LF starts off by saying that any 2+ cards with positive synergy should be called a "combo", but now he's giving +1 to posts from Donald which explicitly say synergies and combos are different things.
My +1s do not mean that I fully endorse the arguments in a post; only that the post makes a good point. I think LF is fairly generous with his +1s, too.
Fair point.
I'm totally confused by this thread. LF starts off by saying that any 2+ cards with positive synergy should be called a "combo", but now he's giving +1 to posts from Donald which explicitly say synergies and combos are different things.
I think any two cards that have synergy can be called a combo. You don't have to use that word. Saying they have synergy is fine, too.
Prior to Donald's post, I hadn't considered the idea that two cards could have synergy but not have interacting rules. I'd like a few examples of that.
Maybe they can be called a combo, but
should they be? Anything can be called anything if you define the words the right way.
I think Oasis+Rebuild is an example of synergy where their rules don't really interact.
Well for the two examples I gave, Scout+Great Hall have positive synergy but they are so weak that I would not call it a combo. Rebuild+Oasis has positive synergy (Oasis improves cycling, gives some coin so it's a bit easier to hit $5) but not so much that I would call it more than the sum of its parts; it's just a strong card and a decent card doing their usual things.
I think that every synergy in Dominion has its component cards producing more than the sum of its parts. Even with Rebuild + Oasis, Oasis is producing slightly more $ on average compared to a non-Rebuild deck because the Rebuild deck will have a higher Victory card density and therefore it's less likely to discard a Copper to Oasis.
Rebuild+Oasis has positive synergy...but not so much that I would call it more than the sum of its parts
But that's what "synergy" is
He's right. That is the literally the definition of synergy.
synergy
[sin-er-jee]
noun, plural synergies.
1. the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc.; synergism.
I'm saying that the gain is small enough that it falls on the insignificant side of my fuzzy line.
In any case, pure dictionary definitions aren't great for this discussion. If we do that, we can say
any two cards make a combo whether they work together or not, because the definition of "combo" is "any combination".