| #19 ▲2 Nobles (Intrigue)| Weighted Average: | 51.0% | | Unweighted Average: | 49.6% | | Median: | 48.7% | | Standard Deviation: | 16.6% |
A very sad village, but still a village. A very sad source of VP, but still a source of VP. Only a little bit sad when it is how you are drawing cards, +3 cards is never bad. Getting all three in one package is very strong. |
| #18 Canal (Renaissance)| Weighted Average: | 51.1% | | Unweighted Average: | 51.7% | | Median: | 48.7% | | Standard Deviation: | 21.0% |
Being a project, you can't stack Canal as you love to do it with Bridges. The permanent cost reduction is still useful on the typical board and can be quite exciting with Workshops that suddenly can gain the shiny $5 cost cards. |
| #17 ▲1 Peddler (Prosperity)| Weighted Average: | 55.9% | | Unweighted Average: | 54.0% | | Median: | 54.1% | | Standard Deviation: | 18.6% |
No better place to put surplus buys than a peddler. But for more than $2 it is a pretty sad option. Its position in the $6+ list is a bit awkward, has anyone ever paid $6 for Peddler when they cared about the text on Peddler? |
| #16 Innovation (Renaissance)| Weighted Average: | 57.6% | | Unweighted Average: | 57.6% | | Median: | 56.8% | | Standard Deviation: | 21.9% |
The usefulness of Innovation depends on the board quite a bit. Preferably, there's a way to gain Action cards during the Action phase. Or there might be some cards that you can buy for a nice immediate effect. In contrast to other (expensive) projects, the only player to buy it doesn't have a great win performance in my stats sample (still ok!). |
| #15 Citadel (Renaissance)| Weighted Average: | 61.3% | | Unweighted Average: | 63.3% | | Median: | 64.9% | | Standard Deviation: | 17.9% |
The highest entry in this list of a Renaissance card. The reliability of a Throne Room every turn is great, having to play it first every turn is less awesome. Will not be surprised to see this rise a few slots next year. |
| #14 ▼1 Artisan (Base)| Weighted Average: | 62.2% | | Unweighted Average: | 59.5% | | Median: | 64.9% | | Standard Deviation: | 16.4% |
Artisan is a very nice gainer of $5 cost cards. Just get it as early as possible and you'll typically do fine. |
| #13 ▲1 Altar (Dark Ages)| Weighted Average: | 64.0% | | Unweighted Average: | 57.2% | | Median: | 59.5% | | Standard Deviation: | 19.6% |
The big trash and gain. The gain is big enough that you aren't sad to sacrifice early purchases to it. I am a bit sad when it is the only trashing in a kingdom, it is so very slow at that it's nearly not worth mentioning, it is more a side benefit to use in the late game to get rid of early trashers after they are no longer useful or to keep up with a weak junker. |
| #12 ▼2 Overlord (Empires)| Weighted Average: | 65.5% | | Unweighted Average: | 62.0% | | Median: | 62.2% | | Standard Deviation: | 20.2% |
Getting Overlord on turn 2 to play your preferred $5 cost on turn 3 or 4 is often the correct move. Later on, buying the $5 costs might be cheaper, but possibly you value the higher reliability of Overlord. Just be careful, that the card you want to play doesn't pile out. |
| #11 ▼6 Fortune (Empires)| Weighted Average: | 70.1% | | Unweighted Average: | 69.9% | | Median: | 73.0% | | Standard Deviation: | 20.3% |
Biggest cost in the game, but it's worth it. May not be available is the biggest down side with it staying hidden under Gladiator many games. |
| #10 ▲2 Dominate (Empires)| Weighted Average: | 70.7% | | Unweighted Average: | 69.3% | | Median: | 73.0% | | Standard Deviation: | 15.4% |
Dominate gains the 2 ranks that it lost last year to swap it's rank with Overlord again. It potentially provides a lot of VP, so you usually want to build a bit more...and then watch out for the 3-pile that ends the game before a Dominate gets even bought. |
