01-16-2011, 06:35 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Dec 2010
|
Munchkin philosophy: hold on to "good" cards early or not?
The Debate
If a situation arises early in the game where someone can really be hurt badly, is it better to take it or save your good cards for later when the game is on the line? My point of view: In general, it's not good to really dogpile on a player early in the game unless that player is already way too powerful due to amassing items. I say if you have a really good combo that you COULD use on someone to hurt them a lot, you'd be better off saving it for when they are close to winning OR if they are in the lead by a significant margin. Say you have a good combo of cards, like a Dogpile + Kali or Mr. Wight or King Tut. Dogpile is a rare card and can be extremely deadly with a large group of players, and it's rare to have it with monsters as strong and with as much Bad Stuff as Kali, so together the combo is very rare. You're not likely to get a screwing-someone-over combo that good again for the entire game. If you use it on a level 4 player who is currently the highest level of the group, you'll probably knock him down quite a few pegs...but what about the other players who will fill the power void? Now those players have an easier time jumping up the ladder due to "good" cards being depleted. The only time when I can see it being useful to use up your cards early is if someone has had unusually good luck and collected a massive array of good items AND no one else is very close in level. If there's a level 5 player with a total of 25+ combat strength, and the next closest player is level 3 with a combat strength of 9, then yeah, use your cards, because there isn't going to be someone who can easily swoop in and take over. It should also be noted that "good" cards often have a variety of situations in which they can be used, so keeping space in your hand for them is not that much of a burden. And besides, if those cards are really good, what are the odds that their replacements are going to be nearly as useful? Alternate point of view: Sometimes there is a rare combination of monsters such that a person can really be screwed over. If this opportunity presents itself, you should go ahead and take it if the person is ahead of or even with you. That means it's just one less person to worry about. Even if there are other players in a position of power, it's good to take one down, because then everyone (including the person taken down) will focus on the player(s) remaining at the top. There are quite a few monster modifiers (+5 or +10) and various other cards that can be used to hurt someone, like Curses, not to mention "battle enders" like Out to Lunch or Friendship Potion, so it's not unfeasible to get more cards down the line that can used to stop someone in the next big fight. Plus, there's the Thief class that can be used by low-level players to take down those who have amassed items and slingshot themselves up the ladder by gaining a massive combat strength without much opposition due to their low level. Any combo you hoard is taking up space and effectively preventing you from getting new ones. If you use those cards, you may get the double bonus of hurting someone and getting fresh replacements that can be used to your benefit or to another's detriment. --------------- Where do you stand on this debate? |
01-16-2011, 07:55 AM | #2 |
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Indiana
|
Re: Munchkin philosophy: hold on to "good" cards early or not?
I've seen both work and both fail.
Here at home, we generally don't start jacking with people until level 7 or higher, unless at a lower level they have some huge, high combat strength. I have seen/heard stories of people getting screwed over early, almost too early, and then they come back later and win. We generally try to make the screw over for a strategic reason. Usually, IMO, those reasons are towards the late game. |
01-16-2011, 09:08 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Indiana
|
Re: Munchkin philosophy: hold on to "good" cards early or not?
I am in agreement with Blu's basic idea.
I have four basic philosophies for playing and they are in order: 1) Have fun. It is a game, and if it is not fun I do not know why I would want to play. 2) Play fair. Cheating and major rule bending are not appreciated by anyone I have played with, but catching those who do can be very fun. 3) Play well. I do not expect anyone to roll over for me, and they should not expect me to roll over for them. 4) Play to win. To paraphrase Worf from ST: TNG "If you are not playing to win, why keep score?" That said, there will always be situations where someone very early in the game needs to be brought down. Not to just mess with them, but as a strategy because they are becoming too powerful and showing the possibility of running away with the game. On the other side, I have been on the receiving end of being picked on for most of the game. Why? Due to cards and circumstances I decided to try something different and before my first turn started I was Level 5. BIG TARGET. Everyone picked at me every opportunity and throught the game I only gained one level. During the last round there were four Level 9 before me and each tried for victory only to be turned back. On my turn, I sold 3000 worth of items I had accumulated through helping others, went to Level 9, faced a puny monster, and won. Everyone had stopped the immediate threats and ignored me at the end. So, to give you my answer to your question, I would say holding on to cards depends on the situation, and I think Munchkin is a very fluid game that can require changes on every turn. I might go into the game with the idea of saving cards until the end, but if the situation changes I spend cards to keep things going my way. It may be lower on my list, but I am trying to win ;)
__________________
Please check out my Munchkin trade requests here and my Munchkin CCG trade requests here. Indiana MIB available for demos and tournaments. Please check out my Facebook page to see what I am up to. |
01-16-2011, 11:53 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Lawrence, MA
|
Re: Munchkin philosophy: hold on to "good" cards early or not?
It's all really situational as to when/why to stop somebody from defeating a monster. Rather than focusing on using cards to stop people early or to stop them later in the game I think it's more important to focus on using them when they have the biggest impact. Sure you can stop somebody from beating a level 1 monster with 1 treasure that has the bad stuff to lose their headgear, but if they don't have any headgear and aren't level 8 or 9, then is it really worth it? On the other hand, if the bad stuff was to lose 1 level, and you only had to use 1 or 2 cards for that chance (there's a chance he can successfully run away) and they're ahead by a few levels, then it may be worth it.
In general you should use +5/+10 monster enhancers earlier in the game since later in the game they are less useful than cards that instantly end or change the combat in some way. |
01-16-2011, 12:16 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Anderson, Indiana
|
Re: Munchkin philosophy: hold on to "good" cards early or not?
Quote:
|
|
01-16-2011, 01:26 PM | #6 |
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Indiana
|
Re: Munchkin philosophy: hold on to "good" cards early or not?
Yeah, it was a very good experience for me yesterday also!
Scott told me his "jerk" story after you left and man...I don't think I would have handled it as well as he did. I look forward to our monthly gatherings...I think we all played quite well! And, as per #1, I had loads of fun! |
01-16-2011, 07:13 PM | #7 | |
Join Date: Dec 2010
|
Re: Munchkin philosophy: hold on to "good" cards early or not?
Quote:
Two level 4's, one level 1. A level 4 with maybe 2 items runs into a monster that he can barely beat; the Bad Stuff is "lose 2 levels". The level 1 plays a Wandering Monster that adds another "lose a level" to the mix, with the reasoning that it was a prime opportunity to take someone down that might not come again...not to mention that it leaves the other level 4 as the clear target which will draw all negative focus from then on. The level 4 offers to give the level 1--an elf--treasure in exchange for his help in the battle, which would also mean a level for him due to his elfiness. (Because of things I've omitted with the situation, the original player would only get 1 level as well...just trust me). His reasoning is that the power differential between the level 1 and the level 4 fighting the monster will decrease because of how much treasures he would get, and the differential between the level 1 and other level 4 would greatly decrease. What do you think? Let him fall or help him and profit? |
|
01-16-2011, 07:33 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Lawrence, MA
|
Re: Munchkin philosophy: hold on to "good" cards early or not?
Getting off topic, but wanted to point out that if there's 2 monsters then the elf gets 2 levels...
|
01-16-2011, 08:36 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Dec 2010
|
Re: Munchkin philosophy: hold on to "good" cards early or not?
One of the monsters was a "run away from the battle if you're fighting X race" type so there would have only been one monster in the fight if the level 1 guy, who was of that race, joined in.
|
Tags |
strategy |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|