{
  "id": "disposition-matchup/purge-the-foe--vs--disruption",
  "kind": "matchup-analysis",
  "lang": "en",
  "title": "Purge the Foe vs Disruption — Punishment / Delaying Action",
  "subjects": [
    "gdm:disposition/purge-the-foe",
    "gdm:disposition/disruption",
    "gdm:primary/purge-the-foe/punishment",
    "gdm:primary/disruption/delaying-action"
  ],
  "sides": {
    "side0": {
      "disposition": "purge-the-foe",
      "card": "gdm:primary/purge-the-foe/punishment",
      "scoringCheckpoint": "command-phase",
      "holdWindow": 1
    },
    "side1": {
      "disposition": "disruption",
      "card": "gdm:primary/disruption/delaying-action",
      "scoringCheckpoint": "mixed",
      "holdWindow": 1
    }
  },
  "ratings": [
    {
      "metric": "edge",
      "value": 9,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "Punishment prints more — a net 13 VP of clauses with no counterpart on Delaying Action, including an 8 VP finish on the enemy home. But 5 of its 9 VP a turn sit behind a kill on ground the Disruption player chooses whether to offer, while Delaying Action banks 7 from its own half and pays 2 VP per body with no cap. A printed lead you have to cross the board to collect is not a lead."
    },
    {
      "metric": "ceiling",
      "side": 0,
      "value": 15,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "9 VP a round, 5 VP per turn of condemned kills and an 8 VP finish."
    },
    {
      "metric": "ceiling",
      "side": 1,
      "value": 13,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "2 VP per enemy unit killed adds up against a wide army but has no single big payout."
    },
    {
      "metric": "floor",
      "side": 0,
      "value": 15,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "Holding 1 objective and staying ahead on count needs no special condition."
    },
    {
      "metric": "floor",
      "side": 1,
      "value": 13,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "One central and one expansion objective pays 3 VP a turn on top of the flat hold."
    },
    {
      "metric": "tempo",
      "side": 0,
      "value": 10,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "The condemned clause resolves at the end of a turn; the engine is a Command-phase checkpoint."
    },
    {
      "metric": "tempo",
      "side": 1,
      "value": 12,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "Kills and the central-plus-expansion clause both check at the end of your turn."
    },
    {
      "metric": "complexity",
      "side": 0,
      "value": 8,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "Track objective parity and the condemned units."
    },
    {
      "metric": "complexity",
      "side": 1,
      "value": 10,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "Needs the right 2 objectives, not just any two."
    },
    {
      "metric": "exposure",
      "side": 0,
      "value": 13,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "Parity is cheap, but the 8 VP finish requires a unit to survive on the opponent home objective."
    },
    {
      "metric": "activationCost",
      "side": 0,
      "value": 9,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "Little non-fighting work beyond the raid."
    },
    {
      "metric": "exposure",
      "side": 1,
      "value": 12,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "Kills can be taken from cover; only the central-plus-expansion clause requires holding forward ground."
    },
    {
      "metric": "activationCost",
      "side": 1,
      "value": 9,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "basis": "theory",
      "rationale": "Two well-chosen objectives, and the rest of the army fights."
    }
  ],
  "claims": [
    {
      "type": "engine-note",
      "side": 0,
      "phase": "whole-game",
      "text": "Punishment pays 4 VP for holding anything and 5 VP for holding more objectives than the opponent — 9 VP a round for a one-objective lead — plus 8 VP at the end of battle for their home objective."
    },
    {
      "type": "engine-note",
      "side": 1,
      "phase": "whole-game",
      "text": "Delaying Action needs one central AND one expansion objective for its 3 VP end-of-turn line: which 2 objectives you hold matters more than how many."
    },
    {
      "type": "engine-note",
      "side": 1,
      "phase": "whole-game",
      "text": "Delaying Action pays 2 VP per enemy unit destroyed, counting units not points — killing three cheap units beats killing one expensive one."
    },
    {
      "type": "threat",
      "phase": "whole-game",
      "text": "An aggressive Purge army feeds the Delaying Action kill counter every time it over-extends; conversely, a passive Purge player loses the tempo they need for the condemned clause."
