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76
Dominion Articles / Count
« on: October 18, 2012, 03:52:29 pm »
Count*

With the advent of Dark Ages, you could say that “things just got real” in the life of a Dominion player.  Cards that we never even imagined came out and have completely changed the way we think about the game.  One simple and subtle card is Count.

Count offers the player 2 different choices from two different sets of 3 options.  Through this unique wording, it offers a whopping 9 different ways in which it can be played.  Obviously some combinations offer more synergy than others and will not be used.  But the choices make it a unique card that can function in both an engine style and a big money style of game.

The Choices

Choose one: Discard 2 cards; put a card from your hand on top of your deck; or gain a Copper.

Choose one: +$3; trash your hand; or gain a Duchy.

Trashing and Hand Size

One key thing to keep in mind is that when resolving the different actions, you go from top down.  This means that you resolve the first choice and then resolve the second choice.  One thing to notice about the first set of choices is that each choice affects your hand-size in a different manner.  Think from a perspective of your hand-size before playing Count, your hand-size after resolving the first choice will equal to HS-n where n=1,2, or 3.  This has the biggest impact on deciding whether or not to trash your hand.  By controlling the size of the hand that you are going to trash, you can selectively trash only the cards that you want to trash.  Another thing worth mentioning regarding trashing is the trashing of copper.  It is more beneficial to gain a copper in your discard pile and trash your entire hand than place a copper on top of your deck and trash your hand.  The net amount of coppers in your deck stays the same, but the placement of the copper is better if it is in your discard pile. 

Count as an Engine

So we’ve thought about how Count can be used as a trasher.  But more importantl to consider is when Count should be used as a trasher.  You want to use Counts trashing to enable an engine.  The benefit of Count being your trashing is that its purpose is two-fold.  It can function to streamline your deck into a well-oiled machine and then seamlessly integrate itself into a reliable engine component when its initial purpose is served.  The disadvantage of this card is that it costs $5.  What this means is that unless you get a $5/$2 start, you can not start trashing right away.  And one of the biggest rules of engine building is that you want to streamline your deck quickly.  Count as your sole trasher suffers from  Turn 5 Chapel Syndrome (T5CS).  In T5CS, your opening chapel misses a reshuffle allowing only 1 play after the 1st two reshuffles.  In a game of equal skill between two opponents with 1 suffering from T5CS, it is almost impossible to come back due to the huge tempo loss.  Thankfully, Count has a prescription for this problem and it’s even better than more cowbell!  The ability to place a card on top of your deck means you can over-invest in other trashing cards to make up for this loss in tempo.  If any of your power cards clash with Count, simply top-deck it and use it next turn.  This other power card can also be another Count.  Getting 2 Counts after your first reshuffle will have no risk of collision due to the top-decking and will help alleviate T5CS.

Okay, so we’ve used Count to get our decks ready for an engine but what kind of engine should we try to build?  As mentioned earlier, playing count will always result in a net decrease in hand size.  Therefore it is imperative that good +draw be present.  For this type of deck, the best type of card is of the form draw up to X like Watchtower/Library.  Since these cards require an action, strong village support is essential.  Things like Fishing Village and Hamlet are Tier 1 villages for this type of application due to cheapness and amount of +action given.  Obviously others can be used but a more expensive village means a harder engine to set up.  The nice thing about an engine like this using Count is that Count helps provide part of your economy in the +$3 available for the second choice.  This means that once you trash down, you are already halfway there to building back up.  Building a viable Count style engine can also be done in such a way that you get rid of your entire hand.  In that way, the detriment of either discarding or top-decking can be avoided by not having cards left in your hand.  The Duchy gaining ability can also be helpful in situation where you need TfB fodder.  Gaining a $5-cost card is very good if you need cards to give to your Expand/Rebuild/Salvager/Apprentice etc.

In an engine, count also excels at maintaining stability.  You can overbuy engine components and use the top deck ability to ensure that you put useful cards back on top making sure that your next hand does not stall.  Toward the end game, having count also can contribute to getting a slew of Duchies which can help result in a lead.

Count as Big Money

Now that we have thought about Count as an engine enabler, let’s consider how it functions in BM style games.  Count can be quite a force to be reckoned with in this style game as well.  One obvious comparison can be made with Mandarin.  In fact, Count can function exactly like a Mandarin in its on-play capabilities.   So what differentiates Count from Mandarin in a BM game then?  The answer in is the choices.  With Mandarin, it’s tough to get started because purchasing Mandarin slows your tempo due to the on-buy condition.  Count does not have this shortcoming.  Additionally, Count allows you to choose what you want to do with your hand.  If you have 2 junk cards, simply discard them and nothing is lost.  Do you absolutely need every card?  Then just gain a Copper.  Do you have a card that you wish you had next turn?  Put it on top of your deck.  Let’s think about the second set of choices.  In BM, the trashing option will be largely ignored.  But the other 2 options are stellar.  Do you need money to get up to Province?  Then take the +$3.  So you think you can dance?  Well no one is better at endgame Duchy dancing than the Count.  With Count, if you could buy a Province, you will always have the option to double Duchy.  Keep in mind that the top-decking ability can help organize your money that you always have exactly the amount you need, no more and no less.  In a close BM style game, minimizing variance due to card draw is a fantastic way to increase your odds of winning.

