Cost

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[[Image:Debt.png|thumb|right|The artwork used to show cost in [[Debt]].]]
 
[[Image:Debt.png|thumb|right|The artwork used to show cost in [[Debt]].]]
  
The '''cost''' of a card or [[Event]] is the amount that must be paid in order to buy it. A card's cost is indicated in its lower left corner, and an Event's cost is indicated in its upper left corner. Usually this is some number of [[coin|coins]], symbolized {{Cost}}.  In order to be able to buy something, you must have generated at least the requisite number of {{Cost|}} and {{Cost|P}} earlier in the turn (and not yet spent them on other cards or Events). The principal way of generating {{Cost|}} is by playing [[Action]] and [[Treasure]] cards; [[coin token|Coin tokens]] and the Event {{Event|Borrow}} provide alternative ways of accumulating {{Cost|}}.
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The '''cost''' of a [[card]], [[Event]] or [[Project]] is the amount that must be paid in order to buy it. A card's cost is indicated in its lower left corner, and an Event or Project's cost is indicated in its upper left corner. Every card, Event or Project costs some number of {{Cost}}, {{P}}, and {{Debt}}. Only relevant cost components are shown, the rest are omitted. If something does not cost any resources (besides a Buy), {{Cost|0}} is shown. To buy something, a player must have the requisite number of {{Cost|}} and {{Cost|P}} unspent, a Buy, and no {{Debt}}.
  
== Other symbols in costs ==
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== Symbols in costs ==
The costs of some cards from [[Alchemy]] include a {{Card|Potion}}, symbolized {{P}}, in addition to some number of {{Cost|}} (possibly 0). The {{Cost|}} and {{P}} components of costs are orthogonal; in order to buy a card with {{P}} in the cost, you must have played a {{Card|Potion}} card in addition to sufficient Actions, Treasures, etc. to produce the requisite number of {{Cost|}}.
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Most cards include [[Coin]]s in their cost, symbolized {{Cost}}. To buy a card with {{Cost}} in the cost, you must have made enough {{Cost}} during your turn. The primary way of making {{Cost|}} is by playing [[Action]] and [[Treasure]] cards. [[Coffers]] and some [[Event]]s, [[Artifact|Artifacts]], [[Boon]]s, and [[Night]] cards provide additional ways to make {{Cost}}.
  
An asterisk (e.g., {{Cost|0*}}) indicates a card's cost is not what it seems. Cards belonging to piles not in the [[Supply]] have asterisks in their costs to remind players that, despite having a cost, they cannot be bought. {{Card|Peddler}} has an asterisk in its cost to remind players it has an effect which changes its cost.
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Some cards in [[Alchemy]] include {{Card|Potion}} in their cost, symbolized {{P}}. This may be in addition to some number of {{Cost}}. The {{Cost}} and {{P}} components of costs are orthogonal; {{Cost|1}} is not greater than, less than, or equal to {{P}}. To buy a card with {{P}} in the cost, you must have played a Potion, in addition to having made enough {{Cost}} to pay for the {{Cost}} portion of the card's cost.
  
The costs of some cards from [[Guilds]] include a plus sign (e.g., {{Cost|3+}}), which indicates that a card may be [[overpay|overpaid]] for.
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Some cards in [[Empires]] include [[Debt]] in their cost, symbolized {{Debt}}. This may be in addition to some number of {{Cost|}}. The {{Cost}} and {{Debt}} components of costs are orthogonal; {{Debt|1}} is not greater than, less than, or equal to {{Cost|1}}. Unlike {{Cost}} and {{P}}, players do not pay {{Debt}} when buying cards costing {{Debt}}; instead they take {{Debt}} tokens when buying cards costing {{Debt}}. {{Debt}} is paid off by {{Cost}}.
  
Asterisk and plus signs are only reminders; unless otherwise specified, a card still has its normal cost for all purposes described below.
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Some cards in [[Guilds]] include a superscript plus sign in their cost (e.g., {{Cost|3+}}). This indicates the card may be [[overpay|overpaid]] for.
  
Some cards in [[Empires]] include [[Debt]] in their cost, symbolized {{Debt}}. This means that part or all of the cost of the card can be paid for in {{Cost}} at a later time.  While {{Cost}} is used to pay off {{Debt}}, the costs on the cards themselves are orthogonal; a cost in {{Debt}} is neither more nor less than a cost in {{Cost}}, for the purposes of effects that care about costs.
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Some cards include an asterisk in their cost (e.g., {{Cost|0*}}). This indicates there is something unusual about the card's cost. Cards from [[non-Supply]] piles have asterisks in their costs to remind players that, despite having a cost, they cannot be bought. {{Card|Peddler}} has an asterisk in its cost to remind players it has an effect which changes its cost. Cards with asterisks are in [[Prosperity]], [[Cornucopia]], [[Dark Ages]], [[Adventures]], and [[Nocturne]].
  
