Fabian beats Volkmar 4-0
Game 1 Fabian 33 - 21 VolkmarIt seems we've both done our research here, as we both open pretty confidently with (what I think is) pretty good choices. We both buy Worker's Village over Lab/Vault/Counting House in the early game when we hit $5, for instance. Our draws lead to me getting Golems but no Apothecaries, while he gets lots of Apothecaries but no Golems, and I feel ok about my chances of a megaturn, but obviously the game can go very fast. In the end, I do get my combo going on turn 13, and with $33 and three buys I can comfortably buy the last 3 Provinces. This game highlights what I really dislike about playing pre-determined sets (I've ranted about this before, I'm sure), as while the kingdom is very cool with some great synergy and potential for fun stuff etc, it's all ruined by the possibility/opportunity to prepare. I think we both had a very clear idea of what worked on this board as a result of reading game logs and thoughts from good players (and maybe some solitaire games, maybe even some simulating?), and it takes away most of the skill of Dominion, in my opinion. I didn't play Dominion this game, I followed my predetermined buy rules and just kinda hoped the draws would line up properly (which they more or less did, so I won). Rant over.
Game 2 Fabian 30 - 29 VolkmarJack/Lookout opening for both of us, with various other action cards to follow. The game is again over in 13 turns, looking good for Volkmar who has the tie-breaker when he buys the penultimate Province, but I can Tournament myself a Duchy on my last turn and buy the last Province for a one point victory. Very quick game, very close game.
Game 3 Fabian 63 - 45 VolkmarSilver/Trader for Volkmar and Silver/Cutpurse for me. I feel Trader is probably a bit slow here, as while it leads to a better deck, the more important matter is quickly reaching $6 for Gold and Goons on this board, imo. I grab a few Gold before Goons, as I want to avoid early terminal collisons, and the $2 from Goons won't contribute as much in the early/mid game, imo. At this point I feel this game will turn into a pretty drawn out slugfest with Goons flying everywhere, and being able to get to $6 and later $8 more easily while constantly being Goons'ed is, I feel, more important than a few extra VP chips in the midgame from earlier Goons. What ends up happening is I'm able to buy 6 Provinces over the course of the game, which coupled with various other VP sources ends up in a pretty comfortable win.
Game 4 Fabian 26 - 25 VolkmarMountebank board with Trader. He opens Silver/Baron, which I think is reasonable, and then draws Estate Estate Estate Copper Copper on turn 3. Very harsh. I go Silver/Feast, looking to get a one-off Mountebank while loading up on a few Traders and money. Things work out nicely as I get a 4Copper/Feast hand on turn 4 and quickly get the components I want shuffled into my deck. From there, we mostly buy money and Traders, and perform various shenanigans with our Traders. Sometimes our Mountebanks hit, sometimes they give out lots of Silvers. In the end it's looking like a draw when Volkmar buys the penultimate Province and leads by $6, but the Mountebank I have for my next turn doesn't collide with Trader or Curse, and I can buy the last Province with a one point lead instead of drawing the game. Very close.
Overall they were fun matches, and I enjoyed playing you Volkmar. Thanks for the games and good luck in the future!