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51

GokoDom / IsoDom Challenge Sign-up

« on: March 17, 2012, 03:57:26 am »

<b>Welcome to IsoDom: Challenge!</b>

This is an open, non-elimination Round Robin-type tournament featuring weekly two-player expansion themed match-ups.

<b>Format</b>

This tournament will feature a field of 28 top Dominion players, split by seed and continent into four divisions.  All players shall duke it out over the course of six weeks, each week playing a match against a different player within the division with the aim of gaining enough tournament points to win a place at the final table.

<b>Weekly Matches</b>

The IsoDom: Challenge thread will be updated every week with match-ups, current point totals and the weekly theme.  Each match will consist of seven games under the following restrictions:

1) Point counter encouraged
2) 6 cards, chosen at random, in each game must belong to the current week's expansion, using the excellent option to filter cards in Isotropic
3) First player position in first game shall be chosen randomly, losing player plays first afterward.  In event of a tie, random.  We will use the honor system to enforce this; to ensure a random placement make sure to exit and restart Isotropic before the first game and after subsequent ties.
4)The tournament will be scored as follows:  each win will be worth 2 Tournament Points, each tie 1, each loss 0.
5) Players report the outcomes of each match, including scores of each game and optional commentary to the weekly tournament thread.

<b>Final Match</b>

The final match will take place between the winners of each division, chosen with the following criteria:

1) Highest Tournament Point total
2) In the case of a tie, a best of seven match will be held to decide who will advance.

The final match will be a five game, four-player free-for-all, scored the following way: 3 Match Points for the win, 2 for second, 1 for third, 0 for last.  In the case of a game ending in some kind of a tie, tying players gain the average match score of tying positions. After five games, the player with the highest Match Point total wins the tournament.  In the case of a tie of match points a sudden death game will take place between the winners.

Seating position for each game of the final needs to be addressed, and I am open to suggestions about the fairest way to accomplish this.

<b>Sign Up</b>

<b><u>Everyone is encouraged to sign up</b></u>.  Unfortunately there are only 27 positions open.  The end goal is to have a fun and competitive tournament fielded by players who are willing to commit to see it through to the end.  With this in mind, the player pool will be compiled by Mustard using all of the following criteria:

1) Participation in previous IsoDoms
2) Player Ranking
3) Forum participation

Sign-up is now open, and will end 18:00 GMT on Wednesday, March 21

Please include your timezone

52

Game Reports / Re: Annotated Game: Mustard vs Wilfred

« on: March 13, 2012, 03:27:56 pm »

Yeah. 

No doubt, if Wilfred had been chwhite or Fabian he wouldn't have allowed me to do this.  He didn't play a very tight game in the beginning and lamed out the last few turns and could have probably gotten a stronger megaturn earlier had he made a few different moves, making it difficult or impossible for me to get my Possession in in time.

53

Game Reports / Annotated Game: Mustard vs Wilfred

« on: March 13, 2012, 01:37:58 am »

The Kingdom:  Colony, Farming Village, Fool's Gold, Highway, Laboratory, Lookout, Platinum, Possession, Potion, Rabble, Spy, Vault, and Wharf

Looking over this Kingdom I saw a lot of different and potentially competitive strategies; I immediately ruled out Fool's Gold because I am not crazy about them on a Colony board but other than that every card in this Kingdom could make a nice contribution to a very fast deck.  I really prefer Wharf over the other engine cards, although they could have potentially been used to great effect.  Once that decision was made I decided to play Lookout and some serious treasure and maybe a couple of midgame Farming Villages to go with my Wharf buys.

<b>Opening</b>


— Wilfred's turn 1 —
Wilfred plays 4 Coppers.
Wilfred buys a Farming Village.
(Wilfred draws: 3 Coppers and 2 Estates.)

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 1 —
   Mean Mr Mustard plays 4 Coppers.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Silver.
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: 3 Coppers and 2 Estates.)

— Wilfred's turn 2 —
Wilfred plays 3 Coppers.
Wilfred buys a Silver.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: a Silver, 2 Coppers, a Farming Village, and an Estate.)   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 2 —
   Mean Mr Mustard plays 3 Coppers.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Lookout.
   (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Lookout, a Copper, and 3 Estates.)

