jaybeez defeats Polk 4-2.
This is a series where I just don't think I could have played any better (given my current skills) and really felt like my luck run a little too dry. jaybeez played very well and took advantage of some great opportunities. I apologize I wasn't more gracious in my loss -- that match left me a bit frustrated. Good playing, jaybeez, and I hope to have another chance at playing you in the future! Good luck in future rounds!
Game 1:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130827/log.50ba29b8e4b015dcbac5f45a.1377655392130.txt
This was probably one of the more exciting games of the match even though we went for nearly identical strategies -- engine to Goons megaturn. The only major difference in strategies was I opted for Rabble over Governor on my first $5 (turn 5) while he picked up Governor (turn 4). I picked up Governor turn 6. My thinking was that since drawing was super important, I didn't want to give the draw externality so early in the match. I think I also more effectively used Hermit early to trash Estates and pick up Menageries and a Crossroads. Turn 7 was Goons, turn 8 Mint (trash 5 Coppers). I felt really good about this deck.
Then he's able to Mint away almost all of his Treasures on turn 11, and my deck doesn't fire as well as I would have hoped on turns 12 and 13. Here is where I maybe lost the game. I was up a little in points but was concerned about piles. Unless he got a near perfect turn, he couldn't end the game in one turn. Maybe I should have taken the time on turn 12 to pick up a couple of more Governors.
Anyway, he's able to get another big turn and out into a lead where I cannot catch up by emptying piles, and my deck is not built to handle so much green. I lose.
I think your Rabble should just have been a Governor. Rabble's attack isn't that great here and using up a terminal slot for draw when the only village is Crossroads is just really suboptimal. Well Ironmonger too. But the point is, that terminal slot is crucial early, I think you want to focus on playing Goons as your terminals--because you can, you don't need to use up actions to draw. And Governor's drawback is greatly ameliorated by Goons, so I think Gov really outclasses Rabble here.
And when I had that big T11 where I minted away all TEN of my Treasures, my 5 Governors enabled that. At that point you had one Governor. I think that's the difference here, my draw was way better. You got to a multi-Goons turn first but I had the drawing power to enable the huge Mint turn and then continue to draw through the greening. Which, by the way, was interesting: I wasn't really planning on greening (or buying Coppers) thinking I'd just pile out Governors, Ironmongers, and Menageries or something. But then you started to green and buy Coppers for points and I felt I had to follow you since the piles were low and I needed to keep my score near or above yours.
Also it's funny, I had kind of forgotten about Mint until you bought yours. There was a lot going on in this game, only the Tribute and Pirate Ship piles went untouched. But Governor-Goons always makes for crazy-feeling games I think.
Game 2:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130827/log.50ba29b8e4b015dcbac5f45a.1377655914829.txt
I go Double Jack and pick up two Minions as well. Sea Hag is on the board, but we both avoid it. He opts for Golem. While he accidentally trashes a Nomad Camp at one point, I think this actually helps his deck.
He breaks PPR (I think incorrectly) and I win by buying out the last Province.
This game is just embarrassing (on my part I mean). I got a lucky 5-Copper hand (after my first Jack play) on T3 and decided to get cute and go for Mint. If I had switched to a BM strat there, Minting Silvers and Golds and just rushing Provinces I think it might have worked, I don't know. But I tried my original plan anyway which was really stupid to begin with. And yes, breaking PPR was dumb of me, I'm not sure why I did it.
Game 3:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130827/log.50ba29b8e4b015dcbac5f45a.1377657246301.txt
Let the frustrations begin. We both open Ambassador-Ambassador. Both of mine end up as the bottom two cards in my deck missing the reshuffle. I lose the Ambassador war so badly there is nothing I can do in this game. On to game 4!
Yeah, that's literally the worst possible shuffle luck you can have in that situation. Can anyone recover from something like that? I was delighted to Ambassador not one but two Provinces on my last turn so I could buy the last Provinces and win, but other than that, not a very gratifying victory.
Game 4:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130827/log.50ba29b8e4b015dcbac5f45a.1377658289235.txt
I am proud of my opening plays here. Watchtower. I get a Nomad Camp and hit the $6 on turn 3 getting an Altar. I am able to load up on Minstrels and Torturers. He goes for a similar strategy (we have our eyes on Horn of Plenty).
