Board Game Arena

I've started playing Arena lately and I am struggling against anyone Platinum or higher. I'd like some advice on how I can improve my game.

Exhibit A

https://boardgamearena.com/gamereview?table=660029577

I probably shouldn't have kept Protected Valley but had steel from preludes and wanted to snipe Gardener/ocean spots. Otherwise the plan was to crank up MC production to enable future plays. Was Research Coordination a greedy keep too?

I'm not sure about that Gen 4 Ice Asteroid. On one hand I really wanted to get Nitrophilic Moss going but on the other hand it enables his Algae. Should I have just passed, or play Protected Valley instead? Were there other plays that I could have done differently to get a better result?

Exhibit B

https://boardgamearena.com/gamereview?table=660034647

Was this just a bad starting hand in general? Especially when the opponent starts on Big Asteroid and Giant Ice Asteroid and gets 4 plant production going Gen 4...I felt so behind the whole game, but could I have done something differently to get a better result?



Thanks in advance for the help.

Exhibit C

https://boardgamearena.com/gamereview?table=660444157

I felt like I lost this from the getgo as the opponent had strong production from the start and was quickly buying 3-4 cards per gen. Asteroid Mining Consortium really screwed me up there as well. When I conceded I was up 11-0 in plant prod with Anti-Gravity Technology support. Probably had a fighting chance but I needed to go anyway so I didn't bother playing it out. I think I'd just get overwhelmed down the road anyway.

But could I have played differently for a better result? Or was I doomed this game anyway?

Only looked into the initial drafts so a few comments on those:

Game A:
Protected Valley definitely a keep, we are credicor with no other steel targets.
Research coordination is marginal, I don't fault keeping it either.
Overall great hand

Game B:
Hand was definitely not very good. Think Huge Asteroid is the better prelude choice over Martian Industries as we don't have an obvious gen1 play and the prod from Huge is nice. Also the steel prod is less valuable as Mining Guilds and we don't have immediate targets for the energy.

Game C:
Think we are never taking Inventrix here as it is a quite a bottom tier cooperation. We are not desperate for cards and Saturns is overall just better.
Again will take Huge Asteroid here as it is a pretty good prelude, especially in 2p.
Also indentured workers is one of the best card in early game, we keep it almost always.

2p plays a little bit differently from 3p. The biggest difference I would say is that heat is much stronger. Cards like Soletta and Mohole area early can be engine-defining. Also terraforming space events are even better. Terraforming would be important, as every point you take from the terraforming track is one less point available for your opponent.
Card draw is more valuable too as you see less cards each draft (7 cards as opposed to 9 cards in 3p).

Hey Charlie,

Looking at the first game, I see an amazing opening hand. You kept what I would have kept although you can argue skipping IO mining. I think both are playable but skipping IO would allow you to get a lot of production to start. I would have done the same as you though. I agree with the first couple drafts but I don't like you playing Comet. I would have perferred you to play protected valley because it is an additional production and threatens gardener a little bit more. Additionally, comet helps turn on algae which is something to be mindful of. Another thing to point out is that you shouldn't rush ice asteroid either. I would wait until 5 oceans are down or if you need to use it to steel gardener. There is also no rush on invention contest. You have playable cards in hand and you most likely can't play whatever you would draw. Cupula city is also incorrect. He is tharsis and an sp city as credicore is about the same if not better than keeping cupola. Both greenhouses and lichen made more sense and you can argue for either, as they are both good cards and can help with gardener. The second draft was a fairly big mistake in my opinion. Solar power is a bad card, you should not have kept it. You also have media group so indentured is an incredible card and great especially in the early game. I also don't like keeping and playing black polar dust. It progresses towards algae and doesn't do you that much. Furthermore, you should have played it on plants and then played nitro moss. I also think you should evaluate the cost effectiveness of how you played cupola. 19 mc for cupola and 14 for energy all for +3 prod a VP and a city (not to mention +1 for him bc he's tharsis). You spent 33 mc when you could have sp'd for 21. Additionally, you missed out on better cards because you kept cupula and solar power.

I'm going to speed up through the rest of the game and mention my biggest takeaways.

