Who is very good at ascension and can coach me?

[GreyICE]

I'm top 100 in Dominion when I try online.

I think Ascension is generally an inferior Dominion, but can most certainly help. What sets are we discussing?

[GreyICE]

Okay, first grab either the IOS version or the steam version: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ascensi ... 38733?mt=8
http://store.steampowered.com/app/32043 ... ding_Game/

Once you do that you can start getting a feel for the cards and playing some games. I'd really play 5 or 10 games then circle back to this (on either the games are quick, maybe 5-10 minutes).

Strategy: It's a deckbuilder, and deckbuilders follow a unique mechanic all stemming from Dominion: during the course of the game you acquire new resources. These are cards, and they go into your deck as permanent improvements. You start with 10 terrible cards in your deck (they give you one of each resource) and can purchase cards that give you 2 of each resource. Ascension has two resources:

Runes: Runes are how you buy cards. More runes, better cards, and in Ascension more VP. Thus the more you buy the more you can buy and the more points you can get in a snowball. Cards are bought from permanent piles that give you two Runes/Swords but more importantly from the center row. Every time you buy a center card a new one flips. This is where the tension of the game comes from, since revealing a really good card for your opponent is bad. More on that in the strategy.

Swords: Swords let you kill monsters, which give you VP crystals. These are what end the game. If you're going for these you need to quickly all in because if you jump off the snowball of runes, you will get run over fast. Of course the monsters you need to kill to end the game? They're randomly drawn from the center row, so you can set up to end quickly and then have the center flips mock you and lose you the game. Not that I dislike Ascension, especially vanilla ascension. You can also convert two swords to 1 VP, which is a horrid waste of time and really the last resort. Basically, swords suck in vanilla ascension. This changes later, but for now, don't go with the fucking swords. God they're bad.

How the game works is generally jostling for position that you don't know what you're jostling for. Vanilla Ascension is hilariously unbalanced, and there's a few key cards you have to get ahold of or keep out of your opponents deck. It's sometimes worth buying one of the (2) resource cards rather than cycling a card out of the center row to give your opponent a shot at some of this shit.

Avatar of the Precipice

- lets you trash your entire deck quickly. Trash 1, draw 2? Don't mind if I do! Remember, good cards in your deck are resources, but the resources are only seen as often as you draw them. Drawing cards makes you more likely to see them... so does trashing cards! Get rid of the useless 1 resource cards and you'll see 2 resource cards and better all the time. That's amazing! Avatar of the Precipice not only gets rid of your bad cards (making your deck better) it draws you into your power cards (making your hand better). It's busted, and one of the primary causes of concession (your opponent gets turn 1 Avatar, game is very hard now).

Ascetic of the Lidless Eye

- all draw cards are amazing. They're basically pot of greed from Yu-Gi-Oh. Please get them highly.

Mechana constructs

- so all mechana constructs do the same thing in base. They reward you for having mechana constructs or help you acquire more. But they all have very high VP. If you can get into them you can snowball VP super duper hard. Note to Burrower Mk II, which can make them all harmless in your deck, leading to severe snowball potential.

Oziah the Peerless

- most monsters cost less than 6. He's just free VP with a side of more VP.

Seer of the Forked Path

- lets you ditch monsters you can't kill, or cards you don't want your opponent having, and lets you see a new card at no cost. Really good value.

Snowball mechanics

:

Lifebound cards all trigger off getting more lifebound cards. It's luck of the draw whether you see them, but oh well. If you get them, keep getting them. They go from meh to insane pretty fast. Or at least that's the theory, but they only included one of those cards in the base set. Oops. Oh well! Green cards can generally be good, but don't bother prioritizing them.

Blue cards all get you more cards or improve your deck or just beat things. They have no self synergy in the base game. Oops! Buy them if they look good.

Purple cards are void. They have no self synergy in the base game. Buy them if they look good! Get one to trash with, probably don't need more.

Yellow cards are mechana, they all work really well together. They're how you win the game, they're all worth tons of points and do great things too! They're super good. Notes are Burrower Mk II for drawing you more cards every time you play one (including itself) also making them painless! Or just great if you get two burrowers! Yeah err, I think there's an obviously good thing here compared to the others.

So yeah, base ascension. It's a thing. Play lots.

[GreyICE]

Also I'd happily play a few games, or if you want to play a much better game, Dominion.

[GreyICE]

If you're good at Dominion, sure you should. It's just a bad knock-off of Dominion. All the usual principles apply.

Play any at Dominion.games?