Map Analysis Series: Destruction Junction [Gearbox]

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 second 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 Destruction Junction. 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.  Destruction Junction is, in my opinion, just okay as maps go.  It feels both too open and too crowded.  The center of the map is a death zone for both monsters and units.  If you want a quick game, I recommend playing on Destruction Junction.

Foundations, Clutter, and Spawns

While there are 20 foundations on the map, their placement makes for a very open experience.  While it’s easy for monsters without high mobility (pedestrians) to get around the map, the double foundation spots in the center reward monsters that can leap tall buildings in a single bound.  

Since all the green foundations are next to another green foundation, forming a double foundation, it’s almost impossible to stand anywhere in or near the middle without being in a double foundation Vector.  With so much open space in the map, It can be extremely difficult to screen your monsters on Destruction Junction; especially later on in the game when the buildings in the green foundations have been destroyed.  

There are 6 spawn points on this map, well within striking distance of the Middle power zones.  Due to the abundance of spawn points, I feel that the first player on Destruction Junction has a slight advantage in establishing their power base.

Potential Power Bases

On the far right side of the map there is an interesting Offset Alleyway Double.  It’s interesting in that it requires 3 water securing units (Flight or Hover) to actually secure both buildings efficiently.  If you plan on running this map, build your list accordingly to include those 3 units.  There is also a neutral spawn point close to the far right spawn point, but this neutral spawn is so far away from everything that matters on this map that it’s not worth the action die to spawn an unit and activate it.

In the middle of the map we have a Safe power zone next to a central building.  With two spawn points adjacent to the building.  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.  The power zone four squares away from your spawn point here is a Middle power zone, since it’s only six squares away from an opposing spawn point.

Finally, on the left side of the map we have a Kitty Corner Double mixed with an Offset Double. 6 units can secure 3 buildings here; but since the leftmost foundation is so far from all the other spawn points, it’s unlikely to happen in a live game. If you’re looking to secure this side of the board, focus on the Offset Double. The power zone five squares away from your spawn points is Safe, since it’s at least nine squares away from an opposing spawn point.

There are 3 Middle zones on this map, the negative zone and the two power zones closest to it. While it is possible to secure the green Aligned Double on your side of the board with only 3 units, I recommend strongly against trying. Those two buildings will get destroyed over the course of the game, and your units will be prime targets for enemy models. The central neutral spawn point, unlike the first one discussed, is quite interesting. Its activator is close to an allied spawn point, next to a building that will provide cover, and the spawn point itself is in a quite good strategic location. As always, the middle of the map should be treated as a high risk zone that you don’t expect your units to survive in for long.

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 four key Alley-Oop Vectors to discuss on this map:

Double foundation to double foundation.  Despite the propensity of double foundations on this map, there is only one Double foundation into Double foundation Alley-Oop on Destruction Junction.  If you drop your opponent’s monster onto this one specific place, then you can Throw them again with 7 power dice into the Kitty Corner Double.

Power Base destruction. If you manage to drop a monster onto your opponent’s central building, you can then Throw it into the Offset Double to the right. It costs between 5 and 7 power dice on the second throw, depending on where the enemy monster lines up; in the example below it will cost 5. There is also a variant to this, where the enemy monster is one square back and then thrown into the Kitty Corner Double, but that requires at least 7 power dice on the second throw.

The hybrid body slam. After being dropped into the green Aligned Double, the enemy monster can be Body Slammed into their central building and their Safe power zone. There is also a lot of fun to be had in reversing this Alley-Oop.

Double to Single throw. Similar to the double to double outlined above, this throw goes the other way, into the forward building of the Offset Alleyway Double. This line only requires 4 power dice, as opposed to the 7 required for the double to double outlined above.

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.

I use Destruction Junction to demo the game, and not much else.  The ease with which the first player can secure a solid power base couples with the dangerous openness to create a very quick damage driven game.  It’s almost impossible to screen well on, and that creates easy openings for massive 5 damage swings back and forth across the middle.  While this makes for a fun, fast, frenetic experience, I prefer a more drawn out, tactical feel to my MonPoc games.

This map does have 20 foundations but they feel like they’re laid out rather poorly.  The far left bottom corner building almost never comes into play, either for secures or damage.  There are only two real lanes to get into the dangerous middle.  The triple water secure, while interesting, can hamper list creation if this map is your go-to choice.

In the end, though, these thoughts are just opinions.  As I’ve said multiple times, games on Destruction Junction are over rapidly.  If you’re looking for a map to demo on or to speedrun games, this is the one for you.

Have Fun!

-Gearbox