CONTEST 82 JUDGING
As per tradition, here I am late with my judging. Woops. So the rules of this contest were a bit farfetched, I hope that did not stop some of you guys to enter something. I just wanted to try something different to see how it’d go! But still, I’m very please with what you guys entered. Like always, the creativity y’all display here is always so damn interesting. ‘Tis a shame we always have to pick only one winner, that’s the only disappointment.
Feel free to discuss my judging should you have any disagreement and stuff. So here we go again:
Way of the Coyote (Way)
You may discard a card for +2 Cards. You may discard a card for +2 Actions.
The two Vanilla effects are: +2 Cards and +2 Actions.Another cool Way from Grep! Basically, this transforms any Action you have into a possible stronger Hamlet. Hey I like that! With this in play, it is Way (lmao pun) easier to build up your Engine. Terminal collision of 2 draw cards? No problem my dude, just Way of the Coyote one of them into a +2 Action. Too many Action but juuuuust not enough draw that turn? Way of the Coyote one of your extra +2 Actions card into a +2 Cards. I like that flexibility. Although maybe this makes things a little too easy for you? Even then, I can’t say I dislike it. It’s still very fun indeed!
Ring (Treasure – Victory)
+1 Villager
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Worth 2 if you have 4 or more Villagers.
The two Vanilla effects are: and +1 Villager.Back when this didn’t have a cost, I theorized that this was worth
. I dunno, I thought it compared favourably to Harem. And the non-terminal way of acquiring Villagers is pretty strong. Note that I’m cool with this being worth
; I just think this seems like a pretty powerful card! This card would love to be Crown’d, that’s for sure.
I like the design here, it seems pretty sound. I feel like the
clause is a little hard to get to. Perhaps it’s not even worth getting there, since I believe one will get more value in using their Villagers rather than pilling them up. Recruiter could invalidate that statement by trashing a Ring, but you know what I mean, hahaha!
Oubliette (Action)
+2 Cards
+1 Action
Reveal your hand. Discard the duplicates.
The two Vanilla effects are: +2 Cards and +1 Action.A Laboratory that rewards deck variety. Cornucopia says hello! This doesn’t work too well when you need multiple copies of a card in your deck. In fact, you might even reduce your hand size playing an Oubliette if you’re careless enough! But it does get its usefulness in certain type of decks, especially because of how cheap it is to acquire one of these. This seems to be a little outclassed by Menagerie, but maybe I’m seeing the whole thing wrong here.
Dragon (Action)
+3 Cards
You may trash a card you have in play other than a Dragon. If you do, +1 Action.
The two Vanilla effects are: +3 Cards and +1 Action.Moving stuff in play during the middle of a turn is always risky since the never-sleeping community here
will find a way to create infinite loops with that kind of power. Luckily, I’m not that far into the rabbit’s hole and I won’t try to come up with crazy scenarios where this is possible.
The trashing clause here implies that you’ve been able to play at least 1 other card before Dragon which gave way for more Actions. Like a crusty ol’ Pearl Diver or what have you. Dragon really benefit from eating those lil’ inexpensive cantrip fellows.
I can see Dragon really benefiting from those “return to your Action phase” cards. Like, Dragon and Villa is a no brainer and looks like a very good combo. Likewise, Dragon + Black Market; or Dragon + Storyteller can be pretty badass if played right. The fact that I’m already thinking about stuff like that means I do like the card, so yay!
Sophia (Action)
+1 Action
Choose one: +; or +1.
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Setup: Add an extra Kingdom card pile costing at least to the Supply.
The two Vanilla effects are: +1 Action and +.Interesting. But I dunno, I feel like I wouldn’t spend my hard earned
on this. There’s tough competition at that price. I’d even consider other disappearing money more, like Festival. Potion stuff is always a little weird. This also screws up a little bit with Alchemist and Apothecary. Especially if they are the “extra Kingdom” out and the only P costing Supply pile. But I can see this being cool with stuff like Scrying Pool.
Figurine (Treasure)
+1 Card
+
Put up to two cards from your hand on top of your deck.
