Beginner: Game Phases

Early Game
This part of the game is the period where information between opponents is minimal, and where the style of the player (e.g. attacking or defensive) is forefront. Higher risks are often taken at this stage of the game to gain information. Normally, many lower pieces are used to scout the opponents setup. Deception and information gathering are key components of the early game. Also, the use of educated guesses to attack and defend are key. For example, often each opponent will bring down a single piece in the lane to attack or scout. Using good educated guesses about what kind of piece your opponent has is an important skill.

Mid Game
This is when the shape of the opponents battlefield starts to come in view (e.g. possible bomb formations) and key pieces have become known, strongly suspected or captured (e.g. marshall, general, spy). This part of the game involves a mixture of bluffing, maneuvering, attacking and scouting. The use of multi pronged attacks can be quite valuable (e.g. attacking on 2 or 3 lanes simultaneously). Also, this is a common phase to send out miners as high piece bluffs, to either waste the opponents scouts or to find strategic bombs (or even the flag).

End Game
This is when most pieces are known or suspected and the play is more like chess, where using movement tactics are critical. This is possibly the most complex style of play to learn, as there are many nuances to defending and attacking effectively in the end game.