1v1 Gameplay

## **1 vs 1 explanation**

**There are several aspects of 1v1 which apply to all maps. In this article they are going to be analyzed depending on game mode.**

### **General Principles**

**Generally** in **1v1s**, the goal is to **minimize the amount of troops the opponent gets every turn**, so that **one** can **have the upper hand**. The **best way** to do that is to **capture as many territories as possible every turn**. If **one** has **many territories**, the **opponent's territorial bonus is going to be reduced**. In **addition**, it is **vital** **one invades their opponent in their continents**, to **prevent them from getting continental bonuses**. Once you **ensure** that your **opponent will not get many troops** on their **turn**, you **should try** to **capture a continent** if **possible**. In case the **other player does not manage to invade you**, you **will gain a huge advantage over them**. Another **important** **aspect of 1v1** is **not** **blocking yourself**. This means that **one's big armies** **should have access to enemy territories**. If an **army** is **blocked**, it **can** only **be** **used if you fortify it into an unblocked place**, but **by that time** the **opponent will have gained a one-turn advantage**. For this **reason**, if your **opponent blocks his army**, you should **never unblock** it by **attacking neighboring territories**. This way, you will **win most of the games in 1 vs 1**, primarily against **inexperienced players**, who **don't even know** **basics** of it, so it really gives you a **fair deal of advantage**, just **need** to **be careful**.

### **World Domination mode**

In this **mode**, the **selection of territories is paramount**. If the game is with **auto territory selection**, the **person going first has a huge advantage**, **unless** they have a **bad setup**. This is why it's more skill based to play 1v1 with manual placement. With **manual troops deployment**, it is **good** to **take dead-end territories** (for instance on Classic map these include Madagascar, Japan, East Australia, Argentina etc, and in the Zombie pack maps these are the dead-end cells). If you are going **second**, it is **crucial not to connect your territories**, as it will be **easy for the opponent to conquer them all at once, while also having access to your big army**. **Depending** on the **map**, you can **split your troops in 1-3 parts,** but it's **most common to put all your troops in 1 stack**. For example, on **Simple World** you must have **one big army**, on **Classic** you need **1 or 2 armies** and on **Supermax** it is common for people to **split their troops in even 3 armies**. When it comes down to **where these armies are going to be deployed**, they should have **access to many enemy territories**. The players need to **predict each other's deployment**. If you are **not sure** **where your opponent will put their troops**, it is **common** to **deploy your own stack near the middle of the map**. If you have a **strong belief** that your **opponent** is **going to put their troops in a certain territory,** you **should** **put your army next to that territory going first** and **away from it going second**. You can **blitz** your **opponent's armies** **whenever possible** and **use** the **attacking advantage to it's fullest extent**. This is essentially the **key in winning WD 1 vs 1 games**, which **can get you** to at least **GM rank**, if you **know all** of the **important aspects** of it.

### **Capital Conquest mode**

The **same concepts apply in this game mode**, but it is **vital** to **remember** that this game mode is **about capturing the opponent's capital**. For this **reason**, you **must** **always fortify your troops back to your capital to guard it**. You **should** **not** **over-attack**, **unless** after you have **finished your turn**, will **have enough troops to guard your capital**. The **minimum** **amount of troops** on a **capital depends on the size of the map**. For **Classic** that **value is about 10 troops**, but for **smaller maps** like **Simple World** this **number** can **increase to even 20**. This also **depends** on **whether your opponent** has a **strong capital**, you **should** **not have too less troops on your capital compared to your opponent**. Therefore, if **one** is **playing** with **manual troops deployment** (which is **advised**), they **should split their troops**, **so that the largest army has enough troops to guard the capital**. Going **first**, this **army can be put in any territory**, since it **can be fortified back to the capital before the opponent's turn starts**. **However**, if you are going **second** your **big army must be placed on your capital**. It is also **important** to **block** the **opponent's capital**, so that he is **unable** to **use his troops** and **not** to **block your own capital**. The **territory** you **put your capital** **on** is also **really important**. **Each** **map** has a **couple territories** which are **good for capital placement**. Generally, **good** **capital placements** are **borders** to **continents** and have **immediate access** to **other continents**. If you are **playing with auto setup**, you **should** **choose a territory with 4+ troops as your capital**. And of course, **don't do risky capital blitz rolls**. **Capitals** have a **HUGE** **defensive advantage** and you **optimally** **need** to have **3 times as many troops** **as** the **opponent before blitzing it**, because you want to be **sure** you can **safely** **take it out** and **win the game after 3 rounds has passed**, but of course, there's **always luck** in **place**, so **rarely** you can get **really bad dice rolls for no reason**, which **breaks** the **reality** of this **mode**. **Going first and having an advantage**, you should go for a **100% winning roll** or a roll close to 100% to **maximize** your chances of **victory**. Since it's harder to win **going second**, you can **afford to do a 50% cap roll**. If you take a cap roll **less than 50%**, you should **manual roll the opponent's cap** to **increase your chances of winning**. If you have an **opportunity to blitz your opponent's cap** and if you think you **won't get a better opportunity with higher odds later, you should blitz** it since it's your **best chance to win**. That's how you can have as **much edge as possible** **against** your opponents and **win most of the Capital Conquest games in 1 vs 1**, which can also get you to at least **GM** **rank**, if you **know all** of the **important aspects** as well.

### **Defualt 1v1 Settings**

To make 1v1 as skill based as possible, it's best to play with these settings:

* Manual placement
* Progressive cards
* No bots
* Fog on
* Blizzards on
* Balanced Blitz dice
* 60 second timer