I’m not an expert on 2-player (as I almost exclusively play 3+) but…
You two seem to be debating 1-2 vs red-green, but it seems to me that 1-red is possibly better than red-green. If you’re interested in saving 3m, you still get that, and it’s still two clues for three plays. A poor draw could block the extra save of 3m, but only a 2m draw can block cluing 2r.
The real advantage of red-green is allowing player 2 to clue 1s immediately, but you don’t actually want player 2 to clue 1s immediately. If you have a 1 on chop, player 2 would have to either clue by colour (not necessarily cluing that 1, just a 1) or risk the discard. However, you know that risking your discard is safe, so putting player 2 in that position is not a problem.
So you really need to think through the sequences, not just the efficiency of clues in one direction. With 1-red, the play goes either:
A: Clue 1s
B: play 1r
A: clue red
Or:
A: clue 1s
B: clue colour
A: clue red
Or:
A: clue 1s
B: clue 5s
A: clue red
The third sequence should only occur if A has a 5 on chop. The second sequence should only occur if A has a 1 on chop and a 1 cluable by colour (and the two may be the same). Knowing that, the deductions can be made for appropriate follow-on plays. In the third scenario, if the clued colour is green or red, A discards the clued card, which gives B information about their 1s. (Although, there is a risk that the cluable 1 is 1m.)
Of course, this all goes out the window if Black Powder is added.
. I think we can leave it with that. We won't find an answer for what convention is better through discussing it here.
