#still frequently have dreams where it's all a massive misunderstanding and i get the big apology i deserve

[panspaming]

I've had two proper meltdowns over the course of the past few weeks and even tho they've been short (only feel the fog for about half an hour thank god) it's been so overwhelming!!!!! I hadn't had one for a long time before that. My life luckily isn't super stressful atm but the social expectations placed on me rn really are getting to me. I'm trying to be there for my friends but sometimes that means I have to stretch myself a bit thin. It's just a shame that I have to choose between being fully stable and being as present as I'd like to be in my friend's lives ✌️😔

[cloudchaserandflitterexplain]

Gyro and Berry Dreams Explain: Points

Indeed. My win record is above 80%, which puts me amongst the top echelon of players of our fine game.

Let’s not gloat, hun.

Very well. I suppose this is neither the time nor the place. Shall we delve right into our chosen topic of discussion for the day?

Let’s! Today we’re talking about points.

Which is admittedly a rather broad subject, so let’s break that down a bit.

Our battle plan will cover four different fronts. First we’ll talk about the value of points. Then we’ll use that knowledge to establish how to optimize our scoring. Third we’ll discuss stopping the opponent from scoring points. And then we’ll wrap up with something we like to call “points on board.”

It is possible, perhaps even probable, that you are questioning why we would discuss such a base and obvious portion of the game.

Well that is because, as usual, most ponies do not grasp the full picture. There is a substantial quantity of subtlety and nuance that the average laypony simply is unable to grasp initially. But fortunately you can rely on us to educate you in what you’re missing.

That was probably a little too arrogant, hun.

I am not being arrogant, I am simply stating the facts as I observe them to be true.

What he’s trying to say is that while most ponies obviously understand that points are important and how to get then, they might misunderstand exactly how valuable they are. Which can lead to mistakes when forging your plan of attack.

It’s one of those easy to learn, difficult to master kind of things.

Perhaps for some, but my skills on the matter are top rate.

I thought you were going to stop boasting, hun.

But yes, I suppose the reason we’re talking about this is that we do understand the subject rather well.

Anyway, let’s talk about the value of points! Care to kick us off, Hun?

Certainly. Having witnessed a multitude of games as both a player and an observer, I’ve discovered that most ponies overestimate the value of points. While it is true that they are integral to the game, as you require them to be victorious, they are not as precious as one might originally believe.

Aside from the 15th one, of course. That one is priceless.

The actual value of a point is tricky to place exactly, and actually fluctuates as the game goes on.

When you’re behind, you need to be as efficient as possible in order to have a chance at catching up.

But if you’re ahead, you might be willing to spend a little more to extend your lead.

Of course, desperation due to the time limit waning or trying to recover from a bad board position might change the value even further… but ideally that doesn’t apply to you much.

Aptly summarized, my dear, and a fact that I’d wager many are not aware of.

However if I were to place a precise value on a point, I would say it is worth roughly one and three quarters AT at most stages of the game. Or if you prefer, slightly less than two AT.

Where did you get that number?

Observation, my dear, observation.

I have noted that paying 2 AT per point acquired feels overpriced. On the other hoof, paying only 1 per point is a miraculous steal. Thus the value should fall somewhere between the two.

And as 2 AT feels closer to the value of a single point than just 1 AT, I decided a reasonable estimation would be one and three quarters. Though I admit I may be off an iota or three.

I suppose it does feel about right. 2 is definitely more than I’d want to pay, but only a little.

You see? It may not be a perfect value, but it is a good enough estimate to base the remainder of our advice on.

So now that we know about how much AT a point is worth, it’s time to use this knowledge to give us the advantage in battle. But how?

Simple! It allows us to figure out if spending AT on points is a good investment or not right now.

A simple calculation can do wonders for guaranteeing you’re making the right play.

If you’re spending 2 or more AT per point you’re getting, it’s probably not a great deal and there may be better lines of play...

But if you’re spending less? It’s worth at least considering since you’re getting a good rate of return on your investment!

I would think an example would help illustrate the point nicely. Let us say that for some reason you are not playing a combo deck and—

Most ponies don’t play combo, hun.

Well, it’s hardly my fault that so many ponies don’t acknowledge the glory and majesty that is a well built—

I’m just saying be a little less condescending, kay?

My apologies. I suppose I did get a little carried away.

A little bit, sure.

Now as I was saying, you are playing an aggro deck with a boosted Princess Luna: Dream Warrior as your Mane at home. Each problem is just 5 wild for you to confront and you have a pair of Princess Cadance: Best Foal Sitters in hand. Bonus value for each problem is 1, lets say.

So you could just play one Cadance to a problem, moving Luna for free, and confronting for one point. But since Cadance costs 2, that’s not an especially great deal. It’s hardly horrible, but it’s not great either.

But you manage to do a lot more damage if you play the second Cadance via Hasty to the other problem to move Luna to start a DFO. If you win the DFO, now you scored 3 points for 4 AT, a much better deal!

One and one third AT per point is a perfectly reasonable rate of exchange, if you ask me. Not the best, but adequate for most performances.

