Blog posts
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, by Eden Miller The Art of Liz Danforth
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, by Eden Miller This Weekend at GG: 7/17-7/19
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, by Eden Miller Featured Hotness: Azul
Featured Hotness: Azul
- , by Eden Miller
- 2 min reading time
Draft and craft in a mosaic-crafting game for two to four players in Azul! This award-winning Hotness favorite has been a game collection staple since its release in 2017. The game is simple but requires a strategic hand to know just which tiles will secure you the win.
Read on to learn more about successful strategizing in this tile placement game, then put your skills to the test at our Azul Tournament in North Phoenix on July 18th at 1:30 PM.
What Is Azul?
In Azul, players attempt to craft the most beautiful walls for the Royal Palace of Evora. As the royal tile-laying artist, it is the players' duty to decorate the palace, scoring points along the way for completing sets and patterns. Tiles are drafted by color from groups of four and added to your pattern lines. Once they are full, one tile from that line is added to your board. Any wasted supplies result in points subtracted from your score.
Azul Strategy Tips
When you complete a line, the tile that you move to your player board will score for all of its adjacent tiles. Most of your points tend to come from scoring adjacent tiles. For that reason, you'll want to focus your attention on playing pattern lines that result in tiles being grouped together on your board, especially if you can get tiles into the middle of your board early on. When you do this, you can really get the upper hand and even manipulate when the game will end. By strategically leaving open spaces on your board, you can amass all the tiles you need to end the game and acquire a bunch of full rows of five to add to your score.
Keep an eye on your opponent's tile selections as well. If you select your tiles strategically, you can force them into choosing tiles that will end up on the factory floor, causing them to lose points. If you really want to be a pro, start keeping a mental note of the tiles left in the bag too. When combining these tips, you're sure to be an Azul master.
