Leprechaun (Nocturne)

Here's a detailed strategy guide for Leprechaun:

Leprechaun Strategy Guide

Introduction Leprechaun is a fascinating $3 Action-Doom card from the Nocturne expansion that offers a powerful but tricky combination of effects. Its dual nature of potentially gaining both a Gold and a Wish makes it attractive, but the requirement of exactly 7 cards and the risk of receiving a Hex make it a card that requires careful deck management and strategic timing.

Core Mechanics Let's break down the key elements: 1. Guaranteed effect: Gain a Gold 2. Conditional effect: Gain a Wish if you have exactly 7 cards 3. Penalty effect: Receive a Hex if you don't have exactly 7 cards

The Seven Card Sweet Spot

Managing your hand size to hit exactly 7 cards is the key challenge when playing Leprechaun. Here's what counts toward your 7 cards: - Cards in hand - The Leprechaun itself - Cards drawn during your turn - Duration cards from previous turns that are still in play

Timing Considerations The best time to play Leprechaun is often: 1. Early in your turn before playing other cards 2. When you can precisely control your hand size 3. When you've cleared out Duration cards from previous turns 4. After calculating the impact of any mandatory draws

Basic Strategy

1. Early Game
2. Leprechaun can be a strong early-game purchase at $3
3. The guaranteed Gold gain helps build economy
4. Early game is often easier to manage hand size
5. Consider skipping early Leprechaun if:
6. The kingdom has strong alternative $3 cards
7. Hexes would be particularly damaging to your strategy

8. Hand size control is difficult

9. Mid Game

10. Focus on setting up turns where you can hit 7 cards
11. Use deck tracking to predict hand sizes
12. Consider whether Wish gaining is still valuable

13. Be prepared to accept Hexes when necessary

14. Late Game

15. Gold gaining becomes less important
16. Wish effects may still be valuable for flexibility
17. Hand size control becomes more difficult
18. Consider whether the risk of Hexes outweighs benefits

Advanced Techniques

1. Hand Size Management Several strategies can help maintain exactly 7 cards:

a) Card Draw Control - Avoid cards with mandatory draws when attempting Wish gains - Use optional draw cards (like Laboratory) after Leprechaun - Consider cards that let you put cards back on your deck

b) Discard Effects - Cards like Cellar or Warehouse can help achieve exact hand sizes - Save these effects for after playing Leprechaun if you're over 7

c) Duration Management - Track Duration cards carefully - Plan turns ahead to know when Duration cards will clear

1. Wish Optimization When successfully gaining Wishes:
2. Save them for crucial moments
3. Use them to gain expensive cards you couldn't otherwise afford

4. Consider gaining engine pieces that complement your strategy

5. Hex Management When receiving Hexes:

6. Build redundancy into your deck to handle Bad Omens
7. Keep some copper for Poverty
8. Maintain extra actions for Delusion
9. Consider deck composition to minimize Fear impact

Synergies and Combinations

Strong Synergies:

1. Hand Size Controllers
2. Warehouse
3. Cellar
4. Haven

5. Secret Chamber These cards help achieve the crucial 7-card threshold

6. Deck Trackers

7. Navigator
8. Scout

9. Crystal Ball Help predict upcoming hand sizes

10. Card Return Effects

11. Secret Passage
12. Scheme

13. Treasury Allow for precise hand size control

14. Wish Enhancers

15. Throne Room variants
16. King's Court
17. Crown Can multiply Wish effects when gained

Anti-Synergies:

1. Mandatory Draw
2. Laboratory
3. Smithy

4. Council Room Make hitting exactly 7 cards harder

5. Duration Cards

6. Wharf
7. Fishing Village

8. Caravan Complicate hand size calculations

9. Reserve Cards

10. Teacher
11. Ratcatcher
12. Guide Add complexity to hand size management

Kingdom Considerations

When to Buy Leprechaun:

1. Strong Conditions
2. Few mandatory draw effects
3. Good hand size control options
4. Valuable cards to gain with Wish
5. Hex effects aren't too punishing

6. Gold is valuable in the kingdom

7. Weak Conditions

8. Many Duration cards
9. Mandatory draw effects
10. Critical $5 cards needed early
11. Particularly punishing Hex effects

Counter-Strategy

When facing opponents with Leprechaun:

1. Defense
2. Consider cards that punish Gold (like Taxman)
3. Attack cards can disrupt hand size planning

4. Junking attacks make exact hand sizes harder

5. Racing

6. Build your engine faster without Leprechaun
7. Focus on consistent strategies over conditional ones
8. Capitalize on turns when opponents get Hexed

Multiplayer Considerations

In multiplayer games: - Wish pile can deplete faster - More Hexes in circulation - Greater variance in game length - More complex interaction timing

Advanced Tips and Tricks

1. Timing Optimization
2. Play Leprechaun first in your turn unless you need specific setup
3. Calculate hand size effects before committing

4. Consider keeping track of shuffle timing

5. Wish Management

6. Don't always gain Wish even when possible
7. Save Wishes for critical turns

8. Use Wishes to adapt to opponent's strategies

9. Risk Assessment

10. Calculate probability of hitting 7 cards
11. Weigh Hex impact vs. benefits
12. Consider alternative plays when hand size is uncertain

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-focusing on Wish
2. Don't sacrifice good plays just to hit 7 cards
3. Remember the Gold gain is valuable too

4. Don't buy too many Leprechauns

5. Poor Planning

6. Failing to account for all cards in play
7. Not tracking Duration cards

8. Miscounting hand size

9. Ignoring Alternatives

10. Bypassing better $3 cards
11. Focusing too much on hand size control
12. Neglecting engine building

Sample Strategies

1. Minimal Leprechaun
2. Buy 1-2 early
3. Focus on Gold gain
4. Accept occasional Wishes

5. Don't build around hand size control

6. Heavy Leprechaun

7. Buy multiple copies
8. Include hand size controllers
9. Plan for frequent Wish gains

10. Build redundancy for Hexes

11. Hybrid Approach

12. Buy Leprechaun opportunistically
13. Include some hand size control
14. Use Wishes strategically
15. Maintain flexible strategy

Conclusion

Leprechaun is a complex card that rewards careful planning and precise play. Its ability to gain both Gold and Wishes makes it potentially powerful, but the exact hand size requirement and Hex penalty demand respect. Success with Leprechaun comes from:

• Understanding when to include it in your strategy
• Managing hand size effectively
• Using Wishes strategically
• Building resilience to Hexes
• Maintaining flexibility in your approach

When played well, Leprechaun can provide both economic boost and strategic flexibility through Wishes. However, it requires careful consideration of kingdom context and shouldn't be automatically included just because it's available. Consider your comfort with hand size management, the impact of Hexes, and alternative strategies before committing to a Leprechaun-based approach.

Remember that sometimes the best play is to simply gain the Gold and accept the Hex, particularly in later stages of the game when hand size control becomes more difficult. Always keep your overall strategy in mind and don't let the allure of Wishes distract from more reliable paths to victory.