Group G
10.01.2012 Slyner (red, Stronghold, Crag Hack, Crag Hack) def Nolife (blue, Castle, Valeska, Valeska), 2sm4d(3), 224.

We started slowly, although we each took one restart, if the ICQ logs are to be believed. I don't remember it myself — we played for 10 hours.

111. Wolves aren't built yet. Building them. Scouting. The very first skeleton I encountered on the road dropped a Necklace of Speed. Then I immediately revealed the native secondary mine behind the nomads and two Dragon Fly Hives right next to the castle. The wood mine seems blocked by the Dragon Fly Hive guard, but maybe it can be bypassed. In any case, I had enough wood for birds in the castle on 111 (took the resource bonus). The ore mine is accessible. Below, an observatory is visible. Above, behind a horde of zombies, crystals are visible. I'm definitely playing.
112. I reveal a passage to the swamp secondary mine behind a group of wolves, where right behind the guard there's a Dwarf Cottage. Not far from the castle there's a stable, which is where I send Crag and everyone nearby. I build birds. The road to the right, as it turned out, leads to a SECOND NATIVE secondary mine! The layout
is definitely starting to please me. I open the observatory, see the Griffin Conservatory, and behind it I see Valeska with un-upgraded archers (meaning level 2 wasn't built either) shaking down a Crypt. The opponent has an as-yet-unexplored Griffin Conservatory lit up.
113. A day's travel in either direction and the home respawn ended. I upgrade birds, clear remaining resources, level Crag a bit. Nowhere to go, need to push towards a secondary mine. I gauge which one the opponent is closer to. I decide to go left and break through 20-49 nomads.
Dangerous, but no choice.
114. Don't want to lose tempo, so I don't wait for the scout to deliver the troglodyte meat and attack the nomads. I lose almost all goblins and wolves, but saved all birds and Crag was given Earth. I send in the scout hero. Along the road, another stable and an external dwelling of orcs. Excellent. I also build orcs at home.
115. I break through blocks along the way and just make it to the castle. Crag is already Expert Earth, and right after that he's given Air! A miracle layout! I always dreamed that at least once something like this would happen. I reveal the tavern — the opponent doesn't have a secondary hero yet. Satisfied. I build a guild, buy Crag a spell book. No Haste, no Slow. Well, can't have everything at once and in abundance... I survey the respawns and realize there's nowhere to get money and I can forget about bears this week. I build a market at home.
116. I leave some meat in the secondary mine, give Crag 3 birds and send him out to wander and find some money. Crag finds little money, which is very sad. The scout hero scouts upward, finds some money, one goes into the chain, the other two hang around home with nothing to do. From this moment my idiot phase begins. I build a Citadel at home, birds in the secondary mine.
117. Another scout hero goes to scout downward, finds an off-road exit to the opponent. A thought of rushing appears, if I can buy all the birds and shake down both Dragon Fly Hives. Hoping to find money, Crag scours around the secondary mine. Finds little money, but does find a couple of defense boosts and an entrance to an underground treasure zone. No activity at home — the scout heroes have nothing to do — everything is explored, everything is taken, nowhere to go without the main army.
End of week: At home with trading I build a Castle, in the secondary mine a Citadel. Birds in both. Crag level 7, 8-5-1-1, Expert Offense, Expert Earth, Advanced Air.

121. I build orcs in the secondary mine. A bit of trading and the orcs from the external dwelling and secondary mine are bought out. I buy Gundula in the secondary mine with fresh growth, add the orcs, the remnants of the starting meat, and bring them to Crag. I break through the horde of boars guarding the entrance to the treasure zone, losing three orcs and some meat. The passage below is guarded by a horde of Gargoyles. Won't go without birds — don't want more losses. Then Crag clears a Ring of the Dragon +1 Attack/Defense and reveals Dragon Wings. I build upgraded goblins at home.
122. Crag clears the Wings, gets Tactics, and reveals another external dwelling of orcs. For some reason he runs to clear it himself, which takes him even further from the road. I build a tavern in the secondary mine, reveal: the opponent still doesn't have a secondary hero, but in gold and resources he's in the lead.
123. Near the orc external dwelling, there turned out to be resources, a level 2 shrine, and a scroll. All this was guarded by a pack of Efreeti, so the second external dwelling is a bust. I never got around to it later — it's too far. I return the main army to the chain. It's high time for Crag to break back home, but there's no spare money, and I don't want to trade to zero for cheap. I build upgraded wolves at home and distribute them to scout heroes, shortening the chain.
124. I finally decide to break the lower guard of the treasure zone to send a scout hero in, which loses one day and one bird dies carelessly. Annoying and painful, but okay. I still have 7 in the secondary mine and 6 at home. But the realization that I've started playing dumb has already hit. I figure out how to save the situation. I build a market in the secondary mine.
125. I trade, buy birds. Return the main army. I decide to clear crystals not far from the road along the way, plus some more resources, and Crag
will also take another boost. I botch the positioning and troop transfer, losing another day. I build nothing and move almost no one.
Everyone is waiting for the delayed main army on the left.
126. The main army finally moves. Along the way, crystals, a chest, and a couple of resources are cleared, plus Crag gets an attack boost. In the main town, birds are bought, the army is transferred to the waiting Shiva, and she breaks through the passage to another native secondary mine. It really is that. The second native secondary mine.
Shiva opens the observatory and reveals an unoccupied town on the swamp respawn, an entrance to a portal and to the underground, a Griffin Conservatory (finally!) and a Naga Bank. We clearly need to go there. I build nothing — no money. But the movement has finally started. I send Gundula to scout in the treasure zone.
127. Shiva breaks through to the town and claims it. She passes further into the chain 14 birds and a pitiful 9 orcs left from their former glory. With trading, I build a Castle in the first secondary mine.
End of week: terrible idiocy and sloppy play. I fought battles sloppily, lots of stupid losses. Did almost nothing useful, dissatisfied with myself. Bears not even in sight, barely bought bird growth. But a double double-build. Crag level 9, 10-7-5-3. + Advanced Tactics.

