D5: Victor Savenije vs. Assemble MemeI'm playing for the promotion today! Wow, I wouldn't have expected that. My iso and goko rating both tell me I should struggle around the last positions in our division but the opposite is true: If I win, in other words, get at least 3.5 points, I will get promoted. I'm happy that I don't totally feel under pressure - as said before, winning this group would be a little sensation.
Game 1Squire, Apothecary, Bridge, Herald, Talisman, Golem, Count, Knights, Rebuild, Soothsayer
Provinces / Shelters
Victor Savenije starts
http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20140812/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1407868157008.txtWe have a great engine board here, but there's also Rebuild. He encourages me to ignore Rebuild, but I go for it anyway opening double Silver. He opens Silver/Potion. I go for Soothsayer on my first 5$ for extra Golds and Curses for him and pick up Rebuilds and Duchies afterwards. He builds a cool engine with all the available stuff here; Count for trashing, Herald and Golem as Draw/Village, Apothecary for more draw, Bridge as payload and also a knight. Before the game ends, he says he didn't consider the synergy between Knights and Bridges to go for Knights more heavily. But he doesn't need it, he gets two big turns and buys all the green cards for the win. So, the engine was probably much better here than Rebuild, I also think that my Soothsayer was a mistake against a strong trasher like Count, I probably should have picked up a Count myself to gain Duchies instead. For his deck, I'm not convinced you really need Potion. If you can get all Heralds uncontested in a thinned deck, that's a lot of draw. But if both players go for the engine, you probably want the potion cards... Anyways, it worked out very well for him.
0-1
Game 2Vineyard, Chancellor, Treasure Map, Explorer, Mandarin, Market, Merchant Guild, Pillage, Rogue, Goons
Provinces / Estates
assemble meme starts
http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20140812/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1407869356407.txtNot a lot is going on on this board, I just want to play BM with Goons. Vineyard doesn't look really good with only Market and Goons as +Buy and no cheap cantrips. I'm going for a double Silver Opening. He has 5/2 and opens Pillage. After my second shuffle I can pick up two Goons. He picks up a Rogue along the way to recycle his Pillages which is OK I guess and goes for Goons, too. I'm getting a points lead as he doesn't follow me on Duchies right after four Provinces are gone. Duchies are emptied fast. There's only one Province left and I pick up two Mandarines as I try to hit 8$ to end the game for a win. But he has Goons both turns, so that I can't buy the province and with extra buys from markets he gets enough VP tokens and Estates to actually gain a seven point lead. With also the Estates gone, I decide to get more Goons and use all my buys for more VP tokens. I try the Mandarin trick again putting two Silvers on top of my deck and can finally hit 8$ for the win. So, although this board didn't look all that spectacular, the game was actually very tense with both me and him turning the tables when it had already looked quite hopeless for either of us. He says that it was probably a mistake on his side not to pick up any Golds. Maybe i should have delayed going for Duchies a little longer.
1-1
Game 3Pawn, Apothecary, Bishop, Death Cart, Smithy, Butcher, Count, Explorer, Library, Mystic
Provinces / Estates
assemble meme starts
http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20140812/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1407870348724.txtI want to build an Apothecary engine here, Apothecary/Mystic looks really good. I want to go for it, adding Butcher to trash Estates into Pawns for +Buy, so I open Potion/Silver. He opens Bishop/Silver and tries to go for a golden Deck with Count for trashing. I'm a bit worried, I didn't see that from the start but Apothecary seems stronger here. He can't get his deck under control. I don't play optimally but still manage to take the lead and win convincingly.
2-1
Game 4Duchess, Embargo, Squire, Forager, Death Cart, Scout, City, Mine, Minion, Expand
Provinces / Shelters
Victor Savenije starts
http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20140812/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1407871977567.txtThe big thing here is Minion. I open Forager/Silver and he opens Forager/Death Cart. His Death Cart doesn't really help him early and I can win the Minion split 6-4, but it's not all that bad for him, because you can add Cities now for more draw. He gets a second Death Cart which helps him to a double Province turn. That means I'm behind and have to think a long time because I don't see a good way to come back. I add Duchies and pick up Duchesses with them for more money. I actually wanted to pick up a Death Cart myself somewhere, but couldn't find the right time for it. His Death Carts probably won the game for him, as I can't catch up.
2-2
Game 5Nomad Camp, Walled Village, Apprentice, Counterfeit, Ghost Ship, Governor, Knights, Minion, Harem, Forge
Provinces/Estates
assemble meme starts
http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20140812/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1407873303296.txtHere we have another crazy Governor board with Counterfeit and Apprentice to help for more craziness. Forge could work too, but no one went for it here and probably the other components are just better.
I have to think for a long time if I want to open Governor or Counterfeit on 5/2. Ghost Ship seems possible, too. I decide to go for Governor first. He has 2/5 and chooses Counterfeit, adding Apprentice next. My next 5s are two Counterfeits. We both add a Nomad Camp along the way. With 4 Governors on both sides he has a big turn for double Governor winning the split 6-4, I pick up a second Apprentice and a Province. He can get a big quad Province turn next and I feel I'm almost dead. I'm having a "dud" hand without Apprentices or Governors, but I still have 10$ and two buys for double Duchy. The good thing is, he has a real dud hand with three Provinces and two Counterfeits. Now my good cards are to come, I blow up a Gold and an Estate with my Apprentices finding three Governors and enough money to remodel two Golds and buying the last Province.
3-2
Game 6Chapel, Pearl Diver, Oasis, Watchtower, Wishing Well, Mining Village, Talisman, Trader, Haggler, Mint
Provinces / Estates
Victor Savenije starts
http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20140812/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1407874323064.txtSo this is my last game this season. I have to draw at least to get promoted. But so far today, the start player has always won. He opens Chapel/Haggler on 2/5 and I go for Chapel/Wishing Well on 4/3. I guess Haggler is much better but his Chapel misses the shuffle and also haggling the Mint doesn't work as you'd wish it would. Still, he manages to get the economy back into his deck faster and not having the opportunity to trash his Estates early turns out to be quite useful. We're even on Provinces but he has the extra Estate and I have to go for Duchies with lots of 8$ hands and he has to miss 5$, which almost can't happen here, and it doesn't. Maybe I should have gotten a second Silver over the second Wishing Well or the second Haggler. Not too sure if just ignoring Chapel would have been better here...
3-3
Wow, what a match. Actually it was pretty much fun. Thanks a lot to Victor/Zappie for playing and for having a nice chat along the way. As said before, I'm not terribly worried to have missed getting promoted; I would have liked the challenge but I probably would have gotten punched hard by those big boys in C
. I've played well this season and can be proud with this result, but still, it was so close... [Add Freddie Mercury meme here
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