Contest #94: Pure Victory card (with no other types)No posts in three day, so I dare to judge without any 24h warnings.
There were so many submissions and great ideas this weak, lots of great stuff!
Which doesn't make the judging any easier.
Please correct me if I got anything about your card wrong.
green by majiponiThis is simple and sound. Obviously it is stronger in 2P than multiplayer games, where you are more likely to get a larger part of the pile.
What I like most about this is the option of not immediately putting the token on a pile respectively later switching it. That could lead to bluffing and also helps you to get out of a deadlock.
The price is off though, this has to cost at least $5. Even in 3P games, you will want a cantrip that you can get 3-4 copies of.
Rice Paddy by silverspawn
I read this as an endgame-only Expedition variant. Very neat when you hit less than $8, don't want to settle for a mere Duchy and aim for a Province instead.
Which already indicates a problem, why not do this as an Event instead?
In the endgame, an extra card or not matters little (compared to an opening/middlegame card like Cemetery) and I doubt that the pile will often empty, so I don't see why a landscape would not be simpler.
Cantref by mandioca15This seems to be slightly better than Ritual and I like that unlike Ritual, this is independent from the Curse pile (Ritual is basically dead in Kingdoms with Cursers).
So yeah, on the one hand a nice Ritual fix but on the other hand too similar to it.
Feudal Grant by LittleFishI don't get this, in the absence of trashing Attacks it is strictly superior to Duchy.
Swamp by Library AdventurerNormally you play most of your Treasures and Actions. Say, I keep two Coppers. Then this is 2VP for basically $5.
Say, I drew 2 Actions dead. Then it is 2VPs for $3. Like Tunnel.
I probably miss something but I don't see how this is good enough
Bog by spinefluNot much to say here, I read it as an IGG fix. Hey, does IGG need a fix?
Well, it is totally subjective, I loate IGG rushes and this looks like a less crazy version of it.
I also love putting the extra Buy to a Victory card.
Distant Island by CarlineI don't want to be too critical of it, Insta-Island is good idea. I just think that it is too good compared to Duchy and too automatic.
Distand Lands makes you think about how quick you cycle through your deck and anticipate the end of the game. That's the beauty of games in general and good
Dominion cards in particular, tricky decisions.
But I don't want to sound to harsh, the idea is sound and cool.
Native Lands by pubbySo this is somewhere between 0 and 8 VPs. I somehow don't feel at ease with it but have to admit that this is a three-pile monster. Great design!
RUNNER-UPCity State by FragasnapVineyard is most viable when there are lots of cantrips/terminals. They all yields Actions.
So what does this differently or better than Vineyard? I am afraid, not that much.
Rural Estate by D782802859Cool idea, gain good stuff that comes with junk. I have a similar issue as with
silverspawn's Rice Paddy though.
We are no longer Caching our Masterpieces, this would be more naturally implemented as an Event.
Franklin by AquilaAt first this seems like a pure virtual Coins card but I think it is important to note than e.g. buying a Franklin with 2 Golds is fine.
One could argue that the Kingdom dictates the viability of virtual Coins but I think that would be too simple. Even a Conspirator engine might have a Silver flying around or have a Gold on top to spike and this makes player sweat much more about their deck composition.
That is why I like about it, that it makes you sweat about your deck composition more than normal!
Barren Reigion/Bountiful Region by Something SmartOK, so if you are able to buy two in a row they are better than two Duchies.
Hey, you might even get rid of some of those lategame Curses from those Coven Witches. Or get a Gold somebody Remodeled. Or not.
I don't see the appeal of such narrow use cards.
Plot of Land/Temp Worker by Xen3kThis is very hard to judge without a lot of playtesting. So just a few idle, theoretical notes.
First, even with the draw of Temp Worker there is the problem of matching the pair. Not a huge problem, there is probably other stuff you want to Remodel.
Second, what do you want to remodel Plot of Land into? Another Plot of Land? Sounds OKish, you got a 2VP minigame running. A Gold for future Temp Workers? Well, but then you need more Plots of Lands for more Temp Workers.
Another $5? Nah, that probably makes no sense at all. Well, perhaps it does if it is the endgame and you only want a Duchy.
I cannot judge the power level of this in the least degree. My hunch is that it is too weak but that could be totally wrong.
What I like about the design is that it makes you think. Hard. And a lot. Or I am just too stupid.
Senator by grepFinally, a set collection card!
I don't like the Debt cost, it makes it less accessible (except for the last turn) as it becomes ungainable by Workshop variants.
I also think that 1VP is far too little payoff. Even if you manage to get 2 sets, you get the same VPs as Tunnel for basically the same price.
One has to be incentivized much more to go for that set.
Compost by NoMoreFunThis is a beautiful idea. It is basically a race, you are forced to go for Compost at the very moment the opponent does so.
Gee, it could be even viable as an opener!
And there is the rub, it empties two piles and is likely too centralizing.
Estuary by anordinarymanThis is similar to
LFN's Floodgate. I like it, there is a nice balance between the VPs and the draw (i.e. neither is dominating in general / on average).
The card is simple and good.
Magical Lands by spheremonkI am prejudiced about Double potion costs. Many people seriously underestimate the opportunity costs of Potion.
If you add the matching risk of two Potions to that, that is a huge bulk or risk / wasted gain/buy-Power / semi-dead cards in your deck.
But Magical Lands comes with a trick, if you make them match, they disappear!
Now as a card-carrying Double Potion cost inquisitor, I have to admit that this could be at thing.
There is a Kingdom with gainers, trashers and extra Buys and you could be all set up for the land of unicorns.
This is daring and innovative! Although the general principles dogmatist in me wants to see such designs land in the digital trashbin instantaneously, the creative dude in me likes it.
RUNNER-UPWaterfall by RhodosNot much to say about this. It is viable without trashing and can shine with trashing, not just TfB.
Of course you would love to Forge your two Waterfalls into a Province, but if that Lookout spots a Waterfall that isn't so bad either. That's a crucial point, it is not just Fortress put on a green card, it is more than that.
Lovely design!
RUNNER-UPCountryside by scott-pilgrimAnother stab at set collection!
This is basically a flexible and stronger version of "X VPs per set of Estate-Duchy-Province".
It is a conventional Province game with some Duchies coming in at the end? Hey, don't forget to make some Countrysides in your Ironworks (how does that work?)!
It is a Shepherd game? Sure, you want all green anyway, but now those Countrysides care about Estates and Provinces.
Also, my hunch the price is correct. You gotta work some to push this into 4VP territory and you gotta handle all that green.
This is absolutely brilliant!
RUNNER-UPS: We have pubby's Native Lands aka the three-piler monster., spheremonk's wild and creative Double Potion Magical Lands, Rhodos' Fortress-like Waterfall and scott-pilgrim's set-collection-ish Countryside.
WINNER: Countryside by scott-pilgrim. Basically, Silk Road done right.