Island
(→Official FAQ) |
(→Trivia) |
||
Line 153: | Line 153: | ||
|Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=117.0 The Secret History of the Seaside Cards] | |Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=117.0 The Secret History of the Seaside Cards] | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | + | === Relevant outtakes === | |
+ | {{Quote | ||
+ | |Text= The victory card that Island replaced was an Action-Victory with "Trash a card from the supply costing {{Cost|6}} or less / Worth 1 {{VP}} per 3 {{VP}} cards in the trash." I always thought it seemed cool and interesting, but in practice it wasn't much fun. If you went for it, other people would get in on it. It would do nothing some games, then dominate others, but never in a fun way. No-one was sad to see it go. There could still be a card someday that trashes supply cards, but in practice it's mostly a waste of time, with players sitting there trying to work out which card to trash in cases where it really doesn't matter (and so it's hard to decide). | ||
+ | |Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]] | ||
+ | |Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=117.0 The Secret History of the Seaside Cards] | ||
+ | }} | ||
{{Navbox Seaside}} | {{Navbox Seaside}} | ||
{{Navbox Cards}} | {{Navbox Cards}} |
Revision as of 22:45, 23 May 2021
This page is awaiting large-scale edits by the community to meet quality and format standards. The information on this page may be outdated. Join the #wiki-general channel on the Dominion Discord server to participate. |
Island | |
---|---|
Info | |
Cost | |
Type(s) | Action - Victory |
Kingdom card? | Yes |
Set | Seaside |
Illustrator(s) | Franz Vohwinkel |
Card text | |
Put this and a card from your hand onto your Island mat. 2 |
Island is an Action-Victory card from Seaside. When played, it sets aside itself and one other card on a playmat, getting them out of your deck until the end of the game; it acts as a one-shot trasher worth 2 . It can be a good opening to hide away an Estate or a good source of alternate for engines; it's a subtle card which is difficult to use optimally.
Contents |
FAQ
Official FAQ
- When you set aside your first Island, take an Island player mat to put it on.
- Island and the set aside card are face up on the mat; anyone can look at them.
- They stay there until the end of the game, when you return them to your deck and count your score.
- When playing Island, you have to set aside a card if you can.
- If you play a Command card that plays an Island, you leave the Island in its pile and you move a card to the Island mat.
- If you Throne Room an Island, you set aside two cards with it.
- Use 8 copies of Island for games with 2 players, 12 for games with 3 or more players.
Other Rules clarifications
- If you Procession an Island, you set it aside with a card, then you set aside another card; you do not trash the Island because it has already been set aside, but you do gain a card costing more than the Island.
Strategy Article
original article by silverspawn
Island is the combination of two largely unrelated effects in one package: it provides two and it thins your deck by one card. The problem with this specific combination is that both effects excel on very different types of boards. A static boost is better the weaker the board is, while thinning is mostly valuable in engines, which tend to be strong boards. Because of this, you will almost never see a board where both effects are equally valuable, and likewise, both individual effects are usually too weak to warrant a buy on their own.
So, how do you decide if Island is worth it? If you just want and Island is the best option in your current turn, go for it. If you have a nice engine in a slim deck that's afraid of green cards, you can consider it to exile your Provinces, but make sure that the late thinning is really necessary. Mostly you want it for specific combinations. And if the board has none of that, just ignore it.
If you do want Island, when exactly should you pick it up? In a lot of situations this decision is trivial, but if it's not, there is no general answer. It basically works like other trashers, so you'll just have to rely on intuition. Opening Island is only advisable on really weak boards.
This is really all I have to say about the card in general, so the rest of the article will be a list of enablers.
1. Workshop and Variants
While the presence of a Workshop type card doesn't really make each copy of Island any more useful, it decreases the cost to gain them significantly. Ironworks is the best as it is a cantrip when gaining Island, and can be considered even on weak boards, just for the . Armory and a plain Workshop usually want to be integrated into an engine, preferably playing the gained Island on the same turn.
2. Hoard
Hoard is really straightforward. Buying Duchies or Estates to trigger early Hoards is often a mistake, but buying Island is pretty good. Ask yourself whether you'd take an Island for free; if yes you should buy it over Gold itself, if not you might still want to buy it for or .
3. Copper Trashers
If you can just trash your Coppers but not your Estates or Shelters, using Island to clean the remaining junk out of your deck can be good, if the additional thinning is worth it. Loan and Counterfeit aren't as good for this as Spice Merchant, and Moneylender is most likely a trap.
4. Menagerie
Here we have a case where the fact that Island exiles cards rather than trashing them is the deciding factor. If you use Menagerie as your primary draw, you often run into problems once you pick up your second Province, especially if there is no way to discard them mid-turn. Island allows you to put that Province aside, effectively removing the problem while leaving the intact. Do this only if other cards allow you to trash down first.
5. Wishing Well/Apothecary
If no better trashing is present and Copper isn't that bad of a card, you can consider using Island to get rid of your Estates or Shelters, and later your Provinces. You'll need a decent payload for this to be worth it.
6. Hovel
Like Great Hall, you can buy Island to trash a Hovel if you draw it with . Unlike Great Hall, however, an Island/Silver opening does not guarantee on the second shuffle, so think twice about this.
7. Procession
Island can be interesting for Procession, partly because it is a good target (you'll exile two cards, gain a card costing , and leave the 2 intact), and partly because its dual type aspect can make it a possible payload. Do this with caution.
Traps
Island is not a substitute for heavy trashing; it is a poor way to deal with Curses and Coppers. At first glance, it may seem that it might combo with Gardens or Silk Road, but those compete with Island at their price point, and both are stronger.
Island is not likely to be a viable alternative to Duchy when you have available. In order for the Action part to be worth anything, you would have to:
- Shuffle once to draw the Island
- Draw the Island and something you'd like to set aside in the same hand
- Spend a terminal Action to play the Island
- Shuffle at least one more time to play with the bad cards gone
If you aren't going to shuffle at least twice, Island gets you 1 fewer VP with no benefit. In situations where you're likely to consider Duchy, Island is often no better than a consolation prize for a hand (or a leftover and a Buy). That said, if you're in the endgame and only have , an Island is still better than two Estates.
Conclusion
Island is a weak card. The most important thing is not to buy it without a good reason, and the most common misplay is to do just that. Still, it has its uses, the key is just knowing when to get it. There is no easy answer about what to do if you draw it without good targets; sometimes it's better to hold it off, but more often you probably just want to use it on a Copper.
Synergies/Combos
- Ironworks and other gainers
- Procession
- Treasure trashing
- Abundance of +Actions, like Fishing Village
- With Scrying Pool, can set aside dead victory cards.
- Royal Seal, Watchtower or Tracker so you can play it quickly even without drawing your deck
Antisynergies
- Other heavy trashing such as Chapel, Remake, Trading Post, or Count.
- Crossroads, Baron, and other cards that like Victory cards
- Opponents' Possessions
Versions
English versions
Digital | Text | Release | Date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Set aside this and another card from your hand. Return them to your deck at the end of the game. 2 . |
Seaside 1st Edition | October 2009 | ||
Put this and a card from your hand onto your Island mat. 2 . |
Seaside 2nd Edition | July 2017 |
Other language versions
Trivia
Card Art
Secret History
Relevant outtakes