Favorites, to battle! - 7 - The Battle of Favorites! - 7

It was my first time playing Spider. I spent all my restarts. I got a tower computer and 2 dungeons. In the first week, I tried to find my tower computer, but the respawn leading to it turned out to be the most inconvenient to pass through, so I only arrived on day 122 and my opponent was already there. Week result: killed the barbarian computer, home nagas with a citadel, have Neela and Monere. 2 conservatories are revealed (level 1 and 2-4). On day 122, I take the level 1 conservatory on the grass. On day 124, I take another level 1. I go into the treasury with Monere, losing 1 angel and all the nagas there, I realize it's still too early for me to go there. On day 126, I take a level 3 on the snow with Neela. On day 127, I take 2 more conservatories and leave with Neela into another treasury. Week result: 8 angels, 14 wyverns, Neela level 13 levels up terribly (Wisdom, Luck, Tactics, Air). I should have switched to Monere, but hope for the best was still alive. Although Monere wasn't pleasing either: Wisdom, Water, Scouting, but at least had starting Logistics. On day 133, I clear the treasury, very poor, I see Gunnar, who takes a conservatory near the tower computer's castle. According to the tavern, my army is stronger, Gunnar's stats aren't great either, but in the treasury I got nothing except 40 zealots. I decide to clear one more treasury. Week result: Neela level 17, maxed out all expert skills, so waiting for a "gift"? All of the 4th week I run around in the middle of nowhere in treasuries. Neela levels up like a god, getting Learning and Archery, left without Logistics, Offense, and Earth. Nothing useful except a Dimension Door scroll and Pandora's Boxes for experience/gold. Missing 1 component for Armor of the Damned and for Elixir of Life. At home, 3 weeks of unrecruited growth, a bunch of resources for building magic, but due to inexperience playing on random SoD maps, I forget that to use DD I need to build a Mage Guild, and there's no mana for DD, so HWrulez reminded me of that :) On day 211, red somehow reaches the external tavern about one and a half turns from my native town, recruits Gunnar there, and takes my 3-week growth (including 5 giants). I see 2 Dragon Utopias, so on day 213 I learn that I need to build a Mage Guild :) and start building. I don't manage to finish it, and on my day 214, the madly rushing Gunnar catches me: Gunnar (16 8 7 6) Offense, Armorer, Tactics, Air, Earth, Leadership, 27 mana, 16 scorpicores, 1 mage, 3 angels, 50 upgraded minotaurs, 29 wyverns, 8 KDs, 45 Evil Eyes. Neela (12 12 8 5) no Offense, has Armorer, Tactics, Luck (also wearing +3 morale/luck), Air, Archery. Army: 7 angels, 37 zealots, 52 wyverns, 25 butterflies, 20 upgraded medusas, 6 air elementals, 1 butterfly. Gunnar casts Mass Haste and hits wyverns with angels, then minotaurs hit the same wyverns and, from morale, hit again. I consider this the key moment of the fight. I retreated with 4 angels, leaving Gunnar with 41 Evil Eyes, 15 scorpicores, and 8 wyverns. No towns, no army except these angels. I recruit Neela, attack red's dungeon with 4 angels, where there turned out to be too many troops, and I'm out of mana. I lose 3 angels. Then I get caught with 1 angel by 4 KDs. I can't win the fight without dying myself, so I retreat. Gunnar takes the castle back and holes up in it. I build level 5, they give me DD. I realize I won't be able to out-control my opponent on the map, as he will explore it in a couple of days, so I recruit zombies and skeletons in a necro village (where I built levels) and attack Deemer, who treacherously stood on a well. 1 angel + 6 zombies. Deemer has Meteor Shower for 125. I win without losing the angel. I give the angel and zombies to Solmyr, who was specially prepared for something like this. I replenish his mana and attack Gunnar in the castle. 1 angel + 9 zombies and 1 skeleton each :D Solmyr has 13 spell power and a teapot for 713. Gunnar defended, remaining with Evil Eyes and a couple of scorpicores. Thank you to my opponent for the game =)
p.s. Thanks to all my opponents in the group for the games, to the organizers for the tournament =) Too bad I couldn't perform decently. Somewhere I simply lacked luck, but mostly experience playing random SoD maps. Hope to see you again on the fields of heroic battles.