Board Game Arena - User contributions [en]

SantoriniPowerIris

2023-07-29T21:44:52Z

Bucco: /* Hades */

[[Image:Iris.jpeg|140px]]
==Introduction==
As the goddess of the rainbow, Iris can pull off wins all of a sudden. Therefore, most people think that she is overpowered. However, she actually does not work quite well against some gods. So how should we overcome this problem?

===God Power===
If there is a worker neighboring your worker and the space on the other side of it is unoccupied, your worker may move to that space regardless of its level.

===Category===
Player move

===Explanation===
First of all, let us use the following terminology: When Iris jumps two squares from A to B by jumping over C, we call A the initial square, B the final square, and C the bridge (making the connection between A and B).

After playing some games with/against Iris, you should ask yourself the following question: “What are the ideal squares for Iris?, Is there any difference?”. Consider the following boards. The first, contains the number of squares to which Iris can jump using her ability and the second, the number of squares from which Iris can jump using her ability.

For a given square, number of squares to which Iris can jump using her ability:

[[Image:Iris-1.jpeg]]

For a given square, number of squares from which Iris can jump using her ability (using the given square as the “bridge”):

[[Image:Iris-2.jpeg]]

As we can already see from the previous tables, the center is the best square for Iris to have a worker and then the other central squares. So what happens if a dome is built in the central square C3? The previous tables would turn respectively into:

[[Image:Iris-3.jpeg]]

And you see how this central dome weakens almost every single square for Iris. Similarly, domes on other central squares (squares outside of the perimeter), will weaken Iris, but not as much as a dome in the exact center of the board.

Another aspect to take into consideration is the distribution of levels 3. Iris appreciates the presence of several levels 3, and the explanation for this fact is quite simple. Most of the time, only she can make use of them, especially if both player’s workers are close to the ground. For example, consider the following simple example in which Iris wins “out of nowhere”.

[[Image:Iris-4.jpeg|800px]]

Iris plays b3-d3, build E2(3), creating two winning threats. There was only a level 3 in the board, but that was enough to create a surprising double attack. Now imagine if the board contains lots of level 3s…
From this example, we can point out two facts: Iris is happy with having levels 3 all over the board, while the opponent should avoid them.

The last I would like to mention is a very good defensive resource Iris can use sometimes. Whenever Iris gets stuck in the ground, she might be able to move up next to the opponent by using a straight line formation. Consider the following example:

[[Image:Iris-5.jpeg|800px]]

It seems that Iris is cut out from the game but she can defend the top left corner by moving c3-b3. With this move, the B3 worker is threatening to move up to B5 (in particular, the opponent cannot afford to build a level 3 in B5 this turn). Moreover, the B2 worker can jump (using the B3 worker as the bridge) to B4 in case the opponent’s B4 worker moves. This means that Iris will sucessfully move up to a level 2.

==Game Strategy==
===Early Game===
It is common for Iris to start with a central worker in C3, using it as a bridge. Then, building in the corners might not be a bad idea since a level 3 in the corner can be used as a winning threat for Iris and might be hard for the opponent to defend. However, Iris cannot stick to this only strategy of creating levels 3 and expecting to jump directly over there, otherwise she might possibly get stuck in the ground for the rest of the game.

===Mid Game===
While trying to create level 3 winning threats, if the opponent is defending carefully you are probably starting to realize that that plan of moving directly from a level 0 to a level 3 is easier said than done. Moreover, the opponent is also finding it difficult to create winning threats such that Iris cannot defend, since she has access to a lot of squares and some of them which are far away.

===Late Game===
The best quality is her defensive skills and ability to reach a lot of squares, preventing the opponent from creating their own winning threats. In the endgame, Iris is an annoying opponent, especially if there are no central domes (otherwise it is easier to dodge her).

==Specific Matchup==
===Artemis===
This is a balanced matchup and it is definitely worth a try. Artemis seems stronger at first, but Iris can use her ability to create dangerous threats.

===Asteria===
Although Asteria is stronger than Iris (placing domes is great against Iris), Iris might be able to reach the endgame and Asteria could be left with no good moves.

===Circe===
Iris usually prefers to play with her workers close by, and against Circe that’s exactly what you want to do. So there is not such a great problem for Iris to keep her workers close and she should hold an advantage in this matchup.

===Clio===
Clio’s coins are very strong in this matchup, especially if placed in the center of the board. Not only Iris cannot visit the coins (as usual), but she also cannot jump over the coins.

===Dionysus===
Both gods like the presence of level 3s, so this is an interesting combination. Although it might be easier to play with Dionysus, a good player with Iris can win for sure.

===Eros===
Since Iris can defend very well, it is not easy for Eros to create winning threats such that Iris is not able to defend. Moreover, if Iris creates levels 3, she might be able to use them before Eros does. In conclusion, Iris is superior in this universe.

===Graeae===
The three sisters have to cover the whole board and pay attention to every level 2, which can turn into a level 3. If Graeae is experienced, she will have no problem winning this game.

===Hades===
Iris is one of the few opponents which Hades can face (however, this doesn’t mean that Iris is as weak as Hades). This is because once Iris moves up, her moves are a lot more restricted, so she must choose carefully when to move up. This still won’t be an easy task for Hades, but you can hope for a win to either side.

===Harpies===
Iris will probably be able to use levels 3 first than Harpies, but that might not be such an easy task because Harpies can force Iris to undesirable squares. Iris must be controlled by a very experienced player and even like that Harpies can still emerge victorious.

===Hera===
This matchup will be almost hopeless for Iris. Hera can control the center of the board and that way it will be very difficult for Iris to do anything effective.

===Pan===
You get a leveled game by offering this combination. Pan will have to create a few domes before he can try to move up to a level 2, otherwise Iris will most likely be able to defend.

===Persephone===
This matchup is trickier than it seems at first since it might be the case that Iris’s ability hurts her. Since Iris has to move up whenever she can, this also applies to jumps over other workers. Persephone might use this fact to drag Iris to a corner and even to trap her (imagine if Iris jumps to the corner [because she has to move up] but then she does not have anywhere to build).

===Poseidon===
Poseidon won’t have his usual “easy win”, but Iris is still no match for Poseidon.

==Conclusion==
Iris has a very cool ability which is to be able to win by moving from the ground level to level 3 (one of the few powers that can do this). Moreover, she also has access to squares two squares away (by jumping over workers) and this is a very good defensive resource. I would even say that Iris is stronger by her defensive quality than by her attacking qualities and this is why she is not such a strong power as it initially appears. She can do well against all tier B or lower powers, but when they have a higher tier, things get more complicated.

Tier ranking: B

SantoriniPowerIris

2023-07-29T21:43:40Z

Bucco: /* Clio */

[[Image:Iris.jpeg|140px]]
==Introduction==
As the goddess of the rainbow, Iris can pull off wins all of a sudden. Therefore, most people think that she is overpowered. However, she actually does not work quite well against some gods. So how should we overcome this problem?

===God Power===
If there is a worker neighboring your worker and the space on the other side of it is unoccupied, your worker may move to that space regardless of its level.

===Category===
Player move

===Explanation===
First of all, let us use the following terminology: When Iris jumps two squares from A to B by jumping over C, we call A the initial square, B the final square, and C the bridge (making the connection between A and B).

After playing some games with/against Iris, you should ask yourself the following question: “What are the ideal squares for Iris?, Is there any difference?”. Consider the following boards. The first, contains the number of squares to which Iris can jump using her ability and the second, the number of squares from which Iris can jump using her ability.

For a given square, number of squares to which Iris can jump using her ability:

[[Image:Iris-1.jpeg]]

For a given square, number of squares from which Iris can jump using her ability (using the given square as the “bridge”):

[[Image:Iris-2.jpeg]]

As we can already see from the previous tables, the center is the best square for Iris to have a worker and then the other central squares. So what happens if a dome is built in the central square C3? The previous tables would turn respectively into:

[[Image:Iris-3.jpeg]]

And you see how this central dome weakens almost every single square for Iris. Similarly, domes on other central squares (squares outside of the perimeter), will weaken Iris, but not as much as a dome in the exact center of the board.

Another aspect to take into consideration is the distribution of levels 3. Iris appreciates the presence of several levels 3, and the explanation for this fact is quite simple. Most of the time, only she can make use of them, especially if both player’s workers are close to the ground. For example, consider the following simple example in which Iris wins “out of nowhere”.

[[Image:Iris-4.jpeg|800px]]

Iris plays b3-d3, build E2(3), creating two winning threats. There was only a level 3 in the board, but that was enough to create a surprising double attack. Now imagine if the board contains lots of level 3s…
From this example, we can point out two facts: Iris is happy with having levels 3 all over the board, while the opponent should avoid them.

The last I would like to mention is a very good defensive resource Iris can use sometimes. Whenever Iris gets stuck in the ground, she might be able to move up next to the opponent by using a straight line formation. Consider the following example:

[[Image:Iris-5.jpeg|800px]]

It seems that Iris is cut out from the game but she can defend the top left corner by moving c3-b3. With this move, the B3 worker is threatening to move up to B5 (in particular, the opponent cannot afford to build a level 3 in B5 this turn). Moreover, the B2 worker can jump (using the B3 worker as the bridge) to B4 in case the opponent’s B4 worker moves. This means that Iris will sucessfully move up to a level 2.

==Game Strategy==
===Early Game===
It is common for Iris to start with a central worker in C3, using it as a bridge. Then, building in the corners might not be a bad idea since a level 3 in the corner can be used as a winning threat for Iris and might be hard for the opponent to defend. However, Iris cannot stick to this only strategy of creating levels 3 and expecting to jump directly over there, otherwise she might possibly get stuck in the ground for the rest of the game.

===Mid Game===
While trying to create level 3 winning threats, if the opponent is defending carefully you are probably starting to realize that that plan of moving directly from a level 0 to a level 3 is easier said than done. Moreover, the opponent is also finding it difficult to create winning threats such that Iris cannot defend, since she has access to a lot of squares and some of them which are far away.

===Late Game===
The best quality is her defensive skills and ability to reach a lot of squares, preventing the opponent from creating their own winning threats. In the endgame, Iris is an annoying opponent, especially if there are no central domes (otherwise it is easier to dodge her).

==Specific Matchup==
===Artemis===
This is a balanced matchup and it is definitely worth a try. Artemis seems stronger at first, but Iris can use her ability to create dangerous threats.

===Asteria===
Although Asteria is stronger than Iris (placing domes is great against Iris), Iris might be able to reach the endgame and Asteria could be left with no good moves.

===Circe===
Iris usually prefers to play with her workers close by, and against Circe that’s exactly what you want to do. So there is not such a great problem for Iris to keep her workers close and she should hold an advantage in this matchup.

===Clio===
Clio’s coins are very strong in this matchup, especially if placed in the center of the board. Not only Iris cannot visit the coins (as usual), but she also cannot jump over the coins.

===Dionysus===
Both gods like the presence of level 3s, so this is an interesting combination. Although it might be easier to play with Dionysus, a good player with Iris can win for sure.

===Eros===
Since Iris can defend very well, it is not easy for Eros to create winning threats such that Iris is not able to defend. Moreover, if Iris creates levels 3, she might be able to use them before Eros does. In conclusion, Iris is superior in this universe.

===Graeae===
The three sisters have to cover the whole board and pay attention to every level 2, which can turn into a level 3. If Graeae is experienced, she will have no problem winning this game.

===Hades===
Iris is one of the few opponents which Hades can face (however, this doesn’t mean that Iris is as weak as Hades). This is because one Iris moves up, her moves are a lot more restricted, so she must choose carefully when to move up. This still won’t be an easy task for Hades, but you can hope for a win to either side.

===Harpies===
Iris will probably be able to use levels 3 first than Harpies, but that might not be such an easy task because Harpies can force Iris to undesirable squares. Iris must be controlled by a very experienced player and even like that Harpies can still emerge victorious.

===Hera===
This matchup will be almost hopeless for Iris. Hera can control the center of the board and that way it will be very difficult for Iris to do anything effective.

===Pan===
You get a leveled game by offering this combination. Pan will have to create a few domes before he can try to move up to a level 2, otherwise Iris will most likely be able to defend.

