(may move this page elsewhere if there's somewhere more appropriate)
Overview
When the player is in combat, you are given a choice of 5 techniques to draw from your deck, and can make an ascending or descending chain of techniques to attack your opponents.
Opponents use a similar set of ascending or descending chain of techniques, but instead of drawing from a deck, they use a set of premade chains. These are believed to be picked from randomly, for the most part.
Exceptions
Awakened Student
The Awakened Student (from Halloween 2012), it would use low-power attacks until it got the "Green Energy Recharge" move, and then use a longer/more powerful chain.
Shovel Drone
The Shovel Drone has a special move set:
- First round: Scoop Closer:Shovel Batter
- All further rounds: Leg Stab:Scoop Closer:Shovel Batter
Midgard Hound CD4
The Midgard Hound CD4 has a special move set:
- Normal rounds: will use one of:
- If it used Heavy Steps, it will use Close Distance only next round instead.
See also
Smoke Dragon/Illuminating Fires
Podcast hints
Podcast 10 (2010)
Q: Would it be feasible for the gang boss to stop using the explosive shot technique once he has used it twelve times? You don't get any explosive bullets drop at that point anyway, so it might make sense to make the fight a bit easier if someone is finding it hard.
A: Not really… I could probably fake something and swap it out for the appropriate chain. That gets a little weird. I think there is a point in the code where I could do that.
Podcast 29 (2013)
Q: The Awakened Student seems to be first opponent whose chains aren't just picked randomly and evenly. Is this a newly coded feature or should I have been more careful with spading chains in the past?
A: That is a feature which was not in the game originally but has been in for quite a while.