Count as Alternate VP

Count is also a card that works quite well with a couple different alternate VP style games.  Strong synergy exists between Count and Duke.  Consider the Horse Traders/Duke combo.  Count can in fact act completely like HT when played as a action.  But Count also has the ability to straight up gain Duchies/Copper and then buy something else.  Those are both great options, especially when you only need a deck to get to $5.  Silk Road/Gardens are two other alternate VP that also scale well with Count.  There is obvious a trade off present due to Counts $5-cost price tag and alternate VP strategies like this can often be more rush oriented.  As a consequence, you might lose the split 3/5 if your opponent aggressively pursues purchasing of SR/Gardens.  However, what you lose in the number of alternate VP cards, you make up for in there worth and Duchies.  For Gardens, Count will gain you 2 cards each play (Copper/Duchy).  This means that your Gardens will most likely be worth more than your opponents and this bonus plus the extra Duchies will swing the game in your favor.  In Silk Road, gaining the Duchies will have a similar effect as a Gardens strategy in that the extra points from Duchies and/or higher value SR will be enough to circumvent a potential lost SR split.

Conclussion

Count is a versatile card that can be used in either engine or BM style games.  In an engine game, you will need support from both Village and +draw but the benefit is that count itself functions as money when it has served its trashing purpose.  In a BM style game, Count is exceptionally good at lowering variance from shuffle luck and is a powerhouse in controlling the end-game.

*Dominion is an exceptionally complex game with a large magnitude of options.  While this article doesn't cover all the ways Count functions, it tries to address the key ways in which Count can function.  The space below here is reserved for unique specific interactions present with Count and other kingdom cards.

Unique Interactions
  • With Village/Mystic, you can draw the card which was placed on top of your deck
  • With Rebuild, gain Duchies with Count and use Rebuild to make them Provinces
  • In Tournament games, top-deck a Province to both block your opponents and facilitate your own Prize gaining.
  • With Tunnel, you have 4 chances to have Tunnel in a hand with Count.  Not the best activator, but with Count's other great benefits, a Tunnel/Count strategy can make up for a lost Province split by having excess Tunnels and Duchies.

77
Dominion Articles / Embargo 2.0
« on: October 17, 2012, 02:39:17 pm »
Inspiration from this thread

Perhaps my favorite part about dominion is that each game is a unique experience.  It is also intriguing to me the effect of a single card changing how the other nine kingdom cards interact.  Obviously some powerhouse cards like King’s Court, Mountebank, etc. are all worthy of impacting the game like this.  But there is one card that does this in such a unique and subtle way that requires a large breadth of skill to properly implement.  That card, of course, is Embargo.

Embargo is a one-shot $2 cost card giving you +$2 and it places on token on a supply pile causing any subsequent purchase from that pile to gain a curse.  This leads to a multitude of ways in which this card can be utilized effectively and I will try to summarize them below.

Cards that Gain

Embargo has a unique interaction with the gain/buy distinction.  The curse is only gained when you buy the card, not when you gain it.  Using things like Workshop, Remodel, HoP, etc. to gain cards rather than buy them allows you to plan ahead for a gain based strategy and Embargo the key piles.  In such a way, you can lock out your opponent from obtaining these cards.

Stalling/Preserving the Game

Have you found yourself in a hole?  Does a comeback look hopeless?  Embargoing the VP cards forces your opponent to either suffer more heavily from greening or to build a bigger economy.  Meanwhile you can attempt to repair the damage and catch back up and hope that by the time green is being purchased, you are close enough in deck power to make a stab at victory.  Also consider if you are winning significantly.  Consider Embargoing Duchies denying your opponents ability to catch up with minor VP cards.

Recognizing the Key Cards

Oftentimes when playing dominion you look at the kingdom and try to recognize the cards that will be most crucial to victory.  This is why some people are better at Dominion than others, they are better at doing this.  Adding Embargo to a kingdom like this can often make it the key card.  Is your opponent pursuing a strategy that relies on Village support?  Embargo Village.  Is he going for Potion based cards?  Embargo them (but if it’s Familiar, you need them too).  An extremely dominant strategy can often be countered by strategic Embargoing of one of its key components. 