===Persephone===
This matchup is trickier than it seems at first since it might be the case that Iris’s ability hurts her. Since Iris has to move up whenever she can, this also applies to jumps over other workers. Persephone might use this fact to drag Iris to a corner and even to trap her (imagine if Iris jumps to the corner [because she has to move up] but then she does not have anywhere to build).

===Poseidon===
Poseidon won’t have his usual “easy win”, but Iris is still no match for Poseidon.

==Conclusion==
Iris has a very cool ability which is to be able to win by moving from the ground level to level 3 (one of the few powers that can do this). Moreover, she also has access to squares two squares away (by jumping over workers) and this is a very good defensive resource. I would even say that Iris is stronger by her defensive quality than by her attacking qualities and this is why she is not such a strong power as it initially appears. She can do well against all tier B or lower powers, but when they have a higher tier, things get more complicated.

Tier ranking: B

SantoriniPowerIris

2023-07-29T21:42:57Z

Bucco: /* Circe */

[[Image:Iris.jpeg|140px]]
==Introduction==
As the goddess of the rainbow, Iris can pull off wins all of a sudden. Therefore, most people think that she is overpowered. However, she actually does not work quite well against some gods. So how should we overcome this problem?

===God Power===
If there is a worker neighboring your worker and the space on the other side of it is unoccupied, your worker may move to that space regardless of its level.

===Category===
Player move

===Explanation===
First of all, let us use the following terminology: When Iris jumps two squares from A to B by jumping over C, we call A the initial square, B the final square, and C the bridge (making the connection between A and B).

After playing some games with/against Iris, you should ask yourself the following question: “What are the ideal squares for Iris?, Is there any difference?”. Consider the following boards. The first, contains the number of squares to which Iris can jump using her ability and the second, the number of squares from which Iris can jump using her ability.

For a given square, number of squares to which Iris can jump using her ability:

[[Image:Iris-1.jpeg]]

For a given square, number of squares from which Iris can jump using her ability (using the given square as the “bridge”):

[[Image:Iris-2.jpeg]]

As we can already see from the previous tables, the center is the best square for Iris to have a worker and then the other central squares. So what happens if a dome is built in the central square C3? The previous tables would turn respectively into:

[[Image:Iris-3.jpeg]]

And you see how this central dome weakens almost every single square for Iris. Similarly, domes on other central squares (squares outside of the perimeter), will weaken Iris, but not as much as a dome in the exact center of the board.

Another aspect to take into consideration is the distribution of levels 3. Iris appreciates the presence of several levels 3, and the explanation for this fact is quite simple. Most of the time, only she can make use of them, especially if both player’s workers are close to the ground. For example, consider the following simple example in which Iris wins “out of nowhere”.

[[Image:Iris-4.jpeg|800px]]

Iris plays b3-d3, build E2(3), creating two winning threats. There was only a level 3 in the board, but that was enough to create a surprising double attack. Now imagine if the board contains lots of level 3s…
From this example, we can point out two facts: Iris is happy with having levels 3 all over the board, while the opponent should avoid them.

The last I would like to mention is a very good defensive resource Iris can use sometimes. Whenever Iris gets stuck in the ground, she might be able to move up next to the opponent by using a straight line formation. Consider the following example:

[[Image:Iris-5.jpeg|800px]]

It seems that Iris is cut out from the game but she can defend the top left corner by moving c3-b3. With this move, the B3 worker is threatening to move up to B5 (in particular, the opponent cannot afford to build a level 3 in B5 this turn). Moreover, the B2 worker can jump (using the B3 worker as the bridge) to B4 in case the opponent’s B4 worker moves. This means that Iris will sucessfully move up to a level 2.

==Game Strategy==
===Early Game===
It is common for Iris to start with a central worker in C3, using it as a bridge. Then, building in the corners might not be a bad idea since a level 3 in the corner can be used as a winning threat for Iris and might be hard for the opponent to defend. However, Iris cannot stick to this only strategy of creating levels 3 and expecting to jump directly over there, otherwise she might possibly get stuck in the ground for the rest of the game.

===Mid Game===
While trying to create level 3 winning threats, if the opponent is defending carefully you are probably starting to realize that that plan of moving directly from a level 0 to a level 3 is easier said than done. Moreover, the opponent is also finding it difficult to create winning threats such that Iris cannot defend, since she has access to a lot of squares and some of them which are far away.

===Late Game===
The best quality is her defensive skills and ability to reach a lot of squares, preventing the opponent from creating their own winning threats. In the endgame, Iris is an annoying opponent, especially if there are no central domes (otherwise it is easier to dodge her).

==Specific Matchup==
===Artemis===
This is a balanced matchup and it is definitely worth a try. Artemis seems stronger at first, but Iris can use her ability to create dangerous threats.

===Asteria===
Although Asteria is stronger than Iris (placing domes is great against Iris), Iris might be able to reach the endgame and Asteria could be left with no good moves.

===Circe===
Iris usually prefers to play with her workers close by, and against Circe that’s exactly what you want to do. So there is not such a great problem for Iris to keep her workers close and she should hold an advantage in this matchup.

===Clio===
Clio’s coins are very strong in this matchup, especially if placed in the center of the board. Not only can Iris visit the coins (as usual), but she also cannot jump over the coins.

===Dionysus===
Both gods like the presence of level 3s, so this is an interesting combination. Although it might be easier to play with Dionysus, a good player with Iris can win for sure.

===Eros===
Since Iris can defend very well, it is not easy for Eros to create winning threats such that Iris is not able to defend. Moreover, if Iris creates levels 3, she might be able to use them before Eros does. In conclusion, Iris is superior in this universe.

===Graeae===
The three sisters have to cover the whole board and pay attention to every level 2, which can turn into a level 3. If Graeae is experienced, she will have no problem winning this game.

===Hades===
Iris is one of the few opponents which Hades can face (however, this doesn’t mean that Iris is as weak as Hades). This is because one Iris moves up, her moves are a lot more restricted, so she must choose carefully when to move up. This still won’t be an easy task for Hades, but you can hope for a win to either side.

===Harpies===
Iris will probably be able to use levels 3 first than Harpies, but that might not be such an easy task because Harpies can force Iris to undesirable squares. Iris must be controlled by a very experienced player and even like that Harpies can still emerge victorious.

===Hera===
This matchup will be almost hopeless for Iris. Hera can control the center of the board and that way it will be very difficult for Iris to do anything effective.

===Pan===
You get a leveled game by offering this combination. Pan will have to create a few domes before he can try to move up to a level 2, otherwise Iris will most likely be able to defend.

===Persephone===
This matchup is trickier than it seems at first since it might be the case that Iris’s ability hurts her. Since Iris has to move up whenever she can, this also applies to jumps over other workers. Persephone might use this fact to drag Iris to a corner and even to trap her (imagine if Iris jumps to the corner [because she has to move up] but then she does not have anywhere to build).

===Poseidon===
Poseidon won’t have his usual “easy win”, but Iris is still no match for Poseidon.

==Conclusion==
Iris has a very cool ability which is to be able to win by moving from the ground level to level 3 (one of the few powers that can do this). Moreover, she also has access to squares two squares away (by jumping over workers) and this is a very good defensive resource. I would even say that Iris is stronger by her defensive quality than by her attacking qualities and this is why she is not such a strong power as it initially appears. She can do well against all tier B or lower powers, but when they have a higher tier, things get more complicated.

Tier ranking: B

Gamehelpvolto

2023-04-06T17:45:59Z

Bucco: /* Overview */

===Goal===

Your goal is to either have your candidate reach the opponent's palace line, remove your opponent's candidate, or have your opponent take both your ladies

===Turn===

On your turn, move one of your masks either to an empty space or onto an opponent's mask, capturing it

===Capture===

If you capture a Noble, Advisor, or Soldier, the captee is removed from the board

If you capture a Lady, BOTH the captee and captor are removed from the board

If you capture a Candidate, you immediately win

===Masks===

There are 5 Mask types, each with their own movement style

Noble (3) - Moves 1 space orthogonally, may capture

Advisor (3) - Moves 1 space diagonally, may capture

Candidate (1) - Moves 1 space orthogonally or diagonally, may capture

Soldier (1) - Moves exactly 2 spaces forward, the 1st space must be empty, and they may capture on the 2nd space

Lady (2) - Moves 1 space orthogonally or diagonally, cannot capture

SantoriniPowerCharybdis

2022-10-03T19:09:12Z

Bucco: /* Early Game */

[[Image:Charybdis.jpeg]]
==Introduction==
When I look at this power, I first suspect that it should be overpowered. Not only can she snatch victories from opponents, she can also tumble them down two levels at once! Moreover, she is immune to corner-L and double builds to a certain degree. However, during my first play I realised that it is not that convenient to move her whirlpools (though I won that match). So how to harness her power and drown her opponents at the endless abysses?

===God Power===
At the end of your turn, you may place a whirlpool on any unoccupied space on the board. Whirlpool tokens built on or removed are returned to you. A worker cannot win by moving onto a whirlpool if the other whirlpool is on the board in an unoccupied space. Instead, the worker is forced to the other whirlpool and may win as if it moved up to that space.

===Category===
Others

===Explanation===
Whirlpools are accessible to both players. However, if you use a whirlpool, it counts as moving up. Still, players can win by exiting a whirlpool on level 3.

==Game Strategy==
===Early Game===
In the early game, there’s not really much Charybdis can do, but there’s also not much the opponent can do (Charybdis is tough to beat). A strategy that usually works well for Charybdis is just to start building towers and whenever there is a level 3, place the first whirlpool there. No player has access to that square but if in the following turns Charybdis places the other whirlpool only next to her workers, this creates a winning threat. The opponent has two choices:

* If the opponent defends by building over your lower level whirlpool, you can just threaten the same win by placing the whirlpool in another square. Don’t forget that while you are doing this, you also build a block somewhere. This means that you can progressively improve the game while your opponent tries to defend your threats.
* If the opponent defends by building over your level 3 whirlpool (best choice in most cases), completing the tower, then your lower level whirlpool might not be useful anymore and it is probably better if you build over that whirlpool in the following turns.

A common mistake done while playing with Charybdis, is to place the whirlpools neighboring the opponent’s workers. This is bad almost in every situation as you don’t want to give your opponent the opportunity to use your whirlpools. For example, the strategy of placing the whirlpool over a level 3 wouldn’t work since your opponent could also win by moving into the whirlpool. In these kinds of situations, what I recommend is that you immediately build over the whirlpool so that you can win it back and your opponent no longer has access to it.

Let us consider the following example (denote the whirlpools by W):

[[Image:Charybdis-1.jpeg|800px]]

Charybdis has just played by placing the whirlpool in A5 (not the best move but it serves for this example). The opponent can only defend by moving to A4. That way Charybdis can build on C5 and place a whirlpool on D4. Now no matter how the opponent responds (assuming a Mortal), Charybdis wins by moving to D4 (and then being teleported to E4).

Now imagine it was Charybdis to play and the position (similar) was the following:

[[Image:Charybdis-2.jpeg|800px]]

It is not useful to place the whirlpool in E4 since the opponent could just win by moving to A5 (that’s what you get for letting your opponent have access to your whirlpools). Instead what Charybdis should do is to build in A5 (to gain her whirlpool back) by and place whirlpool on E4 (and for now no one has access to E4). If the opponent doesn’t recognize the danger of the position, Charybdis would not only defend, but also win by moving to C4 and place whirlpool on D5. She will win by moving to D5.

===Mid Game===
By now you should be familiar with the mentioned strategy and the opponent might think: “Ok, that is cool, but I can cope with that”. The great thing about Charybdis is that this isn’t the only possible strategy. When you reach the mid game, there is another strategy you should be aware of. Put into words, the strategy consists of driving your opponent away by “forcing” (here forcing in the sense that it would be his only good option) him to a bad square. There are two variants for this strategy:

* Threaten to win while defending
* Place a whirlpool in a square your opponent would like to go

It is easier to understand if we see an example for each case:
The first one is very common and it’s part of the reason why it isn’t easy to win against Charybdis. Suppose it is Charybdis to play (denote the whirlpools by W).

