Post by Joek on Aug 31, 2012 13:35:14 GMT -5
The decks you can build and cards you may use are controlled by Expertises. Each Expertise has one color and multiple specialties. You can only use two (and any gold cards) per deck.
The Expertises are as follows: Crime (Black), Faith (Red), Media (Purple), Order (Blue), Scholar (Green), and Gold, which is golden.
Crime card's main focus is on slowly building Card Advantage. (see other guides for more on this). They destroy cards already out on the board. Most Thief abilities activate when they score. Courtesans have 0 power, but if you can get six out and play a Femme Fatale, you automatically win. Mercenaries kill cards already in the game when they come in. As for income, it may be a little slower than others, but it always gives something else in the process (Rosa in Fiore also gives a 0 influence site, Forced Charity gives you another memory). Crime is also the only color for income denial cards, which cut your opponent's income. Some Crime cards steal opponent's memories already in place (Secret Catacombs, Change of Plans). Instead of boosting, Crime lets you lower the opponent's agents stats. Threat and Deceptive are generally seen on Crime cards, although some posess Cunning, Recover, and, with the right site, Unblockable.
Card Manipulation: Neutralize
Main Combos
Thieves- Ability-based Agents. Many possess on-score abilities, or abilities that affect other thieves. They boost extremely quickly.
Mercenaries- These Agents neutralize Sites or Agents already in play.
Courtesans- Zero-power Agents. Get six and play Femme Fatale as an alternate win condition.
Income: Slow, but provides other benefits at the same time. Very stable. Can also lower opponent's Income.
Affect Agents: Lower both stats by a moderate amount or neutralize.
Abilities: Threat, Deceptive
Faith uses Sites, Discard, and Erase to cripple your opponent. Its cards are designed to take out memories in the opponent's hand before they can hit the board. Sanctuaries synergize well, and can stop some agents by lowering their power. Discard works with everything. Surprise sites are also in this Expertise. The powers to put cards from the Archive back in your hand and let you see (and even decide) what you draw next are unique to the color. Faith also excels at boosting Sites. Income comes slowly, added on to sites. Recover is Faith's signature ability, but Faith isn't really the best Expertise for Agents. Dominant also occasionally appears.
Card Manipulation: Discard
Main Combos: Sanctuaries
Income: Attached to Sites.
Affect Agents: Lower Power
Abilities: Recover, Dominant, Safe
Media can quickly lower the stats of cards already on the board, or hit many cards with weak damage. It can stop Agents and deny Sites. Militants boost when more Militants come in, and Artists have unique abilities. Media can also copy memories (Clothes Make the Man, Copycat, Auxilary Ego). Boosting Agents is another of Media's specialties. Income is arguably the fastest in the game, by virtue of Dama Rossa, Political Patronage, and the fact that most of the boosters and lower-ers have income attached. Media has the ability Fierce, as well as some Dominant agents.
Card Manipulation:
Main Combos:
Income: High early-game, mediocre late-game.
Affect Agents:
Order has an emphasis on scoring and countering. It focuses on scoring points that cannot be blocked or stopped. Nobles boost each other, and Soldiers... are a mixed bag. Order can erase memories, and counter memories that are launching. Income is very good, although it requires some gold to use. Tax Collector's Office offers a staggering +5 income and two influence for seven gold. Order also contains the most cards that score directly: Jannisary Justice, On the Attack, Royal Intervention, and Weapons Cache all put points straight onto the board. Boosting Health and Power slowly is another specialty. Order's trademark ability, Official, is prevalent, although Unblockable, Dominant, and Safe also occur.
Scholar is the Expertise for drawing. Where the others destroy or weaken enemy cards, Scholar allows you to simply overwhelm them with pure numbers. Most of these cards are for support, stalling, and drawing. Engineers strengthen or assist sites, and Scientists have interesting abilities focused on blocking or drawing. Cards that search for any other cards are also placed in this expertise. Scholar also allows you to put cards back into their player's hands, delaying rushes. Delaying, in fact, is one of Scholar's strengths, with memories like Lassitude, Amerigo Vespuicci, Piri Reis, and the Doctor that explicitly buy time for other strategies to come into play. This theme continues into Scholar's ability to eliminate opponent's points. Cunning and Deceptive appear on many Scholar cards, along with Recover.