| #9 ▲2 Grand Market (Prosperity)| Weighted Average: | 73.2% | | Unweighted Average: | 72.3% | | Median: | 75.7% | | Standard Deviation: | 17.1% |
One of everything and an extra coin doesn't sound like much, and you need to jump through hoops to get it? The deal is a lot better than it sounds. Jumping through the hoops can make it slow, but it is commonly worth it. |
| #8 ▲1 Border Village (Hinterlands)| Weighted Average: | 73.5% | | Unweighted Average: | 69.7% | | Median: | 73.0% | | Standard Deviation: | 14.8% |
In the best case, you only pay $1 more to get a Village with your $5 cost. Or you can Remodel into Border Village. If you are able to make use of its gain effect more often than your opponent, you're in a good shape to win the game. |
| #7 ▼1 Lost Arts (Adventures)| Weighted Average: | 74.6% | | Unweighted Average: | 72.5% | | Median: | 81.1% | | Standard Deviation: | 23.4% |
Turning a cantrip into a village gives a lot of flexibility to many kingdoms. The cost of 6 should be easy to achieve around the time that a deck needs to have a bunch of villages. |
| #6 ▲1 City Quarter (Empires)| Weighted Average: | 77.6% | | Unweighted Average: | 74.4% | | Median: | 78.4% | | Standard Deviation: | 17.8% |
Finding the right timing for your City Quarter gains is sometimes tricky. But in general you should get more than you think. If you also find a way to increase the action density in your hand, the deck can become quite explosive. |
| #5 ▲3 Inheritance (Adventures)| Weighted Average: | 77.9% | | Unweighted Average: | 72.7% | | Median: | 78.4% | | Standard Deviation: | 21.0% |
Cementing its place at 5th, Inheritance is obviously a very strong effect. Personally I put it a little bit lower as it is more situationally good than others it is ranking above. When the conditions are right for using it there is no doubt about its power. |
| #4 =0 Pathfinding (Adventures)| Weighted Average: | 78.8% | | Unweighted Average: | 78.1% | | Median: | 83.8% | | Standard Deviation: | 16.7% |
Pathfinding keeps its spot. It is the best of the rest with a significant distance to the top 3 on this list. The +card token is great...the sooner you're able to buy it the better. |
| #3 =0 Goons (Prosperity)| Weighted Average: | 93.5% | | Unweighted Average: | 90.4% | | Median: | 95.0% | | Standard Deviation: | 17.7% |
I'm still enjoying playing with Goons, that could make me a masocist. A useful attack with virtual VP, economy and +buys, it is a compelling payload for any deck. The attack does not stack but the rest of the abilities are very good in multiples. With a deck willing to buy many coppers/silvers the points ceiling for such a deck is very very high. Do not ignore. Obviously this is still the region of cards people are not sleeping on. |
| #2 =0 King's Court (Prosperity)| Weighted Average: | 93.8% | | Unweighted Average: | 90.0% | | Median: | 94.6% | | Standard Deviation: | 19.5% |
lovestha: Extremely powerful. Costing 7 is a lot, so it can be too slow. But it can play the role of village or simply amplify your payload. As it must collide with something it is probably wrong to open but otherwise it is a great card. Only clearly a trap when the kingdom doesn't support more than single provincing.
markus: Let's be clear. You almost always want it and you want it in big quantities. |
| #1 =0 Donate (Empires)| Weighted Average: | 97.5% | | Unweighted Average: | 95.2% | | Median: | 100.0% | | Standard Deviation: | 16.3% |
Infinite trash for just 8 debt?! Do we really need to say more about this most powerful option? As a self confessed player I'm sure the mistakes I'm making with Donate are: Not planning when to use it well enough; Not thinking about using it twice in a game. |
+ Cards (Top Half)