The 5/2 Start (Getting it First)

A powerful part of Embargo is when you can open $5/$2.  A very powerful opening is to use Embargo to force your opponent to gain a curse if they wish to have the same powerful $5-cost card as you.  This also applies to getting other powerful cards first.  Anytime you can lock your opponent out from getting something that you already have, it can be useful to do.

When to Buy Embargo?

Embargo can be a very obvious buy when you only have $2 to spend.  But oftentimes you will not have the luxury of having exactly that.  You need to assess the importance of obtaining Embargo and oftentimes, you will purchase when extra money.  This can be alleviated mid-game when you have acquired some +buy.  But early game you must always be willing to spend down for Embargo if it is the card that will shut down your opponent’s strategy and enable yours to win.

Conclussion

With Dominion being such a diverse game with trillions of combinations, this article can not possibly cover everything.  It is my hope that I have addressed in a general sense the main ways in which Embargo can be used effectively.  I am leaving it up to the reader to assess the board and see when/how Embargo needs to be played.  That being said, there is one situation where you absolutely must use Embargo.   Scout is an exceptionally powerful card and using Embargo to deny your opponent said card will always help you to victory.  Just make sure that you have bought at least one yourself before placing your Embargo token on the supply pile.

Easter Eggs

Trader/Watchtower can allow you to completely circumvent the effects of Embargo.  Embargoing piles, especially curses can lead to sneaky 3-pile endings.  With TR/KC, they are an action card that also generates income.  If the artwork had a tiger on the boat, you might confuse it for a depiction of The Life of Pi.

78
Game Reports / An (O)teresting Game
« on: August 09, 2012, 11:05:01 am »
Yesterday I played a myriad of games against O.  I would first like to say what a great opponent he is!  He enjoys the game and understands it extremely well.  Combine this with courtesy and respect and you're got one classy dominion player.  If you see him online, I would highly recommend proposing a game. 

Of the games we played, this one perhaps intrigued me the most.  I get the fortuitous $5/$5 turn 3/4 resulting in double Witch and then on Turn 6, manage to draw CCCCS.  I made an in game audible and bought Mint!  Crossroads and Islands were also in play so I figured that getting rid of that treasure would allow me to win the curse split heavily in my favor with a more slim deck.  Unfortunately, my draws after turns 6 and 8 result in double Witch and no Crossroads (including both missing a reshuffle once).  As a result, O manages to split the curses 5/5 with me and his more money dense deck wins.  All in all, I thought this was a very fun game where early draws first put me on a path for a unique game but then they turned around and bit me in the ***. 

The main point of this game which I'd like to bring out is that you shouldn't always just run on autopilot in games like this.  Sometimes you will be presented with an opportunity to do something unique and by paying attention to the game state, you can know when such a situation happens and how to properly respond to it.

79
Game Reports / Compilation of Good Develop Uses
« on: July 21, 2012, 12:58:50 pm »
Develop is often thought of as one of the worst (hardest to use) TFB cards because it so often depends on having useful cards at all prices.  But what most people don't realize about develop is that out of all the TFB cards, it increases the overall quality of your deck the most!  By overall quality, think of it as your deck's "net worth" by adding up the individual costs of each card. 

Apprentice is often seen as a good beginning game TFB via estate trashing for deck cycling and a stellar endgame TFB in its ability to trash high quality cards for that last game-winning turn.  But mid game it tends to fall back a bit in that you generally don't have as many cards in your deck that you want to trash.

The synergy between Develop and Apprentice is a unique combination between cards.  When Develop is played, it takes the value of a single card and doubles it, constantly giving fodder to the Apprentice.  The Apprentice can then trash a card, increase cycling more, and play develop more, which give more fodder, etc. etc. etc.

In this game I use the synergy between those two cards to circumvent an Embargo'd IGG pile.  Additionally, by doubly Embargoing the Duchies, I am able to ensure I'm the only one who can gain Duchies due to Develop's gaining rather than buying.

Has anyone else noticed the synergy between Develop and other TFB's.  With the community ranking it so low on Qvist's list, I'm love to see other ways that this card has been used successfully and maybe as a community we can show some love to this sad member of the island of misfit cards.

80
Mini-Set Design Contest / Renaming "Herald"
« on: July 19, 2012, 02:32:15 pm »
There has been some discussion that the name "Herald" does not fit with standard VP card names.  I think this requires some more community feedback and another mini poll.  If you have more suggestions, please mention them and I will add them as they come.  With more potential names submitted, I've allowed the ability to revote.

81
Game Reports / Interesting Finish to a Unique Game
« on: July 16, 2012, 07:23:30 pm »
I just played a game where I achieved something that I have rarely had a chance to do before and certainly not in manner of which I did it.  I won the game where the final turn required me to buy both VP Cards and Curse cards.  And I'll answer the first questions immediately, I did NOT need to get fairgrounds up to another level with the buying of the curse and I was not emptying the Curses with some Goons in play.

http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201207/16/game-20120716-160827-b4c07bba.html

The last turn I use Remake to double activate my Cities.  I am then able to draw them.  I am left with $9 to spend and 5 buys.  Both of us are at 0 points having trashed our starting estates.  With 4 Native Villages left, if I buy them out, I have no money left for a VP card.  However, with Curses at 4 due to my opponents Familiars, the other option is.... Province/4xCurse for a 2 point win.


