While the sentences you will assemble during the game can appear long and complicated, the rules by which they are assembled are very simple. To keep everything short, I will first introduce a notation that allows us to quickly communicate what to pick.

Why? Because as it turns out, the content of your pick will not be as important as its role within Oh, Sir!'s simplified English grammar. It doesn't matter how nice an insult could be if you don't figure out how to assemble it.

There are six types of phrases available in Oh, Sir!, although two of them only have one way of being expressed: These are the "and" (&) and the continuation (...).

The other three are the Noun (N), the Adjective (A) and the Verb (V). A Noun (N) can be a single word, like "elderberries", or several words, like "an ordinary pigsty". All (N) have in common that they can be subject or object in an insult. An Adjective (A) is a phrase that only needs a subject, and usually include some conjugation of "to be". Some (A) actually include an adjective, like "is rude", but that's not required: "will soon kick the bucket" also is an (A). Verbs (V) are phrases which connect a subject and object in some way. This can range from the simple "is" to the long "enjoys pictures of". Lastly, there are the finishers (!), which are some emphasizing exclamation and are identifyable by their exclamation mark. They also range from short, like ", sir!" to long, like ", which will make you die or go insane!". All (!) can only go at the end of an insult and end your pick for the round.

All phrases have certain rules about how they can follow each other, and if you attempt to draw a phrase that does not fit, you get penalized with a "Learn Grammar" worth -3 honor points. The phrase gets removed from the pool and your turn ends.

The rules are basically a simplified version of English grammar and are as follows:

• All insults begin with a (N)
  
• To score points, the phrase has to be a complete insult (I). Attempting to finish a sentence that does not end as a completed (I) adds "err ... unn... " to the sentence and reduces its value to 0.
  
• The smallest sentences that count as (I) are (N)(A) and (N)(V)(N).
  
• With one exception (see below), a completed (I) can't be continued by a (N), (A) or (V).
  
• A (!) can only be played after a finished (I)
  
• A (&) can be played after a completed (I) or a (N)
  
• A (I)(&) can be completed to another (I) via one of the following: (I)(&)(I), (I)(&)(A), (I)(&)(V)(N)
  
• A (N)(&)(N) counts as (N)
  
• If a valid (I) ends with ...(N)(&)(N), it can be continued with a (A) or (V), as this turns it into the beginning of a valid (I)(&)(I).
  
• A (...) can be played at any time. In the next round, it is removed and the sentence fragment has to be continued correctly.

The following strategies center around an important fact about the draw board in the middle of the screen, which is shared between the players. Both sides alternatingly pick phrases off this board to assemble their insults, and since taking a phrase deprives it to the opponent, it is here that strategy needs to be applied.

The shared board has nine entries, and they have a very fixed composition:

• 3 of them are (N)
  
• 3 of them are (V)
  
• 1 of them is (A)
  
• 2 are drawn randomly from a pool. They are very likely (...) or (&), usually (V), almost never (A) or (N), and never (!)

In addition, each player has a hand of two phrases, drawn from a personalized pool that depends on the character. These phrases have about equal chance of being (N), (A), (V) or (!) and a smaller chance to be (&). Once per round, a player can drink tea to re-draw those two phrases, discarding the unused ones. Drinking tea does not end their turn. At the start of each round, the hands are re-drawn, no matter whether they were used.

This composition of the opening board, combined with people drawing alternatingly, results in the driving power behind the strategies outlined below: Phrase Deprivation, and especially Noun Deprivation.

Noun Deprivation happens when both players try to assemble a (N)(V)(N) as follows, using only phrases from the board:

1: (N) - 2 (N) remain on board
2: (N) - 1 (N) remains on board
1: (V) - 2 (V) remain on board
2: (V) - 1 (V) remains on board
1: (N) - No (N) remains on board
2: ???

When opening this way, the second player suddenly finds themself without a (N) to complete their insult. They need to rely on whatever is on their hand. If that doesn't include a (N), they're screwed. And even if it does include a (N), the chance of it being high-scoring is reduced given the lack of selection.

