- 331
- 747 478
Mars Expert
Germany
Приєднався 29 бер 2021
I love Terraforming Mars and upload tutorials, tier lists, gameplay and more!
Rating Terraforming Mars Expansion Cards - Ep. #3 (Venus Next #2)
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly.
Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more.
Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: www.youtube.com/@IkkoManu
In this video series I go through all the base-game cards and rate them based on their strength and combo potential. Do you agree with my ratings? If not, let me know in the comments!
Episode #1 of Rating Expansion Cards: ua-cam.com/video/3F66QnLNhvI/v-deo.html
Rating Scheme:
S: gamebreakingly strong in most situations or never pass
A: gamebreakingly strong in some situations, very strong otherwise or cannot be passed sometimes
B: very strong in some situations, strong otherwise or avoid passing
C: strong in some situations, mediocre otherwise or avoid passing in some situations
D: mediocre in some situations, weak otherwise
F: complete garbage
Whyyy?!?: Why does this card exist? Delete it immediately!
Intro: (0:00)
Comet for Venus - C: (0:28)
Corroder Suits - C: (1:57)
Dawn City - B: (3:02)
Deuterium Export - B: (4:23)
Dirigibles - C: (6:03)
Outro: (7:03)
Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more.
Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: www.youtube.com/@IkkoManu
In this video series I go through all the base-game cards and rate them based on their strength and combo potential. Do you agree with my ratings? If not, let me know in the comments!
Episode #1 of Rating Expansion Cards: ua-cam.com/video/3F66QnLNhvI/v-deo.html
Rating Scheme:
S: gamebreakingly strong in most situations or never pass
A: gamebreakingly strong in some situations, very strong otherwise or cannot be passed sometimes
B: very strong in some situations, strong otherwise or avoid passing
C: strong in some situations, mediocre otherwise or avoid passing in some situations
D: mediocre in some situations, weak otherwise
F: complete garbage
Whyyy?!?: Why does this card exist? Delete it immediately!
Intro: (0:00)
Comet for Venus - C: (0:28)
Corroder Suits - C: (1:57)
Dawn City - B: (3:02)
Deuterium Export - B: (4:23)
Dirigibles - C: (6:03)
Outro: (7:03)
Переглядів: 329
Відео
Terraforming Mars Online #148 - December 2024 Silver Elo Tournament | Round 1
Переглядів 1,3 тис.9 годин тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: ww...
Force the Generation to end? - Reacting to fan made cards #17
Переглядів 80116 годин тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: ww...
Terraforming Mars Online #147 - Strip Mine or not?
Переглядів 1,3 тис.День тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: @I...
Terraforming Mars Online #146 - Insane Recyclon game!
Переглядів 1,4 тис.14 днів тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: @I...
Rating Terraforming Mars Expansion Cards - Ep. #2 (Venus Next #1)
Переглядів 95714 днів тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: ww...
Terraforming Mars Online #145 - Ground game Mining Guild!
Переглядів 1,8 тис.21 день тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: @I...
What to pick - Ep. #42
Переглядів 79621 день тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: ww...
Terraforming Mars Online #144 - High Elo Showdown!
Переглядів 1,5 тис.28 днів тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: @I...
Rating Terraforming Mars Expansion Cards - Ep. #1 (Prelude)
Переглядів 1,3 тис.Місяць тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: ww...
Terraforming Mars Online #143 - Are TG and Ganymede Colony enough to win?
Переглядів 1,3 тис.Місяць тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: @I...
3 Oceans for 6MC? - Reacting to fan made cards #17
Переглядів 925Місяць тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: ww...
Terraforming Mars Online #142 - Recyclon with Extreme Cold Fungus?
Переглядів 1,4 тис.Місяць тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: @I...
How to balance the STRONGEST cards in Terraforming Mars?!
Переглядів 2,2 тис.Місяць тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: @I...
Terraforming Mars Online #141 - So much heat prod with Helion
Переглядів 1,5 тис.Місяць тому
Follow me on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/marsexpert to catch me live streaming Terraforming Mars regularly. Follow me on Twitter at mars_expert?t=dnhgpwAU91mJ34OcRNSXAQ&s=09 to get news, updates and more. Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: Please also check out my second channel, where I post Total War: Shogun 2 campaign series: @I...
