Posts from CHALLENGE The_ CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, The_'s CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

I also started testing why the blindness and berserk effects didn't work on anyone without the orb, even on ducks? Is this a bug? (With the orb, it worked on everything except skeletons.) I checked all the artifacts 10 times.

Well, we can assume the presence of the Amulet of Courage; it's the only artifact whose effect (immunity to mind control magic for all your troops) is removed by the orb. Or maybe it's Thorgrim at level 100500 :) It seems there are no other options; the other acquired immunities work even with the orb.

An amazing game that, in my mind, wasn't just played on the computer. I could probably draw some of the subtleties, object placements on the map, and the plans and chains if I were woken up in the middle of the night.
We started playing without rests, I was tempted by Shakti's 3 stacks and Dungeon, saw 2 external troglodyte dwellings. Mullich and Gunnar came in. There are 2 obelisks. Go left to the center of the Archipelago. Shakti gets Wisdom, and I decide to take it as the 1st skill in the hope of Expert and a box for magic at the start of the second week (which actually happened on day 123). There were some doubts about the rest, I didn't have multi-level external dwellings, nor a Griffin Conservatory or signs of a respawn. But there was gold, so I decided to let the elves waste their rests. The elves got 5 Griffin Conservatory at the respawn and external dwellings of Hive and Pegasi.
I run down the road to the fork on day 113, grab Flax, who passes through shifted guards into the treasure zone and later builds a fort in the Flax village, still in week 1! On day 114, I spot the first Griffin Conservatory and go there hoping it's (a level) 1, slightly deviating from the road. The chains are ready to take Necropolis and Inferno in the Underground on different sides; fast roads help. But the distances are still significant. 1 Angel, as I wanted, and the computers living in the Underground acknowledge me as their master. (Right at that moment, Iamsamstan joins the game, having recently successfully suicided on Daimond on day 114 as Demons, and I cheered him up by saying he was the first to bend the knee.) I revealed a Griffin Conservatory near Necropolis and a sign — mood is excellent, but a certain marajan keeps saying I should have rested. In the capital, I build 1-5 in the Citadel without a portal. In the conflux, a couple of dwellings; at his respawn, I saw 2 external earth dwellings.
In the second week, I quickly take the level 2 Griffin Conservatory and the sign and head to Flax's treasure zone, as I know for sure that his village is not far from the treasure zone entrance. And from Inferno, no road was generated into the treasure zone at all! Well, I planned to go to Necropolis a bit later, thinking I'd quickly clear Flax's treasure zone. But the only things I could handle there were 10-19 Champions, from which Shakti grabbed all 5 spells! The rest of the guards are completely impossible, and I also revealed 2 Dragon Utopias. I turned around and headed with Lochs towards Necropolis. My mood was ruined by my own Nagas' morale in Naga Banks, forgetting to buy books for the Lochs, and also by the elf army, which already outmatched me on day 124, and on day 127 I realized that Kyrre had already taken a Dragon Utopia. Reaching Necropolis, Gunnar picked up a couple of experience boxes and even got ahead of Shakti. But because of a Pandora's Box, I still preferred to consider the Troglodyte Lord as the main hero, and he takes the level 2 Dragon Utopia for the Titan's Cuirass. After feeding all the meat there, collecting a couple more Hives, and forgetting to refill mana, I dive into the second Dragon Utopia and they give me the КЗ(ambig). In the army: 1 Angel and 21 Wiverns — that's all.
Kyrre's stats are simply off the charts, and most importantly, she already has Archangels (the computers there are: Barbarian, Castle, and Swamp). There was constantly not enough time, even though we played on Mini-Nostalgia with 8 minutes SoD. From day 132 to day 143, every day was the same: runs by Shakti and Gunnar, who together had over 7k movement points and each didn't forget to use Dimension Door and Town Portal. In total, I took about 8 Dragon Utopias, but I still couldn't catch up in stats. I forgot to rebuild castles; I painted the external Phoenix dwelling and stuck it at the computers; I painted 2 external earth dwellings. The Hives were constantly minimal. I was afraid they would attack me on day 137, but that didn't happen. On day 143, after evaluating the situation with scouts, I thought, so he's not interested in the center treasure zone, and I can intercept it. I spent a whole turn to get there and saw everything was already taken. I stopped in front of the library; if I enter, I won't be able to Town Portal back. I take a risk with an army of 45 Wiverns, 8 Phoenixes, 30 Magmas, 4 Angels, and some other less important units from Flax. I am attacked by 14 Archangels, 29 Gr. Unicorns, 50 Wiverns; the rest is unimportant. Mass Haste from the elves, minus all Phoenixes and 22 Wiverns. His stats are higher; I implode — 14 Archangels, and the surrender goes through, phew...
Then, until the end of the week, I build Pits in Inferno and save meat, looking for the Flask (the last component of the Elixir). I myself organize a raid from the Necropolis treasure zone into the opponent's treasure zone — the distance is astronomical. But Gunnar overcomes it, steals a Griffin Conservatory and 3 Hives there, and gets chased away. I clear out Flax's treasure zone; on the market, I pay gold for the Flask:) , Dimension Door down, there's a Dragon Utopia guarded by Devils who are guarding the same Flask — oh well. It seems we were given completely opposite things in Dragon Utopias: I got Cloaks, Orbs of various kinds. He got battle stats and speed. From month 2, I start replenishing the army with Demons; this was quite difficult since I cannot convert Necropolis or Elemental units. Foreseeing this situation, Gunnar captured a Castle of the opponent, spending the entire turn! and took 44 Marksmen and 20 Swordsmen from there, upgrading them to 4 Archangels. Gunnar and Shakti continue hunting for Pandora's Boxes hoping to find some meat. Only, my treasure zone is Flax-based, and from Necropolis it's Necropolis-based((. I see snow and a bunch of artifacts, but I consider this the opponent's zone. Then it dawns on me that this is my Swamp treasure zone from Inferno which has absolutely no roads. I temporarily stopped expanding towards the opponent. To be continued...;)

