It just had to come

 

A couple of days ago I played the last game of the year. It was 50 soulstones worth of Malifaux, strategy beingSymbols of Authority with Corner Deployment.

My list:

Molly Squidpiddge + Necrotic Machine
Philip & Nanny
The Forgotten Marshal with The Whisper
Rogue Necromancy
2x Crooligan
Dead Dandy
Rabble Riser

Pool: 4
Schemes: Leave Your Mark, Take Prisoner (Dawn Serpent)

Take Prisoner, Assasinate, Claim Jump, Leave your mark, Runic binding

Opponent had:

Asami + Amanjaku
Ama No Zako
Shadow Emissary
Akaname
2x Tengu
Katashiro
Obsidian Oni

Pool: 7
Schemes: Leave Your Mark, Claim Jump

Turn 1:

Apparently my camera is starting to fail after 13 years or so. I clearly remember taking a picture at the end of turn 1, but there is none. 

Fortunately it's the corner deployment, so not much engagement happened. My two Crooligans had deployed in top-left corner to start scoring strategy as fast as possible. A Night Terror was summoned on the first round to aid them.

I had grand shenanigans in my mind with Philip & Nanny, summoned Night Terror and discarding a card for healing. However, I played far too aggressively with Premonition, discarding my hand left and right. Unfortunately this trend continued throughout the game. 

I think it was first turn when Molly re-activated Rabble Riser, who then charged a Katashiro dead. 

A big brawl was going to brew up in the middle. Opponent had laid a scheme marker near the center point, which I took for Leave Your Mark.

Turn 2:

Rogue Necromancy charges the Shadow Emissary and throws a high five for damage. 

Ama No Zako sped up towards my blob of Molly, Necrotic Construct and Forgotten Marshal. 

And oh boy did I do my best at removing the flying goblin. Molly, Necrotic Construct, a Crooligan and Philip & Nanny wasted all their action points in the attempt. And the thing was left alive with two hit points and two poison. There may have been some grinding of teeth involved. Especially when the one thing that eventually, sooner or later, would have come to pass. Red Joker and Black Joker coming up in the same flip. And to make it worse, a 13 in the middle too, when Philip pram rammed Ama No Zako with three cards in the duel.

Shadow Emissary heaved Rogue Necromancy away, and entered the immediate proximity of a strategy marker. 

Crooligan had no trouble in scoring one strategy marker from Ten Thunders either, so it'd be at least 1-1 after first turn. Just not in the way I anticipated.

Dead Dandy removed the enemy scheme marker from the middle and left my own there. But opponent somehow re-applied their own scheme marker and removed mine, so they managed to score Leave Your Mark. 

But when Tengu tried to Dark Bargain Shadow Emissary, a black joker came up.

Turn 3:

Even four action points from Night Terror and Crooligan are not enough to remove a pesky Amanjaku that was guarding a strategy marker. I was overconfident with that one, and was not able to remove the Insignificant totem. I could have probably advanced with Night Terror and Interact the point, but because I first charged with Crooligan, there was no space left for Night Terror where it wouldn't be engaged with Amanjaku.

I do finally remove both Ama No Zako and Shadow Emissary, but a wild Jorogumo appeared and foiled my plans of using Premonition on Philip & Nanny, then running fast forward and then teleporting a Crooligan in to score strategy.

By the way, Shadow Emissary was my model of choice for Take Prisoner. Clever thing I did there.

Removal of Rogue Necromancy was a creative one. As it was still standing with just one hit point remaining, Asami pushed the beast with her hair, causing Rogue Necromancy to fall 2" from a wooden platform it had earlier been heaved to. That equals exactly one point of damage.

I didn't get a point in strategy, opponent got the lead with 1-2, or even 1-3 if it was this turn when he revealed Claim Jump on a Tengu.

Turn 4:

At least we both had lost a whole lot of models from the board. Since Philip & Nanny couldn't deliver a sudden child delinquent to enemy strategy markers, they tried to somehow contest the middle and perhaps deny opponent from scoring Leave Your Mark end condition.

Another Tengu had escaped so that I had little chances of catching it before it'd score my entire board half. And thanks to extra survivable Amanjaku I was not able to do the same.

Situation was so hopeless for Resurrectionists that we did not continue for a fifth round.