Touhou 18 ~ Unconnected Marketeers - Lunatic 6 Miss No Bombs No Cards 1cc (Sanae)

Extremely difficult LNB category. Supposedly up there with UFO but that game is mean to me so I'm not so sure. Though this game does share some similarities, the main one being that power is very crucial. Even with Sanae, who has the most tame power loss situation, power has never been so present an issue for me in any category I've done. There are multiple sections here where shit can become run endingly dire if you die like twice near each other. Getting power back is brutal in a lot of places, like prior to Sannyo if you died to the midnon. Some places you have to make do with low power strats if you died at all, like dying to Sannyo 3rd non or final then needing to contest with 3 power yellow spam. For that reason, the win condition of the run is very different to the usual. Often you're losing your runs in stage 5 or stage 6 having to get through one more nasty boss without making too many mistakes, but in this game any run that got to stage 5, no matter how beaten down, I considered to have a genuine chance at being the run. Seriously, stage 3 and 4 can cripple you so hard that literally making it past them is a very large percentage of the run, since Sannyo and mid stage 4 have successive sections that can end your run entirely on their own no matter how well you did. Naturally, I was going to have to fight to give up that mentality of treating each run like it was my very last chance and like I'd never get good pace again, since this game taketh away in a way I have never seen before. It's bullshit but honestly so interesting to me. Won't lie and say it didn't frustrate me... a lot. Like, a LOT. But I think my mentality this time around was juuuuust good enough to make it through without giving up. Not that I felt like I was at my wit's end or anything, but ik how fast my mood can change on these runs, something I hope I'll continue to improve. As for this run, it didn't even occur to me how insane my run was looking until I looked back after it was done. 3m into stage 6 in a game like this is pretty ridiculous, but then I did almost throw it away on some very odd mistakes, namely moving onto the shootdown part of the 1st spell a cycle early??? Never done that before, I was so disappointed in myself for that one lol. Also messed up phase 2 on the final. It's definitely the hardest phase, but I made a mental note to be watchful of above me since that's how it usually kills me, but then I forgot and got surprised when it sniped me in exactly the way it had done many times in the past. I am so, so thankful I remembered how to do the final phase. I practiced that super hard to make sure it stayed in my memory and I like to think making those mental notes was the difference-maker. Still happy though. I was so sure 3rd non would kill me and was impressed by my composure on stage 5 in general, as well as my excessive YYDO practice paying off. This run just FELT super hard, like it would forgive nothing and I'd have to play near perfect to have a chance. There was something so draining about facing Sannyo knowing this wasn't even halfway into the run and a slightly off performance could just be a reset before it even started. But that's LNBNC. An incredibly difficult, incredibly mentally draining category that ngl I wouldn't recommend lol. It's very reliant on your lack of chain deaths which did get on my nerves a lot. So, so many runs ended midway through stage 4, it was such a wall to get through even with Sanae having a very merciful yellow and blue spam. As for what comes next, I still have LNNN stage 4 to hunt. Like 6 1 misses at this point, it's getting ridiculous, but it's very due to happen soon, I can feel it. Then of course the extra stage. Idk why I've taken this long, i find it very fun. Then idk maybe back to DDC while I'm still playing super hard rng categories?