Tips tashkalar - Revision history

Nandblock: /* High Form Strategy */

2021-03-05T01:13:54Z

High Form Strategy

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:13, 5 March 2021
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	''Play or discard cards rather than letting them go stale.'' Don't grow too attached to a card unless you're absolutely sure you need to use it soon to accomplish a task. If it's not helping you, get rid of it by summoning it, even if you can't trigger its effects, or discard it. The smaller your deck, the more precise your endgame play will be, as you will know with certainty what you will draw; and if you cannot score 9 points, you want to be the person who triggers the endgame by running out of cards. -- By discarding you can also get rid of a flare that is hard to trigger, or Legends that are not useful. It also improves the precision of your endgame if you use the opportunity to place one or two cards on the bottom of your deck.		''Play or discard cards rather than letting them go stale.'' Don't grow too attached to a card unless you're absolutely sure you need to use it soon to accomplish a task. If it's not helping you, get rid of it by summoning it, even if you can't trigger its effects, or discard it. The smaller your deck, the more precise your endgame play will be, as you will know with certainty what you will draw; and if you cannot score 9 points, you want to be the person who triggers the endgame by running out of cards. -- By discarding you can also get rid of a flare that is hard to trigger, or Legends that are not useful. It also improves the precision of your endgame if you use the opportunity to place one or two cards on the bottom of your deck.

	''Anticipate key cards in your deck.'' Don't just set up existing patterns in your hand (though do that too!); if you know a useful card is in your deck, try to keep a few pieces on the board that will help you achieve that pattern. It might be the next card you draw. (E.g. if you have the Highland deck, try to maintain a few pieces at the corners of a green square in anticipation of Ritual Master, or a bow-shape for Warlord / Eagle Lord.) When you're just starting out, it is impossible to remember all the cards, but be aware of the most powerful and disruptive ones: Hypnotist and Bomb (North/South Empire); Blood Shaman, Werewolf, and Ritual Master (Highland); Forest Ancient (Sylvan); Everfrost Sentinel; and Leviathan and Time Elemental (Legends).		''Anticipate key cards in your deck.'' Don't just set up existing patterns in your hand (though do that too!); if you know a useful card is in your deck, try to keep a few pieces on the board that will help you achieve that pattern. It might be the next card you draw. (E.g. if you have the Highland deck, try to maintain a few pieces at the corners of a green square in anticipation of Ritual Master, or a bow-shape for Warlord / Eagle Lord.) When you're just starting out, it is impossible to remember all the cards, but be aware of the most powerful and disruptive ones: Hypnotist and Bomb (North/South Empire); Blood Shaman, Werewolf, and Ritual Master (Highland); Forest Ancient (Sylvan); Everfrost Sentinel; Possessed Summoner (Nethervoid); Polarity Queen and Merchant of Time (Etherweave); and Leviathan and Time Elemental (Legends).

	''Track the cards.'' If you are playing a turn-based game, use the Notes feature of BGA to keep track of both your cards and your opponent's.		''Track the cards.'' If you are playing a turn-based game, use the Notes feature of BGA to keep track of both your cards and your opponent's.

Nandblock: /* Cards */

2021-03-05T01:09:00Z

Cards

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 * 3: Ice Princess, Royal Reindeer, Frostweave Illusionist, Frostweave Summoner, Frost Imp, Frozen Chest
 * 4: Winter Whisperer, Glacier Giant, Ice Queen, Ice Wyvern, Everfrost Sentinel, Deathbringer, War Sled, Polar Bear, Snow Monster
 '''LEGENDS'''

Zinjaai: added missing Legend: The Eldest Tree

2020-10-01T11:55:52Z

added missing Legend: The Eldest Tree

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:55, 1 October 2020
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	'''LEGENDS'''		'''LEGENDS'''
	* Time Elemental, Earth Elemental, Fire Elemental, Storm Elemental, Leviathan, Hell Bull, Angel of Death, Two-Headed Dragon, Fire Dragon, Titan, Bone Catapult		* Time Elemental, Earth Elemental, Fire Elemental, Storm Elemental, Leviathan, Hell Bull, Angel of Death, Two-Headed Dragon, Fire Dragon, Titan, Bone Catapult, The Eldest Tree

	'''FLARES'''		'''FLARES'''