[[Image:Charybdis-3.jpeg|800px]]

The position seems very good for the opponent (notice that only Charybdis controls the whirlpool in the corner E5) but looks can be deceiving. By moving to B3, building on A2 and placing a whirlpool there, Charybdis not only threatens to win (by moving to A5) but it also ruins the opponent’s “wonderful” position. The opponent has two options, but both seem to lead to disaster. If he domes A2 (by moving to B2), then Charybdis’s position is very comfortable. If he moves to A2, being teleported to A5, Charybdis loses access to A5, but the compensation is enormous (for example, she could next move to A3 and threaten to win in A2).

Now let’s see an example for the other strategy. Suppose it is Charybdis to move (and denote the whirlpools by W).

[[Image:Charybdis-4.jpeg|800px]]

Threatening to win in A2 could be easily defended, but not if you're facing Charybdis. She moves to C3, buils on A2 and places a whirlpool on B2. The only way for the opponent to defend A2 is by B2, but not now. If you move to A2, you get teleported to A5. Notice that yet again this strategy only works because the opponent is not neighboring the other whirlpool (otherwise he would move to A5, get teleported to B2, and dome B2).

There is still one remaining strategy which consists of teleporting yourself to a comfortable position of level 2s. The following example give a suggestion of how this could be done (suppose it is Charybdis to play and denote the whirlpools by W):

[[Image:Charybdis-5.jpeg|800px]]

By moving to C3, building and placing a whirlpool on B2, Charybdis can move to A5, get teleported to B2, build A1, and win in A1.

There is still another simple yet very strong strategy. This strategy consists of creating a square which is only adjacent to Charybdis or a dome and to place the whirlpool in that square. For example, Charybdis in B2, domes in A2 and B1, and the whirlpool in A1. Why is this strategy so strong? While there is this formation, no player will be able to enter the other end of the whirlpool because they wouldn’t be able to finish the turn, and only Charybdis can enter the whirlpool via the protected square. This is especially strong because everytime the opponent creates a winning threat, Charybdis just places the whirlpool in the winning square and not only is the opponent no longer threatening to win but is Charybdis the one who will win if nothing is done. Such position is even better than the usual because the opponent cannot even enter the whirlpool, but have to build a dome in that square! Although if the “protected whirlpool” was not neighbored by domes, the opponent could perhaps enter the whirlpool, get teleported to a bad square, but be able to win with the other worker.

The whirlpool can even be used to stop the opponent from moving to specific squares. Consider the following position and ask yourself, “How will the opponent win if Charybdis never moves the B2 worker and always places the whirlpool on any possible threat of the opponent?”

[[Image:Charybdis-6.jpeg|800px]]

===Late Game===
All the mentioned strategies until now are applicable at this phase of the game. There may still be other ways to use Charybdis’s whirlpools, but I leave that for you to imagine.

==Specific matchup==
===Aphrodite===
Charybdis can only move to a space neighboring Aphrodite, making it very hard to have full access to the whirlpools. Aphrodite should win this game with not too much effort.

===Apollo/Scylla===
Since Apollo has control over the opponent’s workers, it is easy for him to not only drive Charybdis away from the whirlpools but also to get his workers close. Similar with Scylla. For this reason, it can be a pain to use the usual strategies. It can still be possible to play this with Charybdis, though.

===Ares===
If there is a block under the whirlpools, Ares can remove the block and the whirlpool. This might seem appealing but it will still be extremely difficult for Ares.

===Athena===
Charybdis may enter in the whirlpool at any time (as long as she is not moving up in order to enter). This means that Athena might not be as effective as she usually is and Charybdis is a good choice to defeat her.

===Double builders===
It might seem that Charybdis can’t cope with the building streak, but these matches are actually quite balanced.

===Gaea===
Charybdis is initially much better (so are most gods against Gaea), but if you let her get the two workers, you might be doomed. For example, if Gaea has 4 workers, she might “sacrifice” a worker by letting it deliberately over a whirlpool so that both players don’t have power but Gaea has an extra worker.

===Graeae/Hydra/Proteus===
Having an extra worker against Charybdis can be of great value (see Gaea), especially for Hydra. This factor gives these powers something extra to play with, but it could still not be enough.

===Harpies===
Charybdis’s strategies “force” Harpies to build domes. This is bad for Harpies since they like an open board. Furthermore, there are some "technicalities" you should be aware of when playing this matchup. The whirlpool only works if you move there (not if you are forced there) and if you do get teleported, you then get forced by Harpies. The last sentence is applicable to other matchups with forcing gods, e.g. Apollo, Charon and Siren. Charybdis is the correct power to choose in this matchup.

===Hermes===
The fact that Hermes has high mobility, makes it more difficult for Charybdis to place her whirlpools in a desirable square. Nevertheless, Charybdis surprises everyone by still being better here.

===Hypnus===
Usually you have to have (at least) 2 workers at level 2 before you can win. Against Charybdis this is not the case and Hypnus’s power might not be that effective.

===Limus===
Whenever Limus gets to be neighboring a whirlpool, she has full control over that whirlpool in the sense that you cannot build next to Limus so that whirlpool will be there as long as Limus wants. This means that you have to be extra careful with Charybdis. Still, that might just not be enough and Charybdis will have a hard time (still Charybdis can surprise you).

===Morpheus===
Charybdis not being a fast/offensive power gives some time to Morpheus to collect blocks. And Morpheus doesn’t really care about those whirlpools. When he has enough blocks, he can go for the attack and threaten to win in several squares. Charybdis can’t cope with this! In conclusion, Morpheus is better in this matchup (but still with possibilities for Charybdis).

===Pan===
If Pan moves to a whirlpool, this counts as moving up which means that he will not be able to use his condition when entering (or leaving) a whirlpool. Charybdis should win with not too much difficulty.

===Triton===
Triton’s mobility is not the same as Hermes’s and this will be a difficult match for Charybdis. For example, Triton might enter a whirlpool in a level 3, get teleported, move away from the whirlpool, enter the (non level 3) whirlpool again, and win!

===Zeus===
If Zeus moves into a whirlpool, gets teleported to the other, and builds under himself, the whirlpool is removed. However, Charybdis should have a comfortable game against Zeus.

==Conclusion==
The takeaway is that only you should be controlling the whirlpools. If you don’t, then most of the strategies won’t work and I would recommend that you get rid of that whirlpool (by building on that square). Due to the numerous strategies Charybdis has at her hand, she is definitely a very strong power, and you should play with extra care.

Tier ranking: A

Charybdis adds a new and interesting dynamic to the game. Once you play with her, you will see that her power is pretty cool.

SantoriniPowerCharybdis

2022-10-03T19:05:19Z

Bucco: /* Early Game */

[[Image:Charybdis.jpeg]]
==Introduction==
When I look at this power, I first suspect that it should be overpowered. Not only can she snatch victories from opponents, she can also tumble them down two levels at once! Moreover, she is immune to corner-L and double builds to a certain degree. However, during my first play I realised that it is not that convenient to move her whirlpools (though I won that match). So how to harness her power and drown her opponents at the endless abysses?

===God Power===
At the end of your turn, you may place a whirlpool on any unoccupied space on the board. Whirlpool tokens built on or removed are returned to you. A worker cannot win by moving onto a whirlpool if the other whirlpool is on the board in an unoccupied space. Instead, the worker is forced to the other whirlpool and may win as if it moved up to that space.

===Category===
Others

===Explanation===
Whirlpools are accessible to both players. However, if you use a whirlpool, it counts as moving up. Still, players can win by exiting a whirlpool on level 3.

==Game Strategy==
===Early Game===
In the early game, there’s not really much Charybdis can do, but there’s also not much the opponent can do (Charybdis is tough to beat). A strategy that usually works well for Charybdis is just to start building towers and whenever there is a level 3, place the first whirlpool there. No player has access to that square but if in the following turns Charybdis places the other whirlpool only next to her workers, this creates a winning threat. The opponent has two choices:

* If the opponent defends by building over your lower level whirlpool, you can just threaten the same win by placing the whirlpool in another square. Don’t forget that while you are doing this, you also build a block somewhere. This means that you can progressively improve the game while your opponent tries to defend your threats.
* If the opponent defends by building over your level 3 whirlpool (best choice in most cases), completing the tower, then your lower level whirlpool might not be useful anymore and it is probably better if you build over that whirlpool in the following turns.

A common mistake done while playing with Charybdis, is to place the whirlpools neighboring the opponent’s workers. This is bad almost in every situation as you don’t want to give your opponent the opportunity to use your whirlpools. For example, the strategy of placing the whirlpool over a level 3 wouldn’t work since your opponent could also win by moving into the whirlpool. In these kinds of situations, what I recommend is that you immediately build over the whirlpool so that you can win it back and your opponent no longer has access to it.

Let us consider the following example (denote the whirlpools by W):

[[Image:Charybdis-1.jpeg|800px]]

Charybdis has just played by placing the whirlpool in A5 (not the best move but it serves for this example). The opponent can only defend by moving to A4. That way Charybdis can build on C5 and place a whirlpool on D4. Now no matter how the opponent responds (assuming a Mortal), Charybdis wins by moving to D4 (and then being teleported to E4).

Now imagine it was Charybdis to play and the position (similar) was the following:

[[Image:Charybdis-2.jpeg|800px]]

It is not useful to place the whirlpool in E4 since the opponent could just win by moving to A5 (that’s what you get for letting your opponent have access to your whirlpools). Instead what Charybdis should do is to build in A5 (to gain her whirlpool back) by and place whirlpool on E4 (and for now no one has access to E4). If the opponent doesn’t recognize the danger of the position, Charybdis would not only defend, but also win by moving to C2 and place whirlpool on D2. She will win by moving to D2.

===Mid Game===
By now you should be familiar with the mentioned strategy and the opponent might think: “Ok, that is cool, but I can cope with that”. The great thing about Charybdis is that this isn’t the only possible strategy. When you reach the mid game, there is another strategy you should be aware of. Put into words, the strategy consists of driving your opponent away by “forcing” (here forcing in the sense that it would be his only good option) him to a bad square. There are two variants for this strategy:

* Threaten to win while defending
* Place a whirlpool in a square your opponent would like to go

It is easier to understand if we see an example for each case:
The first one is very common and it’s part of the reason why it isn’t easy to win against Charybdis. Suppose it is Charybdis to play (denote the whirlpools by W).

[[Image:Charybdis-3.jpeg|800px]]

The position seems very good for the opponent (notice that only Charybdis controls the whirlpool in the corner E5) but looks can be deceiving. By moving to B3, building on A2 and placing a whirlpool there, Charybdis not only threatens to win (by moving to A5) but it also ruins the opponent’s “wonderful” position. The opponent has two options, but both seem to lead to disaster. If he domes A2 (by moving to B2), then Charybdis’s position is very comfortable. If he moves to A2, being teleported to A5, Charybdis loses access to A5, but the compensation is enormous (for example, she could next move to A3 and threaten to win in A2).

Now let’s see an example for the other strategy. Suppose it is Charybdis to move (and denote the whirlpools by W).

[[Image:Charybdis-4.jpeg|800px]]

Threatening to win in A2 could be easily defended, but not if you're facing Charybdis. She moves to C3, buils on A2 and places a whirlpool on B2. The only way for the opponent to defend A2 is by B2, but not now. If you move to A2, you get teleported to A5. Notice that yet again this strategy only works because the opponent is not neighboring the other whirlpool (otherwise he would move to A5, get teleported to B2, and dome B2).

There is still one remaining strategy which consists of teleporting yourself to a comfortable position of level 2s. The following example give a suggestion of how this could be done (suppose it is Charybdis to play and denote the whirlpools by W):

[[Image:Charybdis-5.jpeg|800px]]

By moving to C3, building and placing a whirlpool on B2, Charybdis can move to A5, get teleported to B2, build A1, and win in A1.

There is still another simple yet very strong strategy. This strategy consists of creating a square which is only adjacent to Charybdis or a dome and to place the whirlpool in that square. For example, Charybdis in B2, domes in A2 and B1, and the whirlpool in A1. Why is this strategy so strong? While there is this formation, no player will be able to enter the other end of the whirlpool because they wouldn’t be able to finish the turn, and only Charybdis can enter the whirlpool via the protected square. This is especially strong because everytime the opponent creates a winning threat, Charybdis just places the whirlpool in the winning square and not only is the opponent no longer threatening to win but is Charybdis the one who will win if nothing is done. Such position is even better than the usual because the opponent cannot even enter the whirlpool, but have to build a dome in that square! Although if the “protected whirlpool” was not neighbored by domes, the opponent could perhaps enter the whirlpool, get teleported to a bad square, but be able to win with the other worker.

