SantoriniPowerApollo

Introduction

Apollo seems dumb to beginners at first. What is useful with a god that can only swap places with others? However, the truth is not like what it seems. This is because he can steal advantages from opponents and give his disadvantages to them, leaving their innocent workers in despair. In the following review, we will see when the swaps should be used.

God Power

In your move stage, your worker may move into your opponent worker’s space by forcing their workers to the space yours just vacated.

Category

Player move/Opponent forcing

Explanation

It happens during your move turn. This skill only applies when you can move to that space without that worker. Thus, you can’t move to a level-2 from ground by using this skill.

Game Strategies

Early Game

Apollo’s power is the most significant during the early game. In early game, everyone wants to at least move one worker to level-1. However, simply putting Apollo’s worker next to a level-1 would threaten your opponent not to move up. If your opponent does move up, Apollo can pull him off by swapping with him by a grounded worker. By doing this, your opponent simply wastes a single turn and would have built some block that favours your moved worker. Therefore, a smart opponent would not move up in this case. Instead, they may keep moving away from Apollo’s workers. Thus, in the early game, try to keep both of your workers next to your opponent. Do not apply no-interaction strategy, your opponent would be happy to have you not being next to him. Under no-interaction strategy, you lose Apollo’s power and may easily lose this game. Apollo is never faster than a good mover or a good builder.

Do not forget that your threat of pulling opponents off the level will no longer exist if your worker is on a higher level, so don’t be too greedy in going up at first. Wherever you go up, you should guarantee yourself to be able to move up to a level-2. Therefore, the early game against Apollo is usually a bunch of level-1 on the board, with both players waiting for the others to go up.