Azul Video Series

[Zeus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4DE_7PZ5wc

This is the first video in what I'm planning to be a full series covering Azul at a high level. I've put many hours into playing and thinking about this game and wanted to compress that into something useful. This video covers the luck element briefly before diving into column selection and scoring concepts - what columns to build, how to build them, and why it matters.

It's probably the longest video I'll make, but the foundation is necessary. Having a solid framework immediately rules out a lot of bad moves by restructuring your priorities and shifting focus beyond what's happening in the current round. Most players play within rounds rather than building a structure across the entire game which this video is about. A balanced use case for every color, in every round, is what makes you resilient to bad runouts.

If there are specific topics you'd like covered in future videos, feel free to suggest them. Timestamps are in the description if you want to skip around

[papermanxy]

Great video! I noticed the “remaining tiles in the bag” display in the top-left corner. I think that would be really helpful if it were shown during the game. Is that a plugin?

[papermanxy]

I’m really looking forward to seeing the analysis of the first round of tile selection.

1. As you mentioned, the best choices are the third and second columns. But sometimes the opening round produces a large number of yellow tiles. In such a situation, is it necessary to force a tile from the second or third column?

2. At the start of the game, I believe the most comfortable situation is when the first three rows are all filled and adjacent to each other, while the fourth and fifth rows of the main column also have two or three tiles each. However, it’s often difficult to achieve this level, especially when your opponent is intentionally disrupting your setup. How should one assess the value of a layout in such cases? For example, here are some layouts I frequently encounter:
(1) The first three rows are all filled, but the tiles are very scattered and may not even be in the main column, which could result in significant distance penalty points later on.
(2) Rows 3, 4, and 5 are all on the main column, but each has only one or two tiles, which may lead to a large number of discarded tiles in a later round.
(3) To maintain flexibility in the third row, a tile that could have been placed on the main column was discarded—for example, building the third column but discarding a blue tile.

3. When there are many clusters at the start—for example, a board with three tiles of the same color—how should one choose, especially as the second player? How can you maintain competitiveness when your opponent takes the clustered tiles? Conversely, when there are many scattered tiles at the start—for example, each board has three or four different colors—how should you choose? The latter situation often leaves me at a loss.

[Zeus]

I’m really looking forward to seeing the analysis of the first round of tile selection.

1. As you mentioned, the best choices are the third and second columns. But sometimes the opening round produces a large number of yellow tiles. In such a situation, is it necessary to force a tile from the second or third column?

2. At the start of the game, I believe the most comfortable situation is when the first three rows are all filled and adjacent to each other, while the fourth and fifth rows of the main column also have two or three tiles each. However, it’s often difficult to achieve this level, especially when your opponent is intentionally disrupting your setup. How should one assess the value of a layout in such cases? For example, here are some layouts I frequently encounter:
(1) The first three rows are all filled, but the tiles are very scattered and may not even be in the main column, which could result in significant distance penalty points later on.
(2) Rows 3, 4, and 5 are all on the main column, but each has only one or two tiles, which may lead to a large number of discarded tiles in a later round.
(3) To maintain flexibility in the third row, a tile that could have been placed on the main column was discarded—for example, building the third column but discarding a blue tile.

3. When there are many clusters at the start—for example, a board with three tiles of the same color—how should one choose, especially as the second player? How can you maintain competitiveness when your opponent takes the clustered tiles? Conversely, when there are many scattered tiles at the start—for example, each board has three or four different colors—how should you choose? The latter situation often leaves me at a loss.

Thanks for watching!

The remaining tile counts / Sandbox come from a Chrome Extension made by C0d3N1nj4. I recommend using it since tile counts are relevant for decision making and having to count them manually for optimal play is tedious. It is commonly used within the competitive community.
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detai ... agiialnkcc

The questions you asked are great and I will look to answer them when I make the video on Round 1 strategy (hopefully within a week, I will first upload a video on the Token). They warrant deeper explanations and are much easier to answer with visualization.
To briefly answer 2(3): Your column row 3 is generally the biggest priority in round 1. If the tiles for it didn't come out yet, there is less risk to committing a tile for the next round, even less if you have the token for Round 2. You need to finish it anyway, preferably sooner rather than later.

Starting player advantage can be significant (~1.5 points on average) which is why, as the second player, you need to play those rounds accurately or the game may turn grim pretty soon

[papermanxy]

Thanks for watching!

The remaining tile counts / Sandbox come from a Chrome Extension made by C0d3N1nj4. I recommend using it since tile counts are relevant for decision making and having to count them manually for optimal play is tedious. It is commonly used within the competitive community.
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detai ... agiialnkcc

The questions you asked are great and I will look to answer them when I make the video on Round 1 strategy (hopefully within a week, I will first upload a video on the Token). They warrant deeper explanations and are much easier to answer with visualization.
To briefly answer 2(3): Your column row 3 is generally the biggest priority in round 1. If the tiles for it didn't come out yet, there is less risk to committing a tile for the next round, even less if you have the token for Round 2. You need to finish it anyway, preferably sooner rather than later.

Starting player advantage can be significant (~1.5 points on average) which is why, as the second player, you need to play those rounds accurately or the game may turn grim pretty soon

Thanks for the detailed response, really appreciate it!

Your explanation about row 3 priority cleared up a lot for me. And yeah, starting player advantage does feel huge in practice.

I’ll give that extension a try as well.

Really looking forward to your round 1 strategy video — can’t wait to see the full breakdown!

[Priptonite]

Finally someone is making high-quality Azul content!

[Meeplelowda]

Finally someone is making high-quality Azul content!

For those who don't get the joke: Competitive Azul - Beginner to Master Video Series

[Zeus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2uia-G9nGY

The only video anyone should need on the token

[Zeus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUk1xhyxrvk

This one ended up longer than anticipated - featuring both theory and hand-selected situations from high-level games. I wanted to cover a wide range of Round 1s. Timestamps in the description as always

[Zeus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0kUWUJ5CZs

One of my cleanest Azul games, with nearly optimal play throughout. Full breakdown using my framework + a few new concepts