Terraforming Mars AUTOMA Playthrough - How is the NEW Solo Expansion?
Переглядів 1,1 тис.Місяць тому
Terraforming Mars AUTOMA Playthrough - How is the NEW Solo Expansion?
Terraforming Mars Online #140 - Crazy gen 4 draft!
Переглядів 1,8 тис.Місяць тому
Terraforming Mars Online #140 - Crazy gen 4 draft!
What are the best cards in Terraforming Mars? - Rating Base Game Cards Final Review!
Переглядів 3,5 тис.2 місяці тому
What are the best cards in Terraforming Mars? - Rating Base Game Cards Final Review!
Terraforming Mars Online #139 - Jovians with Arcadian Communities?
Переглядів 1,5 тис.2 місяці тому
Terraforming Mars Online #139 - Jovians with Arcadian Communities?
Stronger than Point Luna? - Reacting to fan made cards #17
Переглядів 8322 місяці тому
Stronger than Point Luna? - Reacting to fan made cards #17
Terraforming Mars Online #138 - Rushing with Recyclon!
Переглядів 1,4 тис.2 місяці тому
Terraforming Mars Online #138 - Rushing with Recyclon!
How good are the new Corporations? - Analyzing all NEW Corps in Terraforming Mars Prelude 2!
Переглядів 2,1 тис.2 місяці тому
How good are the new Corporations? - Analyzing all NEW Corps in Terraforming Mars Prelude 2!
Terraforming Mars Online #137 - 4p with viewers!
Переглядів 1,4 тис.2 місяці тому
Terraforming Mars Online #137 - 4p with viewers!
Terraforming Mars Online #136 - Is Splice any good?
Переглядів 1,3 тис.2 місяці тому
Terraforming Mars Online #136 - Is Splice any good?
Terraforming Mars Online #135 - The best corp for milestones on Tharsis!
Переглядів 2,7 тис.3 місяці тому
Terraforming Mars Online #135 - The best corp for milestones on Tharsis!
60MC for a single card?!? - Reacting to fan made cards #16
Переглядів 1,2 тис.3 місяці тому
60MC for a single card?!? - Reacting to fan made cards #16
Terraforming Mars Online #134 - The WORST Preludes!
Переглядів 1,9 тис.3 місяці тому
Terraforming Mars Online #134 - The WORST Preludes!
Dawn city is the ICS of Venus next.
Great analogy!
57:21 SP city in the middle of the ocean-walk instead of SP forest next to Noctis would have been +1 point (after placing final forest between it and that other city) and been 2mc cheaper overall.
good catch - didn't see that
Nice science start! Are you going to upload the other rounds too?
Yes, I typically upload all my tournament games, no matter if it was a win or a loss. This time, nop different.
What about Floating Habs? In my opinion it feels like one of the strongest cards in the game because of it’s ridiculously cheap and quick playability and routinely medium to high payoff value and also its combo potential. What do you think?
It's definitely a good card but without Colonies (Titan), it's difficult to really score a ton of points with it. Most of the cards that let you place floaters on other cards in Venus Next are kinda expensive. I'll talk more about Floating Habs in an upcoming episode of Rating Expansion Cards, so you can see my full review and rating of it.
i was sure Research Coordination counts as a Jovain tag when playing a multiplier?
No jovian multiplier are counted during final scoring, and wild tag may become a tag only during your actions so it's not possible to transform the wild tag during the final scoring
As snaksnak stated, wild actions only count when you perform an action. The rules state: "After being played, when you perform an action, the wild tag counts as any tag of your choice." Because Jovian Mults are counted after the game the wild tag does not count. It does however count for Terraforming Ganymede as this grants you the TR instantly (while you perform the action to play it).
