Way of the Chameleon

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Way of the Chameleon
Info
Type	Way
Set	Menagerie
Illustrator(s)	Grant Hansen
Way text
Follow this card's instructions; each time that would give you +Cards this turn, you get + instead, and vice-versa.

Way of the Chameleon is a Way from Menagerie. It lets you turn an Action card's +Cards into +, and its + into +Cards.

FAQ

Official FAQ

• For example, if you play Sheepdog and use Way of the Chameleon, you will get + instead of +2 Cards.
• If you play a Duration card using Way of the Chameleon, only the + and +Cards you get that turn are affected; for example, if you play Merchant Ship (from Seaside) and use Way of the Chameleon, you will get +2 Cards this turn, but the normal + next turn.
• This turns "+Cards" into "+" and vice-versa, but does not change other ways to draw cards, for example, "draw until you have 6 cards in hand."
• If the card that uses Way of the Chameleon plays another card, that card just does what it normally does (unless you use Way of the Chameleon on it as well).

Other rules clarifications

• Different printings of Cellar, Oracle, Storeroom, and Storyteller have inconsistent uses of "+Cards" and "draw." Go by whichever wording is printed on the cards you are using (only +Cards is affected by Way of the Chameleon).
• Way of the Chameleon can be used on cards without any +Cards or + (e.g. Chapel) or cards with equal +Cards and + (e.g. Market) even though this would normally have no effect.
• Enchantress and Highwayman overrule a card's instructions (to either get +1 Card and +1 Action, or nothing). But unlike the other Ways, Way of the Chameleon makes you follow the Action's instructions, which means that Enchantress and Highwayman will stop Way of the Chameleon [1]
  • Since Enchantress overrules the card's instructions to give you +1 Card +1 Action, using Way of the Chameleon will not turn the +1 Card into +; Way of the Chameleon's effect depends upon the card's instructions actually being followed. [2]
• "Follow this card's instructions" means that anything else that cares about this card's instructions is still applied. So any Action played using Way of the Chameleon will also work with Lantern, Elder, and Reckless. [3]
• Cards that give choices (e.g. Courtier) give you bonuses in order listed. So if you use Way of the Chameleon on Courtier, and choose "+" (which becomes +3 Cards) and "gain a Gold," you gain the Gold after drawing.
• If a card you play would trigger another card's +Cards / +, that won't be affected by Way of the Chameleon. For example, if you play Lurker as Way of the Chameleon and trash a Cultist, you'll get +3 Cards, not +. And if you play Herb Gatherer as Way of the Chameleon and play a Gold, you still get +.
• Similarly, Boons and Allies are not affected by Way of the Chameleon. So if you play Druid as Way of the Chameleon and receive The Field's Gift, you still get +1 Action and +; and if you play Importer as Way of the Chameleon and trigger League of Shopkeepers, you still get +.
• This has no interaction with +Coffers.
• This has no interaction with effects that make you lose (such as Poor House and Souk).
• If you would get +1 Card while you have your -1 Card token, you won't remove the token. And if you would get + while you have your - token, you won't remove the token.
• The tokens from Teacher take effect before you decide to use Way of the Chameleon, so those bonuses will be unaffected.
• If the card you play with Way of the Chameleon gives bonuses later in the same turn, this will still apply to those bonuses. For example, if you play a Priest as Way of the Chameleon, you get +2 Cards, and then for the rest of the turn, you get +2 Cards when you trash a card.
• This only affects on-play effects. So if you Procession a Nomads and play it twice as Way of the Chameleon, you'll draw 4 cards. But when you trash the Nomads, you still get +.
• This has no effect on bonuses that other players get. For example, if you play Governor as Way of the Chameleon and choose the first option, you get +, and the other players get +1 Card.
• If an Action played using Way of the Chameleon would now give +, that will count for Harbor Village.

Versions

English versions

Print	Digital	Text	Release	Date
		Follow this card's instructions; each time that would give you +Cards this turn, you get + instead, and vice-versa.	Menagerie	March 2020

Other language versions

Language	Name	Print	Digital	Text	Notes
French	Voie du caméléon			Suivez les instructions de cette carte; chaque effet +Carte(s) donnera à la place + à ce tour, et vice-versa.
German	Weg des Chamäleons			Befolge die Anweisungen dieser Karte; für jede Anweisung +X Karten erhältst du in diesem Zug stattdessen + und umgekehrt.	(2020)
German	Weg des Chamäleons			Folge den Anweisungen dieser Karte; wenn dir das in diesem Zug +Karten bringen würde, bekommst du + stattdessen, und umgekehrt.	(2021)
Japanese	カメレオンの習性 (pron. kamereon no shūsei)

Trivia

Official card art.

Preview

Durations are tricky. It only applies to this turn; if you play Merchant Ship using Way of the Chameleon, you get +2 Cards this turn and + next turn. Also some things get you cards but aren't "+Cards"; Way of the Chameleon doesn't apply to them. There will be a rulebook eventually!

—Donald X. Vaccarino, Menagerie Bonus Previews

Secret History

For strumphf's 2022 advent calendar, Donald X. went in-depth on the development of Way of the Chameleon.

At first you could mix up the four basic +'s any which way. It's too hard to communicate what happens with +2 of something - can you split it up or not - in the space available, plus it was too many options. I fixed both things by having it just exchange cards and . Then I added "this turn" so you didn't have tracking on durations.

—Donald X. Vaccarino, The Secret History of Dominion: Menagerie

Previous outtake from Cornucopia

There was a card that had you play another card, replacing all +'s in its text with whatever +'s you wanted. Besides rules issues, it was weak and narrow.

—Donald X. Vaccarino, The Secret History of the Cornucopia Cards

Retrospective

["Follow this card's instructions"] is you know not a phrase I'm delighted to be using, but I think it's doing the trick?

Chameleon as a Trait seems a lot less interesting; it would often show up on something it had no effect on.

Ways added a lot of fun gameplay; today I am not possibly deciding "why did I do those."

—Donald X. Vaccarino, Interview with Donald X.