Is the lost city opening that bad since it means on their first reshuffle they only get 1 card to use. On boards with powerful 3 drops or on chapel boards sometimes the extra coin doesnt matter because they will overpay for it.
Lost City turn one is where the real danger lies.
If you buy Lost City on turn one, you don't just potentially give your opponent extra buying power in their opening, but you also trigger your opponent's reshuffle on turn two.
Say both players have a starting hand of 5 Coppers.
Player one goes first and buys Lost City.
Player two draws a sixth Copper.
Player two goes next and buys a Gold.
Player two draws his hand for his next turn, picking up three Estates and one Copper, reshuffles and draws the Gold.
Player one has turned player two's opening from a 5/2 into a 6/4.
This is an extreme example, perhaps, but there are all sorts of cards you really don't want your opponent to have access to in turn two.
Chapel, for instance.
I get what you're saying now but I'm still confused on why triggering their reshuffle is so bad. For example they are 4/3 they will likely become a 4/4 and 1 of their buys misses the reshuffle. I guess it depends on whether you value that card missing the reshuffle less important than giving your opponent a copper
It's most likely to give your opponent an extra Copper, sure, but there is a 1/6 chance that it will give your opponent their
turn one buy instead.
So, if your opponent starts with a 4/3 opening, here are just a couple of examples of $4 cards they could end up playing on
turn two:
Sea Hag - hope you don't mind me discarding that Lost City before you even get to play it.
Remake - trashing two estates and getting two $3 cards on turn two? Yes, please.
Militia (or any other attack, really)
You really, really don't want your opponent to get the kind of head start that's possible by getting their turn one buy into their hand on turn two.
Even if it's only a 1/6 chance it will happen, with some possibilities that's just too big a risk.
And even if they don't get their turn one buy in hand in turn two, they are guaranteed to get it turn three.
Their turn two buy "missing the reshuffle" is not really a disadvantage, because they shuffle again after turn three (or during, if they bought a card with draw).
Look at my original example of player two buying Gold on turn one and drawing it on turn two.
Now imagine that it is Altar instead.
Man, if my opponent drew an Altar on turn two, I think I would cry.