Strategy Tips for using the Carnivore - Evolution
So you fancy being the Carnivore at the watering hole? Hopefully, this post will give you some good ideas on how to use that effectively. Being a red card we decided "Evolution" would be the perfect game for todays REDD WEEK highlight.
Using the Carnivore strategy can be a hard thing to plan on. With the way the traits are randomly distributed, you can never tell whether you will get Carnivores, or when in the game they will arrive. If your first turn gives you 1-2 Carnivores, you can know that this will be a great strategy for that game. If it takes you a few turns you may be in trouble.
The fact of the matter is that in "Evolution - the beginning" Carnivores are far more necessary for all players as the food supply in the watering hole is very low. It's never smart to plan on more than two food there. This differs from "Evolution" in that you can regularly get by with a killer herbivore strategy there where that's not as easy in "the beginning". We will focus on "the beginning" for the math etc but the concepts translate to the original game as well.
With that in mind, know that other players will likely also have Carnivores. They should be your first target. Each population in the game is worth a point in the end, and beyond that, has the potential to generate an additional point every turn. If we assume you have roughly 7 turns that means the value of a population is 8. That is without any additional traits. Back to why other Carnivores should be your first target: if they can eat you, you are risking the loss of 8 points in round one, that can make or break a game. Therefore, you should build your Carnivore to hit other Carnivores already in play. If you see another Carnivore in play, but do not have the traits necessary to attack it this turn, it would be smart to keep your Carnivore in your hand until you can use it effectively. Building a weaker Carnivore is just an invitation to be eaten and a wasted turn is not better than a slow one. Hold your Carnivore and pray you are delt the right traits next turn.
Now the grand question: Is it better to have a special Carnivore with lots of population or a variety of Carnivores. I would suggest you take the diversity approach. It only takes one unlucky turn and everyone is dealt a Speed while you still don't have a Speed and then your big bad Hippo can't do much damage. Having a variety of Carnivore species is helpful in addressing that threat.
Additionally, having only one population may seem like a waste, but the more kills you can get each turn means the more you are able to take out of the other player's points. Spread the Ccarnivores around, diversify them, and let the hunt begin! Giving your other species a Scavenger card can be very helpful in this situation.
The best card I can think to add to a Carnivore besides the trait required to feast is Horns. Horns give other players a strong advantage to avoid attacking your Carnivore. When that should be their number one objective, you gain a strong advantage by making that choice unattractive.
If you want to experiment with these strategies, check out North Star Games' app on the app store. It's a free download and allows you to play the computer to hone in your strategy. Once you're ready to compete in real-life jump over to northstargames.com to pick up a copy for yourself. They've got a lot of great games over there and you cannot go wrong with the "Evolution" series. We are IN-LOVE with their artwork so we definitely recommend a physical copy!
Enjoy the Hunt:)
P.S. Questions or stories you want to share about using the Carnivore? Let us know in the comments below.
Using the Carnivore strategy can be a hard thing to plan on. With the way the traits are randomly distributed, you can never tell whether you will get Carnivores, or when in the game they will arrive. If your first turn gives you 1-2 Carnivores, you can know that this will be a great strategy for that game. If it takes you a few turns you may be in trouble.
The fact of the matter is that in "Evolution - the beginning" Carnivores are far more necessary for all players as the food supply in the watering hole is very low. It's never smart to plan on more than two food there. This differs from "Evolution" in that you can regularly get by with a killer herbivore strategy there where that's not as easy in "the beginning". We will focus on "the beginning" for the math etc but the concepts translate to the original game as well.
With that in mind, know that other players will likely also have Carnivores. They should be your first target. Each population in the game is worth a point in the end, and beyond that, has the potential to generate an additional point every turn. If we assume you have roughly 7 turns that means the value of a population is 8. That is without any additional traits. Back to why other Carnivores should be your first target: if they can eat you, you are risking the loss of 8 points in round one, that can make or break a game. Therefore, you should build your Carnivore to hit other Carnivores already in play. If you see another Carnivore in play, but do not have the traits necessary to attack it this turn, it would be smart to keep your Carnivore in your hand until you can use it effectively. Building a weaker Carnivore is just an invitation to be eaten and a wasted turn is not better than a slow one. Hold your Carnivore and pray you are delt the right traits next turn.
Now the grand question: Is it better to have a special Carnivore with lots of population or a variety of Carnivores. I would suggest you take the diversity approach. It only takes one unlucky turn and everyone is dealt a Speed while you still don't have a Speed and then your big bad Hippo can't do much damage. Having a variety of Carnivore species is helpful in addressing that threat.
Additionally, having only one population may seem like a waste, but the more kills you can get each turn means the more you are able to take out of the other player's points. Spread the Ccarnivores around, diversify them, and let the hunt begin! Giving your other species a Scavenger card can be very helpful in this situation.
The best card I can think to add to a Carnivore besides the trait required to feast is Horns. Horns give other players a strong advantage to avoid attacking your Carnivore. When that should be their number one objective, you gain a strong advantage by making that choice unattractive.
If you want to experiment with these strategies, check out North Star Games' app on the app store. It's a free download and allows you to play the computer to hone in your strategy. Once you're ready to compete in real-life jump over to northstargames.com to pick up a copy for yourself. They've got a lot of great games over there and you cannot go wrong with the "Evolution" series. We are IN-LOVE with their artwork so we definitely recommend a physical copy!
Enjoy the Hunt:)
P.S. Questions or stories you want to share about using the Carnivore? Let us know in the comments below.
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