Troq (Yomi)

Troq Bashar, Well-Meaning Beast

"Troq is big and smashes well. You seem pretty smart, though."

Troq is big and strong and likes to SMASH.

Troq has a good heart and he means well. He's not the sharpest guy though, so he gets confused sometimes. He likes having smart friends so his brawn and their brains can team up to do some smashing, which Troq really enjoys.

Troq comes from the Golden Plains, and like many regions these days, the area is in an economic slump due to Flagstone's mining and resource collection operations. This led Troq to seek his fortune elsewhere. Troq isn't exactly the most loyal beast, so wherever he can find the best deal is where he'll go. For the moment, that's as a Flagstone footsoldier but Zane will eventually lure him away with bribes of Giant Growth potions. Troq loves to be big and strong.

Card images

Deck

Life: 95

Max Combo: 3

Innate:
Giant Growth: Whenever you block an attack or Joker, attach your block card to Troq, or discard it if two cards are already attached. Your normal attacks and normal throws do +1 damage for each attached card. (You still draw a card from blocking, as usual.)

Defense Mastery: Opponents don't draw when you block their normal attacks.

Normal attacks: x damage, Speed x.8

Normal throws: 8 damage, Speed x.0, 2 CP Starter, Knocks down

2: Block // Throw (KD) 8 dmg, speed 2.0, 2 CP Starter

3: Block // Throw (KD) 8 dmg, speed 3.0, 2 CP Starter

4: Attack 4 dmg, speed 4.8, 1 CP normal // Throw (KD) 8 dmg, speed 4.0, 2 CP Starter

5: Attack 5 dmg, speed 5.8, 1 CP normal // Throw (KD) 8 dmg, speed 5.0, 2 CP Starter

6: Attack 6 dmg, speed 6.8, 1 CP normal // Block

7: Attack 7 dmg, speed 7.8, 1 CP normal // Block

8: Attack 8 dmg, speed 8.8, 1 CP normal // Block

9: Dodge // Throw (KD) 8 dmg, speed 9.0, 2 CP Starter

10: Dodge // Throw (KD) 8 dmg, speed 10.0, 2 CP Starter // *War Stomp
War Stomp: [Draw Phase] If you're not knocked down, knock down the opponent, draw a card, and the opponent discards a card.

Jack: Bull Rush: Attack 7 (2) dmg, speed 2.2, 1 CP Ender // Bull Charge: Attack 10 (3) dmg, speed 3.4, 2 CP Ender // *Troq Armor
Troq Armor: [During Combat] Neither side of this Jack can be interrupted by normal attacks. (If it's hit by a faster normal attack, the opponent can't combo. This hits afterwards and wins combat.)

Queen: Up Hawk: Attack 9 (2) dmg, speed 0.8, 2 CP Ender

King: Lockhorn Skewer: Throw 15 dmg, speed 2.4, Can't Combo // *Lockhorn Skewer
Lockhorn Skewer: [During Combat] This beats normal attacks of speed 5.0 or faster, but you still take damage from the normal attack.

Ace: Eagle Totem: Attack 20 (2) dmg, speed 1.0, 2 CP Ender AA // Beast Unleashed: Throw 45 dmg, speed 0.0, Can't Combo AAA. Requires 2 Attached Blocks. // *Beast Unleashed
Beast Unleashed: [During Combat] When you attempt Beast Unleashed, return your attached block cards to your hand.

Strategy

by Thelo

Overview

Troq is a very efficient and straightforward grappler — a block and throw oriented character. Troq's throws are all fast and powerful, and his unique Giant Growth blocks let him punish attack-heavy characters by growing Troq's throws to be more and more damaging, culminating in an incredible 45 damage triple-ace throw . Between blocks enhanced by his innate , armored moves , and a few fast attacks , Troq is especially adept at dealing with pesky normal attacks.

Lacking serious attack combo starters, Troq seldom gets to deal big damage through attacks. However, if you enjoy smashing through your opponent's moves with a few strong maneuvers, and be well-equipped to deal with a variety of opponents without having to think about speed or combos too much, then give the proud Troq a try.