131. Crag finally makes it home. Along the way, he stopped by a fountain, doubled mana. In the capital, I build a guild and finally get Slow. In secondary mine #2, I build a market.
132. Crag gets 21 birds through trading and runs to smash everything in his own respawn area. Stops under the Cyclops dwelling. In the tavern, Monere. I buy him to assist Crag.
133. We break the Cyclops dwelling, then a Dragon Fly Hive behind a group of Pikemen for 8 ducks, and another Dragon Fly Hive also for 8.
134. Crag clears a Head of Legion from a group of Air Elementals, takes boosts and levels a bit. In secondary mine #2, birds are built. All chains are ready to deliver legion growth, but still no money.
135. Blue breaks through to secondary mine #1 and sends a scout hero on an out-of-nowhere Barbarian dog, and upgraded at that. A 4th castle Citadel on the map?! (post-game analysis showed: a Mercenary Camp). Meanwhile, Crag breaks the swamp guard and takes a Dwarf Cottage for 20. Everywhere I build Town Halls — what I should have built a week and a half ago.
136. Blue's scout hero goes further. A second, then a third. This won't do. I give Gundula 5 orcs and 1 dog and chase the scoundrel away. The other two can't be caught, but I already want to kill them. I hide Gundula in the underground so the opponent can see her. Crag scouts the Griffin Conservatory on the swamp road — max or pre-max. He stops nearby with speed set, waiting for single creatures.
137. Blue's Vistan with two upgraded dogs dives into the underground and runs into a trap. The third scout hero runs back where he came from. I need all my scout heroes right now, so I don't give chase. Single creatures are brought to Crag, the Griffin Conservatory (tier 3) is cleared without losses. Crag levels on the surrounding guards and claims a town, staying there on speed. Wyvern takes Monere, and clears a Dwarf Flail on the way to the Griffin Conservatory for a Storm Lotus. The Flail is off-road, and no one can bring swamp single creatures. Result: zero-level Monere loses 1 Wyvern. In the main, bears are finally built. I wanted to build Wyverns in the swamp, but due to frequent trading, I didn't have enough wood.
End of week: In secondary mine #2 — birds in the Citadel; in the main — bears + another town. Crag level 14, 15-9-9-5

141. In the capital, 6 birds are bought, a few orcs and a dozen goblins for single creatures, and brought to Crag. Monere scouted the Griffin Conservatory — max or pre-max. A scout hero sent into the portal reveals a Dragon Utopia in the treasure zone. The treasure zone on the other side exits back to my own secondary mine #1 — convenient for bringing troops.
142. Crag breaks the Naga Bank, which turned out to be minimal. Bad. No money. I was really counting on the Naga Bank.
143. We replenish mana and push into the portal, which leads to the treasure zone.
145-216. Crag rummages through the treasure zone: Sword of +6 Attack, Dragon Fly Hive for 8, Pandora's Box for 15K and 10K experience, Chain Mail of +4 Attack/Defense + pre-max Dragon Utopia. I'm given a Shield of +12 Defense/-3 Attack, Book of Air (finally Haste! Not a single one of the four towns had it, and no shrine was found), and money for buying. That's it. Time to go kill blue.
217. I break Crag back home and then notice blue is coming themselves: Val stood on Angels under the Griffin Conservatory. I start buying and bringing accumulated growth.
221. Blue takes that same observatory near the Griffin Conservatory and spots my reinforcements. Val kills two scout heroes with reinforcements: 13 birds, 20 orcs, 20 wolves, and almost a hundred goblins fall in 3 seconds. But she doesn't attack Crag in the castle. I sit and wait for an attack.
222. Val casually doubles her mana at the fountain near my capital. I bring a small amount of growth, killing a blue scout hero along the way.
223. Another blue scout hero runs towards my other secondary mine. I buy back the fallen Gundula, give her two birds, and kill the scout hero.
224. Val kills Gundula and stops one day's travel from my secondary mine, leaving me no choice but to attack myself.

FB.
Crag — level 20, 20-27-9-6, Expert Offense, Earth, Air, Tactics, Wisdom, Archery, Defense.
126 upgraded Goblins, 116 upgraded Orcs, 12 Bears, 21 Wyverns, 177 upgraded Wolves, 6 Angels, 55 Birds

Val — level 20, 19-15-7-10, Expert Leadership, Archery, Air, Offense, Earth, Wisdom, Advanced Water.
20 Fanatics, 99 upgraded Archers, 8 Angels, 25 Crusaders, 56 upgraded Griffins, 20 Champions, 38 Wyverns

I advance with Expert Tactics, cast Haste, and start the fight. Without waiting for my turn to end, the opponent writes GG. I tried this fight without the Necklace of Speed, on grass, and if Valeska attacks... Still no chance.
Thanks for an interesting game!

P.S. First and last time I write a report like this — 5 hours of time wasted.
P.P.S. Looked at it again and was stunned — a whole treatise...