SantoriniPowerProteus

Introduction

Proteus is seen as a hindrance for beginners. He needs at least 7 turns to win, and usual plans might get disrupted by him. Therefore, Proteus cannot ignore the opponent while trying to go for a quicker win. However, if you get the hang of him, he is a blessing against many other gods…

God Power

When placing your workers, place 3 of your colour. After your worker moves, force another of your workers to the space you just vacated if possible.

Category

Player move

Explanation

It can be observed that from the first time Proteus moves, he will always have two adjacent workers unless the opponent forces them. Also, if there are two adjacent domes to a corner, then Proteus cannot move to that corner. Therefore, Proteus should often stay away from the corners.

Game Strategies

Early Game

Just like with Graeae, having three workers is great, but it comes with a few downsides. Having to force a worker to the space Proteus just vacated, means that he is never able to build in that square.

Proteus should try to keep his workers close to center so that he can control the maximum number of squares possible. If he has a worker in the center, he can move this worker and force another worker to this “good” position. In general, Proteus should move their best positioned worker because another worker will take its place.

Mid Game

It is about time for Proteus to create some serious threats and it is now that you will see that forcing workers to the vacated spaces can become handy. By being able to do this, Proteus can easily create worker barriers around his constructions and it can be very hard for the opponents to reach a square adjacent to the level 3. Consider the following simple example where Proteus wins in just two moves.

Probably the hardest task Proteus has is to get a comfortable position (which might not be so easy to accomplish a strong power). But from that point on, at least one worker will be very well positioned and ready to create counterplay.

Late Game

Although having 3 workers, Proteus will not be that great in a closed scenario. This is easily justifiable because many times you would wish to build in the just vacated square and with Proteus you cannot do this. The more domes there are, the less squares there are for Proteus to move. It might seem that Proteus still has many options but if the opponent plays especially close to domes, it can be tough for Proteus to defend.

Specific Matchup

Asteria

Asteria is a very strong power. However, if Proteus is able to control the whole board and doesn’t let her trap herself, she will have to work hard to win. Moreover, trapping one of Proteus’s workers doesn’t work, as Proteus can move another worker and release the trapped worker.

Clio

Having control of three squares is just too much for Proteus to bear. Moreover, the corner strategy might work perfectly for Clio.

Dionysus

Since Proteus has three workers, it is easier to cover the whole board. Moreover, since Dionysus is not an aggressive power, Proteus has time to create a comfortable attack. Although having 3 workers gives more options to Dionysus when he completes a tower, Proteus will be a great weapon to defeat the god of wine.

Europa & Talus

This is a fun matchup in which at first Proteus will be mostly defending (in which case 3 workers are very useful), but after some time the tables can turn.

Gaea

At first you might think that Gaea is stronger than Proteus because she can easily get 3 workers (equalizing the number of workers) and then when she gets 4 workers she must be stronger! However, this matchup is a good example of why you should not underestimate Proteus. While Gaea only has two workers, Proteus has enough time to get a good position and I’m afraid from that point on it will be very hard for her to defend.

Graeae

This matchup arises naturally since both powers have 3 workers. Although Graeae tends to be slightly stronger, it is still a fun matchup and Proteus should not be underestimated.

Jason

This case is similar to the Graeae one. Both powers have three workers and so the game will probably be balanced. You should try to see that there are many cases where Proteus’ ability is actually better than being a mortal (such as Jason).

Harpies

First Proteus forces his own worker and only then the moved worker is forced by Harpies. In this matchup, Proteus is good at controlling the whole board and remember that if Proteus has a well positioned worker, he just has to keep moving that worker.

Hippolyta

This matchup has to be played very carefully on Proteus’s end. This is because if Proteus at some time has all of his workers in the same diagonal, this situation is irreversible so he must think how to avoid this. The normal case is having two workers in diagonal 1 and the other worker in diagonal 2. So if Proteus moves a worker from diagonal 2, we can force either worker but if he moves a worker from diagonal 1, he must force the worker from the same diagonal, otherwise he will be stuck with 3 workers in the same diagonal.

Medusa

Just as with Graeae vs Medusa, this matchup is unbalanced towards Medusa.

Minotaur

Minotaur is a monster, but you will be surprised by the level of resilience Proteus can put in this matchup. For sure, Proteus is the one who will be trying to steal the win, but Minotaur still needs to play accurately in order to win.

Nyx

Proteus is usually strong against Nyx because even when the night comes (Nyx gains her ability), it still feels like he has an ability since he is playing with 3 workers. Most of the cases, it will be hard for Nyx to defeat Proteus.

Persephone

At first you might not pay attention to this matchup, but once you play it, you will realize that Proteus is just bad and here’s why: when Proteus moves up (it will happen many times against Persephone), he has to force another worker to the previously occupied position, i.e., he has to force a worker to a “lower level” and this worker will be susceptible to move up yet again (forcing another worker to a “lower level”). I do not recommend this matchup.

Scylla

Although Scylla is pretty strong, this game between two sea inhabitants will turn out to be quite interesting. Proteus is on the weaker side, but using his workers as barriers can be very helpful against Scylla and he might have a shot.

Siren

Another two sea creatures who create an interesting pair. You might prefer Siren’s side, but after playing a game or two, you might go with Proteus. It is actually quite tricky who stands better and I would suggest you try this matchup.

Urania

Even having 3 workers, it is hard for Proteus to cover the four corners. Moreover, even if Proteus starts the game, it will take him more time than Urania to create a winning threat. Thus, he must play carefully and try to dome a corner if possible and create an L-zone so that he can force Urania to go there and defend.

Conclusion

It will definitely take you a while to get used to Proteus and you may think that he sucks until you fully understand it. However, after playing many games, you will start to realize that after all Proteus is a fine power and works very well against many powers. You just have to figure out how to use it correctly, and you will start to like it.

Tier ranking: B