I wasn't crazy about Wilfred's opening Farming Village buy.  It isn't a strong opener and it gave me a bit of confidence that this would go okay.  On the other hand, though it isn't a prime move at least it was a cog in the wheel he was going to build and I knew that if he got a better draw than me in the next few build-up turns he would mitigate the opportunity loss and maybe come out ahead.  Sticking with my plan to buy liberal amounts of treasure and to help offset the economy loss of buying an opening Lookout I felt I had no choice but to purchase a Silver.

<b>Reshuffle</b>

— Wilfred's turn 3 —
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing an Estate, an Estate, and a Copper.
... putting the Copper into the hand.
... discarding 2 Estates.
Wilfred plays a Silver and 3 Coppers.
Wilfred buys a Wharf.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: 4 Coppers and an Estate.)   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 3 —
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Lookout.
   ... getting +1 action.
   ... drawing 3 cards.
   ... trashing a Copper.
   ... discarding a Copper.
   ... putting a card back on the deck.
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Silver and 4 Coppers.)

— Wilfred's turn 4 —
Wilfred plays 4 Coppers.
Wilfred buys a Lookout.
(Wilfred draws: 2 Coppers, an Estate, a Farming Village, and a Wharf.)   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 4 —
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Silver and 4 Coppers.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Wharf.
   (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Silver, 3 Coppers, and an Estate.)

Wilfred drew both of his opening buys after reshuffling, and I drew CEEE Lookout; not good.  While that wasn't great at least it guaranteed I would draw five Coppers on turn 4 and be able to buy a Wharf.  My opponent however cycled through two Estates with FV and bought his first Wharf on turn three.  He than decided to match my earlier Lookout, which I didn't feel was very threatening;  I felt that a Silver would have served him better.

Wilfred: 7C, 3E, 1 Silver, 1 Farming Village, 1 Wharf, 1 Lookout

Msstard: 6C, 3E, 1 Silver, 1 Lookout, 1 Wharf

<b>Momentum</b>

— Wilfred's turn 5 —
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Silver.
... putting the Silver into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
Wilfred plays a Silver and 3 Coppers.
Wilfred buys a Wharf.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: a Silver, 2 Coppers, a Wharf, and an Estate.)   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 5 —
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Silver and 3 Coppers.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Wharf.
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Lookout, 2 Coppers, and 2 Estates.)

— Wilfred's turn 6 —
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred plays a Lookout.
... getting +1 action.
... drawing 3 cards.
... trashing a Copper.
... discarding a Copper.
... putting a card back on the deck.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
Wilfred plays a Silver and 3 Coppers.
Wilfred buys a Highway.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: 3 Coppers, a Farming Village, and an Estate.)   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 6 —
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Lookout.
   ... getting +1 action.
   ... (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   ... drawing 3 cards.
   ... trashing a Copper.
   ... discarding a Copper.
   ... putting a card back on the deck.
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Silver, 2 Wharves, and 2 Coppers.)

Wilfred matched his Farming Village with Wharf on turn five, gaining some serious tempo on me.  He bought a Wharf and a Highway on turn six while I gained just one Wharf and again failed to hit an Estate with my Lookout.

Wilfred: 6C, 3E, 1 Silver, 1 Farming Village, 1 Lookout, 2 Wharf, 1 Highway

Msstard: 5C, 3E, 1 Silver, 1 Lookout, 2 Wharf

<b>Ramp up</b>

— Wilfred's turn 7 —
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred plays a Lookout.
... getting +1 action.
... drawing 3 cards.
... trashing a Copper.
... discarding a Silver.
... putting a card back on the deck.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Highway.
... putting the Highway into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays 4 Coppers.
Wilfred buys a Highway.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: 2 Coppers, an Estate, a Farming Village, and a Wharf.)
   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 7 —
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Wharf.
   ... (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   ... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Silver and 3 Coppers.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Farming Village.
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Lookout, 2 Coppers, and 2 Estates.)