Added after 17 minutes
18.03.2014 Palach HP (Red, Dungeon, Shakti, Shakti) def Javdet (Blue, Rampart, Kyrre, Kyrre) Mini-Nostalgia 221 Continued

But the opponent started pressuring my Flax, and as a result, by day 217 I realized I couldn't stay overnight in Flax and would have to continue running, but only if I'm left alone now. Then Gunnar will reach the external Tavern, I'll buy out Shakti from there and attack the Castle. The elves were probably afraid I would steal the growth, as I had attempted such things before. And they took my Flax and capital; if Kyrre had chosen a different direction, he would have found Gunnar there, and then I think it would have been over. But after this, the opponent Town Portals to my Flax, abandoning my capital. On day 221, Gunnar makes a desperate forced march and, leaving himself 450 movement points, snatches the Dungeon; there Shakti doubles his mana. And storms the opponent in Flax. Shakti level 23 (Gunnar level 24) vs. Kyrre level 27, I think. Shakti: 34-32-39 stats and 640 mana, 4 Archangels, 5 Angels, 155 Gr. Demons, 75 Gr. Wiverns, 51 Gr. Magmas, 12 Phoenixes, and 23 Psychic Elementals + Elixir, Pendant of... +3+3 morale, luck, and resistance in the form of the Mantle. Kyrre: 34 45 25 stats, 270 mana, 98 Gr. Wiverns, 21 Archangels, 39 Gr. Unicorns, 29 Gr. Serpents, 29 Gr. Pegasi, 28 Gr. Dendroids, and 70 Gr. Elves +3 speed. In round 1, Anti-Magic is cast on the Archangels; I play with Berserk (probably a mistake); his Wiverns resist it; Unicorns blind my Wiverns; the Elves are completely killed by Unicorns and Dendroids. At the end of the round, -4 of my Archangels from the opponent's Archangels' attack. My Archangels return, Anti-Magic on the Wiverns. Implosion for 4800 on the Unicorns goes through, fortunately without surprises. I realize it's going to get bad and crash maximum into the Wiverns. Then the battle came down to draining the opponent's mana; I did various Resurrections + got lucky with poison from my Wyvern Monarchs, and the Wiverns under Anti-Magic melted away. The elves resurrected by the Archangels under the same Anti-Magic didn't cause problems. For me, after the opponent's Armageddon, the plan was to drag with Firebirds; 156 were summoned per cast. In the end, they did the dragging. A rematch took place!
P.S. We played in 3 sessions. I wanted to surrender after the Implosion on the Unicorns and offered the opponent a draw, because it was already 4 AM, but he said the Shackles were on. Of course, I checked and the battle continued. I didn't believe in my victory mid-battle. The battle was quite interesting and had many possibilities.
Thanks for the game!

Well, we can assume there's an artifact that grants courage, as it's the only artifact whose effect (immunity to mind control for all your troops) can be removed by a magic ball. Or maybe Thorgrim at level 100500 :) I don't think there are any other options; the remaining acquired immunities remain effective even when a magic ball is used.

Wow, I didn't know the artifact was that powerful. I didn't even consider that option. Thanks! Are there any other artifacts that grant something that isn't explicitly stated in their description?

Are there any other artifacts that provide benefits not explicitly stated in their descriptions?

