soulnet
4 - 2 Geronimoo
This was a horrible series. I felt like we both play mostly bad. Hopefully for both we will improve for the rest of the tournament. I will post some additional comments later.
EDIT (twice): all games commented.
game 1:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20140310/log.505da8ce51c359e6597efefa.1394481149815.txtPoor House, Oracle, Woodcutter, Marauder, Taxman, Knights, Pillage, Royal Seal, Fairgrounds, King's Court
The presence of both Ruins and Knights makes Fairgrounds extra-strong. However, so much attacking and especially junking will make an engine extremely unfeasible, especially with KCs goodness but unreliability and the 3-piling menace that Ruins+Knights+Fairgrounds represent. Also, a slogger can start pounding on Fairgrounds early and an engine player cannot delay its greening to avoid the opponent getting 8 VP Fairgrounds. Getting lots of Knights is also not a nice way to get an engine rolling, especially since the best Knights for engines (non-terminal and trashing) end up being really close to the bottom. So, we both go for some sort of sloggy/BM Fairgrounds deck. I pound on Fairgrounds early anticipating a battle for the split, but his early Knighting proves to be better. However, he (I think incorrectly) gives up on the Knights early instead of going after all of them and gets Gold and Province, so I manage to catch up with Knights. We split the Fairgrounds 4/3 (my early one gets trashed by Knights, which I should have anticipated). I do not see a strong reason why I won. I think even with mistakes on both sides, I may have identified the strategy better, but otherwise, I have only shuffle luck to thank.
1-0game 2:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130608/log.505da8ce51c359e6597efefa.1370702477264.txtPearl Diver, Forager, Great Hall, Caravan, JackOfAllTrades, Treasure Map, Apprentice, Graverobber, Mystic, Tribute
We both go Forager/Jack. He gets the lucky match and I get a bit unlucky draws, and same in the second shuffle so I find myself a lot behind. I get a second Forager to try to trash down and connect TMs to recover, but it never comes together so I start getting Apprentice and later Graverobber to try to gamble into lucky draws (probably not concentrating enough due to giving myself low odds) for a come back, but it never happens. Geronimoo's deck shows that it can take the heavy greening without a hinch (great Silver flooding, and probably Geronimoo is at its best with this kind of tactical play as well), so he gets it easily.
1-1game 3:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20140310/log.505da8ce51c359e6597efefa.1394482840019.txtTrade Route, Philosopher's Stone, Baron, Moneylender, Remodel, Golem, Horn of Plenty, Margrave, Treasury, Harem
Another horrible board. Golem is the only pseudovillage, and there is also not good trashing nor good payload (HoP is difficult). I open Moneylender and he opens Remodel, but ¿Surprisingly? he can get to $6 easier than me, while I am stuck at 5 for a loooong time. After that, the Golds snowball him into winning the game. I think I dropped the ball getting HoP after too many $5s (felt it would give me some Silvers and may help with Duchy dancing, and also it may get me some lucky extra Gold with Copper+Silver+Gold+Harem+Margrave+HoP), but it really never works out.
1-2game 4:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20140310/log.505da8ce51c359e6597efefa.1394484109577.txtTransmute, Native Village, Fishing Village, Wishing Well, Feodum, Marauder, Procession, Journeyman, Fairgrounds, Grand Market
Another ruins + Fairgrounds. He goes for the money slog, getting GMs. I go for some kind of hybrid, get Procession to clear out some ruins and get Journeyman into Grand Market going. It is hard, but it ends up coming together at the end for me. It is close, and I feel like I get luckier in the endgame (would not be really surprising if I lost, but I also think my deck was better than his. I was certainly not confident for quite a while, I feel I underrate my decks when I find myself building and the opponent is greening easily. I also felt a bit, for the second time, that Geronimoo did not plan for Fairgrounds properly, and that may have been the real difference.
2-2game 5:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20140310/log.505da8ce51c359e6597efefa.1394485132819.txtNative Village, Develop, Horse Traders, Noble Brigand, Thief, Bazaar, Inn, Soothsayer, Vault, Harem
Another awful game. This one I felt we both played randomly. I cannot even say why I won. I think skipping Soothsayer and getting HT to React and trash some Curses with Develop was correct on my part, because Soothsayer in this kind of awful BM deck is really slow in Cursing, and HT'd Soothsayer attack accelerates you a lot. Plus, HT and Vault overcome slow junking without much trouble. I won this one handily, although I have no idea why.
3-2game 6:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20140310/log.505da8ce51c359e6597efefa.1394485925159.txtShanty Town, Familiar, Coppersmith, JackOfAllTrades, Procession, Spy, Counting House, Festival, Adventurer, Goons
We both go for Familiar, but have bad luck with it. He opens 5/2 but I am stuck with $2P, so the playfield evens out. Geronimoo goes into DoubleJack + Goons slog, I guess because he found himself behind in the Familiar race. I get a single Jack because I foresee no way an engine will come together without draw, and start pounding on Festivals on $5 and Goons on $6 to Goons-slog. I think I win due to getting a lot more Goons than him, but also, hi gets an unlucky misclick in the endgame trashing a Goons instead of playing it (damn Goko) which gives me the way to end by depleting the Curses in the final turn.
4-2