Editing Innkeeper

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{{Infobox Card
 |name = Innkeeper
 |cost = 4
 |set = Allies
 |type1 = Action
 |illustrator = Julien Delval
 |text = '''+1 Action'''<br />Choose one: '''+1 Card'''; or '''+3 Cards''', then discard 3 cards; or '''+5 Cards''', then discard 6 cards.
}}

'''Innkeeper''' is an [[Action]] card from [[Allies]]. It is a [[non-terminal]] [[sifter]] that gives you a choice of how many cards to sift through; but sifting more cards leaves you with a smaller handsize. If you don't want the handsize reduction on a given turn, you can also play it as a [[cantrip]] with no other effect. 

== FAQ ==
=== Official FAQ ===
* First get +1 Action and choose which option you want, then do it.
* You either get +1 Card, or get +3 Cards but discard 3 cards, or get +5 Cards but discard 6 cards.

== Strategy ==
Innkeeper tends to be a strong card that can be game changing on some boards, but tends to require a good amount of skill to use effectively. In spite of the name alluding to {{Card|Inn}}, this card is more similar to {{Card|Warehouse}}, costing {{Cost|1}} more but giving two additional options that Warehouse lacks. The cantrip option is weak and the card is not usually worth buying if you end up using that option frequently, although there are specific circumstances where that choice can be beneficial, such as when you are nearly certain that no card you draw will be better than anything currently in your hand, or when it is advantageous to delay a reshuffle by one more turn.

The second option is also rather weak, and if you only ever play Innkeeper using the first two actions, it is usually slow, owing to the higher price point than Warehouse.

The third option, drawing 5 cards, is where Innkeeper usually shines, but it comes with the hefty cost of forcing a discard of a whopping 6 cards, which amounts to a net loss of 2 cards from the hand, counting the played Innkeeper. There are many different scenarios, however, which benefit from this choice.

A [[big money]] strategy can benefit from Innkeeper because a deck with sufficient treasure density needs only two {{Card|Gold}} and a {{Card|Silver}} to buy a province, and similarly three Silver can buy a gold. The flexibility is also of use in a money strategy, allowing you to time reshuffles as well as drawing fewer cards when you are certain that those cards will get you exactly what you need. In this scenario, you often want to pair Innkeeper with a strong terminal action that takes advantage of the +Action, typically a non-drawing one that does not risk drawing Innkeeper dead.

Innkeeper however also benefits deck-drawing [[engine]] strategies, especially those that rely on a combination of cards like {{Card|Village}}+{{Card|Smithy}} to get started. Innkeeper can often make these strategies viable on a board that otherwise would not have strong enough trashing to support such a strategy.

Innkeeper is weakest in highly thinned decks, where its card draw forces you to discard useful cards. Conversely, it tends to be strongest in a [[slog]], which can occur both in the presence of a [[junking attack]], as well as in some [[alt-VP]] games, such as a {{Card|Gardens}} strategy. Even in engine and money games, the presence of innkeeper can make decks more resilient to greening, and thus shift the balance in favor of earlier purchase of VP, perhaps something as simple as throwing in an extra {{Card|Duchy}} or even {{Card|Estate}} here or there, as they will be less detrimental to the deck.

Like with most sifters, there is an obvious synergy with [[discard for benefit]] cards. In the presence of {{Card|Trail}}, Innkeeper becomes particularly strong. Another strong combo, which can lead to a [[rush (strategy)|rush strategy]], is {{Card|Tunnel}}, which quickly gains golds, can be used repeatedly, and is easy to purchase in an opening with Innkeeper due to its price point of {{Cost|3}}.
===External strategy articles===

== Versions ==
===English versions===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! Print !! Digital !! Text !! Release !! Date 
|-
| {{CardLangVersionImage}} || {{CardLangVersionImage|d=1}} || style="padding:0px 20px;"| '''+1 Action'''<br>Choose one: '''+1&nbsp;Card'''; or '''+3&nbsp;Cards''', then discard 3&nbsp;cards; or '''+5&nbsp;Cards''', then discard 6&nbsp;cards. || Allies || March 2022
|}

===Other language versions===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! Language !! Name !! Print !! Digital !! Text !! Notes
|-
! Dutch
| Waard || {{CardLangVersionImage|Dutch}} || {{CardLangVersionImage|Dutch|d=1}} || <p>'''+1 Actie'''</p>Kies 1 an de volgende:<br>'''+1 Kaart'''<br>of '''+3 kaarten'''en leg dan<br>3 kaarten af.<br>of '''+5 kaarten'''en leg dan<br>6 kaarten af. || (2022)
|-
! German
| Wirtin || {{CardLangVersionImage|German}} || {{CardLangVersionImage|German|d=1}} || || 
|}

== Trivia ==
{{OfficialArt}}

=== Secret History ===
{{Quote
|Text=Initially the choice was just between [[cantrip]] or {{Card|Warehouse}}. It wasn't phrased as a choose-one either, it was cantrip, "You may: +2 Cards, then discard 3 cards." I turned it into a choose-one to work with {{Card|Elder}}, then added the draw 5 / discard 6 option to spice it up. It was a concern, was that too generous, was it too slow.
|Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]]
|Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=21129.0 The Secret History of Dominion: Allies]
}}

{{Navbox Allies}}
{{Navbox Cards}}
@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 |-
 ! German
-| Wirtin || {{CardLangVersionImage|German}} || {{CardLangVersionImage|German|d=1}} || style="padding:0px 20px;"| '''+1 Aktion'''<br>Wähle eins:<br>'''+1&nbsp;Karte''' oder<br> '''+3&nbsp;Karten''' und lege dann 3&nbsp;Karten aus deiner Hand ab oder<br>'''+5&nbsp;Karten''' und lege dann 6&nbsp;Karten aus deiner Hand ab. ||
+| Wirtin || {{CardLangVersionImage|German}} || {{CardLangVersionImage|German|d=1}} || ||
 |}
@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 {{Navbox Allies}}
 {{Navbox Cards}}
-[[Category:Non-terminals]]
-[[Category:Choice cards]]
-[[Category:Cantrip]]
-[[Category:Handsize neutral]]
-[[Category:Handsize negative]]
-[[Category:Draw]]
-[[Category:Variable draw]]
-[[Category:Sifter]]