"Newcomer-2011. Winter"

23.02.2011 krutilo (Red, Castle, Valeska, Gunnar) def WishmasteR (Blue, Fortress, Tazar, Tazar), Jebus cross, 214.
Thanks for the game!

That was a thing... I still want to break it down a bit, even though I played poorly, as always :)

The opponent took 1 rest, and off we went. The layout is nothing special — slow roads, lizardmen not built, 3 crypts visible, an external dwelling of Gnolls. Xsi arrives, but doesn't want to raise Necromancy. And then on 112, something happens — Taz takes a Pandora's Box for 5K XP and grabs Log and Earth :smile44: The question of the main enemy, as well as the continuation of the game, is settled. 113 — Taz specializes Earth, but without the spell book, he'll be running around until the end of week two :rolleyes: Next, I take 3 crypts, on 115-116 — 2 Hives 4+6, on 117 — an external dwelling of Gorgons, plus there are 3 Gnolls and 1 Lizardmen. 1-7 in the Stronghold, no secondary heroes, Taz is level 8 with Tactics and Pathfinding.

In week two, I send the army to take the Hive and the second external dwelling of Gorgons at the other end of the respawn. Tazar stalls at a Dragon Utopia, takes Pandora's Boxes for 90 Gnolls and 10K XP. On 124, I enter a Dragon Utopia (wasp) — nearly 100 Gnolls, 8 basic Gorgons, and 2 Hydras fall in a brutal fight at the cost of Wings and the fifth-level Cap. I break through to a secondary hero, where I finally acquire a spell book, take 2 Griffin Conservatories — both mini :( — an external dwelling of Pixies, a Naga Bank, a couple of Pandora's Boxes for I don't remember what.

At the start of week three, the army heads for an upgrade, the chains are crooked, and as a result, Tazar now stalls at GO (Hydras + Cyclopes), while the opponent breaks through his area 2 days earlier. I hit GO on 133, kill the red fool, sit down in a town to replenish mana (where they finally give Slow). Right nearby, there's a passage to a grassy respawn (apparently the opponent's) and a road to the center; I decide to go there hoping to grab some goodies. Instinct doesn't fail me — I take a Dragon Utopia (wasp) for a Spellbinder's Hat and Titan's Helm + a Water spell book next to it. I'm a few steps short of reaching the second Dragon Utopia after clearing the guards, and swift Gunny with Dimension Door snatches it from under my nose :) I capture the central ramp and several medium artifacts, among them the Sphere of Water.

At the start of week four — a mistake that probably decided the game's outcome: I attack a large pack of Gold Dragons for a Pandora's Box, but approach from the wrong side, and as a result, I'm 1 step short of claiming the Pandora's Box :( If I had gone straight, I'd have taken it on the last step... After that, I also forget to arrange my troops, and the army ends up in 4 stacks. Naturally, the next day, Gunny takes the Pandora's Box (5 Green Dragons) and attacks. Despite Mass Slow and Ice Bolt for 500+, I can't pull through; I buy back with 80+ Lizardmen and the remains of the Pixies. Hope rests on the reinforcement that hasn't arrived yet and the implosion for 1800 from the Cap. But catching up with a Log expert with Control in the dark is hardly realistic, so I end up hoarding in the center, which I do — I claim the Golden Bow, Pandora's Boxes for 5 Green Dragons and 12 Unicorns. It was amusing when a Crystal Dragon with nearly full health died from an attack by 4 Gorgons :) Meanwhile, my own army shrinks considerably, as I start making mistakes like "forgot to equip the bow and Spellbinder's Hat instead of the Telescope and Cap" :smile04:

At the start of week five, I fly over to the opponent without the reinforcement, end up at a Castle where Gunnar catches me. Implosion doesn't save me, especially since the opponent has it too... Perhaps I could have bought back, replenished mana, and tried to resist with the reinforcement, but somehow I didn't take that chance — I was tired, and it was late...

Thanks for the game! Good luck to everyone in the tournament :)