Dominion Strategy Forum
Dominion => Variants and Fan Cards => Weekly Design Contest => Topic started by: Augie279 on June 01, 2023, 12:57:36 pm
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Challenge: Design a card with vanilla bonuses that you don't get first.
...This is gonna be a bit weird to explain, so I'll list a couple cards that might come to mind and why they do or don't qualify.
Oracle - The first thing you do is the Attack. Then you get to draw cards.
Scrap - You trash a card, then get some number of vanilla bonuses depending on the cost of what you trashed (plus gain Silver and Horse). They don't always come with it, but they can.
Swamp Hag/Haunted Woods - The Attack hits before the vanilla bonus.
Baron - You get the +Buy before you discard an Estate for a vanilla bonus.
Village Green - No matter which option you choose, the first thing you do is get vanilla effects from it.
Amulet - You can take a vanilla bonus first.
...I hope it's clear enough what I'm going for here. There's probably a better way to word it, but I hope this is sufficient.
For the sake of this contest, the following count as vanilla bonuses: +Cards, +Actions, +Buy, +$, +VP, +Coffers, +Villagers, +Favors.
Contest ends in 7 days (6/8/2023). Best of luck to all entrants!
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...is this contest too unclear/confusing/not fun
I can change it if that's the case
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Here ya go Augie279, to ease your worries ;)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52944054649_a982847eba_w.jpg)
Chef transforms stuff for you and makes it better, or can sell the food off (+Cards).
Kinda like a terminal Transmogrify? But since it's "exactly $1 more" it can be a thinner instead. So if you choose to thin, it becomes a weaker (but more flexible) Pooka.
If this is the last card in your hand when you play it, it functions as plain Smithy, but that's an uncommon situation.
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Almsgiving
cost $2 - Action
Discard a card.
If you did, choose one: +3 Cards; +3 Actions; +3 Buys; or +$3.
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(https://i.imgur.com/q3Q7GDu.png)
Elixir
$4 - Action
Choose one:
Take the -1 Card token for +$3 or
Take the -$1 token for +3 Cards
(you don't get the benefit if you didn't pay the cost)
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Courses
Action - $4
You may discard a card for +2 Cards
You may discard 3 cards for +4 Cards
You may discard your hand for +6 Cards
Rules clarification: You can do multiples (discard, draw, discard, draw, discard, draw)
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Renovate
Action - Duration
8 Debt
Trash a card from your hand. Gain a card costing up to $2 more than it onto your deck.
Either now or at the start of your next turn +1 Card and +1 Action
Notes
- A Remodel variant. Barring some edge cases choosing to take the draw and action now means it is a non-terminal Remodel that gains to your hand.
- When comparing this to other Remodel variants it does need to be quite expensive. I have gone for a debt cost as I still want it to be possible to gain the card early on. Is 8 debt over excessive? If it was given a normal cost in coins I think it would bee to be a 6.
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Covetous Witch
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/6/6f/Coin6.png/16px-Coin6.png) - Action Duration Attack
You may discard a Duchy or a Gold. If you do, each other player gains a Curse.
At start of your next turn, +4 Cards.
Notes: The combination of requiring the discard and it being a duration limits how quickly it can curse. It also costs $6 so that you won’t pick up a lot of them quickly, and so that it competes with purchasing the Gold required to start cursing.
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(https://i.imgur.com/ii0zYPPh.jpg)
Craftsman
Action - Liaison ($4)
Gain a card costing up to $4. +1 Favor per $1 less than $4 it costs.
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(https://i.imgur.com/ii0zYPPh.jpg)
Craftsman
Action - Liaison ($4)
Gain a card costing up to $4. +1 Favor per $1 less than $4 it costs.
When I gain a 2-cost Fisherman, do I pay 1 Favor?
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Builder
Action, (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/6/6f/Coin6.png/16px-Coin6.png)
Gain a card costing less than this.
If it costs (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/2/2a/Coin4.png/16px-Coin4.png) or less, +1 Card and +1 Action.
