Jorbles wins 4 versus [MAD] Mergus who wins 3.
Game 1:
Jorbles 19 -
[MAD] Mergus 33http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201205/01/game-20120501-180528-bf2ba220.htmlKey Cards: Ill-Gotten Gains, Goons, Baron, Remake, Hamlet, Young Witch
I take an early risk on a Baron in hopes of hitting an early Goons, but my gamble doesn't pay off when my first two hands are CCEEE and then BCCCC. I have to pick up a Young Witch, that I don't really want, to keep the Curse war even. Mergus ends up getting 2 more Goons than me and when he lines two of them up with a Hamlet that shoots my chances to end it in my favour. Mergus opened with a Remake and I think that was better for the long haul in this game. He could get rid of Curses, Remake IGGs into Goons and Remakes into Duchies.
Game 2:
Jorbles 34 -
[MAD] Mergus 39http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201205/01/game-20120501-181203-2a292c72.htmlKey Carsd: Jack of All Trades, Hunting Party, Island
A Jack game where we both fiddle around a bit to try and get an edge. I get an early Island hoping to tie break with it by putting aside it and one of my Estates. Mergus trashes all his estates and then gets a couple Hunting Parties. This is one of those games that I think simulators would have a better idea of which strategy was better, though I think Hunting Party gives him a slight edge. It felt neck and neck. Mergus's Hunting Parties were great at finding his only Gold, but he lost opportunities to pick up Duchies, my Island slowed me down at the start, but it gave me a small point bonus. It came down to the last Province, but Mergus's Hunting Party managed to dig the last Province up for him.
Game 3:
Jorbles 54 - [MAD] Mergus 44
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201205/01/game-20120501-182253-78b2a3b9.htmlKey Cards: Trading Post, Fairgrounds, Horse Traders, Oasis, Tribute, Native Village, Farmland, Oasis
I get a big advantage in this game when I have both 1st player and I get a 5/2 split. I open Trading Post/Native Village, not the best Trading Post opening, but any Trading Post opening is really really strong. Even with this advantage I still almost lose it when I can't quite end it and Mergus mounts a Fairgrounds comeback. I finally grab the last Province with an Oasis play and end it for my first win.
Game 4:
[MAD] Mergus 68 -
Jorbles 76http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201205/01/game-20120501-183003-defdeb85.htmlKey Cards: Monument, Embassy, Fairgrounds, Farming Village, Colony
Mergus gets what seems to be an advantage with a 5/2 opening on an Embassy board. I open Monument/Loan thinking they'll pay off in long haul. We both get a couple Embassies and a couple Farming Villages, but looking at the final score says it all. I am up by 8 points and I have played my Monument exactly 8 times this game.
Game 5:
[MAD] Mergus 28 -
Jorbles 37http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201205/01/game-20120501-184514-a50a701c.htmlKey Cards: Young Witch (Bane: Fishing Village), Fairgrounds, Apprentice, Remake, Noble Brigand, Oracle
Young Witch is on the board with one the best possible banes, Fishing Village. We both rush Fishing Villages, I manage to slip a couple Curses into his deck in the early game, but he trashes them out with Remake. We both have so many actions that I don't mind picking up a bunch of Noble Brigands which allows me to use Mergus's treasure to replace the treasure I use to fuel Apprentice draws. Noble Brigands presence in my deck is strengthened even further because Mergus has slimmed the Coppers out of his deck with Remakes. Mergus tries to go for Fairgrounds, which on this board I think is a mistake as you really want to trash high value cards with Apprentice which makes it hard to keep the uniques in your deck up. I end the game trashing a Province when I'm ahead to buy the last Province.
Game 6:
[MAD] Mergus 16 - Jorbles 15
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201205/01/game-20120501-185732-e554f46b.htmlKey Cards: Fairgrounds, University, Menagerie, Market, Minion, Haggler, Farming Village
A clear Fairgrounds board. I think I have a big advantage when I use my Universities to pick up 7 of the Minions and 7 of the Markets as well as enough of the other actions to get up to 4VP Fairgrounds, but Mergus sneaks ahead by a point when I give him an opportunity to end it, buying a 6VP Fairgrounds and the last Menagerie. I hadn't been counting and thought he could only get 4VP Fairgrounds, but I guess I should have been paying more attention. I knew there was a reason he'd picked up one of the seemingly useless Thieves.
Game 7:
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201205/01/game-20120501-191250-b615d7d0.htmlJorbles 65 - [MAD] Mergus 50
Key Cards: Witch, Fairgrounds, Upgrade, Farming Village, Courtyard, a bunch of stuff we only get because of Fairgrounds
I am very happen to get a 5/2 opening here, but my advantage somehow still ends up with me losing the Curse war 6/4. I get some Upgrades to trash out most of the Curses and turn one of my Witches into a Fairgrounds. We both build up to buy both Provinces and 6VP Fairgrounds. I think I played a little sloppy in the midgame, but I did remember to buy Golds and the fact that I have 4 Golds and Mergus has only 1 Gold gives me an easier time picking up Provinces and Fairgrounds and I think is what won me the last game in this series.
Without a doubt, this was the tensest of the games I've played in Isodom to date. Most of them felt really close and except for maybe Game 5 I never really felt safe in my lead. Probably because in the games I lost I'd often be ahead until the end when Mergus overtook me. Mergus is a strong late game player and I felt myself nervously second guessing myself when deciding everything in the last half of the game. The set itself was not what I expected from Cornucopia, no Tournament showed up, and instead cards like Remake, Young Witch, Menagerie and Fairgrounds kept making appearances. I'm not a strong Fairgrounds player, but this game felt like a crash course in the card and I learned a lot about it playing these games. Thanks for the games Mergus, and good luck in the last round.