| #29 ▲1 Ironworks (Intrigue) Weighted Average: 23.86 ▲2.06 / Median: 25 ▲2.5 / Mode: 21 ▲9 / Standard Deviation: 7.7 ▲0.9 Highest Rank(s): #7 (3x) / Lowest Rank(s): #36 (3x), #38 (1x), #42 (1x)
Ironworks is the next card after a big 4.3 point gap. This means it's the worst card of the mediocre ones. The average being more than 5 points higher than the actual rank shows also that the next cards are very close together and their ranks are somewhat debatable. Ironworks has some really high outliers with 5 times in the Top 10.
Ironworks is the superior Workshop which was pretty low on the $3 list. Does it deserve a higher rating on the $4 list? The biggest bonus for getting a lot of wanted action cards like Caravan is: Ironworks is non-terminal. So you can get Ironworks with Ironworks and then quickly get Caravans or other $4 cards. Being an Intrigue card it also combos nice with dual-type cards, so getting Great Halls or Islands makes Ironworks a cantrip. And it also works better in Gardens or Silk Road games for getting an additional card and increasing the probability getting to $4. But it lacks the same problem as Workshop: How many $4 cards do you want? So many times Ironworks is skippable.
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| #28 ▼6 Spice Merchant (Hinterlands) Weighted Average: 23.65 ▼2.51 / Median: 26 ▼6 / Mode: 13 ▲1 / Standard Deviation: 9.2 ▼0.3 Highest Rank(s): #5 (1x), #6 (1x), #9 (1x) / Lowest Rank(s): #37 (2x), #41 (2x)
Spice Merchant has only a 0.2 point lead over Ironworks and is the first Hinterlands card with a significant drop. It lost 6 ranks and 2.5 points and has still a high mode (7 times on #13). It's also the card with the second highest deviation, even higher than last time. Most of you either voted it somewhere in the Tens or somewhere in the Thirties.
Spice Merchant is a very flexible trasher and the comparism to Moneylender is obvious. It produces less money for the cost of an additional buy. It can really shine if you want a non-terminal trasher for example in combination with Minions (its option +2 cards, +1 action basically restores the hand size) and if there's no other +Buy and you really need one. It's therefore more flexible (not limited to Copper and two options to choose from) but a slower opener as it's harder to get to $5 early on. It may be still useful later on, but it can lead to very hard decisions if you really want to trash that Silver. Spice Merchant / Ambassador is the #19 best opening (and the third best Ambassador opening), because you can trash coppers you get from your oponnent and still play your Ambassador with a full hand (Spice Merchant / Masquerade is on #47).
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| #27 =0 Trader (Hinterlands) Weighted Average: 22.77 ▲1.52 / Median: 23 ▲2.5 / Mode: 29 ▲4 / Standard Deviation: 7.8 ▲1.3 Highest Rank(s): #5 (2x), #6 (1x) / Lowest Rank(s): #34 (1x), #37 (1x), #42 (1x)
Trader stayed were it was. But it still went up 1.5 points and has a much higher consensus now.
Trader is - like all Reaction cards - very situational. It's Silver gaining defense is mostly stronger than Watchtower's trashing, so you have to think twice if you really want to play that Curse-giving attack or another card that deals out junk and give your opponent a free Silver, especially with Mountebank on the board for 2 Silvers. Trader is a good opener in non-Colony Big Money games too, so you can trash Estates for 2 Silvers. It's also good with Gardens, eventually trashing a Silver to 3 Silvers. But in many other boards Trader is simply a no-go.
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| #26 ▼2 Quarry (Prosperity) Weighted Average: 22.57 ▲0.85 / Median: 24 =0 / Mode: 24 =0 / Standard Deviation: 7.7 ▼0.2 Highest Rank(s): #4 (1x), #6 (1x), #8 (2x) / Lowest Rank(s): #36 (1x), #37 (1x), #39 (1x)
Quarry has only a 0.2 point lead over Trader and would be one rank higher in the unweighted ranking, so newer players overrate it a bit. The stats are similar than last time, but still it lost 2 ranks.
Quarry is very situational too. For action cards, this is basically a Gold you can pick up in the opening turns. So if you want many action cards and have additional buys too, Quarry is your card to go for, for example with Goons. But in the later game when you picking up victory cards, you wish this weren't only a Copper. Quarry / Ambassador is the #80 best opening, both good cards for building an engine.