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(https://i.imgur.com/ii0zYPPh.jpg)
Craftsman
Action - Liaison ($4)
Gain a card costing up to $4. +1 Favor per $1 less than $4 it costs.
When I gain a 2-cost Fisherman, do I pay 1 Favor?
It seems to only check if the card costs less, not more. Losing resources doesn't tend to happen in Dominion, so I'm gonna rule no.
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(https://i.imgur.com/q3Q7GDu.png)
Elixir
$4 - Action
Choose one:
Take the -1 Card token for +$3 or
Take the -$1 token for +3 Cards
(you don't get the benefit if you didn't pay the cost)
This is too weak. Mandarin is really a total crap card and the extra flexibility does not compensate for the Smithy nerf.
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(https://i.imgur.com/NHcOlGB.png)
Pick your two best cards to play and bid farewell to the rest as they sink into the mire.
*Edit: simplified wording, dropped the "You may"
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Wise Jester • $5 • Action
Choose one: set this aside for +1 Card, +1 Action, and either +$1 or +1 Buy discard at Clean-up;
or trash this from play for +4 Cards and either +1 Action or +1 Buy.
Choices choices. :)
previous version:
Wise Jester • $5 • Action
Choose one: discard a card from play (not this) for +1 Card, +1 Action, and either +$1 or +1 Buy;
or trash this from play for +4 Cards and either +1 Action or +1 Buy.
previous version:
Wise Jester • $5 • Action
Choose one: set this aside for +1 Card, +1 Action, and either +$1 or +1 Buy discard at the end of your turn;
or trash this from play for +4 Cards and either +1 Action or +1 Buy.
previous version:
Wise Jester • $5 • Action
Choose one: discard this from play for +1 Card, +1 Action, and either +$1 or +1 Buy;
or trash this from play for +4 Cards and either +1 Action or +1 Buy.
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(https://i.imgur.com/Pfgz9Ds.png)
Water Wheel
Action - $4
This turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
It keeps on turning...
Yes, it activates on itself.
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(https://i.imgur.com/Pfgz9Ds.png)
Water Wheel
Action - $4
This turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
It keeps on turning...
Yes, it activates on itself.
I like this, but it kind of gets annoying on treasures, prompting a discard each time. I also see casual players misplaying this with treasures.
I like “you may” and I don’t think it makes it too powerful.
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Wise Jester • $5 • Action
Choose one: discard this from play for +1 Card, +1 Action, and either +$1 or +1 Buy;
or trash this from play for +4 Cards and either +1 Action or +1 Buy.
Choices choices. :)
This gives you infinite (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/6/6d/Coin.png/16px-Coin.png) and Buys with a drawn deck, since you discard it and then draw it, then play it to discard it and then draw it, ad infinitum.
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Wise Jester • $5 • Action
Choose one: set this aside for +1 Card, +1 Action, and either +$1 or +1 Buy discard at the end of your turn;
or trash this from play for +4 Cards and either +1 Action or +1 Buy.
Choices choices. :)
previous version:
Wise Jester • $5 • Action
Choose one: discard this from play for +1 Card, +1 Action, and either +$1 or +1 Buy;
or trash this from play for +4 Cards and either +1 Action or +1 Buy.
Why does it set aside? Isn't leaving it in play enough?
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(https://i.imgur.com/Pfgz9Ds.png)
Water Wheel
Action - $4
This turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
It keeps on turning...
Yes, it activates on itself.
I like this, but it kind of gets annoying on treasures, prompting a discard each time. I also see casual players misplaying this with treasures.
I like “you may” and I don’t think it makes it too powerful.
I have thought about this. Thematically, I kind of like the fact that you can't just stop it. I see your point though.
I do believe that a blanket "you may" is too strong here. This is already very good if you can pair it with a Village, I want at least some potential downside in there. A potential fix could be that you get to choose to stop at some point, but then the effect is gone for the remained of the turn. Not sure how to best word that though, and it would take away from the simplicity, which is a bit sad.
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(https://i.imgur.com/Pfgz9Ds.png)
Water Wheel
Action - $4
This turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
It keeps on turning...
Yes, it activates on itself.
