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[Donald X.]

Rats is my favorite Dominion card. Now you know that about me. You give your kingdom a rat problem. Sure, you get rid of some garbage, but now you've got Rats, and they don't get rid of themselves. Isn't the solution worse than the problem? Plus, let's not forget, there are twenty Rats, rather than the usual ten. That's right: today, you didn't get the whole story just looking at the pictures. Twenty Rats, even in two-player games. Just chewing your deck to pieces. Well secretly there's probably something you can do with them. Looking over the cards spoiled so far, they seem to be a combo with most of them, what's up with that.

Pillage is a more conventional attack, in that it attacks your opponents. It's a one-shot. There haven't been very many but this is one. You make everyone else discard their best card, which is bound to hurt them, and you get two Spoils, which sounds good at least. It's a pretty rude attack, but at least it only happens once per copy bought, barring Graverobbers or something. The thing being Pillaged in the art is of course a Village. I remember when that was a peaceful place, with a guy on a horse.

Spoils is a one-shot Gold. That makes Pillage a one-shot that gets you two one-shots. You can't buy Spoils; there are three different ways to get it, and the other two get you them repeatedly. A one-shot Gold is pretty good if you were only drawing it once anyway, or if you didn't really want Gold in the long run, and if those things aren't true well hey it's still something.

There are 15 Spoils. I have seen them run out (temporarily of course) but it's rare. A little math reveals that there must therefore be only one victory card pile. Dark Ages has 35 kingdom cards, adding up to 352 cards, and 35 randomizers; 50 Ruins; 10 extra Rats; 10 Madmen and 10 of some other card you upgrade into; 15 Spoils; and 18 Shelters.

[Wolphmaniac]

first!

User was warned for this post

[GendoIkari]

Ok, just yesterday in my "rules" thread, someone pointed out that we've never seen a targeted discard. I think that Donald reads through our posts talking about what cards would never happen, and then makes up new cards on the spot to prove us wrong.

[Kuildeous]

Spoils and Madmen are setting up a trend of one-shot cards. I can't say I dislike that. Sounds like fun.

Rats looks to be like a huge trap, but if you have trashers, they could be astounding.

[Grujah]

And he just broke another rule - there must be 10 cards in a non-victory pile 

[Wolphmaniac]

Rats is the perfect name for the card.  They just multiply and eat stuff.  They might be good early on to tear through copper and estates, but they could get out of hand quickly.  Seems like it should be a $2 or $3 card, but we'll have to see I guess.  There better be some other trashing available or your deck could turn into all rats pretty easily!

Think Watchtower and Trader with Rats to either trash or Silver-ize the incoming rats.

[Schneau]

I was just thinking this morning that there would probably be another cantrip trasher in this expansion! It seemed like Dominion needed one besides Upgrade. Oh Rats!

I also sort of called the strong one-shot attack card. I thought it would be a curser, but hey, I like this one too!

[Grujah]

Good thing about Rats is that they cost 4 so they can be remodeled into something useful when they become a pest.

@Wolph - yeah, really great name for the card. It's like introducing a new specie to a foreign biosystem - it gets rid of the problem, but become the problem. 

[Kuildeous]

I pity the fool who reveals a hand of all Rats. That means that if he plays them, he will trash N cards, where N is the number of Rats in his hand. Unless you're certain that your next N cards are Curses, Coppers, and Estates, you are better off throwing your hand away. Looks like it could become a very dangerous card. Not newbie-friendly at all!

[werothegreat]

Based on the tidbits at the end, I think we can safely say that everyone starts with 3 Shelters in their deck when they're called for, instead of Estates, and that Donald X (contrary to what I believe he said about a month ago) has provided enough Ruins and Shelters to support a 6-player game.

[Davio]

Only one Victory card (Feodum) makes me sad.

I LOVE alt VPs!

[Ferrouswheel]

If there are 18 shelters, then that's 1 each for a 6 player game (assuming that you want to leave 12 for the normal pile).

Also, I'm thinking Rats is going to be a trap card without another trasher present, but that it will be useful with another trasher.

[Turambar]

Ehm, when you play Spoils you have to return it to the supply pile. So I'll play a spoils and 4 coppers, but before buying anything I have to return the Spoils. So that seems to leave me with 4 money to buy with.