The whirlpool can even be used to stop the opponent from moving to specific squares. Consider the following position and ask yourself, “How will the opponent win if Charybdis never moves the B2 worker and always places the whirlpool on any possible threat of the opponent?”

[[Image:Charybdis-6.jpeg|800px]]

===Late Game===
All the mentioned strategies until now are applicable at this phase of the game. There may still be other ways to use Charybdis’s whirlpools, but I leave that for you to imagine.

==Specific matchup==
===Aphrodite===
Charybdis can only move to a space neighboring Aphrodite, making it very hard to have full access to the whirlpools. Aphrodite should win this game with not too much effort.

===Apollo/Scylla===
Since Apollo has control over the opponent’s workers, it is easy for him to not only drive Charybdis away from the whirlpools but also to get his workers close. Similar with Scylla. For this reason, it can be a pain to use the usual strategies. It can still be possible to play this with Charybdis, though.

===Ares===
If there is a block under the whirlpools, Ares can remove the block and the whirlpool. This might seem appealing but it will still be extremely difficult for Ares.

===Athena===
Charybdis may enter in the whirlpool at any time (as long as she is not moving up in order to enter). This means that Athena might not be as effective as she usually is and Charybdis is a good choice to defeat her.

===Double builders===
It might seem that Charybdis can’t cope with the building streak, but these matches are actually quite balanced.

===Gaea===
Charybdis is initially much better (so are most gods against Gaea), but if you let her get the two workers, you might be doomed. For example, if Gaea has 4 workers, she might “sacrifice” a worker by letting it deliberately over a whirlpool so that both players don’t have power but Gaea has an extra worker.

===Graeae/Hydra/Proteus===
Having an extra worker against Charybdis can be of great value (see Gaea), especially for Hydra. This factor gives these powers something extra to play with, but it could still not be enough.

===Harpies===
Charybdis’s strategies “force” Harpies to build domes. This is bad for Harpies since they like an open board. Furthermore, there are some "technicalities" you should be aware of when playing this matchup. The whirlpool only works if you move there (not if you are forced there) and if you do get teleported, you then get forced by Harpies. The last sentence is applicable to other matchups with forcing gods, e.g. Apollo, Charon and Siren. Charybdis is the correct power to choose in this matchup.

===Hermes===
The fact that Hermes has high mobility, makes it more difficult for Charybdis to place her whirlpools in a desirable square. Nevertheless, Charybdis surprises everyone by still being better here.

===Hypnus===
Usually you have to have (at least) 2 workers at level 2 before you can win. Against Charybdis this is not the case and Hypnus’s power might not be that effective.

===Limus===
Whenever Limus gets to be neighboring a whirlpool, she has full control over that whirlpool in the sense that you cannot build next to Limus so that whirlpool will be there as long as Limus wants. This means that you have to be extra careful with Charybdis. Still, that might just not be enough and Charybdis will have a hard time (still Charybdis can surprise you).

===Morpheus===
Charybdis not being a fast/offensive power gives some time to Morpheus to collect blocks. And Morpheus doesn’t really care about those whirlpools. When he has enough blocks, he can go for the attack and threaten to win in several squares. Charybdis can’t cope with this! In conclusion, Morpheus is better in this matchup (but still with possibilities for Charybdis).

===Pan===
If Pan moves to a whirlpool, this counts as moving up which means that he will not be able to use his condition when entering (or leaving) a whirlpool. Charybdis should win with not too much difficulty.

===Triton===
Triton’s mobility is not the same as Hermes’s and this will be a difficult match for Charybdis. For example, Triton might enter a whirlpool in a level 3, get teleported, move away from the whirlpool, enter the (non level 3) whirlpool again, and win!

===Zeus===
If Zeus moves into a whirlpool, gets teleported to the other, and builds under himself, the whirlpool is removed. However, Charybdis should have a comfortable game against Zeus.

==Conclusion==
The takeaway is that only you should be controlling the whirlpools. If you don’t, then most of the strategies won’t work and I would recommend that you get rid of that whirlpool (by building on that square). Due to the numerous strategies Charybdis has at her hand, she is definitely a very strong power, and you should play with extra care.

Tier ranking: A

Charybdis adds a new and interesting dynamic to the game. Once you play with her, you will see that her power is pretty cool.

Gamehelpsantorini

2022-08-20T06:24:36Z

Bucco: /* How To Play */

== Minimum System Requirements ==
This 3D game requires a vaguely modern web browser (2017 or newer: Google Chrome 61+, Firefox 60+, Edge 79+, or Safari 11+) and a graphics card that supports [https://get.webgl.org/ WebGL]. A computer [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-windows-xp-support#:~:text=After%2012%20years%2C%20support%20for,to%20a%20modern%20operating%20system. still running Windows XP] is far too old, for example. If you meet the minimum requirements and cannot load the game, please [https://boardgamearena.com/bugs?game=1196 use the bug reporting system] to vote/file a report. If another player at your table cannot load the game, please kindly agree to abandon without penalty.

== How To Play ==
=== Setup ===
1. The first player offers 2, 3, or 4 power cards for selection (depending on player count). Try the ''Quick Setup'' option to have Board Game Arena do this for you.

2. The first player chooses which power will start the game. Follow our suggestion for a balanced game.

3. In turn order, each player selects a power from those on offer. The first player receives the last remaining power.

4. Whoever selected the starting power becomes the new first player.

5. Each player places 2 workers in their color on empty spaces of the board.

=== On Your Turn ===
1. '''Move''' one of your workers to an unoccupied neighboring space. You may move in any of the 8 directions as long as you do not move up more than 1 level.
Win condition: If your worker '''moves up''' to level 3 during your turn, you win!
Loss condition: If none of your workers can move, you lose.

2. '''Build''' a block (ground level, level 1, level 2) or dome (level 3) on an unoccupied space neighboring the moved worker. You may build on any level.
Loss condition: If your worker cannot build, you lose.

The heart of the game are the variable player powers, which adjust these basic rules for each player. ''God Powers'' provide a powerful ongoing ability while ''Hero Powers'' provide a once-per-game ability. Try the ''Simple Gods'' option for your first few games.

== Variants ==
=== No Powers (2 players) ===
With 2 players, it is possible to play the game without using power cards, although we do not recommend this.

=== Golden Fleece Variant (2 players) ===
During setup, players select one shared power card and place it beside the board. After placing workers, the first player places the golden Ram figure on the board, and the second player takes the first turn. At the start of each turn, any players neighboring the Ram figure receive the power for that turn. Players gain/lose the power throughout the game as they move around the board.

=== Team Game (4 players) ===
With 4 players, teams of two players share control of the workers in their color. Each player selects their own power card and cannot use their teammate's power. During setup, the first player on each team places the workers and the second player of each team takes the first turn. Players win or lose the game as a team.

== Glossary ==
The following terms have special significance:

''Blocks'' are the square white pieces of a tower built on ground level, level 1, and level 2.

''Domes'' are the round blue pieces of a tower built on level 3. Domes are not blocks.

''Complete Towers'' consist of 3 blocks and a dome.

''Unoccupied'' spaces do not contain workers, domes, or the Ram figure (used only in the Golden Fleece Variant).

''Move'' and ''Build'' are the normal turn actions.

''Force'' is a special action available to some powers. ''Force'' is not the same as ''move'' so it does not trigger the normal win condition.

''Tokens'' are special markers related to some powers. Tokens cannot be placed on a space that is occupied or contains a token. Tokens are removed from the board when built upon.

== Differences from the Physical Game ==

If you've played this board game in real life, note that minor rules changes from the game designer have been incorporated in the BGA adaption to improve balance:

• The setup changed. Instead of choosing the first ''player'', you choose the first ''power''.

• The text on 12 powers changed. The cards are clearly marked with ''REVISED POWER''.

Additionally, the BGA adaption has a specific and limited interpretation of "if possible". While it is consistent and well-defined, it may not match your definition of "if possible" (also note that the official rules provide no explanations or definitions related to "if possible"). BGA doesn't have a complex look-ahead engine to analyze the complete set of possible turns. Instead, "if possible" is late-evaluated based on the board state at the moment the condition would apply. For example, powers like Adonis or Persephone that limit an opponent's movement only apply at the moment an opponent needs to move. If the opponent can somehow take an action before their movement phase that affects their movement options, we don't stop the player from taking this action so they may be able to avoid Adonis/Persephone's restriction.

== List of Powers (64) ==

Achilles, Volatile Warrior
 Players: 2 — Hero Power
 Banned: Circe, Hecate
Your Turn: Once, your Worker builds both before and after moving.
----
Adonis, Devastatingly Handsome
 Players: 2 — Hero Power — REVISED POWER
 Banned: Artemis, Atalanta, Bellerophon, Castor & Pollux, Charon, Charybdis, Circe, Eris, Hecate, Hermes, Hippolyta, Jason, Nemesis, Prometheus, Proteus, Terpsichore, Triton
End of Your Turn: Once, choose one of your Workers and an opponent Worker. If possible, the Workers must be neighboring at the end of your opponent's next turn.

----
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love
 Players: 2, 4
 Banned: Bia, Medusa, Nemesis, Scylla, Theseus, Urania
Any Move: If an opponent Worker starts its turn neighboring one of your Workers, its last move must be to a space neighboring one of your Workers.
----
Apollo, God Of Music
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Simple God — Golden Fleece Variant
Your Move: Your Worker may move into an opponent Worker's space by forcing their Worker to the space yours just vacated.
----
Ares, God of War
 Players: 2, 3, 4
End of Your Turn: You may remove an unoccupied block (not dome) neighboring your unmoved Worker. You also remove any Tokens on the block.
----
Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Simple God — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Adonis, Persephone
Your Move: Your Worker may move one additional time, but not back to its initial space.
----
Asteria, Goddess of Falling Stars
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Hades
End of Your Turn: If one of your Workers moved down this turn, you may build a dome in any unoccupied space.
----
Atalanta, Swift Huntress
 Players: 2 — Hero Power
 Banned: Adonis, Circe, Hecate, Persephone
Your Move: Once, your Worker moves any number of additional times.
----
Athena, Goddess of Wisdom
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Simple God
Opponent's Turn: If one of your Workers moved up on your last turn, opponent Workers cannot move up this turn.
----
Atlas, Titan Shouldering the Heavens
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Simple God — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Gaea
Your Build: Your Worker may build a dome at any level.
----
Bellerophon, Tamer of Pegasus
 Players: 2 — Hero Power
 Banned: Adonis, Circe, Hecate, Persephone
Your Move: Once, your Worker moves up two levels.
----
Bia, Goddess of Violence
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant — REVISED POWER
 Banned: Aphrodite, Nemesis, Tartarus
Setup: Place your Workers first. Your workers must be placed in perimeter spaces.
Your Move: If your Worker moves into a space and the next space in the same direction is occupied by an opponent Worker, the opponent's Worker is removed from the game.

----
Castor & Pollux, Divine & Mortal Twins
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Adonis, Persephone
Alternative Turn: Move with all of your Workers. Do not build.
Alternative Turn: Do not move. Build with all of your Workers.
----
Chaos, Primordial Nothingness
 Players: 2, 3, 4
 Banned: Hecate, Nyx
Setup: Shuffle all unused Simple God Powers into a face-down deck in your play area. Draw the top God Power, and place it face-up beside the deck.
Any Time: You have the Power of the face-up God Power. You must discard your current God Power and draw a new one after any turn in which at least one dome is built. If you run out of God Powers, shuffle them to create a new deck and draw the top one.
----
Charon, Ferryman to the Underworld
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Adonis, Hecate, Persephone
Your Move: Before your Worker moves, you may force a neighboring opponent Worker to the space directly on the other side of your Worker, if that space is unoccupied.
----
Charybdis, Whirlpool Monster
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — REVISED POWER
 Banned: Adonis, Harpies, Hecate, Persephone
Setup: Place 2 Whirlpool Tokens on your God Power card.
End of Your Turn: You may place a Whirlpool Token from your God Power card on any unoccupied space on the board.
Any Time: If a Worker moves onto a Whirlpool and the other Whirlpool is on the board in an unoccupied space, it is forced to the other Whirlpool's space. In this case, the player cannot win by moving their Worker to the first Whirlpool's space but can win as if it had moved up to the second space. Whirlpool Tokens built on or removed are returned to your God Power card.