It is important to keep track of the cards your opponent has. I think you forgot he has algae, otherwise you wouldn't have played ice asteroid. Gen 5 was a very bad keep 4. I would have kept 0. Mineral deposit is great for you (media group). Inefficient route to mayor. Ugly SP asteroid but I get why. If you focused on gardener earlier, the 2 milestones would have come a lot easier. Shouldn't have kept or played building industries or pumped with industrial center. Also should have funded miner a little earlier. And then your oppoent funds landlord. This is a very risky fund and I think you should have punished him for it. Landlord is funded, you have herbivores, you are credicore. I don't have a problem with spamming sp greeneries throughout the map until oxygen is maxed. It is a lot of points for you and really puts pressure on landlord. Honestly, after he gets 12 plant prod it's not looking that good for you, but I think you also shouldn't have helped him end. The biggest thing for this game is probably looking to take gardener. You definitely should have focused on that to be one of your milestones.

Game A:

Corp, preludes, first 10 cards: Looks good to me.

Gen 2 draft: Wow, three awesome cards (protected habitats, viral enhancers, ice asteroid), and you can get 2 of them. I personally prefer viral enhancers but protected habitats is an all right pick.

Invention contest pick: I prefer greenhouses over cupola city a lot. Playing a city is quite bad against tharsis, and it's not efficient early on. Greenhouses is just a great card in general.

Gen 3 draft: Here is a huge, game-losing mistake. Solar power is a very poor pick; you want to use your steel for protected valley instead. Indentured workers was the pick there. If your idea is to use solar power + cupola, that is 30 MC for +3 prod, and giving your opponent +2 mc and +1 mc prod. Very not worth.

Black polar dust is also a questionable pick. It is a fine card, but you already have some other things to play (protected valley, ice asteroid, nitrophilic moss) and there just isn't time for it. Ice asteroid is better than black polar dust.

Gen 4: Protected valley spot on the top right is suboptimal. Candor chasma (east of the ocean in the middle) is much better, giving you much-needed plants and also access to ocean-adjacent spots to the south.

Gen 5: Your draft decisions on removing cards from your opponent were good, but you don't need all those cards. Immigrant city is a mistake to keep; you already have 6 perfectly good spots next to your current city, and it's negative mc prod. It's also too late/expensive for building industries to be useful at this point.

Gen 6: OK your opponent was silly and let you get mayor. But I don't think this justifies the earlier decisions in the game.

The big takeaway is you are overvaluing cities. They are very expensive early game and don't give you much gain. You didn't get any source of card draw in the first 5 generations, but that is okay, since as credicor you can standard-project greeneries and get great bonuses along the oceans. That way you can contest gardener and terraformer.

[Edit: Ah, looks like I was ninja'd by BEANS. I think we basically made the same points ]

Go watch Mars Expert's card tier list (for base game + preludes) on youtube. Make sure you understand the points he's making about all the cards. The tier list isn't perfect and is also situational but it's a perfect starting point for you (for example, you should pretty much never ever ever ever ever first pick solar power in any draft). After you've done this, go watch a few threadpacifist replay reviews. This will give you additional context on which situations some cards may be more important than others, as well as non-draft decision making. If you put 5-10 hours into doing these 2 things you'll easily be able to reach the top arena rank as most platinum players lack these fundamentals.

charliec247 wrote: ↑18 April 2025, 05:04 I've started playing Arena lately and I am struggling against anyone Platinum or higher. I'd like some advice on how I can improve my game.

Exhibit A

https://boardgamearena.com/gamereview?table=660029577

I probably shouldn't have kept Protected Valley but had steel from preludes and wanted to snipe Gardener/ocean spots. Otherwise the plan was to crank up MC production to enable future plays. Was Research Coordination a greedy keep too?

I'm not sure about that Gen 4 Ice Asteroid. On one hand I really wanted to get Nitrophilic Moss going but on the other hand it enables his Algae. Should I have just passed, or play Protected Valley instead? Were there other plays that I could have done differently to get a better result?

