Thursday 2 October 2014

Dominion: Enterprise

Dominion: Enterprise is a Dominion expansion, which is not mine. I have had a long standing interesting in making new Dominion cards, and this is the only one of the many I have seen that caught (and held!) my interest.

I'm including the card text at the time of this review, just in case the images get lost or revised.

Clerk - $2 Action
+1 Card
+1 Action
Look through your discard pile. You may reveal a Copper from it and put it into your hand.

Really cool, very powerful for a 2 cost card. Potentially just a cantrip, but generally a Peddler for $2, that you can't stack very well. My gut says it should be a 3 cost card.

4 Stars
Jubilee - $2 Action
+2 Actions
+$2
You may pay a trade token; if you don't, return this to the supply.
---
When you gain this, take a Trade token.

Solid card. My only complaint is that it returns to the supply instead of being trashed, which makes it nigh-impossible to deplete as a pile.

4 Stars
Redistrict - $2 Action
Choose a card in your hand. Trash it, and gain a card costing exactly $1 more than it.
You may trash this, If you do, gain a card costing exactly $2 more than the chosen card.

Another pretty cool $2 card. The wording is slightly unclear, whether "the chosen card" is the one from your hand, or the one you chose to gain. I think it is worded like that so that you can gain a card costing $2 more without gaining one costing $1 more (probably most relevant trashing Gold into Province).

4 Stars
Auction - $3 Treasure
+1 Buy
When you play this, discard your hand. Worth $1 per card discarded.

Essentially a Secret Chamber turned into a treasure. It seems like it would be worse than Silver most of the time. I don't see any reason this couldn't cost $2. Also, the "When you play this" is entirely unnecessary, as is the word "Worth".

3 Stars
Convoy - $3 Action
+2 Cards
Look at the top 3 cards of your deck. Discard one, and put the rest back in any order. You may pay a Trade token to play this again.
---
When you gain this, take a Trade token.

Designed to be a self-synergy card. Decent for $3, though it seems difficult to get excited about. It probably works well with engines, as discarding a card and rearranging the other two is probably about as helpful as drawing an extra card, so it compares favourably with Smithy.

3 Stars
Floodgate - $3 Victory
2 VP
---
When you gain this, set it aside along with up to 4 cards from your hand. At the start of your next turn, put all the set-aside cards into your hand.

Pretty neat. Its use isn't immediately apparent, but it is probably amazing for late game. Instead of buying a Duchy, get a Floodgate instead, keep the $2-4 extra for next turn.

3 Stars
Gambler - $3 Action
+1 Card
+1 Action
Look at the top card of your deck and choose one: Trash that card; or put that card into your hand and trash this.

Gambler seems like the type of card you almost always want to open with. It is like a much better Lookout, and is probably a lot more fun to play with. You can even use it as a one-shot Laboratory, which can make for some interesting strategies.

5 Stars
Mill Town - $3 Action
+1 Card
+2 Actions
You may reveal your hand and gain a card costing up to $1 per Copper you revealed.

The village of the set. Pretty neat ability, it is a workshop-village hybrid. I imagine it is pretty powerful for kickstarting your deck, but falls off. Seems like it should be fun.

5 Stars
Refurbish - $3 Action
Trash a card from your hand. Gain a Silver.
---
While this is in play, Silvers produce an extra $1

Interesting. I can't say I like it that much, as I have no idea what kind of deck wants it. That being said, I've never played with it, so what do I know?

2 Stars
Committee - $4 Action
+$2
Reveal cards from your deck until you reveal 2 differently named cards. If you did, the player to your left chooses one of the revealed cards. Either trash it, or gain a copy of it. Discard the untrashed cards.

Interesting. I'm not entirely sure why the "If you did" is necessary, and some of the other wording is a bit clunky. The effect itself seems interesting enough to pique my curiosity,

3 Stars.
Craftsman - $4 Action
You may pay a Trade token to gain a card costing up to $5. Otherwise, +1 Card, +1 Action, and take  a Trade token.

The only card that can generate trade tokens not on buy/gain. I feel like it is probably a little bit weak by itself (for reasons similar to university), but much more powerful in combination with other Trade token cards.

3 Stars.
Dignitary - 4 Action Reaction
Look at the top 2 cards of your deck. Put any number of them into your hand, +$1 for each card you put back.
---
When another player plays an Attack card, you may reveal this from your hand. If you do, trash all but 4 cards from your hand.

Having followed this set for some time, I'm aware of the struggle of wording the bottom section. The current incarnation isn't bad, but presents some odd interactions with Rats and Cultist. I like the above-the-line ability, although I think there isn't any reason this couldn't cost $3.

3 Stars.
 
Recruiter - $4 Action Reaction
+$1
Gain a Conscripts from the Conscripts pile, putting it on top of your deck.
---
When another player plays an Attack card, you may discard this. If you do, gain a Conscripts from the Conscripts pile, putting it into your hand.

Interesting reaction, fairly bland action. This is difficult to judge, because it is tied in so closely to Conscripts. This feels very similar to Marauder, except that the card you get stays around (some of the time).

