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− | {{ | + | A '''pin''' is a strategy for two-player Dominion in which one player causes the other player to be permanently stuck with zero cards in hand and unable to do anything except buy {{Card|Curse|Curses}} or {{Card|Copper|Coppers}}. |
− | + | === The classic {{Card|Masquerade}} pin === | |
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− | == | + | |
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''This section is based on the [http://dominionstrategy.com/2011/03/18/combo-of-the-day-24-kings-courtgoonsmasquerade/ strategy article] originally written by Theory.'' | ''This section is based on the [http://dominionstrategy.com/2011/03/18/combo-of-the-day-24-kings-courtgoonsmasquerade/ strategy article] originally written by Theory.'' | ||
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{{Card|King's Court}}, {{Card|Goons}}, and {{Card|Masquerade}} is the nastiest combo in Dominion. | {{Card|King's Court}}, {{Card|Goons}}, and {{Card|Masquerade}} is the nastiest combo in Dominion. | ||
− | The key to the combo is that you trash down to a four-card | + | The key to the combo is that you trash down to a four-card hand of King's Court, King's Court, Goons, and Masquerade. Playing King's Court – King's Court – Goons reduces your opponent to 3 cards; now, playing a (Kinged) Masquerade forces him to pass you a card. But since you have no more cards in hand, you can’t pass him anything, but you can still trash the cards he gives you. Three times. |
Essentially, what this combo does is trash three cards out of your opponent’s deck per turn, while starting him with a 0-card hand each turn. Played consistently, you can force your opponent into a 0-card hand every turn while you empty some non-terminal piles for {{VP}}s. Eventually, all the cards in their deck will be trashed. | Essentially, what this combo does is trash three cards out of your opponent’s deck per turn, while starting him with a 0-card hand each turn. Played consistently, you can force your opponent into a 0-card hand every turn while you empty some non-terminal piles for {{VP}}s. Eventually, all the cards in their deck will be trashed. | ||
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There are several things that can substitute for Goons. Any discard-down-to-three attack will work, but Goons is the best because it allows you to score points without having to buy green victory cards. With {{Card|Militia}}, for example, the worst case scenario is that you’ll be “resetting” the game, though of course you have a massive advantage since you have cards in your deck and your opponent doesn’t. {{Card|Outpost}} is another way to get in enough plays of Masquerade to trash your opponent’s hand, and has the added benefit of being unblockable by reactions. The combo of {{Card|Mountebank}} and {{Card|Cutpurse}} can also work, since after a few King's Courted Mountebanks your opponent will start reliably drawing at least two Coppers in each hand. | There are several things that can substitute for Goons. Any discard-down-to-three attack will work, but Goons is the best because it allows you to score points without having to buy green victory cards. With {{Card|Militia}}, for example, the worst case scenario is that you’ll be “resetting” the game, though of course you have a massive advantage since you have cards in your deck and your opponent doesn’t. {{Card|Outpost}} is another way to get in enough plays of Masquerade to trash your opponent’s hand, and has the added benefit of being unblockable by reactions. The combo of {{Card|Mountebank}} and {{Card|Cutpurse}} can also work, since after a few King's Courted Mountebanks your opponent will start reliably drawing at least two Coppers in each hand. | ||
− | Note that your deck doesn’t have to be just those four cards: [[cantrip | + | Note that your deck doesn’t have to be just those four cards: [[cantrip]]s (like {{Card|Caravan}}, {{Card|Laboratory}} or {{Card|Pearl Diver}}) are very helpful in this setup because they allow you to have some KC targets for explosive draw, are cheap, and are good Masquerade fodder (rather than being forced to pass away a King's Court). |
The combo, however, can be stopped cold in a couple of ways: | The combo, however, can be stopped cold in a couple of ways: | ||
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Really, this combo highlights the power of King's Court more than anything else. Just like [[Combo: King's Court and Bridge]], it’s a multiple-card combo that is devastating once pulled off. | Really, this combo highlights the power of King's Court more than anything else. Just like [[Combo: King's Court and Bridge]], it’s a multiple-card combo that is devastating once pulled off. | ||
− | == | + | === Bureaucrat pin === |
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Repeated plays of {{Card|Bureaucrat}} can force an opponent to draw the same five victory cards every turn, and then put them back as you play 5 Bureaucrats. | Repeated plays of {{Card|Bureaucrat}} can force an opponent to draw the same five victory cards every turn, and then put them back as you play 5 Bureaucrats. | ||
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Though discussed [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=1854.0 here] and [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=1948.msg30811 here], this pin is entirely impractical in a serious game. The Silver-gaining from Bureaucrat gets in the way of setting the pin up and maintaining it, and can prevent the pin from ever being set up. Tricks with {{Card|Rabble}} or {{Card|Minion}} can make the pin better, but at the cost of providing alternative strategies that are themselves better than this weak pin. | Though discussed [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=1854.0 here] and [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=1948.msg30811 here], this pin is entirely impractical in a serious game. The Silver-gaining from Bureaucrat gets in the way of setting the pin up and maintaining it, and can prevent the pin from ever being set up. Tricks with {{Card|Rabble}} or {{Card|Minion}} can make the pin better, but at the cost of providing alternative strategies that are themselves better than this weak pin. | ||
