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[Jimmmmm]

So Mathematics has become my favourite card, which is awesome, because it's Mathematics. And I hate to be that Newbie who says "PIRATE SHIP IS OVERPOWERED!!!!!!1!!!" But whenever I draw it early, the rest of my gameplan becomes "Spam Mathematics and hope I get to Age 9 or 10 before it draws a Blue, then figure out a way to win from there." For example.
My question is, how do you beat that? What do you do against an opponent who draws Mathematics and manages to ride it all the way up to Age 10?

[Kirian]

Heavy draw, and try to meld more light bulbs than they have.

Leaf or crown demands that move cards on their board to your board.

Score a lot and threaten to win by achievements?

[theory]

Scoring.  I can't tell you how many times I've lost with Math to some kind of Metalworking/Pottery/etc. scoring.  It's actually surprisingly easy to catch up in tech, it turns out.

[ipofanes]

There are just so many supremacy dogmas in high techs that let opponent draw and meld a 7. When teching up fast with Maths the alternate winning conditions become important. If the tech-trailing player is rich with leaves she can nip two of the winning conditions in the bud (pun intended).

About getting ahead in lightbulbs: If I share maths I can use it twice a turn, therefore still tech up faster than opponent. Therefore I am usually not afraid to share maths, and more often than not my opponent has passed on taking her share.

[Jimmmmm]

Yeah, I generally don't consider sharing to be a deterrent.

[Joseph2302]

they dont always want the shared effect, plus mathematics can power up your board ridiculously quickly- for example this insane game i just played (http://innovation.isotropic.org/gamelog/201304/04/game-20130404-065914-0c64a86f.html)!!

[ipofanes]

I wouldn't call this a "powered-up" board as you were ahead by score and upgraded until you were made to draw an Age XI card. The cards on your board mattered little. Normally while you are teching up the opponent has some opportunity to do something meanwhile, such as "scoring a lot" as Kirian suggested.

[DG]

In a three/four player game it's much easier for opponents to keep up by just drawing a lot of cards, particularly with shared dogmas.

[randomdragoon]

Also, like in dominion, there is an element of luck as well. There will be games that you cannot win due to a poor draw of the cards on your part and a great draw of the cards on your opponent's part. Luckily, this does not happen often.

[ksasaki]

there is actually an occasion where you would want to share math, where they get that bonus draw on the second action, then on your subsequent action you meld archery and steal their new card.  Instant tech up!

The other thing to try to do is some shared sailing trolling; generally, you can cover up either math or their highest tech card.

[dondon151]

Not related to Mathematics, but in a game against a friend yesterday, I would Pottery on my first action, returning a [1] and something else, then share Sailing on my second action, forcing him to meld the [1] over his highest card. Satisfying.

(It also let me win the game after he achieved 1-4.)

[popsofctown]

It is related to Mathematics.  You can do that with Math too.