PitrPicko 4 - 3 eliegen
Thanks once again for great games, and also for finding some time to play with me even when I gave you just few posible times, because of my busy week.
Game 1 Here eliegen showed, that he deserved place in top 8 and it will be no easy match. Buying some FGs and province T5 powered by smithy. I was trying some shanty town and cellar, but his strategy was obviously better. And he finished with comfortable lead. Alse I wasn't even thinking about FG, but I think it was right call to contest them, however I still lost.
Game 2 This game is real shenanigans. I wonder how other great engine players would played this one. We were both opening chapel/HT with procession and TR on board. Also nice actions in all price ranges (Shanty, HT,Proc,TR, Market, Jester, Pillage, Nobles, Expand).
I thought that I've lost this game when I've hit Chapel(HT,3xCopper), but even worse shuffle luck for eliegel; hitting Chapel T5 with no greens. I've bought Jester first while eliegel went for market. Here I think getting Jester was really good idea, since both deck was very slim and those cards from jester were a great target for procession. Very interesting game, plenty of tough desicions for both players.
Game 3 In this game I went for some very complicated trashing with Counterfeit and altar, while eliegel bought few upragdes, and as time showed, that can tripness of upgrade is really key feature. I wasn't able to connect my cards corectly and eligel grabbed the victory. Simple Upgrade showed it's power.
Game 4 Goko probably likes us. Also interesting board with tough desicions. But this game started really unlucky for eliegel. Opening double terminal, as we know, has some chance that those terminals will colide, but what is even worse is fact, that they can colide T5...
We had MS here and lots of trashing (TradeR, Bishop, Altar).
When I saw, that eliegel opened double traderoute, I chose to buy a bishop to grab some poins before Market squares will bring in golds. We both kept gaining more and more golds and then just buying some provinces. In last turn eliegel broke PPR and I've got the last province. It is true that eliegel said that he misplayed this, but I'm not so sure. My /draw/ deck in that moment wasn't really good and it could easily happen, that I'd have less than $8. Luckily I had 3 Golds and I bought last prov and got the win.
Game 5 In this game I had the plan to start trashing eliegel's good treasuries with my pirate ship but it was very very slow and it didn't really happen. I bought PS too late...
Game 6 I was lucky enough to open 5/2 on governor board (I think, that governor is weaker on colony board, but gold gaining / silver giving is kind of attack since silver is not really wanted in deck), but eliegel's 4/3 meant cutpurse/urchin opening. And that Mercenary gave me really hard times. He's also bringing few advisors, not bad for his deck. I chose one urchin with no other attack just as discard attack when cards option on governor were chosen. But in T11 my urchin was buried deep in my draw deck and that meant 11-cards turn for eliegel. Luckily for me, he didn't have enough golds from governors and bought "only" colony+platinum. After that I bought Forge keeping in mind fact that game is going to end soon and with sufficient buy I can forge some cards (possibly governor+altar) into colony.
After that eliegel goes double colony leaving 3 colonies on board with 15points lead. But Išve decided to pull this off and used governor for mega draw, forging altar+hamlet+urchin into colony and double colonying myself.
To be honest this was the only game where I felt like having worse luck then eliegel, but luckily enough that forge really made this
Game 7 Double tactician with FV, cities, conspirators and no terminals.
We obviously both headed for double tac, with FV and conspirator support. I liked my opening conspirator/FV better than this ironmonger/FV. I really wanted to win that conspirator split. But we both ignored stonemason as a gainer and soft trasher. I didn't really wanted another dead card in my deck, but I should consider buying double conspirator thanks to stonemason. It all ended with 4-6 conspirator split and I really thought that I'm done. Luckily for me I've got few more cities when consirators were out and that allowed me to play more conspirators and lower overall my deck variance.
Crucial were T12 when eliegel missed his second tac, and that probably made this game. He bought two provinces but reenabling double tac takes some time.
So while I was having some better luck I really want to point out my estate buy T15.
Situation after estate buy: PP(22VP)(3P,4E) - E(24VP)(3P,1D,3E). And because Eliegel didn't played his tact turn before and no +buy were on board I was sure he cannot risk breaking PPR and he had to buy a duchy. After that I had chance to double province thanks to my tactician. However that didn't happend T16. But even eliegel didn't get those needed 16, and I managed to hit 16 in T17 and double province, thanks to tact and cities.
Summary: Thanks for games. It didn't feel really how it should. I think your luck was much much worse then mine. I know it is hard to lose due to bad luck especially when one is playing better strategy, but we should keep in mind that luck factor in this game is still present and it can turn worse strategies into win. Or risky strategies into win.
Also I hope this will not change your attitude towards dominion. Just take it as it is and try to win GKDM III. I'm pretty sure, you have fair chance to reach Top8 again
Fun fact: pitrpicko and I are the only people who don't own sets, and theoretically we could meet in finals to have a Base-only showdown.
I did my part. Your turn
