Pit for LM (red, Rampart, Ivor, Ivor) def ProtosArchon (blue, Stronghold, Tiraxor, Tiraxor), 2sm4d(3), 217.
This time we played TE. I wanted to play Dungeon vs Rampart, but for some reason the opponent took Barbarian again (even though experience is disabled and morale is enabled, so it seemed a barb wouldn't be that strong). Oh well, the opponent quickly took restarts, then I did one, and we started.
The distribution was great. Plenty of money, external dwellings of elves and pegasi, cloak of speed, 3 secondaries along the roads. At 115 I take Conflux; in the surroundings, I find a conservatory, a hive, a couple of naga-banks, Pandora—there's plenty to loot on the second. At 117 I built up 1-6 in the castle; Ivor is level 8 with earth, fire, and logistics. I also took Necropolis underground.
121 - I buy a book and run to the naga-banks and Pandora. 122 - Pandora gives 5000 experience, mini-naga-bank, another Pandora - 10000 experience. 124 - another mini-naga-bank, I run to the conservatory; in a chapel along the way, I find a curse for expert fire. They give scouting. I see the blues hanging around nearby. 125 - the path to me is breached, the opponent's army is terrifying: 50-99 gr. wolves, 50-99 gr. goblins, 10-19 king cyclops, 1-4+1-4 angels and 1-4+1-4 rocs; Tiraxor just visited the library. Fine, I take my conservatory - unsuccessfully, only 1 angel. But there's a second one nearby. 126 - another 10-19 gr. ogres are brought to Tiraxor; he stands on the border of the respawns. I take the cons, and that damn thing is a mini again... I retreat to the capital. 127 - Tiraxor does something incomprehensible (though the opp said after the game it was intended): he stands near my city with a fast-attack force — birds+angels, while the rest of the troops clear a couple of chests on the other end of the respawn. Well then, I take the cloak of speed, pass everything to Septienne; Tiraxor pays gold, Gretchen dies with 1 bird.
131 - opp leaves. I take max hive and shield +4, run into the same dungeon treasury. 133 - Pandora for 25 evil eyes, cloak of renunciation. 134 - library, 6 wyverns. 135 - 20 minotaurs, 8 wyverns. 136 - I already want to leave the treasury, but Christian reveals a helmet +6 all! I run to it, gold mine. 137 - helmet taken.
141 - +6 wyverns. 142 - library and sword +6. I retreat to replenish mana. 143 - after long deliberation, I decide to pay a visit, as it's unclear what to do. 144 - I enter the barb capital. 145 - I visit the library there and double my mana. 147 - I occupy a swamp secondary, and Tiraxor, demonstrating flight and DD, takes back the capital. I rebuild the guild and finally get TP, which allows me to return home.
211 - I decide to clear even just a corner of the mud treasury. 212 - I take Pandora with 35 battle dwarves and shield +3+3. Tiraxor is also nearby, but runs past me into the darkness. 213 - Pandora for 10000 experience, a talentless waste of 20+ elves. Tiraxor disappears, I take his capital and portal there. 214 - double-cons, run to the second underground treasury. 215 - pick up the artifact that allowed me to win the game — boots of resistance. 216 - blood vial, +16 wyverns. 217 - another 6 wyverns, portal to Stronghold since Tiraxor is nearby. He attacks:
Ivor (34, 28, 21, 18 (205)), expert archery, attack, earth, fire, logistics, scouting, wisdom and pathfinding, 66 high elves, 18 battle unicorns, 19 minotaurs, 51 battle dwarf, 38 silver pegasi, 4 angels and 61 wyverns, morale +1, luck +2, cloak of renunciation, boots of resistance. Tiraxor (32, 24, 29, 20 (200)), expert attack, tactics, defense, tent, air magic, fire, logistics, pathfinding, 5 angels, 23 thunderbirds, 58 wyverns, 129 wolves, 25 mage ogres, 5 ancient beasts and 29 king cyclops, ring of speed, life, berserker necklace, golden bow, orb of earth, morale +1.
After mass haste, for some reason all flying units flew into the city; angels died from wyvern retaliation, birds hit the elves, wyverns killed a couple dozen of mine, and cyclops also hit the wyverns. In response, I use mass slow, then mass curse; in 2 rounds almost all enemy birds and wyverns perish. Then he tried to blind my remaining stacks, but my troops resisted insanely due to the unicorn aura and boots. I cured blindness and hit with ice bolt; wolves entered the moat and died quickly, then bears joined them but retreated in time. It was very convenient that the wyverns resisted when I had 2 stacks left — 18 unicorns and 12 wyverns, while the opp had ogres (25) and beasts (5). Healing the unicorns, hitting the beasts with them and wyverns — 2 remain. Beasts retreat, hit the ogres in 2 stacks + bolt, very few of them left, GG.
In general, idk how I won the fight. And 4 utopias for the opponent against 0 for me is not a very balanced setup.
Thanks for the game.