Map Analysis Series: Calamity Park [Gearbox]

The instructive images in this article are captured from the free Tabletop Simulator mod by Tekk which you can subscribe to here.

Hello again and welcome. I’m Gearbox and I’m here to help you go from casually tossing monsters around the board to playing MonPoc competitively. This is the first article in a series analyzing all the maps released for Monsterpocalypse. In today’s article I’m going to walk through an analysis of the Monsterpocalypse map Calamity Park. I recommend reading my articles on Power Bases and Vectors before you dive into this article.

Released in 2018 in the GUARD and Planet Eater starter sets as one side of the double sided paper map.  Calamity Park is a great map.  With many places to screen and many places to take damage if you fail to screen, I feel it rewards solid play.  This is the map I have the second most experience on, as I chose it almost exclusively until mid 2019.

Foundations, Clutter, and Spawns

With 20 foundations Calamity Park creates a balance between building density and open space.  There is a lot of room for monsters without high mobility (pedestrians) to maneuver around between the 3 main lanes. However, pedestrian monsters are going to be at a slight disadvantage when they have to squeeze through the 3 diagonals between the green foundations.  

There are lots of places where your monster is screened by 2 or 3 buildings, meaning you only need a unit or two to complete the screen. 

The 5 spawn points are well balanced across the backline and positioned far enough forward to make the middle of the board hotly contested.

Potential Power Bases

Next to the leftmost spawn point we have an interesting formation of an Offset Alleyway Double secure paired with an Aligned Double.  5 units deployed properly can secure three buildings in this position.  However, the forwardmost building is generally under threat from enemy attacks, so don’t put your most important building there.  Also, a single unit is key to securing all 3 buildings, the repair truck, in the below example.  If it is destroyed, or returned to reserves, you stop securing all three buildings.  Best to place a Security Bunker there, if you can.

The Safe power zone next to the middle yellow foundation is very close to two spawn points. This is a natural position to use 3 units to generate two power dice. It’s also a great spot to place an important building for you, or an aggressive junk drop on your opponent’s side of the board.

On the far right we have an Offset Double that requires a water secure (Flying or Hover unit) to hold efficiently. Note both how far away it is from other spawns, and how close a power zone is to the rightmost spawn point. Because of this, the buildings here are usually secured later in the game. Also, despite being rather far forward, I consider that power zone on the far right to be Safe, since it’s only 4 squares away from your spawn zone and at least 9 away from an enemy spawn zone.

Do not try to secure any green foundations on this map unless you’re miles ahead in territory.  The middle of the board is constantly contested by either units or monsters.  The neutral spawn points on Calamity park can be useful, but are in the very middle of the board and difficult to hold.

There are 3 Middle zones on this map, the negative zone in the center and the two power zones closest to it.  The negative zone is difficult to get to and difficult to hold.  The power zones are only 3 squares away from the nearest spawn, but only 6 squares away from the opponent’s nearest spawn.  Also note that these Middle power zones are within the Swat range of the keystone unit to the 3 building secure; again, a Repair truck in the below example.

Alley-Oop Vectors

Remember that all maps are symmetrical and that anything done on your side of the map can be done on your opponent’s side and vice versa.  Also remember that Vectors can be reversed, if done properly.  In the examples below, Goghadra will be where the enemy lands from the initial attack, Defender X will be where you can position your second monster, and Cthugrosh will be where the enemy finally lands.  There are a five key Alley-Oop Vectors to discuss on this map:

Midline Alley-Oop.  The green foundation next to the neutral spawn point is well worth dropping your opponent’s monster onto, since it can then be thrown (or even body slammed!) onto the green double foundation.

Double foundation into double foundation A. If you can drop your opponent’s monster into the green double foundation, overlapping the two water squares as well, then step next to them with your other monster with 5 power dice remaining, you can throw them again into the offset double in the corner of the map for a devastating Alley-Oop.

Double foundation into double foundation B. If you can drop your opponent’s monster into the green double foundation, adjacent to the neutral spawn and the activator, then you can step in with 7 power dice and throw them onto the aligned double yellow foundation in the other corner of the map for a differently devastating Alley-Oop.

Power Base destruction A. If you drop your opponent onto their central building in their backline, you can then throw them to the right or left for a double building Alley-Oop. This has the added benefit of destroying the three buildings that they are most likely to care about.

Power Base destruction B. If you manage to drop your opponent onto the foremost yellow foundation or the green foundation next to the power zone, you can then body slam them into the aligned double yellow foundation.

Final Thoughts

COMPETITIVE PLAYERS MUST BE COMFORTABLE ON ALL MAPS. Half the time, your opponent is going to choose the map, so you need to be ready to play on all of them. Everything after this line is just Gearbox's opinion, and should not be taken as the last word. In fact, many competitive players vehemently disagree with the below opinion.

While tied for the fewest spawn points in the game at this point, units play a vital role on Calamity Park.  Every building foundation is useful and can be crucial on this map.  This is a fantastic map to learn the game on. 

Calamity Park is reasonably well balanced, interesting, and fun to play on.  It’s well worth your time to find a copy for your local play group.  

Have Fun!

-Gearbox