Oh hey, look! Tom Shields already wrote this post and posted it an obscure corner of BoardGameGeek:
http://boardgamegeek.com/article/6817486#6817486I quote at length:
While familiarity with the deck accrues like Matt says, this is not the same of studying the deck or seeking & repeating combos. It's more developing a good sense of what icon leads represent over the course of a game; bulbs with tech'ing, leaves & crowns as attack, so on. When to fight for them & when to let go. How to adjust your game should you be out of the race for, say, crowns. That said, I don't think this game rewards trying to repeat pins or certain combos. Essentially because it is very rare for conditions to repeat. This isn't like drawing for the Ents in War of the Ring & positioning Gandalf. You've seen this I'm sure 30 games in - they don't repeat.
Every card is a lever, that's the mantra, in a given situation. And the situation never repeats. What I'm saying is, if you go looking for something, or recreate something from the last game, well, you're in trouble.
And that's what keeps this game alive & fresh after 90 plays.
I remember a feeling of climbing a ladder with Innovation that went something like this:
- My first realization - every time you blind draw you loose tempo. I remember when this struck me after about 10 games and I'd squirm like mad trying not to draw, I'd do anything, blind melds & shares & whatever, not giving a damn if I win or lose. I remember an early mantra as people were first learning the game and were giving advice on threads: if you don't know what to do, draw. Which made me crazy. As if that was progress. Even if you do get something you can use, it takes another whole turn to get it down and dogma it, and by then the tableaus have shifted. So I favored (early on) doing whatever I could with what I had & drawing as a last resort. When I started doing this, things started happening & I watched that. A sense for tempo. To this day, if I need to simply draw a card, both Mike & Scott will tell you I lock up and then moan. I'm finally learning to draw sometimes without hanging my head, but as a first realization it really served to shake up the game & I started winning.
- My second realization - the icon battle is important. If the early opportunities drive you into bulbs, it's worth a little tempo loss & struggle to get some leaves or crowns (especially leaves in my case) going. Dropping a card just for icons is not a bad move. Dropping two can be excellent, though I rarely do it if it sets up a draw(!). Even if the dogmas don't seem to fit at the moment.
- My third realization - letting go of early scoring to focus on splay & tableau development. There is an ongoing meme/joke expressed by first time players that goes: Agriculture is broken; shorthand for someone scoring early & often. When in fact, Agriculture sucks early on. Because you get your tableau developed while they score a few points or the first achievements and then watch you take the game away - this game does not get lost if someone leads. Scoring looses tempo. Besides the obvious response (if it bothers you they keep Agg-ing, or whatever) to drop some leaves, or share something that changes their board. This game isn't about being passive, or creating a safe combo-sled to ride. It's not about security - everything is insecure - it's about change & rapid adaption. It seems like this hit me hard sometime around 10-15 plays.
- My fourth realization - shaking the tree. Somewhere I learned, when boxed in (which happens every damn game), to shake the tree. If you're pinned, if you hit a dead end with your tableau, don't sit there & draw & draw. Do anything to change the tableau. Risky shared melds, tuck engines, any lever you can grab. Because the tableau will change. And in the new look opportunities show up. And yes it will backfire once in a while, but less often then you'd think. I think the reason is, even if you feed the other a good card, you've changed their plan & maybe to something they either don't know how or don't want to bring home.
- My fifth realization - sharing is often good, even helping the other. That extra card can be everything.
- My fifth & 1/2 realization- when teching up, try to cover your ass with leaves or you'll get way up there & the other will calmly say thank you & steal your high card.
- My sixth sense -
I can see dead people If you have someone pinned, repeat. I've seen someone who has me pinned & desperate and, come their turn, they don't continue the beating and wander off drawing a card or something. If you are trashing someone's tableau or score pile, keep trashing it. Don't wander away looking for truffles. Make them use their precious actions squirming away. Plus it asserts confidence & this game is so psychological.
- My seventh realization - forced shares. Mike owns this baby, he's the king. The most excellent weapon of all. Cover their good cards & get an extra draw. Disruption. Shift the ground. Yummiest move of all.
- My eight realization - if you start churnning & because nothing seems strong, go with your first thought & stop churnning. Usually, you're right the first time. I don't always practice this but I should so that's the realization I'm working on now. Besides, it keeps things fun & builds a nice metagame of not always needing to be in control.