Interview Series 2: Catan Strategies With Treeckosaurus

My interview with Treeckosaurus is the second in a series of interviews which will be released on the Colonist Blog. Treeckosaurus is one of the most knowledgable people on earth in Settlers of Catan strategy. He has been ranked #1 in the world on Colonist, and is a 2-time Catan Champion.

I hope you are enjoying these interviews, and if you have anyone you'd like to see interviewed, please contact me at [email protected].  

What is the first thing you check when picking a placement in a game of Colonist?

The location of the desert-hex

What made you fall in love with the game?

That’s assuming I fell in love with the game, which I’m not sure I have. In case I have, my answer would be: the way it mirrors business development, the social aspects for introverted people to connect and the dopamine rushes I get when I win.

What is a Catan strategy you like that you haven’t seen anyone else use?

The Double-Road Gambit. You place your roads in a way [so] you race for two spots with the same opponents twice. They can choose which race to win, but you will win at least one of them, giving you a good spot as well. Only useful in back-against-the-wall situations.

What is the biggest piece of advice you have for a new Colonist player?

“Play until your eyes bleed.” -Firebat, Hearthstone world champion.

Please don’t take this advice literally. Your mental and physical health are WAYYY more important than improving your win-percentages in Colonist. But if you have the possibility to spend more time on improving your game in an effective way and you want to play more, go for it! You can’t force passion to be there, I’ve noticed.

What is the best move you’ve ever made and why?

Starting a YouTube channel ;) I think it’s hard to quantify a certain best move. A game of Colonist is never decided with just one move. I think my placements in this video and my overall recognition of the possibilities a wheat-wood set-up would give were quite unique.

What is the most common mistake you see players making in their Catan strategy?

People feeling like everyone and everything is against them and taking things personal.

What is your favorite Colonist custom map and why?

Black Forest and Volcano are great. They make you play with different strategies.

How much of Catan do you think is decided just from placements?

I think the game is 70% skill and 30% luck. Placements are partially luck, because there’s no way to 100% guarantee what an opponent will do, but it’s one of the best ways to mitigate the luck part of Catan. I’d say it’s around 20%, probably way less than what most people believe.

What is your favorite game to play other than Catan/Colonist?

Rocket League, Chess, Azul and Encore! (board game only) are my current favorites. If we include sports, I love playing korfball: a Dutch sport similar to Basketball.

What is your favorite resource and why?

Sheep. Just to piss off the meta-game gatekeepers.

What is a non-board game related fun fact about yourself?

I love following sports and predicting them. Not gambling; I predict just for fun with friends. I also love the sports data channels like Thinking Basketball, which goes way beyond the box scores to analyze the true value players have on the game.

What question, if any, did I not ask you that you wish I did? Feel free to answer it!

How are you doing? Great! Thanks for asking :)

I hope you enjoyed reading my interview with Treeckosaurus! Make sure to check out his YouTube channel. If there are any questions you would like to see answered by future interviewers, please email me at [email protected]. Thank you for your support!