What do you believe is the most important quality/skill of players in No-Luck games?
You can only pick 1. (For each ladder type, if you want to pick more than one.)

- Starting Locations (Including 4th and 5th picks)
- Card Use (Knowing when to use/save cards.)
- Understanding of Attack Order
- Overall Deployment Strategy
- Overall Offensive Strategy
- Overall Defensive Strategy
- Communication (Only if in team games.)

Let's say the average skill of 4 players is about equal, with minor differences.

In my opinion, in 1v1 Starting Locations is the most imortant.
In 2v2 and 3v3, Communication is key.

In Europe 3v3, starting location is most important,

1v1 Ladder: Picks

2v2: Communication

3v3: Communication

Real Time: Picks

I've only recently joined however, but this seems to be the case so far

I don't think you can confine strategical play to just one ideal category. If you do, then you'll never improve in your strategical analysis/ability. It's like having a PBJ Sandwich with either the Peanut Butter or the Jelly (if you'll excuse the terrible analogy).

For example, you can be a master of picking strategically, but you'll still lose many of your games. Why? Because people can outplay you and gain an advantage based on your lack of strategical gameplay skill. If you know how to use cards at proper times, you'll still be at a disadvantage because you can't back that knowledge up with picking + gameplay skills.

Communication is very important in team games - but I would argue knowing how to play "as a team" is more important. When you communicate, you are just verbally expressing what it is to play "as a team;" you are all agreeing on the optimal movesets for a particular turn. Knowing whether to sacrifice picking/expansion to aid a teammate, or to work together to defeat opponents constitutes as playing as a team.

However, again in team-games, communication, teamwork and picking/gameplay ability all form the best strategical playing style. There is no "most important" factor in determining strategic ability.

Edited 10/20/2015 02:06:20

@Awesomeguy, Thanks for the thorough response!
I agree with your statements, (I'm not really a strategic player though). I was just curious on your own personal priority. I guess it's something to learn from.

Edited 10/21/2015 01:53:21

Improving my picks has helped me immensely. Whilst still a only player of middling ability, I'm winning games I routinely lost 1-2 years ago and it's largely due to being in better position(s) due to my picks. My humble advice would be for inexperienced players to work on improving their picks. The other areas will improve as a result.

Edited 10/21/2015 02:28:26

1v1         ladder : picks
2v2         ladder : picks
3v3         ladder : picks
real time  ladder : picks
seasonal  ladder : picks

reason-almost all top level games are won by picks.everyone has almost the same skill in terms of playing

Edited 10/21/2015 02:36:24

Starting Locations (Including 4th and 5th picks)

1v1 ladder: Starting Locations
2v2 ladder: Starting Locations
3v3 ladder: Starting Locations

A good start is halfway to success.

Communication is required in team games, but it is not that it takes a lot of skills to do. You just need to play as a team. Be responsive and cooperative. It is not an issue in top level games.

Edited 10/21/2015 04:13:37

@knyte
if you're talking about 1v1 ladder games,even the 6th pick is very crucial
rather,whenever you get your 6th pick,thats the best possible scenario for you i think.you almost win the game there itself
also it varies in other ladders,like for example you need to make about 20-24 picks in 3v3 ladder(usually 24)

A word used very liberally :"strategy".

Players are not more strategically sound than you, that can be resolved with chess


In warlighr,you need to be able to predict, properly distribute resources and have a grasp of move order. Not much else to say.

@Ryiro: I just used the wording from the OP. I agree that pick 6 matters a lot. 1/2/6 and even 2/3/6 are great situations to be in.

Starting locations are by far the most important part in nearly any setting.

What if it's three territories with even bonus for each one, and 1 territory per play? Do picks still matter?

Always pick bottom left then

Diplomatic, that depends more on what exactly you mean by even bonus. There is likely one that is safer, or one that provides better expansion options, or both. In nearly all settings, picks are the most important. In very rare cases, they are not.

among top players: picks
among almost everybody else: play and expansion

Starting locations are by far the most important part in nearly any setting.

Not just locations- intel. That's the other big awesome thing about manual distribution.

Picking is not nearly as important in strat 1v1 as some people are making it out to be.

It's important, that's not up for debate. But there are many games where I pick somewhat poorly and then am still able to win through superior play, or equal play coupled with superior luck, or superior guesswork.

There's a reason accounts like Namib win most of their games even when the people playing said accounts make intentionally poor picks.

I won most of my games on the Mr. X account similarly despite having picked 1-2 wastelands most of the games.

Edited 10/21/2015 20:51:32

You spelled Merigold wrong.

Coming from a Witcher fan. Correct it NOW :P