For 6500, I sold a color with a town, and by the end of the week, I cleared 4! external dwellings of bears. Reached the 122, but my opponent was in the center a day earlier, and I’m left with a scrap of treasure zone. However, there's a КЗ and a cape along the way. There are also bracers — but they're behind upgraded necro dragons, and I didn't have the mana to fight them. Put it off until tomorrow and went to take a village on a neighboring respawn. The opponent's hero flies in, low on mana, and I have a Cloak of Magic Resistance, but a lightning bolt cuts down the remnants of my bears and half a stack of Wyverns. The bracers would have come in very handy.
I see 2 Dragon Utopias, a bit far. Even if I run over (turns out I can't), Town Portal still isn't an option, and there's a risk of exposing myself. I collect 3 Dragon Fly Hives and a dwelling of angels under a speed boost.
The opponent predictably flies into a Dragon Utopia and stays there. I check scout heroes — 0 mana. And right then, I really regretted not trading resources and upgrading the surviving bear (the speed boost was on a Wyvern; the birds died in an unequal battle)). Turns out I was about 50 MP short to take the bracers and capture them bare-handed.
It seemed there was nothing left to hope for — my opponent had better stats and more development options. But David misjudged the timer, left his army vulnerable on a scout hero, and most importantly — didn't finish off the scout hero through which I could reclaim the village and portal there with Taz.
Lucky, but Jebus Cross is a lottery by itself.
Thanks for the game.
Зима 2011-12.