----
Chronus, God of Time
 Players: 2
 Banned: Nyx
Win Condition: You also win when there are at least five Complete Towers on the board.
----
Circe, Divine Enchantress
 Players: 2
 Banned: Achilles, Adonis, Atalanta, Bellerophon, Clio, Eros, Gaea, Graeae, Hecate, Heracles, Jason, Medea, Nyx, Odysseus, Polyphemus, Proteus, Tartarus, Theseus
Start of Your Turn: If an opponent's Workers do not neighbor each other, you alone have use of their power until your next turn.
----
Clio, Muse of History
 Players: 2, 3
 Banned: Circe, Nemesis
Your Build: Place a Coin Token on each of the first 3 blocks your Workers build.
Opponent's Turn: Opponents treat spaces containing your Coin Tokens as if they contain only a dome.
----
Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Simple God — Golden Fleece Variant
Your Build: Your Worker may build one additional time, but not on the same space.
----
Dionysus, God of Wine
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Hecate, Nyx
Your Build: Each time a Worker you control creates a Complete Tower, you may take an additional turn using an opponent Worker instead of your own. No player can win during these additional turns.
----
Eris, Goddess of Discord
 Players: 2, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Adonis, Hecate, Persephone, Tartarus
Alternative Turn: Move and build with an opponent Worker that was not the one your opponent most recently moved.
----
Eros, God of Desire
 Players: 2, 3, 4
 Banned: Circe
Setup: Place your Workers anywhere along opposite edges of the board.
Win Condition: You also win if one of your Workers moves to a space neighboring your other Worker and both are on the first level (or the same level in a 3-player game).
----
Europa & Talus, Queen & Guardian Automaton
 Players: 2, 3, 4
Setup: Place the Talus Token on your God Power card.
End of Your Turn: You may relocate your Talus Token to an unoccupied space neighboring the Worker that moved.
Any Time: All players treat the space containing the Talus Token as if it contains only a dome.
----
Gaea, Goddess of the Earth
 Players: 2, 3
 Banned: Atlas, Circe, Nemesis, Selene
Setup: Place 2 extra Workers of your color on your God Power card.
Any Build: When a Worker builds a dome, Gaea may immediately place a Worker from her God Power card onto a ground-level space neighboring the dome.
----
Graeae, The Gray Hags
 Players: 2, 3 — REVISED POWER
 Banned: Circe, Nemesis
Setup: When placing your Workers, place 3 of your color.
Your Build: Build with either Worker that did not move.

----
Hades, God of the Underworld
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Asteria, Pan
Opponent's Turn: Opponent Workers cannot move down.
----
Harpies, Winged Menaces
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Charybdis, Hermes, Maenads, Tartarus, Triton
Opponent's Turn: Each time an opponent's Worker moves, it is forced space by space in the same direction until the next space is at a higher level or it is obstructed.
----
Hecate, Goddess of Magic
 Players: 2
 Banned: Achilles, Adonis, Atalanta, Bellerophon, Chaos, Charon, Charybdis, Circe, Dionysus, Eris, Heracles, Hydra, Iris, Jason, Medea, Nemesis, Nyx, Odysseus, Polyphemus, Scylla, Tartarus, Theseus
Setup: Secretly place your Workers last. Your Workers are invisible to other players.
Any Time: If an opponent attempts an action that would not be legal due to the presence of your secret Workers, their action is cancelled and they lose the rest of their turn.
----
Hephaestus, God of Blacksmiths
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Simple God — Golden Fleece Variant
Your Build: Your Worker may build one additional block (not dome) on top of your first block.
----
Hera, Goddess of Marriage
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
Opponent's Turn: An opponent cannot win by moving into a perimeter space.
----
Heracles, Doer of Great Deeds
 Players: 2 — Hero Power — REVISED POWER
 Banned: Circe, Hecate
Alternative Build: Once, both your Workers build any number of domes (even zero) at any level.

----
Hermes, God of Travel
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Simple God — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Adonis, Harpies, Persephone
Your Turn: If your Workers do not move up or down, they may each move any number of times (even zero), and then either builds.
----
Hestia, Goddess of Hearth and Home
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
Your Build: Your Worker may build one additional time, but this cannot be on a perimeter space.
----
Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Adonis, Persephone
Any Time: All Workers except your female Worker may only move diagonally.
----
Hydra, Many-Headed Monster
 Players: 2, 3
 Banned: Hecate
End of Your Turn: If none of your Workers neighbor each other, gain a new Worker and place it in one of the lowest unoccupied spaces next to the Worker you moved. Otherwise, remove one of your Workers from play.
----
Hypnus, God of Sleep
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Terpsichore
Start of Opponent's Turn: If one of your opponent's Workers is higher than all of their others, it cannot move.
----
Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Hecate
Your Move: If there is a Worker neighboring your Worker and the space directly on the other side of it is unoccupied, your Worker may move to that space regardless of its level.
----
Jason, Leader of the Argonauts
 Players: 2 — Hero Power — REVISED POWER
 Banned: Adonis, Circe, Hecate, Persephone
Setup: Place an extra Worker of your color on your God Power card.
Alternative Turn: Once, place your extra Worker on an unoccupied ground-level perimeter space. Then move and build with this Worker.

----
Limus, Goddess of Famine
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant — REVISED POWER
 Banned: Terpsichore
Opponent's Turn: Opponent Workers cannot build on spaces neighboring your Workers, unless building a dome.

----
Maenads, Raving Ones
 Players: 2, 3, 4
 Banned: Harpies
End of Your Turn: If your Workers neighbor an opponent's Worker on opposite sides, that opponent loses the game.
----
Medea, Powerful Sorceress
 Players: 2 — Hero Power — REVISED POWER
 Banned: Circe, Hecate
End of Your Turn: Once, remove all blocks from under a Worker neighboring either of your Workers. You also remove any Tokens on the blocks.

----
Medusa, Petrifying Gorgon
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Aphrodite, Nemesis
End of Your Turn: If possible, your Workers build in lower neighboring spaces that are occupied by opponent Workers, removing the opponent Workers from the game.
----
Minotaur, Bull-headed Monster
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Simple God — Golden Fleece Variant
Your Move: Your Worker may move into an opponent Worker's space, if their Worker can be forced one space straight backwards to an unoccupied space at any level.
----
Morpheus, God of Dreams
 Players: 2, 3, 4
Start of Your Turn: Place a coin on your God Power card.
Your Build: Your Worker cannot build as normal. Instead, spend any number of coins from your God Power card (even zero) and build that many times.
----
Nemesis, Goddess of Retribution
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — REVISED POWER
 Banned: Adonis, Aphrodite, Bia, Clio, Gaea, Graeae, Hecate, Medusa, Terpsichore, Theseus
End of Your Turn: If none of an opponent's Workers neighbor yours, you may force both of your Workers to spaces occupied by two of an opponent's Workers, and vice versa.

----
Nyx, Goddess of Night
 Players: 2
 Banned: Chaos, Chronus, Circe, Dionysus, Hecate
Setup: Before players choose powers, the first player selects a God Power card to be Nyx's Night Power.
End of All Turns: If there are an odd number of Complete Towers in play, gain your Night Power and your opponent loses their God Power. If there are an even number of Complete Towers, lose your Night Power and your opponent gains their God Power.
----
Odysseus, Cunning Leader
 Players: 2 — Hero Power
 Banned: Circe, Hecate
Start of Your Turn: Once, force to unoccupied corner spaces any number of opponent Workers that neighbor your Workers.
----
Pan, God of the Wild
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Simple God — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Hades
Win Condition: You also win if your Worker moves down two or more levels.
----
Pegasus, Winged Horse
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
Your Move: Your Worker may move up more than one level, but cannot win the game by doing so.
----
Persephone, Goddess of Spring Growth
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Artemis, Atalanta, Bellerophon, Castor & Pollux, Charon, Charybdis, Eris, Hermes, Hippolyta, Jason, Prometheus, Terpsichore, Triton
Opponent's Turn: If possible, at least one Worker must move up this turn.
----
Polyphemus, Gigantic Cyclops
 Players: 2 — Hero Power
 Banned: Circe, Hecate
End of Your Turn: Once, your Worker builds up to 2 domes at any level on any unoccupied spaces on the board.
----
Poseidon, God of the Sea
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
End of Your Turn: If your unmoved Worker is on the ground level, it may build up to three times.
----
Prometheus, Titan Benefactor of Mankind
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Simple God — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Adonis, Persephone
Your Turn: If your Worker does not move up, it may build both before and after moving.
----
Proteus, Shapeshifting Sea God
 Players: 2, 3 — REVISED POWER
 Banned: Adonis, Circe
Setup: When placing your Workers, place 3 of your color.
Your Move: After your Worker moves, if possible, force one of your other Workers into the space just vacated.

----
Scylla, Menacing Sea Monster
 Players: 2, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Aphrodite, Hecate
Your Move: If your Worker moves from a space that neighbors an opponent's Worker, you may force their Worker into the space yours just vacated.
----
Selene, Goddess of the Moon
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Gaea
Alternative Build: Your female Worker may build a dome at any level regardless of which Worker moved.
----
Tartarus, God of the Abyss
 Players: 2
 Banned: Bia, Circe, Eris, Harpies, Hecate, Terpsichore
Setup: Place your Workers first. After all players' Workers are placed, secretly place the Abyss Token on an unoccupied space. This space is the Abyss.
Lose Condition: If any player's Worker enters the Abyss, they immediately lose. Workers cannot win by entering the Abyss.
----
Terpsichore, Muse of Dancing
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Adonis, Hypnus, Limus, Nemesis, Persephone, Tartarus
Your Turn: All of your Workers must move, and then all must build.
----
Theseus, Slayer of the Minotaur
 Players: 2 — Hero Power
 Banned: Aphrodite, Circe, Hecate, Nemesis
End of Your Turn: Once, if any of your Workers is exactly 2 levels below any neighboring opponent Workers, remove one of those opponent Workers from play.
----
Triton, God of the Waves
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Adonis, Harpies, Persephone
Your Move: Each time your Worker moves into a perimeter space, it may immediately move again.
----
Tyche, Goddess of Fortune
 Players: 2, 3, 4
Setup: Shuffle a deck of 6 cards in your play area.
End of Your Turn: Draw the top card of your deck. If it is 1 - 5, discard it. If it is 6, reshuffle your deck and you may take an additional turn. On that additional turn, do not draw the top card from your deck.
----
Urania, Muse of Astronomy
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
 Banned: Aphrodite
Your Turn: When your Worker moves or builds, treat opposite edges and corners as if they are adjacent so that every space has 8 neighbors.
----
Zeus, God of the Sky
 Players: 2, 3, 4 — Golden Fleece Variant
Your Build: Your Worker may build a block under itself.

SantoriniPowerMedusa

2022-07-15T12:16:42Z

Bucco: /* Dionysus */

[[Image:Medusa.jpeg]]
==Introduction==
As a gorgon, Medusa is well known due to her stare, which turns her opponents to stone. This seems deadly, like Bia. However, the largest problem with her is her inability to turn the tides. So how to snatch a better position from early on and gain a few statues?

===God Power===
At the end of your turn, if possible, your workers build in lower neighboring spaces that are occupied by opponent workers, removing them from the game.

===Category===
Others

===Explanation===
This happens at the end of her turn. All workers killed are replaced by blocks, which can be any floor.

==Game Strategies==
===Early Game===
Medusa should try to move up as soon as possible. Ideally she would like to move up in the center of the board but the opponent will usually not allow her to do that. If she is in an “isolated island” (only Medusa controls some connected blocks in some part of the board; for example, E4 and E5 are levels 1, Medusa is in E4 and D3, D4, D5, E3 are ground levels), it is very hard for the opponent to get close. In that case the question would be “Who will win faster?” If Medusa can use that island to create a threat first than the opponent does, she will most likely kill one of the opponent’s workers and consequently win.

One tactic Medusa should be aware of in the early game is the double attack. Just like with Bia, this happens when you attack more than one worker and the opponent can only defend one of them. Consider the following scenario, where the opponent has just played b3-c2, build B2(1):

[[Image:Medusa-1.jpeg|800px]]

Medusa can use this early opportunity to win a worker (and most likely the game) by playing d2-c3, build D4(1). Note how either the C2 or D3 worker will die because no matter what the opponent does, Medusa will be higher than one of the opponent’s workers at the end of her next turn.

