Editing What Did You Discover? (4R213)
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= Strategy = | = Strategy = | ||
== Gameplay Strategy == | == Gameplay Strategy == | ||
This card addresses a core problem for any Shadow side: players move during the regroup phase knowing however many cards each Shadow player has drawn, about half of them are probably Free Peoples cards and not a threat. This is especially true towards the end of the game, where the high shadow numbers on sites can act as a soft signal for how many Free Peoples cards are in a Shadow player's hand after the first move. What Did You Discover? can exchange two unplayable or undesirable cards for the best minion in the Shadow player's discard pile, a potentially daunting proposition when combined with whatever else may be in hand. | This card addresses a core problem for any Shadow side: players move during the regroup phase knowing however many cards each Shadow player has drawn, about half of them are probably Free Peoples cards and not a threat. This is especially true towards the end of the game, where the high shadow numbers on sites can act as a soft signal for how many Free Peoples cards are in a Shadow player's hand after the first move. What Did You Discover? can exchange two unplayable or undesirable cards for the best minion in the Shadow player's discard pile, a potentially daunting proposition when combined with whatever else may be in hand. This may be enough to make a player stay put when they would otherwise move, making it one of few cards that can have an impact on a game even without being used. | ||
While a move in the regroup phase to site 3 is common, at sites 1-4 there is not much opportunity to use this card. Uruk-hai are roaming and shadow numbers are low, limiting how many minions can be played and leading to a hand already stacked with Shadow cards. This also means there usually isn't a good selection of minions in the discard pile anyway. These factors tend to naturally allow Uruk-hai to play a strong site 5, which should both make it nearly impossible for an opponent to move in the regroup phase and almost guarantee a stop at site 6 to heal at the sanctuary. As a result, the earliest - and often only - opportunity to really get value out of this card most of the time is a move in the regroup to site 8 or 9. This is also when all the factors that worked against its use at the start of the game instead work for it: no roaming penalty, high shadow numbers, plenty of Shadow cards are cycling out of the hand in the initial move, and choice minions in the discard pile. | While a move in the regroup phase to site 3 is common, at sites 1-4 there is not much opportunity to use this card. Uruk-hai are roaming and shadow numbers are low, limiting how many minions can be played and leading to a hand already stacked with Shadow cards. This also means there usually isn't a good selection of minions in the discard pile anyway. These factors tend to naturally allow Uruk-hai to play a strong site 5, which should both make it nearly impossible for an opponent to move in the regroup phase and almost guarantee a stop at site 6 to heal at the sanctuary. As a result, the earliest - and often only - opportunity to really get value out of this card most of the time is a move in the regroup to site 8 or 9. This is also when all the factors that worked against its use at the start of the game instead work for it: no roaming penalty, high shadow numbers, plenty of Shadow cards are cycling out of the hand in the initial move, and choice minions in the discard pile. | ||
On rare occasion, a player may benefit from using What Did You Discover? without playing the minion taken | There main exceptions to this are if an opponent doubles from site 3 to 5 or an exceptionally strong FP hand at site 5 that allows a player to double move to 6. In each of these instances, having What Did You Discover? can be the deciding factor that dissuades the attempt entirely, especially if the primary reason the FP is considering the move at all is because they just dispatched a key minion (usually {{Card|Ugluk, Servant of Saruman}} or {{Card|Uruk Hunter}}, sometimes {{Card|Mauhur, Patrol Leader}}). However, because site 5 is typically where Uruk-hai make their move this should not happen often -- if it does, there are probably broader issues with the deck that What Did You Discover? cannot fix (and may make worse, if copies of it causes a deck to have too few minions or become too large). | ||
On rare occasion, a player may benefit from using What Did You Discover? without playing the minion taken into hand. With 3 copies of Ugluk in the discard pile and one in hand, it may make sense to pull back a copy of him to play again next site. If an opponent is able to double to site 6, there may not be enough twilight to do any lasting damage. Taking the right minion back into hand for the next site can help ensure the Free Peoples player regrets jumping out ahead. In a game with 3 or more players, the ability can allow you to curate a killer hand in turns where you aren't left enough twilight to play anything meaningful. | |||
The effect may be used once per copy, and since the Fellowship chooses whether to move immediately after all Shadow players reconcile it is always possible to pay the cost of this effect. At the same time, this means that any cards discarded will not be replenished. While getting rid of two cards is often beneficial (especially towards the end of the game, when players have a clearer picture of what they can get rid of and what they need to draw), four cards may force a player to sacrifice an otherwise playable card or lose out on a key Free Peoples card. Using three or four copies can ensure a solid showing of minions, but remember that {{C|Isengard}} trackers cap out at 12 strength without pumps which on its own may not be enough against the sort of deck that is capable of attempting a double move in the first place. | The effect may be used once per copy, and since the Fellowship chooses whether to move immediately after all Shadow players reconcile it is always possible to pay the cost of this effect. At the same time, this means that any cards discarded will not be replenished. While getting rid of two cards is often beneficial (especially towards the end of the game, when players have a clearer picture of what they can get rid of and what they need to draw), four cards may force a player to sacrifice an otherwise playable card or lose out on a key Free Peoples card. Using three or four copies can ensure a solid showing of minions, but remember that {{C|Isengard}} trackers cap out at 12 strength without pumps which on its own may not be enough against the sort of deck that is capable of attempting a double move in the first place. | ||