2 Stars
Conscripts - $0* Action Attack
+1 Action
+$2
You may reveal an Attack card from your hand. If you do, return this to the Conscripts pile and each other player gains a Curse.
(This is not in the Supply)

I might as well review Conscripts here as well; I like the idea of a one-shot attack, but I can't quite decide what it should do. Cursing seems too powerful, discarding seems too weak. Generating coins seems kind of odd, but I don't know what else I'd want it to do. I also know that this card has been through a lot of iterations, so presumably it is more reasonable than I realize, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

3 Stars
Terrace - $4 Action
+1 Card
+2 Actions
You may pay a Trade token to discard your hand and draw 5 cards.
---
When you gain this, take a Trade token.

This card seems pretty nuts. A village that lets you do a minion-esque redraw, but with 5 cards instead of 4. It seems crazy, but the more I think about it, it is probably not overpowered, as you can't abuse it in a treasure deck (Black Market excepted), or an engine (due to limited Trade tokens).

5 Stars
Vendor - $4 Action
+2 Cards
+1 Action
+1 Buy
You may discard a treasure. If you don't, trash this.

Pretty cool. Seems overpowered, but because you have to discard treasure, the net effect is pretty reasonable. Also adds skill in knowing when to trash them, and if you want to risk playing it in a hand with no treasure.

4 Stars
Axeman - $5 Action Attack
+$2
Each other player with 5 or more cards in hand trashes a card from his hand costing at least $3 (or reveals a hand with no such cards). He may gain a cheaper card, putting it on top of his deck.

By far my least favourite card of the set. Essentially a hybrid of Pillage and Saboteur, neither of which I am a fan of, it targets high-costing cards in your hand, and replaces them with cheaper cards.

There have been multiple versions of this card, and I've hated them all. It is an ugly concept; I'm not convinced it can be fixed.

1 Star.
 
Barracks - $5 Action
+1 Action
Choose one: Gain 2 Conscripts from the Conscripts pile; or reveal cards from your deck until you reveal an Attack card, put that Attack card into your hand, and discard the rest.

Having already reviewed Conscripts, here is Barracks, the other card that uses them. I like this card a lot more than Recruiter (my issues with Conscripts notwithstanding); its cool self-synergy of gaining and digging for attacks.

4 Stars
Barrister - $5 Action Attack
Each other player reveals the top 2 cards of his deck, trashes a revealed Treasure other than Copper, and discards the rest. Gain a Treasure from the trash, or a Silver, putting it into your hand.
---
Setup: Replace one of each player's starting Coppers with a Domain.

The art on Barrister may look familiar, but is entirely a different card from my Tariff. This card has been through some iterations, and I like its current form. It is a sort of thief-explorer hybrid, and it is unusual and interesting enough to rouse my interest.

4 Stars

Domain - $3 Treasure Victory
$1
---
Worth 1 VP for every Domain in your deck.

While we're at it: Domain. Probably the best replace-a-copper-in-your-starting-deck variant I've seen. The increased cost makes it interesting for trash-for-benefit cards, and it has a neat interaction with Barrister, and its dual-type helps keep things interesting overall.

4 Stars
Barter - $5 Action
+1 Action
Trash a card from your hand. Gain a card costing up to $2 more than it. You may pay a Trade token to put the gained card into your hand.
---
When you buy this, take 2 Trade tokens.

A Remodel variant. Non-terminal, with the option to put the card into your hand. Not sure why it gives you 2 Trade tokens on the buy, though this was a deliberate buff (it used to only give 1). A solid card.

4 Stars
Cathedral - $5 Action
+3 Cards
+1 Buy
You may pay a Trade token to trash 2 cards from your hand.
---
While this is in play, when you buy a Victory card, take a Trade token.

Pretty cool. The Trade tokens seem like a pittance - being able to trash 2 cards in exchange for buying one; however, if you have multiple Cathedrals in play, you gain more than one token per buy. You can probably set up some really cool combos with this. Also, it seems kind of weird you have to trash exactly 2 instead of up to 2.

4 Stars.
Conclave - $5 Action
+1 Action
Reveal the top 3 cards of your deck. From the revealed cards, choose an Action card, a Treasure card, and a Victory card. Put those cards into your hand and discard the rest.

So freaking cool. A sort-of-Cornucopia Laboratory variant. Love it.

5 Stars.
Fund - $5 Treasure
$2
When you play this, you may trash it. If you do, +1 Buy and gain a Silver, putting it into your hand.

One shot money. Neat, solid, but doesn't seem too exciting (though probably a cool combo with Barrister)

3 Stars
General - $5 Action
You may play an Action card from your hand twice; when you would trash or otherwise remove that card from play during your Action phase, don't. When you discard that card from play, you may put it on top of your deck.

I like the concept of play twice now, once later, but I firmly dislike the cannot be removed from play business, and am not 100% sold on the wording. I'd much prefer it as a simpler Throne room with automatic Scheming.

2 Stars with the potential to be 4.
Wheelwright - $5 Action
Discard any number of cards. Draw until you have 7 cards in hand. Each other player may gain a Copper, putting it into his hand.

I really like this card. Discard-and-Draw-Up-To is a concept I had been trying to do, but between this card and Archivist, I don't think I can come up with anything better. 

5 Stars.


Overall: 4 Stars
1 Star - 1
2 Star - 3
3 Star - 8
4 Star - 9
5 Star - 5