===Middle Game===
The double attack can still be applied here, but I hardly doubt you will get a position where applying that is possible or advantageous. The opponent might be in a situation where sacrificing a worker could be for his own advantage.
You should always try to look for opportunities to move up, especially close to the center.

===Late Game===
If you are able to reach this phase with Medusa, things might get complicated for your opponent as not being on a level 2 might cost him a worker...

==Specific Matchup==
===Asteria===
In order for Asteria to use her power, she needs to step down. But you don’t want to do this against Medusa… So how will Asteria use her power? A tricky matchup, but Asteria should still be stronger.

===Atlas/Selene===
An interesting matchup where Atlas/Selene cannot go for the strategy to cover all the board with domes. Furthermore, Selene has to be careful not to lose the female worker.

===Circe===
It is a tricky matchup but a balanced one. If Medusa loses a worker, she will not get her power back and she will lose. So Medusa should keep her workers together while attacking and defending.

===Clio===
Clio’s coins might be placed in awkward squares due to Medusa’s first builds and this is a very very tricky matchup. I recommend you to try it.

===Dionysus===
A balanced matchup where Medusa wants to move up but Dionysus might ruin her plans by completing a tower.

===Graeae and Proteus===
Medusa dominates against both of these gods, even if they go first. The fact that Graeae can only build with her unmoved workers is just terrible against Medusa and will make it very easy for her to move up.

===Hades===
Hades’ power in this matchup just sucks. Hades usually wants the opponent to move up so that he can trap them. This strategy cannot be applied against Medusa since he will get killed.

===Harpies===
Although it might be easy for Medusa to move up to the perimeter, it is not that easy for her to stay there. Furthermore, it might be especially useful for Harpies to sacrifice a worker in this matchup since the block that replaces their dead worker might only be useful to them. I would only recommend you to pick Medusa in this one if you are a good player with Medusa and a good player against Harpies. Even in that case, you are facing a challenge.

===Hera===
Medusa is very strong against Hera. I do not recommend this matchup.

===Hydra===
This might be interesting to try, but in fact Medusa holds the upper hand. It will be very hard for Hydra to have more than 3 workers on the board and Medusa can just keep on moving up until she wins.

===Killers (e.g. Bia, Theseus)===
These matchups are just asking to be offered. Two killers and your question might be who does it better. For Bia, although I give an edge to Medusa in this matchup, this is still a fun and balanced matchup where you might get the opportunity to play with one worker against a worker, and in that case I have no doubts that Medusa is stronger.
For Theseus, this matchup will be easier to play for Medusa, and I doubt Theseus can use his power without getting killed first or getting killed after he uses it. Yet again, another tricky matchup where Medusa stands better.

===Maenads===
An interesting balanced matchup where I would say Medusa is slightly stronger.

===Morpheus===
It might be trickier than usual for Morpheus to play this, but I’m still confident that he is stronger here.

===Pegasus===
Although Pegasus is stronger here, he should not be overconfident as this matchup is trickier than it looks.

==Conclusion==
Medusa is one of the trickiest powers since you have to play quite differently against her. The problem of Medusa is that the opponent usually has a power which is strong enough to “ignore” her and Medusa won’t stand a chance.

Tier ranking: C

Although Medusa might seem very good at first, it is not easy to activate her if she is facing a good power. However, she can definitely be a secret weapon against a variety of powers.

SantoriniPowerTyche

2022-07-15T07:53:56Z

Bucco: /* Explaination */

[[Image:Tyche.jpeg|140px]]
==Introduction==
As the goddess of fortune, Tyche bestows luck by blessing her workers with extra turns. However, she is not like most gods as playing with her involves luck and randomness. You need strategy in order to use her good luck to your advantage…

===God Power===
Shuffle a deck consisting of 6 cards from 1 to 6. At the end of your turn, draw the top card from the deck. If it is 6, reshuffle the deck with all 6 cards and you may take an additional turn, otherwise discard the card.

===Category===
Others

===Explanation===
Tyche places a deck of six cards numbered from 1 to 6 next to her. At the end of each turn, Tyche draws a card at random and proceeds to remove that card from the deck. If that card is a 6, Tyche may take an additional turn and the deck returns to its initial state (six cards from 1 to 6). Otherwise, nothing happens (except that the deck will have one less card in the next turn). Do note that no cards are drawn at the end of an additional turn.

In other words, in the first turn, Tyche has a probability of 1/6 of taking an extra turn. If such a situation happens, the same probability will hold in her next turn. Otherwise, Tyche plays a normal turn and in the next turn she will have a probability of 1/5 of taking an extra turn. If Tyche is consecutively failing to pick card number 6, the probabilities of taking an extra turn continue to increase in the following order: 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1. In particular, when Tyche only holds a single card, she knows for a fact that she will take two consecutive turns on that move. This can be one of the most dangerous scenarios to face against Tyche and that’s the move where all the bad luck might have paid off. For example, if Tyche is able to build a level 3 adjacent to a level 2 she occupies, she is able to win (just like Achilles would be able to).
Tyche does not play as most of the other powers and it really depends on whether you want to rely on luck or not.

==Game Strategy==
Probably the best plan for Tyche is just to try to move up to level 2. Once she is up there, all sorts of nasty moves can happen. We highlight the case in which Tyche is on top of a level 2, with an adjacent level 2. In that case, if she only has one card remaining at the start of her turn, the victory can be achieved (similarly to what Achilles would do). If she has two cards remaining, the winning chance is 50%. However, in this case, Tyche must be careful not to give the game away in case she does not get an additional turn.

==Specific Matchup==
===Athena===
If Athena moved up and in that turn Tyche gets an additional turn she may NOT move up once again.

===Chaos===
You might see this matchup being offered quite a few times and I would always suggest you to pick Chaos. Although Chaos also involves luck, he is more in the spirit of the game as it can be more predictable. Moreover, Chaos’s pool of powers is better than Tyche.

===Europa & Talus===
Europa has to take into consideration that Tyche might move twice and Talus’s location must be rethinked due to such possibility.

===Hecate===
Tyche gives you an interesting opportunity to find Hecate’s workers in one turn. This is an impredicable matchup and might be decided in a specific turn…

===Triton===
It is in these kind of matchups where Tyche can prove her worth by taking out a much stronger opponent (probably relying on luck).

===Zeus===
It is hard for Zeus to prevent Tyche from moving up to level 2 and we already know how dangerous she can be once she gets up there.

==Conclusion==
It is tough to rank a god which involves luck, but you can get a general idea after trying it against some powers. In general, Tyche is a reasonable power which can surprise the opponent at any moment. At the end of the game, the side who loses will feel like they were the unlucky one, but that’s just how it is when you play a strategy game with a power like Tyche.

Tier ranking: B

SantoriniPowerNyx

2022-04-17T08:38:08Z

Bucco:

[[Image:Nyx.jpeg|140px]]
==Introduction==
As the goddess of the night, Nyx can disable her opponent’s ability while giving herself another. This can be the key to winning the game, but she is the one who is disabled at first. So how to use the night to her advantage?

===God Power===
Before players choose powers, the first player selects a god power card to be Nyx's night power. At the end of all turns, if there are an odd number of complete towers in play, gain your night power and your opponent loses their god power. If there are an even number of complete towers, lose your night power and your opponent gains their god power.

===Category===
Opponent blocking

===Explanation===
The powers with which Nyx can play are: Aeolus, Apollo, Artemis, Asteria, Atlas, Bia, Castor & Pollux, Charon, Demeter, Eris, Hades, Harpies, Hephaestus, Hermes, Hestia, Hippolyta, Hypnus, Iris, Limus, Medusa, Minotaur, Pan, Pegasus, Persephone, Poseidon, Prometheus, Scylla, Selene, Siren, Terpsichore, Triton, Urania, Zeus.

Whenever there is an even number (zero included) of complete towers (we refer to this state of the board as “the day”), Nyx is a mortal and the opponent plays normally. Whenever there is an odd number of complete towers (we refer to this state of the board as “the night”), Nyx’s power is activated and the opponent’s power is deactivated completely! For example, Tartarus’ abyss is a normal square, Clio’s coins or Europa’s tokens are normal squares as well.

Those very strong powers, e.g. Poseidon or Limus, will probably not work if they are played either by Nyx or the opponent since you can easily control the number of complete towers and one side will be a mortal.

Nyx might lead to some very tricky corner cases and that’s why many matchups are banned. As with Circe, it makes more sense to analyze each matchup individually and thus most of the effort of this power will be dedicated to the specific matchups.

==Game Strategy==
===Early Game===
The first moves are the hardest for Nyx. Ideally, she would like to complete a tower as soons as possible, but this might give enough time for the opponent to create a good position. So Nyx must decide if she can go for this strategy, i.e. complete a tower and expect to catch up quickly once her power is activated.

===Mid Game===
Both players must carefully control the number of level 3s since that can decide who gets their power after several turns of building domes.

===Late Game===
Probably the strongest power will emerge, or maybe not, it is tough to say without knowing the matchup or the position.

==Specific Matchup==
We will analyze some possible night powers with which Nyx can play and establish a few remarks. Nevertheless, recall that it will depend a lot on the chosen power by the opponent, especially since they are the one who starts with an ability.

===Nyx(Aeolus)===
It won’t differ much from the normal Aeolus, but if Nyx sets the wind and then loses her power, the wind will stop working. Whenever an additional tower is completed and Nyx regains her power, the wind will be blowing in the direction it was left at.

===Nyx(Atlas, Selene, Asteria)===
You must be very careful when giving Nyx one of these domers (Atlas and Selene) because once Nyx gains her power, it might be very hard for the opponent to get their power back once the domers can easily prevent them from completing towers for example by placing a dome on a level 2. Asteria is also a domer, but she cannot place domes as she pleases, so it is quite different from Atlas and Selene.

===Nyx (Hades)===
If Hades already sucks, imagine giving your opponent a head start. Moreover, when Hades is activated, if the opponent is able to deactivate it, they no longer have move restrictions. At the end of the day, if Nyx draws her power from Hades, the opponent has to be weak.

===Nyx (Hippolyta)===
This is tricky because the opponent must plan their game always considering that Hippolyta might appear, that is, orthogonal threats no longer wait for them. Moreover, with Hippolyta present, it might be harder for the opponent to build levels 3 as they please.

===Nyx(Hypnus)===
The opponent must be careful and not forget who they are up against. If for example, they are careless to leave a worker in the ground level and the other on a level 2, and if by chance Nyx’s power activates, they will be playing with a single mortal worker, which is terrible and can cost them the game.

===Nyx(Limus)===
If Nyx gets her power, it might be all over for the opponent… With Limus on the board, it is especially hard for the opponent to complete towers, and Nyx(Limus) might only let the opponent complete a tower if she can do it again in the next turn. Just like with Atlas and Selene, the opponent has to be very careful when they let Nyx have her power, otherwise they can be left with nothing.

===Nyx(Medusa)===
If Medusa is above the opponents workers during the day, nothing happens, but if suddenly the night comes, they are all removed and they don’t come back if the day returns.

===Nyx(Poseidon)===
If Nyx is able to get her power, it might be game over. As everybody probably knows by now, Poseidon is a monster and if Poseidon is up against a mortal… well… there’s not much they can do.

===Nyx(Terpsichore)===
There might be a very rare situation where Nyx would prefer not to get her power (she might lose due to having to move twice for example), but in most of the cases, she will gladly accept to play with one of the strongest powers of the game.

===Nyx(Other Powers)===
These powers won’t create many problems in the sense that they are more predictable, but Nyx will only get them once the first tower is completed.

Now let’s take a look at the powers the opponent can play with and you will see Nyx offers some very interesting combinations.

===Atlas/Selene===
Does it really matter who Nyx is playing with? It is very easy for Atlas (not so much for Selene) to prevent Nyx from building domes, so this matchup tends to be unbalanced.

===Charybdis===
The whirlpool monster gets severely weakened in this matchup so this matchup will work out fine with Nyx.