82
Dominion Articles / Snowballing
« on: July 13, 2012, 07:32:43 pm »
Snowballing

Imagine standing on top of a mountain.  You see some nice white fluffy snow.  Absent mindedly, you pick some up and make a nice round ball.  As you wave to your friend down at the foot of the mountain, you accidentally drop your snowball and it starts to roll down the mountain.  To your horror, you watch as it grows bigger and bigger, gaining speed and momentum and eventually bowls over your friend and buries him in a mountain of snow. 

The situation above represents the term called “snowballing”.  In Dominion, this term represents a small advantage being used to generate a larger and larger advantage that eventually leads to victory.  The tricky part about snowballing is using the knowledge of it to give yourself an advantage.  The real finesse in snowballing is recognizing the kind of boards that can result in snowballing.  It’s these kind of boards where giving yourself the best chance to snowball can give you the best chance for victory.  In regard to snowballing, there are four main ways it can happen.

Sheer Dumb Luck – Okay, so the first category doesn’t really include any strategic insight.  The insight is that you simply need to be aware that certain cards have large luck elements that can lead to victory.  For that reason, it is often of paramount importance that these cards are included in your strategy.  After all, it is impossible to snowball with these cards if you don’t buy them.   The main cards in this category have interaction between players.  The interaction for one player can be advantageous in such a way that the other player can not respond. You’ll notice that the main culprits are cards than can give curses to other players but also have the potential to miss for one player but not the other.

•   Sea Hag
•   Mountebank
•   Swindler
•   Young Witch
•   Familiar (Luck of hitting $3P)
•   Treasure Map
•   Tournament
o   These games are often decided by a few things which are incredibly luck dependent.  There is the acquisition of a Province and the connection of said Province with a Tournament.  In games like this, you generally want to purchase a Province as soon as possible.  For that reason, engine building via trashing and subsequent build up different than in a normal game.  You need to gauge the strength of an engine against the power of the Follower's attack.  An engine with heavy trashing like Chapel, Remake or Steward (semi) can often get running smoothly enough that losing a few Prizes won't make a difference.  However, in games with a viable engine only acquired through light trashing (think Lookout/Loan) the delayed benefit of those trashers is often not good enough to offset the damage done by losing the Tournaments.

Cards You Want More Of – Here, you see the cards where one player has an advantage due to an advantageous split of 6/4, 7/3, etc…  A key feature about these games are that going first is a huge advantage.  The advantage of going first is two-fold.  First, and most simply, you have the first opportunity to obtain these cards giving you an inherent advantage.  The other FPA is a little more subtle.  By going first, you can make a 1-turn detour for an important card other than the card of interest and still maintain an even 5/5 split.  For instance, in a Minion game, you can take a different $5 first if it will inherently help your deck in the long run (Jester w/ village support, Upgrade, etc).  Or consider a Fool’s Gold game where the first player can open with some sort of trasher and still earn a 5/5 split.  But because of opening with a trasher, they have a slimmer deck that has a higher probability of FG collision.

•   Peddler
•   Fool’s Gold
•   Minion
•   Ill Gotten Gains
•   Hunting Party
•   Gardens/Silk Road
•   City (If piles are depleted, an advantage in these can be game winning)
•   Grand Market (They are hard to rush, but have the property that the first purchase makes all subsequent GM purchases easier, thus snowballing)

Cards You Want First – These are the cards where you want them ASAP.  The flip side is that these cards are often more expensive starting at $6 and increasing.  With cards at a price tag like this, it is important to look at the other kingdom cards.  You want to ask yourself whether any of them can assist in getting that other key card as early as possible.  Some cheaper cards include (but is not limited to) things like Baron, Coppersmith, Tactician, etc. which provide the opportunity for large payouts in very early turns. 

•   Platinum
•   King’s Court
•   Goons
•   Forge (think sheer dumb luck of turns 3/4 getting $7)
•   Grand Market
•   There are many $5 cost cards that you want ASAP.   However the strategy in acquiring them is not as large due to the significantly easier price tag.

The Little Engine That Could – Picture two roller coasters.  They start at the same height and travel the same distance.  The first is a simple flat decline.  The second starts with a steep incline and is more flat at the bottom.  Anyone with any sort of general common sense will know that the second roller coaster will finish first.  In Dominion, engines are the same way.  When one player’s engine gets started before another players, it is almost impossible for the opponent to make up those lost turns. 

