Dominion Strategy Forum
Dominion => Game Reports => Topic started by: Dekryr on January 09, 2013, 03:46:57 pm
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I don't have the actual log atm but here is the kingdom from what I can remember:
2: chapel
3: ambassador, smugglers
4: salvager, moneylender, gardens
5: IGG, counting house
There were 2 other fives I think but nothing special, no other +buy for sure. I won this game and got a 5/2 opening. It is obvious that IGG - gardens rush is superior here. My question is how to optimally go about it? 5/2 should be IGG, copper right? What about 4/3? Double smugglers? Smugglers/silver? And then how quickly do you start grabbing gardens. I think you want 2 smugglers and silver won't hurt. Should every 4 be gardens and anything over 5 be IGG? Would you consider counting house at some point to spike a Province, I guess if you lose the Gardens race this is a good play?
So lots of questions. I really wonder if even a Gardens/Smugglers open could work. So basically I'm interested to hear thoughts about when to start grabbing gardens and how many smugglers to get and when.
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I don't have the actual log atm but here is the kingdom from what I can remember:
2: chapel
3: ambassador, smugglers
4: salvager, moneylender, gardens
5: IGG, counting house
There were 2 other fives I think but nothing special, no other +buy for sure. I won this game and got a 5/2 opening. It is obvious that IGG - gardens rush is superior here. My question is how to optimally go about it? 5/2 should be IGG, copper right? What about 4/3? Double smugglers? Smugglers/silver? And then how quickly do you start grabbing gardens. I think you want 2 smugglers and silver won't hurt. Should every 4 be gardens and anything over 5 be IGG? Would you consider counting house at some point to spike a Province, I guess if you lose the Gardens race this is a good play?
So lots of questions. I really wonder if even a Gardens/Smugglers open could work. So basically I'm interested to hear thoughts about when to start grabbing gardens and how many smugglers to get and when.
I don't think IGG is necessarily strong on this board, with chapel and ambassador lurking. I guess if all of the missing kingdom cards were totally terrible, then it might be. Still if my opponent didn't open with a chapel or an ambassador, I'd be pretty tempted to open chapel/silver, trash aggressively, then buy and salvage IGGs for provinces.
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Still pretty sure IGG/gardens rush is the best option here by a landslide. 5/2 has to be IGG/copper. 3/4 is trickier. You want a silver and as second player probably a smuggler, assuming you expect a mirror match. As first player I might get one anyway. Then start with a few IGG's. If it is a mirror, start dipping into the gardens a bit early, if it isn't get a couple extra IGG's.
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It may go without saying, but I would also gain the extra Copper every time with IGG in a Gardens rush.
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I don't think IGG is necessarily strong on this board, with chapel and ambassador lurking.
In a Gardens rush with Coppers flooding in from IGG, I would welcome my opponent spend the first several turns passing me cards (especially Coppers). Ambassador would be a terrible response to an IGG/Gardens rush, in my mind.
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I tried to put this through the simulator and the smuggler kept smuggling copper instead of gardens, so I can't tell you much. Maybe take 1 silver and smuggler before buying gardens, although you're probably not far wrong if you buy gardens immediately. There's probably no time to buy a counting house since you'd always want a gardens ahead of the counting house and when the gardens run out there might be only a handful of igg purchases left to end the game.
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As first player opening 4/3, I'd probably open double Silver and get Smugglers on the reshuffle if I don't hit 5/5 (which I probably won't). The chance of not hitting $5 at all with Silver/Smugglers is just too scary for me.