    },
    {
      "type": "cost",
      "side": 0,
      "phase": "whole-game",
      "text": "This card scores at your Command phase, so an objective taken on your turn only pays if it survives a full enemy turn (hold window 1) — price the grab accordingly before committing a unit to it."
    },
    {
      "type": "cost",
      "side": 1,
      "phase": "whole-game",
      "text": "This card moves its checkpoint during the game, so the same grab costs a full enemy turn early and nothing late — price the grab accordingly before committing a unit to it."
    },
    {
      "type": "terrain",
      "phase": "deployment",
      "text": "Measured across all 45 transcribed layouts: a central objective can be held from a spot only 4.6% of the enemy deployment zone can see (best board 0%), while taking an enemy home objective means standing where a median of 47.7% of their deployment zone has line of sight, rising to 91.7% on the most exposed board. Cards that pay for enemy home objectives are charging you that difference, and the board decides the price.",
      "refs": [
        "rule:13.08",
        "rule:14.02"
      ]
    },
    {
      "type": "disruption",
      "side": 0,
      "phase": "whole-game",
      "text": "Their 3 VP end-of-turn line needs one central and one expansion objective simultaneously — not two of anything. Deny either type and it is gone. Their kill line counts units, so your losses are what fund them: do not feed them three cheap units when one big one would have died anyway. Consolidate rather than scattering."
    },
    {
      "type": "list-building",
      "side": 0,
      "phase": "list-building",
      "text": "Purge the Foe needs: Board presence for parity — 5 VP a round for 1 objective of lead. Units that die expensively rather than in threes; their card counts bodies, not points. A raid package for their home objective, set up by round 4. Restraint on kills: the condemned clause is a bonus, parity is the engine."
    },
    {
      "type": "disruption",
      "side": 1,
      "phase": "whole-game",
      "text": "Their parity bonus is worth 5 VP a round and needs strictly more objectives than you. Choose your central and expansion pair so that it also matches their count: the same 2 objectives then score your 3 VP and deny their 5 VP, an 8 VP swing per round from one deployment decision. Screen your home from round 4 against the 8 VP finish. And their condemned clause needs specific units gone, so protecting the marked one is worth more than saving a bigger unit."
    },
    {
      "type": "list-building",
      "side": 1,
      "phase": "list-building",
      "text": "Disruption needs: Focused firepower that reliably finishes a unit every turn — the card counts kills, not damage. Cheap targets preferred: killing three 60-point units beats killing one 300-point one. 2 objectives chosen at deployment to score AND deny parity. A home screen from round 4."
    },
    {
      "type": "layout",
      "phase": "deployment",
      "text": "All three boards for this pairing are transcribed and measured. Layout 1 (diagonal halves) reads 7/20 for openness, Layout 2 (diagonal across the long axis) reads 2/20 for openness, Layout 3 (diagonal across the short axis) reads 5/20 for openness. Taking a home marker off the opponent costs 14.2% deployment-zone exposure on Layout 2 and 66.8% on Layout 1 — the same play, priced very differently. Central markers stay the safest ground on all three, bottoming out at 3.9% on Layout 2."
    }
  ],
  "listRequirements": [
    {
      "side": 0,
      "role": "Board presence for parity",
      "count": 5,
      "trait": [
        "objective-control"
      ],
      "phase": "list-building",
      "why": "Board presence for parity — 5 VP a round for 1 objective of lead."
    },
    {
      "side": 0,
      "role": "Units that die expensively rather than in threes",
      "trait": [
        "expendable-bodies"
      ],
      "phase": "list-building",
      "why": "Units that die expensively rather than in threes; their card counts bodies, not points."
    },
    {
      "side": 0,
      "role": "A raid package for their home objective, set up by round 4",
      "count": 4,
      "trait": [
        "objective-control"
      ],
      "phase": "list-building",
      "why": "A raid package for their home objective, set up by round 4."
    },
    {
      "side": 0,
      "role": "Restraint on kills",
      "trait": [
        "damage"
      ],
      "phase": "list-building",
      "why": "Restraint on kills: the condemned clause is a bonus, parity is the engine."
