Wicc
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In my humble opinion, this is not quite the right approach to mirror matches.
I haven't played a single game where the development was identical to my opponent's. The point of a mirror match is not to try to play in a predictable way, but rather to confuse your opponent. And in terms of pure gameplay and enjoyment, a mirror match is the perfect opportunity to implement your vision of the map. So, you shouldn't focus on what your opponent is doing, but rather on what will give you an advantage when you meet.
I've played a lot of mirror matches, won one tournament, and reached the semi-finals in another. There hasn't been a single time when the development was identical. In many games, the development diverged from day one.
Examples:
1) Tavern vs Tavern, vs Dirty - I focus on building two Inferno outposts, and don't build up my main town at all. Dirty focuses on upgrading Titans.
2) Inferno vs Inferno, vs Indra, mirror Jeb - I prepare for an early rush with a 121-speed hero and a main hero with 4 speed skills. Indra develops a tanky hero and clears his starting area.
3) Flax vs Flax, vs Samurai, mirror Jeb - I go for birds in the fortress and an early (starting from day 117) attack on the opponent's castle/hive, Samurai focuses on economy, upgrading his main town, and building Psionic units in the castle.
4) Inferno vs Inferno, vs Markon - I develop a fast hero, control 2/3 of the map, but gradually, build a secondary town into a Castle with Angels and a garrison. Markon develops a combat hero, builds up his main town more, and clears his starting area and treasure more thoroughly.
5) Inferno vs Inferno, vs Kobra - I start developing Demonology from day 114, which allows me to gather demons faster, so I can clear both my starting area and the symmetrical Inferno treasure area. Kobra prepares for a rush.
6) Inferno vs Inferno, vs FireToSky - I rush my secondary town early, upgrade dogs with a garrison, and early (121-123) attack the opponent's castle with a transition to a rush. Fire, on the other hand, focuses on upgrading demons, leaving the castle for the end of the second week.
That's what makes mirror matches so interesting: in most games, there isn't one predetermined path to development. You have to choose, and the result of the game depends even more on this choice than on the quality of the execution.
And I won't even mention that you can play mirror matches with different factions, which adds a lot of variety to the possible outcomes. Although it does unbalance the game, of course.
Added 48 minutes ago
Playing a mirror match is pure mathematics. You don't get any enjoyment, constantly looking at where your opponent is and how many units you have compared to him. But people play Heroes not only to win, but also to enjoy the process, even if they lose. But where is the enjoyment if you are constantly worried about - what day it is, how many creatures you have, how many towns you have, etc.? Moreover, in a mirror match, it's immediately clear who is implementing their strategy better - and few people want this real comparison (without taking into account the faction, terrain, presence of artifacts, etc.), because they came to relax. When this constant comparison is going on in your mind, you're not focused on the excitement. What's the point of playing if it's the same in real life: you're counting at work, at school, you're counting when solving various everyday problems. You sit down to play Heroes in the evening or on the weekend - and it's the same thing - where is the relaxation?:D
Therefore, mirror matches (and such strategies as panic, balance) are not very attractive in terms of pure gameplay for enjoyment - they are best used in the later stages of tournaments.
Therefore, I see mirror matches more as a strategy for serious games, for a clash of ambitions, for identifying the strongest player in a small number of games.
And if you just want to have some fun, then SoD-Panic is quite suitable, it's hard to argue with that.
