Ascension (iOS) Gaming League (New Tourney starting Jan 14, 2013!)

Pacman wrote:

Interesting, that makes 4 out of 4 people who got first round byes losing in the next round. Apparently we got rusty in the layoff :p

I'd take that over what really happened.

Pacman wrote:

Interesting, that makes 4 out of 4 people who got first round byes losing in the next round. Apparently we got rusty in the layoff :p

This is a great stat. The top four from the qualification round have all earned the "caught napping" achievement!

Congrats on the win, WolverineJon...I see some other player will have to avenge me.

WolverineJon wrote:

=One thing this tournament has taught me is a whole new appreciation for cards that banish center row cards. It really gives you control over one of the major luck factors in the game -- the cards that turn up in the center row -- when you can pay attention to the strategy your opponent is going for, and intentionally banish cards that your opponent can pick up but you can't (e.g. big monster cards when only your opponent is playing a military-heavy deck).

I get this technically, but I've never been able to put it into practice. Usually I banish a card moderately useful to my opponent, and uncover an even better one. Just have to work at it, I suppose.

WolverineJon wrote:
mudbunny wrote:

Game 2 with WolverineJon was much, much closer than the first. I managed to prevail by a score of 70 to 68.

On to the rubber match!!

Great game in game 2. I think I may have cost myself the game by missing one opportunity on my turn to defeat that 4-point monster that destroys the opponent's cheapest construct... you proceeded to run 2x Everbloom to grab 2 points/turn for the remainder of the game. Even 3 turns with one of those Everbloom gone would have made the difference.

I managed to take game 3, though, as the game basically forced me into a military-heavy strategy by giving me 5 runes in my opening hand along with a center row full of military cards... luckily, enough monsters and low-rune-cost cards came up for the rest of the game that I was able to hold on for the win. Good match!

One thing this tournament has taught me is a whole new appreciation for cards that banish center row cards. It really gives you control over one of the major luck factors in the game -- the cards that turn up in the center row -- when you can pay attention to the strategy your opponent is going for, and intentionally banish cards that your opponent can pick up but you can't (e.g. big monster cards when only your opponent is playing a military-heavy deck).

The third game basically came down to my Lifebloom deck vs your monster deck. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't get enough deck-thinning cards to really take advantage of the deck. I had a lot of chaff thrown in that I had trouble getting into.

I wonder if there is anyone who would be interested in doing a match with me where I will post screenshots of each turn and my reasoning behind them?

Would you want to post the screens and thoughts between each turn, or save your thoughts and explain it all after the fact?

TheWalt wrote:

Would you want to post the screens and thoughts between each turn, or save your thoughts and explain it all after the fact?

I would be posting my screenshots between each turn, fully open to the comments, suggestions and ridicule of the peanut gallery forum regulars.

Edit to add - I would rather do it int he official Ascension thread, but if too many people object, I could put it on my personal bog.

Farktopia takes our second game 62-59 (he won by a bigger margin in the first game) to preserve my record of no match wins in this tourney. Quite remarkable. I wonder if I have developed some sort of allergic reaction to other GWJ players? But I did enjoy my games and congratulations to all those that defeated me.

In this last game with Farktopia the centre row locked up early with cards that neither of us wanted and we did not have banishing power. So rather an unusual feel to the game and Farktopia picked his way through it just that important bit better than I did.

robthomasson wrote:

In this last game with Farktopia the centre row locked up early with cards that neither of us wanted and we did not have banishing power. So rather an unusual feel to the game and Farktopia picked his way through it just that important bit better than I did.

Yeah, it was a good game. It was close- could have gone either way. I believe this was only my 3rd win this tourney, sorry for the consistent record. Happens but never feels great.

Also, I still can't log into to report the score- not sure if rob or Big Red are able/willing to do so (but I can't).

WolverineJon and I have started our match. I still can't believe I made it to the semi finals

mudbunny wrote:
TheWalt wrote:

Would you want to post the screens and thoughts between each turn, or save your thoughts and explain it all after the fact?

I would be posting my screenshots between each turn, fully open to the comments, suggestions and ridicule of the peanut gallery forum regulars.

Edit to add - I would rather do it int he official Ascension thread, but if too many people object, I could put it on my personal bog.

Hey mudbunny, I might be interested in doing one of these with ya! I saw them in other forums too and they are a lot of fun. I could open my turns to a mini-vote for ppl too.

ironcub14 wrote:
mudbunny wrote:
TheWalt wrote:

Would you want to post the screens and thoughts between each turn, or save your thoughts and explain it all after the fact?

I would be posting my screenshots between each turn, fully open to the comments, suggestions and ridicule of the peanut gallery forum regulars.

Edit to add - I would rather do it int he official Ascension thread, but if too many people object, I could put it on my personal bog.

Hey mudbunny, I might be interested in doing one of these with ya! I saw them in other forums too and they are a lot of fun. I could open my turns to a mini-vote for ppl too.

Ok, I will challenge you with a fairly long timer so that we have time to post our moves and thoughts. I cannot post on the site during the day, so my side may be slow.

Hey mudbunny, oh yeah, 28 days for sure. Could I suggest RotF + SoS? All 3 decks sometimes come out to an all-monster deck too easily and makes for a very boring game. Im cool with any deck actually except all 3.

One thing, could we wait for at least a week? Im pretty busy at work and at home this week and next. Plus, we can finish the tourney here first so that the thread doesn't get the tourney and our screenshotted game all mixed in!

ironcub14 wrote:

Hey mudbunny, oh yeah, 28 days for sure. Could I suggest RotF + SoS? All 3 decks sometimes come out to an all-monster deck too easily and makes for a very boring game. Im cool with any deck actually except all 3.

