Terra Mystica provided a classic contest between four factions that went right to the death. Andy's Halflings merrily terraformed their way into an early lead and remained a strong presence in the game throughout. Jon's Nomads expanded their empire rapidly in the early part of the game but ran out of resources at a critical point. Phil's Swarmlings found themselves geographically pinned between Jon's expansive empire and a river, and despite a raft of building upgrades late in the game was unable to rack up enough Victory Points. Tobias's Witches started slowly and spent much of the game behind, but came alive in the city building phase and caught right up with the early pace-setter Andy as the game neared its conclusion.
In the end, it came down to progress in the four cults to decide things, which were dominated by Tobias and Jon. Tobias's Witches did just enough to secure the overall win, with 109 points to Andy's 104. Jon's late surge took him to 99 points, a venerable total for a first-time player. Phil ended on 86, which was a good recovery after being crowded out early in the game.