— Wilfred's turn 8 —
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Highway.
... putting the Highway into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Lookout.
... getting +1 action.
... drawing 3 cards.
... trashing an Estate.
... discarding an Estate.
... putting a card back on the deck.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays 4 Coppers.
Wilfred buys a Highway.
Wilfred buys a Lookout.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: a Silver, a Wharf, an Estate, a Highway, and a Copper.)
   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 8 —
   (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   Mean Mr Mustard draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Lookout.
   ... getting +1 action.
   ... drawing 3 cards.
   ... trashing an Estate.
   ... discarding a Farming Village.
   ... putting a card back on the deck.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Wharf.
   ... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Silver and 4 Coppers.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Gold.
   (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Silver, 3 Coppers, and a Lookout.)


— Wilfred's turn 9 —
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Copper.
... putting the Copper into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Lookout.
... getting +1 action.
... drawing 3 cards.
... trashing a Copper.
... discarding a Lookout.
... putting a card back on the deck.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
Wilfred plays a Silver and 4 Coppers.
Wilfred buys a Highway.
Wilfred buys a Highway.
Wilfred buys a Highway.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: a Highway, a Lookout, a Wharf, a Farming Village, and an Estate.)
   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 9 —
   Mean Mr Mustard draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Lookout.
   ... getting +1 action.
   ... drawing 3 cards.
   ... trashing an Estate.
   ... discarding an Estate.
   ... putting a card back on the deck.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Farming Village.
   ... getting +2 actions.
   ... revealing a Gold.
   ... putting the Gold into the hand.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Silver, 4 Coppers, and a Gold.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Platinum.
   (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Silver, a Wharf, an Estate, and 2 Coppers.)


— Wilfred's turn 10 —
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred plays a Lookout.
... getting +1 action.
... drawing 3 cards.
... trashing a Lookout.
... discarding a Copper.
... putting a card back on the deck.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Copper.
... putting the Copper into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... (Wilfred reshuffles.)
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Silver and 4 Coppers.
Wilfred buys a Platinum.
Wilfred buys a Wharf.
Wilfred buys a Farming Village.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: a Lookout, 2 Highways, a Copper, and a Platinum.)

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 10 —
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Wharf.
   ... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Silver and 2 Coppers.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Farming Village.
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Lookout, 3 Coppers, and a Gold.)

Early momentum has blossomed into a nice tempo lead, allowing Wilfred to gain 5 Highways, a Platinum, a Wharf, a Farming Village and another Lookout in the next four turns.  I felt pretty good about gaining a Gold and a Platinum, and I could feel my deck tightening up.  My deck was cycling well but I realized that I was in a lot of danger when my opponent bought three Highways on turn nine.  The guy had put me on an extremely short leash; he was going to have a megaturn and he was going to do it long before I could build an unstoppable VP lead.


Wilfred: 4C, 2E, 1 Silver, 2 Farming Village, 2 Lookout, 3 Wharf, 6 Highway, 1 Platinum

Mustard: 5C, 1E, 1 Silver, 1 Lookout, 2 Farming Village, 2 Wharf, 1 Gold, 1 Platinum

<b>A Gambit</b>

— Wilfred's turn 11 —
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred plays a Lookout.
... getting +1 action.
... drawing 3 cards.
... trashing a Highway.
... discarding a Highway.
... putting a card back on the deck.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Wharf.
... putting the Wharf into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Copper.
... putting the Copper into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Silver, 3 Coppers, and a Platinum.
Wilfred buys a Highway.
Wilfred buys a Highway.
Wilfred buys a Wharf.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: a Highway, a Wharf, a Platinum, and 2 Coppers.)
   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 11 —
   (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   Mean Mr Mustard draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Lookout.
   ... getting +1 action.
   ... drawing 3 cards.
   ... trashing an Estate.
   ... discarding a Copper.
   ... putting a card back on the deck.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Silver, 3 Coppers, a Gold, and a Platinum.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Platinum.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Potion.
   (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Wharf, a Platinum, 2 Farming Villages, and a Copper.)

My opponent piles on, and I decide that it is impossible to build a deck that will compete with his.  But I see a beam of golden light: my deck is drawing very well and Possession is on the board.

