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− | {{Improve}}
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| {{Infobox Card | | {{Infobox Card |
| |name = Cache | | |name = Cache |
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| |text2 = When you gain this, gain 2 Coppers. | | |text2 = When you gain this, gain 2 Coppers. |
| }} | | }} |
− | '''Cache''' is a [[Treasure]] card from [[Hinterlands]]. It is worth {{Cost|3}}, like Gold, but comes with what is typically a drawback—gaining two {{Card|Copper|Coppers}}. It is most useful when you either don't mind the additional Copper, such as with {{Card|Duke}} or {{Card|Gardens}}, or you can deal with the Copper, such as with {{Card|Trader}}, {{Card|Spice Merchant}}, {{Card|Watchtower}}, or {{Card|Monastery}}. | + | '''Cache''' is a [[Treasure]] card from [[Hinterlands]]. It generates {{Cost|3}}, like {{Card|Gold}}, but comes with what is very often a drawback—gaining two {{Card|Copper|Coppers}}. |
| == FAQ == | | == FAQ == |
| === Official FAQ === | | === Official FAQ === |
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| === Other Rules clarifications === | | === Other Rules clarifications === |
− | == Strategy Article == | + | == Strategy == |
− | ''Originally posted by Insomniac on the [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=3081 forum]''
| + | Cache is a very weak [[Kingdom]] [[Treasure]]; it can be thought of as a slightly cheaper {{Card|Gold}} that comes with two [[junk]] cards. While adding {{Cost|5}} in total [[payload]] may sound appealing, doing so at the cost of adding three [[stop card]]s is relatively weak as a way to improve your [[money density]] in [[money strategies]] and actively harmful to the vast majority of [[engine]]s. The weakness of this effect and the card’s high [[opportunity cost]] make it skippable in the majority of games. |
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− | Cache is a card that is often overlooked because of the {{Card|Copper}} it comes with, but when is Cache good? There are some obvious good uses, such as with {{Card|Gardens}}, but there are other less obvious synergies as well. | + | Even if you have good [[deck control]], plenty of [[overdraw]], and the ability to trash the {{Card|Copper|Coppers}} easily (e.g. with {{Card|Watchtower}}), Cache is a mediocre option for payload at a high price and likely more risky than just a {{Card|Gold}}. If there is no viable payload other than Treasures and {{Card|Gold}} is a liability (e.g. due to {{Landmark|Bandit Fort}}), it may occasionally be usable as a substitute. Its best use cases, however, are in a few scenarios where gaining {{Card|Copper}} is actively desirable. For example, if {{Card|Forager}} is your only source of [[+Buy]] and you have run out of junk for it to trash, Cache provides extra fodder. This is most likely to be useful in Kingdoms with strong [[draw]] but limited sources of extra [[gainer|gains]]. The {{Card|Copper}}-gaining can also be a benefit if you have {{Project|Guildhall}} or if it helps you score with {{Card|Gardens}}, {{Landmark|Fountain}}, or {{Landmark|Keep}}. |
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− | === Implications in Big Money ===
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− | In [[Big Money]] you want 1.6 {{Cost|}} per Card on average in a province game and 2.2 {{Cost|}} per Card in a Colony game. Cache gives 1.6667 {{Cost|}} per Card - this makes it acceptable in {{Card|Province}} games but rather poor in a {{Card|Colony}} game. However, even in a Province game, you're still going to want {{Card|Gold}} to counteract those green cards you buy.
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− | === Implications in an Engine ===
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− | In an [[engine]], Cache is usually terrible; it adds 3 cards to your deck and only one of them is useful, and {{Card|Copper}} is normally terrible. There are exceptions, but they are often things like {{Card|Counting House}}, which conflict in cost with Cache and are generally sub par.
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− | If, for whatever reason, you have no trouble drawing your whole deck but don't have enough money in it, Cache adds {{Cost|5}} worth of [[Treasure]] to your deck in one purchase. It's not bad, but are you really going to keep consistently drawing your whole deck despite those three cards for the rest of the game?
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− | === [[Attack|Attacks]] ===
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− | * [[Curser|Cursers]]: In a game with Cursers, Cache will really shine. In such a game it is often extremely hard to reach {{Cost|6}} and you might have to gear up for a {{Card|Duchy}} buyout. In these games, Cache will add value to your deck and possibly allow for a Province buy or two as well as some Gold potential. These are the games when the Copper actually helps as well since for a Duchy you only need an average of {{Cost|1}} per Card to buy a Duchy. And the 3 cards is going to dilute how often you see the {{Card|Curse|Curses}}.
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− | * Discarders: In games where you're discarding cards, whether or not Cache is usefull will depend on the frequency of those discard attacks. If they are common, then Cache is going to add some value to your hands while providing fodder for discard. In these games you might want a few Caches, but depending on the length of the game you probably don't want more than 2. In games where you aren't discarding all the time you want to ignore Cache and just go for Gold.
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− | === The Elusive {{Cost|5}}-Costs ===
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− | In games where there is a conflicting {{Cost|5}} card that you want is where there is going to be a bit more of a decision regarding cache.
