Hi friends, welcome to the first strategy session talking about Circle the Wagons. Today, let’s look at the scoring card “Cool Water”
Cool Water says: 3 points per Wagon adjacent (orthagonally) to or on your largest Water group (if multiple largest, you choose the group).
This is an important card in that it encourages you to make a large group of Water which you also score points for! Bonus! As you may remember from reading the rules you score 1 point for each connected Territory of each of the largest groups. This card is encouraging you to make a big group of Water and then park Wagons next to it.
3 points per is pretty awesome, by the way,
Cards to take:
While drafting, you are looking for Water territories, check this one out:
It has 3 Water and 1 Wagon already adjacent! Grab this one if you can.
Also, this one, 1 Water surrounded by 3 Wagons, 2 of those will likely count, you may cover up the 3rd though.
There are 3 other cards with 1 Wagon adjacent to 1 Water. See about getting those too.
Cards to skip:
Unless the card immediately up for draft has Water, Wagon, or something you need for one of the score cards, it’s skipable. You’re goal here is a big collection of Water all near each other and Wagons circling it. Just like the title! Circle the Wagons, this time round the outside of the Water.
Strategy tips:
Only 4 of the 15 draft cards have Water and Wagons on them. 4 other cards feature 1 Water each, These are good to overlay on other Territories. Covering Territories that you don’t need for the scoring cards becomes vital in this scenario. You want to get your lasso on those Water Territories and lay them on top of other Territories to make yourself a large Water group. That said, your opponent is doing the same thing, You are going to have a tricky time here, but fear not! You have a guide (don’t share this with your opponent, let’s be sneaky!) Remember how i said to grab the card with the 3 Water Territories on it? Fake your opponent out, let them have it! You only need to create a Water Territory group that is YOUR biggest, not the biggest between you and your opponent. Your opponent will cackle with glee, “Look at all this Water!”
You can congratulate them on having some soggy boots while you snap up the Wagons and position them tightly around your little puddle. Even a Water Territory group of 2 can host 6 Wagons, that’s 18 points! Ca-ching!
Check back soon for more sneaky tricks to grab big big points!
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