Wilfred: 4C, 2E, 1 Silver, 2 Farming Village, 2 Lookout, 4 Wharf, 7 Highway, 1 Platinum

Mustard: 5C, 1 Silver, 1 Lookout, 1 Potion, 2 Farming Village, 2 Wharf, 1 Gold, 2 Platinum

<b>Cross Your Fingers</b>

— Wilfred's turn 12 —
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
Wilfred plays 3 Coppers and a Platinum.
Wilfred buys a Highway.
Wilfred buys a Highway.
(Wilfred draws: 2 Highways, a Copper, a Farming Village, and an Estate.)
   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 12 —
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Farming Village.
   ... getting +2 actions.
   ... revealing a Wharf.
   ... putting the Wharf into the hand.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Farming Village.
   ... getting +2 actions.
   ... revealing a Copper.
   ... putting the Copper into the hand.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Wharf.
   ... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Lookout.
   ... getting +1 action.
   ... drawing 3 cards.
   ... trashing a Gold.
   ... discarding a Platinum.
   ... putting a card back on the deck.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Wharf.
   ... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Silver, 3 Coppers, a Potion, and a Platinum.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Possession.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Farming Village.
   (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Lookout, 3 Coppers, and a Farming Village.)


My opponent closes out the Highway pile and can now buy Colonies at $2.  I get through my whole deck, play both of my Wharves and buy a Possession and another FV.

Wilfred: 4C, 2E, 1 Silver, 2 Farming Village, 2 Lookout, 4 Wharf, 9 Highway, 1 Platinum

Mustard: 5C, 1 Silver, 1 Lookout, 1 Potion, 2 Farming Village, 2 Wharf, 1 Possession, 2 Platinum

<b><a href= That Bird</a></b>

— Wilfred's turn 13 —
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Highway.
... putting the Highway into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Lookout.
... getting +1 action.
... (Wilfred reshuffles.)
... drawing 3 cards.
... trashing a Copper.
... discarding a Highway.
... putting a card back on the deck.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Highway.
... putting the Highway into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... (Wilfred reshuffles.)
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
Wilfred plays a Silver, 3 Coppers, and a Platinum.
Wilfred buys a Colony.
Wilfred buys a Colony.
Wilfred buys a Potion.
Wilfred buys a Farming Village.
Wilfred buys a Province.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: 2 Highways, a Potion, a Farming Village, and an Estate.)
   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 13 —
   Mean Mr Mustard draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
   Mean Mr Mustard draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Lookout.
   ... getting +1 action.
   ... drawing 3 cards.
   ... trashing a Copper.
   ... discarding a Farming Village.
   ... putting a card back on the deck.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Farming Village.
   ... getting +2 actions.
   ... revealing a Platinum.
   ... putting the Platinum into the hand.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Possession.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Silver, 4 Coppers, a Potion, and a Platinum.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Colony.
   (Mean Mr Mustard reshuffles.)
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Silver, a Wharf, a Farming Village, a Copper, and a Platinum.)


— Wilfred's turn (possessed by Mean Mr Mustard) —
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Platinum.
... putting the Platinum into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Highway.
... putting the Highway into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Lookout.
... putting the Lookout into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Lookout.
... getting +1 action.
... drawing 3 cards.
... trashing a Colony.
... discarding a Colony.
... putting a card back on the deck.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Silver, 3 Coppers, a Potion, and a Platinum.
Wilfred buys a Colony.
... Mean Mr Mustard gains the Colony.
Wilfred buys a Colony.
... Mean Mr Mustard gains the Colony.
Wilfred buys a Colony.
... Mean Mr Mustard gains the Colony.
Wilfred buys a Colony.
... Mean Mr Mustard gains the Colony.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: 3 Highways, a Wharf, and an Estate.)
Wilfred discards the "trashed" card (a Colony).


— Wilfred's turn 14 —
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Wharf.
... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
(Wilfred draws: 2 Highways, a Wharf, a Province, and a Farming Village.)
   

