Duel of Meloch solo play and review - One Stop Co-Op Shop

About Duel of Meloch, from BoardGameGeek:

Duel of Meloch is a standalone game that combines mechanisms from two existing games, Scythe and Expeditions, into a 45-minute head-to-head clash. One player uses the Scythe rules and components (including a new faction and player mat); the other player uses the Expedition rules and components (including a new mech, character, and companion). As long as you know one of those games and your opponent knows the other, you can play Duel of Meloch, and you don't need anything other than Duel of Meloch to play this game. The duel takes place in a tight space on a new double-sided map-only 10 locations and 2 lakes-in a race to 4 stars on a new double-sided Triumph Track, so every turn is crucial. The devious Meloch keeps the game close by giving a small boost to your opponent every time you place a star. All existing Scythe factions, player mats, encounter cards, and factory cards are compatible with Duel of Meloch, as are all existing Expeditions mechs, characters, companions, and discovery cards (items, meteorites, and half of the quests). Likewise, the components in Duel of Meloch are compatible with Scythe and Expeditions: For Scythe, 3 new Factory cards, 6 new encounter cards, a completely new set of 60 combat cards; for Expeditions, 30 new discovery cards (items, quests, and meteorites). -description from the publisher