Out of all the new cards to come out, one thing is for certain, Sauna/Avanto is crazy powerful. However, I wonder if the community truly understands when to properly buy cards from this pile. Sauna/Silver is a very popular opening and seems a foregone conclusion in most games, but is this correct opening on most boards?
What I've noticed is that losing the Sauna split is not as bad as losing the Avanto split. The player to get 3 Avantos has a huge advantage over the player who has 3 Saunas but 2 Avantos. So, to me, it would seem that you would want to position yourself to actually win the Avanto split even if that means just getting 2 Saunas. Getting 1 Sauna really sucks though.
Silver/Silver while will likely mean you might lose the Sauna split will mean later on you will have more buying power and also more trashing power. Hitting 5 becomes easier. Also, it might be worth noting what other engine pieces are on the board, most notably things that give +Buy. Opening Silver and a +Buy component might be better than going for a Sauna. Also, if strong trashing is on the board and good villages and draw, you might want to ask if it is worth pursuing Sauna/Avantos after all. For instance Wharf is crazy good and if Junk Dealer or Chapel is on the board, it might be worth considering skipping the Sauna/Avanto pile.
Anyway, I'm not so much trying to give advice as to figure out myself what is the best strategy on Sauna/Avanto boards. Thoughts?