RISK Grandmaster Strategy with a Top Ranked Player

Summary

In this episode of Legendary Tactics, Risk Grandmaster OliveXC shares advanced strategies for dominating the game of Risk. Key topics include the importance of alliances, managing troop movements for defense and offense, continent-specific tactics, and the psychological aspect of gameplay. OliveXC emphasizes the significance of player relationships and emotional intelligence, suggesting that Risk is as much a game of strategy as it is of human interaction.

Takeaways

• 😀 Building alliances is crucial in Risk, as it's a game of relationships and strategic cooperation before inevitable competition.
• 🏆 The path to becoming a Risk Grandmaster involves achieving a high skill rating in online games, participating in tournaments, and dedicating significant time to practice.
• 💼 A logical and mathematical mindset, like that of an accountant, can be advantageous in strategic games like Risk.
• 🌐 Geographic strategy is key: the best continent to target varies and depends on your starting position and the game's dynamics.
• 📈 Players should balance aggression with defense, focusing on continental control and troop management to ensure safe expansion.
• 🔄 The 'continental drift' strategy can be effective, involving shifting focus to less contested areas when facing strong opposition.
• 🃏 Card management is pivotal; knowing when to trade them in for troops can provide significant advantages at critical moments.
• 🎰 Dice rolls introduce an element of luck, but smart players will strategize to minimize risk and maximize the impact of their attacks.
• 🔄 Spreading your troops effectively can deter attacks and make conquest more difficult for opponents, acting as a defensive measure.
• 🌐 Each continent has unique tactical approaches, and mastering these will enhance your gameplay and adaptability.
• 🏆 The overarching strategy involves understanding the game's phases, from early securement to late-game dominance, and adjusting alliances and attacks accordingly.

Q & A

What does it mean to be a Risk Grandmaster?

A Risk Grandmaster is a player who has achieved a specific skill rating in the online Risk game, Global Domination, by winning ranked games.

How does one become a professional Risk player?

Becoming a professional Risk player involves achieving a high skill rating, participating in tournaments, and potentially earning money through winnings, although it's not a full-time career for most.

What is the significance of alliances in the game of Risk?

Alliances are crucial in Risk as they allow players to work together to attack stronger players or defend against common threats, creating mutually beneficial relationships.

How can a player create mutually beneficial alliances in Risk?

Players can create mutually beneficial alliances by communicating intentions, not antagonizing each other's borders, and working together to attack stronger players or prevent others from snowballing.

What is the balance strategy for attacking and defending in Risk?

Players should try to get a continent when they can safely hold it without overextending their troops. It's generally better to attack rather than defend, but caution is needed when making large aggressive moves early in the game.

How does the choice of continent influence strategy in Risk?

The choice of continent affects strategy as each continent has different troop generation and mobility. Small continent players might aim for early advantages, while large continent players focus on consolidation and defense.

When is the right time to conquer versus consolidate in Risk?

The right time to conquer is generally when there's an attacker's advantage, while consolidation is wise when a player is weak or when territories are newly acquired and need defense.

What is the continental drift strategy in Risk?

The continental drift strategy involves changing focus to a different continent when meeting significant resistance, adapting to the game's dynamics and avoiding head-on conflicts.

How should players manage their cards and belts in Risk?

Players should trade cards when they have them available, especially in the early game to gain an advantage. In the late game, strategic trade-ins can be timed to eliminate opponents and win the game.

How does the dice rolling mechanic influence strategy in Risk?

The dice rolling mechanic, especially in true random settings, introduces an element of luck. Players can mitigate this by attacking with overwhelming force or by setting up tactical formations to minimize risk.

What are the tactical formations for different continents in Risk?

Tactical formations vary by continent. For example, Australia can be played passively or aggressively, South America benefits from alliances with neighboring continents, and North America requires careful border management.

What is the overarching strategy for playing Risk from start to finish?

An overarching strategy involves securing a continent in the early game, exploiting weaknesses and eliminating weaker players in the mid-game, and breaking the game balance in the late game to ensure victory.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to Risk Grandmaster Strategies

The video begins with an introduction to an interview with OliveXC, a Risk Grandmaster, who has achieved high rankings in the game and participated in numerous tournaments. The host expresses curiosity about the meaning of being a Risk Grandmaster and what strategies are involved in becoming one. OliveXC shares that being a Grandmaster is officially recognized by achieving a specific skill rating in the online Risk game, Global Domination. They also discuss the importance of alliances and social relations with other players, both in-app and in-person, and how these relationships can impact the game's outcome. OliveXC emphasizes that alliances should be mutually beneficial, allowing both parties to grow stronger together.

