SantoriniPowerTheseus

Introduction

Killing workers may sound scary, but from the cases of Bia and Medusa, it is usually not that strong. Can the same be said for Theseus? Only one way to find out...

Hero Power

Once per game if any of your workers is exactly 2 levels below any neighboring opponent workers, remove one of those opponent workers from play.

Category

Others

Game Strategies

Early Game

Although the fact that Theseus can kill a worker sounds scary, he is not that strong (similar to Bia). That being said, he needs to play as aggressively as he can by creating several threats and going for the win immediately. The plan is to win or kill one of the opponent’s workers as quickly as possible so that the opponent is left with one worker. That causes the opponent to struggle to make good use of their power even though it might be great.

The way Theseus creates these threats is by creating level 2s in a way that both him and the opponent can use it (to climb to and possibly win next), but it costs the opponent a worker if they do so. This strategy is illustrated in the following example:

In this position, Theseus can play c4-b5, build B4(2). This would be a terrible move if Theseus didn’t have a power, but if the opponent takes the level 2 on A4 in this case, the worker will get killed by Theseus’ worker on B5. If the opponent ignores this and plays e5-d5, build D5(2) instead, then Theseus can climb to the level 2 himself and win with b4-a4, build B4(2).

Mid Game

When the board is being slowly built upon, the number of ground levels reduces. Since Theseus needs a ground level to use his power, his power becomes more restricted as the game progresses.

Theseus should try to use one worker to “attack”, and one to “defend”. The defending worker should stay close to the ground level for killing, while the attacking worker should be threatening to win and creating uncomfortable scenarios for the opponent, similar to the one shown above.

However, even if Theseus is able to kill an opponent worker, the opponent can often afford to sacrifice that worker and counterplay with the remaining worker. This is another reason why Theseus needs to be as quick as possible when creating threats.

Late Game

It is very tricky for Theseus at this stage of the game, as he probably cannot threaten the opponent anymore if he wasn’t able to do so previously. On top of that, there should be much fewer ground levels on the board, which means that Theseus is more restricted on which areas of the board he can use his power.

Specific Matchup

Ares

One strategy that Theseus can attempt is to build a level 2 and lure the opponent to climb onto it, but kills the worker if they do so. However, this is less effective against Ares as he can remove that block. Besides, Ares can play a slow game and slowly level the board, causing Theseus to lose his power by covering the whole board with level 1s.

Atalanta

Unlike most god powers, Atalanta can create winning threats without being on level 2, allowing her to dodge Theseus’s kills. Therefore, Atalanta is a good pick against Theseus.

Bellerophon

Similarly to Atalanta, Bellerophon is able to create winning threats without being on a level 2, making Theseus much less effective. Bellerophon should win without issues.

Bia

Two killers face each other in an epic combat, and the question is who has the most initiative. Usually Bia will have an easier time in this matchup, but she cannot allow one worker to be killed, or the remaining worker won’t be enough to defeat Theseus.

Chronus

Although Theseus is not one of the strongest powers, he should be enough to defeat Chronus, as Chronus needs to defend for quite some time before there are five complete towers on the board.

Hades

Hades is usually a very weak power, but he might finally be able to shine against Theseus. This is because if Theseus decides to move up with a specific worker, then that worker can no longer use his power. If both workers move up, Theseus becomes a mortal.

Conclusion

Although Theseus can kill one of the opponent’s workers, he needs a very specific configuration to do it, which might not always be easy to accomplish. Theseus needs to be handled by a very skilled player, and even then not every matchup will work. He might be able to kill one of the opponent’s workers, but the time it takes him might cost him the game.

Tier ranking: C