The Premise and Standings
Each week we’ll face off in a best of three series playing a different board game from our collection. The winner claims the moniker of C&C Clash Champ for the week. The loser feels a little less shiny. The lesser player also gets to choose the game for the next week.
We will maintain a record of wins and losses throughout the year to see who finishes 2022 as the ultimate board game champ in our household.
Our current C&C Champion is Chaos after winning last week’s Innovation brawl.
Pre-Clash Current Standings:
- Weekly Winner: 10 Chaos – 10 Confetti
- Individual game wins: 30 Chaos – 26 Confetti
After losing last week, Confetti has chosen Splendor.
The Game – Splendor
The main premise behind Splendor is that players are working to build the best jewelry business. In order to do this, they must work to acquire mines, transportation, and artisans. With enough skill, they may even attract the eyes of the nobility. Only one can shine greater than all the others, but it’s going to take careful strategy and execution.
Splendor has players collecting gem tokens and development cards in order to build their jewelry business and overall game engine. Gem tokens can be used to buy development cards, which in turn give players more resources for future purchases and prestige (victory) points to move them closer to winning. There are different levels of development cards. The higher level cards will cost more, but they also reward greater points.
If a player has enough specific gem resources rewarded by development cards they can also claim nobility tiles which grant even more prestige points. The game is all about players working their way up the jewelry ladder towards greater rewards. They must carefully balance gathering resources, creating strong buy power, and snatching up development cards. It’s a race to fifteen prestige points.
The rules are simple but the strategy can be deep. Who will come out as a master merchant and who will be a junk jeweler?
Chaos’ Pre-Clash Thoughts:
While the C&C Clash Championship has no actual physical presence, I like to imagine it would be a super shiny, gold, and bejeweled championship belt. Today, I plan to conquer Confetti in Splendor in order to take claim of these imaginary jewels for my imaginary championship belt. Glitter and glimmer; I plan to be the winner!
Confetti’s Pre-Clash Thoughts:
If you look back on previous weeks, I often don’t go too long without winning the championship back. That seems like a good tradition to keep alive. I look forward to a shiny and colorful battle.
Game 1 –
Both players clearly started with a strategy of gaining blacks, reds, and greens in order to not only build up their buy power but to also advance toward claiming nobles. This seemed like a great strategy until there were soon no reds to buy. The board quickly became littered with blue and white gems.
Chaos pivoted towards building up his green and blue gems. Confetti leaned into a more diverse gem base. Confetti also quickly started denying any red development cards that popped up. She wasn’t quite in position to claim any red-requiring nobles, but she knew that Chaos only needed one. Again and again she denied Chaos’ plans before finally being able to claim a noble herself.
Not to be outdone, Chaos took the four blue and four green noble tile. Even better for Chaos, was that many of the higher cost cards fed off blue, a color he had gained advantage on. Confetti did her best to slow Chaos down, but that didn’t allow her to make up much ground.
In the end, Chaos reached 15 prestige points first.
Game 1 Winner: Chaos
Scores: 16 Chaos – 10 Confetti
Game 2 –
Unlike the first game where white gems littered the board but did very little for obtaining nobles, two of the noble tiles required white gems. As always, both players started building buy power by obtaining lower tier cards. Soon, Chaos hit a chain of cards that allowed him to buy card after card, especially building up his green and blue gems again. A spree of purchases helped put him in the lead and maintain a strong board presence.
Confetti again found herself more diversified with her buys, but she had some trouble reaching the higher tier buys. This may have been because many of the available development cards wanted larger amounts of single colors. With a slower ramp up, she soon found it impossible to catch up with Chaos.
This time around, the nobles played a smaller role in the race to victory and Chaos ended up relying mostly on his purchase of prestigious cards. His strategy worked and he came out on top.
Game 2 Winner: Chaos
Scores: 18 Chaos – 5 Confetti
Game 3-
With this week’s win firmly secured by Chaos, there was no need for a third game.
Your winner and STILL C&C Clash Champion: Chaos!!
Chaos’ Post-Clash Thoughts:
I called my shot and I delivered! I leave this week feeling rather splendid. Now to start an unstoppable run as champion. Bring on all contenders (who happen to be Confetti) because the champ is here to stay!
Confetti’s Post-Clash Thoughts:
Boo! That is not what I wanted. I guess there’s always next week. Boo Chaos! Boo!
New Standings:
Post-Clash Standings:
- Weekly Winner: 11 Chaos – 10 Confetti
- Individual game wins: 32 Chaos – 26 Confetti
Next Week:
Chaos vs. Confetti will be represented with a battle of Bears vs. Babies.
Chaos & Confetti 