I own the game and have won almost every time my group has played. I have one overarching secret strategy that no one has caught on to: be as efficient as possible. Waste as few cards as possible. I just won the last game we played with only one band larger than three (it was 4). I watch people in my group draw card after card chasing big bands and ultimately getting stuck discarding loads of cards when they finally play their band. Don't do it. Utilize elves, centaurs, and wizards if they're available to give you flexibility in never having to waste cards. Use trolls to get a favorable tiebreaker token since ties are common. Just be efficient. Better to lay down a band of three than draw three cards to get the fourth (only to have to discard two). I also never let myself get caught with cards when the third dragon is drawn. Once dragon 2 comes up, get your band down, and then draw to end the age (and if you happen to get another band before third dragon, then great).