Dominion Strategy Forum

Archive => Archive => Dominion: Dark Ages Previews => Topic started by: brokoli on August 30, 2012, 04:01:06 pm

Title: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: brokoli on August 30, 2012, 04:01:06 pm
I haven't played the whole set yet, so I can't answer to my question. However, after reading the cards, I loved beggar and Hunting grounds.
After some games on goko (with only Parade of misfits), my favorite card of this third is probably cultist : I'm not a fan of attacks usually, but cultist is fun to play, especially if you succeed to trash them later.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: LastFootnote on August 30, 2012, 04:02:33 pm
I haven't played the set enough to get any kind of firm grasp on the cards, but so far my favorites are probably Rats and Procession.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: jsh357 on August 30, 2012, 04:16:03 pm
Man, it's a tough call.

Band of Misfits - This is a lot cooler than I thought it would be.  In all those cases where you kind of want a $4/$3 card with $5, it finally lets you do it with less penalty.  I love flexible cards that can be good early on and later on as well.

Counterfeit - Has to be one of my favorite ways to trash Copper, not to mention a great lategame tipper when you need some extra funds.

Death Cart - Wacky card, and a lot of fun to see some interplay like this with Ruins. 

Junk Dealer - I basically straight up love this

Procession - This thing is going to be a high tier $4 card for sure.  There are some actions that you really only want to use a few times, and Procession lets you do that then get something else.  Great.

Rats - The most thematic Dominion card


I am gonna say Procession, but it's still too early. 

Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: jonts26 on August 30, 2012, 04:35:51 pm
So I've only played with the Goko third of DA, but I've taken quite a liking to Fortress. Yeah, the on trash penalty only matters when theres trashing, but really any engine with a trash for benefit card lets you do silly things. One game I was working a Remodel, Fortress, Cultist, watchtower deck, turning fortresses into cultists, topdecking them and then using the same trashed fortress to draw into a cultist chain.

Basically it lets you do silly things.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: werothegreat on August 30, 2012, 05:33:48 pm
So I've only played with the Goko third of DA, but I've taken quite a liking to Fortress. Yeah, the on trash penalty only matters when theres trashing, but really any engine with a trash for benefit card lets you do silly things. One game I was working a Remodel, Fortress, Cultist, watchtower deck, turning fortresses into cultists, topdecking them and then using the same trashed fortress to draw into a cultist chain.

Basically it lets you do silly things.

Workshop a Fortress with a Watchtower in hand.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: jonts26 on August 30, 2012, 05:47:56 pm
Played another game with Fortress, Procession, and Lab. Basically procession the fortresses to draw 2 cards and gain a lab (and then play fortress again for another card to draw). Also gives you a ton of actions and non-terminal card draw so really you can throw a ton of terminals in there as well.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Scissors61 on August 30, 2012, 05:56:45 pm
Counterfeit, mostly because I tend to buy more treasure than I need.
Runner-Up: Bandit Camp. Simple, effective, helps ease my afore-mentioned moneygrubbing, and gives me Skyrim flashbacks.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: ehunt on August 30, 2012, 05:57:02 pm
having played IRL a few games:

death cart is a monster. it's just so strong if there's trashing. we just had a kc/death cart game. death cart lets you get kc on the first shuffle. kc'ing a mild trasher more than makes up for the death cart. kc'ing a death cart in the presence of +buy = win. of course saying a card is good with kc is a little like saying a Risk strategy is improved by a hydrogen bomb, but still. i suspect i will come to dislike it. on the first shuffle you have a decent but not 100% chance of drawing it without another action; it becomes very baron copper copper copper copper when this happens.

rats are very tricky. thing is, you might draw them without your trash for benefit. ok, fine, you say, i'll take more rats. but now you're more likely to draw rats without your trash for benefit on the next shuffle (because you've gained more rats).

i think my favorite is feodum. it really feels different from any of the alternate vp decks i've built before.



Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Insomniac on August 30, 2012, 06:01:40 pm
having played IRL a few games:

death cart is a monster. it's just so strong if there's trashing. we just had a kc/death cart game. death cart lets you get kc on the first shuffle. kc'ing a mild trasher more than makes up for the death cart. kc'ing a death cart in the presence of +buy = win. of course saying a card is good with kc is a little like saying a Risk strategy is improved by a hydrogen bomb, but still. i suspect i will come to dislike it. on the first shuffle you have a decent but not 100% chance of drawing it without another action; it becomes very baron copper copper copper copper when this happens.

rats are very tricky. thing is, you might draw them without your trash for benefit. ok, fine, you say, i'll take more rats. but now you're more likely to draw rats without your trash for benefit on the next shuffle (because you've gained more rats).

i think my favorite is feodum. it really feels different from any of the alternate vp decks i've built before.

No it doesn't replacing death card with a KC is still a win... (It trashes itself you still get 5).

EDIT: Im talking about death cart being baron. I mean its sad you lose it but you still get something amazing out of the deal. plus hey you can KC your ruined village for 3 actions. What a deal!
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Lekkit on August 30, 2012, 06:38:11 pm
I'm gonna say Squire. I think it's a $2 card that's up there with Hamlet. It's really good. And fun.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Archetype on August 30, 2012, 07:19:05 pm
Death Cart. Hands down. If you can build an engine around it, it is amazing. Even if you use it as a One-Shot Platinum, it is still an amazing card
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: yuma on August 30, 2012, 07:40:00 pm
At this point, cultist has been fun, played a game with them and upgrade that was enjoyable. Also fortress (is that village that allows you to put in back in hand after trashing?) was pretty fun with bishop on board.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: ehunt on August 30, 2012, 07:48:56 pm
armory is so much better than workshop it's not funny. we played a game with BoM, armory, a 4-cost village (I think fortress?) procession and conspirator. that one was ridiculous. (conspirator is a powerful target for BoM)
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: eHalcyon on August 30, 2012, 08:55:40 pm
armory is so much better than workshop it's not funny. we played a game with BoM, armory, a 4-cost village (I think fortress?) procession and conspirator. that one was ridiculous. (conspirator is a powerful target for BoM)

Worse if you're using it for Gardens/SR rush.  Maybe not that much worse though.

Maybe not that much worse for Gardens -- use it to quickly gain itself.  Then the topdecking Green probably doesn't hurt as much.  I don't know.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: kn1tt3r on August 31, 2012, 02:41:44 am
I'm not trying to smarm or something, but I agree with Donald on Rats.

It's are such a thematic card, so deceptive and, ultimately, so awfully bad. But hey, it's damn fun to find purposes for it and situations where it's not THAT awful or maybe even useful (I still presume that is possible). Plus, I have a soft spot for bad cards, especially if it's such a charming one.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: brokoli on August 31, 2012, 02:58:28 am
Maybe this is because of the wonderful card art, I don't know, but after some games I really love altar. It's such a funny card. I built a Bazaar-Festival-Rabble engine and altar was the key card, really. Even cooler with King's court.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Beyond Awesome on August 31, 2012, 10:49:47 pm
My favorite DA card is Necropolis because it totally changes how I decide to make my buys. In a game with no villages, Necropolis enables me to get a couple more terminals. Yah, the collision still occurs sometimes, but it is lessened. And, in games with Villages, I can often skip a Village and buy a better card instead. It is also a nice change of pace after thousands of games with seven starting copper and three estates.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Rhombus on September 04, 2012, 02:02:31 am
Graverobber - feels awesome to grab back those Pillages in some combo, especially when you never actually bought one.
Hermit/Madman - ridiculous defense to cursing, and madman might be even better than Tactician (and Tactician is the strongest non-attack $5 IMO).
Poor House - when the board is right, a moneyless deck is just super fun.
Procession - just love it.
Wandering Minstrel - perhaps my new favorite village ahead of Mining Village.

