Chani
Roeland
Meair
@Happy-Haze
I was completing all mines until 2/3rds of the way through Scandinavia. That was when I found I could no longer clear a mine in one day. When I had to go back to the mine the next day just to clear tiles, I just wasn't enjoying the game. As Chani said, I think the key thing when considering the rushing strategy is simply to choose the approach that makes the game enjoyable for you.
I think that with access to so many 100 gem stories, it might actually be beneficial NOT to rush to Scandinavia. There are plenty of 100 gem stories to keep players entertained while obtaining a lot of powerful equipment and clearing their camp underground. I just took a look at the Wiki - the Scandi regen equipment is nowhere near as powerful as the regen equipment in my Egypt account from the 100 gem stories. On the capacity side, the Scandi material carts aren't half bad but the rest aren't very useful.