05:02

📈 Advancing in Risk: Speed and Territory Management

The discussion moves on to strategies for advancing in Risk, focusing on the balance between attacking and defending. OliveXC advises players to secure a continent when they can safely hold it and not to overextend by taking too many territories without adequate defense. They suggest announcing intentions early in the game to avoid conflict and foster alliances. The Grandmaster also shares a personal strategy of waiting for the first trade-in to accumulate a significant number of troops before expanding, ensuring a strong defense against potential invasions.

10:05

🌍 Continent Priorities and Game Phases in Risk

OliveXC delves into the importance of choosing the right continent to aim for during different phases of the game. They explain that the best continent depends on the player's starting position and the ability to safely take and hold it. The Grandmaster discusses strategies for small continents like Australia or South America, emphasizing the need to push early advantages, and contrasts them with larger continents like North America or Europe, where consolidation and troop gain are key. They also touch on the dynamic nature of the late game, where players often shift between continents to gain an advantage.

15:05

⚔️ Deciding When to Attack or Consolidate in Risk

This section focuses on the decision-making process for when to attack or consolidate holdings in Risk. OliveXC states that offense is generally better than defense due to the attacker's advantage in dice rolls. However, they advise caution with large aggressive attacks early in the game due to the risk of losing armies. Instead, they recommend a gradual approach, attacking one territory per turn, especially if it has only one troop. For mid-game strategies, the Grandmaster suggests attacking weaker players if you are strong, and for late-game scenarios, the advice is to constantly shift and attack to break the game's balance in your favor.

20:07

🌬️ The Continental Drift Strategy in Risk

OliveXC discusses the continental drift strategy, where a player changes continents when facing significant resistance. They note that this strategy's viability depends on the game's stage; it's easier early in the game before continents are firmly established. The Grandmaster also mentions that in the late game, with fewer players, changing continents can be quite dynamic. They emphasize the importance of adapting to the game's flow and the need for careful consideration when attempting to drift to another continent.

25:09

🃏 Trading Cards and Managing Risk Resources

The conversation turns to the management of trading cards in Risk. OliveXC explains the strategy behind when to trade in cards for troops. They suggest trading cards as soon as possible unless it's for three soldiers, in which case it might be worth waiting. The Grandmaster also discusses how to manage cards and belts as the game progresses, with different strategies for weaker and stronger players. Timing trade-ins correctly can be crucial for eliminating other players and winning the game.

🎲 The Role of Luck and Dice in Risk

OliveXC addresses the role of luck and dice rolling in Risk, distinguishing between the balance Blitz settings that normalize dice rolls and the true random settings. They advise memorizing the always 100 role for balance Blitz to maximize luck. The Grandmaster also shares tactics for mitigating the impact of bad luck, such as attacking with minimal armies in the early game and ensuring a larger army when attempting to eliminate another player.

🏰 Using Luck to Your Advantage in Risk

This section discusses how to use luck in your favor. OliveXC suggests setting up 'landmines' by placing small numbers of troops on territories, which can catch out opponents and potentially make them lose significant armies. The Grandmaster also shares various strategies for different continents, emphasizing the importance of playing the continent you're given and not just focusing on Australia, as many beginners do.

🛡️ Tactical Formations and Continent-Specific Strategies

OliveXC provides detailed tactics for playing each continent in Risk, explaining the unique strategies for Australia, South America, North America, Europe, and Africa. They discuss both passive and aggressive playstyles for each continent and the importance of alliances. The Grandmaster also covers how to set up troops to be hard to take out and how to exploit opponents' weaknesses.

🌟 Overarching Strategy and The Balance of Risk

In the final section, OliveXC discusses the overarching strategy for Risk, considering the beginning, middle, and end-game phases. They emphasize securing alliances, exploiting weaknesses, and the importance of breaking the game's balance in your favor when you have more troops than the other players combined. The Grandmaster also stresses the need to make alliances when someone else is about to win the game, highlighting the importance of relationships and emotional management in Risk.

