Great Hall: Difference between revisions
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In the absence of combos and synergies that strengthen the card, Great halls are often good to buy only later in the game. Mid-to-late game, if one ends up with {{Cost|11}}-{{Cost|12}} and 2 buys, they are a good addition to the deck. When it is likely that one will cycle through the deck again, two Great Halls are likely preferable to a {{Card|Duchy}}, as the forgone VP will be compensated for by the increased chance of buying more VP later. | In the absence of combos and synergies that strengthen the card, Great halls are often good to buy only later in the game. Mid-to-late game, if one ends up with {{Cost|11}}-{{Cost|12}} and 2 buys, they are a good addition to the deck. When it is likely that one will cycle through the deck again, two Great Halls are likely preferable to a {{Card|Duchy}}, as the forgone VP will be compensated for by the increased chance of buying more VP later. | ||
===Circumstances that strengthen Great Hall=== | === Circumstances that strengthen Great Hall === | ||
Certain cards can make Great Hall more desirable or more powerful. {{Card|Ironworks}} is probably the strongest combo with Great Hall, as Ironworks can be played to gain a Great Hall and get +1 Card, +1 Action. {{Card|Scout}} can draw Great Halls into your hand and then let you play them. {{Card|Crossroads}} benefits from Great Halls in the hand, creating an addition card draw from each one. Cards that benefit from variety, like {{Card|Menagerie}}, also benefit from Great Hall, but it does not synergize as well with {{Card|Horn of Plenty}} because Horn of Plenty is trashed if used to gain VP. {{Card|Scrying Pool}} and {{Card|Vineyard}} also make Great Hall slightly more attractive. {{Card|Silk Road}} also benefits from extra Great Halls--Great Halls increase the value of Silk Roads without slowing down your deck. | Certain cards can make Great Hall more desirable or more powerful. {{Card|Ironworks}} is probably the strongest combo with Great Hall, as Ironworks can be played to gain a Great Hall and get +1 Card, +1 Action. {{Card|Scout}} can draw Great Halls into your hand and then let you play them. {{Card|Crossroads}} benefits from Great Halls in the hand, creating an addition card draw from each one. Cards that benefit from variety, like {{Card|Menagerie}}, also benefit from Great Hall, but it does not synergize as well with {{Card|Horn of Plenty}} because Horn of Plenty is trashed if used to gain VP. {{Card|Scrying Pool}} and {{Card|Vineyard}} also make Great Hall slightly more attractive. {{Card|Silk Road}} also benefits from extra Great Halls--Great Halls increase the value of Silk Roads without slowing down your deck. | ||
Revision as of 08:16, 21 January 2013
| Great Hall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Info | |
| Cost |
 |
| Type(s) | Action - Victory |
| Kingdom card? | Yes |
| Set |
Intrigue |
| Illustrator(s) | Julien Delval |
| Card text | |
|
+1 Card +1 Action 1  | |
Great Hall is an Action and Victory card from Intrigue. It is a dual-type card, which means it interacts with cards such as Scout which affect Victory cards, as well as cards such as Scrying Pool which affect Action cards; Ironworks gets two bonuses when used to gain Great Halls. Great Hall is a cantrip and gives 1 
, so it's a Victory card which is not a dead card and doesn't get in the way of your other Actions.
FAQ
Official FAQ
- This is both an Action card and a Victory card.
- When you play it, you draw a card and may play another Action.
- At the end of the game, it's worth 1 VP, like an Estate.
- During set-up, place 12 Great Halls in the Supply for a 3- or 4-player game and 8 in the Supply for a 2-player game.
Other Rules clarifications
Strategy Article
There's no strategy article for Great Hall.
Great Hall is a pretty simple card - it's a Victory card which gives 1VP and, unlike an Estate, does not take up space in your hand. While Great Halls may seem like they'd be a good buy pretty often, their opportunity cost is important early in the game, and they are also weaker in the presence of Discard attacks.
Early in the game, Great Halls are usually a poor buy because they don't benefit your deck in any way other than VP, and there are usually other 
cost cards that do, such as Silver.
Like other cantrips, Great Hall is much less desirable when your opponent is playing discard attacks. If you have a Great Hall when you are hit with a Militia or Torturer, you don't know whether the optimal play is to discard it or not, since you don't know what card it will draw.
In the absence of combos and synergies that strengthen the card, Great halls are often good to buy only later in the game. Mid-to-late game, if one ends up with 
-
and 2 buys, they are a good addition to the deck. When it is likely that one will cycle through the deck again, two Great Halls are likely preferable to a Duchy, as the forgone VP will be compensated for by the increased chance of buying more VP later.
Circumstances that strengthen Great Hall
Certain cards can make Great Hall more desirable or more powerful. Ironworks is probably the strongest combo with Great Hall, as Ironworks can be played to gain a Great Hall and get +1 Card, +1 Action. Scout can draw Great Halls into your hand and then let you play them. Crossroads benefits from Great Halls in the hand, creating an addition card draw from each one. Cards that benefit from variety, like Menagerie, also benefit from Great Hall, but it does not synergize as well with Horn of Plenty because Horn of Plenty is trashed if used to gain VP. Scrying Pool and Vineyard also make Great Hall slightly more attractive. Silk Road also benefits from extra Great Halls--Great Halls increase the value of Silk Roads without slowing down your deck.
In games where Great Hall is attractive, such as in the presence of Ironworks, and especially when there are multiple synergies involving Great Hall, the pile will tend to empty very fast. This makes rush strategies stronger, and is important to consider when timing your purchase of VP, or considering whether to attempt to build a slower-to-construct engine.
Synergies/Combos
- + Buy or gainers, particularly Ironworks, which allows you to pick up Great Halls for 'free', since playing an Ironworks to gain a Great Hall gives you +1 card and +1 action.
- Scout
- Crossroads
- Scrying Pool
- Silk Road
- Vineyard
Antisynergies
- Discard attacks (Militia, Torturer, Goons, Mercenary) hurt more when you have Great Halls in your hand.
- There is rarely a good time to pick up Great Halls in a Big Money-like game, except near the end where Estates are just as good.
Trivia
Secret History
. One day I realized the Upgrade / Great Hall deck was just too ridiculous, and upped the price of both cards. Later on I realized that Upgrade had been the problem by itself, and returned Great Hall to its original cost. It's interesting how interesting it is for a card that does nothing.