I like this, but it kind of gets annoying on treasures, prompting a discard each time. I also see casual players misplaying this with treasures.
I like “you may” and I don’t think it makes it too powerful.
I have thought about this. Thematically, I kind of like the fact that you can't just stop it. I see your point though.
I do believe that a blanket "you may" is too strong here. This is already very good if you can pair it with a Village, I want at least some potential downside in there. A potential fix could be that you get to choose to stop at some point, but then the effect is gone for the remained of the turn. Not sure how to best word that though, and it would take away from the simplicity, which is a bit sad.
How about:
During your Action phase this turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
or
This turn, after you play an Action card, discard a card for +1 Card.
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Wise Jester • $5 • Action
Choose one: discard a card from play (not this) for +1 Card, +1 Action, and either +$1 or +1 Buy;
or trash this from play for +4 Cards and either +1 Action or +1 Buy.
Choices choices. :)
This version can once again go infinite if you have 2 of them. Additionally, it being able to discard Duration cards with next turn effects makes tracking them very difficult.
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(https://i.imgur.com/Pfgz9Ds.png)
Water Wheel
Action - $4
This turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
It keeps on turning...
Yes, it activates on itself.
I like this, but it kind of gets annoying on treasures, prompting a discard each time. I also see casual players misplaying this with treasures.
I like “you may” and I don’t think it makes it too powerful.
I have thought about this. Thematically, I kind of like the fact that you can't just stop it. I see your point though.
I do believe that a blanket "you may" is too strong here. This is already very good if you can pair it with a Village, I want at least some potential downside in there. A potential fix could be that you get to choose to stop at some point, but then the effect is gone for the remained of the turn. Not sure how to best word that though, and it would take away from the simplicity, which is a bit sad.
How about:
During your Action phase this turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
or
This turn, after you play an Action card, discard a card for +1 Card.
That would make it pretty pointless in a kingdom without villages.
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(https://i.imgur.com/Pfgz9Ds.png)
Water Wheel
Action - $4
This turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
It keeps on turning...
Yes, it activates on itself.
I like this, but it kind of gets annoying on treasures, prompting a discard each time. I also see casual players misplaying this with treasures.
I like “you may” and I don’t think it makes it too powerful.
I have thought about this. Thematically, I kind of like the fact that you can't just stop it. I see your point though.
I do believe that a blanket "you may" is too strong here. This is already very good if you can pair it with a Village, I want at least some potential downside in there. A potential fix could be that you get to choose to stop at some point, but then the effect is gone for the remained of the turn. Not sure how to best word that though, and it would take away from the simplicity, which is a bit sad.
How about:
During your Action phase this turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
or
This turn, after you play an Action card, discard a card for +1 Card.
That would make it pretty pointless in a kingdom without villages.
:) How so?
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(https://i.imgur.com/Pfgz9Ds.png)
Water Wheel
Action - $4
This turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
It keeps on turning...
Yes, it activates on itself.
I like this, but it kind of gets annoying on treasures, prompting a discard each time. I also see casual players misplaying this with treasures.
I like “you may” and I don’t think it makes it too powerful.
I have thought about this. Thematically, I kind of like the fact that you can't just stop it. I see your point though.
I do believe that a blanket "you may" is too strong here. This is already very good if you can pair it with a Village, I want at least some potential downside in there. A potential fix could be that you get to choose to stop at some point, but then the effect is gone for the remained of the turn. Not sure how to best word that though, and it would take away from the simplicity, which is a bit sad.
How about:
During your Action phase this turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
or
This turn, after you play an Action card, discard a card for +1 Card.
That would make it pretty pointless in a kingdom without villages.
:) How so?
Because you'd no longer have any Actions after playing it and thus it would do next to nothing since you couldn't play any Action cards afterwards in the same turn. It still triggers off itself, but "discard a card for +1 Card" is very, very awful for any price.
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(https://i.imgur.com/CIcYmg2.png)
Tithe Collector
$4 - Action - Attack
Each player with 5 or more cards in hand trashes a Treasure from it (or reveals they can’t). If anyone trashed a Copper this turn, +$3.