📖 Conclusion and Encouragement to Join the Risk Community

The video concludes with the host thanking OliveXC for sharing their expertise and insights. They encourage viewers to join the Risk community, visit OliveXC's channel for more gameplay strategies, and get involved in the game. The host reflects on the wealth of information provided and the importance of practice and community in improving at Risk.

Keywords

💡Risk Grandmaster

A 'Risk Grandmaster' refers to a player who has achieved a high level of skill in the game Risk, to the point where they are recognized for their strategic prowess. In the context of the video, OliveXC is introduced as a Risk Grandmaster, indicating that they have reached a top tier of gameplay and are able to provide advanced strategies and insights. The term is used to establish credibility and to set the stage for the strategic discussion that follows.

💡Alliances

Alliances in the context of the video refer to the strategic partnerships formed between players during the game of Risk. These alliances are crucial as they can influence the game's outcome by creating mutually beneficial relationships. The video emphasizes the importance of alliances early on, suggesting that they are one of the most important aspects of the game. An example from the script mentions how alliances can allow players to grow stronger together without expending resources on mutual defense.

💡Continent Strategy

Continent Strategy pertains to the approach a player takes based on the geographical advantages and disadvantages of the continent they control in Risk. Each continent offers different tactical opportunities and challenges. The video discusses various strategies for continents like Australia, South America, North America, Europe, and Africa, highlighting how to leverage their unique attributes to gain an advantage.

💡Trade-ins

Trade-ins are a mechanism in Risk where players exchange cards for additional troops. The video script mentions the importance of timing trade-ins to maximize a player's army strength. It suggests that players should be strategic about when to trade in their cards to either avoid appearing threatening or to surge and eliminate opponents, depending on the game's stage.

💡Aggressor's Advantage

The 'Aggressor's Advantage' is a concept in Risk that suggests attackers have a higher probability of winning battles due to the game's dice-rolling mechanics. The video script advises players to capitalize on this advantage by attacking with a sufficient troop lead to mitigate the risk of bad dice rolls, especially when attempting to eliminate another player.

💡Tactical Formations

Tactical Formations refer to how a player distributes their troops across territories, which can significantly impact their defensive and offensive capabilities. The video provides detailed advice on troop placement for different continents, aiming to create a balance between appearing threatening and being vulnerable to attack. This concept is central to the game's strategic depth.

💡Mutually Assured Destruction

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) is a term borrowed from nuclear strategy, used in the video to describe a situation where two players have such formidable forces that attacking each other would lead to mutual defeat. This concept is used to illustrate the importance of maintaining a balance of power and the threat of retaliation in maintaining alliances and deterrence.

💡Dice Rolls

Dice Rolls are the random element in Risk that determine the outcome of battles. The video discusses strategies to maximize 'luck' through understanding the probabilities of dice rolls, especially in different game modes like 'Balance Blitz'. It also suggests how to minimize risk in early game attacks by focusing on high-probability victories.

💡Snowballing

Snowballing in the context of Risk refers to a player's ability to gain a significant advantage and then use that advantage to further increase their lead, often leading to a dominant position in the game. The video advises players to be cautious of snowballing opponents and to take actions to prevent a single player from gaining too much power.

💡Elimination

Elimination in Risk is the act of reducing an opponent's troop count to zero, thereby removing them from the game. The video script discusses strategic considerations for when to eliminate opponents, such as when it advances the game or when a player is about to break the game's balance in their favor.

💡Game Balance

Game Balance is a concept that refers to the state of equilibrium among players in Risk, where no single player has an overwhelming advantage. The video emphasizes the importance of recognizing when the game balance is tipped in one's favor and acting on it, as well as working to restore balance when others are gaining an upper hand.

Highlights

Introduction of a Risk Grandmaster, OliveXC, who has achieved top rankings and tournament victories.

Definition of a Risk Grandmaster as a player with a specific skill rating in the online game Global Domination.

OliveXC's profession as an accountant and how logical and mathematical thinking benefits Risk strategy.

The importance of alliances and social relations with other players in influencing the game's outcome.

Strategies for creating mutually beneficial alliances in Risk.

The challenge of fostering relationships with opponents in an online game setting.

Advice on the speed of advancement and measuring attack extension in Risk.

Strategic continent selection based on the game's stage: early, mid, and late.

The significance of continental size and how it affects gameplay strategy.

When to conquer versus when to consolidate holdings based on game progression.

