Cost reduction

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(List of cost-reducers)
(Undo revision 47092 by RobinHoodjr : Merchant Guild does not reduce costs)
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* {{Card|Princess}} - reduces costs by {{Cost|2}}, but only one copy
 
* {{Card|Princess}} - reduces costs by {{Cost|2}}, but only one copy
 
* {{Card|Highway}} - [[cantrip]]
 
* {{Card|Highway}} - [[cantrip]]
* {{Card|Merchant Guild}} - returns Coffers
+
* {{Card|Bridge Troll}} - durational cost-reducer
* {{Card|Bridge Troll}} - effectively increases costs for opponents with the –{{Cost|1}} [[Adventures tokens|token]]
+
 
* {{Event|Ferry}} - reduces a single Supply pile's cost by {{Cost|2}}
 
* {{Event|Ferry}} - reduces a single Supply pile's cost by {{Cost|2}}
 
* {{card|Inventor}} - gains a card costing up to {{cost|4}} ''before'' cost reduction kicks in
 
* {{card|Inventor}} - gains a card costing up to {{cost|4}} ''before'' cost reduction kicks in

Revision as of 05:33, 9 December 2019

Bridge, a cost-reducing card.

Cost reduction is a recurring mechanic in Dominion. Rather than directly fielding coin, cost-reducers decrease the cost of cards, an effect which becomes more valuable with more buys. Typical cost reduction instructions follow this wording:

[All cards or some subset of cards] (including cards in players' hands) cost $x less this turn, but not less than $0.

Reducing a cost in $ does not reduce a cost in D or P. Reducing the cost of cards does not affect the cost of Events or Projects.

List of cost-reducers

  • BridgeBridge.jpg - the archetypal cost-reducer
  • QuarryQuarry.jpg - only affects Actions
  • PeddlerPeddler.jpg - only reduces its own cost during the Buy phase, depending on how many Actions are in play
  • PrincessPrincess.jpg - reduces costs by $2, but only one copy
  • HighwayHighway.jpg - cantrip
  • Bridge TrollBridge Troll.jpg - durational cost-reducer
  • FerryFerry.jpg - reduces a single Supply pile's cost by $2
  • InventorInventor.jpg - gains a card costing up to $4 before cost reduction kicks in
  • CanalCanal.jpg - reduces costs on your turn for the rest of the game

Strategy

Most cards that reference a specific cost in $ do well with cost-reducers, as most such cards use the specific cost as an upper limit. For example, WorkshopWorkshop.jpg can gain any card costing up to $4; without cost reduction, this effect is rather weak, but with four Highways in play, a Workshop can gain Provinces. On the other hand, cards that give a scaling effect per cost in $ of another card (most often trash for benefit cards) will do less well with cost-reducers, as their effect will be diminished, and cards that reference a cheaper card will give no effect if their cost has been reduced to $0. For examples, trashing a SilverSilver.jpg to an ApprenticeApprentice.jpg when you have Princess in play will only draw you one card, and with five Highways in play, Band of MisfitsBand of Misfits.jpg can't do anything.

Since cost reduction affects cards but not Events, it is less useful for strategies that depend heavily on buying Events (or Projects).


Dominion Game Mechanics
Turn Phases ActionBuyNightClean-up
Vanilla Bonuses +Card • +Action+Buy • +Coin
Tokens AdventuresCoin (Coffers, Villager, Favors) • DebtVictory
Other mechanics CallCost reductionDiscardExchangeExileGainOverpayPassPayRevealRotateSet asideTrash
Attacks Attack immunityCurserDeck inspection attackDeck order attackHandsize attackJunking attackTrashing attackTurn-worsening attack
Buy/Money +BuyCost-reducerDisappearing moneyOverpayPeddler variantTerminal silverVirtual coinVirtual +Buy
Cycling Deck discarderDeck inspectorDiggingDiscard for benefitSifter
Terminality CantripNon-terminalNon-terminal drawSoft terminalTerminalTerminal drawThrone Room variantVillageConditional non-terminal
Other Alt-VPBasic cardsDuration drawCommand variantGainerLuck-basedNon-Attack interactionOne-shotRemodelerSplit pileTop deckerTrasherVanillaExtra turn
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