Dominion Alchemy Cards Revealed
We now know all 12 cards from the next Dominion expansion, Alchemy! This is the first half-size set, so it is really cheap-- in real-world dollars, that is. By contrast, some of these cards are more powerful, and proportionally more expensive in in-game currency, than in any previous expansion. They tend to come out more toward the end-game.
Other than the Witch, Sea Hag, and Ghost Ship, the setting of Dominion was not very magical. This expansion involves significant levels of fantasy. Here is the card list, with my comments in italic.
Name: Potion
Type: Treasure
Cost: 4 Coins
Worth 1 Potion
_Some Alchemy cards cost a Potion in addition to coins. This is a second currency, adding a 2-dimensional price structure to games of Dominion that use Alchemy cards. That is one of the main mechanical themes of this expansion.
_
Presumably, Potion is not a Kingdom card-- that is to say, a stack of Potions is always available in the Supply when playing with the Alchemy expansion.
Name: Alchemist
Type: Action
Cost: 1 Potion, 3 Coins
+2 Cards, +1 Action. When you discard this from play, you may put this on top of your deck if you have a Potion in play.
Given that the Potion costed you 4 coins, this card costs 7 coins in a sort of 2-stage payment. That's why it's as powerful as a Laboratory (which would cost 5 Coins), but with an extra feature: if you use a Potion in this turn, you get to keep Alchemist for your next turn.
Name: Possession
Type: Action
Cost: 1 Potion, 6 Coins
The player to your left takes an extra turn after this one, in which you can see all cards he can and make all decisions for him. Any card he would gain on that turn, you gain instead; any cards of his that are trashed are set aside and returned to his discard pile at the end of turn.
_Take the next player's turn for them, then give them back all their cards. You keep all the loot. Then they proceed to take a turn of their own with the next cards in their deck.
Reminds me of Smuggler, because when the next player owns Smuggler, I always wonder how I can gain any nice cards without them Smuggling a copy of it. Now if the player before me has Possession, I'll wonder how I can gain any nice cards without them gaining the advantage of them.
Possession feels much more intimidating than Smuggler, because it ruins the plans I have laid for my next turn. The way I read the card text, you can even use the Duration cards I laid down. If that's not an attack, I don't know what is. But it is not labeled as an Attack type, so defense cards don't work against it.
At least it is the most expensive card ever. A Potion and 6 Coins comes out to 10 Coins. Of course such comparisons are somewhat bogus, since the 4 Coins you spent on Potion you can re-use toward Possession.
_
If anyone other than Donald X. Vaccarino had designed this card, it would be met with scorn. Nay, derision! Instead we make a Scooby-Doo noise: RRR? As for me, I think I'm going to like it.
Name: Herbalist
Type: Action
Cost: 2 Coins
+1 Coin, +1 Buy. When you discard this from play, you may put one of your Treasures from play on top of your deck.
_Have no use for a Potion this turn? Save it!
_
Very inexpensive. But beware Thief and Pirate Ship. Herbalist creates the perfect, and highly visible, opportunity for attack. Correction-- whatever card you put on top of your deck will go into your hand for your next turn, before the attack takes effect.
Name: Philosopher's Stone
Type: Treasure
Cost: 1Potion, 3 Coins
When you play this, count your deck and discard pile. Worth 1 Coin per 5 Cards total between them (rounded down).
Like Gardens, this rewards a huge deck of cards. Philosopher's Stone will be spent for potentially twelve coins by the end of the game. But of course, it will take forever to cycle through such a big deck. The counting process will slow down the game a lot. Maybe we should use 20-sided dice to record how many cards we have. (Counting is normally not allowed.)
Name: University
Type: Action
Cost: 1 Potion, 2 Coins
+2 Actions. You may gain an Action card costing up to 5 Coins.
As you will see, besides the 2-dimensional price structure, the other mechanical theme of Alchemy is Action cards. University is the perfect example.
