One for the full-tuck fans

[Groovenstein]

Set up in 12 turns
https://boardgamearena.com/13/wingspan?table=850875368

[FrankJones]

Whaaaaaat.

That might be the most astonishing 2-player base game I've ever seen.

[Andrei3009]

It's a fascinating game, I wouldn't risk doing that from the beginning of the game. I really respect that

In addition, this is the largest number of cards tucked and bonus card points that I have seen in one game. And the biggest score in the 2P game!

[Ceaseless]

Whaaaaaat.

That might be the most astonishing 2-player base game I've ever seen.

It's a fascinating game, I wouldn't risk doing that from the beginning of the game. I really respect that

In addition, this is the largest number of cards tucked and bonus card points that I have seen in one game. And the biggest score in the 2P game!

If the OP had been cloned to play the other side of the game, it would have probably been a double-digit game, with a real chance of the OP actually winning on the opposing side. What happened here was the opponent made huge blunders, failing to take a wetland bird early, which in this case was probably going to be Bushit, and more importantly, repeatedly made the enormous mistake of misusing Eastern Phoebe. Giving both players food benefits the player with more cards and less food, so the opponent had no reason to be using the effect when they're the only one developing a Forest for the purpose of gaining food at this stage and their opponent is the one creating a Wetland engine. This assistance is essential for the OP to take off.

The score is quite a remarkable one nonetheless, while not quite the highest I've ever seen in this ruleset, it would be up there. They take advantage of their opponent's massive blunders to create quite a high score for themselves. I don't think the OP is trying to sell this as the greatest game of all time either, they're just showing off a remarkable result they achieved. They took advantage of an opportunity that had no business happening and ran off to create an incredible score with it.

They should have kept the Eastern Bluebird all the way, that can too easily become easy points when you're trying to make super natures the way this game is playing out. Dealer's choice on what to get rid of to keep it, I think Cassin's Finch loses out due to its niche already being occupied, though other birds were also worth tossing but were less clear to be failing at that stage in the game. Instead of seed at the end of round 3 I would go after the invertebrate for Bell's Vireo instead, or even the fish for Fish Crow. Cassin's Finch is only 2 points to play + bonus. If the bonus isn't more than 4 points you score as much as if you just drew cards with tucking power and didn't gain food. Vireo is already a 4-point + bonus to prioritize, and after it's played Fish Crow is a 6-point platform nest that completes the requirements for an extra 3 points from Platform Builder, making it an 8-point play post egg loss with no chance of hitting a blank. So Cassin's Finch would need to hit a 6-point bonus just to break even with it. The fruit already gained could be used for Crow's Wild, so there's no food imbalance there. In the third to last round they still have a chance of doing it by drawing, getting fish, and then using the last 2 turns to use Savannah Sparrow Bell's Vireo, followed by a Fish Crow. This also has the effect of strengthening the value of potentially flipping Ecologist with Vireo.

[illy831]

^Really good analysis!

[Groovenstein]

It's a fascinating game, I wouldn't risk doing that from the beginning of the game. I really respect that

In addition, this is the largest number of cards tucked and bonus card points that I have seen in one game. And the biggest score in the 2P game!

@Ceaseless covered plenty of ground here. I'll just add that there really isn't any unusual risk here once the crow hits. It can be a risk to start wetland with two tuck-and-lays and not ever find food access. Of course here the phoebe would (but shouldn't) help with that. Another risk would be if it's crow and the one tuck-and-lay. There you're net zero on eggs so you either have to do some suboptimal laying or skip crow activations. Can work, but trickier. As is, this is approaching about as smooth a full tuck setup as there is.

To address Ceaseless's point if the hands were flipped. I keep phoebe, cowbird, cherry worm seed. Take bushtit, play phoebe in wet, lay eggs, play bushtit in wet, go go go. What do I do as the opponent with my original hand? Same keep, play blackbird, lay, end up drawing crow and having a choice to make: take the above-mentioned risk of going net zero eggs for a while? Nah. Not yet, anyway. I know phoebe will send some worms my way, and I have two food left, so I'd dig some more before committing, and without a second tuck-and-lay most likely end up going grassland.

[Archisian]

Set up in 12 turns
https://boardgamearena.com/13/wingspan?table=850875368

Wow, you crushed someone who had a 180 ELO and a 46% win rate. You are 600 ELO with an 82% win rate.

And we are supposed to be impressed why?

[Andrei3009]

Set up in 12 turns
https://boardgamearena.com/13/wingspan?table=850875368

Wow, you crushed someone who had a 180 ELO and a 46% win rate. You are 600 ELO with an 82% win rate.

And we are supposed to impressed why?

I think you've missed the point of the post. What matters is not that he won, but how he did it. I recommend watching the game if you haven't already.

[Archisian]

Set up in 12 turns
https://boardgamearena.com/13/wingspan?table=850875368

Wow, you crushed someone who had a 180 ELO and a 46% win rate. You are 600 ELO with an 82% win rate.

And we are supposed to impressed why?

I think you've missed the point of the post. What matters is not that he won, but how he did it. I recommend watching the game if you haven't already.

Does it really matter when his opponent was [redacted]? If he was going against an opponent of similar skill, there might be more to glean from.

Here? All I see is a [redacted] player playing badly and sealing their fate in the first turn and a top-of-the-world player doing their thing.

[Groovenstein]

All I see is a bad player playing badly and sealing their fate in the first turn and a top-of-the-world player doing their thing.

I believe you.