Board Game Arena - User contributions [en]

Tips sushigoparty

2023-05-31T07:29:02Z

Heapbigcougarfan: 2 player strategies for maki, specials, and desserts

==Highest points per card==

'''4.5 points'''
* x1 '''Nigiri Squid''' on x1 '''Wasabi'''
'''4 points''' 
* x2 '''Urakamaki''' 5 icons if 1st place
* x4 set of '''Onigiri''' unique shapes
* x1 '''Fruit''' with 2 fruit types (without any fruit at all)
* x1 '''Tea''' and x4 set of 4 of anything
* x1 '''Soy Sauce''' most (not tied) colors. May score multiple.
'''3.5 points'''
*x2 set of '''EEL''' May not score multiple sets
'''3.3 points '''
*x3 set of '''Sashimi'''
'''3 points'''
*x2 set of '''Tofu'''
*x1 '''Fruit''' with 1 fruit type (without any fruit at all)
*x3 set of '''Onigiri''' unique shapes
*x4 set of '''Green Tea Ice Cream'''
*x1 '''Miso Soup''' (can be guaranteed with '''Chopsticks, Spoon''' or '''Menu''')
*x1 '''Nigiri Salmon''' on x1 '''Wasabi'''
*x1 '''Nigiri Squid'''
*x5 set of 5 '''Dumpling'''
*x1 '''Tea''' and x3 set of 3 of anything
'''2.5 points'''
*x4 set of 4 '''Dumpling'''
*x2 set of '''Tempura'''
*x2 '''Urakamaki''' 5 icons if 2nd place
'''2 points'''
*x1 flipped over cards with '''Takeout Box'''

==Tips==
*'''Spoon''' and '''Chopsticks''' if taken 2nd to last round won't be able to get rid of so 0 points.
*'''Spoon''' and '''Chopsticks''' last round won't be able to use.
*'''4'''pts x3+ '''Temaki''' most is tough but just try not to get -4pts least
* 4+ players games '''Edamame''' possibly can be 3 points or more each
*'''Special Order''' good to copy '''Green Tea Ice Cream, Miso Soup, Fruit, EEL, Pudding, Uramaki''' 5 icons,

*Pay attention to who your cards are passed to, which is displayed in the log. With Pass Both Ways Round 2 it switches.
*Last turn in round give next player '''Tofu''' if they have 2 Tofu already to give them 0 points.
*Deny '''EEL''' even if you have 2 already to give next player -3 points.
*'''Spoon''' can help you with that missing '''EEL, Sashimi''' or more '''Desserts'''.
*'''Takeout Menu''' flip over cards to 2 points each such as:
*x3 '''Tofu''' 0 points to 6 points, 1 '''EEL''' -3 points to 2 points, 1 '''Tempura''' 0 points to 2 points and 2 '''Sashimi''' 0 points to 4 points.
*'''Uramaki''' can still score if no one placed 2nd or 3rd for instance. Not always a race.
*'''Fruit''' card is worth minimum 2pts and maximum 8 points.
*'''Fruit''' 2 type card 8 points if both fruit types are the 5th type.
*'''Fruit''' same type card 7 points if 4th and 5th type.

Strategies for 2 players:

When there are only two players, stopping your opponent from scoring is just as important as scoring, so there's a metric that's more helpful than points per card. I call it value per player (VPP), and I'm going to be using it a lot. It's easier to define for some cards than others, but generally it's the average of how many points you get for playing it and how many points your opponent would get for playing it. Ideally, you want to take the card with the biggest VPP.

Nigiris: For the nigiris, VPP is the same as points per card because they're worth the same for you as they are for your opponent. If there is no wasabi in play, the VPP is 1 for egg nigiris, 2 for salmon nigiris, and 3 for squid nigiris. If there is wasabi, the VPPs for the nigiri are higher because even if you don't have one, your opponent could get one, and take the nigiri will prevent them from playing it and getting more points.

Dumplings: The VPP for dumplings depends on the number of dumplings in play, and the more dumplings there are, the higher the VPP is. Remarkably, the VPP for dumplings doesn't depend on how many each player plays. The formula you could use to calculate it is (n+1)/2. If there's one dumpling, you should treat it like an egg nigiri. If there's three dumplings, you should treat them like salmon nigiris, and if there's five dumplings, you should treat them like squid nigiris. (To illustrate why this is the case, let's say there's 3 dumplings. If each player has one, then the third one is worth two to whichever play gets it. If one player has 2 and the other player has none, it's worth 3 to the player with 2 and 1 to the player with none. Thus, either way, the VPP is 2. For any number of dumplings, the VPP will be equal to what the formula says regardless of how many each player has. Check it if you don't believe me.)