== Other functions of costs ==
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Asterisks and plus signs are only reminders; unless otherwise specified, a card still has its normal cost for all purposes described below.
Costs can serve other functions in gameplay, outside of their role in buying something. For example, most [[gainer|gainers]] and several [[trashing attack|trashing attacks]] can only gain or trash cards of specified costs; most [[trash-for-benefit]] cards have effects that depend on the cost of the trashed card; a card's cost determines whether it is eligible to serve as the Bane for {{Card|Young Witch}}, be imitated by {{Card|Band of Misfits}} or {{Card|Overlord}}, or be set aside by {{Card|Prince}}, {{Event|Inheritance}} or {{Event|Summon}}. For this reason, all cards have costs, even those that it is never possible to buy, such as [[Shelter|Shelters]] and [[Prize|Prizes]].
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== Comparing costs ==
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Many effects cause players to compare the cost of a card to another card, or a fixed value. These commonly include effects from [[gainers]], [[remodeler]]s, and [[trashing attack]]s. An amount of two cost components ({{Cost}} and {{P}}, or {{Cost}} and {{Debt}}) is only larger than another if both cost component amounts are larger, or one is larger and one the same.
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For example:
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* {{Cost|4P}} costs {{Cost|2}} more than {{Cost|2P}}.
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* Any card with {{P}} or {{Debt}} in its cost does not cost up to {{Cost|4}}.
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* Any card with {{P}} or {{Debt}} in its cost does not cost from {{Cost|3}} to {{Cost|6}}.
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* {{Cost|8||8}} costs more than {{Cost|5}}, but {{Debt|8}} does not.
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* {{Debt|4}} is not more than {{Cost|4}}, and {{Cost|4}} is not more than {{Debt|4}}; both have something the other lacks.
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* Things that change costs only change the {{Cost}} cost; {{P}} and {{Debt}} are unaffected by changes in {{Coin}}.
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== Purposes of costs ==
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The primary purpose of a card's cost is to indicate the resources needed to buy it. However, many things make references to a card's cost at other times. For example:
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* Most gainers and several trashing attacks can only gain or trash cards with specified costs.
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* Most [[trash-for-benefit]] cards have effects that depend on the cost of the trashed card.
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* Only cards with certain costs may be {{Card|Young Witch|Young Witch's}} bane.
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* Only cards with certain costs may be imitated by {{Card|Band of Misfits}} or {{Card|Overlord}}, or be set aside by {{Card|Prince}}, {{Event|Inheritance}}, or {{Event|Summon}}.
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For this reason, all cards have costs, even those that it is never possible to buy, such as [[Shelter]]s and [[Heirloom]]s.
  
 
== Changes in cost ==
 
== Changes in cost ==
Some cards have effects that temporarily [[Cost reduction|reduce the cost]] of some or all cards: {{Card|Bridge}}, {{Card|Quarry}}, {{Card|Peddler}}, {{Card|Highway}}, {{Card|Bridge Troll}}, and {{Card|Princess}}, as well as the Event {{Event|Ferry}}. When these effects occur, costs are changed for all purposes—not only the cost of buying cards is changed, but so are other effects that depend on cost such as those listed above. These abilities change the costs of cards, but not of Events.
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Some things have effects that temporarily [[Cost reduction|reduce the cost]] of some or all cards: {{Card|Bridge}}, {{Card|Bridge Troll}}, {{Project|Canal}}, {{Event|Ferry}}, {{Card|Highway}}, {{Card|Inventor}}, {{Card|Peddler}}, {{Card|Princess}} and {{Card|Quarry}}. When these effects occur, the effected costs are changed for all purposes (see above). These abilities change the costs of cards, but not of Events or Projects.
  
 
== Strategy ==
 
== Strategy ==
In general, more "powerful" cards and Events have higher costs, but overall power is not the only consideration that goes into determining cost. For example, {{Card|Chapel}} is often cited as a card whose strength is considered disproportionate to its low cost of {{Cost|2}}. Costs between {{Cost|2}} and {{Cost|4}} especially are influenced by how useful a card is as an [[opening]], and how desirable or necessary it is to be able to accumulate multiple copies of a card with extra [[+Buy]]. Cards with beneficial on-gain or on-buy effects typically cost more than their on-play effect would seem to require. There are also instances where cards have a different cost than their power level might suggest in order to interact better with other cards: {{Card|Rats}} costs {{Cost|4}} to interact favorably with trash-for-benefit cards, while {{Card|Border Village}} costs {{Cost|6}} to give you a wider range of other cards to gain with its when-gain ability.  
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In general, more "powerful" cards, Events and Projects have higher costs, but overall power is not the only consideration that goes into determining cost. For example:
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* {{Card|Chapel}} is often cited as a card whose strength is considered disproportionate to its low cost of {{Cost|2}}.
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* Costs between {{Cost|2}} and {{Cost|4}} are influenced by how useful the card, Event, or Project is as an [[opening]], and how desirable or necessary it is to be able to accumulate multiple copies of a card with extra [[Buy]]s.
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* Cards with beneficial on-gain or on-buy effects typically cost more than their on-play effect would seem to require.
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* Some cards' costs differ from what their power levels might suggest in order to interact better with other cards. {{Card|Rats}} costs {{Cost|4}} to interact favorably with trash-for-benefit cards, while {{Card|Border Village}} costs {{Cost|6}} to give you a wider range of other cards to gain with its when-gain ability.
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* Until {{Set|Adventures}}, non-Supply cards exclusively cost {{Cost|0*}} regardless of their effect, but since that set, they generally have a cost indicative of their overall power level.
  