===Clio===
When there is an odd number of complete towers, Clio loses her power. This means that Nyx can build over Clio’s coins to make them be lost forever and she can step on them. But that’s not all there is to this matchup. What happens if Nyx is standing on a coin and the day comes? Since Nyx views the square containing the coin as a dome, she will be unable to move that worker until the day time comes, so she must be very careful when stepping on Clio’s coins. Regarding the matchup, if Nyx is able to get her power, she should try to build over Clio’s coins so that Clio is left with no power when day comes. At the end of the day, Clio should try to win as fast as she can (for example with the corner attack), otherwise in one or two turns Nyx can ruin her whole game.

===Eros===
Eros is especially stronger in the first moves. If he is facing a mortal (like Nyx is before the first tower is completed), it will be very hard to defend his threats. Thus, this matchup will be very difficult for Nyx.

===Europa & Talus===
When there is an odd number of complete towers, Europa loses her power. This means that workers can build over Europa’s token (the token is returned to Europa). Moreover, Nyx (or Europa) can step into the token. But what happens if a worker is standing on the token and the day comes? Since that square is a dome during the day, the worker standing on the token will be unable to move until either the next day comes or Europa decides to move the token again. Hence workers must be very careful when stepping into the token.

===Graeae/Proteus===
These powers are very good against Nyx because they are still strong when they lose their power, since they will be playing with three workers with no restrictions (there might be positions where playing with no power is actually better than having the power).

===Harpies===
This can be tricky if you’re not paying attention. For example, Nyx might be counting on Harpies to defend a threat (by being forced to near the threat). But if suddenly Harpies complete a tower, losing the power on purpose, then Nyx is no longer forced.

===Hecate===
Whenever there is an odd number of complete towers, Nyx can see Hecate’s workers, but as a consequence she cannot go to the squares they’re on.

===Hera===
Hera is surprisingly weaker in this matchup. Losing the power for a single turn can be enough for Nyx to prosper.

===Hydra===
This is another power which might lose her power on purpose. For example, if Hydra is able to get five workers and then loses her power, she will be playing with five workers and no restrictions, which is incredibly good. That is part of the reason why Hydra will most likely have an easy win, even if she is facing the Nyxed Poseidon.

===Limus===
It might take a lot for Nyx to get her power (since it is hard to build several times in the same square against Limus) and I’m afraid once she gets it, it will be too late.

===Morpheus===
Morpheus does not get to collect blocks during the night, but he still gets a build per turn (as normally), so that shouldn’t be a problem. It won’t be a piece of cake for Morpheus, but he will most likely stand stronger.

===Poseidon===
There might be other powers fulfilling this category (being so strong that it almost doesn’t matter who Nyx is), but Poseidon is a good example of a power which will absolutely destroy Nyx.

===Tartarus===
Whenever there is an odd number of complete towers, Tartarus loses his ability. The abyss is still not visible to Nyx, but it will stop working, that is, workers can enter the abyss. If the day comes and there is a worker standing on the abyss, nothing will happen. For a player to lose, one of their workers needs to enter the abyss.

==Conclusion==
Nyx adds a lot of twists to the game and you can get a lot of balanced matchups by considering what would normally be a balanced matchup. Due to the high number of combinations, it is quite hard to give her a rating. At the end of the day, with a strong choice of night power, Nyx can become very strong. However, independently of Nyx’s night power, she is the one who is always starting without a power and many times this will be a determinant factor in the game and that is why she is often the weaker side.

Tier ranking: C

SantoriniPowerMinotaur

2022-01-27T21:21:10Z

Bucco: /* Introduction */

[[Image:Minotaur.png]]
==Introduction==
With his powers similar to Apollo, Minotaur also seems useless at first. However, the truth is completely different. Not only can he give himself an advantageous position, but also he can push his opponents to more and more disadvantages. But how should he use his pushes?

===God Power===
In your move stage, your worker may move to an opponent worker’s space, if their worker can be forced one space straight backward to an unoccupied space at any level.

===Category===
Player move/Opponent forcing

===Explanation===
This power is activated during your move stage in the turn. The word “move” is used so this only happens when you actually can move to that space. Thus, minotaur cannot push a level-2 opponent from the ground. Moreover, if the space behind the opponent is occupied (i.e. with a worker), you cannot push him. Remember that you can push him to ANY level. That means you can push a grounded worker to a level-3, but this won’t yield a loss, since his moving up does not happen in his move stage. Moreover, your opponent worker needs to be forced one “space” backward, so if the space behind them is the wall, you can’t push them (not even Urania).

==Game Strategies==
===Early Game===
Minotaur’s power is so significant in the early game, like Apollo, by using level-1 threatening strategy. Thus, he is required to stay close to the opponent. Do not try to apply no interaction strategy. Your power will be useless because you cannot push them around. Try to stay close.

Minotaur is pretty good at pushing people so similar to Apollo, you can wait until they move up to a level-1 and then push them off. What you don’t want to do is to make it so if they move up, you can’t push them because they would run into the wall. That means you may not want your opponent to go up in the edge space. Clearly, level-2 blocking should apply here. Try to use level-2 blocking on your opponent’s level-1 in the edge space to force them to go up in some inner space. This can utilize your pushing power. Remember that for every push, you would like to put them in a bad position while putting you in a good one at the same time. If they try to run away and you are on a level-1, you can use your second worker to follow them. Another good strategy is that, if they put a level 1 behind them so your push will force them to go up, you should still push them because they will anyway have to move down to build another level-1, or use another worker to build level-1 around you. Smart readers may find that this is so similar to level-1 forfeiting strategy. After you can move up while sticking with your opponent, it might not be a 50:50 position, since you can do more than your opponent, by pushing them off the edge!

Moreover, it is a good early game strategy to let the opponent worker move up first and then push them off. Then you can move up while pushing them down and you can turn the tide just like that! Then you are off to a good start!

As an opponent of Minotaur, you probably would not want to move up on to a level-1 unless Minotaur couldn’t push you off. Also you don’t want to put a level-1 behind you because you may have to come down anyways. However, sometimes this is your only strategy to counter Minotaur, given that you are not some good check on Minotaur. Just try to build with your both workers such that Minotaur’s push would not bring you to so disadvantageous or help him to corner up a safe level-2. Moreover, remember that Minotaur cannot do anything on you as long as you block his way to go to your place. Clearly, some of the player-blocking gods can easily counter Minotaur skill even in the early game. We would mention more in the specific matchup.

Tip: If there is a level 2 and no building around it, you can try to push the opponent worker up there with no really big cost.

===Mid Game===
A good mid-game situation is that you are standing on a level-1 with a few other level ones around you and the opponent is on the ground. Now, you are in a good position. If the opponent tries to move up again, and he builds behind him so your worker that is on level 1 can’t push him off, you can always set your second worker up to push him off. You can keep playing the push game or move on.

To move to the next step, all you have to do is build a level-2. You want to do this when the opponent worker’s are either on ground level or can’t move up. You might think that if they move up you can push them back off, but they can just build a level-2 behind them. You want to make Minotaur count.

In some situations, like if you are standing on a level-1 on C3 and there are 8 level-1’s around you. The opponent moves up and puts a level-1 behind them. Then, you can push them because even though they don’t go down to the ground level, they will have to move off anyways to get back to the other level ones. It means you limit their choice to move or else they need to be pushed off the level-1 by you!

You should be able to get to a level 2 pretty easily and if the opponent ends up getting to a level 2 too, all you have to do is push them off! Then they are off and once again you are in a good position but this time, you are 1 level higher than before.

Tip: As Minotaur you can move down from a level 2 on purpose to set yourself up to push the opponent off!

===Late Game===
For me, Minotaur is pretty strong in the late game, as long as you are at least 50:50 with your opponent. You know, like Apollo, if Minotaur is in a disadvantageous position, this monster can never come back.

Assume an at least 50:50 situation, with most of the board being level-2’s and some unbuilt ground. Minotaur push can easily secure a win. For example:

[[Image:Minotaur-1.png]]

Here, Minotaur at E3 can move to E2 and build a tower at E3. This forces the opponent to move to D3 to dome you. However, this will bring your opponent neighboring you and you can push them off the level-2 in the next turn! Then you will be in a super advantageous position, not so far away from winning this game.

We can see that in the late game, being aggressive might help Minotaur to secure a winning-push. As an opponent of Minotaur, I prefer to have the board more evenly distributed with level-2’s, so that Minotaur cannot utilize his power well. For example, if D2 is also a level-2 in the above example. Minotaur will need a longer setup to secure a winning-push.

Moreover, remember that pushing an opponent to a level-3 will not let them win. Sometimes, this push may win the game since it in fact puts your opponent in a disadvantageous position. As your opponent is already on level-3, when he moves down, he is REQUIRED to dome the level-3 he was standing on. This limitation of his movement may easily help you to secure a two-way tower instead. For example:

[[Image:Minotaur-2.png]]

As the first mover, Minotaur moves to E2 and builds at E3. This forces the opponent to move down and dome your winning position. However, this move-down will open up another tower for you to win. Thus, the opponent clearly loses this game because he is standing on a level-3. We can see the power of pushing opponents to a level-3 here.

==Specific Matchup==
===Athena===
Minotaur level-1 threatening strategy cannot apply on Athena, since when Athena moves up to a level-1 next to Minotaur, Minotaur is disallowed to move up together. Moreover, an Athena with no-interaction strategy may impose a big threat on Minotaur.

===Urania===
Urania swift movement along the edge may easily escape from the catch of the bull-headed monster. This could be an unfair matchup since Minotaur may not even be able to use his power once and lose already.

===Scylla===
Minotaur pushing the opponent means he is next to the opponent the next turn, and Scylla can use his power surely. The same apply on Scylla, where using Scylla power means neighboring Minotaur, but this is not 100% for Minotaur to apply power on Scylla since Scylla may have simply moved to an edge! Thus, I do think Scylla is a big counter for Minotaur.

===Jumpers (e.g. Artemis, Triton, Pegasus, Iris):===

They can simply apply level-2 blocking in the early game and swiftly move up to the area of level-2’s within one turn. With the bad building power of Minotaur, this monster can never catch up with these jumpers.

===Clio===

Clio’s dome is more interesting than other domers. She can move up to her token but not Minotaur. Thus, Clio may easily escape from Minotaur’s catch and secure a winning position. Again, the bad building power of Minotaur may not be able to force Clio to follow its pace, but Minotaur needs to follow Clio’s path toughly.

==Conclusion==
Like Apollo, Minotaur is super strong in all stages of the game, AS LONG AS your opponent is not a big check for you. However, there are quite a lot of big checks for Minotaur, so be smart when you choose Minotaur in tournament mode. Do not put him under trouble such that vs-ing Urania.

Tier ranking: B.

Minotaur could have a very hard time against jumper gods. However, as long as the opponent is not using some good counter on Minotaur, Minotaur is super easy to use and most importantly, super strong in all early game, mid-game and late game.

SantoriniPowerAthena

2021-12-20T11:26:25Z

Bucco: /* Explanation */

[[Image:Athena.png]]

==Introduction==
Other than Artemis, Athena is one of the three gods I have met in my first game. As a beginner, we were not as eager as now to move up, so I did not realize the strength of Athena. However, after realizing the high win rate of Athena among all the gods I have played, I started to look into the power of the goddess of wisdom. Simply put, the most common method of winning is moving up to the third floor, but Athena stops that simply by moving up herself. As we know, a grounded worker requires at least three turns to achieve a win, but Athena can lengthen this turns requirement by moving up. Athena could be super annoying during most of the matchup. However the number of times to move up is quite limited, so when should we use them? Truly, you need to move up wisely, packed with your pure wisdom.

===God Power===
During opponent’s turn, if one of your workers moved up on your last turn, opponent workers cannot move up this turn.

===Category===
Opponent blocking

===Explanation===
This happens in the opponent's turn. During their turns, the system will check if your worker has moved up in your last turn. If so, their workers simply cannot move up, even for Pegasus and Iris. Beware that if Athena’s worker moved up during Dionysus’ turn, the power will not be activated since the moving up is not happening in your last turn. However, if you have moved up the turn just before Dionysus using your worker, your worker can still move up during Dionysus's turn, since they are your workers, not opponent's workers.

