Philosopher's Stone
From DominionStrategy Wiki
(Difference between revisions)
Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
=== Other Rules clarifications === | === Other Rules clarifications === | ||
== Strategy Article == | == Strategy Article == | ||
+ | There isn't a strategy article for Philosopher's Stone. | ||
+ | |||
+ | It's typically a pretty weak card, with a few exceptions: | ||
+ | * The [[Combo: Philosopher's Stone and Herbalist]] | ||
+ | * {{card|Familiar}} lends itself to bloated decks which already have a Potion in them . | ||
+ | |||
=== Synergies/Combos === | === Synergies/Combos === | ||
* [[Combo: Philosopher's Stone and Herbalist]]: {{Card|Herbalist}} gives you the +Buy needed to bloat your deck to increase the value of your Philosopher's Stones (as well as to effectively spend all the money produced by high-value Philosopher's Stones). It also allows you to reuse the same {{Card|Potion}} to buy Philosopher's Stones for multiple turns, or to reuse the same Philosopher's Stone to buy Victory cards. | * [[Combo: Philosopher's Stone and Herbalist]]: {{Card|Herbalist}} gives you the +Buy needed to bloat your deck to increase the value of your Philosopher's Stones (as well as to effectively spend all the money produced by high-value Philosopher's Stones). It also allows you to reuse the same {{Card|Potion}} to buy Philosopher's Stones for multiple turns, or to reuse the same Philosopher's Stone to buy Victory cards. | ||
− | + | * Sifters like {{card|Cellar}} and {{card|Warehouse}} let you find your Philosopher's Stones and increase their value by discarding | |
=== Antisynergies === | === Antisynergies === | ||
Revision as of 17:49, 7 November 2012
Philosopher's Stone | |
---|---|
Cost | |
Type | Treasure |
Set/Expansion | Alchemy |
Illustrator | Jacob Corn |
When you play this, count your deck and discard pile. Worth per 5 cards total between them (rounded down). |
Philosopher's Stone is a Treasure card from Alchemy. It grows in value as the number of cards in your deck and discard increases, favoring huge, bulky decks. It does not count cards in your hand or in play and so favors a thick-deck, low-drawing strategy, differing from most other Alchemy cards.
Contents |
FAQ
Official FAQ
- This is a Treasure card. It is a Kingdom card; it will only be in games where it is randomly dealt out as one of the 10 Kingdom cards, or otherwise selected to be one of them.
- It is played during your Buy phase, like other Treasure cards. When you play it, count the number of cards in your deck and discard pile combined, divide by 5, and round down. That is how many this produces for you.
- Once played, the amount of you get does not change even if the number of cards changes later in the turn.
- The next time you play it, count again.
- If you play multiple copies, obviously the number will be the same for all of them.
- It does not matter what order your discard pile is in, but the order your deck is in matters. Do not change that order while counting!
- You will get to look through your discard pile as you count it.
- You only count your deck and discard pile, not your hand or cards in play or set aside cards.
- You cannot play more Treasures after buying something in your buy phase; so for example you cannot buy a card, then play Philosopher's Stone, then buy another card.
Other Rules clarifications
Strategy Article
There isn't a strategy article for Philosopher's Stone.
It's typically a pretty weak card, with a few exceptions:
- The Combo: Philosopher's Stone and Herbalist
- Familiar lends itself to bloated decks which already have a Potion in them .
Synergies/Combos
- Combo: Philosopher's Stone and Herbalist: Herbalist gives you the +Buy needed to bloat your deck to increase the value of your Philosopher's Stones (as well as to effectively spend all the money produced by high-value Philosopher's Stones). It also allows you to reuse the same Potion to buy Philosopher's Stones for multiple turns, or to reuse the same Philosopher's Stone to buy Victory cards.
- Sifters like Cellar and Warehouse let you find your Philosopher's Stones and increase their value by discarding
Antisynergies
- Philosopher's Stone works poorly with engines that involve drawing and playing large numbers of cards on a turn, since cards in hand and in the play area don't contribute to Philosopher's Stone's value. (Ironically, this means Philosopher's Stone works poorly with most Alchemy cards other than Herbalist.)
Trivia
Secret History
This started out as an action, "+1 Buy, + per 4 cards left in your deck." It was in the original Alchemy, but I considered it for the main set at one point (when Gardens moved there). Eventually I brought it back as a treasure. First it counted cards left in your deck. Some people don't like how huge the variance is on that though. I can make a card here and there like that, but not too many. I dropped it, then later brought it back with "put your deck into your discard pile" (and then it counted your discard pile). That still had high variance, a different way; you might draw it immediately after shuffling, which was a lot better than not drawing it immediately. Finally I changed it to how it is now. The random element is completely gone; it still isn't consistent, due to card-drawing and such, but that's your own problem.