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| #25 ▼5 Island (Seaside) Weighted Average: 22.47 ▼2.23 / Median: 23 ▼2 / Mode: 23 ▼2 / Standard Deviation: 7.2 ▲1.3 Highest Rank(s): #2 (1x), #8 (2x) / Lowest Rank(s): #33 (2x), #35 (1x)
Island has a really high outlier on the second place, but still lost 5 ranks and over 2 points. It has only a 0.1 point lead over Quarry and 0.3 points over Trader, it was very close here. Despite this outlier there is higher consensus on this card. It would be one rank higher in the unweighted ranking.
Island does pseudo-trashing with the addition of giving additional points. So you can use it for pseudo-trashing the Estates without losing the points and later in the game you can pick it up and take your Provinces out of your deck. It can really be great with Silk Road on the board. It is rarely a game-changer, but can be a nice addition to some decks to keep them clean. And even in cursing games with no trashers, you can take Curses out of your deck for a total net of +1 point. The problem is that you don't build up your economy if you open with it and if there important cards for $5 or $6 you often have to skip Island.
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| #24 ▲1 Baron (Intrigue) Weighted Average: 21.81 ▲1.80 / Median: 22 ▲1.5 / Mode: 28 ▲2 / Standard Deviation: 7.9 ▼0.2 Highest Rank(s): #2 (1x), #8 (2x) / Lowest Rank(s): #36 (1x), #37 (1x), #38 (1x)
Baron has a really high outlier on the second place too and hase even the same best 3 ranks as Island. But it went up 1 rannks and nearly 2 points. It also would be one rank higher in the unweighted ranking.
Baron is very interesting as it gives you a very high probability getting Gold early and even get a very early King's Court or Forge, but is very swingy too. If you cannot draw your Baron with an Estate, this is a dead card in the beginning, because you mostly don't want another Estate (and getting Estate for feeding your Baron is mostly no good idea). But as the game goes on, the probability decreases drawing an Estate with Baron. It has also a nice synergy with Crossroads. In the middle game Baron is most of the time no good card, but later in the game it can you net another point and gives you a +Buy too. If you're going to trash your Estates, don't buy a Baron and if you have a deck that can guarantee an Estate in every hand, like multiple Hunting Parties, Baron can very powerful. So, Baron is very situational and a rank in the middle of the $4 cards seems deserved.
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| #23 ▲3 Cutpurse (Seaside) Weighted Average: 21.73 ▲2.06 / Median: 23 ▲2.5 / Mode: 28 ▲8 / Standard Deviation: 7.3 ▲2.9 Highest Rank(s): #8 (1x), #9 (1x), #11 (1x) / Lowest Rank(s): #38 (2x), #41 (1x)
Cutpurse is only 0.08 points higher than Baron, very close. If we would take the unweighted average into account, Cutpurse would be only on #26, similar to the last time unexperienced players definitely underrate it. And it has a way lower deviation this time.
Cutpurse is a pretty good opener. It's a terminal Silver that can even hit harder than Militia. In the beginning where every coin is important to get to $5, Cutpurse can be really annoying. And it is even worse in games with more than 2 players where you can lose multiple Coppers in one turn. Yes, later it gets worse and worse and is nothing but a terminal Silver where you can see your opponents hand.
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| #22 ▼1 Farming Village (Cornucopia) Weighted Average: 20.94 ▼0.13 / Median: 21 ▼1 / Mode: 20 =0 / Standard Deviation: 6.3 ▲0.7 Highest Rank(s): #1 (1x), #4 (1x), #8 (1x) / Lowest Rank(s): #29 (2x), #34 (2x)
Its stats are similar to last time and the deviation was even lower - very low for a middle ranked card. Still it has two big outliers, one voted it even first and only 2 people voted it below #30. It would be on #21 taking the unweighted average into account.
Farming Village is the third best (last time: second best) of the 4 $4 villages. The additional ability of this village is always useful and a good counter in cursing games and against top-decking attacks like Rabble. And later in the game where you are heavily greening its additional ability is very useful too. You may even pick it up if you don't necessarily need the actions and just want to have its filter ability. But in games without cursers or even good trashing, it's in the beginning often only an expensive "normal" village. Farming Village / Ambassador is the #91 best opening.
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| #21 ▼3 Throne Room (Base) Weighted Average: 20.45 ▼1.73 / Median: 22 ▼3 / Mode: 27 =0 / Standard Deviation: 8.1 ▲1.0 Highest Rank(s): #2 (1x), #5 (2x) / Lowest Rank(s): #32 (1x), #35 (1x), #36 (1x)
Throne Room experienced a drop of nearly 2 points and 3 ranks. The deviation decreased, but it has still some very high ranks, the highest being second. It would be one rank lower in the unweighted average.