==Game Strategies==
===Early Game===
In the early game, everyone wants to be the one who is the first on level-1. For the user of Athena, you should be more eager to be the first one. Thus, as a second mover, Athena is a very good user of level-2 blocking in early game: building up every block your opponent builds to a level-2. Beware that your opponent should also be very careful on every moving-up possibility of you since it may destroy their whole set up, so they may still apply the same early game strategy on you. However in this case, it may set up a perfect environment for Athena to win in the late game. Having so many level-2’s may eventually provide too much possibility for Athena to move up from level-1, and hinder your movement.

Assuming a level-2 blocking in the early game, at the end someone (maybe Athena, or her opponent) would be blocked by workers or level-2 so they can no longer apply this strategy. In this case, as Athena, quickly build a level-1 next to some level-2’s area. If your opponent does move up this turn, he risks at least two turns of not moving up and watching you to go up hopelessly.

Moreover, Athena should not blindly move up. Your moving up is like a Hero Power, though being able to recover in the game. Only move up when your opponent can do so too. If you move up in the turn while your level-1 opponent is still surrounded by a level-1 area, you fail to show your wisdom. For a second-mover Athena, try to build two level-1’s first so that you can move up without any loss of momentum, while blocking every of your opponent’s moving-up. For example, move up to the level-1 and build a level-2. Then move up the level-2 and build a level-2 again. It can immediately bring Athena to an advantageous position.

Remember that the effect of blocking to move up is not related to the distance between workers. Even if you and the opponents are far away building for yourself, your every moving-ups are hindering your opponents. Thus, most of Athena's moves are interacting with your opponents. Unlike Atlas or Apollo, Athena does not need to stick with your opponent to interact with them. Hence, Athena is actually one of the best users of no-interaction early game strategy. With both setting up for themselves, Athena could crush most of the gods using this strategy.

===Mid Game===
This should be the most intelligent part Athena could show. As long as Athena moves up, every block you build would be an obstacle for your grounded opponent. While building up your newly built block would be super favorable for your winning, your opponent would simply ignore that block and let your other worker move up defenselessly. If your opponent is incautious of your no-interaction strategy in early game, Athena could win in the mid-game. By moving up and using a level-2 as a dome for your opponent. Here's an example:

[[Image:Athena-1.png]]

In this case, Athena at E2 can move to D1 or E1 and build on E2. In this case, the newly built level-2 on E2 would become unreachable for your opponent. Athena will have her opponent forced to move down, cornering her winning position by a “fake-dome" at E2.

Another strategy in mid-game is to move up and build a tower next to your opponent, this may sometimes threaten your opponent since he cannot go up but only to dome your tower. For example:

[[Image:Athena-2.png]]

For other gods, it should be still far away from winning since the opponent is standing next to two level-2’s, which means that every level-3 you're gonna build would become favorable to the opponent. For Athena, it is not the case. By going from E2 or E1, then building the tower respectively in each case, your opponent is forced to move down to the level-1 or the ground to block you instead, which puts him in a disadvantageous position. Athena can then easily win by building another tower.

If you are in a seemingly disadvantageous position in the mid-game, where both of your workers are still on the ground level. Don’t worry, an area full of level-2’s is now the best platform for you to show your wisdom. Build a safe level-1 next to the level-2’s area, while keep moving up in later turns.

===Late Game===
Late game is super unfavorable to Athena, where both workers are on the high levels already, meaning that Athena can seldom use her power again. In this case, some players would like to move down Athena in order to use her power. Your opponent can then grab this chance and block the path of your poor inferior Athena. Athena may no longer come back to the level-2’s area. Thus, as Athena, try to win in the mid-game. As the opponent of Athena, try to bring the game to a late game where Athena can seldom use her power. In the late game, it would become a fight between gods and the powerless Athena.

If your Athena are unlucky to be in the late game, don’t give up. I do recommend you to move down so that you can use the “fake-dome” and “tower-next-to-the-opponent” strategy mentioned above again. Yet during the move-down, try to move to the level-1 that you can have n-way back to level-2’s. In this way, you can guarantee to demonstrate your wisdom again to your opponent.

==Specific Matchup==
===Apollo/Minotaur===
Both the god of music and a monster cannot withstand the overwhelming wisdom from Athena. Apollo’s threatening strategy in the early game would become less effective, by standing next to the level-1. Athena can simply go up, saying “Hi” to Apollo while Apollo can do nothing on her! Luckily, Apollo did well in most of the mid-game Athena’s strategies especially for the “tower-next-to-the-opponent” strategy, since Apollo could simply swap the position and dome the winning position.

===Domers (e.g. Atlas and Selene)===
Athena’s moving up would be blocked by domers. Thus, during the match against domers, Athena should use her power to set up blocks so that your opponent cannot easily reach your area of focus. This would be hard since Athena is not really a good builder…

===Pan===
Athena’s moving up could block Pan’s winning. Under no-interaction strategy, no matter Pan is the first or second mover, Athena can perfectly block the moving up of Pan. For second-mover Athena, simply build two level-1 first. In this case you can keep going up without any loss of momentum.

===Good builders (esp. Demeter)===
Demeter is a good builder but building too many level-1 may be favorable to Athena, as it may become a support for Athena unstoppably moving up. For other good builders, try to avoid building too many level 1’s.

===Hypnus===
Athena vs Hypnus is a good matchup. Everytime Athena uses her power, she may risk a chance of locking her worker too. Yet, under no-interaction strategy, Hypnus should be outplayed by Athena as long as Athena set up well. The two level-1’s strategy is not enough for Athena to keep moving up, try a three level-1’s strategy instead.

===Persephone===
Persephone level-1 distracting strategy may not work well on Athena. Sometimes, Persephone can build a tower while leaving a level-1 open for your opponent, so that your opponent needs to move up to the level-1 without doming your tower. However, Athena moving up to level-1 means Persephone being not able to win too! Thus, their matchup is a fair and fun match.

===Zeus===
Athena’s early game moving-up does not work well on Zeus since Zeus can simply move up to level-2 by his power. However, those mid-game strategies still work well on Zeus.

===Hades===
Athena’s moving up power would be limited to 4 times against Hades. Yet, Hades has not much power to block Athena’s mid-game strategy.

==Conclusion==
It is easier said than done. Athena’s power is undoubtedly powerful, but it is not an easy god to play with. Setting up is more important than going up for Athena. Grounded Athena can comeback easily in the mid-game, but level-2’s Athena might actually be a joke for your opponent. Try to be ready for your wisdom every time you play Athena!

Tier ranking: A.

There is no perfect counter for Athena. Choosing her among the two gods available is never a bad choice for you.

Gamehelparnak

2021-12-04T05:42:45Z

Bucco:

In Lost Ruins of Arnak, you'll be trying to uncover the titular lost ruins and the area around it. You'll do this by sending out your team of archaeologists to various locations to gather resources, collect cards for various effects, and advance on a research track to further find the lost ruins. The player with the most points at the end wins the game!

== Game Anatomy ==

In Lost Ruins of Arnak, each player has their own board, mostly to track their own resources and pieces. Each player, has:
* Two explorers, which can be placed on the main board to activate various spaces on it.
* Cards, which can be used for various effects. Each player has a hand of cards they have immediate access to, a draw pile that can be drawn from, and a discard pile where cards that were already used this turn go.
* Coins, mostly used to buy more item cards.
* Compasses, mostly used to explore new locations and buy artifact cards.
* Tablets, mostly used to activate artifact cards or advance on the research track.
* Arrowheads, mostly used to advance on the research track.
* Jewels, mostly used to advance on the research track.
* Idols, earned as a reward for being the first to explore new locations, and can be spent for a few bonus effects. Each idol is also worth 3 points, and bonus effects that were never invoked also award points.
* Defeated guardians, which can be overcome from the main board. Each guardian is worth 5 points.

The lost ruins themselves are on the main board. In more detail, the board contains:
* A card market, along the top of the board. This contains artifacts on the left and items on the right, which can be purchased by spending the appropriate number of compasses or coins. This also contains a round tracker that advances to the right as the game continues, and also changes the distribution of how many artifacts and items are available.
* The map, which contains various actions that can be activated by sending explorers there. The most basic actions are at the bottom of the board, the most advanced at the top, and the middle reserved for the middle of that scale.
* The research track. By spending certain resources, players can advance their tokens along it. The rewards for doing so are pictured on the right side of it.

Note that there are two different boards, the Bird Temple and Snake Temple, which have different maps and research tracks. The Bird Temple is generally considered the most straightforward of these.

== Structure Of A Round ==

Lost Ruins of Arnak takes place across five rounds. Each round essentially lasts until all other players have passed, all in between some setup and end phase.
* In the beginning of each round, each player draws 5 cards from their deck.
* Then, starting with the player with the first player token (shaped like a clock) and proceeding around the table, each player takes a turn. What to do on your turn will be discussed further down this article. This continues until all players have passed.
* Once all players have passed, if any explorers ended their turn on the same space as a guardian, they add a Fear card to their deck. Then they collect all explorers on the board back to their supply.
* All players shuffle their discard piles and cards still in your hand back into their draw piles.
* Straighten all used assistants so that they may be used again.
* The first player token passes one player to the left.
* The item and artifact card closest to the round marker are both exiled. The round marker advances one space over, then both card markets are refilled.

== What To Do On Your Turn ==

During each turn, a player takes one main action, which can be preceded or followed by any number of optional free actions. The main actions are as follows:
* Send an explorer to a location. To do this, you'll need to discard a card from your hand (or use another effect) containing a matching travel symbol. Note that a plane symbol can be used in place of any other symbol, a car or boat symbol can also be used for a foot symbol, and you can always pay 2 coins to generate a plane symbol on the spot. You can also explore a new location by spending 3 compasses for any of the actions in the middle of the board, or 6 compasses for any of the actions on the top of the board; if you do, you gain the resource or bonus pictured on the space, gain an idol (2 if it was on the top row), the action itself is revealed and immediately applied, and a guardian is revealed.
* Overcome a guardian, if you have an explorer on a space that contains one. Pay the resources and symbols on the guardian to claim it. This will be worth 5 points at the end of the game, prevents you from gaining Fear cards, and gives you another bonus that can be used once per game as a free action or travel symbol.
* Advance on the research track. Pay the cost between spaces to advance between them. If you're the first player to do this, gain the resource or bonus on the space, then remove it. Either way, you'll also get the bonus listed on the right side of the track. You can move either the notebook or magnifying glass, but the notebook can never advance further than the magnifying glass.
* Gain a lost ruins tile, if your magnifying glass is at the top of the research track. You may pay any combination of symbols listed at the space - the more you pay, the better tile you will get. You'll gain a brown tile worth 2 points for one set of symbols, a silver symbol worth 6 symbols for two, or a gold tile worth 11 points for all three.
* Play one of the cards in your hand (unless it has a lightning bolt symbol, in which case it's a free action). Do what the card says, then discard it. If the card is an artifact, you need to pay one tablet first.
* Use an assistant (as with cards, many of these might instead be free actions). Turn it sideways to indicate that it was used.
* Buy a card from the market. The cost for any given card is in the bottom left corner. If it's an item, put the card at the bottom of your deck. If it's an artifact, immediately use its effect as if you played it, then put it in your discard pile. Either way, refill the market by moving all cards of that type towards the round tracker, then add a new card from its deck.

The free actions you could take in addition to this are:
* Play a free action card from your hand. These almost always give you resources.
* Use a free action assistant. These almost always also give you resources.
* Spend an idol for a bonus effect. There are five bonuses you could gain from this, which are pictured to the left of the idols themselves. However, the spent idol occupies a space containing points, in turn meaning you'll score points by NOT using these.
* Use the effect of a defeated guardian. These are one-time effects that can only be used once per game.

== End of the Game ==

The game ends after five rounds. When the game ends, you'll score points, which will come from:
* The cards in your deck. Lose 1 point for each Fear card, but gain points for all other cards as indicated by their point values in the bottom right corner. (All other starting cards are not worth any points.)
* Idols. Each idol is worth 3 points, whether or not it was spent or not. In addition, score points for each unused bonus action.
* Guardians. Each guardian you overcame is worth 5 points, whether or not you used its bonus effect or not.
* Final position on the research track. Gain points for the position of your magnifying glass and notebook.
* Tiles gained in the lost ruins. Each bronze tile is worth 2 points, silver is worth 6, and gold is worth 11.

The player with the most points wins! Ties are broken with preference towards the player who reached the top of the research track first, or was closest to doing so.