Early on, it’s Cutpurse (https://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Cutpurse) that trashes instead of discarding. Like Thief (https://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Thief) and Pirate Ship (https://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Pirate_Ship), it helps opponents get rid of their junk, but maybe you need to quickly afford something expensive. Later when you have an engine going, you can get in on the trashing. In multiples it can be a cheap terminal Gold, which is sometimes useful, but be sure to keep a Copper around to trash.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/4fLhB00d/Lake-Creature-V1.png)
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(https://i.imgur.com/CIcYmg2.png)
Tithe Collector
$4 - Action - Attack
Each player with 5 or more cards in hand trashes a Treasure from it (or reveals they can’t). If anyone trashed a Copper this turn, +$3.
Early on, it’s Cutpurse (https://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Cutpurse) that trashes instead of discarding. Like Thief (https://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Thief) and Pirate Ship (https://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Pirate_Ship), it helps opponents get rid of their junk, but maybe you need to quickly afford something expensive. Later when you have an engine going, you can get in on the trashing. In multiples it can be a cheap terminal Gold, which is sometimes useful, but be sure to keep a Copper around to trash.
A pure terminal Gold might be a bit too good at $4, but not much (Fortune Hunter is a rough benchmark). So your card is a $4 effect for you plus a $3-4 effect for the opponents (+1 Card +1 Action Trash a Copper from your hand.) in the opening.
I am not convinced and would rather be on the receiving side of this "Attack" (we have some experience with Treasure trashers and even the newest incarnation, Corsair, is pretty weak) than on the giving side.
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Gate Guardian/ Action /3, 2d
Exile 2 non- victory cards from your hand, then do the following, depending on the total cost:
0: Gain a copper
1-4: +1$, +1 Buy
More: +3$, +2 Buys
Per Potion: Gain a Card costing up to 5
A beggar comes into town? Here you go poor man, get a copper. The bigger your trades are, the easier you come through the gates of the town.
Of course this would come in a expansion that also has potion cards so it can be reliable triggered. Its a very bad copper thinner, but if you find combos for that it can be great! You can always open with it, but then not buy anything else this turn, so is it worth it?
Feedback would be appreciated, its a bit hard to balance these kinds of stuff.
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(https://i.ibb.co/ys6FV3j/image.png)
Some words on why this may not be as weak as it looks on first glance -- mostly, you only discard one copy, so initially this is kinda "discard a copper, +4 cards" rather than Smithy's "+3 cards" which is arguably slightly better, though with a lot of added potential downside. But unlike Menagerie, you don't have to get rid of your starting cards, so it's a little easier. You'd probably rather have Smithy in most cases, but well Smithy is quite strong. Also note that you draw after the check, so if you have two Platinum or sth in your deck and this is the only draw, you can still draw them.
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24 Hour Warning
Current Submissions:
czzzz - Chef
Majiponi - Almsgiving
grep - Elixir
NoMoreFun - Courses
xyz123 - Renovate
JW - Covetous Witch
AJL828 - Craftsman
kru5h - Builder
4est - Swamp Village
BryGuy - Wise Jester
faust - Water Wheel
SignError - Tithe Collector
X-tra - Lake Creature
sumrex - Gate Guardian
silverspawn - Foundry
Get those last few cards in!
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(https://i.imgur.com/XRKqTPR.png)
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Contest Closed!
I should have results in a day or two.
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It has been four days since the contest closed with no further word. If tomorrow there’s still no word, can a mod choose a winner so that the next contest can get posted?
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It has been four days since the contest closed with no further word. If tomorrow there’s still no word, can a mod choose a winner so that the next contest can get posted?
I can do that, since the other mod has a submission and I don't.
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let's give Augie at least 24 hours though
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Hi, sorry, this took longer than expected. I can get results out today.
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Alright, let's do this. Sorry for the delay, I tried to give a good writeup on as many cards as I could.
(Slight wording and syntax tweaks have been done to a couple of these cards. They shouldn't change what the card was going for. If it did, apologies. I tried to interpret these the best I could.)
czzzz - Chef (Action, $5)
Trash a card from your hand to gain a card to your hand costing exactly $1 more than it. If you didn't gain a card this way, +3 Cards.