6:35 if you have 1 power it allows you to trade every second gen, not 2 out of 3, because you need 2 microbes for every trade. 8:15 saturn corporation 14:19 the card says that generation ends, not action phase. this means that no production or solar phase should be done funny enough, this makes the card actually balanced, because you only get to draft and buy a card and change first player from that generation you can still mess up the last generatin and I am not sure if it will prevent you from planting trees at the end (if that is counted as part of the generation or after the last generation) 24:50 plants are not worth more than 3 MC. greenary costs 8 plants and SP greenary 23 MC. SP should be 4 extra, so 8 plants = 19 MC
1. You're right - i was factoring in the power the same as the microbes, but in the gen you don't trade, the power converts into heat. 2. Yep, Saturn Systems...completely forgot that. 3. Oh wow, I didn't consider the wording there...that's wild! 4. Yeah, if you're looking at it like that, sure. I still don't feel like I would use my plants as MC a whole lot.
Hi, Very interesting analysis as usual. I just finished a set of 10 fan made cards. How can I send them to you, please ? If you'd maybe accept to analyse them... Regards.
Thanks for sending them to me! It's a very interesting pack and I will definitely make an episode about them :)
@marsexpert4276 Thank you very much !
Actualy both pandemic and overtime seem to me like they mess with the gameplay itself and corrupt the idea of Terraforming Mars, so I also dont like them.
They introduce interesting concepts, but they are probably not healthy for the game...
I love these fan made card analysis videos Always gives an interesting holistic view of how a card would potentially behave in the game
19:00 World goverment project, play merger, choose mining guild. 2 building tags in 1 action. (Although at that point you've earned the milestone)
Wow, alright that's a fringe case introduced with Prelude 2 that I did not think about. But it requires so much luck (pull Merger out of all the remaining preludes and then pull MG out of all the remaining corps), that the player doing it cannot plan on it. So doing this at exactly 6 building tags and pulling it off is insane :D yes I would gladly give up the milestone to see that happen one day :D
Outer rim initiative can also be a solid devlopment card for Saturn Systems, although that's only 1 corp. Would be satisfying to get in the starting hand, though!
For sure!
Cool, video. Ceep it up! ❤
inhumane research needs to be -5 points for balance IMO
Hahaha that might be a bit extreme, but yeah in its current state it is definitely too strong :D
I think Overtime is a totally fine card for casual games. I think it would also be totally reasonable to have it be an auto ban in an competitive setting.
I WISH you could ban cards or especially corps on Steam. One thing that turns me off of Venus Next is Manutech. The corp is just busted and unfun to play against and I'd love to be able to ban it.
I love the idea of Interplanetary Pandemic. I think max requirement is the way to go though.
I think this game shows great how there is still balancing missing. LivingAnarchy has no chance at all. It was not about skill, it was just luck with the draw. I have games as Ecoline (and I hate ecoline but it was the best of two options), and the opponent draws every animal and every astroid there is in the game. Not two so that he has to pass one. How is this statically even possible? And when I play against Ecoline they have protected habitats on their starting hand and the early game plant cards.
Sometimes, TM can be very frustrating. With such a huge deck, it's not possible to have all cards perfectly balanced and it would probably not be fun too. So either we have to live with that or introduce our own changes to the existing cards.
Good day! Can't find the link on Excel in description 25:50
Thanks for letting me know, I have now updated the description, so you'll find the link there :)
Hey, what’s the name of the plugin you use to see the total winning points during the game?
It's the score mod you can find on the hodgepodge discord. Just look up hodgepodge Terraforming Mars on UA-cam (and leave him a sub), join his discord server and head to the modinstructions channel. There you'll find the download links and instructions to the mod.
@ thanks a lot!
you made alot of mistake i think during the first 4 gens , I dunno what baddager ranking but he doesnt seem that good , with vitor the number of mistake you did he should have won this
Making not S tiers and S tiers to really bad ones
I just won as Polyphemos the other day on the Terra Cimmeria map and I got to say, Standard Technology was the quiet achiever. Obviously as Polyphemos you want to huge, splashy cards (Deimos, GIA, Big Asteroid) but as I had limited card draw (Inventors Guild, Biolabs Prelude card and a couple of tile placement bonuses. No Pluto colony unfortunately), Standard Technologies really helped smoothed out a couple of gens which had (for me) poor quality draft pools and had to resort to standard projects for Milestones, bonus tracks and closing out the game. Really good card. Funnily enough, the very next card Steelworks helped with this too. I had minimal plant production (Biolab and some placement/card plant bonuses) and Steelworks really helped to get that Oxygen track up so I could close out the game before the other corps really got their engine roaring.
