Exception to the rule

Konstant dice seem like one of those good ideas that must not have been  playtested much; in practice, they are nearly useless, and the usual optimal strategy when opposing them is to ignore them completely. In the situation below, however, the konstant die seems to have some value -- just not to its owner. It's  usually a wasted move  to capture a die that isn't a threat, but in this case the benefit outweighs the waste.

[Some people might claim that Null dice are equally useless and worth ignoring. Such people are very very wrong.]

Game #694  •  ElihuRoot (Brigid) vs. Patman (Pythagoras)  •  Round #1

Your turn to attack

(8) (8) (X) (X) (X) Button: Brigid Player: ElihuRoot

W/L/T: 0/0/0 (3)  •  Score: 33.5 (0 sides) Dice captured: (12), (8) 1 (8) 4 (8) 1 (X=11) 6 k(6) 10 (10) 3 (Z=7) Dice captured: (X=11), (X=11) W/L/T: 0/0/0 (3)  •  Score: 33.5 (0 sides)

Player: Patman Button: Pythagoras k(6) (8) (10) (12) (Z)

another focus die contest

I can't win the initiative here: if i. chooses to contest it, he'll beat me.  And I can't turn down my d20 to a  safe value while temporarily gaining initiative. Yet I think there may be another very good reason to turn down my focus dice here, do you see it? Do you agree?

Focus dice ----ing contest

[warning: this is not *quite* how the game appeared, I modified one die's value to make the puzzle interesting.  OK, I'm in battle to get the initiative, but I'm bound to lose it, am I not?

Should I just skip it altogether and pass, rather than waste my relatively large die rolls? Or should I turn down my dice to either get initiative or at least make L.  have to turn down his big dice and gain initiative?

Or... is there something else I might do?

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Game #364  •  ElihuRoot (Naga) vs. Limax (Phoenix)  •  Round #3

Your turn to try to gain initiative using die skills

Player: ElihuRoot	Player: Limax
Button: Naga	Button: Phoenix
W/L/T: 1/1/0 (3)	W/L/T: 1/1/0 (3)
Recipe Value f(6) 54321 (8) 2 (8) 5 (8) 5 f(20) 19181716151413121110987654321	Recipe Value (4) 3 (6) 1 f(8) 7 (10) 8 f(20) 7

Turn down focus diceTake no action