The example’s a bit simple, but it just goes to show why aggro decks like such low to confront problems, even if the bonus isn’t always great. They want to spend as little AT as possible to score some big points.

A rule I see many aggro players utilize when building decks is to aim for being able to DFO every turn using no more than 4 AT. Assuming nothing goes wrong, of course.

Which does happen since the opponent isn’t always going to just let you do as you please. Maybe the opponent’s problem is just too big for you to confront no matter what you do. Or there’s a Troublemaker in the way. Or whatever.

Stuff like this can lead to some harder decisions. Do you try for a single confront anyway? Or do you just try and save up for a double?

Believe it or not, our guideline still applies here! Just maybe not in the way you expected.

Indeed. After all, we never stipulated that you had to be scoring all those points in the same turn, now did we?

Moving to confront one turn in anticipation of being able to confront the same problem again on the following turn can be quite worth it as well, as now you have scored that problem twice for the price of once.

Especially if on that second turn you manage to confront multiple problems and start a multi-problem faceoff.

Very worth the investment, if it works!

Though there is risk here that the opponent might confront the same problem and start a single problem facceoff. Which can be worth it if you win, but set you back significantly if you lose.

You can waste a lot of AT that way, so be careful with single confronts.

Indeed. That is an excellent example paying too much for your point. Especially as not only did you only score 1 point, you allowed your opponent to score an extra point as well.

Now this isn’t a principle only aggro decks should use. It applies to all sorts decks.

Though the rule is a bit weird for combo decks…

Indeed. In that case, it doesn’t matter how much AT you wind up spending in the long run so long as you make it to 15.

But anyway, let’s look at control and how they might want use this rule.

I doubt any of you would be surprised to learn that Photo Finish: Say "Käse!" is a staple in many control decks. To the point that some decks will even splash into white for the sole purpose of playing her.

Now why is that? She doesn’t help control players maintain control. She doesn’t give you any resources or help you find the tools you need. All she does is score you points, and even those are conditional.

Well, it’s simple! It’s because she’s a very cost efficient way of scoring points. Very frequently Photo will score the control player several points over the course of the game. Sometimes as many as five, or even more!

And even those without my astonishingly massive intellect can tell that 5 points for a mere 3 AT investment is an extraordinarily good deal.

Another common tactic for control players is to build up a troublemaker wall, then start confronting a single problem a turn behind it.

Indeed. You’ve likely spent a large quantity of AT to set up this situation, but as long as you are able to maintain it, you will be scoring a point every turn for the rest of the game thanks to that large investment.

Efficient command of your troops in such a manner is a great way to come out victorious in the end!

And I suppose it is briefly worth mentioning that Farming decks also use this principle, trying to score multiple points for a very small AT investment. Frequently they can score 2 points a turn with just 1 AT investment, as they play an epic, uncover it, and defeat it immediately.

Honestly they’re probably a little too efficient if you ask me...

But that’s a topic for another day! For now, it’s good enough to know that every deck archetype strives to follow this rule, even if not always in the same way. After all, points are what determine the winner at the end.

All too right, Berry.

Of course, even I must admit, that even the finest of plans go wrong on occasion. And while it is a good idea to adhere to this guideline where possible, it is not always feasible.

Sometimes you need to pay more to score than you would normally, and there’s just no getting around it no matter how clever you are. Especially if you’re playing aggro and there’s a troublemaker in the way.

It’s up to you to figure out when you should be sticking to the rule and when you should be breaking it.

After all, a clever general knows when to change her plan of attack.

Now that we have sufficiently gone over the strategy of scoring points, I believe it is time to tap our reservoir of knowledge on a different, though related, topic.

Preventing the opponent from scoring points. A tool all control players rely on.

Not just control players, you know. It’s an essential skill for everypony.

Though admittedly, control uses it the most.

True enough, my dear. I’ll concede that point gladly.

So we all know how important it is to score points, since getting to fifteen first means you’re the winner, but your opponent is trying to do that too.

So it’s not always enough to get as many points as possible yourself, sometimes you’ve got to prioritize stopping the opponent from scoring them.

And like with scoring points, you want to be efficient at it.

While it’s true that you could simply Napcakes their Friend to prevent the opponent from single confronting, that is typically going to be a waste of very important resources. You are spending 1 AT to stop 1 point.

Now we learned earlier that a point is worth a little less than 2 AT, so why is this a bad deal?

Well, it’s because that’s AT you could have been spending to score points of your own, but now you can’t. So it actually wound up costing you more than you thought!

Indeed, you should save that Napcakes for when it would be most effective. Such as preventing a DFO, or to protect a troublemaker. By successfully protecting the troublemaker, you’ve denied them not only the confront, but likely the ability to DFO. Possibly extending into future turns as well.

And by stopping the DFO, that’s at least two points you denied. One for the extra confront, and one or more from the bonus point they were likely to score. Far more efficient.

And as an added bonus, you might cause a single faceoff to happen instead, which you probably have a better chance of winning.

Not only did you thwart the opponent’s plans by denying them multiple points, but you managed to advance your own agenda by scoring a few yourself.

