Dominion Strategy Forum

Archive => Archive => Dominion FAQ => Topic started by: cataldo11w on August 28, 2019, 11:26:21 pm

Title: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: cataldo11w on August 28, 2019, 11:26:21 pm
Very basic strategy question here, and it may not even be worthy of asking, but I am curious what info/opinions people might have.

In a hand with a silver and a copper, when using a Mine, which do you upgrade? Copper --> Silver or Silver --> Gold?

Any explanations or thoughts would be much appreciated. Apologies if its a 6:1 Half a Dozen type question.

PortenoZag
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: Gubump on August 28, 2019, 11:37:25 pm
In my opinion, the gap between Copper and Silver is greater than the gap between Silver and Gold, so I would do Copper --> Silver. This is because Copper is pretty much always a junk card, whereas Silver usually isn't (or at least is less junk). So Copper --> Silver replaces a junk card with something good, whereas Silver --> Gold just replaces something good with something better.
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: pst on August 29, 2019, 01:31:37 am
I would more often than not upgrade Silver to Gold, because one good turn is often better than two mediocre turns, and the Gold might give you good turns.
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: dirkdebeule on August 29, 2019, 03:51:28 am
Depending on other handcards. E.g. Moneylender, Fountain, Merchant, Sauna, ...
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: Awaclus on August 29, 2019, 05:06:49 am
Pst is correct and if there's trashing or sifting (or discard attacks in your opponent's deck), you want to be able to trash/discard the Copper and keep the Gold instead of having two Silvers. So the default thing to do should be Silver to Gold and then if there's a reason why you actually want Silvers, you'll probably realize that yourself during the game.
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: Chris is me on August 29, 2019, 09:54:34 am
In the base game, here's what pushes you to Gold:
- Militia (Need Gold to green from a 3 card hand)
- Remodel in the late game (Province)
- Witch (junk means less consistency, so you want bigger "spikes")
- Moneylender (another mechanism to clear Copper)

Here's what pushes you to Silver:
- Remodel any other part of the game (Silvers can become 5s, Coppers can't become anything)
- Merchant
- Absence of any other way to trash copper, somewhat

If you aren't sure, go Silver to Gold.
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: Rabid on August 29, 2019, 11:44:46 am
Another reason to trash Copper over Silver is if you only have a few non gold treasures remaining.

GGGSC to GGGSS vs  GGGSC to GGGGC

This way on the next shuffle you have less chance of drawing Mine without a target.
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: pubby on August 29, 2019, 12:42:59 pm
The bigger strategy here is if you should buy mine at all. Typically, you shouldn't!
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: cataldo11w on August 29, 2019, 02:11:32 pm
Appreciate the responses, especially pubby. I can see that Mine is probably not the best card to buy, as enticing as it sounds at times. I tend to fall into its trap for whatever reason, especially in a game that I am getting +actions. Some good strategy points though, thank you all!
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: Awaclus on August 29, 2019, 03:46:40 pm
To evaluate its strength, you can think of Mine as a Workshop variant that can only gain a Poacher, but it gives you +$1 on the turn you play it.
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: popsofctown on August 30, 2019, 10:39:55 am
To evaluate its strength, you can think of Mine as a Workshop variant that can only gain a Poacher, but it gives you +$1 on the turn you play it.

This is interesting, because it made me think about "why does that sound like a far more passable 5$ compared to my own willingness to buy Mine?"
I think Mine is -slightly- worse than the card you described because a Poacher could end up alongside any of the cards in your deck, including the good ones, so you spike, while the upgraded Silver always appears "with" the copper it originally was, and copper is a bad card, so you are slightly less likely to spike.
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: GendoIkari on August 30, 2019, 10:41:38 am
To evaluate its strength, you can think of Mine as a Workshop variant that can only gain a Poacher, but it gives you +$1 on the turn you play it.

This is interesting, because it made me think about "why does that sound like a far more passable 5$ compared to my own willingness to buy Mine?"
I think Mine is -slightly- worse than the card you described because a Poacher could end up alongside any of the cards in your deck, including the good ones, so you spike, while the upgraded Silver always appears "with" the copper it originally was, and copper is a bad card, so you are slightly less likely to spike.

Well there's also the fact that Mine can just miss... be drawn without a Copper or Silver to upgrade.
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: popsofctown on August 30, 2019, 10:46:30 am
I am not a smart man
But I know what love is
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: Awaclus on August 30, 2019, 10:51:15 am
This is interesting, because it made me think about "why does that sound like a far more passable 5$ compared to my own willingness to buy Mine?"
I think Mine is -slightly- worse than the card you described because a Poacher could end up alongside any of the cards in your deck, including the good ones, so you spike, while the upgraded Silver always appears "with" the copper it originally was, and copper is a bad card, so you are slightly less likely to spike.

Probably because you overrate how good a Workshop that can only gain Poachers is.
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: werothegreat on August 30, 2019, 01:01:31 pm
From the title, I thought you were asking about subscriptions on Shuffle iT lol
Title: Re: Upgrading to Silver or Gold?
Post by: faust on August 31, 2019, 07:18:23 am
This is interesting, because it made me think about "why does that sound like a far more passable 5$ compared to my own willingness to buy Mine?"
I think Mine is -slightly- worse than the card you described because a Poacher could end up alongside any of the cards in your deck, including the good ones, so you spike, while the upgraded Silver always appears "with" the copper it originally was, and copper is a bad card, so you are slightly less likely to spike.

Probably because you overrate how good a Workshop that can only gain Poachers is.
I think the bigger problem is that the Poacher analogy only works if your deck can't get rid of Coppers otherwise, and the majority of decks can.