Nice Job! I feel like Polyphemos is one of the worst corps, but yes, Standard Tech can help making it work!
Im surprised Air Scrapping Expedition is rated D. I would put it C or even B. This is coming from an App heavy perspective as Hoverlord is ALWAYS a Milestone no matter what map but if you play this with a floater card (and 99% of the time your not playing this card without a floater card) it pretty much gift delivers you the Hoverlord Milestone. Just my 2 cents :) Awesome videos as always
I see where you're coming from, but even with its Hoverlord potential: you still need a floater collecting card for it and there not that many that want to collect them (and not spend them) that are good. Floating Habs and that's it basically. There's more good cards that also spend floaters (Deuterium Export, Aerial Mappers, Dirigibles), but there you need to decide whether to go for the milestone or use the card. Air Scrapping helps, but it needs heavy support. On its own it's terrible.
Why skipping Advanced alloys when you have 6 minerals already and Venusian Animals, so you will get 1 VP. It seems like this card will pay for itself. Great game anyway!
''A context I'd play Inventrix is if my hands sucks ass'' hahahahaha, you killed me with that one! funny but also true
Cool game, WP :) By the way how do you get the current point situation to show?😊
This is the score mod which can be found on the Hodgepodge discord ( discord.gg/4HZ6MHuQ ). Great UA-camr, great community - just head over to the channel modinstructions and you'll find it.
@marsexpert4276 Thanks!
30:03 that actually happened to me last year. Opponent played Eco Experts + Birds on my Ecoline plant production. If there is ever a reason to rage quit, that would be it lol. Still played it out with the strong starting hand I had, and lost by just 3-4 points
Omg that really is the most frustrating start you can get. I wouldn't play TM in a month after that :D
Really good play sticking with your game plan vs obsessing about playing around ants too much.
yeah the ant "counter" was played when he already had so much plant prod it really didnt matter. Good points value still
I agree, Ants wasn't scary enough to convince me not to pick it over the alternative!
27:36 Because it may be an Earth Cap)
yippie! Finally at Venus! :)
You made it really well, thanks for the video and all your effort, I love it. ❤
So you rate Venus Next cards just with base plus prelude? If so, would you update them after colonies and turmoil?
Yes, I'll rate them only based on playing with base game and preludes for now. At some point I'll discuss the impact the expansions have on each other. But all in due time :)
@@marsexpert4276 Ok. Thanks.
so hard to rate a card like aerosport tournament such a high ceiling but such a low basement and also affected by player count and if anyone is trying to rush. All that said agree with your rating
I don't think you can call gaining a few gold and a point a high ceiling. Also, the channel generally plays more 2P, so it is going to be influenced by that.
Even in the best case scenario this card is mediocre. D tier is kind of generous
The problem about Aerosport tournament is that its best case scenario is so rare, especially in 2p which is what I play mostly...
What’s your favourite player count? 2, 3, 4, 5? Personally I tink 3-player game is best, 2 lacks some dynamics like awards and title race, there’s too little ground game, 4-5 player game is too terraforrming rush and I prefer to have good engine. But anyway it would be nice to know your opinion :)
For playing online, so fast paced action and quick games that are as competitive as possible, I enjoy 2p the most. For playing on the board with friends in the evening with a few beers, I like 3p or maybe even 4p the best. But when I play on the board I also want to play with all expansions for sure!
I would skip CPM and ICS and hope that between the preludes, inventor guild, and convoy cards something better comes up. Not sure of the rest as only played Tharsis...
As Credicor, I'd absolutely keep those two due to the 4MC rebate. CPM is usually not a great card, but in this situation with not that much to do I like it.
established method isn't that good if you use "discard cards"? so you get 2mc, from 6 paid... -4mc = 30-4 = 26mc just nuying 2 extra bad cards in the starts (or less if you draw some)
Fryxgames clarified on BGG that the wording: "pay and perform" is meant to prevent you from doing just that. You need to perform a standard project that you have to pay for. boardgamegeek.com/thread/3334230/questions-about-prelude2/page/1 If you scroll down a bit in the linked BGG thread, you'll see Jacob Fryxelius explaining Established Methods :) Therefore I still think this Prelude is mediocre at best.
suitable infrastructures seems also good for paying 9 mc instead of 11 per power prod in standard project when needed
True, I didn't think of that - it's like a discount Standard Tech for that :D
about main belt asteroids... there is the card that protects your plant that also gives you 1vp per asteroid, nope?
