Okay, so remodel. Remodel is a card I undervalue, I know. I tend to think of it as a not too strong 4-cost, and while vaguely that's right, I know that it can be pretty useful in a lot of cases - particularly engines. This card obviously improves on that in a number of ways. Basically, in a lot of decks, even a decent number of engines, remodel isn't so hot because there is this lull in the midgame where it doesn't have stuff to do. Endgame, it turns stuff into points. Early, it turns estates into engine components. But in the middle it sits. This solves that problem by building up value. It can also build up some value by saving a coin when you turn those estates into villages or whatnot. I *really* don't think you'll end up pumping up coppers very often. Actually, nice $2 cards (think hamlet, squire) can really help this, as you get to keep both tokens. Well, anyway, you still don't want to go 6-cost ->province too often, so I actually think this still isn't all *that* hot for endgames, though obviously better than remodel.
The second big asset of the card is just pile trashing. Now, this is more of a thing on green cards, but you can shorten out the game. he issue here might be, speeding the end of the game via province->province is something you want to do when you're ahead, but engines can tend to get behind. Well, I suppose this helps in an engine mirror. You also might be able to chew through some duchies and dukes with this thing - use it as an anti-alt-VP strategy, and then coast into a few provinces near the end. I don't know how well that will work, but it is at least something to give some consideration to.
And of course, it's a terminal silver-to-spend-whenever. I was expecting one, though what I was really hoping for was woodcutter-but-tokens for $4. To be fair, my gut tells me that might be too strong. Actually, I am not so sure that just getting 2 tokens full stop wouldn't be a pretty good $4 card. I think the flexibility is really that good.
And so I actually think that this is in many ways going to be the biggest use of the card, and that a lot of times, what you want to do with this is play something maybe similar to those decks where backer will shine - Big Money without terminal draw. Basically, a few choice terminals plus the best cantrips plus a good amount of silver and gold, go for provinces pretty quick. But baker wants good 4-cost terminals (a la monument, militia, cutpurse, and their ilk), this wants good 4-cost cantrips (caravan, tournament, peddler if possible). Incidentally, fishing village is pretty nice in these decks, too - lets you get more terminals. And probably in such decks, you go ahead and estate->silver, and well, it's a simple strategy that ought to be good. The nice thing going for this deck is that it can just dive for green very fast - it can always go province->province with a quite nice bonus, and the coin tokens help you from stalling too much as well. I actually think this will be *better* than most terminal-draw big money, though maybe the best few (vault, embassy, wharf - well, wharf is bananas and quite likely you have an engine) will probably be stronger than it for BM. It should combine nicely with courtyard-BM
Having said all of that... I actually kind of think this won't be that good. Or maybe I should say, won't be a power card. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's good, but the problem with this will be the same as with most other 5s, and that is the opportunity cost of a $5 is very high.