Well, regarding vague descriptions, it's worth noting that artifacts that grant a percentage bonus to ranged attack don't work without the corresponding ranged attack skill, that the "Spirit of Despair" artifact only nullifies morale if it's positive, and that all diplomacy artifacts reduce the ransom price by 10%. Also, artifacts that grant movement bonuses on land or at sea don't explicitly state a bonus to movement points (MP), but I don't remember it offhand; you can check in the physics engine.
That's about it, if you don't count the numerous nuances that aren't detailed for artifacts like the "Medal of Vulnerability."
Creatures are much more diverse in this regard. :)

Got Gunnar again and built a stronghold instead of a tower since I got a behemoth dwell. Could steal his main town late week 3 with a horde of wyverns and much else, 37 30, 3 to speed, the health combo and full control on Gunnar. With full control, it was a formality catching Tazar. Thanks for playing.

That's true. You were stuck on the respawn points for a while before getting into the treasure.

Thanks for the game!

After the opponent's armageddon, my plan was to push with fire elementals — 156 were summoned in one go. As a result, they did the carrying. The rematch happened!
P.S. We played in 3 sessions. I wanted to buy myself out after the implosion on the rogues and offered the opponent a draw, because it was already 4 AM, but he said the shackles were equipped. I of course checked and the fight continued. I didn't believe in my victory in the middle of the battle. The battle was quite interesting and had many variables.
Thanks for the game!

I disagree that the battle had many variables. With 640 mana, you could easily summon 3000 elementals, throw around an implosion, and resurrect something.
It's of course a shame to be knocked out of the tournament after 2 similar games on a mininost, with a huge advantage in meat and fighters, but lacking the ability to counter the insane magic. And if against Helllight I myself blundered by not spending a day to pick up the cape, then here I don't even know... Already at the moment of the finale, it became clear that clearing the dungeon with the vortex was a fatal mistake. But there were arguments for not staying the night in the dungeon, such as reluctance to give up the Conflux, and most importantly the castle, where the opponent got a minimum of 7 archangels. And the most needed artifact at that time, the orb, was not available, while the opponent had 3 of them. This, despite the countless number of taken Utopias. After the game, I finally found the orb in the very back corner of the treasure zone, where I would have ventured, probably, only with a full map clear.

Thanks for the game and good luck in the tournament.

Risking an army of 45 Wyverns, 8 Phoenixes, 30 Magmas, 4 Angels, and some other not-so-important units from Conflux. I get attacked by 14 Archangels, 29 GR Horned Demons, 50 Wyverns, the rest is no longer important. Mass Haste from the Elves kills all Phoenixes and 22 Wyverns. The parameters are higher there, I Implode 14 Archangels and the retreat goes through, lucky...

Well, if there were Shackles and KR Ball, the Archangels (only Archangels without the rest of the machine) would have shredded that army into pieces. Generally, the heroes are too disparaging. Because against 14 Archangels this is not a tempo at all, just whatever. I mean, having 14 Archangels against nothing and losing is really frustrating...

If there were shackles and a Chaos Shard, the Archmage (just the Archmage, without the rest of the army) would have crushed this army. In general, the heroes are too diverse. Because against 14 Archmages, this is not a good strategy at all. Having 14 Archmages against nothing and losing is really frustrating...

Let's not forget that this is Heroes of Might and Magic. Although everyone has forgotten about the mages themselves, it is magic that carries almost any battle. And I'm not even talking about control.

If there were shackles and a crimson sphere, the Archmage (just the Archmage, without all the other machines) would have crushed this army. In general, the heroes are too inconsistent. Because against 14 Archmages, it's not even a contest, it's just... well, having 14 Archmages against nothing and losing is really frustrating...

It's even more frustrating to lose when you have powerful magic, but your opponent has shackles, a crimson sphere, and got lucky with the consumables. It's much more inconsistent, as you put it.
P.S. I have nothing against a sphere with a cloak or shackles, I just found that assessment a bit off-putting.

From the start of the speed necklace, a skill column for experience and an external dwelling of Eyes.
In the column, Demereu got Expert Scout, which was quite pleasing.
By week 1, day 12, I was already in my native treasure zone; on day 13, I hit a block and was preparing to head out to one of the central computers.
Demereu got Earth Magic as the next skill and I decided to put him in subfolders, followed by promotion to folder rank :D. Money was tight, so on the first town, I only rebuilt the Eye, even without Harpies, plus a Portal of Summoning. By the second town, the Eye was around 50, a miner in some snowy zone hit 100+ Hobbits for the Legion's belt and then burned 20+ Bulls at a Dragon Fly Hive, decided to turn around. Demereu goes into another monolith, also a treasure zone, combined the troops — turned out decent; Earth Magic was being polished up here too. Plans were to take a couple of consulates that I had revealed, but an opponent who appeared changed them.
I took the opponent's dungeon, and I cut off a leveled-up Pirate. Then the Golem rushed at me; I scouted 4 Angels, 2 Bone Dragons, and a Castle Shaurma there — nothing too serious. He killed himself with a couple of mages against Vokial without any notable stats, killed a few Marksmen and 1 Bone Dragon.
With Demereu, I had a choice: attack or take a Pandora's Box for 20+ Nomads.
I decided in favor of the Pandora's Box, and inside were 70 Hobbits :(. I was routed to the Castle and holed up. I conspicuously withdrew the miner.
My opponent decided there was a noob in the castle and decided to attack.
Against Meteor Shower at 250 and Oil, there was nothing to oppose, and I also forgot to change money for a ransom, so Vokial dies there.
Thanks for the game!

