() | (_) ^/ 4 - 0 lipo12
NB: As I commented to Robz afterwards, my opponent had a very direct style -- go for as many Provinces (or Colonies) as fast as possible. It scared me on multiple occasions, as I try for the more "strategic" build up -- and it really kept the pressure on me! During a couple of these games I thought I was dead for sure. Luck saved my bacon on multiple occasions here.
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Before the games, we both agree to the default setup: totally random cards, identical hands, official point tracker.
For the first game, instead of doing some sort of logging on and off thing, I just volunteered that my opponent should go first as he/she was the lower seed. I would not be opposed to such a rule for the tourney, fyi.===================
Game1: http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/06/game-20121206-092429-81994b86.htmlKingdom: Bishop, Cache, Chapel, Fairgrounds, Farming Village, Market, Moneylender, Monument, Talisman, and Worker's Village
#1 lipo12 opening: Chapel / Market
#2 paddyodoors opening: Chapel / Market
We both end up Chapeling our decks. lipo12 goes for big money, while I use my
MOST UNDERUSED CARD, Talisman, to gain loads of Farming Villages and Monuments before going for the Provinces. I'm a little worried that my opponent will be able to gain too much too fast, but the greening catches up to him/her and my Monuments are able to start making a comeback.
Interesting here is the Farming Village vs. Worker's Village -- I knew that green would kill me as there is no +cards on the board, so Farming was the way to go, I think.
Green points were pretty one sided (opponent's 5 Provinces + 3 Duchies (
or should I say "Duchys") + an Estate versus 3 Provinces for me), but I had quite a few VP chips. The final score was even, 40-40, but the victory went my way since I was second player.
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Game2: http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/06/game-20121206-094027-21e85d0c.htmlKingdom: City, Counting House, Cutpurse, Familiar (Potion), Governor, Lookout, Monument, Smithy, Spice Merchant, and Talisman
#1 lipo12 opening: Silver / Spice Merchant
#2 paddyodoors opening: Silver / Potion
Here I go for Familiar right away while my opponent instead delays for Spice Merchant first, then Familiar. All 10 Curses are trashed by the end of the game, however, via Lookouts and Governors.
I am behind on Governors early, opting to thin my deck as much as possible. However, I initiate the race for Cities ("Citys"?), knowing that they are virtually guaranteed to be Level-2 due to the 4 total Familiars in our two decks. Also, I know that Governor likes draw other than itself, and Level-2 Cities and Smithies ("Citys and Smithys" -- dead horse yet?) can provide that reliably. These, combined with my opponent usually using Governor for +cards, lead me to draw most of my deck each turn. I remodel all of my Curses to Estates and then Estates to "Smithys"/Monuments.
I was behind all game, but thin Governor decks with adequate draw are so nice, and on the last turn I was able to gain 21 points for the 41 - 28 point win.
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Game3: http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/06/game-20121206-100542-fa32503e.htmlBy far my toughest game.
Kingdom: Envoy, Pearl Diver, Pirate Ship, Possession (Potion), Scheme, Secret Chamber, Trade Route, Vineyard (Potion), Walled Village, and Wharf
#1 lipo12 opening: Pirate Ship / Scheme
#2 paddyodoors opening: Pirate Ship / Trade Route
I was afraid this would turn into a Pirate Ship affair, and my opponent started with it right off the bat. I'm not very good with Pirate Ship, and especially when there is no other "virtual money" around -- so my choices after seeing lipo12's opening were to either a) feed his/her Pirate Ship(s) by going for Big Money-Wharf OR b) go for Pirate Ship myself. I always dislike PS-PS matches, as both sides end up often find themselves with no real way to end the game quickly.
I choose the Pirate Ship route. However, I didn't notice Scheme until almost too late, realizing that my opponent could get a lot of my Coppers trashed quickly and ramp up his/her Pirate Ships faster than mine, while at the same time killing my "secondary" economy. At this point, I'm pretty much dead. I'm regretting not opening Scheme myself (Trade Route was pretty bad here! -- definitely a big mistake on my part).
lipo12 goes for Provinces pretty quickly, amassing quite a few. Enough so that I couldn't catch up without a total, complete stall on his/her part (which wasn't really possible with Scheme around). I figure out that Scheming ("Schemeing"?) a Secret Chamber can make it so that lipo12's Pirate Ships never go any higher than 5, but that doesn't really stop him/her from using them as action-Platina ("Platinums"?). And then I see it - Vineyards! I had discounted Vineyards as soon as I saw lipo12's initial buy, as the Potion would be vulnerable to the Pirate Ships. But once my opponent was in the greening stage, he/she was no longer using the Pirate Ships for the attack!
However, with some luck, I ended up getting my PSs to $4, being able to buy Walled Villages and "Wharfs", and drawing my whole deck every turn while lipo12 was choking on the green. The Schemes really helped "grease the wheels" here, allowing me to put back a Wharf, Walled Village, and Secret Chamber every turn. In a "you-learn-something-new-everyday" moment, I figured out that the top-decked Secret Chamber served as a pseudo-sifter, since my opponent was guaranteed to play an attack card every turn (the Schemed Pirate Ship(s) -- his/her only economy). With 2 Potions, and plenty of buys, I was able to juice up my Vineyards to 11 points each (virtual "Colonys"!), and end the game on piles.
The disparity of the final score (94-42) is NOT a good indicator of how the game went. I really thought I was toast.
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Game4: http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/06/game-20121206-101947-56cdc4fd.htmlColony/
Platinum in the setup.
Kingdom: Ambassador, Feast, Haggler, Inn, Jack of All Trades, Mining Village, Mint, Quarry, Secret Chamber, and Wharf
#1 lipo12 opening: Secret Chamber / Wharf
#2 paddyodoors opening: Secret Chamber / Haggler
A LOT going on in this kingdom. The elephant in the room is Ambassador, and I consider skipping it. If it was a Province game, I would have -- choosing instead to power through with Wharf-BM.
However, the fact that it is a Colony game and the presence of Haggler/Quarry/2 Villages/Secret Chamber lead me to choose to not only go for Ambassador, but go for a BIG engine. With all the +buys from "Wharfs", Quarry and Haggler just shine. Inn helps both avoid terminal collision AND set up nice turns with newly-gained engine components from Haggler/Quarry buys. Basically this was an engine-builder's fantasy. I use 2 Ambassadors to thin out all of the starting cards (as well as the cards being sent over by his/her lone Ambassador), keeping the "wheels" of the engine nicely "greased."
My opponent's Ambassador is dwarfed by my 2 Ambassadors and superior draw/cycling. He/she is able to buy a Mint, junking 5 Coppers, buy the first Platinum, and even Mint that Platinum on one occasion. However, even while being able to pick up both a Colony and a Province, his/her deck cannot keep up with mine.
I have good shuffle luck and on turn 17, my 2 Hagglers, copious +buys, and Quarry allow me to end the game on piles (gaining 7 Secret Chambers on the last turn alone -- most while leeching on Colony buys). Final score was 33-21.
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lipo12 was friendly and courteous, a very pleasant opponent.