Name: Vineyard
Type: Victory
Cost: 1 Potion
Worth 1 VP for every three Action cards in your deck (rounded down).
This one also encourages Action-heavy decks.
Name: Apprentice
Type: Action
Cost: 5 Coins
+1 Action. Trash a card from your hand. Plus 1 Card per Coin it costs. +2 Cards if it has a Potion in its cost.
Since Coppers and Curses cost 0, you draw no cards, but at least you get rid of them. I love trashing cards. Dominion is just as much about getting rid of bad cards as it is about getting good ones. It's like making change for higher denominations. The bigger your deck, the more you are at the mercy of luck. The smaller your deck, the more control you have. Apprentice lets me keep playing actions after I trash a card. I'll acquire several copies of Apprentice in any given game.
Name: Transmute
Type: Action
Cost: 1 Potion
Trash a card from your hand. If it is an:
Action card, gain a Duchy;
Treasure card, gain a Transmute;
Victory card, gain a Gold.
In the early-game, trash Estates into Golds and Coppers into Transmutes. In the end-game, trash Transmutes and Apprentices into Duchies, and use Apprentice to trash Transmutes. This is like catnip for me.
Name: Familiar
Type: Action-Attack
Cost: 1 Potion, 3 Coins
+1 Card, +1 Action. Each other player gains a Curse.
Unlike Witch or Sea Hag, Familiar does not terminate a branch of chained Actions. Like many Alchemy cards, this is a juiced-up version of a previous card.
Name: Scrying Pool
Type: Action-Attack
Cost: 1 Potion, 2 Coins
+1 Action. Each player (including you) reveals the top card of his deck and either discards it or puts it back, your choice. Then reveal cards from the top of your deck until you reveal one that is not an Action. Put all of your revealed cards into your hand.
Like this one is a juiced-up Spy, but also a curious inverse of the Library. I can't wait to try combining this with Library.
Name: Apothecary
Type: Action
Cost: 1 Potion, 2 Coins
+1 Card, +1 Action. Reveal the top 4 cards of your deck. Put the revealed Coppers and Potions into your hand. Put the other cards back on top of your deck in any order.
Use this first. Arrange the top of your deck to be immune to attacks. Then use Alchemist with the Potion, and Apprentice, Transmute,or Moneylender to trash the coppers. Or spend the coppers with Coppersmith.
Name: Golem
Type: Action
Cost: 1 Potion, 4 Coins
Reveal cards from your deck until you reveal 2 Action cards other than a Golem card. Discard the other cards, then play the Action cards in either order.
_Don't take a twenty-minute turn playing a chain of Villages! Just use a Golem to get the same benefit quickly so we can take our turns!
_
Notice, those two extra Action Cards don't take up the +2 Action points Golem gives you. However, you must resolve those two Action cards before playing any others.
Comments
jodybrai on Apr. 14, 2010 11:24 AM
I'm really not sure the Potion mechanic is going to be a good thing. At least drawing all those extra cards should give some hope of actually getting enough of the right treasure to actually buy things.
Do you know if Potions come in denominations, like coins? And do they have any inherent benefit, or are they just a currency?
matt-arnold on Apr. 14, 2010 4:12 PM
I know that they have precisely one denomination, at least in this expansion; and I know that their only other benefit is cleaning up the Alchemist to the top of your deck.
I wouldn't write it off too early. A 2-dimensional pricing structure is the primary selling point of Thunderstone.
jodybrai on Apr. 14, 2010 10:09 PM
2 dimensional pricing? You mean money/attack?
Did any of the cards in this set give +potion in the way that some give +coins?
matt-arnold on Apr. 15, 2010 1:22 AM
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Yes. 2) Yes.
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Interestingly, no.
Anonymous on May. 28, 2010 3:02 AM
I can see the alchemy cards potentially becoming very tiresome if just one or two cards that require potions in order to be bought are mixed in with non-potion-requiring cards.
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