Discussion on the continental drift strategy and its viability at different game stages.

Importance of trading cards and managing them throughout the game.

The role of luck and dice in Risk, and strategies to maximize favorable outcomes.

Tactical formations and how to set up troops for defense and offense.

Specific strategies for playing each continent in Risk.

Overarching strategy for the big picture in Risk, including early, middle, and end-game planning.

Emphasis on the game of relationships and emotions in Risk, and how to manage them for victory.

Transcripts

Today we’re meeting with a Risk Grandmaster  to find out what strategies to use to become  

a high level player in Risk.  Welcome to Legendary Tactics. 

Today we’re meeting a player who has climbed  the Risk ranks. He’s been a top 10 player on  

Global Domination, and has won several 1v1,  2 v 2, and team tournaments. He also placed  

second in a Risk Grandmaster tournament.  Thanks so much for joining us today OliveXC. 

hi legendary tactics thank you so much for having  me today this is really cool so before we talk  

strategy I'm really curious to find out what it  means to be a grand master at risk and how you  

become one also I'm curious what it means to be a  pro risk player so officially you are considered  

a grand master in the game when you achieve a  specific skill rating and the online Risk game  

global domination which you can download on your  phone and by or playing on Steam by winning online  

uh ranked games do you have a day job too or yes  I am an accountant of a very logical mathematical  

person which is very key to be successful in  risk and um yeah I can't do risk full-time I  

think I made a grand total 350 last year at risk  and that's enough for a couple dinners with my  

girlfriend and that's about it that's right well  that's more than I made on risk so you're doing  

great now let's begin but if if people would like  to watch you all of XC playing the game uh be sure  

that they go to your channel I'll link to that  in the description and please when you're there  

support him by subscribing all right so let's turn  to strategy for the game now uh I'd like to focus  

on 10 core ideas that players should consider  and for number 10 I'd like to ask you about  

part of this game that I think is often ignored  and that's the alliances with other players on  

the app or the social relations with players at  the table if you're playing in person so to what  

extent do you think these relationships impact the  outcome of the game or more specifically how can  

a player create mutually beneficial alliances  what an excellent way to start this off and I  

personally think alliances are one of the most  important parts of risk right because risk is a  

relationship game right where you guys have to  work together as you're destroying each other  

certain people have to work on your side like to  attack like the others right before we eventually  

turn on each other right yes yeah reminds me  a lot of diplomacy multiple features right it  

allows you to hold your content because if you  defend against everyone you end up defending  

against no ones they all attack you it allows you  to team up and attack other players if someone's  

getting too strong both players can hit someone  and a key concept of Alliance is is the idea of a  

mutually beneficial Alliance and this is that both  players are working together and both are getting  

stronger together the classic example of this is  both players hold a continent but neither side is  

defending their borders against each other because  they each want to get growth stronger together  

that's awesome I have to confess I'm a little  bit surprised to hear that this is one of the  

most important parts of the game and I have to  ask you is it hard to Foster relationships with  

people that you're either actively trying to kill  or that you're planning on attacking very soon  

so it depends and when I'm playing against people  on an online game I first have to try to judge  

their overall skill level if I find that they're  more like a beginner player I would be very  

cautious if a man alliance with them to break that  Alliance as many big players at the lower level  

tend to act very emotionally and not rationally at  the higher levels alliances are more about ways to  

better communicate with the other players about  actions that you want to like a complete and they  

understand us sometimes you need to attack them  in order to advance the game or prevent them from  

snowballing and winning the game right yeah  they understand that there has to be balances  

and checks and balances for the players who are  getting out of control so that's great um let's  

move on to number nine then and I wonder what  you would advise for the speed at which a player  

advances so how do you measure how far you can  extend your attacks and how do you know how much  

material to use to capture particular territories  what's what's the balance there so you should try  

to get a continent when you can safely hold it  and not expand and take a lot of your troops a  

lot of beginner players try taking content in as  fast as possible but they have nothing on their  

borders defending it so they just get invaded  and then quickly like lose the game because they  

expended all of their troops what players should  do is at the beginning of the game they should  

negotiate with the other players around them and  say announce their attentions early saying I would  

like to get South America or I would like to  get North America and then when players know  

this the other players looking to make an alliance  with that individual can move their troops out of  

the way or expand them to get value out of their  troops and that way it's mutually beneficial to  

like all parties oh wow and in general unless you  have a great starting position try not to be like  

like too like aggressive and taking out players  troops early because you may get some bad dice  

rolls and again lose all of your armies a good  general rule that I follow is I wait till my very  

first trade-in where I can hopefully trade in and  get like a 10 or 12 troops and then I take over  

like the remaining territories and have a large  army available to defend my continent in case it  

gets evaded it's going to be able to retaliate  against whoever attacks me right so you have the  

the threat of extreme violence if anyone dares  to to deign to enter your territory I love it  

