2014 League playoff rd 2 - (3) Zhukov44(+18) vs (2) Gamerman01(Axis)

[Zhukov44]

GG, I resign.

I hope you don’t mind that the game went on so long.  I feel like it is part of the ethos of playing Allies to keep trying to win until Axis gets the VCs or the situation is 100% hopeless.  Besides, I don’t have enough experience in the late game as Allies so every little bit helps.  Finally, sometimes games where one is far behind are the most fun because of the challenge involved and the pleasure of succeeding on the rare occasions when one overcomes the odds.

Overall if I could replay this game I would probably go with a different meta-strategy that emphasized control of the Med rather than sacrificing all to secure Yunnan.  At the time the game started I felt holding onto Yunnan (and consequently, India) was the most important priority for Allies but now it seems to me that against an elite player I need more investment early in the Atlantic.  After you declared J2, I should have used the opportunity to send USA units to shut down the Med region and convoy Italy.  I have had some success in the past allowing Germany/Italy to build up some fleet and then switching gears and attacking it after Axis builds the Gibraltar airbase, but in this case you were responding to my KJF strat better than any opponent I had faced and consequently I overcompensated trying to get control of the Med back.

What really made the difference in this game, compared to previous games I’d played as Allies, was your skill at playing Japan.  I’ve found that many of my wins as Axis are the result of using my a&a experience to outplay opponents in the Pacific…. and I imagine it’s the same way for you.  At first I thought your strategy of buying alot of naval and not buying land factories might backfire, but in the end it made the difference in the game because you had the naval superiority you needed to destroy my fleet when the opportunity presented itself.

Obviously the battle when my anzac fig failed to destroy your German bomber was pretty fatal to my aspirations.  But I wouldn’t have put myself in that position unless I felt I was behind and needed to take risks.  I’d like to think the game would have been much more competitive if that battle had worked out for me, but overall your superior position in mainland Eurasia would have probably been decisive.  In hindsight, I needed to take some more risks early, such as the time you offered me a 50/50 shot at your stack at Carolines but I balked at the tremendous risk.

All that said, I also lost the game in the bidding.  At the time I reasoned that I didn’t want to face your Allies at an 18 bid, but with the benefit of more Global experience, I doubt I would bid less than 21 (if not 24) against an opponent of your caliber.  The fact that you bid 20 and I didn’t let you have Allies is fairly conclusive proof that I didn’t have enough elite Global games under my belt to deserve to win the league championship.

Very well played and good luck in the championship game!  Should be a very interesting match-up.

[JDOW]

Gratz Gamerman. Well played by both. Looking forward to the final!

[gamerman01]

Thanks, Zhukov, it was an honor to play you in the playoffs.  You already said everything really very well, so I will be brief.

I also think I won the game in the bidding, because I saw your Axis play and it looked great.  I think I had an advantage of more G40 experience.  However, I was really pretty stunned that Japan did so well so quickly, going on the offensive after only about 6-8 rounds.  I think you split up your Chinese and Indian units around round 4 to go farther north and that was maybe a mistake - they needed to stick together and I was able to split them.

Thank you for sticking with me through the long delays of the spring when my work schedule was busy, and you kept up a good pace when I came back, considering you were playing from behind for many rounds.

Yes, I have learned in recent games that Japan’s fleet is more important than quick short term gains on the mainland, and like you, I think, I am a big believer in transports over complexes.  I knew I was playing a grizzled veteran of A&A, so I gave this game my 100% best.  I am maybe just a little farther down the G40 learning curve than you right now, and you of course will continue improving your game.  I am relieved to advance, and look forward to trying to defend the title.

Good game