Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[catsclaw]

http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201203/27/game-20120327-073121-330d245c.html

Should I have opened Militia or Ambassador?  I thought the Merchant Ship would help me get money, but I kept drawing it with Ambassador.  And I ended up drawing three estates with two coppers three times in the game, which effectively shut me down.  I don't like playing Wharf without any extra actions, but my opponent did pretty well with them.

[RisingJaguar]

Unfortunately, it was not the 5/2 opening that made you lose.  It was probably dipping into ambassadors into the first place.  Wharf/BM (and probably Merchant ship BM) can get pretty far on its own. 

Like on T5, if that was a silver... you would've had 3 gold after second shuffle, that's pretty great. 

In most ambassador games, that to BM isn't ambassador's strength.  So skipping it all together wouldn't have hurt you as much since as you pointed out, there's no +actions (and thus no engine truly available). 

[Davio]

As mentioned, the Ambassadors not only collided with your other terminal, they collided with your strategy as well.
Ambassador is like Chapel in that they're better in engine games.

You can safely get away with a couple of Wharves and even if they collide it's no big deal, because playing even one is very powerful.
Your strategy actually loses to plain BMU (60-35) and gets crushed by simple BM+Wharves (90-10).
The buy rules in the sim goes with 1 Wharf for ever 4 Treasures.

[catsclaw]

I've probably logged over 2,000 games on Isotropic, and the number of games I've seen where the winner didn't buy an Ambassador is probably 2.  When can you tell to ignore it?  Was my opponent's Milita/Ambassador opening bad?

[DG]

I think there's a certain amount of responsive play needed here. If the young witch doesn't come into play then you don't need ambassadors. However if nobody buys an ambassador then you should certainly buy the young witch.

[RisingJaguar]

I've probably logged over 2,000 games on Isotropic, and the number of games I've seen where the winner didn't buy an Ambassador is probably 2.  When can you tell to ignore it?  Was my opponent's Milita/Ambassador opening bad?

Considering that he plays Militia once on T18 and does get wharves... yes it was.  That is a lot better if its a silver from the start.  The safe play is to do something like YW/Silver, Amb/silver I think.  I know, 20/20 vision, but the Militia isn't the terminal you want to have. 

Ambassadors aren't so good in the games where an optimal strategy is very basic/money based and lacks cantrips (like this one).  That's not to say it can't beat that same strategy, but it doesn't have that overwhelming power in an engine-type kingdom.

[Asklepios]

Tough one.

Personally I'd have played a couple of things slightly differently on a 5/2. First up, I'd have bought a Wharf on $5. In fact, the game plan would have been two Wharves + Big money, perhaps with a late Ambassador if (and only if) my opponent started playing Young Witch.

Also, for you, I think Turn 8 was a good time to buy Province not gold, Turn 9 silver would have served you better than ambassador, Turn 11, Province not gold again, and so on.

You need a very good reason not to buy Provinces as soon as you can. Look at it this way: buyng gold over province has to give you at least two opportunities to buy province later that you wouldn't otherwise have had, otherwise you've wasted a turn.

[Tahtweasel]

You should have bought Wharf at the beginning. Wharf is a wonderful card, and it doesn't really mind Coppers being sent your way.

I think I probably lean towards the people who think Ambassador is unnecessary on this board - but I doubt one Ambassador would hurt much. Regardless, Wharf is the key card.

[Empathy]

Tough one.

Personally I'd have played a couple of things slightly differently on a 5/2. First up, I'd have bought a Wharf on $5. In fact, the game plan would have been two Wharves + Big money, perhaps with a late Ambassador if (and only if) my opponent started playing Young Witch.

Also, for you, I think Turn 8 was a good time to buy Province not gold, Turn 9 silver would have served you better than ambassador, Turn 11, Province not gold again, and so on.

You need a very good reason not to buy Provinces as soon as you can. Look at it this way: buyng gold over province has to give you at least two opportunities to buy province later that you wouldn't otherwise have had, otherwise you've wasted a turn.

Perfect analysis. Wharf is the first card I veto as p2, way before amb because of the way it shortens games and hence helps p1. Amb should have no time to race wharf/bm. get an ambassador only against YW (as it both moats and ships curses back).