https://www.warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=13689856

sometimes the right move is not to defend at all

Don't get me wrong, you have a point that sometimes it is best to not defend at all. But as far as this game goes I don't think there is much to take away from it. You are a fantastic player, but you beat a bunch of casual players who seem to either not really care or know that much about this game. It is like the equivalent of watching a game between a professional sports team, and an amateur 'beer league' team.

Sometimes, yes it is better to let opponents to break your bonus and here you were strong and were constantly expanding. So even if you don't defend for few turns, with good delays and more income you could take back your territories.

I agree Joker, but I think the real learning opportunity from this game comes from his opponent. They wasted a whole bunch of income expanding in a way that left them defenseless, they seemed to coordinate poorly, and Bastian didn't really seem to understand how to really break Master Ryiro's bonuses. I think the real take away here isn't from learning from Master Ryiro's excellent play, but more his opponents poor play. Again, complete respect for Master Ryiro's play, but I am just trying to call "ball's and strikes."

@The Joey
this is something very common i notice in big maps where players do not realize the importance of army management and income advantages
its not about how i won the game but more about how much effective armies one can save by choosing not to defend some portions of their territory
like for example:-if your enemy has deployed 100 armies just to break your income of 2s and 3s, its not worth defending those bonuses when you can instead use those armies of yours to do something more productive on other parts of the map

most players when they see their enemy for the first time think this is the place where we fight but don't consider that they can choose where to and where not to fight

when you choose your fights you already have an advantage as your opponent cannot expect, or feel hard to predict the position they're in