Naturally this isn't the correct interpretation, but it seems the obvious one from the wording. Why not say "When you discard this in clean-up phase"? To avoid combo with herbalist and bank?

[jsh357]

Wow, so Feodum was the lone victory card of the set.   Rats is a great concept, though I imagine it doesn't pan out so well in a generic Dominion game we're used to.  Then again, I could be wrong about that for sure.  My wife and I have a custom attack we use sometimes called 'Pillager,' but this one is better than ours.  In fact, yeesh, it seems pretty brutal indeed.  Even at a single shot, it may rival some of the best attacks.

[timchen]

Rats!

Well... very very interesting thing that Donald said this is his favorite card.

I cannot really think about this card in the new setting. Let me ask the "conventional" question: is this card any good with 9 other kingdom cards that are from hinterlands or before?

[Grujah]

Ehm, when you play Spoils you have to return it to the supply pile. So I'll play a spoils and 4 coppers, but before buying anything I have to return the Spoils. So that seems to leave me with 4 money to buy with.

Naturally this isn't the correct interpretation, but it seems the obvious one from the wording. Why not say "When you discard this in clean-up phase"? To avoid combo with herbalist and bank?

No, once you play a treasure it gives you money, doesn't matter if it is picked up later.

Like, if you buy mandarin and your treasures goes back on deck, you still have all the money it provided if you have more buys.

[GendoIkari]

If there are 18 shelters, then that's 1 each for a 6 player game (assuming that you want to leave 12 for the normal pile).

Also, I'm thinking Rats is going to be a trap card without another trasher present, but that it will be useful with another trasher.

pretty sure there won't be a pile of 12. they replace starting estates, that's it.

[Grujah]

Wow, so Feodum was the lone victory card of the set.   Rats is a great concept, though I imagine it doesn't pan out so well in a generic Dominion game we're used to.  Then again, I could be wrong about that for sure.  My wife and I have a custom attack we use sometimes called 'Pillager,' but this one is better than ours.  In fact, yeesh, it seems pretty brutal indeed.  Even at a single shot, it may rival some of the best attacks.

Just though of something.

These rats are going to actually be good with these trash for benefit cards. Like, Cultists, Squire and so on.
Eat Squires get Cultists, give Ruins, Eat Cultists, get Cards, eat cards!

[Vampyroteuthis Infernalis]

Rats = Tribbles. Now we really need an official Star Trek themed version.
Catan did it.

[jsh357]

Wow, so Feodum was the lone victory card of the set.   Rats is a great concept, though I imagine it doesn't pan out so well in a generic Dominion game we're used to.  Then again, I could be wrong about that for sure.  My wife and I have a custom attack we use sometimes called 'Pillager,' but this one is better than ours.  In fact, yeesh, it seems pretty brutal indeed.  Even at a single shot, it may rival some of the best attacks.

Just though of something.

These rats are going to actually be good with these trash for benefit cards. Like, Cultists, Squire and so on.
Eat Squires get Cultists, give Ruins, Eat Cultists, get Cards, eat cards!

Oh, definitely.  In fact, with any other trasher in play they're probably an amazing accelerator.  Remake + Rats just has to rule.  I'd be very wary of playing them in a set with no other trashing, though.  Even if you were just trying to run out the Rats pile, you could always end up with a 4 Rats - Province hand...

[GendoIkari]

the fact that rats costs 4 makes me think that they discovered that rats/rats was too strong an opening... but I have a hard time seeing how that would be a good opening.

[jsh357]

the fact that rats costs 4 makes me think that they discovered that rats/rats was too strong an opening... but I have a hard time seeing how that would be a good opening.

Yeah.  They don't even begin to compare with stuff like Scout. 

Speaking of which, we're all waiting, Robz.

[GendoIkari]

rats + watchtower is awesome!!

[Drab Emordnilap]

I was just thinking this morning that there would probably be another cantrip trasher in this expansion! It seemed like Dominion needed one besides Upgrade. Oh Rats!

Lookout is a cantrip trasher. Well, as much as Upgrade is anyways. They both leave you with an action and a 4 card hand after you play them.

[yudantaiteki]

I just want to say I love the phrase "Or reveal a hand of all rats" though I don't know why.