Dominion Strategy Forum
Dominion => Dominion General Discussion => Topic started by: heatthespurs on December 03, 2011, 04:21:30 am
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Today I played a game which I won, but in fact I have no idea what I was playing... I just do not have any idea on how to play this board optimally. So would like to hear some of your opinion on it.
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201112/03/game-20111203-010600-442b216e.html
Crossroads, Develop, Scheme, Shanty Town, Quarry, Royal Seal, Jester, Minion, Harem, Forge, Platinum, Colony
Both my opponent and I went for Minion + something. I guess Minion is important here. But what else? Is crossroads good with Harem? Is Develop ok with card at every price point? Does scheme worth buying with Minion attack?
What will be your strategy here?
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Hmm. I don't see any real good strat here. Minion is not that grat for Colonies, esp. if both player wants their Minions. But you probably can't let them uncountered. Forge will not be great against Minion. Quarry has no +buys. XR-Harem might be interesting. But the Roads are expensive when you don't have +buys. Develop might help to get the Crossroads, but you would have to gain a Quarry, which is a Copper here.
I think I would go for the Jester to steal some Minions (and buy some myself if that doesn't work) and dilute the deck of the Minionplayer, to let a potential Minion not go uncountered, perhaps a Forge to tune the deck later, but as said, against Minion that's dangerous, and otherwise BigMoney.
Edit: ... perhaps supported by XR-Harem if it fits (can steal XR with Jester or bad hands (buy XR>Silver later))
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Crossroad is excellent with Harem, but in a colony game, I'm not sure.
Minion isn't bad with Shanty Town.
So my strategy would be : 4/5 Minions (maybe with a quarry), 3/4 Shanty Towns, 1 Jester, Forge (Gold + Minion = Colony) and Big Money.
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I'd try, hmm, minion/forge/jester (and a shanty town or two) into a province rush? Jester to hopefully bathe him in curses and coppers, minion to ensure he only ever gets a 4 card hand, and then forge to deplete provinces as quickly as possible. If possible, forge province + shanty town into colony as well.
With a 4/3 opening I think I might open develop/quarry.
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Theoretically, Schemes should be helpful in a minion deck. If over the course of a minion chain you play three minions and three schemes, next turn you can start with three minions in hand, which means $4 + a new hand.
I say theoretically since I've never actually seen them together.
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Theoretically, Schemes should be helpful in a minion deck. If over the course of a minion chain you play three minions and three schemes, next turn you can start with three minions in hand, which means $4 + a new hand.
I say theoretically since I've never actually seen them together.
That's very dangerous if your opponent is also going for minions (look! all my minions in my next hand! crap! there go all my minions!), and unnecessary if he's not.
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I really don't know how good a crossroads/harem deck would be in a colony game, with 4 cards hands after minion attacks. I'm guessing they would struggle. On that basis I'd go for a develop/quarry opener, looking to get shanty town, minions, jester, playing the endgame as needed.
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When you're considering Crossroads-Harem (which I believe is a strong strategy for Province games), don't forget that if your opponent's Jester hits a Harem, you get a Curse, with no good way to trash it.
I think I would open Shanty Town/Silver. With my first $5 I'd get a Jester, then contest Minions. I would avoid Crossroads/Harem (see above), Forge (which hates small hand sizes, which you're virtually guaranteed to have between your Minions and your opponent's Minions), and Develop (trashing is too slow; I don't see any good synergies for top-decking) -- I guess that means I'm basically going BM and getting Minions as a counter to letting him have them all.
This strategy is higher variance than I would like, since if I'm able to hit $5 repeatedly early I'm in really good shape, as the Minions/Jesters I get will make it easier to get $5 and $6 in future hands (and I can avoid clogging my deck with Silver), and otherwise I will have to pollute my deck with cruft that doesn't fit (Crossroads, Silver) but I don't really see a better alternative.
If I am playing someone I'm sure is much better than me, then I think I would open Quarry/Develop. Same basic gameplan, but add a Forge and hope to get lucky connecting things to make Platinum, either by Developing Provinces or Forging. This is even higher variance since I'm going to be trying to connect combos (Forge-Quarry-Minion, Develop-Province) without trashing and with four card hands, but higher variance strategies have better chances of producing victories if your opponent is more skilled.
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I'd only buy Minions on this board if my opponent did, just to make sure his density didn't become to overwhleming. Otherwise I'd go Jester/Forge/BM.