One thing, could we wait for at least a week? Im pretty busy at work and at home this week and next. Plus, we can finish the tourney here first so that the thread doesn't get the tourney and our screenshotted game all mixed in!

That works for me!!

demonbox wrote:

Also, I still can't log into to report the score- not sure if rob or Big Red are able/willing to do so (but I can't).

It is done.

mudbunny wrote:

I wonder if there is anyone who would be interested in doing a match with me where I will post screenshots of each turn and my reasoning behind them?

Very excited about this, and looking forward to reading it!

Natus wrote:

I get this technically, but I've never been able to put it into practice. Usually I banish a card moderately useful to my opponent, and uncover an even better one. Just have to work at it, I suppose.

I probably overstated my point there when I opined that center-row-banishing cards give you "control" over the center row luck factor; more accurately, they give you some increased degree of control, and some is a lot better than none. Sure, sometimes you might banish a monster only to turn up an even better (for your opponent) monster; but I think the odds dictate that you'll more often turn up some different kind of card (hopefully not so good for your opponent).

Of course, you often don't even get access to those banishing cards in the first place! That's one of the interesting things about Ascension -- that the game sometimes essentially forces you into one strategy or another, based on what cards show up in the center row.

WolverineJon wrote:

Of course, you often don't even get access to those banishing cards in the first place! That's one of the interesting things about Ascension -- that the game sometimes essentially forces you into one strategy or another, based on what cards show up in the center row.

I think this is why I prefer Ascension to other deck building games and CCGs. Typically in other games of this type you have your strategy set before the game starts, and the winner is the player who either has the better strategy or if the strategy's are roughly even the player who executes the best (with a good bit of randomness thrown in based on card draws). In Ascension on the other hand you have to be willing to adjust your play based on the cards that come out, meaning you often find matches playing out very differently even between the same two players.

Hey mudbunny and wolverinejon, sorry to disappoint you guys, but Im going to have to pull out of the exhibition game! I would love to do it but I wont be able to give it the time it deserves

Damn! I'll second-guess myself but I think it's the right call... much like a first turn Arha Sensei over an Elder Skeptic hehehe.

Feel free to debate that haha.

I agree wholeheartedly with both of your last posts, wolverinejon and cronox.

I'd be up for taking ironcubs place if you still want to do a commented match, happy to post my thoughts on why I make the wrong move every turn.

And in round 3 of the consolation tournament, I just took LeapingGnome in 2 games:
Game 1: 83-57 me (I think the scores are right, I accidentally tapped before I could take a screenshot)
Game 2: 86-86 me (tied score, but I was second player)

First game I wound up with Cetra, who gave me Adayu, and it was all downhill from there, although LG put up a good fight. Second round couldn't have been much closer (scores were 35H/51D for LeapingGnome, 39H/47D for me). Funny thing is that although I picked up Reclamax on the first round and he got Serpentcall not too much later, neither of us managed to pull anything out of the Void that I recall. I still managed to pile up a nice stack of Mechana Constructs, and just barely pulled even on the last hand, even after LG doubled up on his last hand with Tablet of Time's Dawn. That was a tense one.

Well played, sir!

Cronox wrote:

I'd be up for taking ironcubs place if you still want to do a commented match, happy to post my thoughts on why I make the wrong move every turn.

Sounds good.

I figure we can start after easter, as that weekend is hella busy for me with the family and inlaws and such.

mudbunny wrote:

Sounds good.

I figure we can start after easter, as that weekend is hella busy for me with the family and inlaws and such.

That works for me

Have fun guys, I know it will be

Dixie_Flatline wrote:

And in round 3 of the consolation tournament, I just took LeapingGnome in 2 games:
Game 1: 83-57 me (I think the scores are right, I accidentally tapped before I could take a screenshot)
Game 2: 86-86 me (tied score, but I was second player)

First game I wound up with Cetra, who gave me Adayu, and it was all downhill from there, although LG put up a good fight. Second round couldn't have been much closer (scores were 35H/51D for LeapingGnome, 39H/47D for me). Funny thing is that although I picked up Reclamax on the first round and he got Serpentcall not too much later, neither of us managed to pull anything out of the Void that I recall. I still managed to pile up a nice stack of Mechana Constructs, and just barely pulled even on the last hand, even after LG doubled up on his last hand with Tablet of Time's Dawn. That was a tense one.

Well played, sir!

Yeah I was mad the second game was a tie. :). The first game I didn't have a real chance. Good luck in the finals.

bigred wrote:
Pacman wrote:

Interesting, that makes 4 out of 4 people who got first round byes losing in the next round. Apparently we got rusty in the layoff :p

This is a great stat. The top four from the qualification round have all earned the "caught napping" achievement!

Wut? Who said that *zzzzzz*...

Cronox wrote:
mudbunny wrote:

Sounds good.

I figure we can start after easter, as that weekend is hella busy for me with the family and inlaws and such.

That works for me

Excited to see this, I've played so much Ascension that I would love to read more strategy about it and see how other people make decisions in the game.

Apollo0507 wrote:

Excited to see this, I've played so much Ascension that I would love to read more strategy about it and see how other people make decisions in the game.

They've done several of these at quartertothree, here is a link to one (that contains links to several more), another is the Banana v. The Hivemind.

I think I have also seen some strategy articles from BGG if you are looking for more ascension strategy to read.

You might see me and Pacman pop up in the Banana vs Hive Mind thread here and there, lol.

WolverineJon destroyed me in our first game, on to the second.