In general a card will never be [[strictly better]] than a similar card with the same or a higher cost.
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In general, a card will never be [[strictly better]] than a similar card with the same or a higher cost.
  
Most [[Kingdom card|Kingdom cards]] cost between {{Cost|2}} and {{Cost|6}}; there are only eight piles with cards costing more than {{Cost|6}} (as well as three Events) and one card costing less than {{Cost|2}} (as well as five Events). This means that, in most games of Dominion, there is a gap in the supply at the costs of {{Cost|1}} and {{Cost|7}}. This gap can influence gameplay in subtle but substantial ways: for instance, it means that {{Card|Upgrade}} can be used to trash {{Card|Copper}} without gaining anything, but cannot be used to gain {{Card|Province}}. In the rare games when {{Cost|1}}- or {{Cost|7}}-cost cards are in the Supply, therefore, the utility of a card like Upgrade can change dramatically.
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Most [[Kingdom card]]s cost between {{Cost|2}} and {{Cost|6}}. There are only eight Kingdom piles with cards costing more than {{Cost|6}} (as well as three Events and two Projects) and one Kingdom card costing less than {{Cost|2}} (as well as five Events). (Note other Kingdom cards and Events cost {{Cost|0}}, but do cost {{P}} or {{Debt}}.) This means most games of Dominion do not have Supply cards costing {{Cost|1}} or {{Cost|7}}. These gaps can influence gameplay in subtle but substantial ways. For examples, {{Card|Upgrade}} can trash {{Card|Copper}} without gaining anything, and cannot trash anything to gain a {{Card|Province}}. In the rare games when cards costing {{Cost|1}} or {{Cost|7}} are in the Supply, the utility of a card like Upgrade can change dramatically.
  
 
=== 0 cost ===
 
=== 0 cost ===
Cards that cost {{Cost|0}} are either meant to be so terrible that they're essentially free ({{Card|Copper}}, {{Card|Curse}}, [[Ruins]]), or are non-Supply cards that are meant to be quite powerful. In the latter case, a null cost helps indicate that these are not normal cards, and discourages any other use for them than playing them (such as [[Remodeler|remodeling]] them).
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Cards that cost {{Cost|0}} are either meant to be so terrible that they're essentially free (e.g., {{Card|Copper}}, {{Card|Curse}}, and [[Ruins]]), or are non-Supply cards that are meant to be quite powerful. In the latter case, a null cost helps indicate that these are not normal cards, and discourages any other use for them than playing them (such as [[Remodeler|remodeling]] them).
  
 
Events that cost {{Cost|0}} are meant to be always available, and come with some penalty or restriction to prevent their abuse.
 
Events that cost {{Cost|0}} are meant to be always available, and come with some penalty or restriction to prevent their abuse.
  
 
=== 1 cost ===
 
=== 1 cost ===
Cards that cost {{Cost|1}} do so mainly as a gimmick: {{Card|Poor House}} has this cost for flavor reasons, and [[Shelter|Shelters]] have it to change early game playstyles.
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Cards that cost {{Cost|1}} do so mainly as a gimmick: {{Card|Poor House}} has this cost for flavor reasons, and to change early game playstyles.
  
 
{{Event|Save}}, the only Event that costs {{Cost|1}}, has a relatively minor effect that is intended to be almost always available.
 
{{Event|Save}}, the only Event that costs {{Cost|1}}, has a relatively minor effect that is intended to be almost always available.
  
 
=== 2 cost ===
 
=== 2 cost ===
{{Cost|2}} is the lowest normal cost for Kingdom cards; they are priced so that players can always open with them, and can easily pick up extra copies of them with spare [[+Buy|+Buys]]. This includes cards whose effects are usually relatively weak or inconsequential (such as {{Card|Pearl Diver}} or {{Card|Duchess}}); cards that can be strong, but only if you can accumulate many copies of them, so the low cost is necessary to make that possible (such as {{Card|Fool's Gold}} or {{Card|Native Village}}); and cards that are strong individually but offer diminishing returns for accumulating extra copies, so it doesn't overbalance the game too much to be able to buy up many of them (such as {{Card|Courtyard}} or {{Card|Hamlet}}). The most extreme example of this last class is {{Card|Chapel}}: it's often described as the strongest card in the game relative to its cost, but rarely does anyone need more than one copy of it; therefore the fact that additional copies are easy to get has little effect on gameplay.
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{{Cost|2}} is the lowest normal cost for Kingdom cards. Cards that cost {{Cost|2}} are priced so players can always open with them, and can easily pick up extra copies of them with spare Buys. These include:
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* Cards whose effects are usually relatively weak or inconsequential (e.g., {{Card|Pearl Diver}} and {{Card|Duchess}}).
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* Cards that are strong only in multiples (e.g., {{Card|Fool's Gold}} and {{Card|Native Village}}). These cards are valuable because they are cheap enough you can buy several of them.
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* Cards that are not strong in multiples (e.g., {{Card|Courtyard}} or {{Card|Hamlet}}). These cards are not overpowering because, although you can buy several, they have diminishing returns; it is usually not useful to buy too many copies of them. {{Card|Chapel}} epitomizes this: it's often described as the strongest card in the game relative to its cost, but rarely does anyone need more than one copy of it.
  
