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[werothegreat]

YOU GET A CURSE
AND YOU GET A CURSE
AND EVERY- wait, I get a Curse, too

It's jsh's favorite card!
-How often do you buy this in a game?
-What are the best cards to gift to everyone?
-How useful is the on-play ability?

[shark_bait]

YOU GET A CURSE
AND YOU GET A CURSE
AND EVERY- wait, I get a Curse, too

This is for you liopoil.... but no Curse with a Watchtower in hand. 

[Limetime]

YOU GET A CURSE
AND YOU GET A CURSE
AND EVERY- wait, I get a Curse, too

This is for you liopoil.... but no Curse with a Watchtower in hand. 

You still get a curse it just goes in the trash.

[Roadrunner7671]

YOU GET A CURSE
AND YOU GET A CURSE
AND EVERY- wait, I get a Curse, too

This is for you liopoil.... but no Curse with a Watchtower in hand. 

You still get a curse it just goes on top of your deck.

FTFY

[Limetime]

YOU GET A SCOUT
AND YOU GET A SCOUT
AND EVERY- wait, I get a SCOUT, too

FTFY

[Chris is me]

Every time I try to use this card I just end up helping my opponents more than me because we all get a good card but I'm also stuck with a Chancellor.

I like it in friendly games with friends who are bad at dominion because I can gift them the cards they need to improve their deck

In a four player game if Messenger is on the table you can pile out very fast. Combine it with Stonemason and the game is over in like 8 turns lol

[GendoIkari]

Messenger can be insane with City, or really it's City that can be insane with Messenger. Especially if playing more than 2 players. Buy Messenger to pass Messengers; drain pile quickly.

[GendoIkari]

Another interesting interaction... I opened Messenger last time I played, mostly because there wasn't much else in way of options. I didn't really know what to give; didn't care to give anything... so I gave Silver. Seemed like the safe choice. Then the next player proceeded to lay down $5 and buy Mint. I told her "you realize that you now only have $2 in your deck ri... oh, crap."

[Mavy2k]

The best use I can think of is gifting your opponent a potion, when he has already gotten one and you do not.
But you won´t be very happy with the card in your deck either, unless there is no other card with +buy.

[Jack Rudd]

Jack Rudd plays Village
...drawing a card and getting +2 Actions
Jack Rudd plays Highway
...drawing a card and getting +1 Action
Jack Rudd plays Black Market
...gaining +2 coins and revealing Fool's Gold, Treasure Map and Messenger
...playing 1 Copper and buying a Messenger
...gaining Lost City

[Limetime]

I feel like messenger has the same problem that embargo has. You have to make it benefit you more than your opponent.

[Awaclus]

I feel like messenger has the same problem that embargo has. You have to make it benefit you more than your opponent.

But if you can do it, it's not a problem.

[markusin]

The best use I can think of is gifting your opponent a potion, when he has already gotten one and you do not.
But you won´t be very happy with the card in your deck either, unless there is no other card with +buy.

I feel like I'd actually want a Chancellor with +buy when I'm trying to stockpile Potion cards, at least early on.

[J Reggie]

Most of what I've seen people say about this card is it's useful in mirrors to give your opponent a copy of a card they only need one of (such as Potion or Chapel). I feel like it's much more useful in non-mirrors, giving your opponent a card they clearly don't need, like a village when they're playing a slog or a silver when they're trying to get super thin. It won't usually actively hurt their deck, but the second card helps you much more than it does them, especially if you already needed Messenger in your deck. Simply, I think Messenger will be most useful when it helps you and doesn't particularly help your opponent, more so than trying to hurt your opponent.

One thing to note is this is one of the Adventures cards I've played with the least, so most of this is assumption. I'm now putting this on my list of cards to try to include next Friday night (Dominion night yay!)

[eHalcyon]

I feel like messenger has the same problem that embargo has. You have to make it benefit you more than your opponent.

But if you can do it, it's not a problem.

Right.  On both Embargo and Messenger this is a feature, not a bug.

[LastFootnote]

As the Secret History of Adventures states, this started out as…

Messenger: Action, $4
+1 Buy
+$2
When you buy this, gain a card costing up to $4, and each other player gains a copy of it.

I suggested adding the Chancellor bit, but while the Secret History says I suggested it to make the top less boring, I actually suggested it to make the top less weak. Woodcutter is already a very weak $3 card, and Messenger had to cost more because of the on-buy "bonus".

I think that, in the absence of better cheap terminals, Woodcutter-Chancellor can be pretty sweet. You could say, "That's true of any cheap terminal", but I mean that I think it's significantly better than Woodcutter, Chancellor, Navigator, etc. The +Buy and the deck acceleration work well in tandem to let you shuffle multiple new cards into your deck immediately, especially cantrips and Lab variants.