Pretty versatile for a Smithy variant. Immediate comparison that comes to my mind is actually Sacrifice vs. Moneylender. They both cost the same, but Sacrifice gives you 1 less coin for the ability to trash more things and some nice benefits for doing so. Likewise, the Upgrade/Transmogrify effect tacked on to cards you're gonna gain with this more than makes up for the 1 less card you get for trashing a Copper (not to mention not having to deal with Cursed Gold). Works well. Not flashy but doesn't need to be.
majiponi - Almsgiving (Action, $2)
Discard a card from your hand to choose one: +3 Cards; +3 Actions; +3 Buys; or +$3.
A card that works in threes... that costs $2. Incredibly minor thematic nitpick aside, seems to have the Nobles effect of being solid enough, but something you wanna slip one or two copies just to round out things well. I think this fills that role better than Nobles, albeit with no VP attached. You could discard-first sift with three copies of this if you're desperate, but using three $2s to sift three cards feels a bit cumbersome. My only complaint is that this could play slowly if someone were to do something similar to mass Forum, but I see this card getting better use than that.
grep - Elixir (Action, $4)
Choose one: Take the -1 Card token for +$3; or take the -$1 token for +3 Cards.
...Too weak for a $4 cost. Given that you're essentially going to be playing alternating +Cards and +Coins with this (since you can't get benefits if you already have the respective Token) this would be a quality if slightly weak 2-cost. Good ideas, I think this just suffers from pricing.
NoMoreFun - Courses (Action, $4)
You may discard a card for +2 Cards. You may discard 3 cards for +4 Cards. You may discard your hand for +6 Cards.
Sifting a bit for cards in cycles. Very thematic in getting as much as you want but probably suffering a bit from taking too much. I'm a bit conflicted on whether to price this at $3 or $4, but since it's without sifting either a +2 Cards or draw-to-6, I'd lean towards $3.
xyz123 - Renovate (Action - Duration, 8D)
Trash a card from your hand. Gain a card costing up to $2 more than it onto your deck. Either now or at the start of your next turn, +1 Card and +1 Action.
Remodel-to-hand effects are pretty rare, and I don't think there's any currently in the game that remodels by 2 while putting it somewhere. I like the now-or-later part of choosing whether to take the card now or next turn, but any form of draw after playing this means you don't really have a choice. Still, probably nice to start next turn with an extra Action. Not sure what to think of the debt cost, but I think it works.
JW - Covetous Witch (Action - Duration - Attack, $6)
You may discard a Duchy or Gold. If you did, each other player gains a Curse.
At the start of your next turn, +4 Cards.
Immediate comparisons to Legionary come to mind. Big bonus, plus a requirement for another card in hand to pull out the Attack. Not much else to say here, just a nice card all around.
AJL828 - Craftsman (Action - Liaison, $4)
Gain a card costing up to $4. +1 Favor per $ less than $4 it costs.
...It's a Workshop variant. Good card, I can't complain about it, but there's not much here to complain about.
kru5h - Builder (Action, $6)
Gain a card costing less than this. If it costs $4 or less, +1 Card and +1 Action.
Another Workshop variant, but I can actually talk about this one a bit more. It's nice being able to choose between gain $5 or cantrip, and I see myself doing both during the course of a single game. One of the few "gain costing less" cards that actually kinda likes cost reduction. Nice work!
4est - Swamp Village (Action, $4)
Play up to 2 Actions or Treasures from your hand. Discard your hand. +4 Cards.
One of the most fun Lost City variants I think I've seen yet. You're going all in on this. Traditional draw straight up doesn't work anymore. It plays like Draw-to-X where it's situationally very powerful, but you're restricted by choosing not to put certain cards in your deck. Seems very enjoyable, and I'd love to see this in an actual expansion.
BryGuy - Wise Jester (Action, $5)
Choose one: set this aside for +1 Card, +1 Action, and either +$1 or +1 Buy (discard during Clean-up);
or trash this for +4 Cards and either +1 Action or +1 Buy.
