Night Watchman (Nocturne)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Night Watchman:

Night Watchman Strategy Guide

Introduction Night Watchman is a $3 Night card from the Nocturne expansion that offers deck control and filtering capabilities. Its unique combination of immediate hand availability upon purchase and powerful sifting ability makes it a valuable addition to many strategies. This guide will explore how to best utilize Night Watchman and understand its role in various deck compositions.

Key Features 1. Night timing 2. Look at 5 cards and selectively discard 3. Gained directly to hand 4. Low cost ($3)

Core Advantages

1. Immediate Accessibility The most distinctive feature of Night Watchman is that it's gained directly to your hand rather than your discard pile. This means you can use it the same turn you buy it, during the Night phase. This immediate utility is particularly valuable in several scenarios:
2. Early game deck filtering
3. Mid-game pivots
4. Response to attacks

5. Emergency deck manipulation

6. Deck Quality Control Night Watchman allows you to look at the top 5 cards of your deck and selectively discard unwanted cards while arranging the kept cards in any order. This serves multiple purposes:

7. Remove unnecessary cards (Coppers, Curses, etc.)
8. Set up next turn's hand
9. Protect valuable cards from attacks
10. Thin your deck gradually

Early Game Strategy

In the opening turns, Night Watchman presents an interesting option:

Opening Buy Considerations: - Silver/Night Watchman split ($3/$3) - Night Watchman + $2 card - Single $4-$5 card instead

The Silver/Night Watchman opening is often strong because: 1. Silver provides economy 2. Night Watchman helps find that Silver 3. Early deck filtering is valuable 4. Immediate availability means faster impact

Early Game Priority List: 1. Filter out excess Coppers 2. Arrange draw to hit important price points 3. Set up crucial early game purchases 4. Begin gradual deck thinning

Mid-Game Applications

As the game progresses, Night Watchman's utility evolves:

1. Deck Composition Management
2. Remove newly gained junk cards
3. Protect key components
4. Arrange draw combos

5. Filter through green cards

6. Engine Assembly

7. Find key engine pieces
8. Discard unnecessary duplicates
9. Arrange cards for optimal sequencing

10. Maintain engine consistency

11. Economic Enhancement

12. Ensure treasure density
13. Set up important price points
14. Remove low-value treasures
15. Arrange multi-card money combinations

Late Game Uses

In the endgame, Night Watchman serves several crucial functions:

1. Victory Card Management
2. Filter through green cards
3. Protect key victory cards
4. Set up final turn combinations

5. Maintain engine functionality

6. Rush Defense

7. Keep pace with opponents
8. Maintain efficiency despite green cards

9. Find crucial stopping cards

10. Final Turn Setup

11. Arrange game-ending combinations
12. Protect lead from attacks
13. Ensure critical cards are available

Synergies and Combinations

Strong Synergies:

1. Duration Cards Night Watchman can help arrange duration cards for maximum effect:
2. Wharf
3. Fishing Village
4. Caravan

5. Highway Robber

6. Card Draw Night Watchman works well with draw cards by:

7. Setting up draw chains
8. Removing unnecessary cards

9. Ensuring draw cards find valuable targets

10. Action Chains

11. Arrange actions in optimal order
12. Remove dead cards

13. Ensure smooth engine operation

14. Treasure-focused Strategies

15. Maintain treasure density
16. Remove low-value treasures

17. Set up specific price points

18. Attack Protection

19. Hide valuable cards from attacks
20. Arrange defenses appropriately
21. Recover from attack effects

Specific Card Combinations:

1. Tracker
2. Both gained to hand
3. Complement each other's deck control

4. Can chain together effectively

5. Haven

6. Similar deck manipulation
7. Can work together for extended control

8. Different timing allows flexibility

9. Library

10. Remove actions for bigger draws
11. Set up important combinations

12. Maintain deck quality

13. Scheme

14. Arrange important actions
15. Ensure key cards return
16. Maintain engine consistency

Counter-Synergies and Weaknesses

1. Shuffle-Heavy Decks
2. Frequent shuffling reduces effectiveness
3. Hard to maintain arranged cards

4. Less predictable results

5. Very Thin Decks

6. May not have 5 cards to look at
7. Reduced filtering options

8. Less impactful arrangements

9. Heavy Attack Environments

10. Can't protect all important cards
11. May need to focus on defense
12. Reduced offensive capability

Countering Night Watchman

While Night Watchman is generally beneficial, there are ways to reduce its effectiveness:

1. Frequent Attacks
2. Discard attacks
3. Deck composition attacks

4. Hand size reduction

5. Forced Shuffling

6. Attacks that force shuffles
7. Cards that mandate reshuffling

8. Deck emptying strategies

9. Junking

10. Overwhelming with junk cards
11. Reducing filtering effectiveness
12. Limiting arrangement options

Kingdom Considerations

When evaluating Night Watchman in a kingdom:

1. Speed of Game
2. Fast kingdoms may not need filtering
3. Slow kingdoms benefit more

4. Medium-pace games offer most value

5. Available Actions

6. Strong actions increase value
7. Weak actions reduce necessity

8. Balance with other options

9. Attack Presence

10. Heavy attacks increase value
11. Light attacks reduce necessity

12. Type of attacks matters

13. Alternative Options

14. Compare to other $3 cards
15. Evaluate against other Night cards
16. Consider opportunity cost

Strategic Tips

1. Timing Considerations
2. Use before shuffling when possible
3. Consider next turn's needs

4. Plan for opponent's likely plays

5. Discard Decisions

6. Balance immediate vs. future needs
7. Consider deck composition

8. Account for opponent's strategy

9. Card Arrangement

10. Plan several turns ahead
11. Consider shuffle timing

12. Account for possible attacks

13. Purchase Timing

14. Early game vs. mid-game
15. Multiple copies consideration
16. Alternative purchases

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-filtering
2. Discarding too aggressively
3. Leaving too few cards

4. Weakening future draws

5. Under-utilizing

6. Not using every Night phase
7. Forgetting arrangement options

8. Ignoring immediate gain benefit

9. Poor Timing

10. Using before important shuffles
11. Not planning for attacks

12. Ignoring opponent's strategy

13. Mismanaging Multiple Copies

14. Having too many
15. Using in wrong order
16. Not maximizing effectiveness

Conclusion

Night Watchman is a versatile $3 card that offers immediate utility and ongoing deck control. Its strength lies in its flexibility and immediate availability upon purchase. While not always essential, it can significantly improve deck consistency and help execute various strategies more effectively.

Key Takeaways: 1. Immediate availability makes it uniquely valuable 2. Strong deck control and filtering capabilities 3. Versatile utility throughout the game 4. Effective in both engine and money strategies 5. Requires careful timing and planning

When used properly, Night Watchman can be a powerful tool for deck optimization and strategy execution. Its low cost and immediate availability make it an attractive option in many kingdoms, while its filtering and arrangement capabilities provide ongoing value throughout the game.