Reports on online games and their confirmations (Winter 2009 season).

bRitvo4kA (blue, Castle, Valeska, Torrosar) def Oelm (red, Dungeon, Shakti, Gunnar), Balance, 242

Well, I lost the game, but I'm hardly upset. There were many interesting moments, twists, struggles, and intrigue that lasted until the end. The main line was maneuvering Gunnar with gloves against Torrosar with the log and boots. The advantage swung from one side to the other, but due to a stupid mistake, I got caught by a speed-stacked Torrosar around five in the morning. +an incredibly frustrating oversight, the only truly unpleasant moment in the game. Now in order:

I drafted Dungeon. After all the restarts, the spawn was decent, but about 100 Troglodytes, + a 2nd necromancer hero. GO off-road. By the end of the week, I found an external dwelling of Troglodytes, at home I had eyes at the Citadel + mushrooms and a portal. I conducted battles poorly, and morale went to the monsters. So I took normal losses (especially on Grems in 3 stacks, where there was an upgraded one; I attacked with Gunnar, so there was no speed bonus), but on 121 I'm at the Griffin Conservatory. Damn, bad luck, Lorelei shows up, and I have only under 150 Troglodytes total. But Shaktir has Bless for 3 rounds. Of course, I retreat, leaving 20 Griffins alive, which I finish off the next round with skeletons. +3 Angels, then I break the far Griffin Conservatory, didn't have enough heroes for a chain right away, and cleared a crypt along the way. Gunnar runs underground with 4 Angels, hoping for a surprise for Vale, and indeed, on 126 I catch her on an Angel, where she gives me artifacts. This was the turning point. I don't see the Castle; by my estimation, either I'd reach it or not. I decide to attack Torrosar, knock out his archers, buy peace, and go to the treasure zone. I did reach the Castle; Andrey said he would have surrendered right then.

But I forget that Torrosar has Tactics. So I have to Haste the Angels, and I buy peace with the loss of one Angel. Then came running and maneuvering; Andrey played strongly here. But the following weeks went successfully for me up until the middle of the second month. I made a favorable trade for myself, killing his Castle army in exchange for mine. I captured his 2 Castles. In terms of stats, I had the advantage, but he had a Bolt at 270 and (!) first turn, thanks to a speed artifact. Then he tries to get tricky, and I try to bait his Lightning onto my Halberdiers and Skeletons. And then the worst mistake. I reveal the obelisks and see the Grail location. And instead of digging it up in a couple of days — and it was lying exactly in the center of the obelisk map, not far from the Castle — for some reason I dig at the top, and after 5 days I don't find it. :( :( :(

Then I make a big mistake in maneuvering — it was already the fifth hour of the night — and I get caught by a speed-stack with part of my army. Then he wiped out a good chunk of me + took my growth, including where I had a bunch of Harpies. Well, in short, I surrendered after the finishing mistake, when I attacked 63 Bears with a big stack, and they hit me a couple of times. I had Resurrection built, so I wasn't worried. Only at the very end, when I went to resurrect, I saw that Wisdom was basic. So theoretically, I could have gone into the treasure zone and shaken out about 30 Wyverns, but that wouldn't have solved anything — I lost the game earlier.

Thanks for the game!