Archive
Archive | |
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Info | |
Cost | |
Type(s) | Action - Duration |
Kingdom card? | Yes |
Set | Empires |
Illustrator(s) | Marco Morte |
Card text | |
+1 Action Set aside the top 3 cards of your deck face down (you may look at them). Now and at the start of your next two turns, put one into your hand. |
Archive is an Action-Duration card from Empires. It non-terminally increases your handsize on future turns, while letting you choose the order in which you'll draw the three cards it gives you. It was the first Duration to stay out for more than two turns, but not indefinitely.
Contents |
FAQ
Official FAQ
- You look at three cards, and get one now, one next turn, and one the turn after that.
- Put the set-aside cards under Archive.
- If you play two Archives, they get separate sets of cards.
- If you Throne Room an Archive, keep the sets of cards separate; you get one from each each turn.
- If there are fewer than three cards, just set aside what you can, and Archive will run out of cards faster and still be discarded the turn it has no cards left.
Other Rules clarifications
- A Throne Room on an Archive remains in play even if there are not enough cards left in your deck to sustain a second Archive effect for the full 3 turns.
Strategy
This card was briefly talked about on the Dominion subreddit here.
Archive is a unique Laboratory variant. While it doesn't increase your hand size on the turn you play it, it will for your next two turns. This means two cards will be set aside for later, which can be good or bad. Archive can be a good buy early on in the game because you probably don't mind setting aside an Estate or Copper.
Another good feature of Archive is its ability to synchronize your turns. On the turn you play it, it has a mild sifting effect, letting you choose from 3 cards. Maybe you already played a Catapult this turn and you want to save it for next turn. If somehow your next turn does not work for the Catapult either, you can save it yet again for your third turn. This can be good with cards you want to keep together, such as Gold with Legionary or Encampment, junk and a trasher, or your Treasure Maps.
Archive can work in big money decks where you might have used Gear. Although Archive is restricted to looking from your deck, it is non-terminal, unlike Gear.
In addition, it is decent protection against hand-size attacks, guaranteeing that you will at least have 4 cards in your next two turns. It can also be used as a pseudo-trasher, hiding away Victory cards and junk.
Archive can be bad if you already have a lot of draw or a very small deck. You may accidentally set aside cards you would rather have in your deck where they can be drawn. This can be remedied with a sifter such as Cartographer or with cards that add onto your deck like Secret Passage.
Synergies/Combos
- Legionary
- Encampment
- Treasure Map
- Tournament
- Defense against Handsize Attacks
Antisynergies
Versions
English versions
Other language versions
Trivia
Secret History