Hi Charlie,
I appreciate the contributions you've made in other forum threads, so I'll add my thoughts

This is the kind of hand I fantasize about when I'm daydreaming about Terraforming Mars.
I know it sounds crazy but I am not sure I am keeping Io Mining. My head is spinning looking at this hand. I would hate if I were playing this real time and not turn based (I mostly play TFM real-time.)

option A) Do not keep io mining:
Keep the other 6 cards (subtracting research coordination). Now you have 42 MC, 4 steel, 4 titanium, +5 income, and 1 point.
Play Protected Valley on the two-card spot. This is an incredible starting card for credicor with 4 steel. Income increases to +8, points to 3, you gain 2 possibly crucial cards (we hope ), you have a spot ready for mining area if you get it, and the card only costs you 11 cash. Cash is now at 33, steel 0, titanium 4.
Play sponsors and space hotels. No reason to play media group yet, you have your two tags for space hotels. Income increases to +14; space hotels used titanium so you still have 33 cash.
You still hold media group, comet, investment loan. And if you drew big from the 2-card spot, you can play one or both cards. (Rare, but hopefully you can play one of them).

If both cards are bad, you pass to gen 2 with +12 MC income, 22 TR, a greenery, 2 extra cards, and three very good cards from your starting hand. That's a winning situation most of the time.

I a having a difficult time thinking the other play is better but let's look at it:
Keep those 6 cards plus Io Minnig.
Now you have 39 MC, 4 steel, 4 titanium, +5 income, and 1 point.
Play Io Mining, leaving you with 14 MC and 4 steel. Play sponsors. I would then pass, even though technically I think you could do media group, investment loan, sponsors and space hotels.
Production is currently at +8 MC, +2 titanium, +1 MC for your TR from metal-rich asteroid.
So, pass, start gen 2 with 34 MC, 2 titanium, 4 steel, minus (3 * number or cards bought in gen 2 draft).
Now you can easily play space hotels and protected valley in Gen 2.

Okay, that's also pretty awesome.

I like both options, I'm just not sure about going Jovian here when there's a decent chance you can go for a TR rush approach. Io mining is overpriced, if you think about it, even as credicor, unless you get good value out of the Jovian multiplier. As a hypothetical, Titanium Mine + robotic workforce + sponsors costs 31 MC to buy and play, and gives you 3 useful tags, and the same production. Io mining is paying up front for VPs, which I hate doing. Obviously, we are not going to have Titanium Mine and robotic and Sponsors often, whereas we DO have Io Mining.

But then you're somewhat obligated to play Jovian cards, and they're so overpriced, even as Credicor. And that hinders your ability to do other important things.

Yuck, opponent plays experimental forest, and we see wo many good cards, including Jovians, go away. Bummer. And opponent draws pure with the card draws.

Wow, gen 2 draft. Ice asteroid versus viral enhancers. I don't like passing high-tier science cards in 2-player, but you're credicor with titanium and media group. I probably keep ice asteroid. I really especially hate passing viral to Credicor when you know he has two plant cards, one of which is very strong. (Algae).

I am never drafting protected habitats there, but I have less fondness for that card than others. (This might be an error on my part, I do find it annoying how my opponent always seems to have it. But I'm not keeping it there over ice asteroid. Who says you even need plants? you are credicor. You have other options for greeneries.

He plays Flooding on the card spot. Knowing he goes first in gen 2, I would have gone with the opening that gives you those 2 cards in gen 1. That's just a brutal turn of events.

I do not like comet here at all. Space events are the most easily discountable cards in the game. Yes, you gain the TR income and kill 3 plants, but .. eh, I would wait. And, you're helping his Algae especially since you plan to play ice asteroid.

I try to never play intention contest until I have -2 cost, or mars or Olympus, or media group. You have media group. Why not play it? Maybe you get optimal aero?
Okay, Yeh, if you're playing invention contest anyway, play it first before comet.
Greenhouses! Big win.
hmm. You kept Cupola. that's a mid card and you're playing against Tharsis. Greenhouses is high tier.

Gen 3. Solar power over indentured workers is ... well, really bad. Please accept my bluntness. Solar power might be a bottom 20 card in the game. Indentures workers when you have media group is very good. You can do a SP power plant for 3 MC less than solar power.

I love space events (Except AAA) especially with media group. But, cannot give Tharsis plant cards, so I agree with nitrophilic Moss.
There are 2 oceans down. I don't understand taking solar power over Wave power. Black polar dust is a bad card in my opinion. I know some high-level players like it. Meh.

But, okay, Black polar dust. Play it on the card spot, then play protected valley between the two oceans for a total refund of 8 MC on the card.
You are now moving to gen 4 without having played Protected valley, a discounted cad that gives +3 income.
I would say that you lost this game in gen 3. But I have not watched the rest.