From the start, necklace of speed, skill column on experience, and an external dwelling of eyes.
In the column, Demer got expert scouting, which was quite pleasing.
On 112 I was already in my native treasure zone, on 113 I hit a block and was preparing to head out to one of the central computers.
Demer's next skill gave earth magic, and I decided to put him in subfolders, subsequently raising him to folder rank :D. Money was tight, so on the first town rebuild only the eye dwelling, even without harpies, plus a portal. On the second town the eyes reached nearly 50, a miner in some snowy zone ran into 100+ hobbits behind the legion's waistline and then burned 20+ bulls for a Dragon Fly Hive, decided to turn back. Demer goes into another monolith, also a treasure zone, united the troops, it turned out not bad, and earth magic is being leveled up here. Plans to take a couple of cons that were revealed, but the opponent who arrived changed them.
I took the opponent's dungeon, and I intercepted a leveled-up pirate. Then he came at me with a strong force, I see 4 angels, 2 bone dragons, and a castle shawarma there, nothing too serious. He killed himself with a couple of mages against Vokial without significant stats, killed a few marksmen and 1 bone dragon.
Demer had a choice to attack or take a pandora's box for 20+ nomads.
I decided in favor of the pandora's box, and inside it were 70 hobbits :( . I was defeated at the castle and holed up. I demonstratively pulled the miner away.
The opponent thought there was a noob in the castle and decided to attack.
Against a meteor shower at 250 and oil, there was nothing to oppose, and I also forgot to convert money for a buyout, so Vokial dies there.
Thanks for the game!

Well, I had a very interesting game, a thousand difficult battles, but as luck would have it, while checking the castle, I overlooked the army (I thought everything were single units). In the end, I attacked without thinking, without converting from 5 markets for a buyout, for which I paid the price.

Thanks for the game!

A sad start, only one road, though the guards on the second town are decent. Tamika arrived and some same-faction Necril on the snow. Goshan entered on the 2nd week. Took a couple of hives, managed to get going somehow, and headed into the treasure zone. It was wildly lucky there — I got KV from the grave! Gathering the treasure zone loot — a couple of hives, one conserve, and in the very corner — a level 5 hat. On the 3rd week, I take the Dragon Utopia on the adjacent map. The drops are gorgeous — sword and shield +12. At 137, I take Stinger's main and the second town-Tower; there, 5 GM is built up with TP and DD. Then the positional game begins. In the end, I take all the castles and catch up to Moner. He has a red sphere and AOTD, but my power is many times greater and I have a powerful stack of archmagi with bows. Thanks for the game!

Carried the game with my skill:river: Thanks for the game!

Carried the game with skill :river: Thanks for the game!

Thanks for the game!

19.03.2014 twaryna (Blue, Tower, Solmyr, Galthran) def =Stinger= (Red, Stronghold, Gunnison, Monere) 2sm4d(3) 212

A sad start, only one road, fortunately the guards on the secondary were decent. Tamika came and daddy's Necril on the snow. On the 2nd week, Gosh entered. Took a couple of hives, developed somehow, and went to the treasure zone. It's going crazy there — I pull КВ out of the grave! Collected the treasure zone — a couple of hives, Griffin Conservatory 1, and in the very corner — a level 5 hat. On the 3rd week, I take the Dragon Utopia in the adjacent zone. They give generously — sword and shield +12. On 137, I take Stinger's main and the secondary tower, there's a level 5 Mage Guild built with Town Portal and Dimension Door. Then the positional game begins. In the end, I take all the castles and catch up with Monere. There's a Red Sphere and Armor of the Damned, but my power is many times greater and I have a strong stack of Archmagi with the Bow. Thanks for the game!

Played the third week a bit incoherently, wasted all the noobs from the prisons with Dimension Door for nothing, got caught once, eventually gathered Armor of the Damned with Crown of the Supreme Magi and Bracers, but it didn't save me.
Thanks for the game.