Extra copies can still be useful, however, even if you don't plan on using the effect multiple times -- namely to replace copies that are discarded (including from your own {{Card|Saruman's Power}}). This is especially true if the primary function of the Shadow side is not to win directly, instead focusing on keeping your opponent behind. Such a deck also gains an outsized benefit from the discarding -- there isn't the temptation to keep the "right" Shadow cards in hand if you aren't trying to win with your Shadow. By discarding what other players would hold on to for the right moment, you allow more Free Peoples cards to be drawn and bolster your own run in turn. | |||
Above all else, remember that using this card depends | Above all else, remember that using this card depends almost entirely on choices the Free Peoples player makes. If your opponent is ahead of you on the site path, there may never be a need to risk a double move by the time What Did You Discover? is played. Even so, this can play into the Shadow player's favor from time to time: if your decides to stop at 8 rather than risk running against a perfect Shadow hand, you may be given an opportunity to double from 7 to 9 that wouldn't otherwise have presented itself. | ||
== Deckbuilding Strategy == | == Deckbuilding Strategy == | ||
Since this card is most useful later in the game and the cost is rarely worth paying multiple times, a streamlined deck may need only one copy. This does make it vulnerable to being discarded before it can be used, and since many Isengard decks already include {{Card|Saruman's Power}} you may wind up discarding it yourself. More copies provide redundancy at the cost of consistency for the rest of your deck -- most of the time, any other Shadow card will have greater impact than a copy of What Did You Discover? when one is already on the table | Since this card is most useful later in the game and the cost is rarely worth paying multiple times, a streamlined deck may need only one copy. This does make it vulnerable to being discarded before it can be used, and since many Isengard decks already include {{Card|Saruman's Power}} you may wind up discarding it yourself. More copies provide redundancy at the cost of consistency for the rest of your deck -- most of the time, any other Shadow card will have greater impact than a copy of What Did You Discover? when one is already on the table | ||
{{Card|Abandoning Reason for Madness}} can sometimes serve a similar role without the same restrictions and may be preferred, though less efficiently since some cards drawn will be Free Peoples (playing it and discarding 3 other cards from hand costs 4 cards and will optimistically get 2 Shadow cards, the same as using two copies of What Did You Discover? which gets two minions guaranteed). Minion-heavy decks will typically do just as well with either, almost always able to spot a minion and likely to draw more. Conversely, decks with more supporting cards are less likely to find a minion with it (if that is your goal) and -- in a particularly lopsided deck or reconcile -- may not be able to spot a minion to play it when it is needed most. Perhaps unintuitively, the exact makeup of the minions does not need to be a deciding factor in choosing between the two: if there is a tracker you want to replay should the Free Peoples player make again, it will probably wind up in the discard pile before site 8 for a Shadow side close to the minimum 30 cards. | {{Card|Abandoning Reason for Madness}} can sometimes serve a similar role without the same restrictions and may be preferred, though less efficiently since some cards drawn will be Free Peoples (playing it and discarding 3 other cards from hand costs 4 cards and will optimistically get 2 Shadow cards, the same as using two copies of What Did You Discover? which gets two minions guaranteed). Minion-heavy decks will typically do just as well with either, almost always able to spot a minion and likely to draw more. Conversely, decks with more supporting cards are less likely to find a minion with it (if that is your goal) and -- in a particularly lopsided deck or reconcile -- may not be able to spot a minion to play it when it is needed most. Perhaps unintuitively, the exact makeup of the minions does not need to be a deciding factor in choosing between the two: if there is a tracker you want to replay should the Free Peoples player make again, it will probably wind up in the discard pile before site 8 for a Shadow side close to the minimum 30 cards. | ||
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== Weak Versus... == | == Weak Versus... == | ||
* | * Fearing the Worst -- Saruman's Power is the most natural condition discarding for most Isengard decks, and getting rid of this one Free Peoples condition outweighs the cost of losing any number of Shadow conditions for a Tracker deck | ||
* {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}}, who can reliably discard it in the regroup phase when the Free Peoples is assessing whether they can attempt to move again | * {{Card|Galadriel, Lady Redeemed}}, who can reliably discard it in the regroup phase when the Free Peoples is assessing whether they can attempt to move again | ||
