Removal

[koikaze]

removal is fine.
though bankers really have too many different "killswitch" cards vs. characters...

That is part of the Banker Faction Identity. You could argue that Gearsmith has too many different, cheap characters. A 5/5/3 for 4 with one threshold!? Broken......

Banker has really slim pickings for characters because their meat and potatoes are removal and defensive cards.

Not all factions have even footings and that is why this game is amazing.

Or you want them to draw cards (Dancing Coins)

Yep yep, a good player can turn cards with "negatives" into positive.

[Kealios]

Wait until he drops a dude, then EOT drop a philosopher, and on your own turn, drop something else. Chances are, he can't kill BOTH of them right then and there.

Pardon my n00bness. I am just discovering this game and am really enjoying what Ive seen so far, and am working to "reawaken" it at my FLGS...

I thought you could only play Tactics or Use an Ability (606.1 and 606.2)? I had thought of this, of saving resources to play a Character at the end of an opponent's turn, but it doesnt seem like the rules support this?

Interesting thread. Thanks for humoring me.

[repek]

You can't play a char during opponent's turn. Unless character's card allows you to [usually it says that it can be played when action card could be played].

Regards and Majigs

[Hordak]

Pardon my n00bness. I am just discovering this game and am really enjoying what Ive seen so far, and am working to "reawaken" it at my FLGS...

I thought you could only play Tactics or Use an Ability (606.1 and 606.2)? I had thought of this, of saving resources to play a Character at the end of an opponent's turn, but it doesnt seem like the rules support this?

Interesting thread. Thanks for humoring me.

The character in question specifically overrides that rule with its text:


Strength/Life/Speed: 3/3/3
Trade: Banker
Cost: 6
Threshold: GG
Edition: Seed
Rarity: Common
You may play this card whenever you could play a tactic.

When this card enters play, your faction gains 4 influence.

FLIP UP: 4 GG

[WasabiSushiSama]

I saw that someone had mentioned that Anesthetizing Opulence was considered useless because it costs 4 + a card draw for an opponent. While letting your opponent draw a card may suck if they hit a bomb, I learned from playing Magic that a card like Howling Mine, where everyone draws and additional card during their draw step, isn't necessarily a bad thing. The key to Banker, as with most draw (aka Blue) decks in Magic is that you know that whatever card you could potentially draw will benefit you more than whatever card your opponent will draw could hurt you. (I know the logic sounds a little backward, but I also play with 1 or 2 less Resources than recommended because I have enough flip up that I can stand to go a few turns drawing Resource intense cards vs having 2 or 3 Resources and no chance to play them. So I guess you could say that with my deck, 6-7 times out of 10 I'm drawing removal or something to delay my opponent instead of a bomb character or Resource)

If you're playing Banker (mono or even heavy Banker with a splash), you should have enough removal and draw cards that work only for you that letting them draw a card isn't the worst thing. Playing a mono Banker deck, I'd much rather let them draw a card than have them gain influence off a Caboodling Gladhander or Irresistible Bribe. Imagine killing something huge with one of those cards... not only did your opponent just gain a butt-load of life, but now you're gonna have to work just as hard to kill them. Life gain isn't always all it's cracked up to be, but from my (limited) experience of playing Spoils (with a mono Banker mind you), I've found that 9 times out of 10 that letting them draw a card is far easier than bouncing them from kill range and then out again. It could just be my play style, but I've sat with Irresistible Bribe or Gladhander in my hand towards the end of a game enough times wishing that I had ANYTHING else but that, that I took them out of my deck.

[thegnomishone]

Card advantage is very, very important in most card games. It's more important in Magic than in The Spoils, but it's still one of the most important facets of a Spoils game. The Spoils just allows us to quantify it better. A card in hand is worth approximately 3 resources (the cost to draw a card using the faction's draw ability). With a card like Free Trade Agreement, you can let each player draw two cards. When you do, you give each player the equivalent of a net gain of 6 resource points. That's a balance that works much like your howling mine example. Anesthetizing Oppulence, however, costs you 7 (4 + 3 for a card). If you kill, for example, a Plodding Brute, you spend 7 and they only lose 4 (the cost of the brute), because they get the cost of the card recouped.

Fundamentally, removal doesn't win games, it just allows you to ply a winning strategy in the absence of a threat. A card like Irresistable Bribe gives them influence, certainly, but, used properly, it opens them up for more influence loss than they gain from the bribe. I would always rather give my opponent influence than a card, particularly in exchange for a known threat.