Tempura: If there's an even number of tempura, the VPP for tempura is 2.5. This is because if all but one of them have been played, the last one is worth 5 points to whichever player has an odd number of tempura and 0 to whoever has an even number. If there's an odd number, VPP is harder to calculate. If there's one, then the VPP is obviously 0 because it doesn't give either player any points. If there's 3, then the VPP can be as high as 5 if you use the splitting strategy. (See that at the bottom.)

Sashimi: Obviously, if there are less than 3 sashimi, they're all worthless because there's no way to get a complete set, and if there's 3, you're probably not going to get all 3 of them. If there's at least 4, though, then sashimi should be a high priority. If there's 5, there's a way that you can guarantee that you get 3 and your opponent gets. First, take one sashimi from the hand that has an odd number of sashimis. Then, whenever your opponent takes one, you take one from the same hand. If you do this right, the VPP of the first one you take is 10, which is enormous.

Miso Soup: In two player, miso soup is essentially the same as squid nigiri because even if your opponent also plays a miso soup, you get the same number of points as them just like you would if you both got to keep it.

Onigiri: If there are no more than one of any shape, then the VPP for onigiri is equal to the number of onigirs in play, so you should treat them like egg nigiri if there's one, salmon nigiri if there's two, squid nigiri if there's 3, and a 4-point nigiri if there's 4. (To illustrate why this is the case, let's say there are three onigiris, and they're all different shapes. If each player has 1, then the third one will be worth 3 to each player. If one player has 2 and the other has none, the third will be worth 5 to the player with 2 and 1 to the player with 1. Either way, the VPP is 3.) It becomes a little more complicated when there are two of the same shape. If that's the case, the shapes that there's only one of have much higher value than the ones that there are two of, so go for those first.

Eels: If there's only 1, you should obviously avoid it. If there's two, you want as many as you can because even if you only get one, both players getting -3 is better than your opponent getting 7. If there's 3, using the splitting strategy should be a huge priority. (See that at the bottom.) If there's 4, the ideal scenario is for you to get 3 and your opponent to get 1. If there's at least 5, then eel doesn't have to be a super high priority because you're probably going to get at least 2 anyway.

Tofu: If there's 1 tofu, it's basically just a salmon nigiri. If there's 2, you should treat them like squid nigiris because the VPP is 3. If there's 3, your opponent probably won't take all 3 of them, so the best realistic scenario is for you to get 2 and your opponent to get 1. You can make that happen using the splitting strategy. (See that at the bottom.) If there's 4 or more, then the VPP will be negative, so avoid them.

Edamame: I'm pretty sure the game won't allow you to use edamame with 2 players, but just in case it does, I'm going to state the obvious: Don't get edamame when there's only 2 players. It can never be worth more than one point, and as soon as you have one, every edamame your opponent gets becomes worth one instead of 0.

Temaki: The value of temaki is significantly lower when there are only two players because there's no penalty for having the fewest. With two players, the two most ideal scenarios are either for you to have slightly more than your opponent or for your opponent to have a lot more than you. For example, let's say there are 5 temakis. If you get 3 and they get 2, then you get 4 more points than them, and you only had to take one more card than them. 4 points for one card is really good. However, if you get 1 and your opponent gets 4, they get 4 more points than you, but they had to play 3 more cards than you to do it, and 4 points for 3 cards isn't very good. If your opponent is over-prioritizing temaki, just let them have the 4 points. Otherwise, try to get just one or two more than them.

Maki: A lot of the principles behind temaki also apply to maki. The main differences are that some maki cards are more valuable than others, and if your opponent is going to get more than you, it can be good to at least grab one card so you get 3 points instead of 0. Keep in mind, though, that your opponent will get 6 whether you do or not, so the VPP for that one card is only 1.5.

Uramaki: Regardless of the number of players, uramaki should always be a high priority, at least at the start of the round. There are too many possible things that can happen with uramaki, so you're going to have to calculate the VPP as you go. I will point out that if there's only one uramaki card, it has a VPP of 8, so you should definitely take it.

Wasabi: The value of wasabi depends a great deal on what nigiris are in play. With more than two players, it's one of the best cards in the game. It's not as great with 2 players because there are fewer total cards, meaning fewer nigiris. If your first hand has a wasabi and multiple salmon or squid nigiris, definitely take the wasabi, but if it has no nigiris, you can't be certain that the other hand has any either, so there may be other cards that are more worth playing.

