Diplomat
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Diplomat | |
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Info | |
Cost | |
Type(s) | Action - Reaction |
Kingdom card? | Yes |
Set | Intrigue |
Illustrator(s) | Lorraine Schleter |
Card text | |
+2 Cards If you have 5 or fewer cards in hand (after drawing), +2 Actions. When another player plays an Attack card, you may first reveal this from a hand of 5 or more cards, to draw 2 cards then discard 3. |
Diplomat is an Action–Reaction card from the second edition of Intrigue. When you're Attacked, it gives you an opportunity to adjust the contents of your hand to possibly mitigate the attack. When you play it, it gives you +2 cards, plus a village effect if your handsize is small enough. Since Diplomat's Reaction effect itself reduces your handsize, its Reaction and on-play effects have some synergy.
Contents |
FAQ
Official FAQ
- When playing this, you get +2 Cards, then count your cards in hand, and if you have 5 cards or fewer, you get +2 Actions.
- So, for example if you play this from a hand of 5 cards, you will put it into play, going down to 4 cards, then draw 2 cards, going up to 6 cards, and that is more than 5 cards so you would not get the +2 Actions.
- Diplomat can also be used when another player plays an Attack card, if you have at least 5 cards in hand.
- Before the Attack card does anything, you can reveal a Diplomat from your hand; if you do, you draw 2 cards, then discard 3 cards (which can include the Diplomat).
- If you still have at least 5 cards in hand after doing that (such as due to Council Rooms), you can reveal Diplomat again and do it again.
- You reveal Reactions one at a time; you cannot reveal two Diplomats simultaneously.
- You can reveal a Moat from your hand (to be unaffected by an Attack) either before or after revealing and resolving a Diplomat (even if the Moat was not in your hand until after resolving Diplomat).
Other Rules clarifications
Strategy
There is no strategy article for Diplomat.
Like many reactions, Diplomat offers synergy between its react and its play effects; unlike many it can be worthwhile even if it's only played directly.
The most basic use of Diplomat's reaction is to gain sifting and bonus actions in the face of enemy attacks. It doesn't stop attacks like Witch, but it can greatly mitigate their junking effects while helping you reach your own attacks. Diplomat also defends more directly against handsize attacks: the added sifting makes simple "down to three" attacks like Militia less painful, while "at least five" attacks (Pillage, Raider) and some conditional attacks Bureaucrat can be negated completely. It can also help you draw your junk to offset attacks like Mountebank and Old Witch - but note that in engines or multiplayer games, the hand-shrinking effect of these cards means you can only play Diplomat against the first one.
Played as an action, Diplomat can offset its reaction, or fuel a few highly situational engines. Diplomat's effects as an engine piece are actually quite strong for the price, but are heavily offset by its allergy to card draw. It's self-limiting effect plays a lot like Shanty Town or Menagerie, rewarding discarding and nonterminal/nondrawing actions. But where an engine can play Shanty Town for half effect to get rid of it, Diplomat's lack of guaranteed +Action brings it closer to Library and Smithy as an engine piece that needs support among your initial draw. A few support cards like Fishing Village can be bought in enough abundance to fuel Diplomat on their own. Absent those, Diplomat's best path to reliability is often attacks that will see play through the entire game. Special mention here goes to Coven, which has the unusual trait of comboing with Diplomat when you buy it and when your opponent does.
Synergies/Combos
- Opposing "At least 5" discard attacks like Raider and Minion
- To a lesser degree, other discard attacks like Militia or Ghost Ship
- Borrow
- Nonterminal virtual money like Fishing Village or Festival
- Discard for
- Opponents' Vaults
- Outpost
- Conclave
- Cathedral
Anti-synergies
- No discarding
- No attack cards
- Deck top attacks like Sea Hag
- Stronger terminal draw
Versions
English versions
Digital | Text | Release | Date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
+2 Cards. If you have 5 or fewer cards in hand (after drawing), +2 Actions. When another player plays an Attack card, you may first reveal this from a hand of 5 or more cards, to draw 2 cards then discard 3. |
Intrigue 2nd Edition | October 2016 |
Other language versions
Trivia
Secret History
Retrospective