Inis: Clash — when do you actually hold back

I love Inis but Clash still feels like a social trap. I’ll enter thinking I’m strong, burn a bunch of cards, and then realize I just handed someone else the win condition because they wanted the fight more than I did.

Is there a simple heuristic for ‘take the clash’ vs ‘walk away and sulk strategically’? I know it’s situational — this is Celtic politics — but I’m trying to stop tilting after every battle.

We played at 4p with two new people who treated clashes like Risk dice. Entertaining but messy.

Also if you have a favorite epic tale timing to break up a board stall, I’m listening. I keep holding them too long like they’re retirement savings.