This is a great game to help understand the value of depriving your opponent of what he needs most. I think both players played it pretty well.
The cards:
Adventurer, Alchemist, Chancellor, Contraband, Embargo, Expand, Fairgrounds, Potion, Trader, Village, and Wharf
I opened Silver/Silver to get to Wharf quickly.
The Mime opened 5/2 and picked up Wharf/Embargo
The best thing the Mime could do was get an Embargo out on Wharf before I had a chance to pick one up. Unfortunately luck was not on his side. But his turns 3/4 get him another Wharf and an Expand.
At that point The Mime doesn't have any Villages, so I see an opportunity to deprive him of the extra actions he needs to get a chain going. I start spamming the villages with far more than I need. I end up getting a 8/2 split.
He hits the Embargos and blocks out anything he thinks I need, while using Trader to stop the Embargo from working on him.
I pick up a Trader and 3 Embargos to try to do the same to him.
The interactions between Embargo, Trader and Expand means that one has to be very careful about what one buys on any given turn.
As the end game approaches I see an opening and start taking down Estates to try and end the game on piles. He sees it (maybe too late?) and Embargos Estates as well. I'm very close to being able to end it a few times, but can't quite manage it. Finally I get my chance and turn a Duchy into a province to be ahead of 3VP. Then buy an Estate and an Embargo, picking up (two curses), to take it by 2 VP.
Great game. Every game is better when Embargo is around. And even better when you mix that with Trader and a card like Expand or Remodel.
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201212/06/game-20121206-093015-10c4c23e.htmlEd
