing.
“And of course it will be incredibly lucrative. Have you ever wanted to used hundred dollar bills to mop up your two century vintage wine you spilled on your marble floor. It’s that kind of lucrative”.
The doorman’s eyes burned into my back as I hurried out the door.
“It’s government related...that’s as much as I can tell you”.
Dr Tanner perched on her chair in the corner next to the observation bed and chewed the corner of her lip, in thought. Were those nerves I detected in the ordinarily unflappable Doctor? That I didn’t like and it set my nerves jangling.
“I’m going to be flying drones or something in my sleep aren’t I?” I asked, partly as a joke and partly as an expression of the uneasy suspicion that was welling up inside me. Tanner laughed it off and soberly reassured me that no “military or foreign policy objectives would be satisfied” by my assignment. She followed up with this reassurance with implication of the fortune this assignment would bring me. I believe the phrase “set for life” may have been thrown in there once or twice. She sure knew how to speak to a cash-strapped millenial. Perhaps, I suspected, because she may have been one herself. I lay down on the bed with my mind swimming with visions of financial security and all the avocado toast one could eat….
….and awoke, staring at my hands, covered in blood. The light was low and at first I thought the stains were mud. Had I fallen somewhere? Where had I been?
I looked out to find myself in a spectacular penthouse apartment. Floor to ceiling windows, kitchen island, state of the art home cinema. Had I merely skipped directly to the “unfathomably wealthy” part of all this. My heart beat, deep and rich. I was still caught in the relaxed rhythm of a dream. Until I saw the body.
I had thought it was just a pile of clothes on the bed. As my eyes grew used to the dim light, the only source being that of the early morning skyline spilling in, I could make out hair and ears and wounds. My heart began to pound and my legs almost gave way. An older man in a silk dressing gown, splayed on the bleed as his blood seeped into the mattress. What took over then was instinct and all that remained in my conscious mind was a string of blaring profanities as I washed my hands and splashed my clothes in a panic.
I was already speed-walking my way down the hallway (“don’t run don’t run don’t run running is suspicious”) when I heard Dr Tanner’s voice.
“He’s awake! This can’t be possible”.
I turned in fright but no sign. It was then my thoughts turned to the NueroChip. I tugged at where it sat like a parasitic insect behind my ear but its pincers refused to give. Was it being controlled remotely? It was then my palms began to sweat and I felt that pit of my stomach fear. I looked to one of the maintenance closets in the hallway I was walking down. You know that feeling in a dream, where you know something terrible is coming but you haven’t quite seen it yet? I knew whatever was on the other side of that door was coming and it meant to do me harm but I was rooted to the spot.
The Dr Tanner phased through the door, towering over me quite larger than her ordinarily more diminutive frame.
“This was not supposed to happen. Everything has gone wrong. One of those minimum wage morons in security didn’t do his job properly. But….”
A pall of resignation came over her face, as though she was acknowledging the death of friend
“High risk, high reward. I’m afraid you’re going to have to take the rap for this one. Oh and don’t bother mentioning Happy Valley. By the time the sun comes up we’ll be nothing but an empty commercial space once tied to a shell company”
With that she disintegrated and I took off, heart hammering, into the night air.
I’ve been hiding out in a disused stock room of my old coffee shop for days now. I remember how I used to fantasise, after surreptitiously getting the key for this place copied, about how I was going to plant some heinous, smelly object in here to get back at my boss someday. Instead I’ve hidden myself. The NeuroChip won’t come off and I haven’t slept since that night. Nightmares are now beamed into my skull remotely and every time I fall asleep I spend an impossible length of time in terror and agony. I see visions of detectives stooping down, brushing fancy sushi knives in that apartment for fingertips. I see that old man’s twisting maw chasing me through endless nonsensical hotel hallways.
So I do not sleep any more and my body aches for rest. But I am beginning to dream while awake and the shapes and shadows in my vision are my own.
--------
If you believe you might have use for my skills in your secretive organisation, please check out my resume here

A continuation of the 19th October 2020 Second Wave Theory, by Chris. This time using Bill Gate’s medical YouTube channel, video release dates/number code system.