    },
    {
      "side": 0,
      "role": "A reactive threat that makes the approach cost something",
      "count": 1,
      "trait": [
        "reactive-deterrence"
      ],
      "phase": "rounds-2-3",
      "why": "This card checks its hold at the Command phase, so every grab has to live through a full enemy turn. Heroic Intervention, Fire Overwatch and Counter-Offensive make that survivable by taxing the commit instead of answering it after the fact — cheaper than buying enough wounds to tank it."
    },
    {
      "side": 1,
      "role": "Focused firepower that reliably finishes a unit every turn",
      "trait": [
        "damage"
      ],
      "phase": "list-building",
      "why": "Focused firepower that reliably finishes a unit every turn — the card counts kills, not damage."
    },
    {
      "side": 1,
      "role": "Cheap targets preferred",
      "count": 3,
      "trait": [
        "expendable-bodies",
        "damage"
      ],
      "phase": "list-building",
      "why": "Cheap targets preferred: killing three 60-point units beats killing one 300-point one."
    },
    {
      "side": 1,
      "role": "2 objectives chosen at deployment to score AND deny parity",
      "count": 2,
      "trait": [
        "objective-control"
      ],
      "phase": "list-building",
      "why": "2 objectives chosen at deployment to score AND deny parity."
    },
    {
      "side": 1,
      "role": "A home screen from round 4",
      "count": 4,
      "trait": [
        "screening"
      ],
      "phase": "list-building",
      "why": "A home screen from round 4."
    },
    {
      "side": 1,
      "role": "A reactive threat that makes the approach cost something",
      "count": 1,
      "trait": [
        "reactive-deterrence"
      ],
      "phase": "rounds-2-3",
      "why": "This card checks its hold at the Command phase, so every grab has to live through a full enemy turn. Heroic Intervention, Fire Overwatch and Counter-Offensive make that survivable by taxing the commit instead of answering it after the fact — cheaper than buying enough wounds to tank it."
    }
  ],
  "dependsOn": {
    "corpus": "2026-05-09 23:42:21",
    "gdmPack": "GDM"
  },
  "status": "draft",
  "sources": [],
  "body": "## The matchup in a nutshell\n\nTwo killers with different accountants. Punishment pays a generous flat rate for objective parity and treats kills as a bonus; Delaying Action pays **2 VP per enemy unit destroyed**, counting units rather than points. Edge to Punishment on reliability, but two well-chosen objectives can swing 8 VP a round for the Disruption player.\n\n| | Purge the Foe | Disruption |\n|---|---|---|\n| Card | Punishment | Delaying Action |\n| Scores at | command phase | mixed |\n| Hold window | 1 enemy turn | 1 enemy turn |\n| Exposure | 13/20 | 12/20 |\n| Activation cost | 9/20 | 9/20 |\n\nA hold window of 1 cuts both ways, and most players only think about one of them. It means your grab has to survive a full enemy turn before it pays — but it also means **you get a whole turn to shoot theirs off the marker before they bank it**. Denial is not a side quest on this card; it is half the card.\n\n## Playing Purge the Foe\n\n*Your card: Punishment. Scoring checkpoint: command phase. Hold window: 1 enemy turn.*\n\n### How you score\n\nAt your Command phase, 4 VP for holding anything and 5 VP for holding more objectives than them. 5 VP at the end of a turn when a condemned enemy unit leaves the battlefield. And 8 VP at the end of battle for their home objective.\n\n### What it costs you\n\nParity is cheap. The 8 VP finish is not — it needs a unit to survive on their home objective, which on the boards we have measured means standing in the open. Exposure 13/20, activation cost 9/20.\n\n### How you break them\n\nTheir 3 VP end-of-turn line needs **one central and one expansion objective simultaneously** — not two of anything. Deny either type and it is gone. Their kill line counts units, so your losses are what fund them: do not feed them three cheap units when one big one would have died anyway. Consolidate rather than scattering.\n\n### What your list needs\n\n- Board presence for parity — 5 VP a round for 1 objective of lead.\n- Units that die expensively rather than in threes; their card counts bodies, not points.