 
The {{Cost|2}} Events mostly give +Buy and a small but useful bonus, offering another use for extra {{cost}} the player may have in their Buy phase.
 
The {{Cost|2}} Events mostly give +Buy and a small but useful bonus, offering another use for extra {{cost}} the player may have in their Buy phase.
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There are no {{Cost|2}} Projects as it would be too automatic to pick one up with an extra +Buy.
  
 
=== 3 cost ===
 
=== 3 cost ===
Cards and Events that cost {{Cost|3}} are priced so that players can open with two of them, but cannot, in general, open with one of them and a card costing {{Cost|5}}. They are typically more powerful than {{Cost|2}} cards and Events. Cards and Events at this price point also directly compete with {{Card|Silver}}.
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Cards and Events that cost {{Cost|3}} are priced so that players can open with two of them, but cannot (usually) open with one of them and a card costing {{Cost|5}}. They are typically more powerful than {{Cost|2}} cards and Events. Cards, Events and Projects at this cost also directly compete with {{Card|Silver}}.
  
 
=== 4 cost ===
 
=== 4 cost ===
Cards and Events that cost {{Cost|4}} are priced so that players can usually open with one of them, but cannot, in general, open with more than that. {{Cost|4}} cards are often relatively powerful early-game [[Attack|Attacks]] or [[trasher|trashers]].
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Cards, Events and Projects that cost {{Cost|4}} are priced so that players can usually open with one of them, but cannot (usually) open with more than one of them. {{Cost|4}} cards are often relatively powerful early-game [[Attack]]s or [[trasher]]s.
  
 
=== 5 cost ===
 
=== 5 cost ===
{{Cost|5}} is considered to be the most important cost in Dominion, and it is the price point with the most cards and Events. Most cards at this cost are considered to be quite powerful, so much so that, in general, players may not open with them unless their other opener is a {{Cost|2}}; the difference in power between a typical {{Cost|5}} card and {{Cost|4}} card is substantially wider than between {{Cost|4}} and {{Cost|3}}. Therefore "reaching {{Cost|5}}" is an important part of early game strategy, and players must decide whether they want to, for example, trash early, or focus their buys on cards and Events that will help them field {{Cost|5}} so they can access these powerful cards. Most [[curser|cursers]] and many powerful [[terminal draw]] cards are at this price point.
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{{Cost|5}} is considered to be the most important cost in Dominion, and it is the cost with the most cards, Events and Projects. Most cards at this cost are considered quite powerful; if a player gets to open with a card costing {{Cost|5}}, their other opening card must be {{Cost|2}} or less. The difference in power between a typical card costing {{Cost|5}} and a card costing {{Cost|4}} is substantially wider than between cards costing {{Cost|4}} and cards costing {{Cost|3}}. Therefore, making {{Cost|5}} is an important part of early game strategy; players must often choose between early trashing, or buying things that will help them make {{Cost|5}}. Most [[curser]]s and many powerful [[terminal draw]] cards cost {{Cost|5}}.
  
 
=== 6 cost ===
 
=== 6 cost ===
Cards and Events that cost {{Cost|6}} directly compete with {{Card|Gold}}, and as such tend to be exceptionally powerful; so much so that, in general, players may not open with them.
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Cards, Events and Projects that cost {{Cost|6}} directly compete with {{Card|Gold}}. They tend to be exceptionally powerful, and players usually cannot open with them.
  
 
=== 7 cost ===
 
=== 7 cost ===
Cards and Events that cost {{Cost|7}} still compete with Gold, but the extra {{Cost|1}} in cost means these few cards and Events are just that much harder to acquire. Cards at this price point can be seen as a consolation prize for not making {{Cost|8}}, but also interact nicely with remodelers with an "exactly {{Cost|1}} more than" specification on the card they gain, allowing them to move smoothly from Gold to Province.  {{Card|King's Court}}, perhaps the most powerful card in the game, is at this price point.
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Cards, Events and Projects that cost {{Cost|7}} still compete with Gold, but the extra {{Cost|1}} in cost means these few cards, Events and Projects are just that much harder to acquire. Cards costing {{Cost|7}} can be seen as a consolation prizes for not making {{Cost|8}}, but they also allow [[Trasher#Remodelers|remodelers]] that gain cards costing "exactly {{Cost|1}} more than" a trashed card to gain Provinces.
  