https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/iodvda/19th_october_2020_who_covid9_pandemic_second_wave/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
A continuation of the 19th October 2020 Second Wave Theory, by Chris. This time using Bill Gate’s medical YouTube channel, video release dates/number code system. Original post above.
Fun fact some people may already know, as mentioned on previous post, the date the current shitdemic was announced officially by the W.H.O. on 11th March 2020, this was 222 months EXACTLY after 9/11. Then they made adventures, smiling and complaining illegal, so folk went grocery shopping in surgical masks, and those who didn’t wear masks all died, it was fucking shit.
They aren’t ‘Wet Bandits’ for adding 222 to the last date, again, ‘cause it’s that overtly obvious and silly, how could it be them, again? Get it? Genius really.
If they tried that cunning 222 again tactic, then the date of the second wave of this ‘operation’ would be secretly ‘19th October 2020.’
For some even more fun clues, probably to make it easier for heavily vaccinated people to guess, Bill Gates kindly uploaded videos all about miracle vaccines, deadly mosquitos and his day to day general kindness. All to his own youtube channel, for free, so we can all watch during lockdown. You can’t comment on them though, not sure why.
He did this uploading of videos on SPECIFIC dates, Sunday’s sometimes, which, if you count the number of days between the release date and 11th March announcement or the hypothesised 19th October 2020, you get a LOAD of their favourite numbers. You know the ones I mean. Evil ScoobyDoo baddy ones.
This actually works as well with some major news events and lots of dark themed movies, but all these videos below are direct from Bill Gates, so I’m leaving the other ones to one side for now.
If you see the dark ‘Heavy Metal band angst ridden numbers’, you could very easily conclude that the second wave date will be 19th October 2020 October, probably.
He was certainly doing number codes for the March 11th one, as noted below, so this one is worth a bet I reckon.
Video title details and release dates here, with days between calculations. If I’ve made an error let me know and I’ll re-upload.
TITLES HERE:
‘Hero’s of the pandemic’ https://youtu.be/im7x2_RmO9Q Released on Tuesday, 8th September 2020 1 month & 11 days (111) BEFORE Monday, 19th October 2020
‘Why do some countries excel at saving lives.’ https://youtu.be/H2sbVX3Wp0E Released 1st September 2020 6 weeks and 6 days (66) BEFORE 19th October 2020
‘Happy 90th birthday Warren Buffet.’ https://youtu.be/8U6ZraAj5Q4 Released Sunday, 30th August 2020 1 month, 19 days (911) BEFORE 19th October 2020
‘How to build a better battery.’ https://youtu.be/5oPP4tXOAVM Released Monday, 24th August 2020 8 weeks BEFORE 19th October 2020
3 releases today on, Aug 17th. ‘As Covid-19 spreads don’t forget about the worlds deadliest animal’ https://youtu.be/UOHHAzx2nBE ‘Welcome to mosquito city’ https://youtu.be/EnKhCy3pdME It’s Mosquito week. https://youtu.be/e0fU5cnliY0 Released on Aug 17th 2020 2 months, 2 days (22) or 9 weeks BEFORE 19th October 2020
‘Meet the teacher changing how people think about disability.’ 2.22 minutes long. https://youtu.be/LkvSZxzrb3c Released Monday, 10th August 2020 10 weeks BEFORE 19th October 2020
‘Bill Gate’s hero’s in the field. Dr Bernard Olayo.’ https://youtu.be/_TpRsoM0O1o Released, Tuesday, 30th June 2020 111 days AFTER 11th March 2020 111 days BEFORE 19th October 2020
‘Scanning for answers to a pandemic.’ https://youtu.be/xtY4ThJ9i9E Released Tuesday, 12th May 2020 22 weeks and 6 days BEFORE 19th October 2020.
‘5 summer book recommendations.’ https://youtu.be/4R8CB0QqTA8 Released Monday, 18th May 2020 22 weeks BEFORE 19th October 2020
‘Community pride.’https://youtu.be/99gERWHEQko ‘Manufacturing Opportunity.’https://youtu.be/Ed48Mzi3zbU Released: Thursday, 21 November 2019 111 dates BEFORE 11th March 2020 333 days BEFORE 19th October 2020
‘The race for a Covid-19 vaccine explained.’ https://youtu.be/u1AQ5EXcJYc Released Thursday, 30th April 2020 1 month, 19 days (911) BEFORE 11th March 2020.
‘Bill Gate’s hero’s in the field. Dr. Kopano Matlwa Mobaso.’ https://youtu.be/JBRn1LfRdYk Released Tuesday, 25th February 2020 2 weeks and 1 day BEFORE 11th March 20200 (21, Agenda 21 and Event 201) or 33 weeks and 6 days BEFORE 19th October 2020
‘Why we swing on the fences, our 2020 annual letter.’ https://youtu.be/aL-XteoutNU Released 10th February 2020 1 month & 1 day (11) BEFORE 11th March 2020
‘Bill Gate’s heroes in the field. Drs Samir Senjuti Saha:’ https://youtu.be/BnDFm73IDVA Released Tuesday, 14 January 2020 8 weeks and 1 day BEFORE 11th March 2020 6696 hours BEFORE 19th October 2020
‘How to make concrete green.’ https://youtu.be/0pAH-6R5J2A Released Tuesday, 29th October 2019 19 weeks and 1 day (911) BEFORE 11th March 2020
There are more of his videos giving his medical expertise, I haven’t watched any, neither have you. I’ll watch one when if ever he interviews Andrew Kaufman MD and talks about this viruses isolation process, or addresses the total lack of it. I’m pretty sure the other video dates will relate to 11/3, but I can’t be arsed looking as I’m going camping now.
Today is also 33 days before 19th October 2020, so hopefully they’ll make a hurricane later on or laser some Kangaroos, just something to give this theory a bit of credibility, it needs it.
Chris.

