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[shark_bait]

I just played an interesting game that screamed engine but also featured one of the engine players worst nightmares, DJ.

The game consisted of either double jack or a Border Village/Salvager/Watchtower/Oasis sort of engine.  I didn't know how to evaluate the speed of the this potential engine, so went into in rather half heartedly by opening Joat/Oasis .  I picked up a second jack and didn't get my first $6 until turn 7 which I used for a BV/Salvager.  So I was kinda doing DJ, but also trying for some BV shenanigans to pick up fodder for the Salvager.

I absolutely did not deserve this win and only got it because my opponent attempted an even more contrived engine featuring Golem, then switching to BMish mid game with a couple of Gold purchases.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas about first, whether an engine can beat the DJ standard and second, how such an engine should be build.  I also feel the need to preemptively apologize for the first link, as I was writing this I thought of it and felt necessary to include all of you wonderful DS comrades.

tl:dr  Can the engine beat DJ?

[cherdano]

I think I would just go double-jack here, and likely pick up a salvager in midgame.

I don't think the combination oasis/jack is as great as it looks - first of all you have to draw them together, second of all you will soon have trashed your estates, meaning you don't have a bad card to discard, and third of all even if you draw oasis/jack together, you may discard an estate and end up not being able to trash an estate.

I don't think the engines will work well since you basically can only improve you engine with Border Village buys.

[DG]

I had a quick play at this and it is the copper that forces you out of an engine strategy. The forge, salvager, and oasis all seem to get in each other's way and are all worse without 5 cost cards and drawing cards. A watchtower with lots of villages might enable something with a forge but probably too late and too little.

[RisingJaguar]

It's also tough here because anything that benefits your engine, will generally benefit Jack's (with the disappearing stuff). 

[Axxle]

The game

(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻


But to answer your question, I think buying Oasis here would be better than buying Silver for Double Jack. (or not: Council room JoaT/Oasis ratio)  I don't think a true engine is possible here though.

[Robz888]

I would think a strategy that went for tons of Border Villages with tons of Salvagers would do pretty well, possibly with Oasis and Watchtower to support. Which is essentially what you did, except the Jack sort of makes it harder to connect BVs and Salvagers.

[mnavratil]

But to answer your question, I think buying Oasis here would be better than buying Silver for Double Jack. (or not: Council room JoaT/Oasis ratio)  I don't think a true engine is possible here though.

Double Jack/Oasis is slightly favored over Double Jack/Silver in the Geronimoo's Simulator (51%-43%). I don't have a feeling for how fast BV/Salvager is, but it feels like it should be pretty strong with the support here, although probably much easier to screw up (which I would inevitably do).