Posts from Favorites, to battle! - 6 - The Battle of Favorites! - 6 Auto-translated

9лм10а is a very challenging map.

10.11.2013 theShevanesian (blue, Swamp, Tazar) def GoedenDag (red, Tower, Aine, Gunnar) 6LM10A 132

I played mediocre; scouted three conservatories in different zones, a couple of hives (all far apart from each other and through swamp zones); somehow managed to take them by 133, and the plan was to take the Dragon Utopia, but my opponent, lacking gold, couldn't handle the computer. Thanks for the game!

Group O. 05.11.2013 SVAROG (red, Necropolis, Clavius, Clavius/Charna) def JustObserver (blue, Conflux, random, Fiur, Tamika) Diamond 135
In the first week I scouted 3 Dragon Fly Hives and a couple of Griffin Conservatories, captured a cloak +2/-2, a small shield +2, homes 1-5 in the Citadel, in the army 140 skeletons. I didn't build horses, decided to buy on 121. Didn't touch the comps until the end of the game. Charna got Earth.
At the start of the week I scouted another Dragon Fly Hive and a Griffin Conservatory, didn't make the growth in time, killed 38 ogres for a breastplate +1 to all.
122 Dragon Fly Hives on 8 Wyverns.
123 another Dragon Fly Hive on 8 Wyverns (in it - 1 duck). Charna expert Earth with slow.
124 Clavius Dragon Fly Hive on 4 Wyverns, Charna's level 2 Griffin Conservatory, sat in the dungeon village, there's a Mage Guild.
125 Charna double-mana, 80+ ogre shamans for a box, in it 10k experience, gives everything needed, to Wisdom and Earth, Logistics, Attack, Air.
126 I jump Charna into the library, and with Clavius a box for 5 experience, Dwarf Cottage 30-stack, Clavius also in order level 10 with expert Logistics, Attack, Tactics.
127 With Clavius I lose 1 angel somewhere unclear, Dragon Fly Hive on 4 Wyverns, pass troops down the chain to Charna and pick up a kettle for 70 fanatics.
131 level 2 Griffin Conservatory, capture a quest artifact for 50+ iron golems.
132 another level 2 Griffin Conservatory.
133 thinking where to break through, see a passage through the treasure zone to the blue player.
134 in the treasure zone a box for 50+ demons on 15 master genies.
135 a box for Charna for 6 gold on 15k experience, pass troops to Clavius.
On my turn the Blue player attacks: Clavius level 14 16 17 15 13 (40) advanced Air, no slow, army 5 angels 600 skeletons 22 ducks single genies. The rear was covered by Charna level 19 with expert Air, Earth.
Tamika level 16 4 22 10 8 (52) expert Attack, Defense, advanced Tactics, army 2 birds 4 angels 100+ skeletons 5 ducks and others.
The Blue player casts slow, my genies cast anti-magic on the skeletons, Haste on the ducks, feared Armageddon, but got lucky, the Blue player surrenders. Thanks for the game!!!

10.11.13 Piterius (red, Castle, Valeska, Dessa) def Scorpiona (blue, Dungeon, Shakti, Shakti), 8mm6a, 214

Next week, I suggest the blue team concedes, as I see little activity from them, which means they have no control. After thinking about it for a couple of days and highlighting the parameters of Dessa and the red orb, the blue team finally concedes.

Thanks for the game!