Honorable Mention:

Pillage - hated it at first, very interesting in combos that grab from the trash and perhaps others.
Sage - hated it at first, but there are some very interesting combos available, especially with Sage chains grabbing specific cards, wading through curses/ruins.
Squire - +2 Buys can be quite neat, and the options are awesome.  Power $2
Cultist - I love attacks, and the chaining effect is pretty cool.  You can even run Cultist+BM which is neat.
Fortress - neat mechanic, just wish it was a little more 'exciting'
Ironmonger - still haven't figured this one out, but it feels like a good opener, and you really can't have too many.

Overall my favorite would have to be Madman, which might be my new favorite Dominion card (but still needs more playtesting).
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: ehunt on September 04, 2012, 03:01:08 pm
I really like the Knights. I think they correctly balance the swinginess of saboteur without being a terrible card. We haven't yet had a game where I was annoyed that someone got a better knight than I did, but I can see that happening.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Robz888 on September 04, 2012, 03:08:12 pm
I'm gonna say Squire. I think it's a $2 card that's up there with Hamlet. It's really good. And fun.

Definitely Squire. I think my first game with Squire might have caused me to over-appreciate it (Quarry, Smithy, Fairgrounds). But it's so great to just get a bunch of Squires and use them for actions and buys as needed.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Insomniac on September 04, 2012, 03:17:30 pm
I'm gonna say Squire. I think it's a $2 card that's up there with Hamlet. It's really good. And fun.

Definitely Squire. I think my first game with Squire might have caused me to over-appreciate it (Quarry, Smithy, Fairgrounds). But it's so great to just get a bunch of Squires and use them for actions and buys as needed.

Squire is supreme in Duke games btw, grabbing extra buys to get extra copper to make sure greening doesn't hurt you too bad is phenomenal
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Lekkit on September 04, 2012, 04:24:57 pm
My first Squire game was a Feodum and Silk Roads game, so I may be biased too. But it really feels like a strong $2 regardless.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: J-Kidder on September 04, 2012, 05:21:34 pm
Market Square for sure

It may not be a power $5 but I have been amazed at how consistantly usefull it is.  In most of the games I have played with it where there is dependable trashing I have simply ignored buying money altogether as I gain pleny of golds from it.  As a cantrip it can never hurt my deck and gives me all the +buys I need to build my engine.

I suppose I am somewhat biased as I have been playing kindoms with a heavy Dark ages ballance and thus a heavy emphasis on trashing.  I doubt it would be that good where there is no good consistant source of trashing, but when there are do not overlook!
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Archetype on September 04, 2012, 05:32:14 pm
Market Square for sure

It may not be a power $5 but I have been amazed at how consistantly usefull it is. 

It's not a power $5 because it doesn't cost 5.

It costs 3 IIRC
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: jamuspsi on September 04, 2012, 06:44:41 pm
Band of misfits makes me feel smart every time I play it.
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: Grujah on September 04, 2012, 06:54:00 pm
FORTRESSSSSSS!

(Recently had Caravan/Fort/Upgrade/Wharf/Forge game, Fort was SO AWESOME!)
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: AJD on September 04, 2012, 07:02:35 pm
(Recently had Caravan/Fort/Upgrade/Wharf/Forge game, Fort was SO AWESOME!)

Oh man, Upgrade + Fortress ≈ Lab + University + Lab, isn't it?
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: chesskidnate on September 04, 2012, 08:27:55 pm
(Recently had Caravan/Fort/Upgrade/Wharf/Forge game, Fort was SO AWESOME!)

Oh man, Upgrade + Fortress ≈ Lab + University + Lab, isn't it?
I think its only = lab + university because both the fortress and the upgrade end up being +1 card (upgrade usually reduces handsize but will just return fortress to the hand)
Title: Re: What is your favorite Dark Ages card ?
Post by: AJD on September 04, 2012, 09:24:30 pm
Right, my mistake.