 
=== 8 cost ===
 
=== 8 cost ===
Cards and Events that cost {{Cost|8}} directly compete with {{Card|Province}}, and thus have to be worth giving up a Province buy to acquire. {{Card|Peddler}}, while nominally costing {{Cost|8}}, is more often paid for by playing Actions, often picked up with extra buys at {{Cost|0}}.  By coincidence, until the release of [[Empires]], all cards and Events that cost {{Cost|8}} had names starting with the letter "P".
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Cards, Events, and Projects that cost {{Cost|8}} directly compete with {{Card|Province}}; a player chooses to buy these cards, Events or Projects instead of a Province. {{Card|Peddler}}, while nominally costing {{Cost|8}}, is rarely purchased for more than {{Cost|4}}.
  
=== 9+ cost ===
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=== 9 and higher cost ===
{{Card|Platinum}}, at {{Cost|9}}, and {{Card|Colony}}, at {{Cost|11}}, have the most expensive {{Cost}} cost of card piles in the game, and {{Event|Dominate}}, at {{Cost|14}}, is the most expensive Event in the game. The two most expensive [[Castle]]s also fall into this price range, and all the cards and Events in this category can be extremely powerful. Their high cost usually leads to games including them lasting longer than usual as players build their decks up to field enough {{Cost}} to buy them.
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{{Card|Platinum}} at {{Cost|9}} and {{Card|Colony}} at {{Cost|11}} have the most expensive {{Cost}} costs of card piles in the game, and {{Event|Dominate}} at {{Cost|14}} is the most expensive Event in the game. The two most expensive [[Castle]]s also fall into this price range, and all the cards and Events in this category can be extremely powerful. Games with these high-costing cards usually last longer as players build their decks up to make enough {{Cost}} to buy them.
  
 
=== Potion cost ===
 
=== Potion cost ===
Since the only way to buy a card with {{P}} in the cost is the relatively inflexible {{Card|Potion}} card, such cards are generally more inconvenient to acquire than comparable cards with {{Cost|}} costs. To motivate the player to go to the trouble, such cards are typically fairly powerful and reward accumulating multiple copies of them.
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Since the only way to buy a card with {{P}} in the cost is the relatively inflexible {{Card|Potion}} card, such cards are generally more inconvenient to acquire than comparable cards with {{Cost}} costs. To motivate players to go to the trouble, these cards are typically powerful and reward accumulating multiple copies of them.
  
 
=== Debt cost ===
 
=== Debt cost ===
 
[[Debt]] allows players to pay some or all of a card or Event's cost at a later time. Cards and Events with solely {{Debt}} in their cost can be bought at any time, provided the player does not already have {{Debt}}. Thus, while they may be expensive, they can be bought on a player's opening turns, though this may mean that they can't buy anything else for the next turn or turns. As such, {{Debt}} cards and Events with no other cost tend to have some feature or penalty that makes them not worth buying in the first few turns.
 
[[Debt]] allows players to pay some or all of a card or Event's cost at a later time. Cards and Events with solely {{Debt}} in their cost can be bought at any time, provided the player does not already have {{Debt}}. Thus, while they may be expensive, they can be bought on a player's opening turns, though this may mean that they can't buy anything else for the next turn or turns. As such, {{Debt}} cards and Events with no other cost tend to have some feature or penalty that makes them not worth buying in the first few turns.
  
