Alchemist (Alchemy)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Alchemist:

Alchemist Strategy Guide

Introduction Alchemist is one of the most powerful card-drawing engines in Dominion, offering reliable deck control and strong drawing power when properly supported. While its Potion cost requirement creates some unique challenges, a well-built Alchemist engine can be extremely effective.

Basic Characteristics - Draws 2 cards and provides +1 Action - Can be placed on top of your deck if you have a Potion in play - Requires both $3 and a Potion to purchase - Non-terminal (provides actions)

Core Strengths 1. Self-replacing Draw Alchemist is a non-terminal card drawer, meaning it doesn't consume your action while drawing cards. This makes it excellent for engine building, as you can chain multiple Alchemists together while still having actions for other cards.

1. Deck Control The ability to place Alchemist on top of your deck is a powerful form of deck control. When you have a Potion in play, you can guarantee drawing the Alchemist again next turn, creating consistency in your deck's performance.

2. Engine Reliability Once you have multiple Alchemists and at least one Potion, you can create a very reliable drawing engine that works turn after turn.

Key Challenges 1. Potion Requirement - Must buy and draw a Potion to purchase Alchemist - Need Potion in play to utilize the top-deck ability - Potion can be a dead card in some hands

1. Initial Setup
2. Slower to acquire than $3 cards due to Potion requirement
3. May take several turns to get the engine running
4. Competing priorities between buying Potions and Alchemists

Optimal Usage Strategies

1. Early Game Considerations a) Opening Decisions
2. Potion is almost always a must-buy opening if you plan to pursue Alchemists
3. Consider Potion/Silver as a common opening
4. Silver helps reach the $3 cost while Potion enables Alchemist purchases

b) Early Purchases - Prioritize getting 2-3 Alchemists before diversifying - Don't over-invest in Potions; usually 1-2 is sufficient - Consider trash-for-benefit cards to thin your deck

1. Mid-Game Engine Building

a) Optimal Alchemist Count - Usually aim for 3-5 Alchemists - More can be beneficial but has diminishing returns - Consider deck size and other components when deciding

b) Supporting Cards - Throne Room variants work well with Alchemist - Village variants help ensure you can play all your Alchemists - Trashing cards help concentrate your deck

1. Deck Management

a) Potion Timing - Try to play Potion last when possible - This maximizes flexibility with Alchemist placement - Consider deck tracking to know when you need Potion

b) Top-decking Decisions - Don't automatically top-deck every Alchemist - Consider what you need next turn - Sometimes drawing fresh cards is better

Key Synergies and Combinations

1. Action Multipliers
2. Throne Room
3. King's Court

4. Procession These cards allow you to draw more cards while still maintaining your action count.

5. Deck Thinning

6. Chapel
7. Steward

8. Trading Post Removing basic cards helps ensure you draw your Alchemists and Potions together.

9. Village Variants

10. Village
11. Fishing Village

12. Native Village These provide additional actions to play multiple Alchemists and other cards.

13. Duration Cards

14. Wharf
15. Fishing Village
16. Caravan These help smooth out turns where you don't draw Alchemist+Potion together.

Advanced Techniques

1. Potion Management
2. Track your deck to predict when you'll need Potion
3. Consider keeping Potion in hand if you expect to draw Alchemists next turn

4. Use deck inspection cards to ensure Potion availability

5. Chain Optimization

6. Learn to sequence your plays for maximum effect
7. Consider when to break the chain for other important cards

8. Balance drawing versus playing other actions

9. Endgame Considerations

10. Know when to stop top-decking Alchemists
11. Transition timing from engine building to point gathering
12. Calculate remaining shuffle implications

Counter Strategies

1. Rush Strategies
2. Rushing Provinces or alternate VP can beat slow Alchemist setups
3. Gardens strategies can outpace Alchemist engines

4. Consider whether you have time to build

5. Attacks

6. Militia/Bureaucrat can disrupt Alchemist chains
7. Ghost Ship can prevent drawing key components

8. Cursing attacks can dilute the deck

9. Alternatives

10. Sometimes other engines are faster or more reliable
11. Watch for kingdoms where simpler strategies win
12. Don't force Alchemist when better options exist

When to Buy Alchemist

Strong Situations: 1. Long game expected 2. Few alternative engine components 3. Complementary support cards present 4. Limited attack cards 5. Trashing available

Weak Situations: 1. Rush kingdoms 2. Strong alternative engines available 3. Heavy attack presence 4. No trashing 5. Limited actions

Sample Build Orders

Basic Alchemist Engine: 1. Potion/Silver opening 2. Add 2-3 Alchemists 3. Add support cards (Village, trashing) 4. Build to 4-5 Alchemists 5. Transition to victory points

Advanced Engine: 1. Potion/Chapel opening 2. Trash aggressively 3. Build to 3 Alchemists 4. Add Throne Room variants 5. Optional second Potion 6. Complete engine with support cards

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-investing in Potions
2. One Potion is usually sufficient
3. Additional Potions often dead cards

4. Exception: heavy Potion card kingdoms

5. Neglecting Deck Thinning

6. Copper and Estates hurt consistency
7. Trashing important for reliable chains

8. Don't skip early trashing opportunities

9. Automatic Top-decking

10. Sometimes drawing new cards better
11. Consider next turn's needs

12. Watch for endgame transitions

13. Improper Timing

14. Playing Potion too early
15. Not planning action chains
16. Miscounting shuffle timing

Measuring Success

Signs of a Well-Running Alchemist Engine: 1. Consistent draw of deck each turn 2. Reliable Potion availability 3. Smooth action chains 4. Ability to play other key cards 5. Quick progression toward game end

Kingdom Evaluations

Strong Kingdoms: - Trashing available - Action multipliers present - Limited attacks - Additional draw support - Victory card gainers

Weak Kingdoms: - Heavy attacks - Alternative strong engines - Rush enabling cards - Limited actions - Poor trashing

Conclusion

Alchemist is a powerful engine card that requires careful setup and execution. When properly supported, it creates consistent, reliable deck draw that can support various strategies. Key to success is understanding: - Proper opening moves - Support card priorities - Potion management - Timing considerations - Transition points

While not always the optimal choice, Alchemist engines can be extremely effective when conditions are favorable. Success requires balancing the initial setup cost against potential benefits and carefully managing both deck composition and card sequencing.

Remember: 1. Plan your engine carefully 2. Don't over-invest in Potions 3. Support with appropriate cards 4. Manage your deck composition 5. Practice timing and sequencing

With practice and proper execution, Alchemist can be a powerful tool in your Dominion strategy arsenal.