Group E
Defiant (red, Castle, Valeska) def Akella (blue, Rampart, Ivor, Kyrre) 2sm4d(3) 141

We played in two sessions with a very long break, so I can't recall the details. Valeska leveled poorly and never learned any magic until the end of the game; the only useful skills that saved me were Tactics and Archery. The double was dealt, but the roads were average and very winding, so the chains didn't connect well. My respawn + native secondary occupied half the map, so I spent 2 weeks clearing them. On week 3, I went into the underground treasure zone, picked up a couple of Naga Banks, hives with 16 Wyverns, Titan's Armor, and Sentinel's Shield. On day 137, I planned to break through with Valeska into the next treasure zone and use the heroes to collect hives and unclaimed secondaries, but I suddenly discovered that the opponent had broken through the ГО. The only thing that saved me was that he didn't quite reach the castle. I hastily changed plans, broke through in the main; there could be no question of transporting from the native secondary. I barely managed to bring the army to the castle for Valeska and bought troops in the main, and also built GM2, which gave Ice Bolt for 250. That would be fine, but I only had 8 mana. On my day 141, the opponent brought reinforcements and attacked.

Valeska 9-21-12-8 (8) — 11 Champions, 32 Crusaders, 78 Marksmen, a stack of Pikemen, 16 Wyverns, 6 Monks.
Kyrre 9-14 with 18 mana. 1 Angel, 28 Grand Pegasi, 80 Grand Elves, 16 Wyverns, 12 Grand Stallions, a stack of Centaurs and Dendroids.

The towers hit the Grand Elves. I blocked all the Marksmen, cast Ice Bolt on the Grand Elves, and shot at them. The stack noticeably melted, and the return volley was weak (even despite the Bless cast in the first round. It later turned out the opponent had Slow; perhaps I should have cast it immediately, but who knows). In round 2, Slow was cast on me, but the Marksmen were already blocked, and the meatshield under 21 defense was too thick, and the walls hadn't been breached yet either; the Stallions and Dendroids were out of range. The opponent wrote gg.

Thanks for the game.

Group A.
08.11.2013. Oldboy [red, Stronghold, Dessa, Dessa] def shameonyou [blue, Conflux, random Labetha, Gretchin], Spider, 131

didn't play particularly well, and to top it off, even though I had a lot of good options, on turn 131 as red, I exposed myself, rushing in without gaining any advantage to take the opponent's barbarian town for the sake of gaining an advantage (which I couldn't even buy out).

what saved me, if I can use that word, was a miracle.
my noobishness reached its peak in that turn, and Dessa, after milling around the captured town, realized that he was short about 15 movement points to settle in for the night and ended up standing on the road.

the opponent, of course, buys everything and counterattacks.
based on the balance of power, I would lose the battle without a chance; they have more troops and higher combat stats, I have a stronger mage, but the opponent has enough mana for the first 3-4 rounds of the battle.
but the battle isn't in a town; there's terrain, and on the battlefield, I see an island for my two-tile thunderbirds, which the opponent's two-tile units can't reach (which are the main stacks - firebirds and wyverns).
http://www.twitch.tv/oldboytv/b/475666339
the opponent could have occupied the island at the beginning of the battle, but to be fair, then 8 firebirds would have been destroyed by my angels without a response.
it wasn't until later that I started thinking; first, I charged in head-on, and only when the birds, using their speed advantage, after waiting, wiped out my team (there was still a dangerous stack of about 75 wolves), and only 1.5 of the 5 angels remained, did I hide on the island. The angels hold off the opponent's single-tile units while I kill them with arrows, especially since they are all already under mass curse.

a stalemate situation; shameonyou is, of course, in shock, and I am too; I haven't been in such a situation myself, even though I've read about it. The opponent ends the game because he can't believe that such a thing is allowed by the rules.
we send the save (or rather, I send the stream recording) to the judges.
after reviewing, the judges decide that the situation doesn't warrant special attention - it's just a normal stalemate - the attacker should retreat.
(I was basically willing to agree not to insist if the rules were changed to reflect that this situation would be treated differently in the future, and I even suggested changes to the rules, but it's not that simple... but since, if I end up in such a situation as the attacker in the next game, I'll also be stuck, then we'll play by the rules that exist).

there's no money for a bribe; surrender.

11/14/2013 bubuch (red, Necropolis, Clavius, Clavius) def GoedenDag (blue, Tower, Nila, Nila) 6LM10a 141

Thank you for the game.