Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Empathy]

http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120203-135714-3012606a.html

Embargo decisions were, in order: apo, apo, minion and city. Next one would have been gold.

While the game is frankly boring, I think it illustrates well embargo dynamics. I am very fond of those because I used to overrate embargo a lot, but now it has become one of the cards I am most comfortable with.

So here is some piece of advice, though feel free to criticize and comment.

• Don't ignore it. Assess the board, then ignore if it is no threat.
• Ignore it if ambassador, masquerade, JoaT or chapel are on the board. (http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120114-085710-15ddf643.html)
• Never overextend into a strategy or engine. The typical examples are potion, minion but also plain BM if it conflicts with what there is else on the board.
  
• Go heavy on the trashing and gaining effects. Don't hesitate to take otherwise not-so good trashers. Remodel shines in embargo games (embargo grand market, remodel into them anyone?). Remake is a beast. To be the only one allowed to get the embargoed card without a curse, or able to trash the curse, is extremely valuable.
• Embargo cards you already have but your opponent doesn't. Mountebank is a great target, because of all the cursers, it is the one with most variance. (http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120111-065321-bdcf46ac.html)
• The best embargo targets are: 5s (if there are only a few good ones, like in this game), gold, plat, sometimes silver (someone opening lookout might find themselves in a bind), embargo if you have an engine to protect. Embargoing  green can also be a neat trick, though that would warrant a discussion of its own.
• Be flexible. Don't go BM envoy, because if he embargoes gold/silver, you will need actions, and envoy doesn't like those usually. But don't jump into an engine where one embargoed component could kill you. Your best bet is usually some highly hybrid, adaptive strategy. (http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120117-071346-33ebb2d9.html)

I'm sure most of those don't come as surprises.

[jotheonah]

But when gainers like Workshop, Feast, University, or Ironworks are on the board, don't waste an embargo on those cards.

[Anon79]

Ignore it if ambassador, masquerade, JoaT or chapel are on the board. (http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120114-085710-15ddf643.html)

Interesting, I just happened to read michaeljb's description of his Isodom 3 match against Marcus316 right before this thread:

Game 5: michaeljb 39 - 32 Marcus316
Ambassador, Apothecary, Chapel, Coppersmith, Embargo, Highway, Ill-Gotten Gains, Loan, Stables, Trade Route
The first thing I notice is that I want to Embargo IGG. (...)

[Voltgloss]

Ignore it if ambassador, masquerade, JoaT or chapel are on the board. (http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120114-085710-15ddf643.html)

Interesting, I just happened to read michaeljb's description of his Isodom 3 match against Marcus316 right before this thread:

Game 5: michaeljb 39 - 32 Marcus316
Ambassador, Apothecary, Chapel, Coppersmith, Embargo, Highway, Ill-Gotten Gains, Loan, Stables, Trade Route
The first thing I notice is that I want to Embargo IGG. (...)

However, note further that - as michaeljb pointed out - this was a really bad board for Ambassador, as things like Stables, Coppersmith, and Apothecary all like having Coppers around.  Which was also why Embargoing the Copper-generating IGGs was even more important than normal.  Plus, just a single Embargo completely wrecks the IGG rush strategy.  It's not like michaeljb was aiming for a multiple-Embargo-based strategy.

So, in most boards, Ambassador's presence (or other game-warping cheap cards) renders Embargo suboptimal.  But in michaeljb's match game, Ambassador was much less potent than it normally is, and Embargo was much more so (due to the IGG rush problem).

That said, I note that the game linked in the OP as an example of "ignore Embargo with Ambassador around" is really an example of "ignore Embargo with gainers around."  Especially where Highway + Workshop/Feast shenanigans are coughing out Provinces. 

[Empathy]

Ignore it if ambassador, masquerade, JoaT or chapel are on the board. (http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120114-085710-15ddf643.html)

Interesting, I just happened to read michaeljb's description of his Isodom 3 match against Marcus316 right before this thread:

Game 5: michaeljb 39 - 32 Marcus316
Ambassador, Apothecary, Chapel, Coppersmith, Embargo, Highway, Ill-Gotten Gains, Loan, Stables, Trade Route
The first thing I notice is that I want to Embargo IGG. (...)

Hm, forgot to mention embargoing IGG. That board has both ambassador and IGG, making the embargo decision slightly awkward. That being said, I don't feel like IGG is particularly dangerous on a board with amb.

Also, maybe I'm not reading that board correctly, but amb+potion => coppersmith sounds pretty fun to me.