Foundry "soldier wall" opening

[Alvendor]

I think I've got a very strong opening on Foundry. It is not a strict opening in the sense the moves are set in stone. It is rather a general strategy that makes life very hard for player 2.

Short version:
1. Kill off his sniper with a runner, or two if he boosts it.
2. Make a soldier wall 3 tiles in front of your back spawn point and put your sniper 2 tiles behind the wall.
3. Threaten to move in with the sniper. The opponent doesn't have vision so has to guess if you moved the sniper or not. If he guesses wrong you get enough of an advantage to win the game.

Long version:
Example game
The dynamics will be different depending on if you know your opponent or not. I and Blueswimmer95 has played each other a lot. He knows that I am capable of making risky moves outside of his vision. I know that he knows and so on...

Turn 3: I get the sniper. I guess the strategy works anyway, but killing the sniper is just so good on this map.
Turn 7: Notice top soldier move here. I only move 2 tiles as I want to keep this move outside of his vision. This way he doesn't know if I moved the sniper or not.
Turn 8: He checks with a runner and sees that I didn't move the sniper. I earn a wit on that runner exchange as his runner was moved twice while mine only once.
Turn 9: I don't do any move outside of his vision.
Turn 10: He knows I didn't move the sniper.
Turn 11: My runner move will look very much like a sniper move to him.
Turn 12: He checks with the heavy, I still haven't moved the sniper.
Turn 13: By taking out the heavy I have gained so much advantage it is a win for me unless I make any big mistakes.

This opening becomes almost like a game of poker where you bluff that you have moved the sniper, and every time the opponent calls you and are incorrect you gain an advantage. If he guessed correctly and take out your sniper it is not great for you, but you have by no means lost yet.

So, how to counter to this? I guess player 2 can defend his sniper and move it more towards the top/middle. If it is close to the middle it can help defend any attacks and it won't be as bad to let player 1 get the sniper in range of the wit tile. Other than that I don't have any good suggestions =/

[GreatGonzales]

I am currently in a game like this as P2 vs Awpertunity...except he is scallywags, and I am adorables. Having a bombshell makes this approach even more difficult to defeat, and mobi is not much help.

I get your implication - that there is a "perfect" P1 opening on foundry that is really an auto-win. I don't have the mind of deep blue so I don't know if this is it, but if any level has an unbeatable deployment, it's foundry. I hope not, though.

[garcia1000]

This is a pretty good opening. P2 has no time to protect the sniper in early game, and the soldiers make your own sniper very effective. Although tbh anyone who loses as P1 on foundry should probably reflect on where he made a wrong turn in life lol

[Syvan]

I've been using a variant of this that ignores the sniper and sneaks that wit space soldier up into that nook where all the games are won. The games are usually over pretty fast, 15 to 20ish turns. I can't even beat it in pass and play. The best response seems to be to move P2s wit soldier toward P1s base, but with FTA it's fairly futile. It essentially abuses the distance from the defender's far wit space.

Example 1

Example 2

Unfortunately these aren't perfect replays because they go for unexpected responses. The games look out of control, but they weren't.

The only dangerous moment for player 1 is if P2 attacks the runner on the wit space. If so, replace it with a soldier and continue the rush. The goal should be to build a little wall with 2 soldiers that allows the wit space soldier to move into position. Try to keep the sniper as close as is safe.

I've seen some interesting rushes lately on several maps, it might be interesting to compile them and see if we can get a nice pool of varied rushes.

[pookywb]

This is from a while back, but take a look at Harti's opening.

The sniper would be much harder to... snipe. But I suppose you can still get the medic.

[Alvendor]

If P2 doesn't move the sniper on the first turn but moves back the medic and boosts the sniper he is safe for the next turn. Then he can trade off any threatening runners while moving the sniper to the the frontline during the next couple of turns. It might give him a fighting chance but things still look quite bleak.

Sacrificing the medic might not be too bad as it is likely wit neutral (4 wits to have runner kill medic for P1, 4 wits for P2 to kill runner and replace medic if he wants to).

[Alvendor]

(09-22-2012 11:05 AM)Syvan Wrote:  I've been using a variant of this that ignores the sniper and sneaks that wit space soldier up into that nook where all the games are won.

Example 1

Example 2

I like it. If P2 tries to defend my opening by boosting the sniper but P1 has used your opening instead it is pretty much auto-win as P2 has spent to many wits on the sniper that will arrive too late to the party.

I would not want to be P2 if P1 varies his play 50/50 between these two openings!

[Emuchu]

So I've been trying this opening out, and most common response to it I meet is for my opponent to spawn a Bombshell near his base, which thus far has been successful at thwarting my Soldier advances. Does anyone have a replay of Soldier Wall tactics to break through a fortified Bombshell near the base spawn?

[Syvan]

Try my opening (replays above), it will not give them time to spawn a bombshell.

[Emuchu]

Looking back at the other Foundry Rush thread, Syvan, your strategy is the version I've been using up to now. I wanted to try some other strategies, but your's has been the most successful, especially since I'm not running Scallywags, so I don't want Specials to enter the equation.