I usually try to sit back and gather as much gear as possible before fighting. If I don't have a chest route and I have bad gear I might try to kill someone with slightly better gear so then I have a chance at winning.
I only fight if I think I have a good chance of winning, don't underestimate people. If I see a team of 2 I'll usually try to take them out before DM, that way I have more room and time to kill them. I think it's easier to take down a team of 2 mid-game than in deathmatch when you only have a couple of minutes and you could be in a confined space.
If you get to DM and it's a FFA you have 1 in 3 chance at winning. Sit back and watch the other two fight. I know it seems like a cheap tactic but it works. You might want to run in now and then and get a couple of hits, but then just wait for one of them to kill the other. If it was a close fight then your opponent is probably low. As soon as one of the players die you can put a couple of arrows into the player that is alive and go in for the kill, don't give them time to eat a golden apple.
That's how I play at least, a lot of people have their own tactics that work just fine
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