Today I've won EU Qualifiers. Here are some advice and insight for dedicated players.

disclaimer: some englando issues
Hi! I'm Dergachev and I've won EU Mastesr Qualifiers today. Proof. I want to provide some tips about preparations and actual gameplay for people who trying to accomplish it, based on my experience. I'm not saying it's an article of faith, but it can be helpful one way or another. There are 2 parts, Preparation and Qualifiers itself.

Preparation:

1. Experience. First of all you have to be mid-high ladder player. Ladder experience is crucial for knowing the field. Most people (even pros with teams) train at the ladder, it definitely matters if you have 10 or 100 games at certain match ups. Even if you are very good player and clever person you need time to understand things. So if you don't want to loot some packs and your goal is to reach the top, you need to be top-1000 player at least, top-500 mediocre and top-300 for good results. Consistency is a key too - even if you don't like meta revisit game sometimes to play 30-40 games a week (1 hardcore gaming day or 2 evenings). If you have money (or nolife free2play like me) you also should try every deck. 10-20 games for each deck you won't even be playing - to get inside their skin and their gameplan.
2. Understanding of the meta. So you have some experience in the field, probably played 100 games last week. Good. You still know nothing about pure percentages and meta flow, like me or some other high legend player. What do we need in this situation? Check meta reports or directly check the results of previous tournaments. New Zoolock rising? Warrior adds Galakrond without invoking? How it will change win rate against your deck? Do some analysis. It will give you ideas and good ideas lead to better practice. I prefer fresh vsmetareports, you probably know about them. Sometimes people here make qualifier reports. You can also check battlefy stats yourself to see more clear picture. Each tournament has stats page also you can check top lineups with deck codes at yaytears.
3. Line up idea. So you know many things now. You play good and +- know the field. It's time to think about your line up. You are the one who pick best meta line up or someone who preys on popular decks? Maybe something in between? There is no proper answer how making your decision, but it should be based on things you saw and learnt. If you are good HL Hunter player - way to go, build your line up around it. My personal idea for this qualifier was simple - I tried to counter everything, but Hunter. When we had 2 meta tyrants (DH and Warrior) there was too little room for experiments. Now we can just... ban Hunter? No need for clunky counter Hunter line ups with Murloc Paladin and Zoolocks, that could be easily caught off guard (it's only my opinion, remember). So I checked most popular decks at the battlefy + top-16 finishers on Friday at yaytears and figured that there are 5 popular decks: Hunter, Rogue, DH, Warlock, Warrior. Well, after DH and Warrior nerfs Mage and Priest both have positive win rates against them. Same goes for Rogue and Warlock (it's zoo most of the time, the quest has low popularity). I added Quest Warlock (which also have a positive win rate against stated decks) and viola - my line up was created. While having awful stats vs Hunter (all 3 decks sucks vs Highlander), it can dominate everything else. I was thinking about Bomb Warrior instead of Quest Warlock, but my bet was that Priest much more popular than Quest Warlock (and for my personal run I was totally right - no Quest Warlocks, but some Priests). So I stuck to Mage-Priest-Warlock line up.
4. Tech picks. When you know for sure you ban some decks anyway and have good winrate vs others, you can improve your stats at 48-52% match ups by several percents by running tech picks. I'm not a pro deck builder, but I tried to adapt. So my Priest already had 1 plague (my preference) and I added 1 shadow word: pain versus Murloc Paladins and zoos. Frizz for Mage to help slow match ups and 2 khartuts at warlock against any aggro (first of all - versus Warrior). As you see, you totally shouldn't blindly repeat myself or pro players build, you should adjust things around your idea and game style, around things you suppose to meet (in your opinion). Finally, you build your line up and qualifiers start - what's next?

