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Author Topic: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone  (Read 3980 times)

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Jack Rudd

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Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« on: April 25, 2016, 08:28:06 pm »
+1



Harry Potter is quite interested in this card. Which is good, because nobody else is.

How good is it in combination with Herbalist?
What other interesting combos does it have?
Is it ever worth getting if it's the only Potion-cost card on the board?
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werothegreat

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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2016, 08:29:39 pm »
+2

You can gain this with Hero.
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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2016, 08:32:34 pm »
0

You can gain this with Hero.
You can ignore it and be better off  ;)
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math

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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2016, 09:03:23 pm »
+2

You can gain this with Hero.
You can ignore it and be better off  ;)

I think I agree here.  If you played a Hero, that means you probably have a Champion (edge cases anyone?), and Champion wants an engine.  Seems to me Gold would be better than Pstone in almost any engine deck, barring things like Black Market and Storyteller.
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AJD

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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2016, 09:39:40 pm »
0

How about Philosopher's Stone on a board with Goons and little or no draw or engine potential? They both reward you for bloating your deck.
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SirSlugma

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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2016, 09:47:09 pm »
+3

I always kind of hope P-Stone is viable, but it really rarely is.  The counting thing is good fun in real life; It's neat to count up your deck and discard and realize you have just enough for that Province.  Of course, it's much more practical when automated, so that's nice too.

I think I wish P-Stone and Bank were switched back (or however the story goes there).  P-Stone just seems like it'd be more generally viable if you didn't have to invest in the Potion, and a card that works with big-Actions or a large drawing engine seems like it'd go better with the Potion cost.

But hey, they can't all be the best Potion-costing card ever...
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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2016, 09:59:45 pm »
0

This is a really fun card.  I think the weirdest thing about it is that it's a nombo with pretty much all of the Alchemy cards (okay, maybe not Familiar and Herbalist, I'll leave that up to you).  I remember a game with this and Messenger where I handed out a bunch of Potions to everyone and emptied the Potion pile.  Not sure if it was the best plan, I tied for first, but it sure was fun.  It's also got an interesting interaction with Storyteller; you draw a fifth of your deck. 

Seprix

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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2016, 12:26:20 am »
+1

This is a really fun card.

Try shuffling your bloated PStone deck in a real life game, and also try counting how much it's worth every time you play it while you're at it. By the time you're done with your little 1000 turn slog game, you'll have done more counting than Warren Buffett's accountant, and your hands will be sore to boot. I thought fun wasn't supposed to be like working 9-to-5 in a Soviet factory, comrade.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2016, 12:27:56 am by Seprix »
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Max

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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #8 on: April 26, 2016, 01:39:29 am »
+2

We use dice to count the deck and discard size during philosopher stone games. A few 20 sided dice work a treat. Other things which could speed up the process:

 - An abacus
 - A good memory
 - Playing online
 - Not using it

Adventures synergy? What adventures synergy? Reserve cards are actively bad for a card that counts those in deck.
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ackmondual

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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #9 on: April 26, 2016, 02:50:54 am »
0

I've heard of people "sneak peaks" at their deck when they weren't supposed to, to use that info about their deck makeup to their advantage.  Otherwise, good to keep track how many points you're getting from Gardens, but the counting can get annoying.

This is a really fun card.

Try shuffling your bloated PStone deck in a real life game, and also try counting how much it's worth every time you play it while you're at it. By the time you're done with your little 1000 turn slog game, you'll have done more counting than Warren Buffett's accountant, and your hands will be sore to boot. I thought fun wasn't supposed to be like working 9-to-5 in a Soviet factory, comrade.

I've had 2p games where we just say "I had 10 coins from a Pstone the last turn, so are you OK with me just buying a Province without having to count?".  The answer was often "yes".
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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2016, 06:00:35 am »
0

I dont get this card. I think I've only ever bought it in familiar slogs when I've hit $3P after curses ran out.
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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2016, 06:07:31 am »
+3

I dont get this card. I think I've only ever bought it in familiar slogs when I've hit $3P after curses ran out.

I personally buy it in unfamiliar slogs.
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Deadlock39

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Re: Let's Discuss Alchemy Cards: Philosopher's Stone
« Reply #12 on: April 26, 2016, 09:50:18 am »
+2

It's seriously not that hard to keep track of your deck size when you are playing this card...

Just keep a running total of the number of cards you have, count the number of cards that aren't currently in your deck/discard anytime you play Phil Stone, and subtract that number.  This number is always going to be easier to count because it is a small number. If it isn't a small number (3-8?), take a good look at what you are doing, because it is probably bad, and you won't want to do it again.
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