Editing Ritual

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{{Infobox Event
 |name = Ritual
 |cost = 4
 |set = Empires
 |type1 = Event
 |illustrator = Joshua Stewart
 |text = Gain a Curse. If you do, trash a card from your hand. '''+1'''{{VP}} per {{Cost|1}} it cost.
}}

'''Ritual''' is an [[Event]] from [[Empires]].  It allows the buyer to trash a card in exchange for {{VP}} [[Victory token|tokens]] equal to its cost, but offsets the potentially large {{VP}} payoff by replacing the trashed card with a {{card|Curse}}

== FAQ ==
=== Official FAQ ===
* This does nothing once the Curse pile is empty. 
* This only gives you +1{{VP}} per {{Cost|1}} the trashed card cost; it does not give anything for {{Debt}} or {{P}} in costs.
=== Other rules clarifications ===
* Unlike similar cards (like {{Card|Enhance}} and {{Card|Salvager}}), Ritual cares about the cost of the card at the instant it is trashed, rather than checking it later, when its cost may have changed. For example, if you trash a {{Card|Wayfarer}} (which costs {{Cost|0}} from the {{Card|Curse}}), then discard a {{Card|Market Square}} to gain a {{Card|Gold}}, Ritual will still give 0{{VP}} and not 6{{VP}}, even though {{Card|Wayfarer}} now costs {{Cost|6}}.

== Strategy ==
One seemingly obvious target for this is victory cards, but the gain in VP tokens is almost entirely offset by the loss of VP the card represented (plus -1 and continued dead wood from the Curse). A Ritual applied to an Estate or Colony leaves you back where you started. Doing it to a Duchy or Province will net exactly 1 VP. Compare to Monument, a card that costs the same as this Event but will give you 1VP every time you play it. 

It could be useful if you have an engine with strong trashing that can easily get rid of the curses but a low tolerance for greening, since this allows you to get VPs without clogging up your deck. 

Instead, this is best used near the end of the game to squeeze a final use from cards that ''don't'' otherwise provide VP, such as Gold or an unused {{Card|Prince}}. Note that {{Card|Peddler}} is usually not a good target for Ritual -- since you buy Ritual in your Buy phase, Peddler's cost is decreased when it is trashed, so this is only effective if you only played 0-1 actions on your turn.

== Versions ==
===English versions===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! Print !! Digital !! Text !! Release !! Date
|-
| {{LandscapeVersionImage|Ritual|Ritual}} || {{LandscapeVersionImage|RitualDigital|Ritual from Shuffle iT}} || Gain a Curse. If you do, trash a card from your hand. '''+1'''{{VP}} per {{Cost|1}} it cost. || Empires || June 2016 
|}

===Other language versions===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! Language !! Name !! Print !! Digital !! Text !! Notes
|-
!Dutch 
| Ritueel || || || || 
|-
!Finnish 
| Rituaali || || || || 
|-
!French
| Rituel || || || || 
|-
!German 
| Ritual || {{LandscapeVersionImage|RitualGerman|German language Ritual 2016 by ASS}} || ||  Nimm einen Fluch. Wenn du das tust:<br>Entsorge eine Handkarte.<br>+1 [[File:VPDE.png|15px]]-Marker pro {{Cost|x}}, das die entsorgte Karte kostet. || (2016)
|-
!German 
| Ritual ||  || || style="padding:15px 0px;"| Nimm einen Fluch. Wenn du das tust, entsorge eine deiner Handkarten. {{nowrap|'''+1'''{{VP}}}} pro {{Cost|1}}, das jene Karte kostet. || &nbsp;2.&nbsp;Edition&nbsp;<br>(2021)
|-
!Japanese 
| 儀式<br>(pron. ''gishiki'') || || || style="padding:15px 0px;"| 呪い1枚を獲得する。獲得した場合、手札1枚を廃棄する。廃棄したカードの廃棄前のコスト{{Cost|1}}につき{{nowrap|'''+1'''{{VP}}。}} || 
|-
!Polish 
| Rytuał || {{LandscapeLangVersionImage|Polish}} || || Dodaj Klątwę. Jeżeli to zrobiłeś, wyrzuć na śmietnisko kartę z ręki. {{nowrap|'''+1'''{{VP}}}} za każde {{Cost|1}} w koszcie wyrzuconej karty. || (2017)
|-
!Russian 
| Ритуал (pron. ''ritual'') || || || || 
|}

== Trivia ==
[[Image:RitualArt.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Official card art.]]
=== Secret History ===
{{Quote|Text=I tried an Event that gave you a Curse in exchange for +1{{VP}} per 2 Actions in play. It was a dud, then I tried trashing a card for {{VP}}, and there it is.
|Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]]
 |Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=15660.0 The Secret History of the Empires Cards]
}}
=== Why use past tense? ===
{{Quote|Text=There's no good reason. Some cards refer to the current cost and some to the past cost, and it's just, what words fell out onto the card, what sounded good that minute. In general it's probably simpler to refer to the current cost so they should all do that.
|Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]]
 |Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=5799.msg743329#msg743329 Interview with Donald X.]
}}
Donald X. has since mentioned that Ritual may change to match everything else.
{{Quote|Text=
When any set gets reprinted, if I get asked he somehow had to say though I sure tend to get asked, I'll look at what wanted errata if anything and some things may get errata. The intention is always to avoid errata where possible, but also to have good wordings on everything. I won't know {{Set|Empires}} errata for sure until it's in the file going to the printers. My file of what might change does include a few other tiny things that don't matter, e.g. Ritual changing tense so it matches everything else in the game (cost vs. costs).
|Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]]
 |Source=[https://discord.com/channels/212660788786102272/576572191441682432/1222594541052235856 Dominion Discord, 2024]
}}
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