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Group G
10.01.2012 Slyner (red, Stronghold, Crag Hack, Crag Hack) def Nolife (blue, Castle, Valeska, Valeska), 2sm4d(3), 224.
We started for a long time, although we each took one restart, if the ICQ logs are to be believed. I don't remember myself — we played for 10 hours.
111. Wolves not built. I'm building. Scouting. The very first skeleton I came across on the road dropped a Necklace of Speed. Then immediately scouted my native secondary behind the Nomads and two Dragon Fly Hives right under the castle. The wood mine seems blocked by the Dragon Fly Hive guard, but maybe it can be bypassed. In any case, I already had wood for Birds in the castle on 111 (I took resource bonus). The ore mine is accessible. An Observatory is visible below. Crystals are visible above behind a horde of Zombies. I'm definitely playing.
112. I scout the passage to a swamp secondary behind the Wolf Raiders, where a Dwarf Cottage is located right behind the guard. Not far from the castle is a Stable, where I send Crag and everyone nearby. I build Birds. The road to the right, as it turned out, leads to a SECOND NATIVE secondary! The setup is definitely starting to please me. I open the Observatory, see the GO, and behind it I can see Valeska with unupgraded Archers (meaning level 2 wasn't built either) shaking a Crypt. The opponent has a yet-unexplored Griffin Conservatory visible.
113. A day's travel in any direction and the home respawn ended. I upgrade Birds, clear the remaining resources, level Crag a bit. No place to go, I need to push into the secondary. I think about which one is closer to the opponent. I decide to go left and break through 20-49 Nomads. Risky, but no other choice.
114. Don't want to lose tempo, so I don't wait for the scout to bring Troglodyte chow and attack the Nomads. I lose almost all Goblins and Wolves, but saved all Birds and Crag got Earth. I send in the scout hero. Another Stable and an Orc external dwelling along the way. Excellent. I also build Orcs at home.
115. I break through blockers along the way and just manage to reach the castle. Crag already has Expert Earth, and immediately after that they give Air! A miracle setup! I always dreamed that someday something like this would come up. I pop the Tavern — the opponent still has no secondary. I'm pleased. I build a Guild, buy Crag a spellbook. No Haste, no Slow. Well, can't have everything at once and in abundance... I look over the respawns and realize there's nowhere to get gold, and I can forget about Bears this week. I build a Market at home.
116. I leave some meat chow in the secondary, give Crag 3 Birds and send him sideways to wander, looking for gold. Crag finds little gold, which is very disappointing. The scout goes scouting upwards, finds some gold, one sits in the chain, the other two hang around home with nothing to do. From this moment my brain-fart begins. I build a Citadel at home, Birds in the secondary.
117. Another scout goes scouting downwards, finds an exit to the opponent off-road. The thought of a rush appears, if I can buy up all the Birds and shake both Dragon Fly Hives. Hoping to find gold, Crag prowls around the secondary. He finds little gold, but finds a couple of defense boosts and an entrance to the underground treasure zone. No activity at home — the scouts have nothing to do — everything is scouted, everything is taken, no point going anywhere without the main stack.
Week summary: At home, with trade, I build a Castle, in the secondary a Citadel. Birds in both. Crag level 7, 8-5-1-1, Expert Attack, Expert Earth, Advanced Air.
121. I build Orcs in the secondary. A bit of trading and I buy out the Orcs from the external dwelling and the secondary. I buy Gundula in the secondary with fresh growth, combine the Orcs, the remaining starting meat and bring them to Crag. I break through the horde of Boars guarding the entrance to the treasure zone, losing three Orcs and some meat. Below, the passage is guarded by a horde of Gargoyles. Without Birds I don't climb — I don't want more losses. Then Crag clears a Ring of the Dragon +1 Attack/Defense and scouts Dragon Wings. I build an upgraded Goblins at home.
122. Crag clears the Wings, gets Tactics and scouts another Orc external dwelling. For some reason he runs off to clear it himself, which takes him even further off the road. In the secondary I build a Tavern, pop it: the opponent still has no secondary, but in gold and resources he's in the lead.
123. Next to the Orc external dwelling there turned out to be resources, a level 2 Chapel and a scroll. All this was guarded by a pack of Efreeti, so the second external dwelling is out of reach. Later I never got around to it — it's far away. I return the main stack to the chain. It's high time for Crag to split back home, but there's no spare gold, and I don't want to trade for nothing at a loss. I build upgraded Wolves at home and distribute them to the scouts, thereby shortening the chain.
124. I finally decide to break the lower guard of the treasure zone to send the scout hero there, which wastes one day and one Bird dies somewhat carelessly. Annoying and painful, but okay. I still have 7 in the secondary and 6 at home. But the realization that I started playing stupidly has already set in. I think about how to save the situation. I build a Market in the secondary.
125. I trade, buy up Birds. I return the main stack. I decide to clear the crystals near the road along the way and some more resources + Crag will take another boost. I mess up the positioning and troop transfer, losing another day as a result. I build nothing and almost no one moves. Everyone waits for the brain-farted main stack on the left.
126. The main stack finally departs. Along the way, the crystals, a chest and a couple of resources are cleared + Crag gets an attack boost. In the main town, Birds are bought up, the main stack is transferred to the waiting Shiva and she breaks through the passage to another native secondary. It really is one. A second native secondary. Shiva opens an Observatory and scouts an unoccupied town on the swamp respawn, an entrance to a portal and to the underground, a Griffin Conservatory (finally!) and a Naga Bank. We clearly need to go there. I build nothing — no gold. But the movement has finally started. I send Gundula to scout the treasure zone.