The Expertises are as follows: Crime (Black), Faith (Red), Media (Purple), Order (Blue), Scholar (Green), and Gold, which is golden.
Crime card's main focus is on slowly building Card Advantage. (see other guides for more on this). They destroy cards already out on the board. Most Thief abilities activate when they score. Courtesans have 0 power, but if you can get six out and play a Femme Fatale, you automatically win. Mercenaries kill cards already in the game when they come in. As for income, it may be a little slower than others, but it always gives something else in the process (Rosa in Fiore also gives a 0 influence site, Forced Charity gives you another memory). Crime is also the only color for income denial cards, which cut your opponent's income. Some Crime cards steal opponent's memories already in place (Secret Catacombs, Change of Plans). Instead of boosting, Crime lets you lower the opponent's agents stats. Threat and Deceptive are generally seen on Crime cards, although some posess Cunning, Recover, and, with the right site, Unblockable.
Card Manipulation: Neutralize
Main Combos
Thieves- Ability-based Agents. Many possess on-score abilities, or abilities that affect other thieves. They boost extremely quickly.
Mercenaries- These Agents neutralize Sites or Agents already in play.
Courtesans- Zero-power Agents. Get six and play Femme Fatale as an alternate win condition.
Income: Slow, but provides other benefits at the same time. Very stable. Can also lower opponent's Income.
Affect Agents: Lower both stats by a moderate amount or neutralize.
Abilities: Threat, Deceptive
Faith uses Sites, Discard, and Erase to cripple your opponent. Its cards are designed to take out memories in the opponent's hand before they can hit the board. Sanctuaries synergize well, and can stop some agents by lowering their power. Discard works with everything. Surprise sites are also in this Expertise. The powers to put cards from the Archive back in your hand and let you see (and even decide) what you draw next are unique to the color. Faith also excels at boosting Sites. Income comes slowly, added on to sites. Recover is Faith's signature ability, but Faith isn't really the best Expertise for Agents. Dominant also occasionally appears.
Card Manipulation: Discard
Main Combos: Sanctuaries
Income: Attached to Sites.
Affect Agents: Lower Power
Abilities: Recover, Dominant, Safe
Media can quickly lower the stats of cards already on the board, or hit many cards with weak damage. It can stop Agents and deny Sites. Militants boost when more Militants come in, and Artists have unique abilities. Media can also copy memories (Clothes Make the Man, Copycat, Auxilary Ego). Boosting Agents is another of Media's specialties. Income is arguably the fastest in the game, by virtue of Dama Rossa, Political Patronage, and the fact that most of the boosters and lower-ers have income attached. Media has the ability Fierce, as well as some Dominant agents.
Card Manipulation:
Main Combos:
Income: High early-game, mediocre late-game.
Affect Agents:
Order has an emphasis on scoring and countering. It focuses on scoring points that cannot be blocked or stopped. Nobles boost each other, and Soldiers... are a mixed bag. Order can erase memories, and counter memories that are launching. Income is very good, although it requires some gold to use. Tax Collector's Office offers a staggering +5 income and two influence for seven gold. Order also contains the most cards that score directly: Jannisary Justice, On the Attack, Royal Intervention, and Weapons Cache all put points straight onto the board. Boosting Health and Power slowly is another specialty. Order's trademark ability, Official, is prevalent, although Unblockable, Dominant, and Safe also occur.
Scholar is the Expertise for drawing. Where the others destroy or weaken enemy cards, Scholar allows you to simply overwhelm them with pure numbers. Most of these cards are for support, stalling, and drawing. Engineers strengthen or assist sites, and Scientists have interesting abilities focused on blocking or drawing. Cards that search for any other cards are also placed in this expertise. Scholar also allows you to put cards back into their player's hands, delaying rushes. Delaying, in fact, is one of Scholar's strengths, with memories like Lassitude, Amerigo Vespuicci, Piri Reis, and the Doctor that explicitly buy time for other strategies to come into play. This theme continues into Scholar's ability to eliminate opponent's points. Cunning and Deceptive appear on many Scholar cards, along with Recover.
It's a bit chunky, I'd break it down into point form and bold things a bit so that one can see the point at a glance. But then my job's visual communication so... Force of habit