Develop (Hinterlands)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Develop:

Develop Strategy Guide

Introduction Develop is a $3 Action card from Hinterlands that allows you to trash a card and gain two specific cards with costs exactly $1 different from the trashed card. While this tight cost restriction might seem limiting, Develop's ability to place both gained cards on top of your deck makes it a powerful tool for deck manipulation and strategic transitions when used correctly.

Core Mechanics and Key Features 1. Trashing component 2. Gaining exactly two new cards 3. Strict cost requirements ($1 higher and $1 lower) 4. Top-deck placement of gained cards 5. Choice of order for gained cards

Basic Strategic Uses

1. Early Game Applications
2. Trashing Copper ($0) to gain two Estates ($2) early can help hit important price points
3. Converting early Estates ($2) into Silver ($3) and Copper ($0)

4. Transforming Silver ($3) into Gold ($6) and Estate ($2) These early-game transformations can help establish economy while maintaining some victory points.

5. Mid-Game Transitions

6. Converting mid-cost cards into more useful combinations
7. Setting up important draw sequences
8. Thinning deck while gaining specific components

9. Creating known top-deck configurations

10. Late Game Utility

11. Converting dead cards into victory points
12. Setting up crucial final turns
13. Manipulating deck composition for end-game scoring

Key Decision Points

1. Card Selection for Trashing When choosing what to trash with Develop, consider:
2. Current deck composition
3. Desired gain targets
4. Draw sequencing needs
5. Available kingdom cards at adjacent price points

6. Victory point implications

7. Gain Order The order of gained cards matters significantly because:

8. Top card will be drawn first
9. Can set up specific combinations
10. May affect other players' reactions
11. Influences next turn's opening

Advanced Techniques

1. Chain Development Multiple Develops can be used in sequence to create specific deck configurations:
2. Trash Estate ($2) → gain Silver ($3) + Copper ($0)

3. Next turn, trash Silver ($3) → gain Gold ($6) + Estate ($2) This creates upward mobility in your deck while maintaining victory point count.

4. Price Point Planning Understanding the kingdom's price structure is crucial:

5. Map out available cards at each cost
6. Plan transformations that maximize value
7. Consider unique cost cards (e.g., $2, $3, etc.)

8. Look for beneficial cost adjacencies

9. Top-Deck Manipulation Develop's top-deck placement enables several strategies:

10. Setting up specific card combinations
11. Guaranteeing important draws
12. Protecting gained cards from attacks
13. Creating known sequences

Important Card Interactions

Positive Synergies:

1. Throne Room Effects
2. Double Develop allows for multiple transformations
3. Can create powerful gaining sequences

4. Enables more complex deck manipulations

5. Draw Cards

6. Cards like Laboratory, Smithy help access Develops
7. Can draw into gained cards immediately

8. Enable more consistent combinations

9. Cost-Reduction Effects

10. Bridge can create new valid targets
11. Highway enables different transformation paths

12. Cost reducers expand gaining options

13. Tracking Cards

14. Wishing Well can profit from known top cards
15. Scout becomes more reliable
16. Crystal Ball gains effectiveness

Negative Interactions:

1. Shuffle Effects
2. Shuffling ruins top-deck placement
3. Warehouse and similar discards can disrupt plans

4. Opponents' forced shuffles can interfere

5. Cost-Variable Cards

6. Cards with * costs can be problematic
7. Market Square and similar cards may have unclear costs
8. Some kingdom setups lack useful price points

Strategic Considerations

1. Kingdom Analysis Before employing Develop, evaluate:
2. Available cards at each price point
3. Useful transformation chains
4. Victory card distribution

5. Alternative gaining methods

6. Timing Considerations

7. Early game: Focus on economy building
8. Mid game: Create powerful combinations
9. Late game: Convert to victory points

10. Consider shuffle timing

11. Opportunity Cost Weigh Develop against:

12. Other $3 options
13. Direct gaining methods
14. Traditional trashing
15. Action efficiency

Common Develop Chains

1. Economy Focus Copper ($0) → Estate ($2) + nothing Estate ($2) → Silver ($3) + Copper ($0) Silver ($3) → Gold ($6) + Estate ($2)

2. Engine Building Estate ($2) → Develop ($3) + Copper ($0) Silver ($3) → Village ($3) + Estate ($2) Action card ($4) → Laboratory ($5) + Silver ($3)

3. Victory Point Conversion Copper ($0) → Estate ($2) + nothing Estate ($2) → Duchy ($5) + Copper ($0) Gold ($6) → Province ($8) + Duchy ($5)

Counter-Strategies

When Facing Develop:

1. Deck Attack
2. Forced shuffles disrupt top-deck plans
3. Discard attacks reduce effectiveness

4. Hand size reduction limits options

5. Price Point Control

6. Buy out key transformation targets
7. Manipulate costs with Bridge

8. Contest crucial price points

9. Tempo Exploitation

10. Develop can be slow
11. Capitalize on transformation turns
12. Push advantage during setup phases

Building Around Develop

1. Core Engine Components
2. 2-3 Develops
3. Reliable draw
4. Key transformation targets

5. Protection from attacks

6. Support Cards

7. Throne Room effects
8. Cost manipulation
9. Deck tracking

10. Draw enhancement

11. Victory Point Strategy

12. Maintain VP during transformations
13. Plan end-game conversions
14. Balance economy vs. points

Sample Strategies

1. Develop Engine Core cards:
2. 2-3 Develops
3. Throne Room
4. Laboratory/Smithy

5. Village variants Goal: Create consistent transformations while maintaining deck function

6. Big Money Develop Core cards:

7. 1-2 Develops
8. Silver/Gold focus

9. Minimal actions Goal: Enhance traditional Big Money with strategic transformations

10. VP Conversion Core cards:

11. Multiple Develops
12. Victory card focus
13. Economy maintenance Goal: Convert lower-value cards to victory points efficiently

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-Investment
2. Buying too many Develops
3. Focusing too much on transformations

4. Neglecting basic deck needs

5. Poor Planning

6. Failing to map transformations
7. Ignoring shuffle timing

8. Not considering opponent responses

9. Inflexible Strategy

10. Sticking to planned chains despite changes
11. Missing alternative opportunities
12. Ignoring kingdom context

Tips for Success

1. Preparation
2. Study kingdom card costs
3. Plan transformation sequences
4. Consider opponent strategies

5. Map out timing

6. Execution

7. Track deck composition
8. Monitor shuffle timing
9. Adjust to game state

10. Maintain flexibility

11. Adaptation

12. Watch opponent moves
13. Adjust to attacks
14. Modify chains as needed
15. Keep alternative plans ready

Conclusion

Develop is a powerful but subtle card that rewards careful planning and precise execution. Its success depends heavily on kingdom context and player skill in managing transformations. While not always a dominant strategy, understanding Develop's capabilities enables players to:

• Create efficient deck transformations
• Maintain control over deck composition
• Execute complex gaining sequences
• Adapt to varying game states

The key to mastering Develop lies in understanding its limitations while maximizing its unique abilities to manipulate deck composition and card order. With proper planning and execution, Develop can be a valuable tool in many different strategies, from engine building to big money variants to victory point conversion approaches.

Remember that Develop's effectiveness often depends more on the kingdom context and player skill than on the card itself. Success requires careful consideration of available cards, timing, and opponent strategies, combined with flexible execution and adaptation to changing game states.