Qualifiers:

1. Know the rules! You have right to demand win if player dc for 5 minutes, if he picked wrong or banned deck, if he secretly added tech picks to counter your line up. Replays (hsdecktracker + hsreplay) help to prove it. Do screens of the victory (not necessary to download them, just for insurance). You can also lose some games or get disqualified by accidentally breaking rules yourself (you should off spectator mode for friends and other things). You can find rules here at official blizzard's player's handbook.
2. Mental tricks/mental stability. I'm not fan of it, but some people use it. Don't fall off or tilt. Sometime people check in right before the timer ends. Let your head be clear and concentrated, don't hunt on easy wins (but don't be too generous when people breaking rules). Don't tilt over lucky enemy - Hearthstone has poker vibes, your skill matter of distance. For example, I ~consistently play qualifiers since last summer.
3. Bans. I have a special Excel file to calculate my bans. I fill it with meta stats by vsreport with slight correction (I take into consideration my ladder results). You can use any report you like to. Example. As you can see this time I'm favourite every time I ban Hunter. It's easiest example, sometimes things much more complicated. You can check your opponent's match history at battlefy and find out what he likes to ban against same/similar line ups. To be honest, I just got extremely lucky or found a really good line up - all ten bo3 were in my favour, which lead to enormous quantity of 2-0. At the DH-Warrior meta I usually had like 48-50% stats and every match looked like copinflip, my performance was ended at 3-5 rounds most of the time. You should also think about picking order - some situations can be more profitable when you guess your opponent's first pick.
4. In-game behaviour. I'm not sure I should include this small passage, but try to play until the end and don't be afraid to make "stupid" plays. Tempo Zephrys vs aggro, tempo reno for conjure set up - if you see it can lead you to victory, use it. I know many players have "value problem" they try to maximize card's usage. It's not rewarding most of the time. Also rely on random as seldom as you can. Don't use Box when you are in winning situation etc.

That's it! Thank you for reading, I guess, I'm totally pumped by this win so I decided to share my thoughts. It's not something absolutely true, but can probably help you next time you will click "register for masters qualifiers".
P.S. Line up with codes.
P.P.S. Thanks everyone for kind words!

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Some early game tips on teams/weapons/artifacts

Part 1 gear

Part 2 who to build

Part 3 what teams to build

Part 4 showcase

Extra part:

United’s hopeless pursuit of Jadon Sancho – the real story (theathletic.com)

Some early game tips on teams/weapons/artifacts

Extra part:

Ranting about every single SSBU character - Day 7 : Fox

CBL World Rankings, S3-R6-D3 + Announcement

Dwarf Fortress Gladiator Tournament V Finale fight!

Honeymoon over - Critique time

I've got a second job "leasing" my mind while I sleep. My last assignment ruined my life.

A continuation of the 19th October 2020 Second Wave Theory, by Chris. This time using Bill Gate’s medical YouTube channel, video release dates/number code system.

Today I've won EU Qualifiers. Here are some advice and insight for dedicated players.

Lay the favourite greyhound strategy betfair - YouTube