The two Vanilla effects are: +1 Card and +.I’d prefer if it was just a big
coin symbol on top of the +1 Card, that’d fit more with the other Treasure cards out there.
This self-replacing Copper is weird, maybe even a little weak. I get that you can topdeck unused (or just drawn) Action cards with this, but I dunno if I’m ready to spend
for a Figurine to do so. But it is an utility card and so I’m sure some peeps out there will find a perfect spot in their deck for a Figurine.
Yield (Treasure)
+1 Buy
Reveal your hand. + per different card type you reveal.
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During your turns, this costs more per different card type you have in play.
The two Vanilla effects are: +1 Buy and +.I think it’d be a little (and emphasis on the word “little”, for I do not think the problem is a major one at all) hard to remember how much each Yield can be, since with each play of them, you must reveal your hand. And that value can fluctuate. Like if you play a Yield, revealing another Yield, playing that other Yield and then revealing a Treasure-less hand (two different values for two different Yields). Bank’s like that too, but at least the cards are in play and so it’s easier to see how much
each Bank gives.
But like I said, that’s only a teeny-tiny minor complain, so let’s disregard that for a moment. I like the idea of Yield. Deck variety is always a fun thing to toy around with and Cornucopia proved that. The +1 Buy on Yield is appreciated and should help you enable that card more. In fact, any Treasure card with a +1 Buy (ore more, perhaps, if we’re being crazy) is very nice in my book. Overall, cool design!
Ikon (Treasure)
If you have an odd number of Ikons in play, +2 Cards. Otherwise, +. You may discard an Action card to gain an Ikon.
The two Vanilla effects are: +2 Cards and +.Weew, lots of Treasures this time around! Ikon’s nice, let’s not lie to ourselves here. Ikon could justify being in an Action heavy deck more than your average Treasure card and that is nice. This flexibility makes for interesting strategies. I could see someone opening Ikon/Chapel, trashing stuff with the good ol’ Chap at first and discarding it later for more Ikons and more sweet cash. Overall, a nice and sound design.
Mad Scientist (Action)
+
Trash 2 cards from your hand. If at least one costs or more, gain a North Magnet and a South Magnet, both onto your deck.
North Magnet (Action)
+2 Cards
+1 Buy
Look through your discard pile. You may reveal and play a South Magnet from your hand or discard pile.
(This is not in the Supply.)
South Magnet (Action)
+1 Action
+
Look through your discard pile. You may reveal and play a North Magnet from your hand or discard pile.
(This is not in the Supply.)
The two Vanilla effects are: +2 Cards and +1 Buy AND +1 Action and +.Nice! I like how the 2 cards to be gained both qualify for this “2 vanilla effects” contest. The flavour’s pretty neat! Mad Scientist is a nice trasher (albeilt a little late to get one, since, you know
for a Mad Scientist isn’t much early game anyway; although I’d consider it more for that propriety if it’s the only trasher in the Kingdom or with a 5/2 split). I like that the Scientist can trash one of his Magnets to get… more Magnets! And the Magnets themselves are pretty swell. When you gain ‘em, you’ll pretty much be able to play both of them together since they come together, which makes you look forward for your next turn. Together, these are pretty much a Grand Market (+2 Cards instead of +1 Card, but it takes you 2 cards to get there, so it cancels out). Anyway, I like it. And I feel like the trash condition to obtain the Magnets isn’t too punishing either, so it’s definitely worth considering.
Fairy Godmother (Action – Reaction – Fate)
+1 Buy
+
Receive a Boon.
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When another player plays an Attack card, you may first reveal and discard this from your hand, to be unaffected by it. If you do, take a Boon. Receive it at the start of your next turn.
The two Vanilla effects are: +1 Buy and +.There is, I think, a little too much text for my taste on this card. Donald said that Secret Chamber’s reaction was a little too confusing, now imagine his reaction (I hate myself for that pun) to Fairy Godmother. I believe that you can simply say “You may first discard this from your hand” instead of shoehorning a “reveal” in there.
Still, despite all this, I like the Boon receiving reaction. It’s pretty unique and makes for a cool effect!