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− | * {{Card|Duke}}/{{Card|Duchy}}: In Duke games you want a money value of {{Cost|1}}/card. When you have {{Cost|5}} to spend, you have 2 targets already Duchy and Duke - so when do you have time to buy Cache? If the board has extra buys then Cache is more ignorable, since your extra buys can nab {{Card|Copper|Coppers}} for you anyway. The times you're going to want Cache in Duke games are when you don't have extra buys. In games where you don't have extra buys, you can green out your deck more and then buy a Cache. In order to do this you're going to need to have one of two things happen - either your opponent needs to be on a Province strategy, so that you have more time to buy Duchies and Dukes, or you have to be explicitly ahead on Duchies/Dukes. You want to be in a position where if your opponent buys a Duchy/Duke next turn, you're STILL ahead; you have to have at least 2 more of whichever Victory card you're currently buying, depending on which part of the game you're in. As a final note, if you probably won't reshuffle before the game ends, you want the best green card you can buy and not Cache.
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− | * {{Card|Counting House}}: Counting House returns all coppers to your hand and Cache adds coppers to your deck - so this is actually a good thing, right? In truth, it depends. Counting House conflicts with Cache as a {{Cost|5}}-cost, so that's not so good. Often, you don't want too many Counting Houses, so Cache isn't actually replacing your Counting House buy. The other scenario in which you want Cache is when you can gain a Cache during your Action phase and play a Counting House afterwards, adding 2 to your hand value. The scenarios where this can happen are fairly rare - you're going to need a [[gainer]], possibly a cost reducer and some card draw. It's probably too complicated to go after in most games when you could just gain the Copper directly.
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− | * {{Card|Hunting Party}}: Hunting Party stacks in {{Card|Colony}} games have Platinum/Gold/Silver/Copper as their unique cards, which gets you to 11 and a Colony. In {{Card|Province}} games, you need either a [[terminal Silver]] or an additional money card. In the presence of Cache, Hunting Party can either skip the Gold and green earlier or skip the terminal silver (as you'll have 9). Since Hunting Party ignores duplicates, the extra Coppers don't hurt as much as in other decks. You still probably only want 1 Cache here, and you probably want it after you've purchased a Hunting Party or two.
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− | === Other scenarios ===
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− | The other times Cache is good are when you want a large deck or you have a {{Cost|5}} buy, are ahead in Victory cards, and your deck's average card value is getting too low. This is more common in [[Alt-VP]] strategies, like {{Card|Silk Road|Silk Roads}} or {{Card|Gardens}}.
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− | * {{Card|Apothecary}}: Apothecary goes really well with Cache because Apothecary loves Copper. Even without additional buys, you're grabbing a Gold and 2 Coppers which further enable your Apothecary's "grab all Potions and Coppers ability". Additional {{Cost|P}}-cost cards further sweeten the deal.
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− | * {{Card|Trader}}: In games with Trader, when you buy a Cache, you can turn the Coppers into Silvers (assuming a hand with {{Cost|5}} and Trader). This brings the average card value up from 1.6667 {{Cost|}} to a whopping 2.3333 {{Cost|}}. This makes Cache playable in Colony games and a powerhouse in Province games.
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− | * [[Sifter|Sifters]] ({{Card|Warehouse|Warehouse}}/{{Card|Cellar|Cellar}}/etc.): In games where you have sifters like Warehouse or Cellar, Cache's downside is mitigated by the fact that you can sift past your Coppers and find higher value money cards, like the Caches and Golds, in your deck. It is important to remember that sifters do cost you a card in hand, so you want to buy Golds and probably a few Silvers.
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− | * {{Card|Watchtower}}: Watchtower has a benefit similar to Trader. If you buy Cache with a Watchtower in hand you can trash those Coppers making the Cache a Gold at the {{Cost|5}} pricepoint. On top of that, the Watchtower can topdeck the Cache, increasing the benefit of your next turn, allowing you to buy more Caches or an early acceleration into Province buying.
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− | * {{Card|Monastery}}: Plays almost identically to Watchtower. Monastery gets 2 additional trashes for the 2 Coppers gained, potentially trashing 2 coppers from play to keep the total number of Coppers in the deck constant. Alternatively, Estates or other dead cards can be trashed from hand. But if you bought Cache with 1 Silver and 1 Gold, Monastery's trashing could go to waste.
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− | * {{Card|Noble Brigand}}: Unlike {{Card|Thief}}, Noble Brigand only hits specific types of money, and Cache and Copper are safe. The added Copper makes your deck more resilient to the "gain a Copper" attack portion of Noble Brigand, and Cache can't be stolen by Noble Brigand unlike Silver and Gold.
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− | * {{Card|Spice Merchant}}/{{Card|Moneylender}}: Spice Merchant is a {{Cost|4}} Lab or Woodcutter. The catch is you have to trash a treasure from your hand. With Cache on board, this is a good thing because you can trash the Coppers that Cache gives you. This keeps Spice Merchant active longer into the game than normal.
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− | === Synergies/Combos ===
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− | * {{Card|Duke}}
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− | * [[Big Money]] Province Games
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− | * {{Card|Gardens}} (And other times you want a large deck) ({{Card|Philosopher's Stone|}})
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− | * Other [[Alt-VP|Alternate VP]] Strategies (Green a little harder and quickly get your money back up)
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− | * Certain {{Card|Counting House}} Boards
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− | * [[Attack|Attacks]] - Depends on the board, better in curse slogs
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− | * {{Card|Watchtower}} (and {{Card|Monastery}}) can trash coppers on gain, while {{Card|Trader}} can turn them into silvers
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− | * {{Card|Apothecary}}
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− | * {{Card|Coppersmith}}
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− | * {{Project|Guildhall}} - get three coffers!
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− | === Antisynergies ===
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− | * [[Engine]] boards/decks
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− | * {{Card|Colony}} Games
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− | * {{Card|Poor House}}
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| == Versions == | | == Versions == |