What's Your Regatta Style?

First topic message reminder :

There is no right or wrong here, and there is a way to do the Regatta that is so you.

1. You are one of those who speed races to maintain bragging rights on the Global Top Leader Board. People still do this.
This requires Tcash for the task board is flipped with Tcash and tasks are sped up with same. Perhaps that is what was meant
by Givers Only Coop's name. You gave of your Tcash for the team. GOC still does very well in that arena but I am not sure the original 
leader is still there. What was that guy's name?

2. Your Coop always goes for top 3. You just love being on that podium. Nothing wrong with that other than eventually this will give you the killer draw and you will demote back to Silver. As you know, the teams are paired based on how you place. But it is so fun when Monday rolls around and you collect your 
loot.

3. Perhaps you are more relaxed in your approach. You have other games to play and you just don't have time to grind. But there are different degrees of relaxed. Lets examine some relaxed approaches.

A. You or your group does the old bouncy bouncy. The YoYo approach. The idea here is to minimize the time you stay in Gold League. For some, it is a drudge to stay in Gold. To do this optimally, in a Regatta season you will be in Gold League when the season starts so that you can buy the Gold League decoration immediately. Week two you will demote to silver. Week 3 you remain in silver. And Week 4 you win your way back into Gold League. Repeat. Nana was an advocate of this approach at one time. 

B. But wait a minute. What if you are not so sure you could win your way back to Gold League. Making a top 3 for some Coops is not a given. In that case you could be a professional underperformer each week so that you never get the killer draw. It is easy to suck. What we do here  is try to come in somewhere between 6th place and 8th place each week. Some stratagems at your disposal are not doing a task for spells, taking long tasks, sitting on a completed task. and in some cases even failing a task! How fun is that?! There are some downsides though: 1. This style of play might be boring for some.; 2. It is harder to get your share of tokens for decorations. You have to make sure you don't overspend on tokens.; 3. If you overdo it you can get too easy a draw the next week and then you can hardly do any tasks at all. You have to find your sweet spot with this approach.

C. You don't try to stay in any league. Don't worry, by happy! What you do each week is pretty hit or miss in this approach. All you need here is a friend who is in a Gold League Coop. Come Monday, if you decide you just have to have that deco, you hop over there, get your Gold League deco and come back home. This is the ultimate minimalist approach.

D. You have no style, you don't play the Regatta. People that are not decoration junkies typically take this path.

Well, I am sure there are other approaches too. It would be most instructive to hear them. Share what you do, ok?

Kind Regards,
Cobalt

Hey Buddy! 

Nice to see you here. 
Excellent depiction, as always. 
My home co-op always did 3-A-ish, but with a twist. Relaxed, we try to stay in gold and get #1 there. With saving points where not needed and a fabulous team we are doing pretty good at that. Right now on the way to beat our own record sailing to our 5th consecutive #1. 
:wizard:

I love your description of regatta styles, Cobalt! 

I am a single co-op and when the decos were coming fresh with each new theme, I was a 2, staying in Gold the entire time. Gradually I slipped to a 3 and would try to hop back in to Gold the last week before interseasonal. I never did the interseasonal; I liked the break. 

Now I’m essentially done with regatta. I haven’t done it in maybe a year? It’s been a long time. The decos were the primary driver for me, so when they continuously started to repeat, I hopped totally out. Not sure if I can see myself getting back into it even if there are new decos and they are great (well, maybe for the low-hanging decos I could try to get but climbing back to gold? Grinding through all the tasks?)... I’ve become lazy with Township. And I hate to say it but it feels good!

Last week I finished 10th – my lowest finish not counting an interrupted race by a wire-chewing squirrel. This week I took my time waiting for and doing only mining tasks since it was Mine Time. I finished 1st and am now wondering if there is a strategy to placing low one week to get into a "laid-back grouping" the next week for a top finish. (Tokens are not an issue with me as I have most of the decorations and plenty of construction materials.)

I will be a 3B. Only first prize are good. So if i my Co op luck out we luck out. It is also less stressful to stay in the Gold league versus trying to win the top 3.

But I am seriously considering moving myself to one of those 16 × 135 group and see if the benefits outweight the stress.

I find the chest prizes more beneficial than the top 3 prizes.

What a lovely well thought out and amusing post @Cobalt Banana 

I am still finding my regatta style, created a solo coop and now in gold week for 3rd week.

I think I am choosing 3B style. I try to place between 4th and 12th which last 2 weeks looks like I finish everything but the last and wait around for first 3 places to be filled and then buy the last task.

From what I observe, as long as I don't end up in super competitive group, 16*135 will do the trick. I just need to stay clear of first 3 places.

With this approach I will be able to buy everything in yacht club, save tcash (spend only 10 to buy the 16th) and whether I wait around for first 3 or end up wherever depends on the board - I usually do only quick tasks and will wait till they appear.