Round table

Fortunately, the players here are normal and most games end after the 3rd week. I truly doubt that even the most hardcore players constantly take Dragon Utopias on the 2nd week. And a bunch of cons and Hives aren't always nearby either.

The most hardcore players mostly play TE on mm6 :) there, a Dragon Utopia on the second week is absolute norm. No one would be surprised by a hundred ducks by 131.. But make no mistake, these folks do the same thing in SoD on smka—I've personally suffered :)
As for "the players here are normal"—as I understand it, this thread was created specifically to raise the level of play on world—and a high level doesn't imply building up 1-6 in the Castle—but the ability to take the most difficult objects with a minimal army and minimal losses, the ability to manage scouting and chains, etc. And "most games end after the 3rd week" is exactly an indicator that one should think about. I'm not saying that games must end at such early dates—unlike the main events of the game which, IMHO, belong between 121 and 131