Tips and Tricks to win Azul

Summary

• Play for the first choice to secure tiles, despite -1 -point risk.

• Prioritize verticals for bonus points at the end.

• Adjust the strategy based on player numbers for optimal results.

The Azul game requires players to inhabace the role of a tile layer in the royal palace in Evora. Azul is based on the true story of the Portuguese king Manuel I, who visited the Alhambra Palace and was imprisoned by the brilliant beauty of the plates that decorated the palace walls.

In the game you take the role of a tile layer and create a pattern with colorful tiles and points by placing these symbols in specific orders on a board. If you dive into Azul for the first time or are a veteran player, here are some strategies for winning.

10

Play for first

Don't be shy

Although the strategy can sometimes prove risky, it is a way to ensure that you get the best choice of the tiles in the game is to prioritize going for the starting player marker. The way to do this is to make sure you are always the first player to pull from the middle of the table. This is a bit risky because it means by design that you always have a -1 to all the points you earn in that round.

However, you can think of this strategy such as shooting the moon in the hearts. If you have an aggressive strategy to strive for and need the first picking of the trays in front of you, this is the only Surefire way to guarantee that you get that position. You can also prioritize doing this if you try to sabotage another player.

9

Leave options open

Don't go for glory

It can be tempting from Get-Go to try to fill in your pattern line and immediately start moving trays as good as you can. The game basically says that this is your primary strategy. To the beginning you may want to play more conservatively.

This is because you can accidentally end up in a position where you limit your options later on the road. Just because you can take a tile and put it in your first row, it doesn't necessarily mean you should. Remember that once you have filled a color in the wall, you can not place more in the same row, so you will find yourself very quickly out of choice.

8

Prioritize verticals

Late step gaming exchanger

At the end of a board game like Azul you get extra points for a few different things. You get two points for each complete horizontal line with five plates in your wall, seven points for each complete vertical line and ten points for each color that you have placed all five tiles in the wall. While many of these can help, verticals are undoubtedly the best, but difficult to get.

But if you can handle it, just having one or two of these can make the difference between the second and first place, since Azul games often have very close points in the end. So if you can swing it, take advantage of the opportunity.

7

Don't cut yourself

Avoid Pigonhoing yourself

Just as our tip about leaving your options open, it is also imperative that you do not interrupt early. This has more to do with clearing pattern lines, but than to do with leaving alternatives open, generally speaking.

In essence, you want to make sure that you do not constantly fill your pattern lines with semi -finished tile sets. The more you do this, the more likely it is that you will not be able to place trays when you pick them up. You want to avoid this when you can, so make sure you pick up trays that slot well into pattern lines that you can clear and avoid a board being filled with incomplete pattern lines.

6

Avoid the floor line at each price

Your worst enemy

As you continue with the above tips, you will want to avoid the floor line on your board at all costs. Even if you are an aggressive Azul player, with a skilled strategy, you can easily abolish a whole round's progress by accidentally filling your floor line.

Sure, one or two plates in your floor line is not the end of the world. But if you are so busy prioritizing ways to maximize your points, that you do not realize that you have a terrible payday that will come your way thanks to your delimiting floor line, it will not be worth it. Slow and steady is the name of the game. Play defensively and avoid taking offers that will immediately fill your floor line.

5

Color matches can help, but not always

Don't put all your trays on a wall

As mentioned earlier, another way you can make a decent amount of points after the game by having five matches in the same color in your wall. This earns you a huge ten point, which can definitely make or break your victory. However, this is not always worth it.

This is mainly because there is so much luck with a draw with Azul. If you spend all your time waiting for an offer to come in your way that allows you to get the last matching color plate, you can miss other possibilities. If you can get the Color Match bonus, go for it, but don't prioritize it as a full-fledged strategy.

4

Play two or three moves ahead

Think as chess

One of the most important strategies you can use to become an expert Azul player is to make sure you think some moves ahead. This is a classic chess skill that is necessary to master, even in a game like Azul. This is because you must be able to see what your options will be down.

Each time you or another player takes a factory offer, your options become more and more limited. So you want to make sure you think ahead to see what your options will be so that you are ready when it is time to pull from the factory's offers again. This also means that the game moves, which is always helpful.

3

Look at other players' boards

Keep your enemies close

One of the best ways to help yourself play some traits ahead is to keep an eye on your competitor's boards. Who cares if you play with the family? Take them down. This is almost like counting cards in blackjack. You will want to try to get into the main space in your competition so you can predict which tiles they can choose.

This is good for two reasons. First, this will help you keep track of which plates will probably be offered for you when it is your turn again. Secondly, and perhaps even more important, understanding your opponents' strategies allows you to sabotage them. If you probably know they want a certain factory offer, you can take it from them and lead them at the pass.

2

Adjust strategy based on player numbers

Takes all kinds

Every game in Azul will be different and not just because of happiness. Depending on how many players gather around your table, you may want to adjust your strategy.

For example, in a two-player game, which is actually very feasible in Azul, you will draw much more tiles much faster than you are in a game with four players. This means that your strategy should be short-term and sweet, while in a four-player game you may have to play more of a long con. In addition, in smaller games you can adjust your strategy to directly counteract your opponents, while in larger games you have to play a little more in your own lane.

1

Watch out for the landing center

Avoid the pitfalls to go last

One of the worst things that can happen to you in Azul is to get stuck with a miserable final draw from the center. This does not always happen, but usually the last players who go in a game of Azul may need to draw a huge number of matching color plates from the middle.

If you play through the factory invitation phase and begin to notice that a color becomes particularly heavy in the middle, you may want to consider either taking it while it is still manageable, or counting forward to see if you are at risk of getting it. A whole round can be wasted if you are not careful, and you need to add five or six extra red plates to your floor line at the last minute.