I really should've disqualified this because I see no point in setting this aside other than to stop it from being Throne Roomed. Oh well, too late for that I guess. It's choose between Peddler, Market Square, or dump it for a bunch of cards. I saw this get revised like four times in the thread here, and that's pretty apparent in how it seems to play. Probably should just get scrapped. Sorry to say that, I know you put a ton of work in trying to get this to work, but it just doesn't.
faust - Water Wheel (Action, $4)
This turn, after you play a card, discard a card for +1 Card.
As much as I like this card in concept, this seems hella annoying to play with or against. Especially online. Having to go through two extra clicks for every single card you'd play is gonna slow each of your turns down dramatically, especially if you open this for consistent $4s or to get $5 with this-Silver. I want to like this card so bad, but I can't.
SignError - Tithe Collector (Action - Attack, $4)
Each player with 5 or more cards in hand trashes a Treasure from it (or reveals they can’t). If anyone trashed a Copper this turn, +$3.
Inverse Moneylender! Genuinely surprised no one's thought of this before, but maybe that's because there's so many different ways you can attack in this game. Nothing more to say here, just a nice unique Attack.
X-tra - Lake Creature (Action - Duration - Attack, $5)
Each other player with no cards in their discard pile discards down to 3 cards in hand. If they didn't discard cards this way, they gain a Curse.
At the start of your next turn: +2 Cards.
Solid attack. I'm not sure how the "no cards in their discard pile" line is going to work in most games, but this occasionally Militia-ing instead of Cursing seems enough to warrant this being its own thing. I wanna see how it plays, because I genuinely have no idea how frequently the discard attack is going to trigger. Don't buy this in a Swashbuckler game.
sumrex - Gate Guardian (Action, $3 2D)
Exile two non-Victory cards from your hand, then if their combined cost in $ was:
0: Gain a Copper;
1-4: +1 Buy, +$1;
5 or more: +$3, +2 Buys.
Per Potion in the cost of Exiled cards, gain a card costing up to $5.
I understand the intention behind this card is to try and Exile cards you no longer have use for for coins, but... I don't understand what I'm supposed to be Exiling with this? Due to the non-Victory card restriction, Copper's gonna be the primary thing to Exile here, but after that... what do you Exile? Other Gate Guardians? Lackeys? Stonemasons? You're not going to have cards that 1) cost at least 1 coin, 2) aren't victory cards, and 3) that you want to buy, but don't want to keep out of Exile on most boards. I think this card is unique, sure, but it doesn't pass the Silver test for me, and that's unfortunate because I see potential here. I'd honestly get rid of the non-Victory card restriction. Sure, that'd probably make it better than Bounty Hunter, but it costs more, so I think you could get away with it.
silverspawn - Foundry (Action, $4)
Reveal your hand. For each Action or Treasure with more than one copy revealed, discard one copy.
+4 Cards
Hunting Grounds, but all your non-uniques get hunted prior. This is honestly a card that could use that name more. Having to build your deck around not having uniques for that extra card sounds like a fun challenge on a good amount of boards. Very good card, not much else to say.
LTaco - Jury-Rigging (Action - Duration, $4)
Now and at the start of your next turn: Reveal the top card of your deck; discard it or put it back. +1 Card per type it has.
Finicky kinda-Caravan. Gives two types on its own, but you're frequently only going to see one in the majority of cards (compare Maroon with less choice on what card you pull). At the very least, this is like Catacombs where you get to look at the cards you would draw before choosing whether or not to take them. Very nice card, and one of the ones I think I wanna play with the most of all them here.
Honorable Mentions - Builder, Chef, Courses, Lake Creature, Renovate, Tithe Collector
Runner-Ups - Foundry (silverspawn), Jury-Rigging (LTaco)
Winner - Swamp Village (4est)
Thanks for all the great cards, everyone! Loved hosting this, and I can't wait to see what cards you'll bring to the next contest!
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Thanks for the win, Augie279! Lots a terrific cards this week, well done everyone.
I'll get the next contest up tonight.