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Dominion: Dark Ages Previews / Re: For when the Dark Ages previews come out - card analysis game
« on: August 17, 2012, 11:58:22 am »
Altar: It costs 6 so is directly competing with gold, I think this will depend on the 5 cost cards, it will be worth if there is a 5 cost card you want multiples of such as lab.
Armory: This seems better than Ironworks in most situations (it's not a combo with great hall/island) due to top of deck instead of some other minor bonus, seems a solid 4 that I'll buy quite often.
Band of Misfits: Depends heavily on the action cards costing less than it and the other 5 cost cards. You need two different strong action cards to make it really good, for example a Village and a card drawer so it can be used as either part of the draw engine.
Bandit Camp: A village that gives a one use gold, seems nice early on and/or if you need extra actions, however there are better 5 cost cards, but not many 5 cost cards provide 2 actions.
Beggar: The main problem is in most cases you don't want to use the action, however the reaction is quite strong so may be worth it if there is attacks.
Catacombs: An improved Smithy and quite a strong 5 cost card.
Count: A strong trasher that can be used for other things, a good early 5 but you probably don't want many of them.
Counterfeit: Good early on for trashing coppers for money and layer on you can trash a gold and have enough for a province (with 1 spare) or trash a platinum and have enough for a colony. Could be kinda crazy with Bank. Overall a strong 5 that doesn't use an action, but you don't want too many.
Cultist: This compares poorly to witch unless you have enough to get use of it's effect that allows you to play another cultist and it's quite hard to get that many. You can use it as a bad witch then trash it, or try to get a "critcal mass" whee you chain them to draw cards. Overall a reasonable 5.
Knights: (Trash up to 2, 2VP, +2 Actions, Gain a card up to 3, +2 Coin)
The shared attack seems quite strong, but highly variable. I think the Trash 2, 2 VP and 2 Actions are significantly stronger than gain up to 3 and 2 coin. Overall a reasonable 5.
Death Cart: Using this as a one use +5 coin early isn't that great unless you can trash the ruins you also gain and can use those coins well (Platinum is in or +buy), so I think ti needs an action card that does something when trashed to be fully effective.
Feodum: Good if you can get lots of silvers, might also be worth buying to use with a trash for benefit card. Also, opening Feodum/Chapel seems good.
Forager: +1 Action, +1 Buy, +1 Coin, Trash a card. (As long as copper is the first thing you trash) seems good for 3 especially when compared with market (trash instead of draw), also you can trash a silver to make it +2 coin for the rest of the game which is likely worth it. Note that you do have to trash though. Overall a strong 3 I'll likely buy often.
Fortress: A 4 cost village that is really good with trash for benefit cards.
Graverobber: Gaining stuff from the trash seems good, as does expanding actions. Not sure how to judge, but seems a partly set up dependent good 5.
Hermit/Madman: Quite a strong 2, the top half compares well with workshop and if you don't buy anything it trashes for a madman. Madman is one use, but is very good, usually +2 Actions +4 Cards.
Hunting Grounds: Costly, but does give 4 cards and does something when trashed, will buy over gold sometimes.
Ironmonger: Compares well with Spy, a good cantrip.
Junk Dealer: Compares well with Market, a strong cantrip, but note the trash is not may.
Marauder: Compared with Sea Hag the attack is significantly weaker since it's ruins not curse and discard not top of deck, but you do get a one use gold which overall in my opinion makes it only slightly worse than sea hag, making it a strong 4.
Market Square: The top half is a cantipping +buy which is never bad, but is rarely good. The reaction is good though, so this is nice if your trasher and/or you need buys.
Mystic: At first I thought it was just a wishing well variant, since +2 coin is comparable to +1 card, but actually the fact it doesn't draw means it's a lot easier to know what your top card is. However this is still quite poor unless you do have a way of knowing your top card. If you have a way it becomes a good cantrip 5.
Pillage: The attack is very strong and gaining 2 one use golds is also very nice, the lack of if you do means more spoils using TR/KC and this card is amazing with Procession. This seems a strong 5, as long as it's not too late so you get to use the spoils.
Poor House: Most of the time this is bad, but in the rare cases you want it it's good. You want it when the proportion of treasures in your deck is low, for example gardens, against Pirate Ship, fishing village or black market combo.
Procession: A nice throne room variant, depends on whether there is an action you want to throne and a nice action card that costs 1 more than it. Works well with action cards that trash anyway like Feast and Pillage.
Rats: Acts as a nice intermediate stage for trash for benefit cards. For example, you could remodel an estate into a 4 cost card OR use rats to trash the estate gaining a rats, then remodel a rats into a gold, drawing a card. When trashing estates and coppers rats is better than remodel, but you need a trash for benefit card to use on rats.
Rebuild: This is a strong 5 that is kind of a mine for victory cards, basically you can name a victory card you don't want to trash (ie province).
