City: Difference between revisions
Werothegreat (talk | contribs) |
Werothegreat (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
There’s a caveat to this rule: it’s easy enough to resist the allure of City if there’s only one opponent buying Cities. But if you’re in a multiplayer game and two players are racing for Cities, you may have little choice other than to get Cities yourself, even if it means contributing to the emptying of the pile. Otherwise they will empty the pile and then hold a huge advantage over you. | There’s a caveat to this rule: it’s easy enough to resist the allure of City if there’s only one opponent buying Cities. But if you’re in a multiplayer game and two players are racing for Cities, you may have little choice other than to get Cities yourself, even if it means contributing to the emptying of the pile. Otherwise they will empty the pile and then hold a huge advantage over you. | ||
Likewise, if you’re in a City race with your opponent, and the Cities are split somewhat evenly, it is absolutely critical not to be the one to empty the first pile (unless it is the City pile itself), as it gives your opponent first crack at a mega-turn. The difference between drawing 1 and 2 cards is huge. Ideally, you’d like to use | Likewise, if you’re in a City race with your opponent, and the Cities are split somewhat evenly, it is absolutely critical not to be the one to empty the first pile (unless it is the City pile itself), as it gives your opponent first crack at a mega-turn. The difference between drawing 1 and 2 cards is huge. Ideally, you’d like to use a [[gainer]] like {{Card|Ironworks}}, or a card like {{Card|Remodel}} or {{Card|Upgrade}} to empty a pile during your turn so you can be the first to make use of the UCS. | ||
Ironically, when your Cities finally do hit maximum level, you might want to consider winning on piles rather than glamorous Colonies. After all, two piles will already have been emptied; the plethora of Buys your UCS provides might give you the win just by emptying the {{Card|Estate|Estates}} (or another pile), if your opponents haven’t yet built up a significant lead. | Ironically, when your Cities finally do hit maximum level, you might want to consider winning on piles rather than glamorous Colonies. After all, two piles will already have been emptied; the plethora of Buys your UCS provides might give you the win just by emptying the {{Card|Estate|Estates}} (or another pile), if your opponents haven’t yet built up a significant lead. | ||
Revision as of 01:49, 29 November 2014
| This article/section needs cleanup. Reason: need higher quality image |
| City | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Info | |
| Cost |
 |
| Type(s) | Action |
| Kingdom card? | Yes |
| Set |
Prosperity |
| Illustrator(s) | Marco Morte |
| Card text | |
|
+1 Card +2 Actions If there are one or more empty Supply piles, +1 Card. If there are two or more, +  and +1 Buy. | |
City is an Action card from Prosperity. It begins as a simple Village, but grows stronger as supply piles are depleted. If another supply pile is likely to run out anyway, or there is a way to gain cities quickly, this card can be quite strong. However, if those are not present, it is often best to skip City entirely, as by the time it powers up, your opponent has too large a lead.
Cities will often be referenced with respect to their level of power, corresponding to the bonuses given for empty piles. This is commonly seen as either a 1/2/3 or 0/1/2 format, with the Dominion community split fairly evenly on which approach is appropriate. The 1/2/3 system refers to the power level of the City, as seen by the bonuses attained with emptying piles. The 0/1/2 system references either the number of empty piles or a system where one starts counting from 0. Though past usage seems to favor the 1/2/3 system, it is recommended that you make it clear via context if you choose to use one of the systems, at least until a consensus can be reached on how to refer to Cities..
FAQ
Official FAQ
- You draw a card and can play two more Actions no matter what.
- If there is just one empty pile in the Supply, you also draw another card.
- If there are two or more empty piles, you both draw another card, and get to spend and an extra Buy to use in the Buy phase.
- There are no further bonuses if three or more piles are empty.
- This only checks how many piles are empty when you play it; if piles become empty later in the turn, you do not go back and get the bonuses.
- If a pile stops being empty due to cards being returned to it, such as with the Seaside card Ambassador, Cities played after that will not count that pile as empty.
- An empty trash pile does not count for this.
Other Rules clarifications
Strategy Article
Original article by theory
Can I start by noting how well-designed this card is, thematically? It’s one of the few Dominion cards that makes perfect thematic sense: Cities start as Villages, but slowly grow and develop...
City is one of those cards very susceptible to groupthink. The first time anyone gets spanked by the Unstoppable City Stack (“UCS”), they vow that next game they will buy up the Cities themselves. This leads to a City race, which, of course, further powers up the Cities. Maxed-out Cities are absolute juggernauts, easily drawing your deck with bonus money and Buys to boot.
But before committing to blowing all your 
′s on Cities, it’s important to identify the situations under which Cities are likely to become anything more than Villages. Piles run out most frequently in multiplayer games; similarly, Cities will level up quickly when popular cheap cards are available, like Fishing Village, Caravan, or Peddler. (Great Hall and Island, too, for although they are not technically super-popular, they are fewer in number in 2-player games, and a great pile to run out as the City player.) This is especially true if your opponents are buying Bridges, Talismans, and other Buy multipliers—though you should also beware them ending the game on piles before you have the chance to deploy the UCS. Curse-giving attacks are another reason to invest in Cities, by guaranteeing another pile that will inevitably be exhausted.
Of course, there’s the other question of what to do with all those extra Actions. It makes a lot of sense to accumulate Cities when there are uses for the extra Actions, i.e., worthwhile terminal Actions to pair with it (Bridge, terminal attacks, trash-for-benefits, or +Cards like Smithy/Courtyard), and Villages are not available. It also makes sense in Colony games, where you should have enough time to build up the UCS and pummel opponents with it.
So when are Cities bad? When the opposite of the above apply. When it doesn’t look like piles are going to be running out, and there aren’t any worthwhile terminals, a player that buys Cities is just spending a ton of money on Villages that become little more than Laboratories when you buy 10 of them. Meanwhile, your opponent can be buying actual Laboratories instead, pummeling you before your Cities can get anywhere. As mentioned several times before, is an elite tier of Actions. Blowing your money on Cities is just not worth it if your opponents, by buying other powerful Actions, can buy up the Victory cards before your Cities upgrade into something better than a Village.
There’s a caveat to this rule: it’s easy enough to resist the allure of City if there’s only one opponent buying Cities. But if you’re in a multiplayer game and two players are racing for Cities, you may have little choice other than to get Cities yourself, even if it means contributing to the emptying of the pile. Otherwise they will empty the pile and then hold a huge advantage over you.
Likewise, if you’re in a City race with your opponent, and the Cities are split somewhat evenly, it is absolutely critical not to be the one to empty the first pile (unless it is the City pile itself), as it gives your opponent first crack at a mega-turn. The difference between drawing 1 and 2 cards is huge. Ideally, you’d like to use a gainer like Ironworks, or a card like Remodel or Upgrade to empty a pile during your turn so you can be the first to make use of the UCS.
Ironically, when your Cities finally do hit maximum level, you might want to consider winning on piles rather than glamorous Colonies. After all, two piles will already have been emptied; the plethora of Buys your UCS provides might give you the win just by emptying the Estates (or another pile), if your opponents haven’t yet built up a significant lead.
Synergies/Combos
- Popular Kingdom cards (usually non-terminal; e.g., Fishing Village, Caravan, Peddler)
- Mixed Kingdom/Victory cards (Great Hall, Island, Nobles, Harem)
- The existence of worthwhile terminal Actions (especially +Cards)
- Curse-giving attacks
- Talisman and Bridge / Quarry
- Strategies that focus on pile-emptying
- Colony games
Antisynergies
- Unpopular Kingdom piles that aren’t going to empty
- Embargo
Trivia
Card Art
Secret History