I think like the uh the term is mutually assured  destruction yes yes okay let's move on to number  

eight and we can't talk about this game without  addressing the scaling importance of different  

continents at different times in the game so  which continent should be a player be aiming for  

in the early game in the mid game and in the late  game does it change or am I wrong on that count  

yeah so the short simple answer is it depends and  the best continent is the one you can safely take  

and hold based on your starting position right  this could be any continent except Asia for  

the simple reason that Asia is too big too many  areas to hold and the Australia player will always  

attack you but depending when you're going for a  small continent like South America or Australia or  

a big continent like North America and Europe will  change like your strategy like a little bit when  

you go for it so while it can be fast and easy  to take something like Australia or South America  

um it's important for these small continent  players to really push their advantage early  

towards the big continent players otherwise the  big content players will then snowball and take  

the game right and then for large content players  if they're able to hold their confidence they  

should try to consolidate their gains and their  extra troop so that they're gaining each turn  

in order to influence the game in their favor  and eliminating players and alliances are also  

very key for the large content players where as  a small continent players don't need them as much  

because it's much easier to defend like your own  borders and then finally in like the late game  

when there's only around like three players left  it could be very Dynamic but players constantly  

shifting and moving their contents around as  they're trying to gain advantage and break  

the balance of the game uh in their favor  okay so it sounds like the small continent  

players uh are using those small continents  as stepping stones to larger Ambitions then  

yeah if they if they can right because there's  been games I've had of South America or Australia  

and and one with with just like like that because  the other players just like destroyed each other  

right um and then there are times when I got North  America or Europe early on but then shifted to a  

smaller content because it came more favorable  like our players were keeping on attacking me  

when you set up your confidence and you're given  a random series of territories of your starting  

position you want to be figuring out where most  of my troops located and what should I go for okay  

well while we're on the topic of offense versus  defense and thinking about tactical positions  

um what can you tell us for a seventh tip about  when the right time is to conquer and when you  

should just consolidate your Holdings and I guess  this is an elaboration on our previous point  

so in general offense is better than a  defense and this is because there's an  

attacker's advantage if you're attacking  with three dice versus The Defender with  

two dice more often than not the attacker is  going to get better dice rolls and lower the  

defender's Army attacked it's better to attack  them like like uh first okay but in terms about  

when to use like aggressions like early gain when  you have a very very small number of troops you  

want to avoid making large aggressive attacks  because you may just like lose your armies and  

get too weak and be taken out by a player  consolidating like their troops it's best  

just to attack like a one territory per turn  particularly a territory with just one troop on  

it to avoid the risk of losing a lot of troops  right uh mid game um if you're one of like the  

stronger players it's worth and try to attack one  of the weaker players in order to like eliminate  

like them in order to advance the game and if  you're a mid-string player to a weaker player  

it's better to be more passive and hope the other  players are attacking each other and then finally  

late game and then the three-player end game  scenario the game can be more Dynamic then with  

the players are constantly attacking each other  moving around to like different continents and  

and really it's just about trying to break the  balance of the game in your favor the balance  

of the game being when you have more troops  and the other players like combined or you're  

getting more troops per turn than the other  players combined awesome that's really great  

thank you we'll move on to the sixth Point here  and one strategy I talked about in my strategy  

guide was the continental drift strategy where a  player doesn't really go heads up against another  

player but rather they find a new Direction when  they meet significant resistance and I think of  

this as sort of a Kung Fu Master who bends in the  wind so do you think this is a viable strategy in  

your opinion or do you have other approaches to  the game that you would suggest that players use  

yeah so since Rex is a very kind of like deep game  it depends so early game when players have not yet  

set up their continents if someone really wants  a Content read a lot of troops in you can always  

try to move towards like another continent so it  can be relatively easy in the mid game when people  

have their established continents it can be very  challenging to move towards another continent uh  

