Game #1249 | Dr Light vs Sin II

Nice report Sin, I'm glad you took those screenshots!... 

I hated that fire rogue and your assassins... I should have retreated my headless army!! =(

Good game, indeed! As I have said it even before, I think, you have improved a lot. You managed to put quite the pressure on me.

I tried this game, as well, to go for racial units instead of class units. I felt I was progressing slower this way. Anyway, I still thought I was doing decent early game, clearing early sites with no memorable issue. As DrLight wrote, I took the Naga dwelling on the surface and scouted the Dragon dwelling underground. I hoped I could snatch it before him but it wasn't so. 

In the meantime we both scouted around, harassing the other's cities and having scout fights. I had a good idea about the surface world, and after finishing some quests for my dwelling, I thought I had a decent army and decided to go underground. As it turned out I popped out right next to one of DrLight's cities. I took it and shortly after the Tavern too near it to bring reainforcement. I saw his leader army coming back to defend. And it was a pretty impressive army. I concidered to retreat but I was greedy and stayed.. and lost.

It gave me some relief that he lost his leader and hero, too, and a lots of units, so I wouldn't need to worry about an immediate counter.

Some turns later I started off to the west with my leader, while moving to clear some easier sites with my Warlord hero to the north. I didn't scout there and I made the mistake of spending full movement point without looking where I was going, so my hero ended up a couple of hexes away from DrLight's army. 2 stacks vs 1 I lost, but to my surprise he lost his leader and hero, again. Assassins.

I was debating whether he would continue the march, headless. In the end I decided to return my leader army home, built a wall around my northmost city and started gathering units there. I couldn't find DrLight's army when I scouted, but as it turned out he went and cleared the Tavern, which was a bit off to the west, and bought out all units (I think). When he arrived he didn't attack my city afterall. Neither did I attack because I didn't want to leave the safety of my walls.

Instead he went and took my other city, which I thought he might try, but he didn't have enough movement points to move all units inside. I figured I had no choice now but to attack, and so I did, positioning my units so that they benefit from the moral buff of the terrain. 

After retaking my city, I went to producing with full force, since, obviously, DrLight wasn't to be taken... lightly. I also planned to finally take the nearby Dungeon and Tomb. Once, I moved out with my leader (at this point I didn't have any hero) to the west, diversion, again. This time, independents.

I had to call back some of my newly produced units, which were about to go and join my leader army, to retake my city. I also spotted the Fire Rogue north of my dwelling but I didn't want to divert again. Especially since I saw that DrLight was heading to the southwestern cave exit and I wanted to race him to get the lvl-up structure before him and possibly defeating him. So, I ignored the rogue. What possible danger could it mean?

I managed to locate DrLight's army, which was smaller than I expected. I didn't take the lvl-up shrine after all so I could catch up to his army. I could only engage 2 stacks out of my 3 with his but that proved to be enough.

In the meantime independent Phoenixes started to fly about. I figured they were summoned by the Fire Rogue. One came to attack a city of mine but I had no problem fending it off as I had kept more defenders around after the first attack of the independents.

I headed for the closest cave entrance with my remaining army, determined to finish the game. I was informed, the independants did it for me.

It was totally planned to leave the Fire Rogue alive so it would cripple DrLight. Yes. 

GG Sin, Wp!...

So even though I lost this game, I feel really good with the outcome, I think I was able to give Sin a pretty decent game. 

I started UG northwest and Sin on Southeast Surface , so we were apart for quite a distance, I was hoping this, because Sin usually attacks pretty fast, so I wanted to get some time to prepare myself. I was theocrat and was able to get a dragon dwelling in the UG, while Sin was able to get a Naga one on the surface, he got it a few turns before I took the dragon dwelling, so I was feeling some pressure there. I also tried to keep the underground entrances checked. Around maybe turn 25~, Sin attacked and took a tavern near one of my cities in the underground, I was able to see him coming, which gave me time to pull my troops that were taking structures in different sides of the ug. I think he was trying to plunder because I believe he was on my city more than 2 turns, or maybe I just felt it was an eternity; anyhow, I was able to gather all my armies and defeated his army and reclaimed my city. With my theo army, I ventured to the surface taking the structures that he left behind and taking some units on the way. I wanted to take that opportunity to make some damage in his territory.  So I went with 2 full stacks, some tier 3s and evangelist (I thought it was a good army...). I ambushed one of his heroes with a full stack, unfortunately for me, even though I didn't have too many loses on units, I lost my leader and my dreadnought hero, who was around level 8 if I recall correctly. I think this is where the tide changed, instead of retreating I kept going with this heroless army trying to get more units and attack his cities. Sin changed all the terrain to forest and made it very difficult to move for me. Eventually he was able to beat my army.

In the meantime I gather a new army with my leader and started to get some structures that gave me a Bone Dragon, it was a happy moment, but it banished quickly haha... I didn't have any necromancer to heal it.. On a different front I had another hero with some units trying to flank Sin... Sin was able to build a very good army to counterattack and I was hoping to lure that army to my leader to leave an open path to my other army that had 2 exalteds, a hero, an evangelist and something else... But that didn't happen, as the cosmic event with the powerful rogue hit and the appear near my "assault" army and wiped them all out. Few turns later, Sin was able to catch up with my leader and wiped that army out with almost no losses.

At this point the game was over, the indie rogue took one of my cities and I really had no army to reclaim it.

Here are screenshots of the points. Congrats Sin!