One card ({{Card|Fortune}}) and one Event ({{Event|Wedding}}) have both a {{Cost}} cost and a {{Debt}} cost; the same concepts from the purely {{Debt}}-costing cards and Events apply, but now these two have an additional {{Cost}} threshold that must be met as well, rather than being able to buy them at any time.  At {{Cost|8||8}}, Fortune is the most expensive object in the game, though since only half of that cost has to be paid up front, it is easier to access than Platinum, Colony, and Dominate.
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One card ({{Card|Fortune}}) and one Event ({{Event|Wedding}}) have both a {{Cost}} cost and a {{Debt}} cost; the same concepts from the purely {{Debt}}-costing cards and Events apply, but now these two have an additional {{Cost}} threshold that must be met as well, rather than being able to buy them at any time.  At {{Cost|8||8}}, Fortune is the most expensive thing in the game, though since only half of that cost has to be paid up front, it is easier to access than Platinum, Colony, and Dominate.
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== Trivia ==
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Some statistics on costs:
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{| class="wikitable"
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! Cost !! Kingdom Card Piles !! Differently-named Cards !! Kingdom Card Piles ([[Second Edition|2E]] only) !! Differently-named Cards ([[Second Edition|2E]] only) !! Events !! Projects !! Non-Kingdom Supply Piles
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|-
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|  || 334 || 405 || 322 || 393 || 34 || 20 || 11
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|0}} ||  || 19 (4.7%) ||  || 19 (4.8%) || 4 (11.8%) ||  || 3 ({{Card|Copper}}, {{Card|Curse}}, [[Ruins]])
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|1}} || 1 (0.3%) || 4 (1.0%) || 1 (0.3%) || 4 (1.0%) || 1 (2.9%) ||  ||
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|2}} || 39 (11.7%) || 45 (11.1%) || 38 (11.8%) || 44 (11.2%) || 4 (11.8%) ||  || 1 ({{Card|Estate}})
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|3}} || 58 (17.4%) || 64 (15.8%) || 55 (17.1%) || 61 (15.5%) || 5 (14.7%) || 5 (25.0%) || 1 ({{Card|Silver}})
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|4}} || 90 (26.9%) || 99 (24.4%) || 85 (26.4%) || 94 (23.9%) || 4 (11.8%) || 4 (20.0%) || 1 ({{Card|Potion}})
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|5}} || 112 (33.5%) || 128 (31.6%) || 110 (34.2%) || 126 (32.1%) || 6 (17.6%) || 6 (30.0%) || 1 ({{Card|Duchy}})
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|6}} || 14 (4.2%) || 18 (4.4%) || 13 (4.0%) || 17 (4.3%) || 3 (8.8%) || 3 (15.0%) || 1 ({{Card|Gold}})
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|7}} || 4 (1.2%) || 5 (1.2%) || 4 (1.2%) || 5 (1.3%) || 1 (2.9%) || 1 (5.0%) ||
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|8}} || 2 (0.6%) || 4 (1.0%) || 2 (0.6%) || 4 (1.0%) || 1 (2.9%) || 1 (5.0%) || 1 ({{Card|Province}})
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|9}} ||  || 2 (0.5%) ||  || 2 (0.5%) ||  ||  || 1 ({{Card|Platinum}})
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|10}} ||  || 1 (0.2%) ||  || 1 (0.3%) ||  ||  ||
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|11}} ||  || 1 (0.2%) ||  || 1 (0.3%) ||  ||  || 1 ({{Card|Colony}})
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | {{Cost|14}} ||  ||  ||  ||  || 1 (2.9%) ||  ||
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | Includes {{Cost|P}} || 10 (3.0%) || 10 (2.5%) || 10 (3.1%) || 10 (2.5%) ||  ||  ||
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|-
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| style="text-align:center;" | Includes {{Debt}} || 4 (1.2%) || 5 (1.2%) || 4 (1.2%) || 5 (1.3%) || 5 (11.8%) ||  ||
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|}
  
 
{{Navbox Strategy}}
 
{{Navbox Strategy}}
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[[Category:Rules]]

Revision as of 04:57, 16 November 2018

The artwork used to show cost in coins.
The artwork used to show cost in Potions.
The artwork used to show cost in Debt.

The cost of a card, Event or Project is the amount that must be paid in order to buy it. A card's cost is indicated in its lower left corner, and an Event or Project's cost is indicated in its upper left corner. Every card, Event or Project costs some number of $, P, and D. Only relevant cost components are shown, the rest are omitted. If something does not cost any resources (besides a Buy), $0 is shown. To buy something, a player must have the requisite number of $ and P unspent, a Buy, and no D.

Contents

Symbols in costs

Most cards include Coins in their cost, symbolized $. To buy a card with $ in the cost, you must have made enough $ during your turn. The primary way of making $ is by playing Action and Treasure cards. Coffers and some Events, Artifacts, Boons, and Night cards provide additional ways to make $.

Some cards in Alchemy include PotionPotion.jpg in their cost, symbolized P. This may be in addition to some number of $. The $ and P components of costs are orthogonal; $1 is not greater than, less than, or equal to P. To buy a card with P in the cost, you must have played a Potion, in addition to having made enough $ to pay for the $ portion of the card's cost.

Some cards in Empires include Debt in their cost, symbolized D. This may be in addition to some number of $. The $ and D components of costs are orthogonal; 1D is not greater than, less than, or equal to $1. Unlike $ and P, players do not pay D when buying cards costing D; instead they take D tokens when buying cards costing D. D is paid off by $.

Some cards in Guilds include a superscript plus sign in their cost (e.g., $3plus). This indicates the card may be overpaid for.

Some cards include an asterisk in their cost (e.g., $0star). This indicates there is something unusual about the card's cost. Cards from non-Supply piles have asterisks in their costs to remind players that, despite having a cost, they cannot be bought. PeddlerPeddler.jpg has an asterisk in its cost to remind players it has an effect which changes its cost. Cards with asterisks are in Prosperity, Cornucopia, Dark Ages, Adventures, and Nocturne.

Asterisks and plus signs are only reminders; unless otherwise specified, a card still has its normal cost for all purposes described below.

Comparing costs

Many effects cause players to compare the cost of a card to another card, or a fixed value. These commonly include effects from gainers, remodelers, and trashing attacks. An amount of two cost components ($ and P, or $ and D) is only larger than another if both cost component amounts are larger, or one is larger and one the same.

For example:

  • $4P costs $2 more than $2P.
  • Any card with P or D in its cost does not cost up to $4.
  • Any card with P or D in its cost does not cost from $3 to $6.
  • $88D costs more than $5, but 8D does not.
  • 4D is not more than $4, and $4 is not more than 4D; both have something the other lacks.
  • Things that change costs only change the $ cost; P and D are unaffected by changes in $.