Tea: Tea is one of the best cards in the game, and that is especially true with two players because you get to play more cards. They will always be worth at least one, they will almost always be worth at least two, and they can end up being worth as high as five or six if you can get a really big set, so take tea whenever you can. Keep in mind that when you or your opponent has played tea, the VPP goes up for any card that contributes to that players biggest set. For example, the VPP for an egg nigiri is 1, but if a player has tea and the nigiris are their biggest set, the egg nigiri is worth two for them and one for the other players, so the VPP becomes 1.5.

Soy Sauce: Soy sauce is a very valuable card, especially with two players. More often than not, you're going to have at least as many unique sets as your opponent, and even if you don't, you're still preventing your opponent from scoring 4 points by taking the soy sauce. The VPP for soy sauce will always either be 2 or 4. It will be 2 if one player has more unique sets than the other player with or without the soy sauce, but otherwise, it's 4.

Chopsticks: How likely chopsticks are to benefit you depends on what appetizers are in play. They can be pretty good for sashimi, tempura, eels, and tofu, depending on how many there are in play. Generally, though, with two players, chopsticks are only worth taking if the hand they're in is significantly weaker than the other hand.

Spoon: I don't even know if the game allows spoons in a two player game, but if it does, you can only use it to take a card from the hand that you're about to get, so it's basically the same as chopsticks.

Menu: The best time to use a menu is when you think at least one of the four cards you draw will have higher value than any of the other cards in the hand that it's in. Don't overthink it.

Special Order: VPP works very interestingly for special orders. It's basically equal to the average of the number of points you can get by copying your best card and the number of points your opponent can get by copying their best cards, and usually, that's going to be pretty high, so special order should be a high priority.

Takeout box: You should be able to calculate the VPP for a takeout box based on what cards you have that are worth less than two points and what cards your opponent has that are worth less than two points. Most of the time, takeout boxes aren't going to be very valuable until near the end of the round.

Pudding: The strategy for pudding is pretty similar to the strategy for temaki. Just like with the temaki, there is no penalty for getting the fewest if there's only two players. The reward for getting the most is higher, but there will be more puddings in the whole game than there will be temaki in one round, so the value of each card is the same. The main difference is that you don't necessarily know how many puddings there will be, but you will usually need about 4 or 5 to get the most, so either shoot for that, or just let your opponent take all of the puddings and get about one point per card.

Green Tea Ice Cream: Green tea ice cream should be a much higher priority when there are two players than when there are more. Not only are your odds of getting a complete set higher because you have less competition, but you also make it really easy for your opponent if you don't take them. Every green tea ice cream you take can be the difference between getting 12 points and getting 0, and it can also be the difference between your opponent getting 12 and getting 0, so definitely make them a high priority.

Fruit: Fruit has high value regardless of the number of players, and it's no different with two players. The VPP for fruit can range anywhere between 2 and 8, so it should almost always be a high priority. If you have multiple fruit cards to choose from, you can usually better value by getting one that has at least one fruit icon for the fruit you already have the most of, provided it doesn't take you over 5.

Splitting strategy: This is a trick you can use any time there are 3 of a certain type of card and you want to have two and for your opponent to have one. This is most commonly the case with tempuras, eels, and tofu. First, take one of the three cards. If one hand has two and the other has one, the one you take must be from the hand with one. Then, there should be 2 in one hand and none in the other. Wait for your opponent to take one, and then take the other. The only way this strategy can fail is if your opponent gets a chopsticks or a spoon.

Tips sushigoparty

2023-05-31T04:55:39Z

Heapbigcougarfan: 2 player strategies for nigiri and appetizers.

Tips hearts

2020-07-05T17:52:10Z

Heapbigcougarfan:

Shooting the Moon (getting all 26 points)
Only try to shoot the moon if you have the cards to do it. It helps to have high cards, but there's more to it than that. For one, it's good to have a lot of one suit because after a couple rounds of that suit being led, everyone else will run out and you'll be able to lead with that suit without anyone being able to take the lead from you, even if it's a low card. This is also nice because if you fail, you won't have to worry about taking too many more cards because no one will lead with that suit.

If you have any low hearts, and you want to shoot them moon, trade them. Once the trading session is over, if anybody has a higher heart than one of yours, don't try to shoot the moon. The only exception is if you have enough hearts that are higher than anybody else's that everyone is likely to run out before you play your lower hearts.

Stopping Others From Shooting the Moon
Watch out for people going to shoot the moon. Most times this situation can be avoided by making sure that one of the three cards you pass to the left at the start of a hand is a lower heart card than one you keep in your hand. This way you can always stop a moon by taking a heart trick and just getting 4 points.

If you have at least four or five of a certain suit, wait to play your highest one until you've taken points or at least two other players have taken points. If you can play any of that suit without taking points, play the second highest one. That way, you can stop the moon with your highest card without putting yourself in a bad situation.