I was curious how Throne Room was going to perform as Throne Room for itself basically does nothing and is highly dependant on the other cards on the board. It can be so strong, especially with strong attacks and with card drawers too. But nothing is more depressing than drawing Throne Room with no other action card. So you need a high action density and hope to draw it with that card you really want to double. You can also use it as a pseudo-village if there's no-one available and really need one, if you double a cantrip. Throne Room can really be a game-changer, especially if you have the luck and draw it with the right cards.
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| #20 ▼11 Moneylender (Base) Weighted Average: 20.39 ▼7.50 / Median: 18 ▼5.50 / Mode: 16 ▼2 / Standard Deviation: 8.8 ▼2.0 Highest Rank(s): #5 (1x), #6 (1x), #7 (3x) / Lowest Rank(s): #35 (1x), #36 (1x), #37 (1x)
What a huge drop of 11 ranks and 7.5 points! Moneylender got on #20 with only 0.06 points better than Throne Room, it was a very close call. As many rated it way lower, but the other half of you still ranking it high, the deviation went up 2 points, the third highest deviation in this list. It would be one rank higher in the unweighted ranking, newer players think it's a little bit stronger.
Moneylender is another card that falls into the category "Great opener, bad afterwards". It's like a Silver but with the trash ability at the same time. Like said earlier, the comparism to Spice Merchant is obvious. Moneylender is a much better opener with the deficit of not being so flexible later in the game. You mostly only want one of it (maybe only on Mountebank boards you would maybe buy a second), but this one can really fasten the game. It's less important as it used to be, but still great for building an engine with high cost cards. Moneylender / Ambassador is the #139 ▼37 best opening.
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| #19 =0 Mining Village (Intrigue) Weighted Average: 20.32 ▼0.21 / Median: 20 =0 / Mode: 20 ▲6 / Standard Deviation: 6.9 ▲0.1 Highest Rank(s): #5 (1x), #9 (2x) / Lowest Rank(s): #31 (3x), #32 (1x), #34 (1x)
Only 0.07 point-lead over Moneylender and 0.13 points over Throne Room, veeeery close. The stats are nearly the same as last time and it has a outlier on #5. It would be one rank lower in the unweighted ranking.
Mining Village is a normal Village with a one-shot Silver possibility and the second best village for $4 (last time: best). If you need a Village you can use that one-shot self-trashing option later in the game when you give up your engine and fully commit on going green or have bad luck late in the game and only hit $6 or $7. And even if you doesn't have a engine and are going basically big money, you can buy this in the mid-game when you miss $6 for a Gold and don't want another Silver in your deck, because this still gives you the additional card and the $2 of a Silver. And if you have enough money and no additional buy you can save the one-shot Silver for later. Mining Village / Ambassador is the #76 best opening.
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| #18 ▼4 Horse Traders (Cornucopia) Weighted Average: 19.77 ▼4.20 / Median: 19 ▼4 / Mode: 23 ▼7 / Standard Deviation: 7.0 ▲1.7 Highest Rank(s): #2 (1x), #4 (1x), #7 (1x) / Lowest Rank(s): #31 (2x), #32 (1x)
Although it "only" went down 4 ranks, it still lost value with a drop of over 4 points. The agreement in this is higher although some still voted it on #2 or #4.
Horse Traders is (beside of Watchtower) the only Reaction card that is useful on many boards. Yes, it is still situational, but the situations occur very often. It's geat against discarding attacks, restoring the hand size - especially against Minion for a hand of 6 cards. Especially with weak attacks this card is good, because the benefit from Horse Traders is bigger for the opponent than the benefit for yourself playing a weak attack. But, the action part is very useful too. It's useful in decks full of green cards and curses, so it's a good supporting card for Gardens or Silk Road rushes, or buying Dukes. And it's a good addition to Hunting Party, a good starter for getting $5 early or early Grand Markets and so on... many possibilities. Still, as it is a Reaction card, it is very situational why you maybe voted it lower than last time.
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| #17 =0 Conspirator (Intrigue) Weighted Average: 18.30 ▲0.04 / Median: 19 ▼0.5 / Mode: 23 ▲1 / Standard Deviation: 7.1 ▲0.5 Highest Rank(s): #3 (1x), #6 (2x) / Lowest Rank(s): #32 (2x), #34 (2x)
Conspirator's stats nearly didn't changed. There's higher consensus on this card, but not much else to say here.
Conspirator is so strong, but heavily depends on supporting cards that have to be non-terminal. Cheap action cards like Wishing Well, Pearl Diver or Hamlet that you can pick up in masses, especially with additional buys are great with Conspirator. You want thin decks with high action density. With that big support, this is a Grand Market just without the additional buy. In all other cases, you have to skip over Conspirator, because it's just a terminal Silver then.
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