Zinjaai: Moved "Werewolf" from 4 to 3 pieces section

2020-10-01T11:53:38Z

Moved "Werewolf" from 4 to 3 pieces section

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:53, 1 October 2020
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	'''HIGHLAND'''		'''HIGHLAND'''
	* 2: Ritual Keeper, Wild Eagle, Clan Axeman		* 2: Ritual Keeper, Wild Eagle, Clan Axeman
	* 3: Dire Wolf, Clan Healer, Clan Guardian, Ritual Master, Hungry Bear		* 3: Dire Wolf, Clan Healer, Clan Guardian, Ritual Master, Hungry Bear, Werewolf
	* 4: Wolf Rider, Mountain Troll, Hill Giant, Eagle Lord, War Summoner, War Drummer, Legend Slayer, Blood Shaman~~, Werewolf~~		* 4: Wolf Rider, Mountain Troll, Hill Giant, Eagle Lord, War Summoner, War Drummer, Legend Slayer, Blood Shaman
	* 5: Warlord		* 5: Warlord

Nandblock: /* High Form Strategy */

2018-08-18T15:11:58Z

High Form Strategy

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:11, 18 August 2018
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	''Do not let your opponent set up camp far away from you.'' Make sure you are always able to destroy a piece or two of theirs.		''Do not let your opponent set up camp far away from you.'' Make sure you are always able to destroy a piece or two of theirs.

			''Disrupt your opponent's pieces.'' By preference, destroy or move whatever pieces your opponent put down on the last turn: they probably placed them for a reason. In general, it's not a good idea to let them establish a formation undisturbed.

	'''2) Hand Management'''		'''2) Hand Management'''

Nandblock: /* High Form Strategy */

2018-07-14T20:25:16Z

High Form Strategy

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:25, 14 July 2018
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	'''2) Hand Management'''		'''2) Hand Management'''

	''Play or discard cards rather than letting them go stale.'' Don't grow too attached to a card unless you're absolutely sure you need to use it soon to accomplish a task. If it's not helping you, get rid of it by summoning it, even if you can't trigger its effects, or ~~discarding~~ it. The smaller your deck, the more precise your endgame play will be, as you will know with certainty what you will draw; and if you cannot score 9 points, you want to be the person who triggers the endgame by running out of cards. -- By discarding you can also get rid of a flare that is hard to trigger, or Legends that are not useful. It also improves the precision of your endgame if you use the opportunity to place one or two cards on the bottom of your deck.		''Play or discard cards rather than letting them go stale.'' Don't grow too attached to a card unless you're absolutely sure you need to use it soon to accomplish a task. If it's not helping you, get rid of it by summoning it, even if you can't trigger its effects, or discard it. The smaller your deck, the more precise your endgame play will be, as you will know with certainty what you will draw; and if you cannot score 9 points, you want to be the person who triggers the endgame by running out of cards. -- By discarding you can also get rid of a flare that is hard to trigger, or Legends that are not useful. It also improves the precision of your endgame if you use the opportunity to place one or two cards on the bottom of your deck.

	''Anticipate key cards in your deck.'' Don't just set up existing patterns in your hand (though do that too!); if you know a useful card is in your deck, try to keep a few pieces on the board that will help you achieve that pattern. It might be the next card you draw. (E.g. if you have the Highland deck, try to maintain a few pieces at the corners of a green square in anticipation of Ritual Master, or a bow-shape for Warlord / Eagle Lord.) When you're just starting out, it is impossible to remember all the cards, but be aware of the most powerful and disruptive ones: Hypnotist and Bomb (North/South Empire); Blood Shaman, Werewolf, and Ritual Master (Highland); Forest Ancient (Sylvan); Everfrost Sentinel; and Leviathan and Time Elemental (Legends).		''Anticipate key cards in your deck.'' Don't just set up existing patterns in your hand (though do that too!); if you know a useful card is in your deck, try to keep a few pieces on the board that will help you achieve that pattern. It might be the next card you draw. (E.g. if you have the Highland deck, try to maintain a few pieces at the corners of a green square in anticipation of Ritual Master, or a bow-shape for Warlord / Eagle Lord.) When you're just starting out, it is impossible to remember all the cards, but be aware of the most powerful and disruptive ones: Hypnotist and Bomb (North/South Empire); Blood Shaman, Werewolf, and Ritual Master (Highland); Forest Ancient (Sylvan); Everfrost Sentinel; and Leviathan and Time Elemental (Legends).
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	'''3) Flares'''		'''3) Flares'''

	''THE GOLDEN RULE: Flares are not a catch-up mechanism. They ~~do not compensate players for being behind; instead, they~~ penalize bad, ~~overaggressive~~ players. ~~Remember: the goal of High Form~~ is to ~~gain points, not destroy the enemy!''~~		''THE GOLDEN RULE: Flares are not a catch-up mechanism. They penalize bad, aggressive play, rather than compensating players who are losing.'' Grasping this point is essential to playing Tash-Kalar well.

