The Bazaar BATTLES WITH BUST #693: Zoarcid, Strength, and Vanessa Deck Masterclass
Welcome to another epic episode of BATTLES WITH BUST—episode #693! Today, BUST takes on The Bazaar with Vanessa, aiming to power out of Silver and push towards Masters Rank. Time is short with the new season closing soon, but the gameplay is as high-stakes and adrenaline-fueled as ever. In this session, BUST dives deep into the evolution of the meta, leveraging strength builds and the underappreciated potential of Zoarcid.
Early Meta: Strength, Weapons, and Adapting Fast
Vanessa’s wide weapon, strength-based builds have truly defined this season, especially after the pivotal Shark Claws buff. While some players panic about an aggro-heavy format, BUST points out that strategic defense, including essential items like chocolate bars, is vital for success. The episode opens with emphasis on how easy it is to rack up seven wins with a strength build, but the real challenge is squeezing out all ten.
The biggest advantage of early strength? Weapons are always available and make for powerful openings, while waiting for that perfect poison or burn item can quickly lead to a loss. This flexibility in item selection grants Vanessa consistent early-game dominance.
Weapon Choices and Shop Strategy
BUST makes clear, practical choices throughout. Opting for basics like Fang and Revolver, he skips slow-scaling upgrades in favor of tempo. Notably, he avoids double barrel in favor of faster, more reliable items—showing how past patches have shaped the value of certain weapons.
The revolving shop experience showcases deliberate board-filling, prioritizing quick activations and steady crit scaling. From bayonets to cannonballs, every item is picked to maximize aggression while keeping flexibility for potent synergies later in the build.
Stacking Crit: Deadly Eye, Honed Arsenal, and More
A cornerstone of this run is stacking critical strikes—first with Deadly Eye and later with high-impact upgrades like Honed Arsenal (ultimately boosting baseline crit to 24% per weapon). This version of Vanessa becomes a high-velocity crit machine, with weapons routinely punching through defenses and stacking up damage at lightning speed.
Items like Narwhal and Clamra provide crucial experience and board-filling options, keeping momentum high. When Bottled Lightning slips away, BUST pivotally upgrades the best options at hand, rarely hesitating to make game-changing decisions.
The Zoarcid Factor: Surprising Support and Haste
One of the fascinating highlights this episode is BUST’s approach to Zoarcid. Known for providing haste, Zoarcid slips neatly into the fast-paced weapon grid. When comparing it to items like Piranha, BUST openly prefers the consistent utility Zoarcid offers in the current meta—especially when burn effects and rapid attack sequences come in clutch with trebushe.
Late game, the value of Zoarcid amplifies, especially with power-boosting synergies like Trebushe. Crits from throwing knives, grenades, and more only further hasten the action, making every activation count.
Late Game Decisions and Adaptation
As opponents toughen, BUST demonstrates how to pivot optimally—selling off underperformers, seeking big-ticket items like Figure Head and swapping in higher-damage options when called for. Debating choices like grapeshot versus bolas, and when to employ holsters, showcases the deep, nuanced strategy behind what some may call an “aggro deck.”
The episode underlines that success isn’t just about spamming weapons; it’s about intricate, high-impact decisions at every stage. From whether to keep Wanted Poster for crit stacking, to timing upgrades of key items, every turn matters.
Final Battles: Synergy, Survival, and Victory
Despite scare moments—opponents with rapid regen or dangerous crit spikes—BUST’s build, fortified with crits, ammo stacking, and the acceleration provided by Zoarcid, powers through. Key upgrades to Figure Head and weapon skills push the final rounds into a masterclass of crit-driven aggression.
The episode wraps up with BUST reflecting on the real challenge of aggro decks: the weight of every single decision. While some matches steamroll, getting greedy or missing a high-impact choice can spell doom. Yet, every calculated choice and synergy—from ammo management on throwing knives to timing the right skills for maximum weapon haste—shows why high-level Bazaar play is both a science and an art.
Conclusion
BATTLES WITH BUST #693 is an exceptional example of high-level Vanessa play in The Bazaar, balancing offense, critical strike synergy, and quick adaptation. The nuanced use of Zoarcid for haste and late-game burn pushes this run into the winner’s circle, clinching a 10–0 and providing tons of strategic takeaways for players hungry to level up their own Bazaar experience. If you’re chasing wins with Vanessa or want to master strength builds, don’t miss this thrilling episode!
Stay tuned for more BATTLES WITH BUST and get ready to crush the meta—one Zoarcid-powered crit at a time!