because other players are not going to be likely  to give them up so you have to be very careful  

with using a continental drift then finally in the  late game and the three player like like scenario  

it can be very easy to change confidence because  again like there's very few players the game  

can be very fluent and dynamic at that point  right massive armies make for massive change  

so that's very good okay we're on to our fifth  tip now and for this one I'm wondering what your  

thoughts are on trading cards and when should you  do your first trade-in and as the game progresses  

how should you manage your cards and your belts  yep great question and we talk about cards I'll  

be something we're doing like the fixed card  version where you got a set number of troops  

when you trade in your cards four for soldiers  six for a Cavalry eight for cannons ten for one  

of all all three of the the other cards and in  general you should be trading the cards when you  

first have them like available unless it's three  soldiers in which case it can be worth waiting  

am a little bit more right if you wait to always  hold on till you have five cards you risk getting  

eliminated by another player who trades in then  like like uh takes you out and then trades in  

your cards because whenever you limited a  player you get their cards that's right and  

as it gained approaches like the mid game it  depends if you're weaker you want to be trading  

in often so players don't eliminate you like uh  right away and if you're stronger you can wait  

because you don't want to be appearing threatening  and then late game you want to time your trade-ins  

to be worth it to like eliminate the other players  in order to win the game right so you can surge in  

order to get that Final Extra little bit that  you need yep exactly exactly a lot of people  

don't expect you have like a 10 set on three  cards so when you do it can be very very deadly  

so for our number four tip I hate to admit it  but I know there are naysayers out there who  

who say it's a game of luck and you know there's  no skill involved in this game so we we have to  

talk about the role pun intended the dice play  in the game so if you're playing on the risk app  

you can have either the balance Blitz settings  or the true random settings on balance Blitz  

it normalizes the dice rolls and further  favors the attackers when they're attacking  

the various territories so it reduces the odds  of having an extremely negative role occurring  

and in this case to maximize your luck you want  to memorize what are always 100 role for balance  

Blitz an example is four troops will always  defeat one troop uh in Balance Blitz right  

but if you're playing in like a real life and  where it's basically like true like true random  

there's going to be some variance right like  well there is attacker's Advantage there's  

gonna be times you get very very unlucky and  lose like like a lot of troops to mitigate  

this block what I like to do is to prioritize  attacking like as little as possible in the  

early game and only try to attack a territory  with one troop on it right and if possible have  

a minimal Army of six attacking an army of one  in that case you'll have a 99 chance of winning  

at that time that's pretty good odds yep and when  you're going for a kill to like eliminate somebody  

from the game try to have at least 1.5 times the  number of troops or maybe even two times in case  

you get bad luck when trying to like eliminate  the uh the player okay that's really useful if  

you want to mess with your opponents a little bit  because I know a lot of your like the viewers here  

are playing with their friends like in real life  like the game of Risk absolutely cool thing that  

you can do is when you secure your continent try  to put twos and threes on all of your territories  

this is because when your opponents are then  going to be attacking and like in your very  

trying to eliminate you sometimes if they attack  like a two or a three yeah maybe they'll take them  

out right away and like lose nothing but they  get very unlucky they can lose six eight ten  

or even more troops and gonna put their entire  aggression like um dead in its heels so it's a  

way you can use luck in your favor it's almost  like setting landmines that you know they're  

not going to step on them every time but every  once in a while one of those will go off kaboom  

brilliant I love it this this is really helped my  I feel like my Risk game is already improving just  

talking to you so uh we're into our top three tips  now uh for number three how would you decide when  

to take a player out to take the cards and get  a burst of troops and the other consideration I  

have here too is that if you don't take them out  one of your opponents will so there's actually a  

bit of a balance there that you need to get those  cards so that your opponent doesn't get them but  

um perhaps I should say how do you know when it's  the right time to also go for the the huge risk  

yep another good question so as always a lot of  my answers it depends on the stage of the game and  

the early game when people are going for their  initial like a trade-ins and their other first  

trade-ins it could be good to limited player we  can also trade in at the same time so if you're  

at four cards in your pawns or four cards you  trade in 10 troops take them out and then you  

get another 10 troops that's like essentially 20  troops are gaining in one turn so in that case  

any opponent that has like 15 20 troops like or  less it can be fair to eliminate like like them  

as long as you can do like the trade-in right big  game it can be worth it to like eliminate someone  

if they're weak like and you're strong and it's  going to be advancing the game then finally in the  

late game you should try to defeat the remaining  players we have more troops than them combined  

