User:Polatrite
[edit] Combos
Here are some combos that I've used and I really enjoyed them.
Haven/Baron/Scheme/Nobles - Nobles is a pretty bad card drawing engine (yielding +1 card for the luck of landing two Nobles together) but the combination of Scheme and Haven propels it into overdrive, and if you run Baron and can trash Copper (or your opponent does via Bishop, Pirate Ship, etc.) it's hilarious. Leapfrog Baron into early Nobles buys and keep going at every $6. Having more than 5 Nobles is really only useful for VP as you'll be able to Scheme/Haven your way through your entire deck, setting aside random cards, extra Estates, extra Nobles and more.
Haven/Warehouse/Treasure Map - Probably the most obvious Treasure Map synergy combo in the game. I hate Treasure Map as a rule, but on boards where you strategically utilize it, it's not so bad. If you buy Treasure Map on boards without sifting and get lucky on turn 6, I probably want to punch you for making grossly unintelligent plays and still coming out ahead. Still, with this combo you almost assure yourself of activating your maps anywhere from turn 5-7.
Shanty Village/Goons/Library - A remarkably synergistic combo, I've hit this board twice (once with Torturer!) and both times the strategy has proved almost unbeatable. It really is everything you need for success in an engine - protection against the opponent's attack, massive draw for sifting the junk you pick up with Goons, and pretty much unlimited actions.
[edit] Most Favorite Cards
Watchtower - This card is amazing. Only of middling strength in some decks, but you can usually find a place for it in a good engine. The topdecking mechanic is brilliant and really rewards strategic play. If you ever browse the forums to review "stack your deck and do X" competitions, Watchtower places in almost every one. This is because it affords amazing early-game turns in topdecking and drawing your cards. It's got excellent synergy with terminal non-draw cards and bonus actions. Really fun.
Highway - It may be a noob card, but I'm really a sucker for "costs $1 less" mechanics. The only thing I don't like about Highway is how many boards (especially those with cheap/non-terminal +buy) can become really swingy when Highway is around, after one person hits fast and snowballs depletion on the stack.
Fishing Village - Amazing card. It's too obvious, but it's too good.
Crossroads - There's a nice subtle elegance to this card. +3 actions is really strong on some boards and can allow you to really stack terminals without much fear. It's cheap and it has a great lategame with the ability to sift your green cards very well. Of course it synergizes with alternate VP, but that goes without saying.
[edit] Least Favorite Cards
If I were to permanently remove cards from the game, here's what I'd remove:
Tournament - Not only is it the most luck-based swingy card in the game, it's also the most unfair due to immense snowballing after the first prize.
Treasure Map - See above. It's cool when the board can work the card to usefulness, it's terrible when people buy it and get lucky.
Familiar - The turn 3-4 luck draw is probably one of the worst in the game.
Sea Hag - Not as bad as Familiar (muuuch lower % chance of really hurting your opponent) but it's an attack that can really cripple somebody's turn 3-4. It's also a terrible, slow, slogging card.
Black Market - The definition of absurd swinginess. It's almost worse than Tournament, really. There are some real power cards that could propel terrible boards into amazing boards for exactly one player who catches the key card. Plus there's the luck factor of even having enough money to buy the cards you've revealed which is exacerbated by the fact that the power cards cost $6 and $7.
Swindler/Saboteur - Swindler is always the better card out of these two, but they both have terrible effects. You both open Swindler, he swindles your copper into a curse and you swindle his estate into an estate (also discarding it for him for free). Saboteur is only really a late-game threat with the incredibly swingy Province trash.