Purposes of costs

The primary purpose of a card's cost is to indicate the resources needed to buy it. However, many things make references to a card's cost at other times. For example:

For this reason, all cards have costs, even those that it is never possible to buy, such as Shelters and Heirlooms.

Changes in cost

Some things have effects that temporarily reduce the cost of some or all cards: BridgeBridge.jpg, Bridge TrollBridge Troll.jpg, CanalCanal.jpg, FerryFerry.jpg, HighwayHighway.jpg, InventorInventor.jpg, PeddlerPeddler.jpg, PrincessPrincess.jpg and QuarryQuarry.jpg. When these effects occur, the effected costs are changed for all purposes (see above). These abilities change the costs of cards, but not of Events or Projects.

Strategy

In general, more "powerful" cards, Events and Projects have higher costs, but overall power is not the only consideration that goes into determining cost. For example:

  • ChapelChapel.jpg is often cited as a card whose strength is considered disproportionate to its low cost of $2.
  • Costs between $2 and $4 are influenced by how useful the card, Event, or Project is as an opening, and how desirable or necessary it is to be able to accumulate multiple copies of a card with extra Buys.
  • Cards with beneficial on-gain or on-buy effects typically cost more than their on-play effect would seem to require.
  • Some cards' costs differ from what their power levels might suggest in order to interact better with other cards. RatsRats.jpg costs $4 to interact favorably with trash-for-benefit cards, while Border VillageBorder Village.jpg costs $6 to give you a wider range of other cards to gain with its when-gain ability.
  • Until AdventuresAdventures.jpg, non-Supply cards exclusively cost $0star regardless of their effect, but since that set, they generally have a cost indicative of their overall power level.

In general, a card will never be strictly better than a similar card with the same or a higher cost.

Most Kingdom cards cost between $2 and $6. There are only eight Kingdom piles with cards costing more than $6 (as well as three Events and two Projects) and one Kingdom card costing less than $2 (as well as five Events). (Note other Kingdom cards and Events cost $0, but do cost P or D.) This means most games of Dominion do not have Supply cards costing $1 or $7. These gaps can influence gameplay in subtle but substantial ways. For examples, UpgradeUpgrade.jpg can trash CopperCopper.jpg without gaining anything, and cannot trash anything to gain a ProvinceProvince.jpg. In the rare games when cards costing $1 or $7 are in the Supply, the utility of a card like Upgrade can change dramatically.

0 cost

Cards that cost $0 are either meant to be so terrible that they're essentially free (e.g., CopperCopper.jpg, CurseCurse.jpg, and Ruins), or are non-Supply cards that are meant to be quite powerful. In the latter case, a null cost helps indicate that these are not normal cards, and discourages any other use for them than playing them (such as remodeling them).

Events that cost $0 are meant to be always available, and come with some penalty or restriction to prevent their abuse.

1 cost

Cards that cost $1 do so mainly as a gimmick: Poor HousePoor House.jpg has this cost for flavor reasons, and to change early game playstyles.

SaveSave.jpg, the only Event that costs $1, has a relatively minor effect that is intended to be almost always available.

2 cost

$2 is the lowest normal cost for Kingdom cards. Cards that cost $2 are priced so players can always open with them, and can easily pick up extra copies of them with spare Buys. These include:

  • Cards whose effects are usually relatively weak or inconsequential (e.g., Pearl DiverPearl Diver.jpg and DuchessDuchess.jpg).
  • Cards that are strong only in multiples (e.g., Fool's GoldFool's Gold.jpg and Native VillageNative Village.jpg). These cards are valuable because they are cheap enough you can buy several of them.
  • Cards that are not strong in multiples (e.g., CourtyardCourtyard.jpg or HamletHamlet.jpg). These cards are not overpowering because, although you can buy several, they have diminishing returns; it is usually not useful to buy too many copies of them. ChapelChapel.jpg epitomizes this: it's often described as the strongest card in the game relative to its cost, but rarely does anyone need more than one copy of it.

The $2 Events mostly give +Buy and a small but useful bonus, offering another use for extra $ the player may have in their Buy phase.

There are no $2 Projects as it would be too automatic to pick one up with an extra +Buy.

3 cost

Cards and Events that cost $3 are priced so that players can open with two of them, but cannot (usually) open with one of them and a card costing $5. They are typically more powerful than $2 cards and Events. Cards, Events and Projects at this cost also directly compete with SilverSilver.jpg.

4 cost

Cards, Events and Projects that cost $4 are priced so that players can usually open with one of them, but cannot (usually) open with more than one of them. $4 cards are often relatively powerful early-game Attacks or trashers.

5 cost

$5 is considered to be the most important cost in Dominion, and it is the cost with the most cards, Events and Projects. Most cards at this cost are considered quite powerful; if a player gets to open with a card costing $5, their other opening card must be $2 or less. The difference in power between a typical card costing $5 and a card costing $4 is substantially wider than between cards costing $4 and cards costing $3. Therefore, making $5 is an important part of early game strategy; players must often choose between early trashing, or buying things that will help them make $5. Most cursers and many powerful terminal draw cards cost $5.

