Solution - Ysera

by Dave Shukan

Answer: Click here to reveal

This Meta was inspired by the online game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, from which the sleeper Ysera appears.

Once answers are revealed, solvers must determine how to reduce the enemy hero's string to nothing. To do so, the solver must negotiate around two "taunts" - DOLLDOMS and DRAG OFF - which are cards that limit the types of attacks that can be made by cards whose strings share one or more letters with the taunt strings.

The procedure for killing the enemy hero appears below (Alternate orderings exist, but do not affect the final result):

  1. Acute IL-ness spell changes MUTATES to MUTILATES
  2. ELMSWELL attacks DOLLDOMS, leaving EWE and DODO (this attack is allowed because ELMSWELL does not contain any letters in the other taunt string, DRAGOFF)
    1. PLUMPEST attacks ALECTIDEY, leaving PUMPS and ACIDY (this attack is allowed because PLUMPEST does not contain any letters in the current taunt strings, DODO and DRAG OFF)
    2. per ALECTIDEY (now ACIDY) text, change MUTILATES to ULTIMATES (necessary to later allow PEN to be added to the front, as in step 5(b))
    3. per PLUMPEST (now PUMPS), swap strings of PUMPS and ACIDY
    1. BESSIE attacks CHIANTIS, leaving BEE and CHANT (this attack is allowed because BESSIE does not contain any letters in the current taunt strings, DODO and DRAGOFF)
    2. Because the enemy hero string changed, BUTTERY becomes BUTTER (by its own text)
    1. STEPNEY attacks PEMICAN, leaving STY and MICA (this attack is allowed because STEPNEY does not contain any letters in the current taunt strings, DODO and DRAGOFF)
    2. per PEMICAN (now MICA), add lost letters P-E-N at the front of both heroes, making them PENCHANT and PENULTIMATES
    3. Because enemy hero string changed, BUTTER becomes BUTTE (by its own text)
    1. WINCHELL attacks PENCHANT, leaving WILL and PAT (this attack is allowed because WINCHELL does not contain any letters in the current taunt strings, DODO and DRAGOFF)
    2. Because the enemy hero string changed, BUTTE becomes BUTT (by its own text)
    1. Opposites Attract spell changes DRAGOFF to DRAGON
    2. Because a spell was cast on an enemy minion other than LAMINAR, LAMINAR becomes LAMINA (by its own text)
  3. Mirror, Mirror spell changes LAMINA to ANIMAL (necessary to allow another spell to be played on an enemy minion, since LAMINA cannot lose a final letter and remain a word)
    1. Time Machine spell changes DRAGON to HORSE (in accordance with the Chinese Zodiac)
    2. Because a spell was cast on an enemy minion other than ANIMAL, ANIMAL becomes ANIMA (by its own text)
  4. SCRAM attacks HORSE, leaving CAM and HOE (this attack is allowed because SCRAM does not contain any letters in the other taunt string, DODO)
    1. ACTPARTY attacks PAT, leaving CRY and killing the enemy hero by reducing PAT to nothing (this attack is allowed because ACTPARTY does not contain any letters in the current taunt strings, DODO or HOE)
    2. Because the enemy hero string changed, BUTT becomes BUT (by its own text)

The board now reflects 13 final minion strings, a dead enemy hero, and your own enemy hero having the string PENULTIMATES. Reading the penultimate letters of the final minion strings, in the order they appear on the board, gives the solution phrase DUMP COLD WATER, a good way to wake a fiery dragon from slumber and avoid getting burned.