Dark Path (Action – Curse – Traveler)
+1 Action
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-2
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When you discard this from play, you may exchange it for a Jungle.
Jungle (Treasure – Traveler)
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-2
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When you discard this from play, you may exchange it for a Crossroad.
(This is not in the Supply.)
Crossroad (Treasure – Traveler)
+1 Buy
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-3
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When you discard this from play, you may exchange it for a Loophole.
(This is not in the Supply.)
Loophole (Treasure – Traveler)
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-4
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When you discard this from play, you may exchange it for a Atman.
(This is not in the Supply.)
Atman (Treasure – Victory)
Trash this.
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2
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(This is not in the Supply.)
The two Vanilla effects are: and +1 Buy.Well this is pretty exotic. I mean, I know what you’re doing here, but this is very hard to play it in my head. It messes a lot with the Curse givers like Witch since you can now choose to take a Dark Path instead. It’s not too hard to exchange these since they are all non-Terminal… Still I’ll just say that I’m not too big of a fan of the last guy in this Traveler line, Atman, which might as well not have the
2 printed on it. This is the Dame Josephine syndrome all over again.
Also, it is weird that Crossroad has a +1 Buy slapped on it as opposed to the rest of this line. Like, why that one in particular? I mean, at least this is that one effect that makes this set of cards eligible for this week’s contest.
I wonder why Jungle, Crossroad and Loophole don’t have a Curse label on the bottom. I mean, they’re out-of-Supply cards anyway, not like you can gain them when being attacked by a Witch anyway.
Lastly, I’ll just say I’m not the biggest fan of cards with 2 dividing lines. A card with 2 dividing lines is a good indicator to see if your design is stepping too far into card weirdness; I feel like it screams to be streamlined at this point.
But yeah, this is too different from anything I’ve seen in Dominion for me to truly comprehend what’s going on there (non-terminal Curse Traveler line which ends on a self-trash instead of an overpowered card).
Gondolier (Night – Reserve)
For each card you’ve bought this turn, +1 Coffers. Put this on your Tavern mat.
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At the start of your Buy phase, you may call this for +1 Buy.
The two Vanilla effects are: +1 Coffers and +1 Buy.I think you have priced this correctly. Yes, non-terminal +Coffers can be quite scary design wise. I think, however, that this is done well here. The Coffers cannot be immediately spent when you’re player Gondoliers. Gondoliers also go directly on your Tavern mat, meaning that their Coffers gaining ability get disabled every other turn. So yeah, play 3 Gondoliers on a turn where you’ve bought 2 cards for 6 Coffers. I think this is fair. But you know what, I’m a little narrow minded too and I might not be seeing the bigger, game breaking combo here if it exists.
Carpenter (Action – Duration)
Either now or at the start of your next turn, +2 Cards.
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While this is in play, the first time you gain a Treasure card each turn, +1 Buy.
The two Vanilla effects are: +2 Cards and +1 Buy.Heh that’s funny. Back in the days, I made a (crappy) set of card with my bro for Dominion and he made a card called Carpenter with that exact same picture as well. Ahhh good memories.
So yeah. At first, I was a little confused by the wording of “each turn”. I dunno what that meant. Then I understood that this mean both turns the Duration is in play. I feel like there could be a less awkward way of wording that, but heck if I know. The card itself is pretty swell. Big fan of the new “either now or at the start of your next turn” introduced in Menagerie, like with Barge. A good and sometimes tough choice to make. Especially with the bottom clause of this here Carpenter. Do you need more cards now to fire off the +Buy? Or are you okay now and so you can save those 2 extra cards in anticipation for your next turn? I like it!
Jhum (Action)
Reveal your hand. Trash 3 cards from your hand costing or more. If you did, then +2 Buys and +.
The two Vanilla effects are: +2 Buys and +.Ouch, this seems rather harsh for whoever plays this. Trashing cards costing
or more? These are starting to be pretty valuable cards. And 3 of them? In your hand at once? Even if you weren’t punishing yourself so hard with Jhum, gathering the ingredients for the benefit to be fired is not the easiest task. And the reward is pretty underwhelming honestly. I’ll just buy a Capital instead, which also gives me
and a Buy at the cost of no Action and I’ll be punished less harshly for doing so.