	''Be wary of flares.'' A typical beginner's mistake is to assume that accumulating more pieces than your opponent, and destroying many of your opponent's pieces, is a good idea. But while it may work occasionally, '''this brute-force approach will usually lose the game against a competent player,''' because it gives them the opportunity to flare every turn. Extra actions are extremely valuable in Tash-Kalar--often they are the deciding factor in claiming a task or totally reshaping the board--so don't let your opponent get flares easily. If you are ahead in piece-count, try to stay ahead by a maximum of 2 heroic pieces and 3 pieces in total--this guarantees that only one flare (the 2/5 one) is playable.		''Be wary of flares.'' A typical beginner's mistake is to assume that accumulating more pieces than your opponent, and destroying many of your opponent's pieces, is a good idea. But while it may work occasionally, '''this brute-force approach will usually lose the game against a competent player,''' because it gives them the opportunity to flare every turn. Extra actions are extremely valuable in Tash-Kalar--often they are the deciding factor in claiming a task or totally reshaping the board--so don't let your opponent get flares easily. If you are ahead in piece-count, try to stay ahead by a maximum of 2 heroic pieces and 3 pieces in total--this guarantees that only one flare (the 2/5 one) is playable.
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	'''5) Opening Moves'''		'''5) Opening Moves'''

	In general (though this advice is dependent on your initial draw and the first tasks available), place your first pieces near the centre but somewhat off-centre, and in the vicinity of coloured squares. This maximizes control of the board, positional flexibility, and ability to engage in direct conflict or move away from it. If your hand is full of 2- and 3-piece patterns, being right next to your opponent's pieces is good, as you will be able to destroy their pieces easily. If it's full of 4- and 5-piece patterns, keep more distance at first.		In general (though this advice is dependent on your initial draw and the first tasks available), place your first pieces near the centre but somewhat off-centre, and in the vicinity of (rather than directly on) coloured squares. This maximizes control of the board, positional flexibility, and ability to engage in direct conflict or move away from it. Placing a common piece on a coloured square at the game's beginning is just asking for it to be destroyed; it is generally better to build towards summoning a heroic piece onto the square, which will be more resistant to attack and more capable of fulfilling tasks.

			If your hand is full of 2- and 3-piece patterns, being right next to your opponent's pieces is good, as you will be able to destroy their pieces easily. If it's full of 4- and 5-piece patterns, keep more distance at first.

	'''6) Patience'''		'''6) Patience'''

Nandblock: /* High Form Strategy */

2018-07-14T20:18:51Z

High Form Strategy

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:18, 14 July 2018
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	'''3) Flares'''		'''3) Flares'''

			''THE GOLDEN RULE: Flares are not a catch-up mechanism. They do not compensate players for being behind; instead, they penalize bad, overaggressive players. Remember: the goal of High Form is to gain points, not destroy the enemy!''

	''Be wary of flares.'' A typical beginner's mistake is to assume that accumulating more pieces than your opponent, and destroying many of your opponent's pieces, is a good idea. But while it may work occasionally, '''this brute-force approach will usually lose the game against a competent player,''' because it gives them the opportunity to flare every turn. Extra actions are extremely valuable in Tash-Kalar--often they are the deciding factor in claiming a task or totally reshaping the board--so don't let your opponent get flares easily. If you are ahead in piece-count, try to stay ahead by a maximum of 2 heroic pieces and 3 pieces in total--this guarantees that only one flare (the 2/5 one) is playable.		''Be wary of flares.'' A typical beginner's mistake is to assume that accumulating more pieces than your opponent, and destroying many of your opponent's pieces, is a good idea. But while it may work occasionally, '''this brute-force approach will usually lose the game against a competent player,''' because it gives them the opportunity to flare every turn. Extra actions are extremely valuable in Tash-Kalar--often they are the deciding factor in claiming a task or totally reshaping the board--so don't let your opponent get flares easily. If you are ahead in piece-count, try to stay ahead by a maximum of 2 heroic pieces and 3 pieces in total--this guarantees that only one flare (the 2/5 one) is playable.

