T-shirts vs. Shirts

I doubt anyone seriously builds an entire strategy around whether they'll find gems in the leprechaun's garden in the first week, and then loses the game because they can't build a dwelling early.

Well, in Spring, strategies aren't built on "mistakes" either (not counting the terrain, but that's just one of the tactical points).

But in the case of quickly building Titans, the player gains a significant advantage in battles with the opponent (unless the opponent also gets lucky and develops quickly). Similarly, in Spring, by eliminating part of the enemy's troops due to their mistakes, the player gains an advantage in manpower.