C3: Dunduks - assemble_me
Time to get some league matches in! I'm happy to be back in C and I would like to stay there this time. But, it's going to be pretty hard. From the last time I've been in C I've learned that everyone in C is awesome, so that's my new mantra here, meaning that I need to be focussed as hell and play at my very best to stand a chance against anyone. My ambitious goal for this season is to reach 15 points, because 14 still seem unsafe regarding demotion. But on the other hand, my feeling for Dominion isn't that great the last few weeks... Today I'm playing against Dunduks. It's our second league match. We met in D during season 2, I won 4-2.
Game 1http://www.gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20141222/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1419271636464.txtHerbalist, Lighthouse, Pearl Diver, Masterpiece, Tunnel, Baron, Pirate Ship, Salvager, Harvest, Mine
Dunduks starts
My ingame comment on this one: "Crazy weak board". Not a lot to do. Baron could be okay but you rather want Masterpiece and then you don't really want Baron. So we both go for the Silver flood, both opening Salvager and Silver. Both our Salvagers miss the shuffle, but while he hits 6$ in turn 3 I only have 5/3 that shuffle and pick up a Harvest (!). My Salvager collides with Coppers only and then next time I don't want to play it at all, because I have 6$ for my first Gold. The game doesn't become more interesting, we're flooding Silvers, he gets points faster, a simple wire-to-wire victory for Dunduks in the end.
Dunduks wins
0-1
Game 2http://www.gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20141222/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1419272093666.txtPearl Diver, Village, Feast, Mining Village, Remake, Throne Room, Wandering Minstrel, Bazaar, Library, Pillage
assemble_me starts
This board really lacks +Buy and so we're both building something with Library, money and some support actions, both opening Remake/Silver. Again, both our opening terminals miss the shuffle. We're doing mostly the same, although I have some questionable decisions buying that Wandering Minstrel in turn 7 over Silver or Mining Village and not picking up Remake to trash Coppers in turn 11. The most important thing is probably that he has the opportunity to get a second Library where I don't. In the end, he remakes two Silvers into Feasts. I'm going for the penultimate Province and a six point lead hoping for a tie, but he has a great turn with Bazaar into Library for 8$ + Feast for Province + Duchy.
Oh yeah, maybe I could have picked up a Feast instead of my second Mining Village, although it's a close call I believe.
Dunduks wins
0-2
Game 3http://www.gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20141222/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1419272729962.txtCrossroads, Fortune Teller, Masquerade, Scheme, Swindler, Bishop, Envoy, Island, Noble Brigand, Soothsayer
assemble_me starts
We both want Masqs and Soothsayers here. We're both opening Masq/Silver. While I'm picking up a Swindler during my second shuffle he goes for a second Masq. We're both adding Crossroads and the second Soothsayer. My Swindler doesn't do a lot for a long time because it always collides with my Soothsayers or Masqs, but as he starts adding Islands I can buy extra Golds and my first Province. Finally, we're in all green mode, my Swindler gives out a couple of curses and it looks like my extra Golds get the job done while he has a couple of bad turns in a row.
assemble_me wins
1-2
Game 4http://www.gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20141222/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1419273498509.txtSmithy, Ghost Ship, Highway, Inn, Knights, Mountebank, Stables, Tribute, Vault, Hoard
Dunduks starts
A Mountebank board without trashing, he opens with 2/5. Well, that's not good. It's pretty hard for me to come back from there but I don't play fairly well either. My Inns aren't timed very well it seems, he also gets his Vault earlier. I'm losing the curse split 6-4. I'm picking up a Hoard which doesn't do a lot, he's getting a big points lead. The only thing I can say about this one: At least I tried.
I have to say, I would have been tempted to open Ghost Ship over Mountebank on 2/5. But maybe that's just bad.
Dunduks wins
1-3
Game 5http://www.gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20141222/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1419274239148.txtCrossroads, Scrying Pool, Fishing Village, Steward, Urchin, Golem, Bandit Camp, Merchant Ship, Rebuild, Wharf
Dunduks starts
Ye olde Fishing Village / Whare engine. He opens Fishing Village/Steward on 4/3 where I go for Wharf/Crossroads on 5/2. Neither of us takes a lot of time for trashing even though he has extra Stewards. I'm trashing two times where probably my second time should have been Steward for draw instead. We're splitting Wharves 5-5 but he can start greening earlier. I don't have a lot of money, so I have to build a bit more there, adding extra Bandit Camps, but it's too late. With Wharves and FVs he can't stall and so this one is lost, too.
Dunduks wins
1-4
Game 6http://www.gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?20141222/log.50e7525ee4b0b5b74140a6c0.1419275869065.txtChapel, Squire, Vagrant, Scrying Pool, Menagerie, Pirate Ship, Catacombs, Upgrade, Adventurer, Expand
assemble_me starts
This is one of the boards where it's clear you want to build an engine, but then what?
Well, we're both opening Chapel/Potion, it seems like we agree we want to go Scrying Pool over Menagerie. He adds an early Pirate Ship (!) where I start picking up Squires early (they're also somewhat defense against the ship). I'm taking a lot of thinking breaks and I'm very happy to play this during a league game and not against an impatient random opponent. So, I'm adding Expand. He hits my Potion once with his Ship which is not a big deal, as I can Expand my Chapel. I'm winning both the Scrying Pools split and the Squire split 6/4, but his Ships net 5$ at that point. Finally, I can double Provine where he can only Province/Duchy and after that I pile out with my Expand and my 6 Squires.
Thinking about it, I probably could have piled out Estates the turn before for the win in the same way... oh well...assemble_me wins
2-4
So yeah. I lost this one, but at least it wasn't that dreadful. I think I played okay overall and that last game gives me some hope. Thanks and GL for your next games, Dunduks