(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/8/8c/Gardens.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Gardens)(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/6/66/Cache.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Cache)(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/a/a1/Count.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Count)(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/2/2f/Embassy.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Embassy)(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/1/1f/Inn.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Inn)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/2/2c/Candlestick_Maker.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Candlestick_Maker)(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/9/9b/University.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/University)(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/f/fc/Oasis.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Oasis)(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/0/05/Smugglers.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Smugglers)(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/0/0c/Envoy.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Envoy)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/b/be/Travelling_Fair.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Travelling_Fair)(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/8/89/Raid.jpg) (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Raid)
Candlestick Maker, University, Oasis, Smugglers, Envoy, Gardens, Cache, Count, Embassy, Inn, Travelling Fair, Raid
So I have a group of people whom I play with IRL weekly, using all expansions except Empires, because it isn't out yet. This is one of the more intriguing games that I've come across (despite not having any cards from Intrigue in it).
Looking at the board, there seems to be a potential for an engine here, but it just doesn't seem worth it versus the Gardens rush. I actually opened with Travelling Fair, buying a copper and putting a Candlestick Maker on top of my deck, enabling me to get two more Candlestick Makers next turn. Normally, I wouldn't see Candlestick Maker as a Gardens enabler particularly, but with Travelling Fair it seems to work pretty well. I got Cache a few times before just going straight for the coppers. It took my opponents a little while to catch on (this was a 4P game), but the Gardens and Candlestick Makers were gone in no time. The third pile ended up being Copper, making this the second time that's happened to me (the first was a Mountebank game).
I have no idea if I played this board well at all, but I did win, so there's that. I'm a big fan of rushes like this that involve a synergy between three or more cards (or events); they provide a nice break from the usual engines and 2-card combos. How do you guys think Travelling Fair works with Gardens? Would this normally be too slow? Is Cache good here?