Then turn 11 is a total dud. Given everything in my deck, this was not good luck to get any engine pieces. Maybe I brought it on myself with the HoPs too soon? I don't know. I don't think so, though. After his next turn cashing in his HoPs, I thought the match was over. I nearly resigned, but then realizing since the last turn was so bad, this has got to be good, right? I gain a 5th HoP from Altar just in case and sure enough, I am able to overdraw, get the fifth HoP and empty Duchies and Torturers with one HoP left over for a Province and the win. That was close!
I thought you played that well, especially the last turn which was very canny of you. But I think the difference was your second Altar on T5. I thought it was a mistake at the time, but it really helped you trash more and build more quickly. Your T3 helped too, that was pretty lucky to draw your Watchtower and your Necropolis, especially having just bought Nomad Camp. You got your Altar and triggered your reshuffle, and I did the same thing but a full turn later.
Game 5:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130827/log.50ba29b8e4b015dcbac5f45a.1377658797855.txt
I opt for Torturer big money. He opts for Militia and Courtyard big money. I am shocked I lost this so convincingly. I really thought I had the better strategy. But my Torturers collided turns 7, 10, 14, 15, and 20; maybe 2 Torturers and a Courtyard would have been better. Maybe attacks don't matter so much in big money? Or I don't know my big money strategy rankings? I would like some input on this simple game.
Well I went for Militia and that advantages P1 so there's that. Torturer-BM is fine, but sometimes the attack doesn't hurt that much--there were two turns where I could have discarded but took the Curse instead and was able to buy Provinces. The Curse hurts a little but what I'm trying to do here is get to four Provinces as quickly as possible becuase there's no alt-VP and no viable engine, and then I can just coast to victory on Duchies. I ended up having four Duchies by the time I bought my fourth Province, because of two (non-Tortured) $7 hands but hey the result is the same.
You definitely had some bad luck on Torturer collision but it's also partly because you bought Torturers on T3 and T5, you probably want to stick with one for a few more turns I think. And you got a third on T10, that might've been too early for that.
I think Courtyard is just generally better for BM than any of the $5 +3 Cards terminals, regardless of the attack or whatever else you get (fake edit: what ftl said). It went better with my Militia than your Torturers did together. Yeah when you can't play multiple Torturers in a turn, it's still solid but just not all that great. A poor man's Margrave I think. Which is worse when you stack it. Hm, interesting... someone do a Sudden Clarity Clarence meme for that please.
Game 6:
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130827/log.50ba29b8e4b015dcbac5f45a.1377659518062.txt
I am first. There is Cultist. What happened? We split the Ruins. How? I do not know. We both get Sea Hag. He flips my Sea Hag and is able to transition into Develop-Rats-Duchy. He's really just going Duchies and a third pile to end the game. That was my intention, but I was the one who fell behind, so I couldn't follow. I tried Ironmonger, Baker, and Hamlet with Develop to get an engine going and get Provinces and hope for the best. Instead I got the worst and lost.
You go first but we pursue virtually identical strategies through about T12, so it's not so weird that we split the Ruins evenly. I'm helped by a phenomenal draw on T7, I have all three of my Cultists in my opening hand, and one of them I had just bought on the previous turn. But if I had gotten those three Cultists on three consecutive turns instead (T7-9) or two on T7 and one on T9 or something, actually the split would have gone the same way--and given the draw from my Cultists and the size of my deck, such an outcome is not unlikely.
The Sea Hag thing on the other hand, that's just really really bad luck for you. Putrid. I mean, getting Hag-Hagged before the second reshuffle is bad but it's so much more likely than having it happen on T10 in a heavy junking game. It basically just snowballs from there, but I don't think there was any way you were going to be able to build up to Provinces to overcome my Duchy points in time before the 3-pile ending anyway.
I did like the Develop/Rats/Cultist synergy here, it really pulled in those Duchies. Speaking of which, when I Developed a Cultist it would always draw for me first. Since all the effects happen simultaneously when Cultist is trashed, shouldn't I be able to choose to gain a $6 and a $4 and topdeck them, then draw them and the next card with Cultist's on-trash effect?
It was a good match. We had a good variety of kingdoms, and I enjoyed playing against a high quality opponent.
Good luck in future rounds, jaybeez.
I absolutely agree that this was a good match, you played well and IMO we had only one uninteresting kingdom, the other five were all great. I think you had some bad luck for sure, and don't worry that you weren't "more gracious", I understand your frustration, we've all been there.
Thanks for the match.