   — Mean Mr Mustard's turn 14 —
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Farming Village.
   ... getting +2 actions.
   ... revealing a Farming Village.
   ... putting the Farming Village into the hand.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Farming Village.
   ... getting +2 actions.
   ... revealing a Colony and a Possession.
   ... putting the Possession into the hand.
   ... discarding a Colony.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Wharf.
   ... drawing 2 cards and getting +1 buy.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Farming Village.
   ... getting +2 actions.
   ... revealing a Copper.
   ... putting the Copper into the hand.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Possession.
   Mean Mr Mustard plays a Silver, 3 Coppers, and a Platinum.
   Mean Mr Mustard buys a Province.
   (Mean Mr Mustard draws: a Lookout, a Wharf, a Platinum, a Potion, and a Copper.)


— Wilfred's turn (possessed by Mean Mr Mustard) —
Wilfred draws 2 cards and gets +1 buy from the Wharf.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Copper.
... putting the Copper into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Copper.
... putting the Copper into the hand.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing an Estate and a Platinum.
... putting the Platinum into the hand.
... discarding an Estate.
Wilfred plays a Highway.
... drawing 1 card and getting +1 action.
... reducing all costs by $1.
Wilfred plays 3 Coppers and a Platinum.
Wilfred buys a Colony.
... Mean Mr Mustard gains the Colony.
(Wilfred reshuffles.)
(Wilfred draws: a Highway, a Silver, a Potion, and 2 Wharves.)

All Colonies are gone.
Mean Mr Mustard wins!

54

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom Challenge

« on: March 13, 2012, 12:10:13 am »

Stay tuned.

55

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom Challenge

« on: March 06, 2012, 02:21:11 pm »

But is there a way to manipulate Isotropic to set player seats before the match? How would it work?

56

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom Challenge

« on: March 06, 2012, 02:04:53 pm »

Also, I can see that seeding groups by rank <i>and</i> time zone is the way to go when possible.  When the time comes (soon, I imagine) for sign-ups that will be some added info that will be used to populate the groups.

57

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom Challenge

« on: March 06, 2012, 01:53:42 pm »

Okay, thanks for the feedback, keep it coming.

I have always run weekly rounds with the caveat that the next round begins early if everyone finishes early, and I would like to keep it that way.  Yes, I play quite a bit at times but I know I have a pretty full schedule with a full time job and a young son and there is no way I can commit every weekend to a marathon tournament schedule.  That is not to say it is a bad idea, just not one I can commit to.

I was hesitant to have a four-player finale because of the logistics of getting four people from across the world together for two or more hours, but I think it will be okay for the last match since delays would not set the rest of the tournament back.  I suppose I wasn't clear, but I meant to say the final would also be a series of games, not a single game.

A couple of more things to think about:  How to break a tie in points from the group round when trying to determine the group winner?  Also, as an added bit of flavor, I am considering having each round represent the evolving nature of the card pool by expansion using the card filter.  What I have in mind is that each round will be represented by a different expansion.  In the first round the players must require six random Base cards in every game, round two would require six random Intrigue cards, etc.  Thus the "Challenge" of IsoDom Challenge, mastering the different sets while weaving a common thread to all the matches played in any week without the somewhat predictability of predetermined kingdoms.

58

GokoDom / ...

« on: March 06, 2012, 03:52:26 am »

<b>Coming soon: IsoDom Challenge, a seven week, non-elimination Isotropic Dominion Tournament</b>

I am currently in the planning stages for the next IsoDom event, and I am seeking input from the community re: viability, entertainment value and fair-play.

Roughly, what I'd like to organize is a 28-man tournament, split into four groups of seven by seed.  The main tournament will take place over the course of six weeks, with each player having a weekly five- or seven-game match against one player in the same group.  There will be no eliminations; instead, points will be tallied as follows: Two for a win, one for a tie, zero for a loss.  Every week will bring a new match against a different player, culminating in a final four-player match between group winners to determine the tournament winner.  The group winners will be determined by overall point standing, with an undecided tie-break scenerio.

59

Game Reports / Re: Bad luck or bad play?

« on: March 04, 2012, 03:46:54 pm »

I think that Swindler is pretty much one of those fight-fire-with-fire kind of cards.  Sure, there are times when the Kingdom is unfriendly to it, but on the whole there isn't a lot you can do other than plan your buys to mitigate, ie avoid mediocre cards that cost the same as a bad card or to buy Gold on a board with no other sixes, things like that.