− | === | + | === {{Card|Cutpurse}} pin (with Masquerade) === |
''This pin was proposed on the [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=4676.msg107253 forums] by jomini.'' | ''This pin was proposed on the [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=4676.msg107253 forums] by jomini.'' | ||
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The classic pin, described above, relies on playing [[dead]] Masquerades, ones played when you have no other cards in hand, discard, or on deck to pass; if you trash cards as you receive them you can then play additional dead Masquerades (i.e. using {{Card|King's Court}}/{{Card|Throne Room}}/{{Card|Golem}}/{{Card|Outpost}}). A new downside to these pins is the need to trash incoming cards; with Dark Ages a lot of cards can now break the pin when you pass them over. | The classic pin, described above, relies on playing [[dead]] Masquerades, ones played when you have no other cards in hand, discard, or on deck to pass; if you trash cards as you receive them you can then play additional dead Masquerades (i.e. using {{Card|King's Court}}/{{Card|Throne Room}}/{{Card|Golem}}/{{Card|Outpost}}). A new downside to these pins is the need to trash incoming cards; with Dark Ages a lot of cards can now break the pin when you pass them over. | ||
− | Thinking about this and looking over {{Card|Beggar | + | Thinking about this and looking over {{Card|Beggar}}’s strategy space, I started thinking if there was, perhaps an alternative pin that didn’t require the Masquerades to be played dead. My idea was simple – use Masquerade to pass my opponent a Copper, Cutpurse it out of his hand, pass another Copper, Cutpurse, etc. After 5 cycles of that, the opponent has no cards left and plays an empty hand. So say you play your deck (it’s an engine) and you come out with +13 actions and the following hand: |
* 5 Masquerades, 5 Cutpurses, 2 Beggars. | * 5 Masquerades, 5 Cutpurses, 2 Beggars. | ||
− | Play the | + | Play the Beggar’s to gain 6 Coppers. Then play the following sequence 5 times: Masquerade (pass Copper) -> Cutpurse (opponent discards a Copper). This leaves you with your opponent’s hand to play (or trash). As long as your engine keeps hitting, you can keep giving your opponent unplayable Copper and stealing ever more of his deck. Worst case scenario is that you add one copper to your deck (you can’t keep any of your opponent’s cards and can’t trash the last copper gained from the beggars). Eventually, you will run out of copper, but by then your opponent has nothing but copper in their deck (usually), which you can just Cutpurse out. |
− | The question then became - do you really need the Beggars? Sure they make it easier and cleaner, but, in theory, you could just use 5 buys and a strong, reliable engine to still draw everything and play the 5 Masquerades. Playing on [[Goko]] with strong boards for it (Masquerade, Throne Room, {{Card|Nobles}}, {{Card|Worker's Village}}, {{Card|Quarry}}, {{Card|Native Village}}, {{Card|Courtyard}}), it took me around 15-18 turns to setup and was reasonably reliable with a Throne Room/Worker's Village/Nobles/Courtyard/Native Village engine. From there on out, it seemed like it would work most of the time with careful play. This suggests that the minimum needed to make this work is: a strong engine, lots of +actions, a source of copper (Beggars or +buys), Cutpurse, and Masquerade. | + | The question then became - do you really need the Beggars? Sure they make it easier and cleaner, but, in theory, you could just use 5 buys and a strong, reliable engine to still draw everything and play the 5 Masquerades. Playing on [[Goko]] with strong boards for it (Masquerade, Throne Room, {{Card|Nobles}}, {{Card|Worker's Village}}, {{Card|Quarry}}, {{Card|Native Village}}, {{Card|Courtyard}})), it took me around 15-18 turns to setup and was reasonably reliable with a Throne Room/Worker's Village/Nobles/Courtyard/Native Village engine. From there are on out, it seemed like it would work most of the time with careful play. This suggests that the minimum needed to make this work is: a strong engine, lots of +actions, a source of copper (Beggars or +buys), Cutpurse, and Masquerade. |
I’m not sure how this will play in real matchups and I don’t have time to try it myself heavily on Isotropic. So I’m posting this article in the hopes of getting feedback about viability and strategic implications. | I’m not sure how this will play in real matchups and I don’t have time to try it myself heavily on Isotropic. So I’m posting this article in the hopes of getting feedback about viability and strategic implications. | ||
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* Cards that let you mass cheap things easily are quite useful – {{Card|Talisman}}, {{Card|Quarry}}, {{Card|Haggler}}, etc. can very quickly let you transition from a strong engine to the full pin in just a couple of turns. | * Cards that let you mass cheap things easily are quite useful – {{Card|Talisman}}, {{Card|Quarry}}, {{Card|Haggler}}, etc. can very quickly let you transition from a strong engine to the full pin in just a couple of turns. | ||
* Secret chamber makes the pin more difficult and can require an additional 2 plays Masquerade (passing a Copper) to hit the pin. | * Secret chamber makes the pin more difficult and can require an additional 2 plays Masquerade (passing a Copper) to hit the pin. | ||
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