The take away message from this is to look for ways to accelerate an engine.  As with all of snowballing, luck can be a contributing factor, but it doesn’t have to be the only one.  Strategic engine snowballing can be very subtly lead to victory for one player.  Will trashing be necessary for a coherent engine or should I just start going straight for the engine components?  Is there a way that I can disrupt my opponents engine to a greater extent than picking up this card would do to mine?  Is there a way that I can ensure repeated good hands?  What is the correct order to buy my engine components so that it runs as smoothly and quickly as possible?   Correctly answering and responding to those questions can result in your engine snowballing a turn or two earlier than your opponents.

I recently played an engine game where the key cards were Fishing Village, Council Room, Rabble, Cutpurse and King's Court.  This board also had Lookout for trashing.  I opt to skip the Lookout and instead focus on FV/Cutpurse eyeing that King's Court.  Although the Lookout for my opponent did trash and make a slimmer deck.  My ability to get to KC earlier in a board with huge draw potential offset the small gain by trashing a few extra cards.

Consider this masterpiece put together by olneyce.  His early buys of FV and Watchtower were perfectly distributed to maximize his engine's potential.  His utilization of a 2nd potion on turn 7 allowed for his Alchemist to be played more often as well as providing more opportunities for Golem purchases.  He continues to push his advantage for an eventual 3-pile victory.

Conclusions - To wrap things up, snowballing can be a very frustrating or gratifying result of Dominion games depending on where you are on the mountain.  However, one thing to remember is that you can’t snowball very easily if you don’t recognize the situations where snowballing can occur.  It is therefore beneficial at the start of the game to recognize if snowballing can occur and do the best you can to ensure that you’re the one rolling the little ball of cute white fluffy snow down the hill into your opponent.

Comments/Questions/Critiques are welcomed and encouraged!

83
It is known that Native Village/Bridge is a very powerful combo that unless your opponent goes for the mirror, you will win eventually with a 3-pile win when you clear out your Native Village mat.  Saboteur, a card that consistently gets flack for being underpowered, is the perfect counter to this powerhouse combo.  First, to pull off the combo, the only cards $3 or greater, are bridges.  This guarantees the Saboteur to hit a Bridge.  Additionally, if your opponent tries to react by purchasing $3-cost cards, you can simply play a Native Village/Bridge before playing the Saboteur, causing you to skip ahead to Bridges which then cost $3.

http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201207/05/game-20120705-190611-96f3d399.html

Also, I'd love to here comments about what others would have done in this game.  With 1st player, I had a lot of decisions which I'll list below.  I spent a good couple minutes pondering my options.

1.)  Native Village/Bridge
2.)  Young Witch/Saboteur
3.)  Masquerade/BM

The way I see this is that NV/Bridge > Masquerade/BM > Young Witch/Saboteur > Native Village/Bridge.  Opening first with $3, I decide to open Silver.  This allows me to either go Masquerade/BM if it looks like he is going YW or Young Witch if he is going for the NV/Bridge Combo.

*EDIT*  After some testing with WW, the star of the show here is not Saboteur, but Scheme.  Without scheme, the Saboteur could not be played often enough to halt the NV/Bridge player.

84
Game Reports / Haggler/Watchtower
« on: June 27, 2012, 11:45:13 am »
These 2 cards can lead to some pretty sick stuff.  But by themselves, they don't do much.  They need other support to make them work.  I'd say that King's Court, Grand Market, and Peddler are about as good as it's going to get.

I've been meaning to post this game for awhile now.  My opponent and I played a very similar strategy.  I open Silver/Silver whereas he opens Watchtower/Silver.  I wanted the money to get up to KC as early as possible.  I get KC first, but a massive Inn purchase on Turn 6 leads to my opponent getting 7$ with Haggler in play and watchtower in hand.  From there, it's pretty much gg as he has consistent good hands for the rest of the game.  I felt like I still had a chance (albeit very small) until I drew my KC dead on Turn 10.  All in all, a very interesting game highlighting the synergy of Haggler, other powerhouse cards, and the ability to top deck gained cards.

85
Dominion General Discussion / Dominion Abbreviation
« on: June 24, 2012, 02:02:35 am »
I was playing some games with inverseParanoid tonight and we somehow got around to discussing nicknames for dominion.  So we thought why not ask the community what they call Dominion.   

My cousin will say the words "Dome da dome dome dome" in a time of 1  a2 + 3 (approximately 120 bpm).  Unfortunately I do not have a recording of him saying this wonderful phrase, but it is forever entrenched in my brain when I start playing dominion.  So please, if you have any other creative nicknames, please share them here so all may be enlightened!

86
Game Reports / The Gambler - "The Risky Decisions Thread"
« on: June 21, 2012, 07:48:19 am »
Dominion?!?!?!?!  Who plays Dominion!?!?!  Where's the excitement in that game?  I'd rather be in Vegas deciding between Red and Black, desperately hoping not to bust or putting my money on the river.  In short, I'd rather be Gambling! 

