This is somewhat on topic and somewhat off topic. But I figure it is relevant enough to post here.
I could use some advice. I tend to make a lot of mistakes when I play TFM. At my peak I reached 529. I have fallen to 463. I was recently at 513 and then lost 3 games in a row for minus 50 Elo. I am frustrated and annoyed with myself.
I'm wondering whether anyone has any thoughts on my most recently played game.
For reasons unclear to me, I play Terraforming Mars (and Wingspan) very poorly at times. I likely lose my focus, perhaps because I am sometimes trying to make moves in between doing other things (which is unfortunately unavoidable these days). I lose games I should be winning with my experience and game skills.
These mental lapses in judgment seem specific to those two games: Wingspan and Terraforming Mars. When I play my two best games, I play at a master level despite the interruptions and stress of multitasking.
So, I have two problems with Terraforming Mars: carelessness and lapses in judgment that are bizarre and inexplicable, and, even at my best, I seem to be a 500 Elo player.
If anyone is willing to take a look at my most recently completed game, I would appreciate any advice. There are the blatantly obvious errors (Arctic Algae, I have no explanation for that one, may have single-handedly cost me the game), but also the subtleties and nuances that I miss without realizing I am missing them.
Also, I credit my opponent for a well-played game. My opponent played 30 cards. I count 28 of them as "good" or "excellent" cards. The other two were "okay" or "mediocre", but certainly not on the level of Underground Detonations. That makes for a solid game, one where I can't really afford big mistakes or mental lapses. If I was playing carelessly expecting my opponent to make mistakes and play bad cards, that's a bad strategy in the first place, and in this case, it didn't happen. (AT least, not that I could see).
The table:
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=847339879
I found the drafts frustrating. Difficult choices, often 0 or 2 good cards but rarely 1 or 3. And I made some horrible choices. I passed on a lot of cards I usually buy, thinking I tend to overdo it on card grabbing, only to end up wishing I had bought the cards. Cartel, Pets, Interplanetary Ship, for example. By the end I was just making nonsense inefficient plays trying to grab awards and salvage a game that had likely been lost long ago.
If anyone takes a look at the game, you have my full permission to be blunt and harsh in analysis.
(In relation to this thread topic, I do not think anyone would view this game replay and think I have any reasonable chance of beating a master-level player.)
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