Innate Ability — Giant Growth

Other grapplers like Rook or Midori often struggle with repeated attacks, but Giant Growth makes Troq's blocks terrifying, for two reasons: they power up Troq's normal attacks and throws, and they unlock his devastating Beast Unleashed triple-ace super throw. Because opponents cannot remove attached block cards in any way, Troq often wants to block twice as early as he can, to make all his subsequent throws more damaging.

The Giant Growth bonus applies to normal throws, but not to his King throw . This means that in the early game, when Troq doesn't yet have Giant Growth attached blocks, Troq prefers using King throws to normal throws, saving the normal throws for later.

Giant Growth is a double-edged sword, however: Troq loves to block early, but hates to block further when he already has two attached blocks, because the block cards will then be discarded for no benefit. This is usually acceptable, and Troq may want to still use some blocks when he really needs to (for example when he is knocked down and predicts an attack), but the standard strategy is to use blocks early and dodges late.

Because Giant Growth's extra damage comes mainly from normal throwing into a high normal attack, Troq prefers to block with lower ranks rather than high ones, keeping high normals like 7 and 8 as throw combo enders. Make sure to keep at least one normal throw , though — with a hand of 378, where 3 is the only throw, it is better to block with a 7 than with a 3 to keep a throw combo possible (3 -> 8).

Finally, remember that Giant Growth is an ability that takes time to bear fruit. If the opponent is already at low life, don't try too hard to build up Giant Growth, and just focus on finishing them off now with direct damage.

About Beast Unleashed

Beast Unleashed is Troq's most dangerous move: a triple-ace super throw that deals 45 damage, and can only be played when you have two attached blocks from Giant Growth. Landing it often means a Troq victory, and every Troq match should be played with it in mind. In particular, this is Troq's main answer to attack-heavy opponents: block twice, power up for some aces as needed, then dodge into Beast Unleashed. This plan has many limitations, though, so be careful!

First, you need to successfully block attacks or jokers. Specific opponents can make this difficult: Geiger's Time Spirals , Onimaru's Guard Crush normal attacks , Gwen's Relentless Strikes can all prevent Giant Growth, and it's often hard to block enough against them to be able to use Beast Unleashed. Against these opponents, consider *not* going for Beast Unleashed as your primary plan, and sticking to more direct ways to victory.

Second, attaching two blocks then accumulating three aces (and often a few dodges) is a slow process, especially considering Troq can't keep his block cards on hit. Beast Unleashed is an excellent way to seek a win against an opponent with over 40 life, but is often too slow to be worth pursuing when you can win in a few turns through other ways. If you were publicly accumulating aces for Beast Unleashed, then reduced your opponent's life total below 20, consider using your aces as Eagle Totem (AA attack) in combat instead, as a surprise option.

Third, attempting Beast Unleashed has a heavy cost: it returns your Giant Growth cards to hand, meaning you no longer have Giant Growth bonuses and cannot attempt Beast Unleashed again for a while. Keeping Giant Growth active is often important enough that you usually want to use normal throws instead of Beast Unleashed while the opponent has high life or you are unsure of successfully hitting with it.

In particular, combo escape jokers are very dangerous — it is fine to use a ten damage normal throw instead of Beast Unleashed when you dodge an opponent attack and suspect a combo escape joker. Despite the heavy cost on failure, when the opponent has decent odds of holding a joker in hand, you may even want to use Beast Unleashed directly in combat in order to avoid combo escapes, but make sure you have a very strong read before attempting this!

With larger hands against high-life opponents, you can sometimes use Eagle Totem, then power up to three aces right afterwards to keep the threat of Beast Unleashed. This works especially well because opponents wary of your Beast Unleashed will often try to either throw your dodge or attack your Beast Unleashed directly, and Eagle Totem is fast enough to beat both of these options.

That said, even with all of these limitations, Beast Unleashed is unparalleled in sheer efficiency and destructive power, and should always be a factor in your plans as a Troq player.

Card Analysis

2

Block / Throw

This is notable as a fast throw against other grapplers, but in other matchups is usually used as a low-value block, or sometimes a throw.

3

Block / Throw

Mostly interchangeable with 2.