\n- A raid package for their home objective, set up by round 4.\n- Restraint on kills: the condemned clause is a bonus, parity is the engine.\n\n## Playing Disruption\n\n*Your card: Delaying Action. Scoring checkpoint: mixed. Hold window: 1 enemy turn.*\n\n### How you score\n\n2 VP per enemy unit destroyed each turn. 4 VP at your Command phase for holding anything. And 3 VP at the end of your turn for holding one or more central objectives **and** one or more expansion objectives at the same time.\n\n### What it costs you\n\nKills can be taken from cover, so your exposure is genuinely low. The central-plus-expansion clause forces you to hold two specific pieces of ground, but you choose which. Exposure 12/20, activation cost 9/20.\n\n### How you break them\n\nTheir parity bonus is worth 5 VP a round and needs **strictly more** objectives than you. Choose your central and expansion pair so that it also matches their count: the same 2 objectives then score your 3 VP and deny their 5 VP, an 8 VP swing per round from one deployment decision. Screen your home from round 4 against the 8 VP finish. And their condemned clause needs specific units gone, so protecting the marked one is worth more than saving a bigger unit.\n\n### What your list needs\n\n- Focused firepower that reliably finishes a unit every turn — the card counts kills, not damage.\n- Cheap targets preferred: killing three 60-point units beats killing one 300-point one.\n- 2 objectives chosen at deployment to score AND deny parity.\n- A home screen from round 4.\n\n## The three layouts\n\nPurge the Foe vs Disruption is played on one of three boards, and they are not the same game. All three are transcribed and measured below.\n\n| Board | Deployment | Openness | Centre exposure | Cost to raid a home marker | No-man's-land |\n|---|---|---|---|---|---|\n| Layout 1 | diagonal halves | 7/20 | 20.7% | 66.8% | 0% |\n| Layout 2 | diagonal across the long axis | 2/20 | 3.9% | 14.2% | — |\n| Layout 3 | diagonal across the short axis | 5/20 | 8.1% | 46.2% | 2.4% |\n\n- **Layout 1** — diagonal halves, openness **7/20**. The middle is contested ground — the best holding spot on a central marker is still visible to **20.7%** of the enemy deployment zone. Home markers are a fortress: taking one means standing in front of **66.8%** of their deployment zone. No-man's-land markers sit at **0%**. 70% of the legal holding spots can go fully out of sight — pick the spot, not the marker.\n- **Layout 2** — diagonal across the long axis, openness **2/20**. The middle is free real estate: there is a legal spot within range of a central marker that only **3.9%** of the enemy deployment zone can see. Home markers are soft: walking onto one of theirs exposes you to only **14.2%** of their zone. 63% of the legal holding spots can go fully out of sight — pick the spot, not the marker.\n- **Layout 3** — diagonal across the short axis, openness **5/20**. The middle is free real estate: there is a legal spot within range of a central marker that only **8.1%** of the enemy deployment zone can see. Raiding a home marker costs **46.2%** exposure — real, but payable with one screened unit. No-man's-land markers sit at **2.4%**. Almost anywhere you stand near a marker (87% of legal spots) can be put fully out of sight.\n\nIf your plan needs enemy ground, **Layout 2** is where it is cheapest (14.2% exposure against 66.8% on Layout 1) — the same raid can be a bargain or a suicide depending on which board you drew.\n\nPurge the Foe and Disruption must survive a full enemy turn before banking a grab, so **Layout 2** (openness 2/20) is the board where that plan is cheapest, and **Layout 1** (7/20) the one where it bleeds.\n\nNumbers are measured on the transcribed sheets: every legal spot within control range of each marker is tested, and the best one is reported — the way a real player looks for the safest place to stand, not the middle of the marker.\n\n## Decision points\n\n- Deployment — Disruption picks the central-plus-expansion pair that also contests parity.\n- Every turn — Disruption asks \"which unit can I actually finish?\", not \"what is the best target?\".\n- Round 4 — Purge the Foe commits to the home raid; Disruption decides whether to screen or keep scoring.",
  "url": "https://hive-perdita.vercel.app/analysis/purge-the-foe--vs--disruption/"
}