Getting my *** handed to me on easy mode.

[Captain Thrace]

I thought I knew this game. Having played it in person many times, I felt confident this was going to be a great way to play one of my favorites. I have only found one game in the dozen or so times I have looked so I thought I would just play AI and have fun. Even bringing it down to the easiest level and trying my best my deck never looked anywhere as great as mine. I wish there were more open games to play with people, I would love to learn what the hell I am doing wrong to score under 50 and AI scoring 350+. Any suggestions to beating the AI?

[Psyringe]

It's a very luck-based game by design, skill or strategy doesn't play much of a role. Some of the cards (like those with Growth) are always useful, whereas others are extremely situational. The AI will usually buy any Growth-based cards that it can get, which will put it in a strong position _if_ those cards get added to the pool in the AI's turn. Since you cannot impact other players (by design), you can't stop an AI from winning if it got lucky with those cards. If you play against 3 AIs, the chance that at least one of them gets better cards than you is fairly high.

Your options are to either run a Growth-based strategy as well (and hope to get better cards than any of the AIs), or run a different strategy (which will only be successful if you get cards that fit that strategy).

If you want a less luck-based game, I'd suggest playing against only one AI, and without the expansions. While the expansions do add interesting mechanics, they also add more cards that will only be useful for players running a specific strategy. The more such strategies exist, the less viable they become, because it gets increasingly more probably to get cards that won't fit your strategy. Which in turn causes the "always-beneficial" cards - e.g. those with Growth - to become even more powerful.

[Captain Thrace]

thanks for the reply. I'll keep playing and try what you've suggested.

[El-DoX]

Originally posted by Psyringe:

If you want a less luck-based game, I'd suggest playing against only one AI

this helps a lot, anyway i've never beat the AI at the hardest difficulty.

[Raz O'Xane]

350 for the AI? You're definitely doing something wrong, it's never happened to me. First, play with the normal VP pool to avoid that kind of nonsense. Then my personal strategy is focus on growth symbol and puke out your deck each turn but, really, you don't want to neglect victory points and vales if you can get them. Luck manipulation is strong but can be slow.
As a rule I put my advancement on non-Cursed Land cards, and then try and build a handful of strong cards rather than a myriad of weak to meh cards. Having blank cursed lands lets you discard them to effects that let you, and leave you without remorse if you spoil on a streak of 4 of them.
Try and build strong helmet cards that do tons of mana, VPs or growth. Don't push when you have a good hand. Push when you have 2 cursed lands. I find it worth pushing on turn 1 to try and get a card cost 3 or 4 if I cannot afford anything more than a fertile soil.

[Xerxes Aragon]

I'm a new player; never heard of the physical game before I bought this on sale. Like the OP I'm getting slaughtered on the easiest AI setting.

I'm not sure what a couple of the commenters mean by "growth" cards. Can someone elaborate?

[Nomad SWH]

The growth symbol is the one that looks like a little green tree

[Captain Thrace]

As an update. I have played dozens of times now and I am winning quite a bit more. I wish there were more online games looking for players.

[vitamin boost]

a part of me wants to strangle the A.I. in solo. they always buy the good cards first -_-

[FuriousDevi]

I play offline vs 2 AIs on the next 2nd lowest difficulty but even there the ai seems to be pretty smart already. Also i play with the extended VIP-points-pool and finaly nearly won ... until one ai just gained aaaalot of points in the end ... i would even argue their deck was crap compared to mine but ... no idea. Maybe i underestimate certain cards ... feel like i still have alot to learn XD

[ミ★ Sucrelune ★彡]

Hi ! looks gorgeous, love the art, but i understand nothing.
Can you help me jump into it ? i know roguelike card games but not this type.