"Newcomer-2011. Summer"

Tomash (red, Dungeon, Shakti, Shakti) def vanobsb (blue, Fortress, Tazar, Tazar) 216, 2sm4d(3)

The game turned out to be very long; we played for probably 2 weeks, about an hour or two every other evening or so.

We started on the first attempt. Shakti brought 3 stacks. Near the castle there was a stable and a crypt, not far away an external dwelling of Troglodytes. I decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. On the first day I pushed through off-road to the snow, checked the Griffin Conservatory — 100+, went into the subway — there I lost half the Troglodytes on upgraded Harpies. The secondary hero turned out to be native under the ground, but I only reached him on day 121. In the native castle: 1-5 in the Citadel. On the second day I cleared another direction of my spawn, the arena, an artifact +2 Spell Power, a Dwarf Cottage 20, a passage to the grass, sent scouts there, and turned towards the Griffin Conservatory, took it on day 131, it turned out to be tier 3, already having a double build of 1-5 in Citadels from two castles. I went to scout and clear the snow, took 2 Dragon Fly Hives, a +3 Shield, a couple of Naga Banks, Cyclops Stockpiles, and Medusa Stores. I broke into a Giant dwelling, where a scroll of Implosion lay. I build Mage Guild level 5. I need to clear the treasure zone, scouted 2 exits — in the snow and in the underground. I split up and went into the underground treasure zone. On day 141, with the growth from two castles with Castle, I clear the treasure zone, Griffin Conservatory 3, Naga Bank, 2 Dragon Fly Hives, a max-level Dragon Utopia. In the Dragon Utopia I lose an Angel, but the loot was excellent, stats 20 20 16 16. Near the Dragon Utopia I see a quest artifact for 50+ Ogres, I take it, a hut on my main gives +Rust Dragon.
The opponent doesn't reveal his stats. In Mage Guild level 5 I also got Implosion, level 4 only Chain Lightning. I decided I need to go into the next treasure zone, gain some control. Along the way I take Cyclops Stockpiles and build a Mage Guild in the Tower. The army is very diverse, so I even took Leadership, and many decent stacks that can have their say in Fireball have to be given to the scout hero, because there are only 7 slots in the army, and they gradually lose them.
I go through the treasure zone, capture the Artifact Market, spend resources and buy an Earth boost. Next turn I exit to the subway without guards, no movement points left, I enter the subway and wait. Meanwhile, the Mage Guild level 4 in the Tower gives Town Portal, but there's no one to pick it up and pass it yet.

Tazar attacks, stats noticeably weaker. I have the first turn because of the Rust Dragon, I immediately reduce a stack of Wyverns by 2250 with Implosion. The opponent has Mass Haste and Berserk, which strangely only took effect in the second round, when defeat was already obvious. At the start of the third turn, the opponent casts Armageddon as a farewell, my Implosion finishes off the last stack of Lizardmen, GG WP.

A very long game. The double build certainly decided it, but not as much as I expected, because the opponent had external dwellings of Wyverns, Lizardmen, and Hydras on his main, plus a secondary Dungeon with a portal, so he had not much less meat. Also, the fact that I immediately thought about countering Tazar with magic, while the opponent came up with nothing against anti-magic — in the end, in terms of spells and Spell Power, I was seriously behind.

Thanks for the interesting game, I really enjoyed it.