I use the blockade card really badly. I use it on the wrong turns, in the wrong places and with the wrong number of armies. Because its so rare and its the only thing that can subvert a massive enemy stack in one of your bonuses then I tend to save it for hail mary's. The idea of using it on a territory that my opponent could potentially attack used to make me wince if i considered it at all. Making a blockade that was too small was incredibly noobish. That was fine a year or so ago but top level play has become more dynamic. I dont see a massive stack in one of my bonuses unless I've already passed the point where a blockade might be useful. Its value has gone down dramatically. The main cost of using the blockade is not the card itself. You have to give up a territory and armies. The types of territories that typically get blockaded (Hawaii, iran, scott) are too valuable in the long run to be given up. Sacrificing the territory gives the other guy the initiative.

I have started trying to use it in a different way.
1. Use it as soon as I can
2. make it small, 1-3 armies is ideal
3. dont use it somewhere that i cant afford let the enemy take
4. gamble that the territory i play it on will get taken this turn
5. Stop the other guy from going through it by keeping the pressure on somewhere else. it takes an attack of 19 to break a blockade card played on 3 armies in one turn. And the attacker will lose 7 of them.

in short; use it more like how people use abandons

This reminds me of Davidhmtk's play against Dreamworker in this game:
http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=6638246

Blockading West Russia with two armies in turn 3 in order to get elimination around Central America

People often use the blockade card against me by blockading some bottleneck territory in Antarctica with 5-ish troops. The blockade card multiplies those troops by 3.51, resulting in about 15-25 neutrals. Often, this is also the only spot where we have contact.

I mostly react by amassing troops for 1-2 turns and then breaking the blockade, after which I have a huge, unstoppable stack coming after the rest of his bonuses. I will also take Antarctica in the process, because it is safe and full of bottlenecks, meaning little room for opponent to maneuver and spoil. Then the game is mostly over.

The blockade hasn't achieved anything. Aside from me not being stopped, I didn't even lose many more armies breaking the blockade than its creator when creating it. On average, I lose 3.51 * 0.7 = 2.457 troops for every 1 troop he blockaded with. So, if he made a blockade with 5 troops, I lose about 12-13 troops breaking it, which is 7-8 more than him. If I get an extra bonus and break his, then I get those 7-8 troops compensated in 1 turn.

When I use a blockade in ME, it's usually a small one in some periphery bonus in Asia. Like, when I start in Scandinavia and I know that my enemy is in eastern Asia. I gather a stack of troops to break his eastern Asian bonuses and don't want to waste them in defending Scandinavia. I might blockade Svalbard with 3-7, depending on what kind of stack the enemy is attacking Scandinavia with.

It doesn't make it impossible for him to break the blockade and get the bonus, but

a) he will need 20-40 troops to break the blockade while he needs those troops elsewhere too

b) those troops are completely useless after the blockade is broken. It will take many turns to move them back to central Asia. Even more useless if Greenland has a wasteland in it, then it is less likely he will try to capture it with the remnants.

The use of the blockade card is totally dependend of the game. You can not generalize its use.
Sometimes a blockade of even 1 army is a good enough blockade to suit your goals, sometimes a blockade of 15 armies is not enough.

One trick that sometimes works, is a late transfer out of 75% of the armies, followed by blockade.

For example, you have West Africa, [S]he has Central America. You meet in South America at the same turn.

On the next turn, put a large stack in Brazil, anticipating him putting a large stack in either Columbia/Venezula, whichever [s]he's in. On this turn, maybe with Order Delay on, you attack Argentina with 75% and blockade Brazil.

Risks: If he attacks you and you are overrun (Shouldn't really happen) or if you execute the 75% first, your blockade is wasted, and your Africa bonuses are overrun.

If he attacks you, your 75% may not be enough to conquor Argentina.

Rewards: If he doesn't attack you, you've successfully moved the majority of your stack closer to him, and put up a sizable blockade protecting your bonuses.

not necessarily 75%, but around that number. it always depends on the situation and what you think your opponent will do.

I agree with myhand, each situation is unique.

I think the general premise Piggy is talking about is that large blockades are typically not that effective. If you have enough income to invest big in a blockade, it means that you could probably win with that income without using the blockade. It's a question of efficiency. Is it efficient to invest big on a blockade when your income could be used elsewhere? Is it efficient to leave a small blockade that won't stop your opponent from taking back the bonus but would leave him with 3-4 less troops to defend one of his bonuses? Like Piggy describes, the best time to efficiently use a blockade would be in early game where your opponent does not have all of his income. However, these cases don't come up often.

I'm curious, search through your games and see if you have one where you won by blockading a territory with only 1-3 troops on it (4, 7, or 10 blockade).

just a point:
win a game with a small blockade, doesn't mean for sure you won bc the blockade.
So depends imo. You could have won without blcoakde too, or with one bigger :)

Edited 8/18/2014 07:26:02

just a point:
win a game with a small blockade, doesn't mean for sure you won bc the blockade.
So depends imo. You could have won without blcoakde too, or with one bigger :)

Hmm thanks for pointing that out Gnuffles only:

I'm curious, search through your games and see if you have one where you won by blockading a territory with only 1-3 troops on it (4, 7, or 10 blockade).

In this post, I specifically ask for games that are won as a result of a small blockade. :)

games that are won as a result of a small blockade

http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=5182013

Turn 5.

Yes/No?

No

@Ra: While it is an interesting use of a blockade, I don't see it winning you that game. Your strategy was to block Queensland small and then use first orders to bust Antarctica. What's funny is that your plan doesn't quite work. Later on in the game you eliminate Rabbit from Australia, but because of the blockade and even income you don't really have a chance of going for Aus. I will admit this is a better use of a blockade than I've seen in most games, but it does not win you this game.

I'm asking out of curiosity, and it won't surprise me if no one can find a flawless example. Do post games where you think the blockade did turn the tide or give you an advantage even if it did not win you the game. :)

"The use of the blockade card is totally dependend of the game. You can not generalize its use."

*shrug* I think I can.

"games that are won as a result of a small blockade"

I cant see games in terms of one thing winning or losing them. Its why I struggle with the "you won on luck" moaning from Qi and Boston. A blockade wont win a game. Accepting that is the first step to playing the card well.

Sure you can, just doesnt give it any educational value.

And a blockade card can win you the game. I would love to post some examples, but since this thread is placed in the ladder forum, my alts can not post.

Edited 7/20/2014 01:14:22

Do you think there is anything of any educational value to be said on the topic of using blockades? Or is any heuristic reductionist?

And a blockade card can win you the game. I would love to post some examples, but since this thread is placed in the ladder forum, my alts can not post.

Why not just grab the link from the alt, and then post it through your main? Unfortunately I don't think you can keep your anonymity on them if you post unless we edit these posts and you just send me a couple links through mail. I'll act like they could be anyone's alt who read this post. :P

Edited 7/20/2014 01:40:12

http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=5645080 good blockade
http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=5674019 bad blockade
http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=5657289 bad blockade
http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=5668837 good blockade
http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=5645079 bad blockade
http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=5644312 bad blockade

Edited 8/18/2014 07:26:53