Goons
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− | '''Goons''' is an [[Action]]-[[Attack]] card from [[Prosperity]]. It is a [[terminal silver]], since it gives +{{ | + | '''Goons''' is an [[Action]]-[[Attack]] card from [[Prosperity]]. It is a [[terminal silver]], since it gives +{{Cost|2}} but no +Action. It is similar to {{Card|Monument}} in that it gives you {{VP}} tokens - one token if you buy only one card this turn, but one more for each additional buy; it gives +Buy to help with that, as well. In addition, Goons is also a [[discard attack]] like {{Card|Militia}}. This combination of abilities makes Goons a powerful card both in [[Big Money]] and in [[engine]]s. |
== FAQ == | == FAQ == | ||
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''[http://dominionstrategy.com/2011/01/04/prosperity-goons/ Original article] by theory | ''[http://dominionstrategy.com/2011/01/04/prosperity-goons/ Original article] by theory | ||
− | Buy phase synergy is ordinarily a product of three factors: +Buy, cost reduction (e.g., {{ | + | Buy phase synergy is ordinarily a product of three factors: +Buy, cost reduction (e.g., {{Card|Quarry}}), and buy duplication ({{Card|Talisman}}). Increasing a single factor provides negligible benefits; no matter how cheap Peddler is, if you have only one Buy, it might as well cost you all the money in your hand. Increasing multiple factors, on the other hand, leads to explosive results. (See, e.g., Quarry/Talisman). |
− | The reason Goons is so powerful is because it adds a fourth factor: {{VP}} per buy. So on its own, Goons is a decent card, a combination of {{ | + | The reason Goons is so powerful is because it adds a fourth factor: {{VP}} per buy. So on its own, Goons is a decent card, a combination of {{Card|Woodcutter}, {{Card|Militia}}, and {{Card|Monument}}. But with other Buy phase synergy factors, Goons becomes a devastatingly effective card for churning {{VP}}. When building a Goons deck, you don’t need to bother with Victory cards: you’re looking to make the game drag on as long as possible, because you’re spending each turn buying more Actions to boost your Goons engine. As your deck gets stronger and stronger, you will earn more and more {{VP}} every turn. Because of this, you should try to avoid buying Coppers too early, because it needlessly gums up your deck (and you’ll probably earn more {{VP}} for it later). If the support cards are present, aim for a massive final turn where you buy out the piles while collecting a ton of {{VP}} (50+) from Victory cards and Copper buys. |
− | Goons decks depend heavily on +Actions, and ideally, +Cards as well. Without the ability to play multiple Goons per turn, you’ll usually only be able get multiple {{VP}} by buying Coppers. In addition, your Goons buys might end up actively hurting your deck unless you can find a way to play all the Actions you are buying. {{ | + | Goons decks depend heavily on +Actions, and ideally, +Cards as well. Without the ability to play multiple Goons per turn, you’ll usually only be able get multiple {{VP}} by buying Coppers. In addition, your Goons buys might end up actively hurting your deck unless you can find a way to play all the Actions you are buying. {{Card|City}} works especially well for this: it provides you both with +Actions and has an excellent chance of leveling up and providing you the card draw you probably need to play all your Goons. In the alternative, if there just aren’t good non-terminals left for you to buy, trash-for-benefit cards like {{Card|Salvager}} and {{Card|Apprentice}} are a good way to clear out some of the junk you’ll find yourself buying. |
Finally, [[Combo: Goons and Watchtower]] is a brutal combo if and only if the above conditions are met. Watchtower alone cannot turn Goons into a viable card, but it can turn Goons from a viable card into a devastating one. | Finally, [[Combo: Goons and Watchtower]] is a brutal combo if and only if the above conditions are met. Watchtower alone cannot turn Goons into a viable card, but it can turn Goons from a viable card into a devastating one. | ||
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*[[villages|+Actions]] (especially Fishing Village and City) | *[[villages|+Actions]] (especially Fishing Village and City) | ||
*Other Buy phase synergies | *Other Buy phase synergies | ||
− | *+Buy (especially {{ | + | *+Buy (especially {{Card|City}} and {{Card|Bridge}}) |
− | *Cost reducers (e.g., {{ | + | *Cost reducers (e.g., {{Card|Quarry}}, {{Card|Highway}}, {{Card|Bridge}}, and {{Card|Peddler}}) |
*Non-terminal Actions or cheap [[cantrip]]s to soak up the +Buys | *Non-terminal Actions or cheap [[cantrip]]s to soak up the +Buys | ||
**Alternatively, cards that allow you to benefit from soaking up +Buys on {{Card|Copper}}, such as {{Card|Apothecary}}, {{Card|Philosopher's Stone}}, and {{Card|Counting House}}, especially in games lacking [[villages]] | **Alternatively, cards that allow you to benefit from soaking up +Buys on {{Card|Copper}}, such as {{Card|Apothecary}}, {{Card|Philosopher's Stone}}, and {{Card|Counting House}}, especially in games lacking [[villages]] | ||
− | *{{ | + | *{{Card|Watchtower}} |
− | *{{ | + | *{{Card|Council Room}} |
− | *{{ | + | *{{Card|Masquerade}} |
=== Antisynergies === | === Antisynergies === | ||
− | *Opponent’s {{ | + | *Opponent’s {{Card|Library}} |
*Lack of +Actions, or terminal Actions in general (though Goons is still a powerful [[Big Money]] card) | *Lack of +Actions, or terminal Actions in general (though Goons is still a powerful [[Big Money]] card) | ||
− | *{{ | + | *{{Card|Gardens}}, {{Card|Silk Road}}, and {{Card|Duke}}/{{Card|Duchy}} decks: not only is the attack nullified by their Victory cards, they’ll look to end the game on piles before your engine reaches top speed |
== Trivia == | == Trivia == | ||
=== Card Art === | === Card Art === | ||
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=== Secret History === | === Secret History === | ||