127. Shiva breaks through to the castle and captures it. Passes further into the chain 14 Birds and a pathetic 9 Orcs remaining from their former glory. With trading, I build a Castle in the first secondary.
Week summary: terrible brain-fart and slacking. I conducted battles sloppily, lots of stupid losses. Did almost nothing useful, dissatisfied with myself. Bears aren't even on the horizon, barely bought up the Bird growth. But a double double-build. Crag level 9, 10-7-5-3. + Advanced Tactics.
131. Crag finally reaches home. On the way, he stopped at a Fountain, doubled his mana. In the capital I build a Guild and finally get Slow. In the secondary-2 I build a Market.
132. Crag gets 21 Birds through trade and runs to smash everything in his path on his respawn. Positions himself under the Cyclops dwelling. In the Tavern, Monere. I buy him out to support Crag.
133. We break the Cyclops dwelling, then a Dragon Fly Hive behind Master Pits for 8 Ducks and another Dragon Fly Hive also for 8.
134. Crag clears a Legion Head from Master Air Elementals, takes boosts and levels up a bit. In secondary-2, Birds are built. All chains are ready to transport growth Legions, but there's still no gold.
135. Blue breaks through the passage to secondary-1 and sends a scout hero on an out-of-nowhere upgraded Barbarian Dog. A 4th castle on the map? (replay showed: Mercenary Camp). Meanwhile, Crag breaks through the swamp guard and captures a Dwarf Cottage for 20. I build Town Halls everywhere — what should have been built a week and a half ago.
136. Blue's scout hero sneaks further. A second, third follow him. Unacceptable. I give Gundula 5 Orcs and 1 Dog and drive the scoundrel away. Can't catch the other two, but already want to kill them. I hide Gundula in the underground so the opponent can see him. Crag scouts the Griffin Conservatory on the swamp road — max or near-max. Positions himself nearby on the road waiting for singles.
137. Blue's Wystan with two upgraded Dogs dives into the underground and runs into a trap. The third scout hero flees back to his side. I need all my scouts now, so I don't give chase. Singles are brought to Crag, the Griffin Conservatory (triple) is cleared without losses. Crag levels up on the surrounding guards and captures the castle, staying the night there on the road. A Wyvern takes Monere, and clears a Dwarven Flail on the way to the Griffin Conservatory behind a Storm Lotza. The Flail is off-road and there's no one to bring swamp singles. As a result, zero-level Monere loses 1 Wyvern. In the main town, Bears are finally built. I wanted to build Wyverns in the swamp, but due to frequent trades, I didn't have enough wood.
Week summary: in secondary-2 Birds in the Citadel, in the main town Bears + another town. Crag level 14, 15-9-9-5
141. In the capital, 6 Birds, a few Orcs and a dozen Goblins for singles are bought up and brought to Crag. Monere scouted the Griffin Conservatory — max or near-max. The scout hero sent into the portal scouts a Dragon Utopia in the treasure zone. The treasure zone on the other side exits to my own secondary-1 — convenient for transporting troops.
142. Crag breaks the Naga Bank, which turned out to be minimal. Bad. No gold. I was really counting on the Naga Bank.
143. We replenish mana and charge into the portal, which leads to the treasure zone.
145-216. Crag scours the treasure zone: Sword +6 Attack, Dragon Fly Hive for 8, Pandora's Box for 15K and 10K experience, Chain Mail +4 Attack/Defense + near-max Dragon Utopia. Gave a Shield +12 Defense/-3 Attack, a Book of Air (finally Haste! it wasn't in any of the four castles and no Chapel was found) and gold for buying up. That's it. Time to go kill Blue.
217. I split Crag back home and then notice that Blue is coming themselves: Valya positioned herself on Angels near the GO. I start buying up and bringing the accumulated growth.
221. Blue captures that very Observatory near the GO and spots my reinforcements. Valya kills two scouts with reinforcements: 13 Birds, 20 Orcs, 20 Wolves and almost a hundred Goblins died in 3 seconds. But she doesn't attack Crag in the castle. I sit waiting for the attack.
222. Valya casually doubles her mana at the Fountain near my capital. I bring a small growth, kill one of Blue's scouts on the way.
223. Another of Blue's scouts flees towards my other secondary. I buy back fallen Gundula, give her two Birds and kill the scout.
224. Valya kills Gundula and positions herself one day from my secondary, leaving me no choice but to attack myself.
FB.
Crag — level 20, 20-27-9-6, Expert Offense, Earth, Air, Tactics, Wisdom, Archery, Defense.
126 Master Goblins, 116 Master Orcs, 12 Bears, 21 Wyverns, 177 Master Wolves, 6 Angels, 55 Birds
Valya — level 20, 19-15-7-10, Expert Leadership, Archery, Air, Offense, Earth, Wisdom, Advanced Water.
20 Fanatics, 99 Master Archers, 8 Angels, 25 Crusaders, 56 Master Griffins, 20 Champions, 38 Wyverns
I advance with Expert Tactics, cast Haste and start mixing it up. Without waiting for my turn to end, the opponent writes GG. I tried this fight without the Necklace of Speed, on grass, and if Valeska attacks... Still no chance.
Thanks for the interesting game!
P. S. First and last time I write a report like this — 5 hours of time down the drain.
P. P. S. Looked at it again and was stunned — a whole treatise...
