Posts from The Final Battle 8

Are we again forced to play with the SOD timer?

Yes, the voting on Pete's chess timer poll hasn't concluded yet, so Sod timer remains the primary one.

or maybe conduct a poll among the participants?
it would be more logical, in my opinion.

By eliminating unbalanced and broken templates, we scratched out a balanced Jebus.
We took the most tempo-oriented castles.
We chose all restarts.
Just like the old-school pros.
Shakhti comes in with 3 stacks; near the Castle on the road there's a Pandora's Box with 1-4 Ghost Dragons; he cleared it with a loss of the secondary hero and 8 Troglodytes. The Pandora's Box turned out empty.
The spread isn't great — not much gold, there are 2 Dragon Fly Hives, and he got Gauntlets.
On day two I find a third Hive, an external Manticore dwelling, cleared a prison with a native hero level 10, checked the Dragon Fly Hive — 8-12 Wyverns. Even though I have a decent Troglodyte stack, I don't want to lose them there. The scout hero from the prison checks the Witch Hat — it has Logistics. Shakhti already has Air Magic and Logistics.
I open the view area — I see part of the center, GO — a horde of Enchanters, before the exit from the spawn there's a box behind a horde of Dogs and Shackles of War.
113 — I clear the guard of the third Hive, which was blocking the road — 48 Pegasi with Grand Haste. There I lost a few troops — minus 2 Medusas, 5 Evil Eyes, and 15 Troglodytes. Further on, a prison, from which a hero ran forward along the path and found a Pandora's Box behind a horde of Gog. Shakhti takes the Pandora's Box at the cost of the remaining Evil Eyes and Medusas and gets 25 Evil Eyes.
I run behind the third Hive, because there's another Pandora's Box there behind a horde of Nomads, which gives 10K experience on 114. I build GM1.
Shakhti with Logistics, Air Magic, and Pathfinding.
115 — I picked up +1XP with a scout, an external Manticore dwelling, built a portal, and took the max Hives with Shakhti, losing 4 Manticores and a few Evil Eyes. The scouts took the mini-Hives.
116 — I took another mini-Hive with Shakhti, built Manticores, and stood with them near a Dragon Utopia which is slightly above the castle. The scouts by chain took the last Hive with 8 Wyverns. I took 2 external Troglodyte dwellings and 1 Harpy dwelling.
117 — the scouts cleared +5 Club, and Shakhti takes the mini Dragon Utopia 13 8 (28 Wyverns, 100 Troglodytes, 16 Harpies, 2 Manticores); I lost all the secondary hero and 1 Wyvern.
I got Wings. I split into Dungeon, double my Mana (now 80), and run to the GO.
121 — I clear a Pandora's Box with a level 10 scout with Expert Wisdom — it gives all the Earth Magic. Shakhti had basic Wisdom.
I upgrade Manticores and beat the Enchanters, losing Cats, Evil Eyes, Medusas, and 1 Wyvern.
I run to the Genies guarding the Sentinel's Shield and a Pandora's Box.
I dump everything on them except the Wyverns. I stop near the central castle — Tower.
122 — I bring 14 upgraded Harpies to the scout with all Earth Magic; he clears the Shackles, another scout runs to the central castle, where I place a view area, from which I can see Galtran with 5-9 Angels and up to 100+ Skeletons.
Parameters are unimpressive (11 8 10 5). I visit a Library; I wanted to attack immediately, but I make a mistake by running to visit another one and fall one tile short of him. I stay in the Shackles, because I have no gold, but there is hope for Mass Haste and parameters. Shakhti 13 26 9 (35)
Galtran attacks on his turn. There are 5 Angels, 4 Wyverns, 140 Skeletons, and a Shield.
I couldn't buy myself out from him.
Thanks for the game!

Thanks for the game!

We played full random, took all the rests, then I got a dungeon with Shakti with 3 stacks: GOGOGO

On 113, 114 I take the gold mines, at home the Eyes, Harpies in the Citadel, in the Necropolis the 2nd Mage Guild with Blind and Ice Bolt. Shakti was leveling as he usually does with HL+U, i.e., poorly, but was level 10.

On 121 I break through to the opponent, slightly short of reaching the main town, where the whole army was, but that wasn't needed — it would have been a red rush.

On his turn, the opponent retakes his Necropolis, buys a clean Djelar there, and runs to where I came from. On 122 I retake both castles, attack with the miner, I have 180 Troglodytes, 18 Eyes, several Gr. Harpies, there are 36 Marksmen, Skeletons, Fakes, -2 morale :D The advantage was too great.

Thanks for the game!

For templates XL+U (8mm6a, 8xm12a, 6lm10a, Spider, Nostalgia) – 21m + 8m + 1m15s
For the Jebus Cross XL-U template – 24m + 8m30s + 1m30s
For templates Diamond, Mini-Nostalgia, Anarchy – 19m + 8m + 1m15s
For templates 2SM4d(3), balance, Panic – 16m + 6m30s + 1m

Secondly, the forum's opinion on red rush in XL+U templates has changed. 39 players voted to remove the ban (64%), and 22 players voted to keep the ban (36%). Therefore, I have made amendments to our rules:

II.2.1.1. Red rush is prohibited on all templates except those of size XL+U:...
and
Quote:
III.2. Templates of size XL+U...
...
Clarification:
Red rush is allowed.