{{Quote | {{Quote | ||
− | |Text=The art originally submitted for Pawn was not what we wanted for Pawn. We saved it for a future card. It looked like an attack; it had two guys bugging a third guy, so maybe a "choose two." I went with "+{{ | + | |Text=The art originally submitted for Pawn was not what we wanted for Pawn. We saved it for a future card. It looked like an attack; it had two guys bugging a third guy, so maybe a "choose two." I went with "+{{Cost|2}}. Choose two: +1 Action; each other player discards down to 3 cards in hand; take a 1 {{VP}} token; gain a Silver. (The choices must be different.)" This card was popular. It had issues though, as pointed out by Wei-Hwa Huang and Bill Barksdale. It was political - someone would play it ahead of you, and then you could pick the discard option or not based on how well that one player was doing (since no-one else would be discarding). With +1 Action making it easy on your deck, it got bought up by everyone, so that you were having to discard constantly. I tried several other versions with different options in different combinations. I tried another card that I thought would work for a while but was just too strong, and finally ended up in a weaker form in another set (that set is Cornucopia and that card is Followers). Finally the Goons you know stuck. Again it squeezes in another use for those VP tokens. |
|Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]] | |Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]] | ||
|Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=5230.0 'The Other Secret History of the Prosperity cards'] | |Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=5230.0 'The Other Secret History of the Prosperity cards'] |
Revision as of 18:45, 9 November 2012
Goons | |
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Cost | |
Type | Action - Attack |
Set/Expansion | Prosperity |
Illustrator | Tu Pei-Shu |
+1 Buy + Each other player discards down to 3 cards in hand. |
Goons is an Action-Attack card from Prosperity. It is a terminal silver, since it gives + but no +Action. It is similar to Monument in that it gives you tokens - one token if you buy only one card this turn, but one more for each additional buy; it gives +Buy to help with that, as well. In addition, Goons is also a discard attack like Militia. This combination of abilities makes Goons a powerful card both in Big Money and in engines.
Contents |
FAQ
Official FAQ
- See the Additional Rules section [of the Prosperity rulebook] for rules on tokens.
- You get 1 for each card you buy, but do not get a for gaining a card some other way.
- Multiple copies of Goons are cumulative; if you have two Goons in play and buy a Silver, you get 2 .
- However if you King's Court a Goons, despite having played the card 3 times, there is still only one copy of it in play, so buying Silver would only get you 1 .
Other Rules clarifications
Strategy Article
Original article by theory
Buy phase synergy is ordinarily a product of three factors: +Buy, cost reduction (e.g., Quarry), and buy duplication (Talisman). Increasing a single factor provides negligible benefits; no matter how cheap Peddler is, if you have only one Buy, it might as well cost you all the money in your hand. Increasing multiple factors, on the other hand, leads to explosive results. (See, e.g., Quarry/Talisman).
The reason Goons is so powerful is because it adds a fourth factor: per buy. So on its own, Goons is a decent card, a combination of {{Card|Woodcutter}, Militia, and Monument. But with other Buy phase synergy factors, Goons becomes a devastatingly effective card for churning . When building a Goons deck, you don’t need to bother with Victory cards: you’re looking to make the game drag on as long as possible, because you’re spending each turn buying more Actions to boost your Goons engine. As your deck gets stronger and stronger, you will earn more and more every turn. Because of this, you should try to avoid buying Coppers too early, because it needlessly gums up your deck (and you’ll probably earn more for it later). If the support cards are present, aim for a massive final turn where you buy out the piles while collecting a ton of (50+) from Victory cards and Copper buys.
Goons decks depend heavily on +Actions, and ideally, +Cards as well. Without the ability to play multiple Goons per turn, you’ll usually only be able get multiple by buying Coppers. In addition, your Goons buys might end up actively hurting your deck unless you can find a way to play all the Actions you are buying. City works especially well for this: it provides you both with +Actions and has an excellent chance of leveling up and providing you the card draw you probably need to play all your Goons. In the alternative, if there just aren’t good non-terminals left for you to buy, trash-for-benefit cards like Salvager and Apprentice are a good way to clear out some of the junk you’ll find yourself buying.
Finally, Combo: Goons and Watchtower is a brutal combo if and only if the above conditions are met. Watchtower alone cannot turn Goons into a viable card, but it can turn Goons from a viable card into a devastating one.
Synergies/Combos
- +Actions (especially Fishing Village and City)
- Other Buy phase synergies
- +Buy (especially City and Bridge)
- Cost reducers (e.g., Quarry, Highway, Bridge, and Peddler)
- Non-terminal Actions or cheap cantrips to soak up the +Buys
- Alternatively, cards that allow you to benefit from soaking up +Buys on Copper, such as Apothecary, Philosopher's Stone, and Counting House, especially in games lacking villages
- Watchtower
- Council Room
- Masquerade
Antisynergies
- Opponent’s Library
- Lack of +Actions, or terminal Actions in general (though Goons is still a powerful Big Money card)
- Gardens, Silk Road, and Duke/Duchy decks: not only is the attack nullified by their Victory cards, they’ll look to end the game on piles before your engine reaches top speed
Trivia
Card Art
Secret History