Hi, all. I posted a game the other day and appreciate the valuable feedback I've gotten. I have another to throw out there for some insight:
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201207/19/game-20120719-135754-452a4974.htmlMy opponent went to a very aggressive Fool's Gold strategy, while I opted to make use of the Laboratories (especially since he wasn't contesting that move). I started buying Fool's Golds (rather than Silver) when I didn't have enough money for a Laboratory in Turn 3 to contest my opponent running away with the Fool's Golds. In Turn 12, I had enough money for a Province, but opted to buy the Laboratory for two reasons: (i) I figured another Laboratory in my deck would help keep it from stalling once I started buying Provinces, and (ii) one more Laboratory for me was one fewer for my opponent (therefore making him more likely to stall if he tries to switch up strategies).
In restrospect, I probably would have bought a Hamlet instead of a Fool's Gold in one of my early turns (so I could capitalize on the +1 buy), but late in the game when I could afford Provinces, I didn't want to "waste" a turn buying Provinces to get myself a potential second buy. Agreed?
A few questions, is there an "optimal" number of Laboratories to have in a deck? In other words, did I stick w/ buying Laboratories for one too many turns, or did I stick w/ it the right amount of time?
Should I have even bothered contesting the Fool's Gold strategy, or was that generally a distraction I should have avoided (since it wasn't really part of my initial plan)?
I had planned to supplement my Laboratories with a Library, but given the way my opponent was going full-bore w/ the Fool's Gold strategy, I figured it was best to just stick w/ the Laboratories. I don't think the Fool's Gold strategy was a particularly good one -- in what circumstances is a Fool's Gold strategy effective?
If my opponent had played a better game, how would you have supplemented the Laboratories to build a stronger and/or more efficient deck?
Any guidance offered is very much appreciated, and in any event, thanks at least for reading this far!
Matt