Well lucky for us, there is a sense of Gambling in Dominion which can lead to some very exciting and tense moments.  In this thread, post those moments when you consciously go for broke with a certain type of play.  Whether they end in victory or defeat.  Whether  you risk a potential 3-pile or decide Saboteur is your only hope.  This thread is the spot to post those plays where you risked it all!

Gambler
Cost:  *0
Type:  Action - Treasure - Duration

This card may be played at any time during your action or buy phase.  After playing this card, you are obligated to end your current turn in a way that leads to a situation fraught with risk.  This card remains in play until the end of the game.  If the game ends in victory, return this card to your deck with a smug look on your face.  If the game ends in defeat, sheepishly return this card to your deck and bemoan your poor decision.


To start things off, this was a non-mirror match where I played Vault/BM (Baron/Silver opening) against an opponent who went Apothecary/Warehouse/Vault.  Things are quite even throughout the entire match.  My opponent buys the PP on Turn 14 to obtain a 6 point lead.  On my subsequent turn, I could tie, but I do something entirely different.

Code: [Select]
— shark_bait's turn 14 —
   shark_bait plays a Baron.
   ... getting +1 buy.
   ... discarding an Estate.
   ... getting +$4.
   shark_bait plays a Copper and a Gold.
   shark_bait buys a Duchy.
   shark_bait buys an Estate.
   (shark_bait reshuffles.)

With Baron being the only +buy in our game, I decide rather than tie, I want to use my +buy advantage to gain an extra tie-breaking VP card.  However, by not taking the tie, I left an opening for my opponent to cruise to victory if only he can muster the strength to buy the last Province.  He only manage a Duchy and I grab the last Province next turn and come out on top due to a little bit of Gambling.


87
Dominion General Discussion / Duchy Buying
« on: June 13, 2012, 11:39:21 am »
In a standard BM game, the game is often decided by the Duchies.  Most people probably think of Duchies as things to buy when there are 4 Provinces remaining.  I'm not discrediting that philosophy, I just would like to propose an additional way to think about Duchy buying.  Instead of thinking of the Provinces remaining in the supply, think the future number of Provinces in the supply. 

There are times in a BM game where you have just reshuffled your deck and let's say that there are 6-7 Provinces left.  Let's assume a 20 card deck with no draw giving you 4 hands during this deck.  My sake of clarity, the amount of money in each hand will be 2x$5 and 2x$8.  If you get your 2x$8 hands first, standard Duchy buying means you will take the Duchies with your 2x$5 hands.  But let's assume you get your 2x$5 hands first.  You still should buy the Duchies.  Even though there are 6-7 Provinces left, it is more important to correctly assess what the game state will be at the end of this draw deck.  If you know that your current deck will have the power to get the game into full scale green mode by the time you reshuffle, you want to start greening immediately even if the current game state doesn't seem to imply greening.

In short, sometimes you should green based upon the future game state rather than the current game state by assessing will happen to the Province pile in your future hands.

***I do not claim this to be empirical truth regarding the best way to Duchy buy.  Conventional Duchy buying is conventional because it's very easy to understand.  I merely am suggesting a different way to think about Duchy that may be applicable every once in a while.***

88
Dominion Isotropic / Sentiments to Isotropic (and Dougz)
« on: June 01, 2012, 02:47:06 pm »
With the new online dominion quickly approaching, I think it's a great time to share our great appreciation to all of the time and effort put forth into isotropic.

Ode to Isotropic

Thank you Doug Z, for making iso
I wish that it never had to go
The time that you spent is appreciated
Thank you for all that you have created

Countless hours of dominion playing
Wondering what player up high will reign
Climbing the leaderboard is tons of fun
It's sad that this board will soon be done

Using text or images for which you prefer
Player customization is what they confer
New features have been added left and right
Much to F.DS's great delight!

From your house this operation was run
Being managed by you, the only one
We recognize that you did this all for free
You could have easily have charged a fee

I'm sure that all of the community agrees
That our love for iso, you should see
So take this poem as our gratitude
We're sorry if we've ever had a poor attitude

Thank you Doug Z, for making iso
We wish that it never had to go
The time that you spent is appreciated
Thank you for all that you have created!

89
Dominion Isotropic / 4-Player Preset
« on: April 20, 2012, 02:35:19 pm »
Hey all,

I'm on iso right now hoping to play some 4-player preset kingdom games (i.e.  sets for the Michigan regional tourney).

I'd love to play some of you guys if you're willing.  Find me in the lobby if you want in.

shark_bait

EDIT  Playing with sup and dondon right now, still have room for another once this one finished up

90
Help! / Double Jack or Engine?
« on: April 18, 2012, 10:08:07 am »
I just played an interesting game that screamed engine but also featured one of the engine players worst nightmares, DJ.

