Yes, Mulva, don't commit yourself to anything, limit what you say and do. Comment on others. Life is easy that way. I like New Phony. It encompasses all his alts and is an apt description of him.
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The 3v3 I mentioned:
http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=4159215I never really looked at it to see who made the mistakes that allowed piggy to win. At the time it was being played, piggy asked me to look at it from his account to see if he should play a replacement game. I didn't see a reason to, despite New Phony's urging.
But, let's look at the game.
Initially, myhand has more income and uses it to play against all three players: in/around Switzerland, in Bulgaria, in Denmark. Clearly, myhand is buying time for his teammates (or himself) to gain advantages and win the game. He sees his team's long-term advantages and trusts his teammates can win the game. Nothing wrong with that.
Sze is battling in Russia and eventually in Benelux against two players, with a third present (he fears the transfer or attack from the third, and it shows in his moves turn 6). He faces a 1v2 and fears a 1v3. Can't really fault him here. He didn't outplay piggy and wasted more armies/turns than piggy when it was a 1v1 in Russia, which cost him by the time it became a 1v2. But that is a matter of guesswork. Piggy outplayed him slightly (by keeping the 1v1 in Russia somewhat close), only because piggy used all his income more efficiently (pig's 5 vs Sze's 8) and didn't waste turns with guessing where to attack. Short-term draw in Russia, but Sze is in position to clear Russia, gain 11 income, and go to Norway to end the game. He only needs his teammates to give him time to do this. Long-term win for Sze in Russia.
New Phony is the wild card. He wins or loses this game. He has the initiative. He could focus on one enemy and significantly weaken that enemy. Or he could maintain the balance of power across the board by spreading his armies out. Myhand has given him the opportunity to be the hero. And if New Phony falters, he needs to change his approach and give time to Sze so he can win the game. New Phony ends up doing neither. His team loses. He blames myhand. Someone is booted. New Phony finds excuses and refuses to surrender until his teammates convince him they lost.
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Piggy was dead turn 5. Piggy didn't even bother to use attack only or delays to try to keep Iceland or Norway. He did little to prevent a collapse. He is lying prostrate for New Phony to rape and pillage his bonuses.
Not only does New Phony do little to set up the win turn 5 by busting Iceland and Norway or dealing with Slovakia, he also transfers 3 armies away from the front line in Ireland thinking a 3vX attack would help him enter Iceland. Bad tactics. Bad guesswork. Weak way to exploit the initiative. Sets up the beginning of the end with inefficient play: the next turn he needed those 3 but they weren't there.
Turn 5 New Phony had many options. More options = more power/influence. But he misplayed. Turn 6 he has fewer options. Without move orders or counters, New Phony's weaknesses in team play are exposed. He is not the most efficient player. So against a more efficient piggy, he has troubles.
Turn 6: 22v18 in Ireland isn't too bad. But he transferred three back so it is 22v15. Net gain of 3 for Team Piggy (New Phony loses 14 to pig's 11 on the 22v15 attack). New Phony doesn't seem to have had a plan for entering Norway. "All I have to do is enter Norway. Forget Iceland. Forget Slovakia. Forget that piggy has a big stack in Norway next to where I would be if I enter Norway. Enter Norway. Enter Norway. Enter Norway..." And then what? Rely on first move for a turn? Dropping the 3 back in Ireland so reduces his options he doesn't really have a plan B. He needed myhand to save him with a big attack from Denmark. It doesn't happen.
Turn 7: Because New Phony didn't do enough to keep his armies safe in Ireland or reduce the total income of Team Piggy (in Slovakia, Iceland) and myhand doesn't hit Norway hard, piggy now has the initiative. He uses it to bust Benelux. When New Phony had the initiative, he didn't use it efficiently or with great effect. This is the difference: piggy outplays New Phony with his greater efficiency and effectiveness. New Phony costs Sze +3 in Benelux because he didn't defend Ireland properly turn 5.
Turn 7: And since New Phony didn't ever do anything proactive vis-a-vis Slovakia, Team Piggy decides it is a good time to clear New Phony's threat in Austria and Hungary, to gain the initiative in future turns and set up possible game winning moves. New Phony let's Team Piggy walk over him. What can he do? His turn 5 was so ineffective and left him in such a bad situation, he, the wild card, became the most passive and predictable player in the game when he should have been the player who won the game for his team (or at least keep the enemy occupied enough -- like what myhand was doing before turn 5 -- so Sze would not lose Benelux and could turn the tide with his 11 income). Instead, Sze is forced to deploy 4 in Benelux to keep it, because New Phony didn't play a team game. Thus, New Phony's inefficient play costs his teammate the initiative too.
Turn 8: Myhand has been tied down in Bulgaria for two turns due to guesswork and first order luck. Can't blame him for that. But New Phony does. (Even though New Phony himself enters Norway without a coherent plan and relies on first order luck to stay alive there). New Phony's inefficient play gives Team Piggy the initiative in Russia, Austria/Hungary, Iceland/UK. What does Team Piggy do? Bust Sze in Russia and take Austria. This essentially ends the game. Myhand finally clears Bulgaria. But he loses Denmark and faces a new challenge in Switzerland.
When myhand got tied up, New Phony had to keep the game close and allow Sze to gain the initiative with his 11 income. New Phony failed to do this because he didn't see the big picture. So the dream team lost. But they shouldn't have. New Phony lost the game for his team.
Sze could have ended the game with better guesswork. Myhand could have ended it with a first order. Myhand coukd have kept it close by hitting Norway. But New Phony clearly loses the game with his tactics and strategy. No luck involved there. No guesswork. Just inefficient play.
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In team play, New Phony is great at counters and doing some unorthodox (and thus unexpected) things (with the aid of delays) when he has options. He is not the most efficient player (notice how an efficient piggy uses efficiency/army conservation to stay close with Sze and outplay New Phony). And sometimes his magical delays send armies to the wrong places (turn 5: three delays move three armies away from the front in Ireland) or waste armies (turn 5: 3 attack from Ireland to Iceland causes New Phony to lose more armies than piggy loses).
There is a reason he is better at playing team games by himself: two or three inefficient, unorthodox New Phony's are more effective together early on and he helps his alts with picks and play far more than he helps human teammates. New Phony has his own style of play in team games. It is aggressive and unorthodox. It pressures the enemy early, often with counters. It is most effective early and mid game.
But when New Phony is forced to pick and play more efficiently (2v2 ladder), he has more troubles. Why? He is a knock-out artist. He plays to knock you out. He is not going for the judges scorecard after round 12. And like any puncher, he leaves himself open. If you have superior technique and don't get caught by a big punch, New Phony is vulnerable.
These have been the holes in New Phony's team play for the last two to three years. Most players are not aware of this, because the competitive environment is all about 1v1s and the occasional 2v2. 2v2s are hybrid 1v1s and team games. So New Phony's faults are less likely to be exposed. Add more teammates and prolong the game and the holes in his team play become more evident.
Edited 7/9/2014 01:58:37
