Level Up: Threat of Activation
Casting spells is fun.
You get to blow up stones, make a mad sprint across the board, or directly attack your opponent’s position.
But, often the threat of an uncast spell is more powerful than casting a spell as soon as you are able.
Let’s look at some of those common situations…
Spells that Scale
A good way to think of spells is as potential energy. You fill the spell, like compressing a spring for a powerful effect. Only, that effect isn’t always linear.
Some spells, like Fireblast & Hail Storm, scale with gameplay.
That is, they tend to be more powerful as the game progresses – as you and your opponent engage each other, or as your opponent spreads across the board.
To Counter an Opponent
I’ll cover how to plan around and counter an opposing spell in a future installment, but it is important to think of spells as counters to your opponent’s plan.
The most common spells in this capacity are Starfall & Bewitch.
One common and powerful plan is to race towards the neutral mana, claiming it and casting a chain of spells for an advantage. Bewitch & Starfall offer you a lot of mobility and an ability to attack your opponent at the end of their lines, as they expand into new territory.
Keeping a filled Bewitch or Starfall in reserve can force your opponent to change their gameplan and expand their territory more cautiously.
Red’s control of bewitch constrains Blue’s ability to cast Flourish and race towards the neutral mana
Similarly, Carnage can be a powerful defensive spell. Your opponent will have to be wary of getting into close combat with your territory when you can threaten a powerful carnage to crush their stones.
A less intuitive but powerful effect of Carnage is its ability to quickly push into your opponents’ territory claiming a spell out from under your opponent.
Normally Fireblast is a strong 3-Node spell to fight over and claim early. However, Blue threatening a Carnage prevents Red from attacking through the middle.
Carnage can similarly be a strong counter to a Bewitch, Seal of Lightning (spells that bring pieces into close contact).
To Set up a Combo
One of my favorite reasons to hold off on casting a spell is to set up a powerful combo. Some spells combo naturally and can be cast across turns.
Bewitch + Fireblast allows you to infiltrate your opponents’ territory and then destroy a pile of stones. In the example above, it is a powerful long-term plan for Blue that Red will need to disrupt for a chance at victory.
Grow, Flourish & Carnage are powerful spells for rapidly reconfiguring your position. By filling them early, you can threaten a powerful and unexpected chain of spells – fully filling a new spell.
This strategy can be especially devastating when you have access to Seal of Summer - so that you can chain and cast two spells in one turn!
Claiming a Mana
You should always be looking for opportunities to earn a stone advantage with your spells. Sometimes this is in surrounding your opponents pieces, or setting up an epic future turn, but sometimes it’s just about casting spells with a mana advantage.
If you are close to claiming a second mana, you should always weigh the benefits of immediately casting a spell, versus the prospect of claiming a second mana and earning a stone advantage later.
Strategy Tips
Often the threat of an uncast spell is more powerful than casting a spell immediately.
Look for opportunities to occupy spells as a counter to your opponent’s strategy.
Wait to cast spells until they give you a real strategic or stone advantage.