The game consisted of either double jack or a Border Village/Salvager/Watchtower/Oasis sort of engine.  I didn't know how to evaluate the speed of the this potential engine, so went into in rather half heartedly by opening Joat/Oasis .  I picked up a second jack and didn't get my first $6 until turn 7 which I used for a BV/Salvager.  So I was kinda doing DJ, but also trying for some BV shenanigans to pick up fodder for the Salvager.

I absolutely did not deserve this win and only got it because my opponent attempted an even more contrived engine featuring Golem, then switching to BMish mid game with a couple of Gold purchases.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas about first, whether an engine can beat the DJ standard and second, how such an engine should be build.  I also feel the need to preemptively apologize for the first link, as I was writing this I thought of it and felt necessary to include all of you wonderful DS comrades.

tl:dr  Can the engine beat DJ?

91
Game Reports / Interesting Ambassador Game
« on: March 01, 2012, 07:24:28 pm »
I just played a game featuring everyone's favorite dominion pastime.  Ambassador Tennis!  The interesting thing was that I was able to win the game of tennis without buying a second ambassador!  Instead of going Ambassador/Ambassador or Worker's Village/Ambassador planning to go double ambassador, I open Spice Merchant/Ambassador.  The spice merchant took care of coppers passed my way and cycled my deck to play my single ambassador more frequently.  Additionally, if I wanted some cash to buy something (in this game,mostly Minion), I could take the money.  However, my opponent didn't go super aggressive with his double ambassador opting to only trash 1 card on turns 3 and 4 in order to purchase silver.   Is this still a viable option if an opponent goes super ambassador with his passing of junk?  For this game, it worked, but I don't know if this could keep up with an opponent who plays 2 ambassadors a turn.

92
Dominion General Discussion / DIY Dominion Storage
« on: February 25, 2012, 07:10:15 pm »
Hey All,

I just finished my dominion storage box (after many months of procrastinating the incorporation of cornucopia and hinterlands) and thought I'd share all the pieces for anyone who wants a GREAT storage solution for a reasonable price.

Both the box (document size) and the the dividers (2" height) are purchased from the same website and cost only $30.

Custom double sided tabular dividers can be made on cardstock using templates made by Salt-Man Z.  These can be found here, here, and here.

The final product looks like this.  With 1 small and 1 large expansion yet to be released, this box should fit all the cards perfectly (2 large and 1 small expansion in each column).  There probably won't be room for the mats if you're someone who uses them but for a classy storage box like this, the trade off is worth it.

Best of luck to anyone who might decide to do this!

shark_bait

93
After reading about Bahle being eliminated in IsoDome 3 partially due to a bad 5/2 opening split with ambassador and with a game I just played today, I started thinking about what $5 cost cards give you a chance to combat a double ambassador?

The game I played today featured Stables/Crossroads and although my opponent only went single ambassador, I am almost 100% confident that this would work against double ambassador.  With those cards, I was able to draw threw almost my entire deck and start greening well before he was able to.  I only picked an ambassador midway to pass curses back to him.

So my question is what $5 cost cards would you open with against a double ambassador and feel confident with your chances of winning?

94
Council Room Feedback / Win Rate vs. Turn Card was played
« on: June 16, 2011, 01:31:24 am »
The title pretty much sums up my idea.  Is there anyway this would be possible?  It would provide a lot information about the shuffling mechanic, especially in regard to the beginning portion of a game.

95
It's pretty clear within this dominion community that reshuffling can have a huge effect on the game.  Using council room, I was able to observe the effect reshuffling can have on a game.  Specifically in regard to familiar because to purchase familiar, you must have a potion in your hand.  Below is a graph of win rate vs. turn card was gained (sorry I don't know how to integrate this into the post, you'll just have to look at the link).  At the beginning stages of the game, people will most likely have 1 potion.  This means that their potion was in their hand on the turn they gained a familiar.

http://councilroom.com/win_weighted_accum_turn.html?cards=familiar

From this graph, familiar is obviously a very powerful card.  But upon closer analysis, you can see dips in the win rate corresponding to turns 5, 7, and 9.  Coincidentally these turn numbers (especially 5 and 7) happen in which a reshuffle was necessary to complete the 5-card hand.  A familiar gained on those turns indicates that both the potion and the familiar purchased missed a reshuffle.  I looked at a few different cards, but familiar was the only one showing that trend.   I would guess that since most other cards don't depend on a single card (potion) to purchase they would not be that susceptible to bad shuffling (because you could purchase them anytime you had enough money).

Check the council room section for an idea related to the shuffling mechanic.


