"Newcomer-2012. Summer"

16.07.2012 artbocha (red, swamp, Tazar, Tazar) def RozenKran (blue, Dungeon, Shakti, Shakti) 8mm6a 133

I would have actually taken Dungeon, Shakti, Shakti/Galtran, because from the second week I was fighting on 2 fronts.

111: Appeared in the underground. Two native heroes in the tavern. Shakti with 150 Troglodytes immediately takes the Dwarf Cottage 15. There's only one road leading down; on the sides of the castle, Lizardmen and Harpies block the way, and it's unclear if there's a passage further along the respawn, so we run along the road. Bought 4 heroes, still have 5k gold in reserve.
112: I reach the fork. In one direction runs Shakti with the army and a chain, in the other a scout hero.
113: Both hit blocks. Shakti hits 10-19 Manticores and 50-99 Centaur Captains off-road; the scout hits 50-99 Goblins. Didn't immediately figure out which road leads to which zone... on the respawn I've only burned a Dragon Utopia and a couple of upgrade structures so far.
114: Broke through the Centaurs and passed the army to the scout hero to break through, who found an observation tower nearby. A shield +3 is visible off-road, a bunch of guards again off-road, and an elevator going up. Further along the road, a block of 50-99 Archers — need to turn Shakti around, especially since I figured out this passage leads either to the opponent or to a treasure village. Another scout hero runs into the passage where the Centaurs were.
115: Using scout heroes, I take the shield and give it to Shakti. He breaks through along the road: first 50-99 Archers, then 50-99 Master Fairies, and finally 20-49 Mages guarding Boots of Speed, an Obelisk, and resources. Well, I decided to fight to avoid going around the road, and the Boots could be very useful... 46 Mages with a master stack left me 60 Troglodytes.
116: A turn I thought would bring me victory with high probability. Further along the road, a block of 50-99 Golems guarding a prison. It was scary, but I managed with minimal losses and freed Gosh! Level 10!!! with 2 stacks (Expert Necromancy, Basic Armorer, Advanced Attack and Wisdom, and Expert Ballistics). Another block of 10-19 Wyvern Monarchs guarding a Dragon Fly Hive and a chest, which luckily can be bypassed. Next, the Dwarf Cottage came in very handy because I was completely broke on gold. I take Gosh, now have 100 Skeletons (by the way, forgot to mention I earlier captured a Cloak +10% Necromancy). The scout hero who ran behind the Centaurs scouted the central village and hit blocks.
117: Necro as much as possible, and I run along the path to the treasure village — fail :smile48: — so the opponent is near the elevator. But I find a Dragon Fly Hive next to the village, guarded by 50-99 Ogres, who are also guarding a useless artifact, so there are clearly nearly 100 of them... at home: 1-6 in the Citadel.
121: Gosh necros next to the Dragon Fly Hive, and I have doubts about attacking a crowd of Ogres without mana... in the end, the desire not to fall behind in tempo and get out of here quickly wins — I attack with 170 Skeletons, 3 Minotaurs, 3 Medusas, 7 Evil Eyes, and 50 Troglodytes. I kill 70 Ogres with a master stack, losing 3 Minotaurs, 3 Evil Eyes, and 30 Troglodytes, and take the near-max Dragon Fly Hive — further passage is blocked by 50-99 Minotaurs. I spend the night with Gosh in the Conflux village to replenish mana. 8 Wyverns are passed via chain of scout heroes to kill the opponent. Shakti prepares to split up and head home to look for something good behind the side blocks. A scout hero reached the opponent and took an observation tower; it turns out he is beyond the mountains, about 3 days' travel away. Well, maybe he'll build something good =)
122: Gosh fights 15 Wyvern Monarchs for the Dragon Fly Hive, loses about 30 Skeletons, the remaining Troglodytes, and a few Air Elementals. Takes the near-min and runs on to necro. Scout heroes advance toward the opponent and clean his respawn for gold. Don't have enough money to split Shakti yet. Opponent captures the central village and breaks through the passages there.
123: Shakti finally splits and heads home, buys 4 Nagas, and runs to scout the side. Immediately run into a Pandora's Box guarded by 20-49 Liches, spend the night next to them, preparing to take it with meat delivery. Gosh necros somewhere between the village and the main base — far away in general — and prepares to run into the opponent's respawn, since there's room to necro and a burned-out University; I want to find some magic, Logistics, or Tactics there. A scout hero is 1 day's travel from the opponent's main base. Opponent runs around the center.
124: And then I was stunned — on his turn, the Opponent breaks through the central guard of 10-19 Manticores and runs along the path bypassing the fork, stopping half a screen away from Gosh, but doesn't see him. Feeling-wise, there are about 3 moves, 3.5k MP. His stats are better: 1-4 Angels and 20-49 Wyverns. With my 200 Skeletons, I was incredibly lucky he didn't reach me... Scout heroes scatter away from the road. Gosh runs to the opponent; a scout with 8 Wyverns captures the opponent's castle with built 1-4 and a Minotaur King. Shakti takes the Pandora's Box with the loss of one Naga — gives 20 Master Medusas — runs further off-road into the depths of the respawn.
125: All 3 fronts are active. Scout hero with Wyverns takes Crypts and kills the opponent's heroes. Gosh necros and runs around upgrade structures — nothing useful in the University. Shakti reveals his respawn with an observation tower, and here it is: a possible salvation from Tazar's Meteor — 2 Griffin Conservatories and a Dragon Fly Hive. Luckily, the opponent didn't guess the fork and ran toward the village, lost about 2 moves, and I drove off his scout heroes in the chain.
126: Continue playing cat and mouse. Shakti takes Conservatory #1. Galtran necros (350 Skeletons already) — prepares to take the Naga Dwelling. Opponent runs downward, as I thought, into the central zone.
127: Shakti at the 2nd Troglodyte Conservatory, luckily. Gosh took the Naga Dwelling and rests at the stable on the opponent's respawn. Task: how to combine these armies... and somehow Green ran to the treasure village, killing my scout hero along the way. Still think Gosh is in the center. At home: Nagas in the castle; at the opponent's: Nagas without Minotaurs in the Citadel.
131: Shakti takes Conservatory #3 and prepares to transport everything to the castle via chain. But Gosh... well, I just had to check by pressing the underground button that this exit leads exactly to where the opponent is running, but I was sure it was an exit to a different zone. So Gosh, on his last movement points, runs straight into Tazar's clutches, with only 15 mana :smile18: — maybe because it was already 6 AM...
Semi-final battle: Gosh 6-8-6-5 (15) level 15, 400 Skeletons, 13 Wyverns, a few Air Elementals vs Tazar 6-14-5-3 (30) level 15, 4 Angels, 34 Wyverns, 15 Master Serpent Flies, 27 Master Lizardmen, 2 units of Serpent Flies. Managed to strike first with the Wyverns? 400 Skeletons killed only 4 Wyverns... after that, all Skeletons were lost. Bought 12 Wyverns in the main base; well, finally the army will be reunited.
Then, over 2 turns, Tazar, with a stable for 3.6k MP, first takes the former base of Green, from which I had fled a turn earlier with a scout hero carrying the growth, and then reaches Galtran, who was on 1 Angel standing near the main base.
No final battle happened, but I enjoyed the game, thanks for the game :p