I'm not sure I am keeping any cards in the gen 4 draft.
With ice asteroid, I am going card spot - cash, or two adjacent 2-plant spots. I am not splitting them. The two ocean spots next to Noctis look good.
Enabling gen 4 algae is rough.

Protected valley on a 2-plant spot means your giant ice will wipe out his plants and give you an immediate greenery next to your city and 2 oceans.
Gen 5 draft. Whoa. I am buying none of those cards. Maybe Phobos for a late game points dump. Phobos is a frustrating card. 3 VP makes it expensive and not ideal early, but, titanium production isn't something you want late.


I am going to stop here because although it’s still anyone’s game, I want to look at your other two posted games.

charliec247 wrote: ↑18 April 2025, 05:04

Exhibit B

https://boardgamearena.com/gamereview?table=660034647

Was this just a bad starting hand in general? Especially when the opponent starts on Big Asteroid and Giant Ice Asteroid and gets 4 plant production going Gen 4...I felt so behind the whole game, but could I have done something differently to get a better result?



Thanks in advance for the help.

It's not a great hand, but huge asteroid is a huge (ha ha) prelude. Any hand with Mass converter in 2-player is a "decent" hand. Invention contest is good. I like fish. You have an energy stealing card. Decomposers is great.

The problem is, the hand has no synergy and these cards are not yet playable.

This hand is so bad for Mining guild I might take UNMI. Probably not, but Huge asteroid + UNMI isn't too terrible.
I'm going to pass on watching this one; I'll just say that I probably agree with whatever Potatoes writes or wrote or will write (I didn't take a good look at other replies yet.)

charliec247 wrote: ↑18 April 2025, 06:07 Exhibit C

https://boardgamearena.com/gamereview?table=660444157

I felt like I lost this from the getgo as the opponent had strong production from the start and was quickly buying 3-4 cards per gen. Asteroid Mining Consortium really screwed me up there as well. When I conceded I was up 11-0 in plant prod with Anti-Gravity Technology support. Probably had a fighting chance but I needed to go anyway so I didn't bother playing it out. I think I'd just get overwhelmed down the road anyway.

But could I have played differently for a better result? Or was I doomed this game anyway?

I'm puzzled by this one. Look, I'm no master (I'm rated almost exactly what you are, I think ), but I don't understand your picks here. I actually like inventrix with the right hand, but what is there that made you take inventrix over a strong corp such as Saturn with a goo Saturn hand?

Huge asteroid is one of my favorite preludes. I hate preludes, but I have played with them 2 or 3 times recently and I have yet to get a single prelude as good as Huge asteroid. No, wait, I got one good prelude. I would start keeping huge asteroid.

I'll leave the comments on this one to the forum, since it sounds as though everything went wrong based on your description. I will look at the end game position.

Wow. A tie game with, as you noted, 11-0 plant production and Anti-grav? He has 9 cards and dominant production, but I'm never resigning there. I know you said you had to leave, so that's a bummer. I assume an emergency or something came up? Otherwise, why start a game you cannot finish, right?



I think you're a solid player. I get the sense that you're rushing your plays, leading to errors.

Thank you for all the replies and advice. I just rewatched Game A again and I see the points that you are all trying to make.

I was aware of the Algae in the opponent's hand, but I played poorly (bad sequencing, beginning with the Comet) and put myself in a position where I'm basically enabling his Algae. I do remember getting a little too desperate to get ahead and didn't value the cards or the game state properly.

I probably shouldn't have posted Game C either as I was just blindly going through the motions. Frank, you're correct that something came up, and I dragged it on for a few more gens before I really had to quit. I just wanted to see whether it was a start I could overcome. Sure, tie game when I conceded, but my points were all early and his production allowed him to catch up. Given the rate of development the game was progressing, I chose to concede there.

I've binged a bunch of MarsExpert before starting this thread but I should revisit them. Thanks jorolelin for telling me about ThreadPacifist.

The tips have been really helpful and I've picked up a few wins against good players since. But most importantly, I noticed that my game has improved and most games flow better.

Also thanks for reminding me that just because I draft cards and that they are good cards it doesn't mean I have to buy and/or play them. I'm still working on this bit. Honestly this is what makes the game super addicting for me - card evaluation given all the context.

Once again, thank you to all of those who have replied and helped.