Dominion Strategy Forum
Dominion => Dominion General Discussion => Topic started by: Cave-o-sapien on October 05, 2017, 03:03:57 pm
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I don't think I've ever played in a Hermit/MS game other than solo training sessions.
So what happens when it is contested or mirrored? Obviously, both players can't get all the cards they need to pull it off. Does anyone have some game IDs where this combo has been contested or mirrored?
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I don't have any game IDs, but I played a bunch of those games on MF/Goko. You can still pull the combo off with 4 Madmen and 1 Hermit (as long as you actually get that and not 4 Hermits and 1 Madman — that sort of a mistake can happen pretty easily), it just isn't as impressive. The main thing to take into account is that the Hermit pile is empty for sure and the MS pile is at least low or could be empty very soon, and both players have a lot of pile control so dancing around that is important, and knowing when you have to pull off the combo is important too.
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See Adam H's on Hermit/Market Square revisited (https://www.reddit.com/r/dominion/comments/471qig/article_hermitmarket_square_revisited/) on reddit. It's a long article, and I've excerpted the introduction below.
Hermit/Market Square revisited (https://www.reddit.com/r/dominion/comments/471qig/article_hermitmarket_square_revisited/)
Shortly after Dark Ages was released, herowannabe came out of nowhere and blew our minds (http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=6817.0) with the Hermit/Market Square combo. It wasn't long before this combo dominated every game we saw the two cards in -- and with good reason, Hermit/Market Square really is that good and you have to try really stinkin' hard to come up with boards where some form of this combo isn't the best thing available when played correctly.
The article I linked is a pretty good starting point; but it, and the discussion that ensued, only scratched the surface of the strategic depth this combo offers. Some of the advice given doesn't hold up in practice as well as it could, given that you are completely uncontested so rarely. Also, for such a powerful combo, some more in-depth discussion on mirror matches is appropriate. This article aims to be a new starting point on how to play the combo best in all circumstances, and what sorts of interaction you can expect from the rest of the kingdom.
I started a FDS thread to this article here: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=14926.msg575501#msg575501
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If it is mirrored then you need to have -
Plan A - get the market squares and hermits and run the combo
Plan B - trigger the hermits before your opponent and get a 3 pile ending or commanding position, knowing your opponent's limits on buys.
Sometimes plan B can take over. One kingdom recently had lurkers as well as hermits and markets squares so the hermits/lurker combo was very strong as plan B.
What I've called a 'commanding position' is quite hard to quantify but it isn't just a vp lead. It might involve a squeeze play where you opponent wants to build more but doing so would fatally lower piles. You don't want your opponent to build up for another turn or two then just clean up with a bigger, better, hermit finish.