Let's Discuss Adventures Cards is a daily(ish) series of forum threads where we discuss a different Adventures card each day. Right now the plan is to just go through all of them alphabetically, with a single thread for each Traveller line.Card Text: +1 Card, +1 Action, +$1, Discard any number of cards. You may gain a card costing exactly $1 per card discarded, putting it on top of your deck.
Some points of discussion to start with (discussion of anything else related to Amulet is also welcomed):
- Artificer can gain a card of potentially any cost depending on the size of your hand, which lends itself to strategies that draw you large hands. What types of engines does Artificer benefit? When should an engine player pick up an Artificer?
- What are some notable combos for Artificer? Tactician has been mentioned before; Artificer can gain 5-cost components to the top of the deck, which also guarantees a Province gain on a double Tactician turn. What other comboes are worth exploring?
- Artificer is also a Peddler variant; how does this help the card? Would it be of similar strength as a cantrip or terminal?
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My opinion: Artificer is really good, in a way you wouldn't expect before you've played with it in a heavy draw / light trash engine game. First, the opportunity cost of picking one or two up isn't that high - at worst, you paid $5 for a card that was mostly a Peddler variant and once or twice gained a critical card right ot the top of a deck. That's pretty good! As long as you're not neglecting power $5s to grab an Artificer, it's almost never going to be a burden.
Second, it is incredibly useful in an engine to gain a card to the top of a deck. Say you've drawn about half your deck, you have an Artificer, a Village, and some junk. Just use Artificer to topdeck a Smithy, Village to draw it, and your engine has another shot at success this turn. Depending on how much you over-built your engine, you can even potentially re-draw your discarded cards.
Finally, it retains its usefulness, and even gains some usefulness, during greening. After all, green cards are easy discard fodder, and you could potentially pick up a Duchy or two for free by discarding a few components and Provinces (but be sure you have some way to draw that Duchy off the top of your deck!).