4

Attack / Throw

This is terribly weak as a normal attack, and so you will use this either as a throw or as power-up fodder. This is Troq's lowest-value rank of cards.

5

Attack / Throw

Mostly interchangeable with 4.

6

Attack / Block

Usually used as a block, though it's sometimes acceptable to throw into this attack. Fairly low-value.

7

Attack / Block

This is an excellent attack to use at the end of a normal throw combo. Occasionally a block.

8

Attack / Block

This is the best attack to use at the end of a normal throw combo. With two Giant Growth attached blocks, a normal throw into an 8-attack does 20 damage! Avoid blocking with 8 if possible.

9

Dodge / Throw

One of only two ranks of dodges, this becomes very valuable for threatening a dodge into Beast Unleashed. Try to conserve 9s for this purpose. You should almost never throw with a 9.

10

Dodge / Throw / *War Stomp

Your second rank of valuable dodges, but it competes with the useful War Stomp ability. Whether to use your 10s as dodges or as War Stomp is one of Troq's hardest decisions, but on average War Stomp is the stronger option. Keeping 10s as dodges is mostly useful if you can immediately threaten Beast Unleashed, while using War Stomp is mostly useful against low-to-medium hand opponents and dodge-heavy opponents.

War Stomp has powerful uses as a soft "counter" in some specific matchups:

• Against Jaina using Unstable Power
  
  Jaina 7
  , War Stomp to prevent her from rotating 2
  
  Jaina 2
  -5
  
  Jaina 5
  into a dodge.
• Against Setsuki using Speed of the Fox
  
  Setsuki Char
  , War Stomp to prevent her from dodging into a full combo.
• Against Quince using Positive Spin
  
  Quince Char
  J
  
  Quince J
  or K
  
  Quince K
  , War Stomp to prevent him from rotating into a dodge.
• Against BBB using Overdrive
  
  BBB 9
  , War Stomp to prevent him from dodging into Extensor Grab
  
  BBB K
  .

Do not throw with Troq's 10s.

Jack: Bull Rush / Bull Charge

Bull Rush: Attack 7 (2) dmg, speed 2.2, 1 CP Ender // Bull Charge: Attack 10 (3) dmg, speed 3.4, 2 CP Ender // *Troq Armor

Troq's face cards are mostly "defensive" in nature, all three often used in combat by themselves to beat opponent normal attacks or throws. Bull Rush's 2.2 speed also slips just under many dangerous special attacks, like Geiger's Time Spirals or Grave's Lightning Cloud . Against opponents without many dangerous attacks between speeds 2.2 and 3.4, like Vendetta or Zane, prefer using the more damaging Bull Charge.

It is uncommon to combo into either of the Jack attacks, since they usually do less damage than normal attacks and are better in combat.

Queen: Up Hawk

Attack 9 (2) dmg, speed 0.8, 2 CP Ender

Up Hawk's main use is slipping right under many dangerous speed 1.0 attacks, like Valerie's or Onimaru's aces, or BBB's ranged attacks. It is unspectacular in damage, but its speed is surprisingly good for a grappler, and so it hits uncannily often. It's also common to play Up Hawk by itself just to avoid spending more than one card this turn, as you build up your hand.

King: Lockhorn Skewer

Throw 15 dmg, speed 2.4, Can't Combo // *Lockhorn Skewer

Lockhorn Skewer is an all-star card, with superb combat-winning power, outstanding damage, and absolutely no prerequisites. It's a great dodge followup, but is more often used in combat since it wins so often. Like the other two face cards, you can play it by itself to avoid depleting your hand, and since it gains no damage from Giant Growth, it's common to play it in the early game, before you can attach some blocks and normal throws become more attractive.

Ace: Eagle Totem / Beast Unleashed / Beast Unleashed*

Eagle Totem: Attack 20 (2) dmg, speed 1.0, 2 CP Ender AA // Beast Unleashed: Throw 45 dmg, speed 0.0, Can't Combo AAA. Requires 2 Attached Blocks. // *Beast Unleashed

As explained earlier, Beast Unleashed is your main threat and often a game-winning blow, and Eagle Totem is occasionally useful as an alternative play. Some opponents have dangerous 1.0 speed attacks or close (Setsuki , Valerie , Onimaru , BBB , Gloria , Gwen ), and it is usually smart to try to clash with them with Eagle Totem.