Rogue: A strong 5 cos attack that turns into a reasonable 5 cost gainer.
Ruins:
To be continued...
Armory: This seems better than Ironworks in most situations (it's not a combo with great hall/island) due to top of deck instead of some other minor bonus, seems a solid 4 that I'll buy quite often.
Band of Misfits: Depends heavily on the action cards costing less than it and the other 5 cost cards. You need two different strong action cards to make it really good, for example a Village and a card drawer so it can be used as either part of the draw engine.
Bandit Camp: A village that gives a one use gold, seems nice early on and/or if you need extra actions, however there are better 5 cost cards, but not many 5 cost cards provide 2 actions.
Beggar: The main problem is in most cases you don't want to use the action, however the reaction is quite strong so may be worth it if there is attacks.
Catacombs: An improved Smithy and quite a strong 5 cost card.
Count: A strong trasher that can be used for other things, a good early 5 but you probably don't want many of them.
Counterfeit: Good early on for trashing coppers for money and layer on you can trash a gold and have enough for a province (with 1 spare) or trash a platinum and have enough for a colony. Could be kinda crazy with Bank. Overall a strong 5 that doesn't use an action, but you don't want too many.
Cultist: This compares poorly to witch unless you have enough to get use of it's effect that allows you to play another cultist and it's quite hard to get that many. You can use it as a bad witch then trash it, or try to get a "critcal mass" whee you chain them to draw cards. Overall a reasonable 5.
Knights: (Trash up to 2, 2VP, +2 Actions, Gain a card up to 3, +2 Coin)
The shared attack seems quite strong, but highly variable. I think the Trash 2, 2 VP and 2 Actions are significantly stronger than gain up to 3 and 2 coin. Overall a reasonable 5.
Death Cart: Using this as a one use +5 coin early isn't that great unless you can trash the ruins you also gain and can use those coins well (Platinum is in or +buy), so I think ti needs an action card that does something when trashed to be fully effective.
Feodum: Good if you can get lots of silvers, might also be worth buying to use with a trash for benefit card. Also, opening Feodum/Chapel seems good.
Forager: +1 Action, +1 Buy, +1 Coin, Trash a card. (As long as copper is the first thing you trash) seems good for 3 especially when compared with market (trash instead of draw), also you can trash a silver to make it +2 coin for the rest of the game which is likely worth it. Note that you do have to trash though. Overall a strong 3 I'll likely buy often.
Fortress: A 4 cost village that is really good with trash for benefit cards.
Graverobber: Gaining stuff from the trash seems good, as does expanding actions. Not sure how to judge, but seems a partly set up dependent good 5.
Hermit/Madman: Quite a strong 2, the top half compares well with workshop and if you don't buy anything it trashes for a madman. Madman is one use, but is very good, usually +2 Actions +4 Cards.
Hunting Grounds: Costly, but does give 4 cards and does something when trashed, will buy over gold sometimes.
Ironmonger: Compares well with Spy, a good cantrip.
Junk Dealer: Compares well with Market, a strong cantrip, but note the trash is not may.
Marauder: Compared with Sea Hag the attack is significantly weaker since it's ruins not curse and discard not top of deck, but you do get a one use gold which overall in my opinion makes it only slightly worse than sea hag, making it a strong 4.
Market Square: The top half is a cantipping +buy which is never bad, but is rarely good. The reaction is good though, so this is nice if your trasher and/or you need buys.
Mystic: At first I thought it was just a wishing well variant, since +2 coin is comparable to +1 card, but actually the fact it doesn't draw means it's a lot easier to know what your top card is. However this is still quite poor unless you do have a way of knowing your top card. If you have a way it becomes a good cantrip 5.
Pillage: The attack is very strong and gaining 2 one use golds is also very nice, the lack of if you do means more spoils using TR/KC and this card is amazing with Procession. This seems a strong 5, as long as it's not too late so you get to use the spoils.
Poor House: Most of the time this is bad, but in the rare cases you want it it's good. You want it when the proportion of treasures in your deck is low, for example gardens, against Pirate Ship, fishing village or black market combo.
Procession: A nice throne room variant, depends on whether there is an action you want to throne and a nice action card that costs 1 more than it. Works well with action cards that trash anyway like Feast and Pillage.
Rats: Acts as a nice intermediate stage for trash for benefit cards. For example, you could remodel an estate into a 4 cost card OR use rats to trash the estate gaining a rats, then remodel a rats into a gold, drawing a card. When trashing estates and coppers rats is better than remodel, but you need a trash for benefit card to use on rats.
Rebuild: This is a strong 5 that is kind of a mine for victory cards, basically you can name a victory card you don't want to trash (ie province).
Rogue: A strong 5 cos attack that turns into a reasonable 5 cost gainer.
Ruins:
To be continued...