[Beyond Awesome]

Overall, I feel that this card will suck on most boards. Simply put, if you want a card, chances are your opponent wants it as well.

Chancellor and Woodcutter aren't great cards.

The original version is pretty funny though since you could essentially empty out three piles by buying out all the Messenger's. That's actually pretty strong!

In its current form, I just don't know what to make of it. In irl games I've played with it, I pretty much avoid it unless it is the only source of +Buy.

[Dingan]

This could very well be an attack card.  How is
"other players gain a card costing $4 or less"
intrinsically any different than
"other players gain a Curse"
or
"other players gain any card" (Ambassador)?

[LastFootnote]

This could very well be an attack card.  How is
"other players gain a card costing $4 or less"
intrinsically any different than
"other players gain a Curse"
or
"other players gain any card" (Ambassador)?

You do realize that you get a copy of the card too, right?

[Dingan]

This could very well be an attack card.  How is
"other players gain a card costing $4 or less"
intrinsically any different than
"other players gain a Curse"
or
"other players gain any card" (Ambassador)?

You do realize that you get a copy of the card too, right?

Yes.  If Witch was "Everyone gains a Curse" instead of "Everyone else gains a Curse", I would think it should still be an attack card.

EDIT: Minion. Everyone discards and draws 4.  It hurts you less (okay, and it usually helps you), but it is ultimately the same exact effect on everyone.

[Jack Rudd]

It's not an Attack because the effect is on-buy, not on-play. Moat doesn't know how to react to it.

[LastFootnote]

Chancellor and Woodcutter aren't great cards.

I guess what you're implying is that since they aren't great cards, the combination of them must also be not great. Otherwise why would you mention it? But I don't think that really follows. Fortune Teller isn't a great card either. Are you saying that if you added that attack to Messenger, it still wouldn't be a great card? What if you added five more little bonuses like that, which if attached to a terminal Silver would be weak. Would the end result still be weak overall?

Messenger might very well be on the weaker end of $3-$4 cards, but your line of reasoning here is fallacious.

[eHalcyon]

Another interesting interaction... I opened Messenger last time I played, mostly because there wasn't much else in way of options. I didn't really know what to give; didn't care to give anything... so I gave Silver. Seemed like the safe choice. Then the next player proceeded to lay down $5 and buy Mint. I told her "you realize that you now only have $2 in your deck, because the gifting effect only happens when messenger is played"

FTFY

You should read the card again...

[Donald X.]

There are various cute little combos, but I think there are two main situations in which people buy Messenger.

The first is when they want a Woodcutter. This is far from rare. And when you get it, the when-buy is cute, you don't know what to give people. Pick something you want, that's my advice.

The second is to empty piles. In multiplayer, a jsh357 can empty piles so very fast with this.

Turn 2 it's a little more attractive going later in the turn order. Going last, you can get Messenger handing out Silver, maybe trying to hit $7 fast for Inheritance, and you shuffle in the Silver but the other players do not.

[JW]

It's nice to use Messenger to gain the last card in a pile, that way your opponents don't get anything.

[Burning Skull]

It's nice to use Messenger to gain the last card in a pile, that way your opponents don't get anything.

Beating old people is also very satisfactory.

[GendoIkari]

It's not an Attack because the effect is on-buy, not on-play. Moat doesn't know how to react to it.

Correct. Note that Ill-Gotten Gains is not an attack for this reason.

I do agree that "All players gain an attack" should probably have the attack type. If you're playing it, it's because your deck is built in a way to handle the Curses.

[gamesou]

There is a bit of synergy with Philosopher's Stone. Open Messenger(Potion)/Silver and then buy Stones and more Messengers distributing Silver/Estate. Take extra Coppers. Your deck grows quickly. Buy Duchy early and spike some Provinces.

I don't claim it's a great strategy but I think it can be easily underrated ; an engine player facing that will have to handle of these bad cards you send to him.

The same idea works with Gardens or Silk Road; the top part of Messenger looks like a mediocre enabler but the bottom part should kill some (bad) engines trying to compete.

[Accatitippi]

"All players gain an attack"

Nuclear proliferation - 5c
Action - Attack
Every player may gain an Attack. Every player that didn't gains a Curse. If no player gained an Attack, you may end the game now and have a nice game of something less broken than this.

I think you meant "curse" there.

[terminalCopper]

Trader should be mentioned.

On-play, with trader in hand, +buy provides a silver.
On-buy, having a trader and $4 means "I get a messenger and a silver, here's your free curse." That's sweet.

Edit: Seems like I still don't understand the blue dog. Thx, wero.

[werothegreat]

Trader should be mentioned.

On-play, with trader in hand, +buy provides a silver.
On-buy, having a trader and $4 means "I get a messenger and a silver, here's your free curse." That's sweet.

