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[AJD]

So I'm not really complaining, since I did win this game, by a couple of points over someone who went for a heavy Silk Road strategy. But I realized afterward that maybe I missed an opportunity where a Mandarin opening would have been really strong?

The game's not on CouncilRoom yet, but key cards on the board included Mandarin, Festival, Inn, Menagerie, and Haven (plus Silk Road, Herbalist, Noble Brigand, and a couple more I don't remember). That's Menagerie and like four different enablers for Menagerie right there, so I figured I'd go for a Menagerie-based strategy, and I opened Festival/Haven.

But after the fact I realized, maybe with that $5 opening I should have picked up a Mandarin. Then on the repeat of the $5 I could grab an Inn and stick the Mandarin in my draw pile, and so instead of having a $2 turn I could have made it up to $5 again for a Festival—thus giving me a head start on having a variety of powerful Menagerie support. I'm so used to thinking of Mandarin as a weak card that it didn't even occur to me. I didn't end up buying a single Mandarin all game.

Thoughts? Would Mandarin/Inn/Festival have been a killer opening? What about the more general case, Mandarin/Inn/strong-$5?

[DStu]

I would guess yes, as disappearing Money should work quite well with the Menangeries when you have the Festivals. Esp. if your money can move a dublicate card from your hand.

[rinkworks]

Mandarin/Inn/Strong $5 does sound pretty great.  The main disadvantage of Mandarin openings is that they delay your first shuffle and thus the use of your opening buys.   But with Inn as your second buy, you're negating that disdvantage and then some, since now your opening buys (necessarily Mandarin and Inn, admittedly) will probably be played on turn 3 and only once in a while as late as turn 4.  Meanwhile, you have a pretty spectacular chance of being able to buy a $5 card that could wind up in your hand somewhere around turns 4-6.

So yeah, I'm kind of impressed with that idea.  I suspect it's not worth going for unless you have a good future use for the Mandarin (as, with Festivals and Menageries, you certainly did in that game), but it seems a promising enough opening as to warrant further study.

[DG]

I think there is half a strategy present with mandarin/inn and you need something else that fits well with both cards. With just those purchases there's a lot happening in your deck that might be good or bad. There's also an immediate problem that you at best have 5 coins to spend on turn 3 plus an estate returned to the top of your deck, and if there's an excellent 5 cost card in the supply then you could have bought it on turn 1. Buying more mandarins gives problems, as does more inns. Off the top of my head, a stable, hunting party, or library might be a good turn 3 purchase.

[rrenaud]

Here is the game link:

http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20111117-233116-5ebce525.html

[Anon79]

Off the top of my head, a stable, hunting party, or library might be a good turn 3 purchase.

Hunting Party might possibly be too fast for such shenanigans?

[DG]

Hunting Party might possibly be too fast for such shenanigans?

Not by turn 3 no.

[Geronimoo]

If the strong $5 isn't a terminal action, you can skip the Inn. I simulated the Mandarin/Inn/Hunting Party opening , but it does slightly worse than simply Mandarin/Hunting Party (they both clearly beat Hunting Party alone).