Nandblock: /* High Form Strategy */

2018-02-21T22:30:53Z

High Form Strategy

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:30, 22 February 2018
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	'''3) Flares'''		'''3) Flares'''

	''Be wary of flares.'' A typical beginner's mistake is to assume that accumulating more pieces than your opponent, and destroying many of your opponent's pieces, is a good idea. But while it may work occasionally, '''this brute-force approach will usually lose the game against a competent player,''' because it gives them the opportunity to flare every turn. Extra actions are extremely valuable in Tash-Kalar--often they are the deciding factor in claiming a task or totally reshaping the board--so don't let your opponent get flares easily. If you are ahead in piece-count, try to stay ahead by a maximum of 2 heroic pieces and 3 pieces in total--this guarantees that only one flare (the 2/5 one) is playable. If you must exceed ~~that~~ limit, avoid triggering top and bottom flares at once. (The upper number on flares ranges from 2 to 5; the lower number from 4 to 6.) None of the bottom-4 flares are big game-changing ones; but several top-3 flares are powerful, so if you're going to risk triggering one, go ahead 2/4 rather than 3/3 by preference.		''Be wary of flares.'' A typical beginner's mistake is to assume that accumulating more pieces than your opponent, and destroying many of your opponent's pieces, is a good idea. But while it may work occasionally, '''this brute-force approach will usually lose the game against a competent player,''' because it gives them the opportunity to flare every turn. Extra actions are extremely valuable in Tash-Kalar--often they are the deciding factor in claiming a task or totally reshaping the board--so don't let your opponent get flares easily. If you are ahead in piece-count, try to stay ahead by a maximum of 2 heroic pieces and 3 pieces in total--this guarantees that only one flare (the 2/5 one) is playable.

			''Don't be TOO cautious.'' You sometimes still need to risk a flare for the sake of scoring. However, if you must exceed the 2/3 limit, avoid triggering top and bottom flares at once. (The upper number on flares ranges from 2 to 5; the lower number from 4 to 6.) None of the bottom-4 flares are big game-changing ones; but several top-3 flares are powerful, so if you're going to risk triggering one, go ahead 2/4 rather than 3/3 by preference.

	''Play your flare!'' If you can play it, the vast majority of the time you should. This is true even if it does nothing helpful--in that case, play it simply to discard it and get a more useful one in return.		''Play your flare!'' If you can play it, the vast majority of the time you should. This is true even if it does nothing helpful--in that case, play it simply to discard it and get a more useful one in return.
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	'''4) Tasks, Legends, and Scoring'''		'''4) Tasks, Legends, and Scoring'''

	''Prioritize 1- and 2-point tasks, not 3-pointers and Legends.'' In particular, Side Chain and Corner Chain are very difficult to achieve without an exorbitant cost; they should be late-game goals, but never strive to score them early on (a common beginner's mistake). Legends are good, but since the 1 point they give is no better than an easily achievable 1-point task, can be taken away from you, and can net a max of 3 VPs in total, they should not be a priority unless they help accomplish a task. ~~You need to claim~~ easy tasks before your opponent does, as they stack up quickly--in particular, never leave End of Legends, Heroic Destruction or Rainbow Domination unclaimed for long, as they are the easiest 2-point tasks to claim.		''Prioritize 1- and 2-point tasks, not 3-pointers and Legends.'' In particular, Side Chain and Corner Chain are very difficult to achieve without an exorbitant cost; they should be late-game goals or threats, but never strive to score them early on at the expense of snapping up cheap tasks (a common beginner's mistake). Legends are good, but since the 1 point they give is no better than an easily achievable 1-point task, can be taken away from you, and can net a max of 3 VPs in total, they should not be a priority unless they help accomplish a task. Claim easy tasks before your opponent does, as they stack up quickly--in particular, never leave End of Legends, Heroic Destruction or Rainbow Domination unclaimed for long, as they are the easiest 2-point tasks to claim.

			''Don't focus on destroying your opponent's legendary pieces.'' Unless the legendary piece is actually dangerous (e.g. Red/Green Legends is up for grabs), keep focused on claiming tasks not destroying it. Very few cards can even move it, so it'll probably just sit there anyway until you can deal with it. It's better to either summon your own Legend, work towards a task, or demolish their position. If you destroy the legendary piece without getting rid of their heroic pieces, your opponent will just summon up another anyway. Keep in mind that once they have 3 legendary pieces on board, they can't score any more from summoning another one.

