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[mgallop]

So, Scrying Pool decks are awesome, and its one of the cards that I do the best with, but I have a niggling feeling that I'm building wrong. I basically always grab potion w/ 4 or a 4/3, hopefully getting an action w/ 3, and then get pools every time I have 2p. But thinking about this, it seems really really slow (also comparing it to various village openings). When apothecary or university is available I tend to grab those w/ the first 2p and that seems right, but withouth them, might it make more sense to increase your buying power by getting a terminal silver w/ 4 (ideally something like militia, but even a navigator would be pretty good), and then buying potion on the first shuffle, and scrying pool after. Since the pool isnt awesome until you have at least a few actions...

Thoughts?

[werothegreat]

If there's a easy +Buy on the board, I'd wait.  Otherwise, start scooping them up as soon as possible.

[qmech]

I basically always grab potion w/ 4 or a 4/3, hopefully getting an action w/ 3, and then get pools every time I have 2p.

If you mean get one Potion then you've got it about right (including the Apothecary/University business).  You normally don't want more than one Potion though.

Pools get surprisingly awesome surprisingly quickly (provided there are Villages or cantrips).

[Jive Junkie]

Is Scrying Pool viable with no +Buy, no good trashing, and no gainers (like University, Ironworks, etc.)? It seems like it flounders a bit in those conditions, even if there are a lot of cantrips and good actions in the kingdom.

[DStu]

Is Scrying Pool viable with no +Buy, no good trashing, and no gainers (like University, Ironworks, etc.)? It seems like it flounders a bit in those conditions, even if there are a lot of cantrips and good actions in the kingdom.

probably not. If you can reliably play many stacking "attacks" once it is running (KC-Possession+Ambassador,mass Saboteurs) it might be the way to go. But if all you will get once it is running is a gained Provinces and a played Milita, it takes to long for no profit.

[popsofctown]

I usually open with the potion, because the earlier you get the potion, the more you hit 2p and 3p with it, making Scry pool an efficient way to be spending the money.  It also lets me get more Scrying Pools for once things start getting crazy.. you can always go back and buy your 4's later, but you can't go back and catch up on Scrying Pools because you can only buy one potion, so you can only get one per reshuffle.  If you decide later that you want 3 Bridges or Monuments or Cutpurses you can buy them later, thrice per reshuffle, knock yourself out.

Of course, powerful fours that setup the early game when they hit the table turn 3 and 4 is going to outclass Potion.  Sea Hag, YW.  Probably not Militia because a Scrying Pool's potion counters Militia, can't make a guy discard down to less than 2 coppers and a potion.

[carstimon]

I think the decision process is similar to amb/amb vs. amb/silver.  If there's stuff that will help your your sp deck at $4-, then get the potion now.  But if the board looks like

2p: Scrying Pool
4-: Militia, some boring stuff, terminals
5+: Oh my gosh I want these cards they give +buy there are some nice cantrips maybe some attacks or trashing

Then get the militia now, and potion later.  You'll be able to hit the nice $5's, and stop your opponent from getting them.  Hopefully the $5's will help you catch up in the SP race.  Similarly replace Militia with Navigator (not as good of course but also useful once sp is rolling), Moneylender (quite nice I think), Salvager, probably some other things.