Bandit
Bandit | |
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Info | |
Cost | |
Type(s) | Action - Attack |
Kingdom card? | Yes |
Set | Base |
Illustrator(s) | Julien Delval |
Card text | |
Gain a Gold. Each other player reveals the top 2 cards of their deck, trashes a revealed Treasure other than Copper, and discards the rest. |
Bandit is an Action–Attack card from the second edition of the base set. It is a trashing attack that targets your opponent's Treasure cards and gives you free Gold.
Contents |
FAQ
Official FAQ
- First you gain a Gold from the Supply, putting it into your discard pile.
- Then each other player, in turn order, reveals their top 2 cards, trashes one they choose that is a Treasure other than Copper (e.g. Silver or Gold), and discards the other revealed cards.
- A player who did not reveal a Treasure card other than Copper simply discards both cards.
Other Rules clarifications
Strategy
Original article written by Avester.
The answer to the age-old, much-maligned question, "Why is the Base Set so Big Money centric," Bandit is a reasonably strong that is available in the Second Edition of the Base Set. New and old players have found a strong appeal for this card, but what does it actually do, and how does it actually impact the game?
First, you gain a Gold. This is important to note as, particularly in multi-player games, the Bandit pile is likely to run out very quickly, and with it, the Gold. This leads to a rush-strategy in multi-player games, in which players, devoid of significant buying power after being hit by multiple Bandits each round, will be reduced to buying with their Coppers and any alternate sources of money. In the presence of alt-VP cards, particularly Tunnel, this could lead to a three-pile ending of Bandit, Gold and that third alt-VP card. In two-player games, this is an unlikely scenario, as you would not ever need five Bandits in your deck.
Second, you discard the top two cards of your deck when attacked by a Bandit, trashing a non-Copper Treasure of your choice. While not as strong as a trashing attack from Knights, Bandit truly excels in halting your opponents' Big Money strategies altogether. If you manage to play multiple Bandits in a turn, through +Actions, it can mill your opponents' Treasures in the early stages of the game, denying them the crucial progression in any sort of Big Money game. In the late stage of the game, Bandit might do more harm than good, since the Gold pile could have run out, and you would be helping your opponent cycle through their green-rich deck.
Overall, Bandit encourages strong Engine play, as opposed to Big Money, by merely being present in the Kingdom. If your opponent appears to be heavily investing in Bandit, you are often left with two choices: you may also buy Bandit to counteract the vast quantity of Gold they will be accruing, although this will be difficult as you are, presumably, behind in terms of finances, and Bandit mirrors tend to end on rushes; or you may invest in alternate-sources of money to progress in the game, with a strong contender in the form of Merchant Ship. A card that really shines in this context is Pirate Ship, since it would help to get rid of your opponents' Gold from Bandit, and provide a stable source of money for late-game. Coin tokens (Coffers), from Guilds cards, also shine, allowing you to craft an engine solely dedicated to amassing coin tokens before spending them on a mega-turn. In a similar vein, clever plays of Native Village, Gear and Crypt may aid you in securing your Treasures before they get trashed by the opponents' Bandit, but may not appear to be a viable long-term strategy.
In conclusion, Bandit is a reasonable pick-up for , and its attack provides strong, tangible results that can be appealing to new players, but using it optimally is subtle. Often, a Kingdom will have means to counteract the impact of Bandit, and other attack cards at such as strong junkers can potentially harm your opponents more than Bandit ever could.
Synergies/Combos
- Strong sources of alternate-money: Forager, Merchant Ship, Candlestick Maker and Baker.
- Strong engines to support the above sources of alternate-money, particularly Peddler.
- Rush strategies, and alt-VP cards (especially in multi-player).
Anti-synergies
Versions
English versions
Digital | Text | Release | Date | |
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Gain a Gold. Each other player reveals the top 2 cards of their deck, trashes a revealed Treasure other than Copper, and discards the rest. | Dominion 2nd Edition | October 2016 |
Other language versions
Trivia
Secret History