Extra month event

[Big Head Zach]

It definitely requires careful planning and clever placement of crystite plots to enable someone to generate enough of an energy surplus beforehand so that you can go full-Crystite in the last turn or two. I wouldn't consider it brainless at all.

[Soldier Ant]

It sure is hard to do, to plan etc, but if you are clever and plan ahead you are sure that this strategy isn't going to have drawbacks. I think a no-brainer, even if it's difficult to achieve, it's a strategy that does you only good.
This is especially true in the very last development turn, when Energy is useless. Usually I convert all Energy plots the last turn so I don't have to think about stockpiling energy.

[zposse]

Also, being able to convert your energy plots makes food valuable the last few turns since there's really nothing much else to do once the map is full.

[Big Head Zach]

Well, the end game comes down to how bleeding-edge everyone's willing to run with their energy and food supply. If production dips below critical level, even for one turn, it can cause a temporary price hike by the store (if not by players with each other), and can easily make something other than Crystite the most valuable good to produce.

Fire In Store, Pest Attack, Acid Rain Storm, Pirates, and Radiation all can have a serious effect on the relative value of goods in the last few rounds, especially if there's no room for error (no surplus production in a normal situation).

If it's round 10 and you still have smithore plots producing a decent amount, but pirates come and steal others' crystite (of which they have hypothetically converted most or all of their plots to), you're the only one making money that turn, to say nothing of the stockpiles opponents may have lost waiting for the crystite price to hit a decent level.