If either player had taken one of their (N) above from their hand, this situation wouldn't arise. This is better for player 2, but clearly not good for player 1. If they can deprive their opponent of a phrase needed for their insult, they can build up a considerably better point advantage: An incomplete isult scores 0! Thus, it is better to pick from the board than the hand.

While Noun Deprivation is the most common situation, other deprivation situations can arise as well. (A) deprivation is easy, as there is only one (A) on the board: Whoever picks it forces their opponent into using (V), which accelerates the noun deprivation.

And secondly, (&) is also an important token that both players will compete for. It is the most powerful phrase on the board, as it is the only way to prolong an insult past the most basic structure. In terms of scoring, a (&) is always worth a lot. Not only right now, but also because it increases chances down the line: More (N) in the insult means more combos and more Touché multiplier.

Under the above considerations, there are some optimal opening moves for the players, dependent on the situation. These force or evade phrase deprivation, and are thus usually very dominant over the concerns of the exact scoring amount.

When a round starts, check the amount of "and" phrases you can see to determine which strategy to apply.


If you see neither an (&) on the board nor on your hand, then the strategies are as follows. Such rounds are usually short and boring, as neither side can get a long insult going.

Starting Player: Play (N)(V)(N), picking the (N) from the board to force Noun deprivation. As you have first pick, it should be possible to get an okay scoring combo out of it. Then, check your hand for a (!). Play that if present, drink tea otherwise.

Second Player: Check your hand for a (!) or (N). If the former, play (N)(A)(!). If the latter, play (N)(V)(N). If both, play (N)(V)(N)(!). If neither, drink tea. Only pick (V) as second pick if you have a secure (N). You have a secure (N) if: You have one in your hand, there are currently two on the board, or there is one on the board and your opponent picked (A) this turn.


If there are two (&) on the board or you have one (&) on your hand, then it's guaranteed that you get one, even if you go second.

Starting Player: Play (N)(V)(N)(&), picking the (N) from the board to force Noun deprivation. Completing the insult with either (V)(N) or (A) should be likely using your hand and your free tea.

Second Player: Play (N)(A)(&), even if you have a (N) on your hand. This guarantees you the (&), and there will be enough (V) left on the board for a (V)(N) finisher. Depending on whether you have a (!), use that or drink tea to keep going.


If you only see a single (&) on the board, then this case applies. Since only one player can grab it and thus advance over a basic insult, the strategies become more complicated.

Starting Player: You're actually at a disadvantage for grabbing the (&) for a good score. You need either a (A) or (N) in your hand. If you have neither, drink tea for a second chance. If you have one, you have a choice to two openings:
Safe Opening: (N)(&)(N), picking the (N) from the board to force Noun deprivation. Then, complete with either (A) or (V)(N) according to your hand. This guarantees you the (&), but prevents you from actually chaining it. You need the phrases from your hand because your opponent has the opportunity to deprive you of them from the board.
Risky Opening: (N)(A), picking the (A) from the board. Now, your opponent can grab the (&) if they want, but it leaves them doubly deprived: There is no (A) on the board from them to complete as (N)(&)(N)(A), and no (N) to complete as (N)(&)(N)(V)(N). This is essentially a gambit against their hand contents. If it succeeds, you can continue as (&)(A) or (&)(V)(N) according to your own hand.

Otherwise accept the loss of the (&) and play according to the "No And" case.

Second Player: Your response depends on your opponent's second pick:
(V) or (A) - Risky Opening or bad hand. Check if you have a (A) or (N) on your hand (tea if appropriate), and if so, go (N)(A)(&), then either (V)(N) or (A) according to what your drew. This guarantees you the (&) and is safe in regards to deprivation. If not (A) or (N) appears on your hand, treat like the "No And" case.
(&) - Safe Opening. Just proceed like in the "No And" case.

In most cases, the round is basically over after these opening moves. If you are lucky, you'll find yourself with multiple (&) and fitting phrases for them, together with a opponent who had to end their insult due to deprivation, in which case you have free reign. But at that point you no longer need a strategy and thus we won't talk about it.

