Contesting: Recognizing When Other Players Block Your Composition

Because everyone rolls from one shared pool, two players building the same comp are directly fighting over a fixed number of copies. If you're the one losing that fight — the one who committed second, or later, or with less gold — your rolls dry up, your carry stalls at 2 stars, and you place seventh with a board that "should have been good". Recognising a contest early is worth more than any single mechanical skill.

How to tell you're contested

• Your rolls show everything except your units. The clearest sign. If you're at the right level and still not seeing your carry over several rolls, someone else is holding the copies.
• Scouting confirms it. One or more opponents have your synergy at an equal or higher count, or your carry already on their board — especially at a higher star level than yours.
• You're stuck 3+ copies short of a star-up with no movement over multiple rounds.
• An opponent has a wide bench of your carry's copies (they're hoarding to deny you and star up themselves).

Make scouting for contest a routine — every couple of planning phases, click through the boards looking specifically for players sharing your plan.

Degrees of contest

• One player, and you're ahead (more copies, higher stars, more gold) — usually fine to keep going. You'll get the lion's share; they may be forced off it.
• One player, and you're behind — dangerous. They'll hit their 3-star and you won't. Consider pivoting now while it's cheap, or find a way to get decisively ahead (a big roll while they're low on gold).
• Two or more players — the pool almost certainly cannot support all of you at 3 stars. Whoever commits last loses. If that's you, pivot early.

What contest costs you

It's not just "fewer copies". A contested carry means:

• You spend more gold per copy — rolls that would normally hit now miss, so the same board strength costs you 20–40 extra gold you could have spent on levels or a second synergy.
• You hit your power spike later — often a full stage or two behind the uncontested version of the same comp — during which you're taking avoidable damage.
• Your ceiling drops — if the last three copies of your carry physically don't exist, you're capped at 2 stars and there's nothing you can do about it.

Playing a contest you decide to keep

Sometimes you're committed and pivoting is worse. Then:

• Roll when your rival can't. Scout their gold. If they just rolled to zero, that's your window — the copies are flowing and they can't take them.
• Star up the pieces they don't want. If you both want the carry but only you want the tank, secure the uncontested pieces to at least have a stronger board around a 2-star carry.
• Deny back. If you're going to lose the carry war anyway, holding a few copies on your bench slows their 3-star too — a spiteful play, but occasionally the right one when it keeps a rival from spiking past everyone.
• Watch for their death or pivot. The moment a contesting player is eliminated or switches off, the pool opens and you should roll immediately.