The First Trick
Not many options here. If you have the Two of Clubs, you're leading it.

Since no points can fall on the first trick, play your highest club. If you are void in clubs, then use the opportunity to trash an otherwise dangerous high card (like an Ace or King of Spades), or try to void yourself in a second suit. More voids mean more opportunities later.

Bleeding Spades
Generally speaking, after the first trick falls, any player who is not in danger of taking the queen of spades will want to lead spades as much as possible. The main theory behind this is simple: If spades keep being led, the players with the A, K and Q will eventually have to play them. If you're not holding any of those cards, you want to force them into play as soon as possible, so someone else gets stuck with those 13 points.

If you fail to bleed spades, the player holding the queen may be able to create a void in another suit (such as clubs or diamonds) and then dump the queen on an off-suit trick.

Unless you are holding a near-perfect hand with no high cards likely to win any tricks, your battle plan should probably involve leading spades as much as possible until the queen has fallen on someone else.

Exceptions To Bleeding Spades
There are exceptions to this. If there is another player with 13 points or less and you don't want the game to end, you don't want to force him to play it if he has it, so first, try to figure out who has it. If the player who is winning has it, then by all means, bleed it, but if the player that's losing has it, try to let him get a void first so he can play it when he's ready. He'll probably try to play it on the player who is winning. Even if you can't figure out who has it, it's probably better not to bleed spades because there's a two out of three chance that it's not the player with the lead, and if that's the case, you want to allow them to give the queen to the player with the lead.

There are some ways to figure out who has the queen of spades. First, you can definitely eliminate anyone who plays a non-spade on a round led by a spade. You can also probably eliminate anyone who leads with a spade because they probably wouldn't if they had the queen. Finally, if someone is leading with a high club or diamond and that suit has already been played at least once or twice, that probably means that they either have the queen or they're trying to shoot the moon because otherwise, that would be a risky move.

Defending Spades
Conversely, if you are stuck with an undefended Q, K or A of spades, you are in danger of taking the queen if spades keep being led.

Your goal should be to create a void as soon as possible, by leading suits of which you only have one or two cards. By dumping your only two diamonds, for example, you can hope that someone else leads diamonds and allows you to drop your bad spade.

If you are holding the Queen of Spades, another option is to lead your longer suit (clubs or diamonds) and hope someone else is void. Since you hold the Queen of Spades, the worst that will happen is that a few heart points will fall on you. Once this happens, hearts will have been broken, and people may lead hearts instead of spades. If you have few hearts and can dump the queen on a hearts trick, this is ideal.

Hearts
These are the bad cards. Once you avoid the Queen of Spades, you want to try not to get many of these. Sounds easy, right? Well, it depends what cards you have in your hand. If you have low hearts, you don't have to worry, since you can duck under any hearts lead. If you're holding high hearts, you want to try to dump them on someone else as soon as possible, and not lead hearts.

Voids
If you can create an early void, by getting rid of all your cards of a single suit, you should almost always do so. Doing this means that the next time that suit is led, you can get rid of your worst card, which is a very powerful position.

Likewise, it's important to keep track of other players at the table who have voids, so you don't lead a suit you might get stuck with.

Counting
While not strictly necessary to play Hearts, you will do a lot better if you can keep track of how many of each suit has been played. This is less difficult than it might sound; until someone reveals a void by dumping an off-suit card, the number of cards played of any suit will be divisible by 4.

This is important information to keep track of to avoid playing into other players' voids. For example, if three full rounds of clubs have been played, and you have a club in your hand, it is the last one. Leading it will let everyone else dump cards on you.

Late Game Strategy
You can't always control who you deal points to without risking taking points yourself, but when you can, you should. If you're winning, you want to target the player who's losing so that the game will end sooner. Otherwise, you want to target the player that's winning.

If you have the queen of spades, you want to give it to the player you're targeting, but only if you can do so without too much of a risk of taking it yourself. If you have a lot of spades, you can afford to hang on to the queen until you can give it to your target, but if you don't, just get rid of it while you can unless doing so will cause the game to end. The same is true to a lesser extent with hearts.

Generally, the later in the game you get, the less concerned you should be about letting your opponents shoot the moon. If you only have a few points left, you probably can't stop anyone without taking enough points to lose the game, so leave that to other players who can do so without losing the game. You also shouldn't stop other players from shooting if you are in the lead, you're at least 27 points ahead of the player who is shooting it, and there's at least one other player who has 26 points are less, because in this case, it will cause you to win. If the player who's winning is trying to shoot the moon, it might be a good idea to let him get as far as possible before stopping him because it might be your only hope.