Banana Man (Third Party): Overview and Strats

 

The Banana Man is a highly strategic and disruptive third-party shape-shifter with a unique win condition: to reach parity with any other player and claim a solo victory. As a specialist in explosive mechanics, Banana Man can rig actions to cause detonations, steal explosive cards, and even create a Nitrogen Bomb capable of wiping out anyone not immune to explosions. The role revolves around manipulation and carefully setting up bomb-based chaos to eliminate threats and achieve victory.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the Banana Man’s abilities, strategies, and optimal playstyle to win as this explosive shape-shifter.

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Primary Objective:

• Goal: The Banana Man wins solo by achieving parity with any other player, meaning Banana Man must reduce the number of other players down to their own level, creating equal footing and securing a victory.
• Challenges: The Banana Man must skillfully rig actions, steal explosive cards, and avoid drawing too much attention to achieve parity. Rigging and detonating actions are critical for success.

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Key Abilities:

1. Rig (Night Action):

   • Mechanic: Every night, Banana Man must choose two card types: Card Type 1 and Card Type 2. The first player who uses Card Type 1 will cause the detonation of the first player who uses Card Type 2 that night.
   • Rules for Rigging:
     • Banana Man cannot rig the same card types on consecutive nights (e.g., if you rig Investigation and Protection on Night 1, you cannot rig the same types on Night 2, but you could switch the order or choose new types).
   • Strategic Use: This ability allows Banana Man to manipulate other players’ actions and indirectly cause their deaths through explosive detonations. By rigging different card types, you can set up situations where players unknowingly trigger explosions. This makes it critical to anticipate which players are likely to use specific types of cards (investigation, protection, manipulation, etc.) and rig accordingly.

2. Bomb Steal (Night Action):

   • Mechanic: Banana Man can visit another player and steal any explosive-related cards they possess, ignoring deck size restrictions. This action can be multitasked with rig.
   • Strategic Use: This ability is crucial for Banana Man to gather the necessary cards to create a Nitrogen Bomb (using Explosive Fusion). Stealing explosive cards from other players not only advances your own goal but also weakens your opponents’ ability to defend or retaliate with bombs.

3. Explosive Fusion (Day or Night Action):

   • Mechanic: Banana Man can fuse 6 cards with explosive mechanics to create a Nitrogen Bomb. You can only use up to two of your own cards for this fusion. This action can be multitasked with Rig but not with other actions.
   • Strategic Use: This is the most crucial long-term goal for Banana Man. By gathering explosive-related cards, especially through Bomb Steal, you can create a powerful weapon capable of wiping out most of the remaining players. Use Rig to keep killing or detonating while working on your bomb fusion.

4. Nuke em All (Real Time Night Action):

   • Mechanic: Once the Nitrogen Bomb is created, Banana Man can detonate it during the night, killing everyone who is not immune to explosions. This is a real-time night action and cannot be multitasked with other actions.
   • Strategic Use: This is Banana Man’s ultimate weapon and a potential game-ender. You need to be careful when to use it because it will kill numerous players, potentially leaving you in control of the game. Make sure you’ve reached a point where detonating the bomb will leave you with parity or allow you to take over the game.

5. Explosive Immunity:

   • Mechanic: Banana Man is immune to all explosions except for the Atomic Bomb (Limited Edition).
   • Strategic Use: This passive ability allows Banana Man to operate freely in an explosive-filled environment, making it difficult for other players to retaliate with bomb-related actions. This immunity allows you to take greater risks when stealing and rigging explosive cards.

6. Starting Options (One-Time Disguise or Yeet proof):

   • One-Time Disguise: Banana Man can choose to start with a disguise, making them appear as a Subver or Farmer (town-aligned) if investigated.
   • 1-Shot Yeet proof: Alternatively, Banana Man can choose to start with a 1-shot yeet proof passive modifier, granting them protection from being eliminated by vote once.
   • Strategic Use: Choose based on the game state—if you expect to be targeted for investigation early, the disguise may be more useful to blend in. If you’re worried about being voted out early, the yeet proof offers a strong defense against that.

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Win Condition:

1. Reach Parity:
   • The Banana Man wins solo by achieving parity with another player, meaning you need to reduce the player count to match your own. This can be done through direct eliminations via rigging actions or through the Nitrogen Bomb.
   • Strategic Considerations: You must strategically use Rig, Bomb Steal, and Nitrogen Bomb to manipulate the game state and eliminate players. The longer the game goes, the more chances you have to create parity and win. Avoid making yourself too big of a target early on and focus on subtle, indirect eliminations.

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Optimal Playstyle and Strategy:

1. Early Game: Lie Low and Start Rigging

• Blend In with the Group: In the early game, avoid making yourself a target. Play a relatively neutral game, contributing just enough to discussions to avoid suspicion.
• Start Rigging: Begin using Rig to set up potential detonations. Focus on common card types like Investigation or Protection that players frequently use. You want to set off a detonation without raising alarms about your role.
• Use Bomb Steal to Your Advantage: If you suspect players are holding explosive-related cards, use Bomb Steal to gather them and progress toward creating your Nitrogen Bomb. Stealing explosive cards weakens other players while advancing your goal.

2. Mid-Game: Continue Rigging and Progress Toward Nitrogen Bomb

• Expand Your Rig Targets: As more players are eliminated, you’ll need to carefully choose which card types to rig. By now, you should have an idea of which players are more active and which types of cards are in play. Focus on players using powerful abilities or those who are likely to be protected.
• Progress Toward Explosive Fusion: Work on gathering the remaining cards you need for your Nitrogen Bomb. Don’t rush to detonate your rigged actions unless you’re setting up for a bigger explosion later on. Explosive Fusion is your long-term weapon, so keep an eye on the players you suspect have explosives.

3. Late Game: Detonate and Secure Parity

• Time to Detonate: Once you’ve created the Nitrogen Bomb, carefully assess the game state. You want to detonate it at a moment that will reduce the remaining players enough to reach parity or give you full control. If detonating the bomb would leave too many players alive, continue rigging and setting up smaller detonations.
• Secure Parity: After detonating the bomb or causing several deaths through Rig, your focus should be on maintaining parity with the remaining players. At this point, surviving to the final two will likely secure your win. Use the tie-breaking ability of bombs (which leave deaths flipless) to manipulate votes and ensure you’re not eliminated.

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Strategic Considerations:

• Rig Carefully: The key to success as Banana Man is in properly rigging the right card types. Anticipating which players will use certain types of cards is critical to causing maximum destruction. Don’t just rig random types—think ahead about who’s likely to use investigation, manipulation, protection, or other abilities.

• Explosive Fusion as a Trump Card: Gathering enough explosive cards to create the Nitrogen Bomb should be a long-term goal. Once you have the bomb, you have the power to dramatically shift the game. However, don’t rush to detonate unless it will bring you close to parity or drastically reduce the number of players.

• Use Disguise or Yeet proof Wisely: The disguise can help you survive early investigations, while the yeet proof keeps you safe from votes. Choose based on how much attention you’re attracting. If you play subtly, the disguise might be more useful to avoid suspicion.

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Final Thoughts:

The Banana Man is a tricky and dangerous third-party shape-shifter with a focus on explosives. By rigging actions and detonating bombs, Banana Man can eliminate players indirectly, setting up massive explosions to thin the competition. With a well-timed Nitrogen Bomb and clever rigging, you can achieve parity and claim your solo victory.