6 cost

Cards, Events and Projects that cost $6 directly compete with GoldGold.jpg. They tend to be exceptionally powerful, and players usually cannot open with them.

7 cost

Cards, Events and Projects that cost $7 still compete with Gold, but the extra $1 in cost means these few cards, Events and Projects are just that much harder to acquire. Cards costing $7 can be seen as a consolation prizes for not making $8, but they also allow remodelers that gain cards costing "exactly $1 more than" a trashed card to gain Provinces.

8 cost

Cards, Events, and Projects that cost $8 directly compete with ProvinceProvince.jpg; a player chooses to buy these cards, Events or Projects instead of a Province. PeddlerPeddler.jpg, while nominally costing $8, is rarely purchased for more than $4.

9 and higher cost

PlatinumPlatinum.jpg at $9 and ColonyColony.jpg at $11 have the most expensive $ costs of card piles in the game, and DominateDominate.jpg at $14 is the most expensive Event in the game. The two most expensive Castles also fall into this price range, and all the cards and Events in this category can be extremely powerful. Games with these high-costing cards usually last longer as players build their decks up to make enough $ to buy them.

Potion cost

Since the only way to buy a card with P in the cost is the relatively inflexible PotionPotion.jpg card, such cards are generally more inconvenient to acquire than comparable cards with $ costs. To motivate players to go to the trouble, these cards are typically powerful and reward accumulating multiple copies of them.

Debt cost

Debt allows players to pay some or all of a card or Event's cost at a later time. Cards and Events with solely D in their cost can be bought at any time, provided the player does not already have D. Thus, while they may be expensive, they can be bought on a player's opening turns, though this may mean that they can't buy anything else for the next turn or turns. As such, D cards and Events with no other cost tend to have some feature or penalty that makes them not worth buying in the first few turns.

One card (FortuneFortune.jpg) and one Event (WeddingWedding.jpg) have both a $ cost and a D cost; the same concepts from the purely D-costing cards and Events apply, but now these two have an additional $ threshold that must be met as well, rather than being able to buy them at any time. At $88D, Fortune is the most expensive thing in the game, though since only half of that cost has to be paid up front, it is easier to access than Platinum, Colony, and Dominate.

Trivia

Some statistics on costs:

Cost Kingdom Card Piles Differently-named Cards Kingdom Card Piles (2E only) Differently-named Cards (2E only) Events Projects Non-Kingdom Supply Piles
334 405 322 393 34 20 11
$0 19 (4.7%) 19 (4.8%) 4 (11.8%) 3 (CopperCopper.jpg, CurseCurse.jpg, Ruins)
$1 1 (0.3%) 4 (1.0%) 1 (0.3%) 4 (1.0%) 1 (2.9%)
$2 39 (11.7%) 45 (11.1%) 38 (11.8%) 44 (11.2%) 4 (11.8%) 1 (EstateEstate.jpg)
$3 58 (17.4%) 64 (15.8%) 55 (17.1%) 61 (15.5%) 5 (14.7%) 5 (25.0%) 1 (SilverSilver.jpg)
$4 90 (26.9%) 99 (24.4%) 85 (26.4%) 94 (23.9%) 4 (11.8%) 4 (20.0%) 1 (PotionPotion.jpg)
$5 112 (33.5%) 128 (31.6%) 110 (34.2%) 126 (32.1%) 6 (17.6%) 6 (30.0%) 1 (DuchyDuchy.jpg)
$6 14 (4.2%) 18 (4.4%) 13 (4.0%) 17 (4.3%) 3 (8.8%) 3 (15.0%) 1 (GoldGold.jpg)
$7 4 (1.2%) 5 (1.2%) 4 (1.2%) 5 (1.3%) 1 (2.9%) 1 (5.0%)
$8 2 (0.6%) 4 (1.0%) 2 (0.6%) 4 (1.0%) 1 (2.9%) 1 (5.0%) 1 (ProvinceProvince.jpg)
$9 2 (0.5%) 2 (0.5%) 1 (PlatinumPlatinum.jpg)
$10 1 (0.2%) 1 (0.3%)
$11 1 (0.2%) 1 (0.3%) 1 (ColonyColony.jpg)
$14 1 (2.9%)
Includes P 10 (3.0%) 10 (2.5%) 10 (3.1%) 10 (2.5%)
Includes D 4 (1.2%) 5 (1.2%) 4 (1.2%) 5 (1.3%) 5 (11.8%)


Deck archetypes Big MoneyComboEngineRushSlog
Strategic concepts CollisionCounterCyclingDeadDuchy dancingEndgameGreeningMegaturnMirrorOpeningOpportunity costPenultimate Province RulePayloadPinPiledrivingReshuffleSilver testStop cardSplit advantageStrictly betterSynergyTerminalityTerminal spaceThree-pile endingTurn advantageVictory pointVillage idiot
Rules Blue dog ruleCostDeckGameplayMaterialsNo Visiting ruleStop-Moving rule (previously Lose Track rule) • Supply (Kingdom) • Triggered effectsTurn
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