Yes, Asteroid Protection System - but then you're just generating 1 point per gen off a prelude that cost you 5MC as well. That's not a good deal in my opinion.
really good job BUT the excel has only titles, could you to the summary like in the video, but in a file to be able to actually be able to see them all together? with pictures I mean It would be awesome
Hi :) I understand that it's probably difficult to use the Excel list if you don't know all the cards by heart. Doing a separate file with pictures would be an awful amount of work tho, so I'm afraid I won't be able to do that. One thing I can recommend is the online terraforming mars cards list: ssimeonoff.github.io/cards-list If you see a card in the Excel that you don't know you can quickly look it up there :)
29:55 if he plays Ice asteroid we get almost to kelp farming without having to spend money on oceans. Capital city is too good for us, because it is approximately 3 points for negative MC (card costs less than ocean rebaits). It happened in the past game as well where you had infinite steel and infinite power for free and still did not take capital city, even thugh it would be points and money production for free.
I mean, yeah Capital is great for us, but it's really bad for him. He doesn't have any steel or power prod. We can make both cards work, he cannot.
… and a Happy New Year!
To you too!
Insect VIP 🐛🐛🐛
What version of TM do you prefer? BGA or Steam? Isn't Steam buggy ot the improved? Last time I played TM Stam version (3 years ago?) it was frustrating?
I play both. The steam version is way less buggy than it was. I haven't had a game breaking bug in like forever. I legit don't remember the last time. BGA has its own merits and I like it more for asynchronous games to play during the day.
Even disregarding cards being able to SP temp and getting 2 TR for 17 MC everyturn can net you some money real fast!
It's better than nothing for UNMI, but definitely not the best case scenario.
Small animals and fish cost 21 for 1 point and 25 percent chance to get 1 tile for landlord. But SP city gives you at least 6 points (5 on your city and lets say -1 for opponent) and its also a tile.
Very bad advice to build cities at the last minute and to focus on forests, in 5 minutes someone takes the strategic place to put his own city, then you don't have the freedom to build the forest where you want, you are forced to put it next to a tile of yours, so you continue to favor someone who took your place or you make sub-optimal choices.
Obviously, having cards that let you freely place tiles to teleport away from opponent's cities is preferable, but believe me: paying 25MC for a city just to score two points off someone's greenies is not a good play. If someone blocks my ocean walk, I'm way more annoyed than if he had just placed the city next to my greeneries to score points.
I’m surprised you didn’t fund Venuphile really early in the final gen! It was one of your most efficient plays money-to-point-wise.
Is always taking 2 actions just to help keep the game going? Gen 9 either of you could have stalled more, but they were selling 2 cards per turn as well.
"One action, huh?" Lmao
It’s good etiquette to take two actions every turn unless you need to take one action in order to take a two-action combo next turn. Because if you start one-action stalling the other player starts one-action stalling as well which just gets kind of inconvenient and annoying.
It's definitely the nice thing to do and a lot of high level players (that play each other like all the time) have kinda agreed to always try to do it. I don't follow this "rule" as religiously as others but I completely agree that if there's no specific reason to one-action, you should always two-action.
How does having algae or kelp farming in your hand make you want to skip Lake Merineris? That Seems backwards. It could help you get those down.
Kelp Farming and Algae are so good that you want to play any ocean card you see or even use SP Aquifer to get them down as fast as possible. You want to get Kelp down SIGNIFICANTLY earlier than reaching 0 degrees Celsius which means that keeping Kelp or Algae in your starting hand means you're sacrificing ever going for Lake. Lake just comes down too late for Kelp/Algae.
Merry Christmas, and may you always get good eco experts targets!
Thanks and merry christmas to you too <3