Actually, the Curse only gets handed out if you gain the Curse, too, due to blue dog shenanigans.

Now if you revealed Watchtower instead...

[Davio]

YOU GET A SCOUT
AND YOU GET A SCOUT
AND EVERY- wait, I get a SCOUT, too

FTFY

Scout Scout get a Scout
I get a Scout
Yeah
Get a Scout Scout Scout I get a Scout
I get a Scout.....

[LastFootnote]

The more I play with Messenger, the more I think it's a pretty good card. And I'm just talking about the top part. +Buy and putting your deck into your discard pile together make for something that's often worth the terminal action slot, in a way that Chancellor and Woodcutter aren't. It's effectively two kinds of acceleration in one (three if you count the on-buy that also accelerates your opponents).

One benefit I've been seeing recently is that it protects you from bad reshuffles. I'm talking specifically about those engines that use some sifting to get through your whole deck, leaving a bunch of junk in the discard pile, which you then have to be careful not to shuffle back into your deck (if you can't draw it all). With Messenger, you can just draw as much as you can, potentially netting you a few extra $ if you discarded Coppers, or just getting you whatever ancillary effect your draw cards are giving you (like the Torturer attack). Chancellor did this too, but it was so weak that I never got to see it much.

Maybe I'm being a little bit Roadrunner here. Has anybody else been impressed with Messenger? If you haven't been buying it, I recommend you try it (ideally right after your opponent shuffles, and right before you do).

[Chris is me]

I'm also coming around to like Messenger. If you have the terminal space, it really does help get things going. Boards with cantrips are really what it seems built for - in part because those are reasonably harmless to hand out on gain and in part because they don't compete for terminal space with Messenger. I've also used the on buy effect to do things like hand out Bishops so we both get thin faster, or extra copies of cards you generally want just one of like Moneylender.

[jsh357]

Messenger is pretty good for reasons lf covers, but obviously it's at its best in multiplayer.

[Dingan]

It's cool to open Messenger and gain a Potion when your opponent already bought a Potion, so their second Potion is (usually) junk.

[ehunt]

Putting the deck in the discard pile in general is improved by the presence of travelers. Even Chancellor/Page is not a shabby opening.

[Joseph2302]

Putting the deck in the discard pile in general is improved by the presence of travelers. Even Chancellor/Page is not a shabby opening.

Page/scavenger seems pretty good.

[Beyond Awesome]

It's cool to open Messenger and gain a Potion when your opponent already bought a Potion, so their second Potion is (usually) junk.

I tried this once and regretted it. Though, maybe SP is a bad card choice to have put potion. Familiar cozy 3p so that extra po
Potion is likely to interfere

[ehunt]

It's cool to open Messenger and gain a Potion when your opponent already bought a Potion, so their second Potion is (usually) junk.

I tried this once and regretted it. Though, maybe SP is a bad card choice to have put potion. Familiar cozy 3p so that extra po
Potion is likely to interfere

interesting -- which alchemy cards are worth buying two potions for?

vineyard, obviously.
alchemist, if it's worth going for, might be worth a second potion, although not until you're in a good rhythm.
apothecary,  once in a while. certainly you're not that sad if your opponent hands you an extra potion with jester or something.
scrying pool, same as about an apothecary (there are plenty of boards where it's worth eating an extra potion if you'll win the split 7-3 or even 6-4).
all the others, i'd say no way.

[gloures]

It's cool to open Messenger and gain a Potion when your opponent already bought a Potion, so their second Potion is (usually) junk.

I tried this once and regretted it. Though, maybe SP is a bad card choice to have put potion. Familiar cozy 3p so that extra po
Potion is likely to interfere

interesting -- which alchemy cards are worth buying two potions for?

vineyard, obviously.
alchemist, if it's worth going for, might be worth a second potion, although not until you're in a good rhythm.
apothecary,  once in a while. certainly you're not that sad if your opponent hands you an extra potion with jester or something.
scrying pool, same as about an apothecary (there are plenty of boards where it's worth eating an extra potion if you'll win the split 7-3 or even 6-4).
all the others, i'd say no way.

Against familiar it´s a risky bet, you might end up giving your opponent a marvelous 2PP hand and it working out great, or he might end up making 3P twice in his oppening shuffle, leading the way to an easy 7-3 split on the curses... Now if someone opens potion for uni, he´d be almost begging to receive a second one with messenger...

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Messenger is pretty good for reasons lf covers, but obviously it's at its best in multiplayer.

As I learned last night, it leads to 3 pile endings much faster than expected.

[Co0kieL0rd]

Basically everything I could note about Messenger has already been said. This has also been implied but I would like to emphasize it: Messenger is one of the few cards that gives the second player an advantage (in cases where you want to buy a Menssenger) and I really like that