Bringing yourself much closer to winning the battle.

The AT value of denying points is a little harder to define than it was for scoring points, especially since it’s likely you only have so many way of doing so in any given deck. I would wager it is probably closer to only one and a quarter AT per point denied, rather than one and three quarters.

Of course, you do get extra value out of delaying the opponent’s plans, so sometimes that can make up for the AT cose.

Though things are a little different if it’s the opponent’s 15th point. In that case, if they can score at all you’ll lose, so your entire battle plan needs to be devoted to finding a way to score without letting them do so themselves.

Quite right. As I said before, the fifteenth point is priceless. As such, all rules about efficiency are off the table when it comes to keeping it away from your opponent.

Or securing it for yourself, of course.

Now there is one last topic we should address before bringing this discussion to a close. Something that, as my lovely companion alluded to before, we have taken to calling “points on board.”

Points on board is pretty simple! It refers to how many points a pony can score on their turn with the current problems. It also counts anything in play that increases that number, like Nightglider: Overpowering or troublemakers worth points.

As a simple example, if the problems are both Under Lock and Tree, then the points on board is 3, as the opponent can only score a maximum of 3 points with what is currently available.

Now if one of the problems was Tough Call instead, points on board would be 4. If you also had a Changeling Mimics in play, then it would be 4 for you and 5 for the opponent.

So why does this matter? Well, it can help you predict what scores might look like a turn from now. If you scored every point possible this turn, what would your point total be? What if the opponent scored every point available to her?

This can be particularly important to take note of during the end game. If your opponent is at 11 with 4 points on board, you better take measures to ensure the opponent can score, at most, 3 of those points lest you find yourself defeated.

And in a situation where the roles are reversed, it would behoove you to do everything in your power to score all four points. After all, that 15th point is priceless.

Of course for most of the game, there aren’t enough points on board for you to finish the game. But it’s still something to be aware of.

Indeed. It might factor into decisions like whether or not to pass two, six, or eleven points. Occasionally it is better to delay passing those thresholds for a turn, to keep the opponent’s AT gain lower.

But by far, the most important time to be aware of this is at the endgame. Especially when you can’t close out the game.

Let’s try a different example. Both players are at 11 points and there are only 3 points on board. You have the ability to DFO and score 3 points, bringing you just one point away from victory so you do.

But then a 2 point problem is flipped after problems are replaced and now there are 4 points on board. If your opponent has the ability to DFO and claim them all, you’ll have lost the war despite victory being within your grasp.

So what went wrong here?

Ah, a simple trap has been sprung here. Despite there only being 3 points on board now, you failed to account for the fact that problems being replaced allows for the possibility of the number of points on board for the opponent shifting.

You would have been fine had you not gotten greedy, my dear.

That was just an example, hun, not something that happened recently.

But yes, that’s exactly what I was getting at. Before your DFO, you had a good idea of how many points the opponent could possibly score on their turn, and it wasn’t enough for them to win.

Instead of going for a DFO, you could have just gone for a single confront since you knew it was unlikely the opponent could win next turn. Now you’re at 12 points with 3 points on board, enough to win next turn!

But by replacing problems, you gave up your safety and allowed the tides of battle to change. A mistake that has caused many a good pony to lose a fight that seemed like a decisive victory until the very last moment.

You are still talking about the game, right?

Sure, that too!

What my esteemed colleague is trying to convey is that one must not only think about the points on board now, but the points that may be on board. Think a turn ahead, lest it cost you the game.

After all, were you to face me and failed to plan accordingly, I would be more than willing to capitalize on your error and come out triumphant.

They get it, hun.

But that was everything on the battle plan, so I think we’re done here!

Yet another masterful execution, my dear. I think we can leave with the knowledge that we are making the world a better place for those who play this favourite game of ours.

Ah-hah, you were right, Cici!

Told you they were up here.

Oh, uh… we were just.

Trespassing in Cici’s home? Again?

I still don’t get how you guys even get up here. You’re earth ponies.

Ah, well, there’s a very simple explanation for this. You see...

Now!

You got it, hun.

What the? Where’d all this smoke come from?

Anyway, what are you all—

They’re gone, Cici.

Wah?

I didn’t think smoke bombs actually worked.

Eh, whatever. They’re gone now. And it doesn’t look like they did anything.

Yeah, well, I’d still like to know what they’re up to. This is, what, the third time they’ve done this?

I think it’s the fourth. Remember that one time we found open envelopes addressed to them at my place last year?

Oh yeah, that was weird. But they never seem to do anything. Wonder what they’re up to...

Maybe they just wonder what it’s like to live as pegasi so they researched a cloudwalking spell and visit!

Yeah, that’d make sense. Being a pegasus is pretty awesome. I can’t imagine not having wings.

Still weird that they do it when we’re not here, though.

Maybe they’re shy about it.

Well, whatever they’re doing, it certainly seems harmless enough.

Weird…

But harmless.

Well, looks like they didn’t do anything so I’m off. Bye Cici! Let me know if they come back.

Later, Flits. Will do.