Relative card evaluations, strategy discussion.

[RoyalRook]

Gen 3 or 4.

I quickly watched the beginning of this game. It was funny. This was not Gen 4 or even Gen 3. This was a Gen 2 draft, meaning the first draft in the game. And that's not all. The opponent had already played an Earth Office in Gen 1.
But the funniest thing is that the opponent had the first pick from this pack. And his first pick was Asteroid Mining (he already had 2 titanium production, AMC in hand, and 0 titanium prod on opponent). And he got Earth Catapult back as his 3rd pick.
And the opponent also spent his titanium on Ganymede Colony gen 1.
Honestly, everything I've seen (starting picks, first generation, and draft) was bad on both sides. But it's just a game, no one has to play perfectly. The main thing is that you had fun.

Thank you Pikasso for taking the time to review this game, b/c I didn't bother. So, you are saying this was gen 2, draft 1? And Earth Cat was passed back to earth office as 3rd pick? I am so into the holiday spirits right now, and I am feeling very very religious. This whole thread is an act of the TM archangel Highlander, who compelled Wacky to confess and repent to his TM sins against Saint Phobolog.

Wacky and anyone who has other questions on draft/prelude choices, please DO do more posts, this is how everyone learns. This is a good discussion, meta in a community is built this way. I appreciate all the participations and happy holidays.

[Wacky1]

Oh Archangel of T Mars, please forgive my sins. I passed Earth Cat thinking my opponent would be glutted on titanium and have few non-titanium credits to spare. I now see the error, I repent! Through my fault, my most grievous fault. I hereby affirm my intent to draft Earth Cat always.




I had a game recently where I drew Earth Cat on the last turn. I still ended the game with heat / greeneries, played it, played anti grav (which I just drew) and a few other cards. I will continue atoning for my transgressions.

[Glados93]

This is an enjoyable post

Here is a slightly tougher draft decision:

3p prelude, Tharsis board gen 2, 1st draft.
1 ocean is placed.
You are Mining Guild with research outpost and Earth Cat played + algae in hand.

Draft: Viral Enhancers, Arctic Algae, Commercial District, + useless card.

You go first after draft and have energy prod + surplus of steel so can play the chosen pick immideatly. Noone has plant prod.

Pick arctic to fight Gardner, support your city with greeneries and maintain game tempo control?

Pick viral and hope for engine payoff?

Pick commercial for a point, 4mc prod and steel prod?

[HighlanderKG]

Its just Viral, no contest in 3p. In 2p it would be closer between Algae and Viral, but I would still pick Viral. If you make yourself a target with Arctic, you incentivize your opponents to throw oceans and asteroids which will kill your plants and push the game pace. With -3 global discount, you want a long game, if it goes to gen 10+, I can't imagine a scenario in which you lose.

I also wouldn't bother competing for milestones such as Gardener unless it is natural, because you push the game pace, and if it requires standard project with -3 global on cards that's a very awful deal. You should get builder as MG without much trouble and in 3p that one milestone is enough.

[Wacky1]

I play so little 3p I cannot give what I would consider an intelligent opinion. In 2p, I just always defer to Artic Algae. Viral E is an amazing card but Artic Algae squarely puts one parameter (oceans) so far in your favor. I know my ELO bracket is not the most competitive but often (again in 2p) one player will play Artic A and the other will simply avoid playing oceans for a long while. More than once an opponent played Artic A and I never played an ocean until after they passed on the last gen when ended it via Lake Maneris etc etc. They lost out on the placement bonuses (they still get to use the plants but not the ocean adjacencies, placement bonuses etc). Anyways I am happy to read strategy including 3p strategy; for 2p, that's what I would play.

One last note : in the scenario provided Commercial District has a ton of upside; it is a steel card (which is huge for mining guild, often runs out of steel cards to play) and places a tile (to get more steel prod etc).

Much closer than it seems at first glance.

[RoyalRook]

Me and Highlander came up around the same time from the steam community, and plays bit differently over the years. I am a control, alpha seeker who likes to dominate the tempo. On the other hand, I think Highlander is far more passive and has more balanced approach than even me, whom like to hedge my bets.

I would highly recommend Arctic Algae here, if I am on tempo with global -3 the only way to beat me is to take tempo from me and rush out the game. Which cards can do that? Media Group, Optimal Aerobraking, Loans, Indentured Workers, GIA, Big Asteroid, Deimo, Standard Technology, and the grand daddy of them ALL: ARCTIC ALAGE, biggest market disrupter. As a control, I would NEVER give my food any outs, not for production, not for money, and certainly NOT for the useless card.

What makes the pick even sweeter is that I also get to short Viral Enhancer, they won't get paid unless they pay me premium first to drop oceans or raise heat, which open up to more ocean options for me. Finally, it's your 1st pick, which means your opponents may blindly pass ocean cards to you at least during this generation, while you KNOW seat down has Viral Enhancer. And if you hold, develop and greed Arctic Algae, you get TWO round of blind ocean drafts. That just beautiful gg, while you are keeping the tempo all to yourself, knowing your opponent(s) lost a huge out.

With my playstyle, those greeneries are cute, I will take free stuff; But I really just care about maintaining my dominance.

[SuperPikasso]

There is no universal answer here. It depends on what our opponents are playing. Especially the one we pass the next card to. Is their start more rush or engineering? Do they have heat production? If opponent is ecoline or unmi or has protected habs, we definitely don't want to give him AA. Or maybe it's a vitor with mars u, and we definitely won't give him viral. It also depends on what cards we have in our hand. Do we have oceans? Bio combo? Science payoffs? Both cards are extremely good here and we definitely never keep commercial over them at this stage of the game.

[Glados93]

Thanks for the input guys!

Yeah this draft decision was interesting, as is also evidenced by the different opinions here. All agree that commercial is not good enough and that the choice is between Viral and Arctic. The only card on your hand is Algae (5 ocean requirement plant prod card) and the opponents are engine Vitor and midrange Terractor. You are passing to Terractor.

I think Viral is the correct pick, as we already have -3mc global so the potential science and bio payoff from Viral is huge. Additionally, passing Arctic makes the other player icentivized to play oceans getting your Algae online sooner. Arctic algae is also a plant hate magnet in 3p, which Viral can somewhat avoid. Finally, pushing for Gardner has -3 global MG would likely mean SP’ing oceans, which is very suboptimal from this game state. Rather, accept builder award and feed the engine hoping to push the game to gen10+

[RoyalRook]

You could be passing arctic algae to optimal and GIA, that could ruin your game. Viral Enhancer won't be enough to over come your discounts, and if they want to play science against your engine that's fantastic.

Also get arctic algae to naturally trigger your algae is a far better line than viral to algae.