But if in SoD this can only be countered by insane resistance, in HotA there are at least 2 options: Ogre's Fist and the Cloak from level 2-1.
However, the opponent only remembered the Cloak after the game, even though there were 2 copies lying around, one of which belonged to the opponent.
But it went the way it went.
Regarding the game -- there was a bugged passage into a treasure zone with a bunch of Zealots. At first I was happy and went in there on week 2, but I rushed(( the treasure zone turned out to be tough, I lost troops, but most importantly, I wasn't covering the map.
I didn't collect all the Zealots (guards like a horde of Cyclopes or strong packs of Sea Witches/Eyes couldn't be beaten without Angels, and sadly, Cons was not visible).
When I got out, the opponent already had stats over 20!
In my part of the map, there were absolutely no stat-boosting artifacts. In HotA, it's somehow worse with that(( also slowed down by the fact that for a very long time there were no Logs or speed artifacts.
But I took Conflux as a "noob" under the underground, started building a Citadel there, rushed a Mama there just in time for the built Town Portal, and ate a nearby box with all the Air elementals!
Could take Dragon Utopias that had no direct path.
I got lucky going with Jedite at level 5, who got a Scholar with Expert Earth, barely leveled him before the Dragon Utopias.
From them too, at first crap dropped -- mostly red balls :eek: but they also gave Wings)) With their help, the "noobs" collected something around towns, but the opponent had multiple times more troops all game.
But I'm collecting for the AotD orb, with the Golden Bow in addition :smile12: waited for Jeremy in the Castle a couple of times -- once I thought they would take my main on day 211, and just then the red boss appeared in that bugged treasure zone and, in principle, could have run over.
Because of that, I essentially skipped a turn with Mama, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get back home.
But they didn't attack, instead they upgraded a horde of Dwarves and almost reached my Swamp. I land there -- but they run past, and the purple Tavern with a Capitol turns red.
I decide to hold there, result is known: no Ogre's Fist or Green Cloak :smile10: despite the fact that Jeremy's Towers shot insanely and there were morale artifacts -- they killed the troops that flew into the Castle and the suddenly crapping themselves Dwarves -- but I managed to shoot them all down anyway.
GG, thanks for the game, good luck in the lower bracket :)
(с) Roger Zelazny