These are the results of a beautiful match in the Witch division between two prospective graduate students -- Dorestu (forum name Tejayes, rank #16 in the division) and Tapicella (forum name Kalawaraka, rank #49). Before the match, we agreed to no Black Markets or Possessions and to start with identical hands. Whether it was by simple forgetfulness or the lack of desire between the two of us, we did not use the point tracker or veto mode. The results are as follows:
Game 1:
Dorestu 36-29 Tapicella
Game 2:
Tapicella 49-43 Dorestu
Game 3:
Dorestu 67-45 Tapicella
Game 4: Tapicella 41-
45 DorestuGame 5:
Tapicella 38-34 Dorestu
Game 6:
Dorestu 50-13 Tapicella
Game 1:
I decided to open Potion/Chapel, hoping to create a reliable Alchemist-powered deck. Tapicella also opted for Chapel, but also took a Fishing Village right away. I felt the power of Fishing Village wouldn't be crucial, but I took one anyway for who knows what reason. It turns out that the belated coin helped me out quite considerably, as it often gave me just enough for a Province or other crucial cards. The end game saw more focus on the Embargoed Duchies than Provinces since neither of us had very strong coin power, but my early ability to reliable nab Provinces sealed the game before it truly ended. It didn't hurt me that Tapicella's first FV got yogurted.
Game 2:
Perhaps owing too much to Fishing Village's power in the last game, I opened up with FV while Tapicella stuck with Silver. I also thought I could put it to use with Courtyard. Yeah, that was a mistake. I did catch a small break when Tapi's Militia got yogurted, but I lost an opportunity to nab a Hunting Party or Stables, either of which would have been more helpful than FV/Courtyard, methinks. Tapi bought the first Colony, then bought a Province. I thought that might be enough of a slowdown for me to overtake my opponent. I did my best to make up for my early blunder, but Tapi's HP power assured enough Colonies to make that Province the deciding factor. Even if I had opted for a Province instead of the last Colony, I felt that Tapi had it in the bag, so the match was now tied.
Game 3:
Hoo boy. We open 2/5 on a board with Courtyard and Counting House as our 2/5 options. All of the cards were terminals, as well. Whether Tapicella had the same idea or just copied me, I can't be sure, but we both decided to skip the Courtyard and open Sea Hag instead. Tapi got an early break by Sea Hagging my Sea Hag (after I had played it once, though). Salvager was important for both of us, but Tapi had a plan -- Salvage Sea Hag away to get a Forge. That did not go as well as Tapi had hoped, as Tapi's Forge did not come with proper batteries. I bought a Forge myself, and it treated me much more kindly -- I tossed my Salvager and Sea Hag along with a Silver (and a Copper) to get the first Colony, then I forged that away along with two more Coppers and a Curse to empty the Colony pile a bit. Salvaging away the Forges was the icing on the cake, giving me win #2.
Game 4:
Ah, the classic Minion race. Thanks to taking a Smithy over an Island, Tapi had the first crack at it, but chose Upgrade instead. I got a Smithy eventually, and the race was fully on now. I ended up with 6 to Tapi's 4, which was likely the key to my victory. It didn't hurt that my Smithy was awfully kind to me, often giving me just enough Treasure to buy what I really wanted. Tapi tried to make up for losing the Minion race with Venture, but it wasn't enough. I was now one win away from victory...
Game 5:
...So my deck decided to stop being kind. We both open Caravan/Masquerade, but it did not help that all of my Estates got saddled with the Caravan, and I didn't feel like taking an Embargo or Herbalist. Tapi got rid of two Estates right away, which helped in the procurement of a Mountebank and two Golds before I could even get to $5. Okay, so not getting a Silver soon enough didn't help either. Stupid me. I eventually got two Mountebanks while Tapi stuck with the one. In the end, Tapi ended up with 6 Curses to my 1... but Tapi had so many Provinces that not even aggressive Duchy-ing and such could help.
Game 6:
After five highly enjoyable and competitive games, it's a bit of a shame that the final game had to be such a blowout. First, I opened double Ambassador, while Tapicella opted for a Bishop along with an Ambassador. While not a terrible opening by itself (it is a Level +4 combo according to CouncilRoom.com), it only assisted me in my deck-cleaning goal. Perhaps the bigger error on Tapi's account, though, was underestimating Governor. Tapicella admitted to not seeing the +1 Action on it, while I used it to full effect. Tapi also neglected Ghost Ship while preferring Inn, which was not very effective. I wished my opponent the best of luck at school as I finished my monopolization of the Provinces.
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Topic: Schedule and Results: 2011 DominionStrategy.com Championships (Read 142250 times)