7.04.12. Pit for LM (blue, Castle, Valeska, Ivor) def Deep_Mike (red, Stronghold, Crag Hack, Crag Hack), 2sm4d(3), 147.
Another tough game in the World Cup. All restarts were used, and in the end it turned out average.
111 – 30 archers arrived (not upgraded), have fairies for speed. Army is great, but little gold, 4 heroes. Among them is Ivor, which is not bad. Also found an external dwelling of monks, i.e., a monastery.
112 – found an external dwelling of spearmen, several water mills. Bought Sarug.
113 – broke through the portal to the secondary, but on the other side are horde orcs, tough to handle for now. Scouted the Guardian Object – angels. I see a road to another town – grass, and the guard is simple.
114 – captured sword +3, took the max crypt, bought Caitlin. I see a super-fast path to the opponent, next to the Guardian Object, through horde griffins.
115 – the road was blocked by elves for a prison or blue gremlins for an obelisk. I chose the elves, killed 4 archers (turned out to be 19 units with upgrade), but freed Monere and captured the Conflux town. There I bought the eighth hero – Calid.
116 – I decide it's time to check on the opponent. From under Ain's nose, I take a chest of 1500. I see a tasty dwarf dwelling.
117 – however, red attacks unexpectedly:
Ain (0, 1, 3, 3(27)), 3 rocs, 12 orcs, 15 goblins, 6 wolves and 1 green dragon; Monere (7, 1, 1, 1), 26 archers, 33 spearmen, 11 elementals, 40+ single fairies.
The dragon was a completely unpleasant surprise, but what's worse, Ain had a sharpshooter. I probably played the battle wrong – I should have shot the dragon with archers immediately. As it was, I had to buy peace, killing everything except the dragon. I had 4 archers, 5 elementals, and a few fairies with spearmen left.
Alright, I buy 2 horsemen, 4 swordsmen, and go into battle with Ivor (7,6), who has expert archery and advanced attack. Ain, with no mana and no gold to buy peace, dies. All this badly affected both the economy and upgrading – the horsemen are in the fort. The opponent has bears in the castle, but fortunately also little gold.
121 – somehow traded and gathered, bought the growth, took the dwarf dwelling on barbarian land. Unfortunately, the minimal one, with that gold I built a prefecture in the capital (in Conflux I built one in the first week while there was gold).
122 – I kill the opponent's hero, see Crag Hack, who is aiming for a Pandora's Box behind basilisks – turned out to be 50 wolves. Meanwhile, I captured a swamp secondary, very stupidly losing a horseman to orcs.
123 – Crag Hack takes the Pandora and runs to his second underground secondary. I capture a refugee camp – and it's goblins.
124 – mainly scouting the swamp. I find a portal to the treasure zone there, handcuffs (though I never took them). And at the respawn, all 3 parts of the Sharpshooter's Bow are revealed, though I only realize this a few days later. But still, angel arrows are guarded by 100+ eyes, so it's tough for now.
125 – I transfer the army home to Caitlin to take a crypt (minimal) and a couple of external dwellings (monks and swordsmen). Meanwhile, in the swamp, lizards are being upgraded, bought, and starting to break through small guards (first zombies for a couple of chests). I want to build angels in the castle.
126 – external dwelling of swordsmen, castle is built.
127 – external dwelling of monks, dwarf dwelling for 20, with a small trade I build angels. Ivor stays overnight at the stable.
131 – I prepare to take the beehive and the naga bank.
132 – Calid takes a couple of chests, bow +5, beehive for 6 Wyverns. Ivor gets a minimal naga bank and heads to the treasury. Finally, flies are upgraded.
133 – I enter the treasury underground. In a grave, I get a super artifact – Boots of Speed.
134 – I capture a bowstring +10, I fight poorly underground, losing all spearmen and almost all bought swordsmen. I get 10 Wyverns from two beehives.
135 – genies also put in a horseman. I take a Pandora's Box for 10k gold, just enough to build a capitol.
136 – I take the gold mine, another 6 Wyverns. The treasury turns out to be completely pathetic, nothing else there really.
137 – with Ivor, I portal to Conflux, learn mass slow, portal home for the stable.
141 – Ivor collects gold from mills. I prepare to hit the Guardian Object.
142 – I stand for speed at the Guardian Object. Upgrade angels.
143 – I bring what I can, I attack. The Guardian Object turns out to be strong – 5 stacks of 6 upgraded angels each. Many are killed, 15 archers, 9 fanatics, 9 griffins. Ivor runs to the opponent's Conflux secondary, since scouting shows it's very far to the capital, and there's still an unconquered (unscouted) conservatory there, plus the growth went that way, maybe I can catch it. I find an external stable – great, I can make champions.
144 – I take Conflux, the opponent is not visible, I leave Monere for a buy peace and take the conservatory next turn.
145 – Monere is attacked, I buy peace, +2 angels. Ivor stands for speed on an archangel in the middle of the opponent's respawn (both scouted, seems not dangerous).
146 – Crag Hack emerges from underground. In his army – 47 Wyverns, 7 Death Knights, 6 behemoths, 15 birds, a dozen ogres. 13-10-8-lots of mana against my 10-11-2-3. Well, I'm quite scared to attack, so I run to the swamp, from where I plan a march into the treasure zone in the snow (fortunately, pathfinding was just given, and Monere already had it). I also want to buy the growth and upgrade angels from the conservatory.
147 – where will Crag Hack go? Into the snow through his secondary Conflux or to my capital? Both options are not very good for me… But Crag Hack for some reason went to his own… I chase him with Valeska – and what does she see? Crag Hack sped up on 7 single birds. He had the tactic, but our Erdamine has had expert tactic since the middle of the first week… Thanks to advanced logistics and speed from horde flies, I easily transfer 7 single archangels along the chain – and Crag Hack dies, dropping artifacts.
Thank you for the game.