96
Feedback / Dominion Card Beneath User Name????
« on: June 14, 2011, 01:40:43 pm »
I don't know if there is somewhere else explaining this but I was just wondering what the dominion card name under each person's user name is.  I notice that it's pawn for most people and other 2-cost cards for a few others.  Does this change with how many posts a person makes and work it's way from the 2 cost to the 3 cost... all the way up to 7 cost?

97
Dominion Articles / Deck Control
« on: June 14, 2011, 11:29:45 am »
Deck Control

One very important aspect of dominion is deck control.  This involves knowing what cards you have in your deck, how many of them are left in your deck and where they located in your deck.  I know exactly what some people are going to be saying right now, so I’ll adress it immediately.  The deck is shuffled, how do I know where they are.  I’ll answer by stating the contrapositive.  You know where cards are located in your deck by knowing where they aren’t  (i.e. your discard pile).  So following this logic, as you get closer and closer to the reshuffle, you gain more and more control over your deck.  That is, assuming you have been keeping track of your deck.  This leads to my first big bullet point regarding deck control.

Know What Cards are Left in Your Deck

It is important that you always know what cards are in your deck at all times.  One thing that helps me keep track of my deck is by playing meticulously.  When  I play my cards, I make sure that I recognize which cards have been added to the discard pile and which are left in my deck.  If you can’t keep track of them all, then start by taking baby steps.  Have you seen your 5-cost action yet?  Out of your 3 golds, how many have you played?  Keeping track of your big-ticket cards is the first step to controlling your deck. 

Knowing your draw deck composition is important when playing cards that draw other cards.  If there are 5 cards left in your draw pile and you haven’t seen your montebank yet, please don’t play your smithy.  There are two things that are fundamentally wrong by playing that smithy.  First, you could draw your montebank this turn and be unable to play it due having no actions remaining.  The second fundamental flaw leads me to my second big (and very much related) bullet point.

Know When You Reshuffle

The reshuffle is a fundamental (albeit rather annoying when playing with the physical cards) aspect of dominion.  This aspect is displayed most prominantly through the chanceller by giving the option for triggering a reshuffle immediately.  This card provides one of the easiest ways to control your deck and it is important to use it correctly.  To use it correctly you must…. Know What Cards are Left in Your Deck (I told you these two points were related).  This allows you to have the best possible deck control.

There is one other way to trigger a reshuffle and this is what I will focus on.  You trigger a reshuffle by emptying your draw pile.  Manipulating when you reshuffle can be a game changing event if used correctly.  Consider the following two hypothetical hands in which 2 cards are left in the draw pile.

Hand 1 – Smithy, 3X Estate, Copper
Hand 2 – Smithy, 2X Gold, 2X Silver

I know this is a little exagerated, but it’s to prove a point.  In hand 1, you most certainly don’t want those estates and coppers back in your draw deck so you play the smithy to trigger the reshuffle before those cards are returned to the discard pile.  In hand 2, you want those cards back in your deck, so you don’t play the smithy. 

Let’s look back at the smithy/montebank example.  Let’s assume that you don’t draw your montebank with the smithy.  At the end of your clean up phase, you will draw the montebank, your montebank will miss the reshuffle because you need to reshuffle in order to draw the final 3 cards of your hand.

In either situation described above, you will play your montebank only once as opposed to twice if you chose not to play smithy.  With a card as powerful as montebank, playing it one more time could determine the outcome of the game.  In this case, you must think “one turn” ahead of the reshuffle in order to manipulate it to your advantage.  But to think “one turn” ahead, you must Know What Cards are Left in Your Deck in order to take advantage of this.

Sample Game

Consider the following isotropic example on a game I recently played.

http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20110608-161945-80a3dff8.html#shark_bait-show-turn-3

On my 3rd turn, I opt not to play my warehouse because my deck would reshuffle before I could purchase my familiar.  Additionally, my potion is also in my draw deck again, which gives me another chance to purchase a familiar.

Conclusions

I hope this helped you think about dominion in a new way and I hope that the connection between knowing what cards are left in your deck and reshuffling was made clear.  Here are a few final bullet points to highlight the key points.

•Always keep track of the cards left in both draw and discard pile
•Any card that has a card drawing aspect can be used to manipulate a reshuffle.
       oThese include cards that don’t necessarily put them in your hand (Navigator, Scout, etc.)
•When possible, manipulate the reshuffle to play your “good” cards as much as possible and your “bad” cards as little as possible

98
Everyone has had games where they look at a set of 10 kingdom cards and decide that they want to do something rather unconventional right from the beginning.  It's another matter to see a strategy like this turn out exactly as you envisioned it. 

In a recent game, I started out ironworks / chapel in a colony game much to the surprise of my opponent.  I used the ironworks to gain a conspirator and a haven and worked toward getting a kings court.  Kings court / conspirator / ironworks was able to fuel my engine, while using salvager to deplete the colony's before my opponent could do anything.

http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20110604-162340-9d4e5552.html

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