Beginner to Master Azul Series: Episode 11(480+ ELO)

In this video we start with some strategy discussion before playing 2 games of Azul.

Here are the strategy items I referenced:

Macro Strategy
- Still sticking with baseline plan of 2 rows + 1 column. Opportunistically threatening 2nd column and/or color bonus
- Minor preference for building column #2
- Never building on the edges, and especially not on the right edge (see episodes 8-10 for why the right edge can get you in trouble)
- Keep track of tile counts if you are comfortable with it.

Round 1
- More concerned with making progress on rows 4 and 5 than getting specific colors for rows 1-3.
- When going 2nd, frequently taking first player tile and selecting column to build based on reacting to opponent choices.
- Never having rows 4 and 5 misaligned (different columns). Also don’t misalign row 3 if you can’t complete it.
-- Exception: If you can complete row 4 or 5 then it can be okay to be misaligned. We haven’t done this in any games though.
- When focused on rows 4 and 5 early, be careful not to get stuck not being able to play on row 1 or 2!
- Don’t be afraid to take negatives in round 1. It’s better to be down 0-2 and your opponent have no tiles on row 5 than be winning 3-2 but your opponent has 4 tiles on row 5.

Rounds 2-4
- Always assess the tile draw and develop a rough plan for the round before making a play. Even if the first play seems obvious, still take the time to do this.
- Assessing the draw and making a plan:
-- What tiles you need, what tiles your opponent needs, etc.
-- Understand your priorities re: offense vs defense. If you have no good options to build your own board, your focus should shift to defending against your opponent’s building. If you have good offensive options, try to do both! (This has been a core part of our success).
-- Understand your priorities re: the score of the game and your path to winning. If you are down by a lot, you may have to try to manipulate a situation where your opponent takes huge negatives at the expense of optimal building, or try to set yourself up for 2 columns or a color bonus. If you are winning comfortably, make sure you don’t leave yourself open to big negatives!
-- Identify your flexibilities! This is crucial to not getting stuck with negatives at the end of the round. Recognize where you can be flexible and take advantage of that so you have multiple options for each play.
-- Identify any colors that are “free” for you (your opponent cannot play them anywhere). These tiles can be saved to play for yourself or you can try to stick your opponent with them.
-- Based on this draw, how important is it that you get the first player tile? (Will there be critical colors to control next round?)
-- Defending doesn’t always mean taking the tiles your opponent needs. Creating groups of tiles that are larger than what they need is a form of defense as well, and can let you build at the same time as you play defense.
Try to find forcing moves. This has been another key part of our success. When you give your opponent no options (or no good options, at least) it can snowball into giving them lots of negatives. One forcing move generally leads to more forcing moves as you take away all of your opponent’s good options.
-- Always be aware of the end-of-round sequence and opportunities to force it in your favor! This is especially true if you are at risk of taking big negatives, or if your opponent is at risk of taking big negatives.

Round 5
- Round 5 is more deterministic, so you can play out scenarios and calculate outcomes.
- Again, understand your path to victory based on the current score. You may need to force/avoid negatives to win, or force round 6 if possible.
- Double check threats from your opponent like 2nd columns or color bonuses!