Matchups

Troq vs Grave

Grave has few throws and powerful attacks, so be ready to block a lot. Blocking his Lightning Cloud (Jack) attack is a double-edged sword: you gain a Giant Growth attached block, but your hand suffers and his doesn't. Use J , Q , and dodges liberally early to get rid of Lightning Cloud before resuming your usual strategy. Since his True Power of Storms needs three aces, your best time to pressure Grave with throws is at the start of the game, and whenever you see at least two aces in his discard. If Grave does get three aces, keep your jokers as combo escapes. Grave has a counter , so your Lockhorn Skewer is unusually vulnerable to normal attacks. Be more willing to dodge into Lockhorn Skewer, to get its damage more reliably.

This matchup is slightly in Troq's favor.

Troq vs Jaina

Troq's main plan of blocking a lot then dodging into Beast Unleashed will work especially well against Jaina, but you must watch out for Charged Shot in particular, which defeats both your blocks and your throws and forces you to attack. Jaina attacks often with face cards and hits very hard with Charged Shot, so using your Jacks and Queens as defense is key to survival. It can be hard to keep your 10s in this matchup, but a well-placed War Stomp in response to her Unstable Power can deal a very strong blow in your favor. Keep your jokers as combo escapes, because Jaina's combos hit very hard.

This matchup is in Jaina's favor.

Troq vs Midori

A fast-paced, straightforward grappler matchup where it's very hard to successfully block. You usually have faster throws and faster special attacks, but Midori has faster normal attacks and Dragon Form gives him the edge. This is one of the rare matchups where using normal attacks in combat is reasonable. Don't actively try to build for Beast Unleashed — this matchup is too fast and too dangerous for blocks for it to be a good idea, outside perhaps of withstanding Dragon Form attacks.

This matchup is even.

Troq vs Setsuki

This is a great matchup for you! Stick to your usual Troq strategies and you will do fine.

Keep in mind that Setsuki wants to empty her hand, so she's more likely to open with an attack if she has a medium-big hand (over 6 cards), and more likely to throw on hands where attacks cannot pump with throws (less than 6 cards). Setsuki has a weak late game and low health, so a possible strategy is to block a lot at the beginning, and try to build up to Beast Unleashed , to knock her out in one blow. Sneaking in Queens often works well, too, but Jacks tend to lose to her special attacks.

Because of her innate , Setsuki is extremely unlikely to choose to not complete a combo, so combo escapes will practically always be useful (more than gold bursts).

This matchup is in Troq's favor.

Troq vs Rook

As against Midori, you'll find yourself using a surprisingly big amount of normal attacks in this matchup, since your throws match in speed and since Rook likes to throw a lot himself (and has slow normals too). Your 2s and 3s are especially useful as fast throws in this matchup.

This matchup is even.

Troq vs DeGrey

DeGrey is unusually vulnerable to Troq throws, as they are the way to defeat his precious ace dodge . Try to use your Jacks and Queens when you suspect DeGrey can't do serious ace dodge combos, and keep the throw pressure up to prevent Moral High Ground from being too oppressive.

This matchup is in Troq's favor.

Troq vs Valerie

Valerie is terrified of your throws when she has bad hands, and you are terrified of Valerie's attacks when she has good hands, so a lot of this matchup will be about guessing what's in Valerie's hand at all times. Your Queen is very good at slipping under almost all of Valerie's attacks when you think she has a good hand, and her dodges are weak, so keep them for those situations. Bull Charge is usually more useful than Bull Rush as your Jack attack here, being more efficient and clashing favorably with her K.

When Valerie lands a solid combo starter , she is very likely to complete a hard-hitting combo, so combo escapes are unusually useful. She also blocks enough for gold bursts to not be very attractive.

This matchup is even.