I also want to be very clear that this is a  little bit of like a simplification as at the  

very highest levels of risk you have to consider  the attacker's advantage you have to consider  

trade-ins the mobility and the mechanical skill  and the map that you're playing on in order to  

like eliminate the players but the golden rule  is when you have broken the game's balance in  

your favor take them out well I can certainly  see why you're a grand master in this game so  

we're moving on to our second tip the this is the  second most important one but I was wondering if  

you could speak to Tactical formations that  are the most effective what I mean by this is  

whether it's better to have one unit in many  territories and then a huge conglomeration  

of troops in one space or whether it's better  to spread it into small squads of units across  

countries having larger concentrations on  the entry point to each continent and I'm  

also thinking about how do you set up your  troops so that you're hard to take out or at  

least you'd look like you're hard to take out  yeah another excellent question is probably  

one of my most detailed answers here but only  because it's really important to know how to  

play the content that you've been given like in  a game because each content has its own strategy  

for Australia its benefit is that you can hold it  in one individual point but it's a little bit of a  

weaker content in terms of its troop generation so  you have to really press your early game advantage  

there are two ways to play Australia passively  or aggressively a passive Australia or known  

as like a turtle play is when you have your  other opponents destroy each other off in the  

background and you just send your content in and  clean them at the very end this only works if your  

opponents want to actually destroy each other uh  if they're not going to do that then you have to  

be like like an aggressive Australia where you're  constantly breaking other people's confidence  

and then re-fortifying back to your own continent  and they can't reciprocate and break you because  

again Australia is a one point hold another thing  to keep in mind with Australia is you want to  

make sure you keep your Army in um Siam the main  entry point open so you want to make sure to avoid  

attacking both India and China because if you  attack both then your main Army is trapped and it  

can't move around the board to punish your other  opponents um for their passivity okay very good  

how about uh Australia how about South America for  South America uh you're going to be bordering both  

the Africa player and the North America player  a common so for the continents that are right  

next to each other it is important that you try  to make alliances with the people around you so  

that way you're not building up in each other's  borders causing tension and eventually breaking  

like the balance like attacking each other so a  good way for South America to avoid create these  

tensions is to leave ones on your Venezuela and  Brazil borders and leave your main Army in Peru  

so that way if you're attacked your main Army can  go out and then like I hit them the drawback with  

this though is that if you lose all of your other  exterior positions and the Africa player places  

their army in North Africa and the North America  player places their army in Central America the  

South America player will be then trapped within  their continent right so a common thing to do is  

to leave a lot of troops available in Asia  in order to keep like taking cards in order  

to maintain their troop generation however I  wanted to keep in mind that if you do lose all  

of your exterior positions in South America  it's okay just a turtle for like a little bit  

and wait until the players end up attacking  each other and then you go out of South  

American to start attacking again oh that's  really neat okay what about North America  

yep so for North America this is one of the big  continents right here uh alliances are going to  

be key particularly with the South America player  and the you're a player I if you're the ones that  

want to defend the continent I would all recommend  leaving three borders on Central America Alaska  

and Greenland because you're gonna be spreading  yourself a little bit too thin the minimum amount  

I recommend would be a two borders so basically  leave one Army and Western or Eastern United  

States in one Army in Northwestern territory this  way you leave your remaining folders as ones and  

you can reciprocate if somebody attacks you but  they'll also be unleashing their army so they may  

think twice okay I love how you've got all these  contingency plays in mind that that's the sign of  

a great player so um can we shift to Europe for a  moment yep and then for Europe again Europe again  

has a lot of Mobility uh but Europe also can then  therefore be attacked a lot so again Alliance play  

is also going to be critical and there's lots  of ways that you can play um with like Europe  

so again from a lion's standpoint you need to  Ally both the Africa player and the North America  

player if you can and in general Australia players  like to attack Europe because they don't want a  

very very strong Europe in their game right and  Asia we're not even going to go there just don't  

even try yeah yeah and within like the Europe play  what we can do is you can generally leave one Army  

on Northern Europe if you want to again leaving  the Army trap and leave your remaining borders as  

a ones or we want to invade an invasion from like  a Greenland to Iceland you can leave a potential  