Swindler is not a broken card in that it doesn't destroy decks every time, but it has a lot of potential to cause havoc some of the time, so it is hard to ignore.  It isn't a particularly skill-based card so I tend to veto it.  Using it will usually get the opponent to mirror and the game may be decided on who gets the better swindler hits.

60

GokoDom / IsoDom 3 Finals!

« on: March 04, 2012, 05:31:45 am »

<b>Big ups to Fabian for his win!</b>


To begin with, I would like to thank all of you for helping make this another fun and successful tournament.  What a superb community we have here.

In the red corner, coming straight out of MIT and the qualifying bracket, with a career record of 779-567-7 and a tournament record of 12-6: our over-performing underdogging Sim-Master rspeer!

In the white corner, coming straight out of the top ten and our overall #1 seed, with a career record of 1984-1287-84 and a tournament record of 12-6: my most feared opponent Fabian!

This week's custom kingdom, brought to you by Geronimoo, will be:

Black Market, Throne Room, Native Village, Menagerie, Quarry, Ironworks, Nobles, Golem, Spy, Fairgrounds

Good, luck, fellas.

61

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom 3 Round 4

« on: March 04, 2012, 04:30:31 am »

What an impressive run, rspeer.  Congratulations to the finalists.  Again everyone, thank you all for participating, making your matches, sharing your thoughts and being great sports.  Much thanks to all for your Kingdom submissions.

62

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Confusing Kingdom...

« on: March 03, 2012, 02:50:25 am »

I would make Colony my main objective.  The other VP may play a role but Colony is probably more important if you can keep it together long enough.

Looking at the kingdom I like a deck with Hunting Party and Expand.  Expanding the three Estates into Hunting Parties is a very strong move if you can get lucky enough to get a timely Expand.  I could see this as being the fastest strat or falling flat on it's face. The main issue with this would be Young Witch, and whether or not a HP engine can overcome the Curses.  A safer bet may be an engine built on Border Village, Wharf, Young Witch, Cellar and perhaps even Vault.  It would certainly be a slog but it would be able to buy Colonies and contest the Curses.

63

Dominion Articles / Re: Combo: Apothecary + Scheme + Bishop

« on: March 02, 2012, 01:22:40 am »

<a href=http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201203/01/game-20120301-220029-cd6e73a8.html>As good as it gets?</a>

64

Dominion Articles / Re: Combo: Apothecary + Scheme + Bishop

« on: March 01, 2012, 03:01:52 pm »

I wouldn't get caught up in the scheme aspect; I didn't test with it because three-card combos are too rare to fuss about and unlike other combos that use some generic components these three cards are irreplaceable.

I have had moderate success with Apo/NV and this seems to be a bit better, even without scheme.  If this combo isn't as good as the Golden Deck, it is close enough to consider using depending on the Kingdom.  It does not require Silver or Gold, or an eighth Copper; the Bishop seems to perform the role of Native Village but it is a bit more consistent in that it still works with the Estate or Province in hand rather than on top of the deck.  Once the deck has seven Copper, one Bishop, three or four Apothecaries and no Estates it works great.  Yes, you may miss once or twice, unlike Golden, but it is easier to set up because you do not have to acquire the treasure or trash down to five.

65

Dominion Articles / Re: Combo: Apothecary + Scheme + Bishop

« on: March 01, 2012, 02:18:16 am »

Okay, fooling around in solitaire, I played four games with Apothecary/Bishop.  It behaves better than I had thought, gaining four Provinces by 12-13 and eight by 17-18.  Not too shabby.  It also seems remarkably consistent as long as you can gain about four Apothecaries while trashing the three starting Estates by about turn 8-9.  Indeed, it seems to be the best of both worlds when compared to Golden deck and Apo/NV.

This combo isn't going to be beating the fastest decks but it is consistent and never gets clogged up by Provinces; it can power through the last half of the Province stack just as fast as it did the first half.

Bravo.

66

Dominion Articles / Re: Combo: Apothecary + Scheme + Bishop

« on: March 01, 2012, 01:58:33 am »

I suppose the combo of Apothecary and Bishop could behave similarly to Apothecary/Native Village and Bishop/Chapel.  Instead of cycling through tucking away VPs under the NV you would instead eat them with the Bishop.  Like the golden deck, this would allow you to maintain tempo at a slight loss of VP.