Troq vs Geiger

Geiger's innate means that he will use a lot of Time Spirals in combat, so be ready for your usual "fireball" counters: J , Q , AA , or dodge. Geiger's Time Spirals are: Fast Time Spiral (J, speed 2.4) , Slow Time Spiral (Q, speed 3.4) and Time Spiral Hurricane (AA, speed 2.0) . Fortunately, he usually doesn't deal a lot of damage from attacking in combat, so you can use normal throws a bit more liberally than usual, and throwloops work well. Unfortunately, his Flash Gear (K) will be a huge pain to deal with.

If you get knocked down, or if Geiger activates Temporal Distortion , it's very reasonable to burn a J, Q, AA, or Joker to avoid getting Time Stopped by his Time Spirals. If you are knocked down and Geiger has Temporal distortion, using J, Q, AA, or Joker is even more important (they are your only guarantee that you won't get spiral-comboed). Consider generally saving those cards (J, Q, A, Joker) to get out of these situations.

You will generally not be able to block enough to enable Beast Unleashed in time to matter, so be liberal with Eagle Totem (AA attack). War Stomp will usually not be as useful as using 10 as a dodge.

This matchup is strongly in Geiger's favor.

Troq vs Lum

Your Jack attacks are quite poor as combat cards, losing combat often, but your blocks and throws shine. Lum's throws are poor and he often wants to attack, so this is an easy matchup for Beast Unleashed attempts. Just don't be tempted to be *too* passive, as Lum will do unavoidable Poker Flourish damage if left alone for too long. War Stomp is mostly used to keep Lum at low hand sizes here, since he needs many cards to successfully use Poker Flourish.

This matchup is even.

Troq vs Argagarg

Argagarg's throws are quite weak, and he will mostly alternate between Bubble Shield blocks and face card attacks . Block more often than usual — as Troq, you have enough life to withstand Argagarg's Hex of Murkwood for some extra turns, and are very likely to be able to Beast Unleashed successfully.

This matchup is strongly in Troq's favor.

Troq vs Quince

Quince is a character who prefers long games, so deny him that opportunity with early throw-based aggression to deny him the cards he needs. Avoid using Bull Charge instead of Bull Rush, as it will cleanly lose to the terrifying Patriot Mirror . Quince rarely uses sub-5 normal attacks, so your King throw is less valuable than usual as a combat card — consider using it as a dodge followup.

An important trick is to keep your 10s to use as War Stomp against Positive Spin revealing J or K , or against Patriot Mirror turns (then playing Bull Rush in combat). This can effectively stop Quince from gaining the Spin / Mirror momentum he needs to win.

This matchup is slightly in Troq's favor.

Troq vs Onimaru

Dodges are at a premium in this matchup, as Onimaru's 8-attacks and 10-attacks are unblockable and deal big damage. It will be very difficult to build up Beast Unleashed here. Unusually, you might want to occasionally use low normal attacks to beat Onimaru's high normals, though it's still a risky proposition — try to limit these for when you can get big payoff from a normal attack hit, like perhaps a 6-7-8 straight. Use jokers in combat as gold bursts, and try to finish Onimaru off quickly.

This matchup is in Onimaru's favor.

Troq vs Troq

Troq mirror matches are quite hard to predict! You will occasionally need to use 4-attacks , and use your 2s and 3s mostly as fast throws. In particular, remember that King throws lose to 2-throws here. Use your War Stomps as soon as you can to keep the opponent's hand small, since dodges aren't especially valuable against Troq and you won't be able to use them if you get knocked down yourself.

Troq vs BBB

BBB's Long Range attempts mean you will probably get two stacks of Giant Growth fairly early, but have trouble converting them into a win. At Long Range, you will need dodges, Queens , Jokers (as Gold Bursts), or if you are hard-pressed, Jacks to deal with BBB's 2.2 speed Junkshot , so avoid spending them at close range without very good reasons to. It is usually unwise to use Eagle Totem to get out of Long Range, since Beast Unleashed will be key to winning this matchup. Play Kings liberally at close range: they are useless at Long Range and will defeat most of BBB's attempts to gain range (BBB's 6-attack can still win combat and set range).

This matchup is in BBB's favor.

