Sacrifice (Empires)

Sacrifice Strategy Guide

Introduction: Sacrifice is a $4 Action card from Empires that offers flexible utility by allowing you to trash a card from your hand and gain benefits based on the card type(s) trashed. Understanding when and how to use Sacrifice effectively can significantly improve your deck's efficiency and help you execute various strategies.

Core Benefits: - Trashing capability (mandatory) - Card draw and +Actions when trashing Actions - Virtual coin production when trashing Treasures - Victory point gain when trashing Victory cards - Can gain multiple benefits from cards with multiple types

Detailed Analysis:

1. Basic Usage Patterns

a) Early Game: - Primary use is deck-thinning by removing starting Coppers and Estates - Trashing Copper yields +$2, making it economy-neutral in the short term - Trashing Estate gives +2VP, which can help offset early VP loss - Can function as both an opener and mid-game purchase

b) Mid Game: - Transitions to trashing redundant Action cards for draw and +Actions - Can maintain economy by trashing Treasures - Helps slim down deck while providing immediate benefits

c) Late Game: - Can convert dead cards into immediate benefits - Useful for trashing Victory cards for points in close games - May help thin deck for final push

1. Key Strengths

a) Flexibility: - Provides different benefits based on card type - Can handle multiple card types effectively - Always gives some benefit for trashing

b) Self-replacing when trashing Actions: - +1 Card and +2 Actions makes it chain well - Helps prevent terminal collision - Can enable Action-heavy strategies

c) Economy boost: - +$2 for trashing Treasures can maintain buying power - Especially useful with alternate treasure cards

d) Victory point generation: - +2VP for Victory cards can be significant - Works well with cheap Victory cards

1. Key Limitations

a) Mandatory trashing: - Must trash something if possible - Can be awkward with good hands - May force undesirable trashing late game

b) One-shot effect: - Benefits only apply once per play - Multiple Sacrifices needed for multiple trashes

c) Hand dependency: - Requires specific card types for desired benefits - Can be inconsistent without deck manipulation

1. Synergies and Combinations

a) Multi-type Cards: - Cards with multiple types grant multiple benefits - Examples: * Noble Brigand (Action-Attack-Treasure): +1 Card, +2 Actions, +$2 * Mill (Action-Victory): +1 Card, +2 Actions, +2VP * Harem (Treasure-Victory): +$2, +2VP * Great Hall (Action-Victory): +1 Card, +2 Actions, +2VP

b) Deck Manipulation: - Combining with deck inspection/arrangement improves consistency - Key cards: * Scrying Pool * Oracle * Scout * Vagrant

c) Village Effects: - Extra Actions enable multiple Sacrifices per turn - Benefits from trashing Actions add to Action chain - Examples: * Village * Workers' Village * Festival

d) Gainers: - Help acquire multiple Sacrifices quickly - Examples: * Workshop * Ironworks * Workshop variant cards

1. Strategic Considerations

a) Opening Considerations: - Strong $4 opener in many kingdoms - Consider opening Sacrifice/Silver vs. double Sacrifice - Works well with $3/$4 split opens

b) Number to Buy: - Usually want 2-3 copies - More copies useful with: * Lots of targets to trash * Strong Action chains * Multi-type cards - Fewer copies if: * Limited trash targets * Competing $4 options * Fast game pace

c) Timing Considerations: - Early: Focus on trashing starting cards - Mid: Transform weak cards into benefits - Late: Convert dead cards to points - Consider keeping some trashers for end-game

1. Kingdom Contexts

a) Strong Kingdoms: - Multiple multi-type cards - Cheap Victory cards - Action-heavy engines - Alternate Treasures - Limited other trashing

b) Weak Kingdoms: - Strong competing $4 cards - Better trashing options - Big Money strategies - Rush strategies - Limited Action support

1. Specific Card Interactions

a) Positive Interactions:

1. Horn of Plenty:
2. Sacrifice helps reduce variety for bigger HoP payouts

3. Can trash HoP for multiple benefits

4. Cursing attacks:

5. Converts Curses into opportunities

6. Helps recover from attacks

7. Border Village:

8. Gains Sacrifice plus another $4

9. Can be sacrificed for benefits

10. Fortress:

11. Returns to hand when trashed
12. Creates infinite Action chains

b) Negative Interactions:

1. Gardens:
2. Works against deck size strategy

3. May reduce Gardens value

4. Hunting Grounds:

5. Better trashing option available

6. Competes at $6 price point

7. Trade Route:

8. Reduces available trash targets

9. May conflict with VP token strategy

10. Counter-Play

a) Rush Strategies: - Can outpace Sacrifice's deck improvement - Province rush with strong payload - Colony rush in appropriate kingdoms

b) Alternate Trashing: - Chapel often superior for pure trashing - Steward provides similar flexibility - Trading Post more reliable for specific trashing

c) Big Money: - May be too slow against focused money strategy - Consider skipping in money kingdoms

1. Special Considerations

a) Multiplayer Games: - Value increases with more players - More time to develop engine - VP gain more significant

b) Victory Token Kingdoms: - Consider VP token values vs. card benefits - May affect timing of trashing

c) Landmarks: - Some Landmarks affect trashing decisions - VP considerations may change

1. Advanced Techniques

a) Chaining Multiple Sacrifices: - Use +Actions to play multiple copies - Calculate maximum benefit sequence - Consider hand composition

b) Engine Building: - Use as supplementary trasher - Convert weak cards into draw/actions - Maintain economy through treasure conversion

c) Point Racing: - Calculate VP efficiency - Time Victory card trashing - Consider opportunity costs

1. Common Mistakes to Avoid

a) Over-purchasing: - Don't buy too many copies - Consider diminishing returns - Balance with other needs

b) Poor Timing: - Trashing too early/late - Missing better opportunities - Forcing unneeded trashing

c) Suboptimal Targeting: - Trashing wrong card types - Missing multi-type benefits - Poor sequencing

1. Sample Strategies

a) Action-Heavy Engine: 1. Open Sacrifice/Silver 2. Add 1-2 more Sacrifices 3. Build village/draw engine 4. Use Sacrifice to convert copper/estates 5. Maintain action chains 6. Convert to points late game

b) Treasure-Focused: 1. Open double Sacrifice 2. Thin estates early 3. Convert excess copper to +$2 4. Build treasure density 5. Add payload cards 6. Push provinces

c) Victory Point Rush: 1. Single Sacrifice opening 2. Minimal deck thinning 3. Focus on economy 4. Buy cheap victory cards 5. Convert to points strategically 6. Race provinces

Conclusion: Sacrifice is a versatile card that provides significant flexibility in deck building and strategy execution. Its ability to convert various card types into immediate benefits while thinning your deck makes it a strong contender in many kingdoms. Success with Sacrifice requires careful consideration of timing, targets, and overall strategy. While not always the optimal choice, understanding its capabilities and limitations will help you maximize its potential when appropriate.

The key to using Sacrifice effectively is recognizing its role in your overall strategy and timing its use appropriately. Whether using it primarily for deck thinning, engine building, or point generation, Sacrifice's flexibility makes it a valuable addition to many decks when used thoughtfully and purposefully.