Just curious why these cards aren't used in the strategic templates (especially 2v2). Maybe I'm alone in this, but I feel like it kinda defeats the purpose of a team game if you can't easily assist your teammate.

Probably because they are often too powerful. Unlimited distance transfers that are guaranteed to happen before any moves.

I could possibly see if you get just one per game (or again after a high number of turns, like Blockade in the ladder). But often when I play in games with airlifts teams are getting 1+ per turn and it's just too easy to reposition your troops or assist a teammate.

Maybe it's just my luck, but I always feel like I have too many blockades in the ladder games. It would be nice to see airlift cards with low frequency, I feel like those are a lot more helpful than blockades in a 2v2

How often do you use blockades? They can swing a ladder game around.

How long are your ladder games going if you have too many blockades? You only get them every 19 turns if I remember...

I make 2v2 games with airlifts pretty often, and they change the entire game dynamic. Not only does it let you help out your teammate, having airlifts fundamentally changes the way a good player will attack, discouraging big predictable hits in favor of many small and unexpected attacks. I think they are loads of fun, but very overpowering in the right circumstances.

Also, there are other ways to help out your ally, such as direct transfers, chipping territories you are both adjacent to, or gift cards.

Richard I must be getting some luck then. In most of my games using that template I'm less than 10 turns in with 2 blockades already.

I know blockades can turn a game around, but I'd rather have the ability to help out my teammate when they need it. Direct transfers help, but that's assuming you share a border and can transfer them somewhere it will make an impact (as opposed to a border territory where they'll need 5-6 turns to move those troops to the front lines

Richard I must be getting some luck then. In most of my games using that template I'm less than 10 turns in with 2 blockades already.

In Strategic 2v2's, you start with 28 pieces/player and receive exactly 1 piece per eligible player per turn (on your team- so 2 pieces/turn). If you read the settings, you'll notice that each available card is set to minimum 1 piece/player/turn and that you receive exactly 5 pieces/player/turn- given that there's exactly 5 available cards (Reinforcement, Order Priority, Order Delay, Gift, and Blockade), that means exactly (min: 1, max: 1) piece of each card per eligible player per turn. It takes you 0 turns to get your first blockade (56 pieces available on Turn 1) and then 12 turns to get your next blockade if both players on your team manage to expand each turn (56 + 2 * 12 = 80 pieces- 2 cards- available on Turn 13).

This means you have 1 blockade card maximum through the first 10 turns, and 2 blockade cards available starting (at the earliest) turn 13.

No amount of luck makes it possible for you to have more than one blockade card available for your team prior to turn 13.

Are you sure you're playing on the Strategic 2v2 template?

Edited 6/16/2015 13:55:34

Yeah definitely. Maybe it's turn 12 then, I didn't actually check but it felt Luke it was still earlier in the game. But still, I feel like an airlift would be a more helpful and effective card in most games I'm in.

Airlifts in team games is a no brainer.

I disagree, they are often too overpowered

I've played in some Local Deployment games which give you a card every turn.

In such scenarios, I'm not sure I see the point: you have to deploy all your armies far away, gather them into stacks, and then Airlift them every turn to your front. Not that different from deploying them all at the front, in the end.

The first reply in this thread (smileyleg) nails it.