Troq vs Menelker

Menelker's main advantage in this matchup is being able to force your hand down to low sizes , and Giant Growth means you'll have a hard time building it back up, so it's not a very good matchup for Beast Unleashed or power-ups. Instead, try to defeat him early by staying card-efficient and be willing to throw his blocks and Bonecracker throws. Menelker needs time to build up a hand of strong cards and aces and win — deny him that time with early aggression.

This matchup is even.

Troq vs Persephone

Persephone relies much on throws , dodges, and the long game to win, so this is another matchup where you will want to be aggressive with early throws (before she gets a double ace ) rather than build up to Beast Unleashed . Remember to keep a pair in hand to be able to powerup against Bare Your Soul, use War Stomp when you can to prevent dodges (but remember that you can't use it while knocked down), and avoid using the slow side of the Jack (because of Mistress's Command ) and you'll do fine.

This matchup is in Troq's favor.

Troq vs Gloria

The all-important attack speed here is 2.2: that's your Bull Rush speed, and is also Gloria's Jack and King speed. Gloria cannot activate Overdose 's card drawing effect on attack clashes, so it's fine to go for a clash when you know she is holding an ace. Her Q attack is speed 1.0, so you can also clash with that safely with Eagle Totem (AA attack) .

Gloria usually wins long games, so be willing to use early throw-based aggression to deny her the time she needs to setup her healing engine. Fortunately, your high life total allows you to take a few hits safely while going for it.

This matchup is slightly in Troq's favor.

Troq vs Gwen

Relentless Strikes will sometimes pierce your blocks and prevent Giant Growth, but you can still block her Queens and Aces surprisingly often, and so it's still reasonable to block a fair amount against Gwen. Your Queen is superb and will win combat most of the time, but your King is often used as a dodge followup since it loses combat to Gwen's frequent face cards . Make sure to combo escape Gwen's long combos when you can.

Bull Charge should be your Jack attack of choice here, as it has practically no drawback over Bull Rush and deals more damage.

This matchup is in Gwen's favor.

Troq vs Vendetta

Bull Charge and Lockhorn Skewer are fine combat choices here. When knocked down, your options should mostly be blocks (to avoid Vendetta's dodges and King attacks ), Queens (to beat both sides of the King), and normal attacks (for a great payoff if Vendetta chooses to use a fast King throw). Eagle Totem when knocked down is often too expensive to use as a KD option, especially if you predict you can Beast Unleashed later or that Vendetta can Acrobatics out of it.

Do not use Beast Unleashed directly in combat, as Vendetta can use Acrobatics to cancel it, and you will still have to pay the full cost! Always attempt to dodge into it.

This matchup is even.

Troq vs Zane

All of your face cards defeat almost all of Zane's offense, even when you are knocked down. Your throws are stronger, your attacks are faster, your blocks are terrifying, and your Beast Unleashed is likely to work well. Prefer using Bull Charge , the slow side of the Jack, as it's more efficient, and the only extra move it loses to in comparison to Bull Rush is Zane's Anarch Crusher , which is highly unlikely to be used as Zane's combat card. Play as usual and you are likely to win.

This matchup is strongly in Troq's favor.

FAQ

Q: Are Troq's blocks "normal blocks" (for purposes of Relentless Strikes)?

A: Yes. Special blocks are named, like Rook's Stone Wall , Argagarg's Bubble Shield , or Gwen's Gloria's Remedy . Troq's blocks are all normal blocks.

Q: When Gwen attacks my block, then uses Relentless Strikes to force me to discard my block card, can I still attach it to my character card?

A: No. Your block card is discarded.

Q: When Troq's Lockhorn Skewer beats a normal attack, who "wins combat"? (Long Range , Overdose , Carrion Reach )

A: Troq wins combat. To "beat" a normal attack counts as winning combat, even if you take damage from the attack. This means that Long Range, Overdose, and Carrion Reach cannot trigger in that situation.

Q: Does Lockhorn Skewer win against a normal attack that's normally slower than speed 5.0, but has been sped up to be speed 5.0 or faster through an ability? (Burst of Speed , Long Range , Meaty Attacks )

A: Yes.

See also: Troq SMASH! Troq's new Yomi card art (contains strategy)

See also: Troq (PS), Troq (FD)