Now, I can see that this combo is functionally sound, but whether it is fast enough is another question that I can not answer without further study.  My gut tells me the Bishop would accelerate the opponents ramp-up in enough cases for this combo to be too slow to compete against a competent plan on many boards.

I'll look into it.

67

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom 3 Round 4

« on: February 28, 2012, 01:26:27 pm »

Yeah, of course you guys can have an extra day or three.

68

Dominion Articles / Re: Dominion Kingdom Decision Tree

« on: February 26, 2012, 10:08:17 am »

OP: I think you are getting warm. 

I am not a student of the simulators, but I certainly see that they provide an avenue to deeper understanding of the game for even the best players.  And while they can teach improved build orders and can help a player discriminate between similar cards and different simple strategies, the simulators do not encompass all the strategic Kingdom possibilies; they cannot.  It is far too complex.  Any flow chart that a student of the game designs will have the same  shortcomings.  That is not to say that this kind of exercise is futile.  Like the simulators, I think there is a place to discuss and explore this idea.

Okay, the thing to remember is that the simulators are backed by mathematics, and a decision tree isn't necessarily so.  Without a strong input from the sim crowd a decision tree is basically made from analogies, imperfect experience and what we can scrape from game data.  We are firmly in the realm of opinion.  Almost all of what we discuss in this forum is situational to the Kingdom.  A master of the Sim, like Geronimoo, has a great edge against an intuitive player like myself, no doubt.  But in reality the game does not operate with a three or four card kingdom.  I have doubts about the possibility of a master AI for this reason as well.

So, again backing out to a general stance, as we always do here, my decision tree is a bit different in places, and is often a process of elimination.

First, I assess my VP strategy.  I am not going to rehash this.  You guys basically got it right.  I'll just say that well played Alt VP strategies usually make four Province in thirteen move strategies look stupid.

Number two: what disruptive cards are present?  I am under the opinion that I should always try to throw the first punch.  Do unto others before they do unto me.  Any counter that would make me shy away from attacking better be fucking good, and I'll tell you why.  The attacker has the initiative.  The attack is good every time it is drawn while the counter must be present at the right time.  This is why cards like Menagerie are so powerful.  They fill the role of attack counter while still adding potential energy the deck by themselves.

Next, how will I deal with my opponent disrupting me?  I seek out the tools to alleviate what will probably happen to me.  Also now is the time to mentally discard strategies and cards that will be destroyed by the present attacks.  For example, think about the difference between a Menagerie and an Oasis in a hand disruption game.  Cellar, Warehouse, Inn, Oasis; these cards suck in three card hands.  There are a million examples to cite, and gaining an ever deepening insight into card interactions lead to continual improvement.

Now, taking into account the above it is time to plan an economy.  I am looking at trashing, engine possibilities, treasure ramp, strong combos, anticombos, strong single cards and beefy openers.  Look at the $5 cards first.  If they look sexy, my opening buys should reflect my desire to gain these as early and as often as possible.  In a way, there are three steps to take in building a VP purchasing economy: ramp, engine, payload.  The early ramp buys the engine that produces the payload that gains VP. You want a simple recipe for Dominion strategy, there ya go.  It can be as simple as Masq/Venture/Gold and be very good, or the best strategy may be much more subtle.  But always, the clock is ticking.

69

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom 3 Round 5 Kingdom Submissions

« on: February 26, 2012, 02:22:43 am »

Submitted by Theory:

vault, tunnel, ambassador, worker's village, sea hag, loan, bishop, venture, horn of plenty, bank

Submitted by Jorbles:

Swindler, Young Witch, Fishing Village, Woodcutter, Secret Chamber, Coppersmith, Great Hall, Wishing Well, Scout, Silk Road

Submitted by Geronimoo:

Black Market, Throne Room, Native Village, Menagerie, Quarry, Ironworks, Nobles, Golem, Spy, Fairgrounds

Submitted my Mean Mr Mustard:

Swindler, Village, Pirate Ship, Venture, Saboteur, Mint, Council Room, Adventurer, King's Court, Possession, Colony

70

GokoDom / IsoDom 3 Round 5 Kingdom Submissions

« on: February 23, 2012, 01:27:27 pm »

During each round of IsoDom 3 we will choose one common Kingdom to be used by all players to open the following round.  This week, during Round 4, we will as a group choose the special Kingdom to used in the final.  Every participant, including those who lost in a previous round, may submit one Kingdom per round, to my inbox.  I will choose my favorite five, and we will hold a Poll to decide which to use.  For this reason, I am participating in this tourney as a moderator and not as a player.

Please have your Kingdom submission in by Saturday 12PM EST.  The poll will be open for two days, until Monday.  The Final begins on Friday, March 2.

The theme for the finals will be <i>Break The Simulators</i>.

71

GokoDom / IsoDom 3 Round 4

« on: February 23, 2012, 01:19:02 pm »

Congratulations to everyone who progressed!  Please have your round 4 matches completed by noon on Friday, March 2. Report the results to this thread.  As a reminder, all rounds are best of seven, with a preselected Kingdom to be played in the first game.  This week's Kingdom, submitted by Olneyce (nice job!) and approved by the community (thanks for that!) will be:

Chapel, Fishing Village, Familiar, Worker's Village, Sea Hag, Wharf, Mountebank, Governor, Torturer, Forge

Again, if anyone has any issues please let me know as soon as possible.

Round 4 Match-Ups

<b>1. Fabian</b>
vs.
1. RisingJaguar

<b>7. rspeer</b>
vs
1. Rabid

72

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom 3 Round 3

« on: February 19, 2012, 10:50:05 pm »

Awesome.

73

GokoDom / Re: IsoDom 3 Round 4 Kingdom Submissions

« on: February 19, 2012, 02:57:36 pm »

Submitted by greatexpectations:

apothecary, bridge, gardens, hamlet, highway, mint, native village, oracle, talisman, worker's village

Submitted by Olneyce:

Chapel, Fishing Village, Familiar, Worker's Village, Sea Hag, Wharf, Mountebank, Governor, Torturer, Forge

Submitted by Yuma:

Oracle, Steward, Masquerade, Trader, Quarry, Tournament, Governor, Embassy, Witch, Fairgrounds, Colony

Submitted by Mean Mr Mustard:

Hamlet, University, Fishing Village, Watchtower, Ironworks, Remake, Bridge, Upgrade, Highway, King's Court

74

GokoDom / IsoDom 3 Round 4 Kingdom Submissions

« on: February 16, 2012, 03:12:14 pm »

During each round of IsoDom 3 we will choose one common Kingdom to be used by all players to open the following round.  This week, during Round 3, we will as a group choose the special Kingdom to used in Round 4.  Every participant, including those who lost in a previous round, may submit one Kingdom per round, to my inbox.  I will choose my favorite five, and we will hold a Poll to decide which to use.  For this reason, I am participating in this tourney as a moderator and not as a player.

Please have your Kingdom submission in by Sunday 12PM EST.  The poll will be open for two days, until Tuesday.  Round 3 begins on Friday, February 24.

The theme for round 4 will be <i>The Quick and the Dead</i>.

75

GokoDom / IsoDom 3 Round 3

« on: February 16, 2012, 03:05:03 pm »

Congratulations to everyone who progressed!  Please have your round 3 matches completed by noon on Friday, February 24. Report the results to this thread.  As a reminder, all rounds are best of seven, with a preselected Kingdom to be played in the first game.  This week's Kingdom, submitted by Jorbles (nice job!) and approved by the community (thanks for that!) will be:

Tournament, Harem, Venture, Fishing Village, Golem, Bishop, Thief, Remake, Tunnel, Fool's Gold, Colony

Again, if anyone has any issues please let me know as soon as possible.

Round 3 Match-Ups

<b>1. Fabian</b>
vs.
3. Lespeutere

<b>1. RisingJaguar</b>
vs.
2. Olneyce

1. Geronimoo
vs.
<b>7. rspeer</b>

<b>1. Rabid</b>
vs.
7. Dubdubdubdub