Wish (Nocturne)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Wish in Dominion:

WISH STRATEGY GUIDE

Overview: Wish is a unique Action card from the Nocturne expansion that allows you to gain a card costing up to $6 directly to your hand. While it costs $0, it's not available in the Supply and can only be obtained through other means, primarily through specific Boons from the Nocturne expansion.

Key Characteristics: - Gains a card directly to your hand - Provides +1 Action - Returns to its pile after use - Not in the Supply - One-time use per acquisition

Getting Access to Wish:

1. Primary Methods:
2. The Field's Gift (Boon): Receive a Wish
3. Blessed Village: Receive a Boon, potentially getting The Field's Gift
4. Druid: Choose The Field's Gift as one of three Boons

5. Sacred Grove: Receive a Boon when others gain Victory cards

6. Secondary Methods:

7. Way of the Chameleon (from Menagerie) can turn other cards into Wishes
8. Courier (from Hinterlands) revealing it from the trash
9. Various card-gaining effects if Wish somehow ends up in the trash

Strategic Considerations:

1. Timing The most crucial aspect of using Wish effectively is timing. Since it's a one-time use card that gains directly to hand, you want to maximize its impact:

a) Early Game: - Excellent for gaining key $5-$6 cards early - Can jumpstart your deck before you naturally reach $5-$6 - Consider gaining engine components or powerful payload cards

b) Mid Game: - Use to gain specific combo pieces - Can help recover from attacks that reduced your buying power - Useful for gaining supplementary engine components

c) Late Game: - Can gain Victory cards directly to hand - Useful for gaining reaction cards in response to attacks - May help acquire crucial cards when money is tight

1. Target Selection

Priority Targets ($5-$6):

a) Engine Components: - Laboratory - Market - Council Room - Village variants - Hunting Lodge - Library

b) Payload Cards: - Gold - Merchant Ship - Charging Steed - Strong attack cards

c) Victory Cards: - Duchy (late game) - Special victory cards like Gardens or Silk Road

Lower Cost Targets (situational): - Silver (early game if nothing better available) - Specific $4 engine pieces needed immediately - Reaction cards in response to attacks

1. Synergies and Combinations

Strong Synergies:

a) Card Playing Effects: - Throne Room variants - King's Court - Royal Carriage - Crown These don't work directly on Wish but can be used on the gained card if it's an Action

b) Hand Size Increasers: - Draw to X cards - Library - Watchtower These help you see and use the gained card sooner

c) Duration Cards: - Gaining Duration cards with Wish can provide immediate and future benefits - Examples: Wharf, Merchant Ship, Caravan

d) Travellers: - Can gain key Traveller cards to start their upgrade chain - Particularly useful for Page and Peasant

e) Cards that care about gaining: - Merchant Guild - Groundskeeper - Tracker - Highway

1. Strategic Patterns

a) Engine Building: - Use Wish to gain key engine pieces - Focus on cards that would normally take multiple turns to acquire - Can help establish engine consistency earlier

b) Big Money Support: - Gain Gold or other treasure variants - Use to acquire key support cards like Merchant Ship

c) Rush Strategies: - Gain Province/Duchy in endgame scenarios - Support Gardens or other alt-VP strategies

d) Defensive Play: - Gain Moat or other reactions when needed - Acquire cards that help recover from attacks

1. Counter-Play and Weaknesses

Limitations: - One-time use - Requires specific cards/effects to acquire - $6 cost limit - Must be used immediately when gained

Counter-strategies: - Handsize reduction attacks can limit effectiveness - Junking attacks can dilute deck before Wish payoff - Racing strategies can end game before Wish impact

1. Kingdom Considerations

When evaluating Wish's potential in a kingdom:

a) Strong Kingdoms: - Presence of powerful $5-$6 cards - Engine components available - Ways to use gained cards immediately - Multiple ways to gain Wishes

b) Weak Kingdoms: - Few impactful $5-$6 cards - Heavy attack presence - Fast alternative strategies - Limited access to Wish-gaining effects

1. Multiplayer Considerations

In multiplayer games: - Higher competition for key cards - More opportunities from Sacred Grove - Increased importance of reaction cards - More complex timing decisions

1. Advanced Techniques

a) Chaining: - Use Wish to gain cards that help acquire more Wishes - Chain together multiple Wishes in one turn through various effects

b) Wish Timing: - Consider keeping Wish until specific cards are needed - Time usage with opponent's turns and available piles

c) Pile Control: - Use Wish to gain cards from nearly empty piles - Deny opponents access to key cards

1. Common Mistakes to Avoid

2. Poor Timing:

3. Using Wish too early without clear purpose

4. Waiting too long in competitive situations

5. Suboptimal Targets:

6. Gaining lower-value cards when better options exist

7. Not considering immediate needs

8. Lack of Follow-up:

9. No plan for using gained card

10. Insufficient deck support for gained card

11. Overvaluing Wish:

12. Building strategy too dependent on Wish

13. Neglecting basic deck development

14. Example Scenarios

Early Game Scenario: Kingdom has Laboratory, Village, Gold - Consider gaining Laboratory to start engine - Gold if money is needed - Village if actions are constraining

Mid Game Scenario: Kingdom has Duchy, Market, Moat - Market for engine building - Moat if attacks are prevalent - Duchy if endgame is approaching

Late Game Scenario: Kingdom has Province, Duchy, Gardens - Usually gain Province/Duchy - Consider Gardens if supporting strategy

1. Specific Card Interactions

Strong Positive Interactions: - Blessed Village (reliable access) - Tracker (top-deck gained card) - Royal Seal (top-deck gained card) - Watchtower (flexibility in gained card placement)

Negative Interactions: - Possession (can't benefit from opponent's Wish) - Enchantress (affects gained Action cards) - Cursers (dilute deck before payoff)

1. Kingdom Building Tips

When including Wish in custom kingdoms: - Include meaningful $5-$6 targets - Balance Wish-gaining opportunities - Consider interaction with other mechanics - Include sufficient supporting cards

Conclusion:

Wish is a powerful but situational card that requires careful timing and strategic consideration. Its ability to gain cards directly to hand can provide significant advantages, but its one-time use nature means players must maximize its impact. Success with Wish depends on:

• Proper timing of acquisition and use
• Smart selection of gained cards
• Supporting deck construction
• Understanding of kingdom context

When used effectively, Wish can accelerate strategies, provide key cards at crucial moments, and offer tactical flexibility. However, it shouldn't be relied upon as a primary strategy and works best as a supplementary tool in a well-constructed deck plan.

The key to mastering Wish is understanding that it's not just about gaining the most expensive card possible, but rather gaining the right card at the right time to advance your strategy. Consider the immediate impact, future implications, and opportunity cost of your choice, and you'll make the most of this unique card's potential.