Specialist

Specialist
Info
Cost
Type(s)	Action
Kingdom card?	Yes
Set	Allies
Illustrator(s)	Claus Stephan
Card text
You may play an Action or Treasure from your hand. Choose one: play it again; or gain a copy of it.

Specialist is an Action card from Allies. It can be used as either a Throne Room variant or a gainer, to either gain a copy of or get an extra play out of a card in your hand.

FAQ

Official FAQ

• First you may play an Action or Treasure card from your hand. If you did, then after completely resolving playing that card, you choose to either play it again, or gain a copy of it.
• You can play the card again even if it left play.
• You can choose to gain a copy even if there are no copies left; you won't gain anything though.
• This can only gain cards from the Supply.

Strategy

As a card that can play another card twice, Specialist can be compared to Crown. Unlike Crown, Specialist has to be played in the Action phase, so it uses up an action even if playing a treasure card twice. On the upside, it offers up the choice between playing a card twice or gaining a copy allowing more versatility. This also allows it to combine well with Elder, which allows Specialist to both play another card twice while also gaining another copy. Targetting Specialist with Elder is particularly good for powerful expensive cards that you could want multiple of, like Grand Market, King's Court, Laboratory, Fortune, or Platinum.

Unlike cards like Counterfeit and Crown, Specialist plays Treasure cards during the Action phase. In some kingdoms this can be beneficial if the treasure cards have beneficial effects besides or +Buy. For example playing Collection twice during the Action phase allows other gaining Action cards to bring in  , an interaction particularly powerful in kingdoms with Horse gainers. Playing Quarry during the Action phase brings down the cost of action cards, benefitting Workshop variants played later, as well as Command cards that limit the cost of cards played. Playing Quarry twice during the Action phase can also benefit Remodel variants if you trash non-actions, for example after using Specialist on Quarry one can use Remodel or Modify to turn junk cards like Copper or Curse into Action cards. Playing Treasure cards during the Action phase can also be beneficial to get a sufficient number of cards in play for timing Leprechaun plays. Finally, playing a Treasure card in your hand during the Action phase benefits "draw-to-x" effects, increasing their draw.

Versions

English versions

Print	Digital	Text	Release	Date
		You may play an Action or Treasure from your hand. Choose one: play it again; or gain a copy of it.	Allies	March 2022

Other language versions

Language	Name	Print	Digital	Text	Notes
German	Spezialistin			Du darfst eine Aktions- oder Geldkarte aus deiner Hand spielen. Wähle eins: Spiele sie noch einmal oder nimm eine gleiche Karte.

Trivia

Official card art.

Secret History

Another card cashing in on the Modify premise. Didn't change.

—Donald X. Vaccarino, The Secret History of the Dominion: Allies