	'''5) Opening Moves'''		'''5) Opening Moves'''

Nandblock: /* High Form Strategy */

2017-11-06T18:18:14Z

High Form Strategy

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:18, 6 November 2017
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	'''4) Tasks, Legends, and Scoring'''		'''4) Tasks, Legends, and Scoring'''

	''Prioritize 1- and 2-point tasks, not 3-pointers and Legends.'' In particular, Side Chain and Corner Chain are very difficult to achieve without an exorbitant cost. Legends are good but since the 1 point they give is no better than an easily achievable 1-point task, ~~and~~ can be taken away from you, they should not be a priority unless they help accomplish a task. You need to claim easy tasks before your opponent does, as they stack up quickly--in particular, never leave End of Legends, Heroic Destruction or Rainbow Domination unclaimed for long, as they are the easiest 2-point tasks to claim.		''Prioritize 1- and 2-point tasks, not 3-pointers and Legends.'' In particular, Side Chain and Corner Chain are very difficult to achieve without an exorbitant cost; they should be late-game goals, but never strive to score them early on (a common beginner's mistake). Legends are good, but since the 1 point they give is no better than an easily achievable 1-point task, can be taken away from you, and can net a max of 3 VPs in total, they should not be a priority unless they help accomplish a task. You need to claim easy tasks before your opponent does, as they stack up quickly--in particular, never leave End of Legends, Heroic Destruction or Rainbow Domination unclaimed for long, as they are the easiest 2-point tasks to claim.

	'''5) Opening Moves'''		'''5) Opening Moves'''

Nandblock: /* High Form Strategy */

2017-11-06T18:13:18Z

High Form Strategy

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:13, 6 November 2017
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	''Play or discard cards rather than letting them go stale.'' Don't grow too attached to a card unless you're absolutely sure you need to use it soon to accomplish a task. If it's not helping you, get rid of it by summoning it, even if you can't trigger its effects, or discarding it. The smaller your deck, the more precise your endgame play will be, as you will know with certainty what you will draw; and if you cannot score 9 points, you want to be the person who triggers the endgame by running out of cards. -- By discarding you can also get rid of a flare that is hard to trigger, or Legends that are not useful. It also improves the precision of your endgame if you use the opportunity to place one or two cards on the bottom of your deck.		''Play or discard cards rather than letting them go stale.'' Don't grow too attached to a card unless you're absolutely sure you need to use it soon to accomplish a task. If it's not helping you, get rid of it by summoning it, even if you can't trigger its effects, or discarding it. The smaller your deck, the more precise your endgame play will be, as you will know with certainty what you will draw; and if you cannot score 9 points, you want to be the person who triggers the endgame by running out of cards. -- By discarding you can also get rid of a flare that is hard to trigger, or Legends that are not useful. It also improves the precision of your endgame if you use the opportunity to place one or two cards on the bottom of your deck.

	''Anticipate key cards in your deck.'' Don't just set up existing patterns in your hand (though do that too!); if you know a useful card is in your deck, try to keep a few pieces on the board that will help you achieve that pattern. It might be the next card you draw. (E.g. if you have the Highland deck, try to maintain a few pieces at the corners of a green square in anticipation of Ritual Master, or a bow-shape for Warlord / Eagle Lord.) When you're just starting out, it is impossible to remember all the cards, but be aware of the most powerful and disruptive ones: Hypnotist and Bomb (North/South Empire)~~; Everfrost Sentinel~~; Blood Shaman and Ritual Master (Highland); Forest Ancient (Sylvan); and Leviathan and Time Elemental (Legends).		''Anticipate key cards in your deck.'' Don't just set up existing patterns in your hand (though do that too!); if you know a useful card is in your deck, try to keep a few pieces on the board that will help you achieve that pattern. It might be the next card you draw. (E.g. if you have the Highland deck, try to maintain a few pieces at the corners of a green square in anticipation of Ritual Master, or a bow-shape for Warlord / Eagle Lord.) When you're just starting out, it is impossible to remember all the cards, but be aware of the most powerful and disruptive ones: Hypnotist and Bomb (North/South Empire); Blood Shaman, Werewolf, and Ritual Master (Highland); Forest Ancient (Sylvan); Everfrost Sentinel; and Leviathan and Time Elemental (Legends).

	''Track the cards.'' If you are playing a turn-based game, use the Notes feature of BGA to keep track of both your cards and your opponent's.		''Track the cards.'' If you are playing a turn-based game, use the Notes feature of BGA to keep track of both your cards and your opponent's.