Army on Scandinavia or Iceland like um as well to  propel like an aggression from like that front you  

want to do something more aggressive where you  leave your borders available to attack around  

the map without antagonizing the Africa player  you can leave leave your Army on Ukraine with  

a smaller Army available on Great Britain and  that will also defend all the other territories  

oh wow okay yeah and then finally for um Africa  uh they're like the middle continent where you  

get like a not as much as North America or Europe  but you get more than South America or Australia  

and you'll but you'll also have you know very  good Mobility around the board but you can also  

be attacked easily so you have to balance the  strong offensive and capabilities with the the  

weaker defensive capabilities so I like to leave  want my main Army on East Africa and to Ally with  

the South America and the Europe players and to  leave my um army available like to attack and if  

Australia starts attacking me a lot because again  they're also a prime target for the Australia  

player you can move your army to the Middle East  to defend against them oh wow okay the options  

are Limitless here this this is what this why  this game is so great there's just a lot going  

on yeah there's a lot of ways like that that you  can like uh play so ultimately the key thing to  

keep in mind is that every continent like has  their own strategy like that is like available  

a lot of new players believe the only option is  Australia we have a phrase in our community called  

Mill Australia know when a lot of beginner players  will throw all of their troops into Australia even  

if they have don't have a lot of things there and  they'll ruin their game and their opponent's game  

who should begin the Australian continent and  then neither player ends up being happy players  

play the content that they are given and they  can win with any continent except Asia nobody  

plays with Asia yes oh that's amazing that's  really good so we are now moving on to our  

number one tip and for this one I'd like to pull  the lens back just a little book a bit and look  

at overarching strategy so what should players be  thinking about for the big picture in this game  

yes so I like to think and take think about  this from the the beginning part of the game  

the middle part of the game and the like the end  game so in the beginning game I like to identify  

the continent that I would like to get and secure  alliances with the other players so I announced my  

intentions early I would ask the other players  to expend their troops or move them out of the  

continent if possible I would reciprocate and  move my troops out of their continent creating  

a mutually beneficial alliance between the players  then when I've secured my continent I would try to  

not put everything on my borders because that  can then antagonize the other players into  

attacking me I would then leave my main Army just  behind my borders to strike in case I get invaded  

Without Really appearing threatening like uh  to them I would also then be looking to exploit  

my opponent's weaknesses where they're over  attacking someone or acting emotionally trying  

to prey on like those emotions or to secure and  Advantage wow then focus on being a tactful one  

to eliminate other players in the early game  when I can trade in ultimately the player get  

their cards and then do another trade-in to try  to snowball like towards like a victory or if I  

am stronger than like the other players on the  board taking out the weaker players in order  

to advance the game and then finally and like  the late game I'm trying to break the balance  

of the game in my favor and and then basically  remember like the golden rule the balance of the  

game which is when you have more troops and the  other players combined where you're getting more  

troops per turn than the other players combined  you're going to be able to like to win the game  

that's the moment yeah but if you realize that  someone else is about to win the game uh you need  

to make alliances with the other players right  away and try to weaken them as much as possible  

yeah the lines are huge you put those like  number 10 tip I put the numbers down as number  

one because and again the game hey like Risk is  about a game of like a relationships and dealing  

with like the emotions your players have their own  goal like to win so you have to maximize like your  

desire to win while also maximizing their desire  like to win and work with you and not against you  

that's that's the hugest takeaway from this  video and in my opinion that's fantastic and  

honestly this everything you've said to me is  a huge wealth of ideas so it's really kind of  

you to share your thoughts so willingly and  honestly this has been very instructive to me  

yeah thank you so much I've really been enjoying  this like I guess so far I've been doing like  

Risk now for like like several years for 1500  hours like I got into the game I practiced 15  

to 20 hours a week and wow I enjoy being part of  the community and like uh teaching other players  

and helping them grow like at the game so I'm  hoping like uh a lot of new people can like see  

and get involved like with the community like  out through this video Perfect well we'll get  

them to that Discord link I think that's really  important and they they really need to go to your  

channel and check that out because these ideas  are awesome and I think on your channel you do  

a lot of game plays you talk your way through the  game you teach players how to get better you you  

share your insights and uh honestly fantastic  so really appreciate you being here and sharing  

your expertise with our viewers and remember  everybody get out there get gaming be legendary

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