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[zahlman]

This was inspired by previous discussion of "House Elf".

Needs a name and a cost - Action

+1 Action

Gain a [This Card]. Reveal cards from your deck until you reveal a [This Card]; put one of the other revealed cards into your hand and discard the rest.

So to keep using it at full efficiency, you want to trash the gained copies - since otherwise they limit the amount of deck you'll reveal. And this is tough because it doesn't pull itself into hand, and when you coincidentally get it in hand, you typically want to play it. Of course, you'll be able to play them more often if you just take advantage of the gain, but you won't easily chain them...

[eHalcyon]

Hm, interesting.  I think... $3?

[zahlman]

I'm inclined to agree with $3.

It can't cost $2 because it's too good in combination with Witch/Mountebank/etc., and there's no real Chapel-esque excuse for wanting to ensure everyone gets early access.

It can't cost $4 because you'd never want to open with two of them.

So the only question is whether the searching is powerful enough to merit a $5 cost, and that seems really unlikely.

Although maybe the concept is better off boosted in power somehow to justify a $5+ cost? Needs playtesting IMO.

[NoMoreFun]

If 9 are gone from the supply, buying the last one is an amazing investment (although it's not clear what happens if you fail to reveal another copy). Is there going to be a larger supply pile?

This is the kind of card that could do with an on trash bonus/penalty/ambiguous. Even "when you trash this, return it to the supply" would be good for the above.

I like it, but it may be a bit too random.

[zahlman]

If 9 are gone from the supply, buying the last one is an amazing investment

That could be played off as deliberate: when you make the decision to take the first one, you accept the risk that your opponent waits and buys the last after you gain the second-last.

(although it's not clear what happens if you fail to reveal another copy).

Revealed cards are in limbo, and once you've revealed your whole deck, you've 'done all you can' for that step. Same as with Golem in a deck that doesn't have two non-Golem actions.

Is there going to be a larger supply pile?

This is the kind of card that could do with an on trash bonus/penalty/ambiguous. Even "when you trash this, return it to the supply" would be good for the above.

I did consider both of these options and am still open to both, but didn't want to make things needlessly complex.

[ipofanes]

I think I like it. Like Sage, it is getting less and less useful. Unlike Sage, it bottoms out as a countered Tournament rather than a minimal sifter cantrip.

but you won't easily chain them...

You can possibly, just before reshuffle, shuffle all of them into your deck with your Inn purchase (just to make them all miss the reshuffle), and then play all of them as cantrip scavengers to get your KC-KC-Bridge-Bridge-Bridge (or whatever devastating combo is lurking) in hand. If you really want to nip this in the bud, you can add "put [this card] into the discard pile" as an effect. I'd shy away from this as it would be the first card that can be discarded from play. EDIT I overlooked that obviously the gain effect puts a stumbling block in your way here, so this method would only work after supply is empty. Yes, I think the supply should be more than 10 [This Card]s.

[Kirian]

(although it's not clear what happens if you fail to reveal another copy).

Revealed cards are in limbo, and once you've revealed your whole deck, you've 'done all you can' for that step. Same as with Golem in a deck that doesn't have two non-Golem actions.

And unless you have a Watchtower or Trader in hand, the new one you gained will be in your discard and will therefore be drawn after you reshuffle.

[eHalcyon]

I think I like it. Like Sage, it is getting less and less useful. Unlike Sage, it bottoms out as a countered Tournament rather than a minimal sifter cantrip.

but you won't easily chain them...

You can possibly, just before reshuffle, shuffle all of them into your deck with your Inn purchase (just to make them all miss the reshuffle), and then play all of them as cantrip scavengers to get your KC-KC-Bridge-Bridge-Bridge (or whatever devastating combo is lurking) in hand. If you really want to nip this in the bud, you can add "put [this card] into the discard pile" as an effect. I'd shy away from this as it would be the first card that can be discarded from play. EDIT I overlooked that obviously the gain effect puts a stumbling block in your way here, so this method would only work after supply is empty. Yes, I think the supply should be more than 10 [This Card]s.

Um, if Inn is on the board, why not skip the middle man and set up the combo directly?

[Powerman]

I think I like it. Like Sage, it is getting less and less useful. Unlike Sage, it bottoms out as a countered Tournament rather than a minimal sifter cantrip.

but you won't easily chain them...

You can possibly, just before reshuffle, shuffle all of them into your deck with your Inn purchase (just to make them all miss the reshuffle), and then play all of them as cantrip scavengers to get your KC-KC-Bridge-Bridge-Bridge (or whatever devastating combo is lurking) in hand. If you really want to nip this in the bud, you can add "put [this card] into the discard pile" as an effect. I'd shy away from this as it would be the first card that can be discarded from play. EDIT I overlooked that obviously the gain effect puts a stumbling block in your way here, so this method would only work after supply is empty. Yes, I think the supply should be more than 10 [This Card]s.

Why would you shuffle five of these in with Inn instead of just KC-KC-Bridge-Bridge-Bridge?

[ipofanes]

ok, dumb idea.

[LastFootnote]

This card, which I'm going to call Searcher, reminds me a lot of one of my card ideas, Spelunker, from this thread.

Instead of gaining one copy of the limiting card per copy of Spelunker you have, Searcher limits itself and you gain one each time you play it (and you also can't choose to draw another copy of the searcher). Part of me says there should be more than 10 copies in the Supply, like Rats. Also, if your intent is for players to trash them as they go, perhaps they should cost $4. Of course, that would make them even more similar to Rats. They'll still play quite differently, obviously.

[soulnet]

 To solve the supply problem I would add a "When you trash this card, return it to the supply." Maybe add "instead" at the end and "would" before trash, but Trader has wording issues and have the card visit the thrash before going back to the supply should be no problem. In any case, you get the idea.

You should also limit what you can put in your hand to non-Searchers, otherwise the limit is just non important, because you can put the next Searcher in your hand and start over.

The searching seems quite strong, especially with cursers. I would price it at 4 so you cannot open Searcher/Sea Hag or Searcher/Young Witch. In any case, besides the opening, the pricing would probably be no big deal because you mostly will buy one of these and just gain more with it if you need.

Final comment, stacking the effect with KC can set up combos like KC + Scheme + Golem + X without needing a third enabling card.