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Casual tourney 2 - round 2 waxoid vs. Celeber
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waxoid

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waxoid

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Again just for fun, here are further screenshots from 'dan's casual tourney 2'. Round 2 was sap vs titans on Craterclash vs. top ranked and all around great player Celeber/WolfCat.

Craterclas h was designed by forum regular droidfreak36 and I quite enjoyed playing it in the tourney format. It has a nicely mixed disposition when you look at sap vs. titans. In Titan favor, the approaches around either side of the crater are defensible and credit count is high (3 bases at 150 each) which speak to the usual Titan dominance prevailing. In Sapiens favor however, one of each side's bases is placed precariously far around the side of the crater (hereafter "the exposed base") so that it is subject to aggressive pressure, and the crater itself smack in the center creates a free zone for helis to raid against any units trying to support or protect the exposed base.

In game 1 I play blue Titans, and aim to walk the tightrope of holding off early sap mobility and developing my army up to a winning level of walker dominance. Basically textbook titan vs. sap, let's look at that game first. Again, screenshots taken after my move, so yellow always to play in this series. Here's the early buildup at round 5:


Celeber led with helis (had already taken a mecha) and my first walker is stepping forward to drive them back out of the crater. I go with double eclipses to match the helis (as a Titan guy I have a soft spot for eclipses, so often try to see how much use I can get out of them, perhaps to an extreme.)

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Nov 19, 2012 11:31

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waxoid

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waxoid

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By round 9 the Titan buildup is looking solid with a second walker pushing saps back, but note that the defensive line is really just a couple of mechas on the crater rim. Having the rim well defended by mechas is an important theme in this matchup, and it's important to have mechas ready to step up onto the rim rather than be teleported (so they block helis from moving past them to hit walkers, and tick off damage against helis which attack them). Despite the lack of combat, at this stage there is a lot going on in terms of threats and positioning.



By round 13 Titans are using walker cover to shift the game focus from defending the blue exposed base to pressuring the yellow exposed base, which is a bad sign for sap. Notice the absence of plasma tanks – I kept thinking I'd build one but it kept seeming unnecessary, with speeders ready to counter marauders. The idea for the northern attack is more about a mass of mechas pushing into the forest and mountain spaces with backing fire from walkers – the mechas on the back wall are positioned to jump across the 'road' to reinforce the forest spaces.

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waxoid

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waxoid

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Round 16 finally brings a Titan provocation that forces Sap's hands. There's no valid choice at this stage – not enough room to step back further (which would mean ceding the base as well), but an extended shootout with the walkers isn't very attractive. This shows the relatively patient nature of this sort of Titan push: only one walker has dared to take a step 'forward' and threaten the sap front line, and that's the walker at the top. If the sap counterattack is overwhelming, that walker is ready to retreat while the other walkers can keep firing. The step forward is timed to the build of a fifth walker.



Round 17 - War. Sap launches a full counter-attack, as expected (the general rule in attacking a walker position is, of course, either all in or all out – partial attacks just let walkers pick off small groups at their leisure). This shot is after the first round of Titan counter-attack, aiming to neutralize dangerous units (esp. batteries which will repeatedly fire and take no damage in return, and helis which could threaten walkers) rather than win material at this stage. I get to pop a nice UV which does maybe twice the sim's credit cost in value weakening of the sap army.

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waxoid

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waxoid

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Next round, sap gets through to wound the northern walker, but (as I'm sure we both expected) the return volley from walkers and eclipses takes a bigger toll – no dangerous helis or jeeps left. While it looked visually close for a moment there in 17, it's clear now that that formidable Titan firepower will carry the day.



and called on round 20:


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waxoid

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So with that as a backdrop, what did I try to do in game 2 as sap to avert this fate. Game 2 proved to be more of a nail biter and dragged out longer, so I'll post more of the sequences there. I'm yellow sap and the screenshots are after my move so show blue to play.

I opened with a battery against the exposed base, figuring I can deploy helis fast as I get it positioned. Celeber opens with a defensive plasma.



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waxoid

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Some raiding in round 8, helis have been harassing mechas, walker steps up to force battery back but the battery and helis attack the plasma to damage it (battery relying on its new move-after ability to step out of range.) The eclipses can't retaliate, so blue will get one shot at a heli, however sap has a high-speed healing station ready on the medi-base (+6 heal). If you look through the screenshots you'll notice a basically continuous rotation of helis getting healed up on that base and leaping right back into battle.




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waxoid

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Marauders swinging around to threaten a raid on the west side…



help set up this full-strength heli raid on the mechas defending the crater rim. The jeeps pulled an eclipse down, which importantly allowed me to safely build a heli on my exposed base, which really makes this move work (threatening the walkers). The walker defense is now too thin, and two batteries are positioned to attack new defenders on the rim – the walkers must choose between hitting the batteries and defending themselves from the helis.


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waxoid

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waxoid

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the engineer in the north, built mostly as a distraction, has successfully created a nasty mecha II dealing out damage from the crater rim where the blue defenders ought to be. At this point it's about continuing to pile on threats and keep the walkers busy so that small advantages can snowball into a real material advantage. To some degree this means alternating between threatening attacks on the exposed base and threatening raids on the walkers.




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waxoid

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a deeper, finishing heli raid in round 18 which achieves a fork: blue has to choose between losing another walker, or allowing yellow to capture the base. A bunch going on here. (Exercise for reader: why is the newly built heli in the north the one that assures a death threat on the walker?)



batteries have been pounding defenders through this series and were key to the success of the offensive – the new move after ability giving important advantage as well. Here one helps finish a walker.

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waxoid

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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Nov 19, 2012 09:47

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waxoid

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Final in round 24:


Super fun and epic game – kudos and thanks to WolfCat for the great match. I have some screenshots from semi-final with Vincent as well, which didn't end quite so well for me, will get to those next...

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at Nov 19, 2012 11:23

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simsverd

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great read waxoid! keep em' coming...

to bad you could not find the time to play in tourney3

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WolfCat

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Thanx Waxoid, great play!
I was really sure that we would be both playing defensive - whoever holds on longer wins
But you decided to push forward by sap, i was so surprised i didn't really defend well
Great playing! Was real fun, hope to meet you in further games!
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waxoid

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That sounds right. Yes I thought it might end up being a drag-it-out-defensive battle but thought the best defense is a good offense. (This didn't work out as well in the semi-finals). I wanted to harrass as aggressively as possible while balancing risk against material loss, and Saps are good at raiding so it wasn't until that move in 13 that I really had to make a more full commitment, but then it looked good. Dangerous little helis, even against mighty Titans, and an eclipse-proof crater helps a lot.

I think I got a break this tourney with JB as well, coming in with low expectations, it'll be harder for me next time. Thanks again, good luck in the new tourneys.
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