Once you understand the strategies and importance of phrase deprivation, it is time to start considering the strength of insults. While the socring system is rather opaque and most likely only fully understood by the developer, the following rules of thumb can be reverse-engineered:

An insult scores higher the more directly it affects the opponent. "You" is the best choice, followed by the plethora of "your <relative>" and other personal things, and the worst are the random objects, like "elderberries". While I can't say if it's truly worth more points to say "Your mother is a hamster" than "A hamster is your mother", it's usually better to put the more personal (N) first, as it will be reused as subject with any (&) you can grab.

(N)(V)(N) insults should be an overall negative. Here, the rules are especially obscure, and I can't tell you if it's better to say "Your mother was born in vodka" or "Your mother donated organs to vodka". Generally, try to use a negative, impersonal (N) like "an ordinary pigsty" after a positive-sounding, like "supports", or neutral, like "is", (V), but a positive or personal (N) after negative (V)s like "was defeated by".
(N)(A) insults are automatically negative. This can make them appear better, but due to their lower number of (N) involved, they are less likely to hit a weakness or be a combo.

Every character has a weakness, which mostly involves single phrases, included anywhere in the insult. There are other useful guides out already listing those weaknesses. A Touché insult multiplies the insult score with a number. I'm not sure if multiple inclusions of the weakness within the same sentence increase the multiplier.

Combos are made by including the same (N) in consecutive sentences. The position of the (N) does not matter, "You were the Queen" combos with "Your sense of style can be found in you". However, the whole (N) has to be the same for it to count as a combo, so "your father" does not combo with "your mother" despite the repeated "your". (V) and (A) can't combo even if repeated (neither can (!), (...) and (&), but I doubt anyone expected that). A combo multiplies the insult score with a number depending on the length of the chain.

As Combo and Touché are multipliers, a weak insult will still net low points even when it includes a repeated word and a weakness. A personal, negative, combo'd, touching insult however can win the game quickly.

The finisher phrases (!) all end your turn, but also appear to act as multipliers to the total score. You don't need to worry about appropriateness or negativity, but some do work as touching upon weaknesses.

The strategies around (...) are a deep rabbit hole that only rarely will be worth it. Most of the time, just finishing up the insult and starting anew the next round will score higher than hoping that one can continue chaining. In addition, since (...) finishes one's turn for the round, it means the opponent has free reign over the board and can without opposition chain as many (&) as they can.

When trying to use (...), it's best to first make sure the opponent is stuck with a weak insult. Since a Rude insult (scoring over 15 points) will break a continuation and reduce one's score to 0 for the round, one shouldn't take any risks with it. Ideally, the opponent has already set their exclamation mark.
Secondly, although (...) can be used after any phrase, it's usefulness depends very much what it is put behind:

• ...(N)&(N) - Best case. Since this can be continued as (I)(&)(N), it allows to chain at least one (A) or (V)(N) after it. It also gives quick access to any (&) that appear in the following round.
  
• (&) - Second best case. Allows you to keep going next round with a fresh (N) according to the opening book, or to grab a good (A) or (V) before the opponent can.
  
• (V) - If it saves you from being Noun-deprived, it might be worth it, but it's a big gamble. If there is no (&) on the board next time, you're stuck handing your opponent the board after a single (N)
  
• (I) - Just don't. The tiny chance of grabbing an (&) does not make this worthwhile. More often, you'll just be handing your opponent the entire board untouched.

When your opponent plays a (...) against you, try as usual in that first round to get as high a score as possible. If that goes over 15, then you successfully countered the (...) and are now at least 15 points ahead. Otherwise, in the second round, you'll have to check for phrase deprivations yourself without the help of the opening book. Grab any (&) as quickly as you can, as adding a short insult to the one saved from the round before will likely still result in a lower score per round than what you'll output.

For what it's worth, it should be noted that the combo multipliers are preserved during the round the (...) was used, and new combos checked against the last completed insult.

When a phrase appears on the board that your character is weak to (or would be a combo for them), some people suggest taking that phrase even if it's grammatically incorrect. While deleting the phrase off the board might be worth 3 honor points, it should also be noted that it skips your turn, giving your opponent more opportunities for phrase deprivation.
Especially as first player, where you get the first grammatically correct pick on any phrase on the board, it's probably better to just try and grab the phrase when it fits into your insult.

The AI will never use a (N)(A) opening, even if it would be advantageous to them. This makes them especially weak to the opening book outlined above.