Guess I'll write this up while it's still fresh on my mind, and why not?
Game 1
Just about getting the Torturer-chain going. It was all but over when he won the Squire split 6-3 (or 7-2 or something, not sure). But I was able to Sacrifice Patricians and other fodder as pseudo-village, to play multiple Torturer / Overlord per turn mid game. Several turns I'd buy Sacrifices or an Oasis or whatever just to trash them later.
I had a rules question mid-game involving bidding 40 on Mountain Pass. I had to consider this because there was a very likely end game scenario in which the first Province is bought on the turn the game ends (piles: curse, Squire, Patrician). Then basically whoever does not buy the Province can bid 40 and automatically get the +8VP -- and need not worry about being in debt because the game is over. So I was sort of tempted to leave him the last Emporium for the pile-out, considering if he bought either a Duchy or Province with it, it wouldn't have been enough. Or maybe I was overthinking this one, haha. But an interesting mechanic with Mountain Pass nonetheless.
Game 2
Knights battle (kinda). I think the biggest difference here was Dame Natalie with Caravan Guards. That and I didn't realize how powerful Sir Michael was mid and late game - which he took from me via Graverobber (I underestimated Graverobber here). I basically felt I had no chance of winning about a third of the way through the game, and tried to desperation-Graverobber the Provinces .. and that just doesn't work against DB.
Maybe the Silver-CG opening was that much better than Silver-Silver? Not sure.
Game 3
4/3 >> 5/2. Not sure what else to say. Maybe my second bridge was wrong -- had I not gotten it I think I could have won the Lab split 6-4. Not sure.
I almost wonder if Tournament was skippable here? There are plenty of actions, draw, +Buys without it. The attack part of Followers is pretty much the only thing that any of the Prizes give you that isn't already on the board.
Game 4
I actually think I had this game. But on T7 I dudded because my deck was my 3 Coppers, which I couldn't draw all of. Had 1 of the bottom 2 been a unique, I would have gotten to Gold/HP and remained a half turn behind on the building; Ok, because of my Estate I kept.
Game 5
Straight Rebuild (with help from Scavenger) vs. an attempted engine that leads to Dominate. I'm just not convinced Dominate is plausible here. Someone prove me wrong.
Game 6
Capital / Mandarin game. I like opening Vassal over Silver because of the early sifting. And T-mo to turn Estates -> Silvers. Maybe the T-mo was wrong. But I still like it's situational flexibility -- maybe it can turn a Mandarin into a Capital late? Not sure but it very well could have not been the best opening.
This game came down to shuffles. DB had a terrible first shuffle. And my T10 draw was just oh so perfect - drawing 3 Capitals and being able to T-Mo a Mandarin into a fourth.
Game 7
Envoy BM vs. a Pearl Diver / Nomad Camp / Vineyards thing. I certainly considered both routes at the start of the game. I just didn't think Vineyards would get that high. If anything, I didn't consider Obelisk (not that that was the point difference in the end, but it did affect the game). My second-to-last shuffle was just so so bad -- in a thick deck, I draw my 4 terminals together. I really do wonder how the game would have gone had that shuffle been even slightly better. That one is gonna sting.
I did consider buying a Pearl Diver when there was 1 left just so his Bandit Camps became stop cards. But I just never really felt I had the opportunity. Idk, maybe I should have just spent $5 on it. Not sure how much of a difference it would have made.
I do love seeing 2 completely different strategies in 1 Kingdom come down to the wire. Makes you think. So that was fun.
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Any thoughts?
Good luck quarterfinalists!