Apiary (Action)
Choose 1: +1 Villager and +1 Buy; or gain a Honey.
Honey (Treasure)
If you have no Coffers, +1 Coffers.
(This is not in the Supply.)
The two Vanilla effects are: +1 Villager and +1 Buy AND and +1 Coffers.Nice little duo of cards both falling in line within the rules of this week’s contest
. I appreciate the effort you took to ensure that this came to be even if only one card was required to have 2 vanilla effects. That’s very thematic!
Apiary has trouble being paired with the Honeys it dispatches since you probably want a draw card in your deck to have a bunch of Honeys at once. The +1 Villager and +1 Buy choice is a little disappointing, since you’ll eat through that Villager to play more Actions. So it’s one less card in your hand for an extra Buy. No truly, I think the “gain a Honey” clause is where it’s at. ‘Cuz Honey seems pretty swell to me. Play one Honey, spend the Coffers immediately, play another Honey, spend that other Coffers immediately, rinse and repeat.
Seagull (Action)
+3 Cards
You may discard a Seagull from your hand. If you do, choose one: +1 Action; or gain a Seagull.
The two Vanilla effects are: +3 Cards and +1 Action.A Smithy plus like you said. Or like a Forum, really, where you discard one less card, but a more valuable one. Difference between this and Forum is that this can gain another Seagull at the cost of your Action, whereas Forum gives a +Buy on gain. 2 niche effects, but that have a reason to exist. I like Seagull, it seems sound to me. The choice on a “if you do” thingy is a little funky, but the card itself is pretty simple anyway, so it’s fine.
Extort (Action – Duration – Attack)
Until the start of your next turn, when a player ends their Buy phase with less than , +1 Card and they draw one less card for their next hand. At the start of your next turn, +2 Coffers.
The two Vanilla effects are: +1 Card and +2 Coffers.First, I’ll say that I’m glad you gave this a name
. I know this sounds silly, but I feel like the name plays a part of the whole card creation process, just like the price of the card does, just like the effects of the card does, etc.
Anyway, for the card itself: On a lil’ technical note, I think it’d be better to say “
unspent” (see Wine Merchant) for more clarity.
Okay, so I realize that this is unlikely, but what if you have a couple of err… Extorts out? At 3 Extorts in play, a careless opponent might end up with a starting hand of 2 cards for their next turn. Likewise, you could simply King’s court an Extort to get that effect. In fact, I’m pretty sure you can pin your opponent with this. King’s Court > King’s Court > Extort > Extort is sufficient to lock an opponent who has less than
in unspent
. Because they’d then start their next turn with 0 cards, which means they’d have less than
in unspent
once more. So you can lock their turns.
Crumbling City (Action)
+2 Cards
+2 Actions
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When you discard this from play, set it aside and put it into your discard pile at the end of the turn (after drawing).
The two Vanilla effects are: +2 Cards and +2 Actions.A pretty sexy
card. I kinda like the consequence of this Lost City variant, with its weird Faithful Hound mechanic of doing something directly after you draw your next hand. In fact, it’d be cool if more cards in Dominion did stuff like that, affecting your discard pile for your next turn and preventing these cards-into-discard-pile to be drawn in your next hand no matter what. I tried to do something like this in the Variant subcategory of the Dominion Discord server (you may remember what it was), but it was pretty eeeeeeh. Here, the idea is exploited way better. I like Crumbling City. And I feel like asking
for that card is correct.
Semifinalists: Gondolier; Ring; Mad Scientist; Seagull; Dragon
Finalist: Way of the Coyote; Ikon
Winner: Crumbling City
A late addition to this contest by Something_Smart, and yet a very interesting one, Crumbling City swoops in and snatch the Victory for this week.
Placing those finalists/semifinalists was torture. I kept changing them around. Dragon and Seagull were both finalists at first, but then I kept switching stuff around. In the end, I settled with this placement for the cards. This is cruel at best, hahaha!
Anyway, thank you everyone for your patience. Now the ball is in Something_Smart’s camp!