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Author Topic: Dominion 101, Part 3 - Let’s Explore Dominion: Second Edition (rough draft)  (Read 2914 times)

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werothegreat

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(this article is definitely not finished - commentary invited!)

To some, it’s the only Dominion experience they will ever have; to others, it’s the boring introductory hurdle they have to get past before they can play with the fun stuff in the expansions.  But the Base Set has a lot to offer any Dominion player (particularly after the changes made in the Second Edition) - there’s a reason why each of these cards, which for the most part might seem pretty simple, were included in this first set.  Where CCGs like Magic or Hearthstone have a Core Set or Classic Set, Dominion has the Base Set, and it serves a similar function.  Let’s explore it!

First off, yes, in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past year or so, Dominion has been revised into a Second Edition.  For the most part, that has simply meant a tidying up of wordings on cards, nicer-looking formatting, and a switch from masculine pronouns to gender neutral pronouns.  But a couple cards have seen functional changes, and twelve cards from the first two sets (this one and Intrigue) have been removed entirely, and replaced with new ones.  So that means no more Chancellor, Woodcutter, Feast, Spy, Thief, or Adventurer; they have been replaced with Harbinger, Merchant, Vassal, Poacher, Bandit, Sentry, and Artisan.  If you’re not familiar with the new cards, you can find images of them and transcriptions of their card texts on the DominionStrategy Wiki.

So what does being a Base Set mean, other than simply being first?  Firstly, the set contains the simplest forms of most categories of card: village, terminal draw, gainer, trasher, all the various attacks, et cetera.  These cards are so basic that many other cards from the expansions are considered “variants” of them; we have Workshop variants, Remodel variants, Throne Room variants, and most cards that give +1 Card and +2 Actions have “Village” in their name.  These cards are here not just because they are simple, but so that players can get used to these simple forms, and recognize when later cards are variations on their theme.  It’s a little easier to see a pattern when your first terminal draw card is Smithy, rather than, say, Journeyman.

It also means that the broad deck archetypes can be found here in their simplest forms: you have draw and payload for engines, you can go for a Workshop/Gardens rush, you can turn games into a slog with Witch, and if all else fails, you can always use Smithy or Council Room for big money.

Let’s take a quick look at the stand-out cards of the Base Set:

Chapel: Often cited as the most powerful card relative to its cost in the game.  As was discussed in the trashing article, trashing is very useful, and this is one of the best trashers in the game.  One of the key turning points in becoming a good player is recognizing the benefit of trashing, and that discovery is most often made when playing with Chapel, and seeing what happens when you just trash away all your starting Estates and Coppers.  Even with the release of newer trashers, Chapel remains dominant, and there are very few instances where you won’t want to open with Chapel.

Witch: Most players’ first encounter with Curses, and one of the strongest cursing cards.  Even though it only draws 2 cards, Witch can still be used for a big money deck, simply because of much it stymies your opponent.  The only reason you shouldn’t get a Witch as soon as possible is if there is an even more powerful junking attack on the board (and there are a couple out there).

Artisan: Added in the Second Edition, Artisan is a quite powerful gainer, especially if you can grab one early.  If there’s an engine to be made on a board, Artisan will get it up and running a lot faster.  Failing that, it can at least gain Duchies.

Throne Room: The ability to play another Action twice might seem innocuous at first, but Throne Rooms (and other cards like them) can form the backbone of an engine.  Consider that Throne Room on a Smithy has the same effect as playing two Smithies, but only costs one Action.  It can also be more cost efficient when you use it on more expensive Actions (like Artisan).  And when you start Throning Throne Rooms, the card acts almost like a Village.

Laboratory: The simplest form of non-terminal draw.  Winning the Laboratory split can often win you the game, as enough of them can easily draw most of your deck.

Village: The simplest Kingdom card to give +2 Actions, and thus also one of the cheaper ones.  Most engines require a Village-type card, and the original is still one of the better ones, if only for how cheaply you can get it.

An exhaustive look at each of the remaining cards would take far too long, and many of them have their own individual articles you can take a gander at.  Hopefully you at least have an appreciation for the solid foundation the Base Set provides.
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crj

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Witch: [...] simply because of much it stymies your opponent

You've got a missing "how", there. (Yes, I proofread a lot.)
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JW

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Witch: Most players’ first encounter with Curses, and one of the strongest cursing cards.  Even though it only draws 2 cards, Witch can still be used for a big money deck, simply because of much it stymies your opponent.  The only reason you shouldn’t get a Witch as soon as possible is if there is an even more powerful junking attack on the board (and there are a couple out there).

Big Money enablers don't need to draw 3 cards (see: Gear), and there are plenty of reasons not to prioritize getting a Witch as soon as possible, like opening Chapel and trashing down first even if it makes you slower to hit $5.

So maybe:
Witch: Most players’ first encounter with attacks that give out Curses, and one of the strongest cursing cards.  Witch is a strong addition to most decks because of how much it stymies your opponent.  You will generally want to get at least one Witch, and to do so quickly.

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Co0kieL0rd

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This is a good start to an introductory article to Dominion Base 2nd ed. Not sure what exactly it's supposed to get at but it's a nice read and there's nothing wrong content-wise.
If it's directed towards beginners (which I assume) and also for the sake of courtesy, I would strongly advice you to omit the phrase
Quote
First off, yes, in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past year
This is a snotty remark against the reader and you can't know how each individual person on the internet receives that. You don't want anyone to start reading your article (or end it right there) with a bad first impression, do you?

Since you mentioned how much the 2nd ed in particular has to offer, consider writing a paragraph about catrips. Explain what they are and why they're good to have in your deck; reliable action densitiy, Vassal enablers, good targets for Throne Rooms, etc.
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DG

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You can choose the card to play with a throne room. This versatility is an advantage that should be mentioned.
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Honkeyfresh

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This is a good start to an introductory article to Dominion Base 2nd ed. Not sure what exactly it's supposed to get at but it's a nice read and there's nothing wrong content-wise.
If it's directed towards beginners (which I assume) and also for the sake of courtesy, I would strongly advice you to omit the phrase
Quote
First off, yes, in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past year
This is a snotty remark against the reader and you can't know how each individual person on the internet receives that. You don't want anyone to start reading your article (or end it right there) with a bad first impression, do you?

Since you mentioned how much the 2nd ed in particular has to offer, consider writing a paragraph about catrips. Explain what they are and why they're good to have in your deck; reliable action densitiy, Vassal enablers, good targets for Throne Rooms, etc.

catrips

https://www.google.com/search?q=tripping+cat+gif&num=100&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS695US695&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiD8M3z6bzaAhUGU98KHeWSCI0QsAQIKA&biw=2000&bih=961&dpr=0.8
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