The Robotic workforce is probably a the single most misplayed card in the whole game. Almost every time I play TM I need to correct the person playing the card that they have to use it on cards which have the building symbol.
@@Crs9072 yeah and then those people get unbelievably upset because they probably did work for their dream combo for last 2 generations, that they literally throw the table :) I was the witness of such acts (not that dramatic, though, no flying tables) for a lot of times.
It hardly ever works but I’ll always draft and play Search For Life because it’s so fun. It feels thematic in a way given how difficult it would be to find life, not just features that hint at past potential for life, but current living organisms. I make little noises like a scanner reading the soil as I’m reaching for the deck about to flip the card, and it’s happened three times but yes way more times it doesn’t work. I don’t care how much money I waste over the game, it’s fun at the prospect of finding life and when it pays off it’s a riot.
I would say the cards that require 4 or more science tags are the most powerful, if you find yourself able to play them. Other than those I think the Earth Catapult and the Subway network are very powerful if you can play them early enough. Protected habitats is still my nr. 1 pick though.
Got soletta early on in a game where I was Helion and oh boy, killer combo. Being able to jumpstart heat production and then turn around use that as money set me up for success
Think the only two cards mentioned that are high up for me are Advanced Alloys and Soletta. I tend to much more prefer the discount-generating cards, and the one that gives terraforming rate per jovian tag is great whenever I pull a jovian engine.
Here's my top 10: 1. Giant ice asteroid! (when played in the right moment and combined with another good action can easily get you +5-7 TR in one turn!) 2. Earth catapult (every card costs -2, 2 VP) 3. Advanced alloys (+1 steel, +1 titanium) 4. Research (2 science tags, draw 2 cards) 5. AI central (action: draw 2 cards, req. 3 science) 6. Mass converter (space cards -2, +6 energy production, req. 5 science) 7. Urbanized area (place city in beween two others) 8. Business contacts (draw 4 cards, keep 2) 9. Physics complex (action: spend 6 energy to get a science resource worth 2 VP) 10. Research coordination (wild tag)
Interesting, obviously all cards are somewhat situational as to how good they are, but I am surprised some cards like greenhouses, earth catapult are not on the list.
I agree with all except for protected habitat, I only take those if my company is the plant one. And soleta is only worth it if you have the heat company
Our top lists are nearly the same except Pets and +7 Heat. The other two are the draw 2 science card and the one that lets you put a city between two other cities.
Meat Industries (though I don't like the implications!) is my favourite new card. Top Soil Contracts is brilliant too. They're just so satisfying. Oribtal Clean up and Martian Zoo are also brilliant money makers. Cartel and Miranda Resorts. Love the earth science combo!
If I ccan get Pets early in the game (or luck willing, in the opening hand) I always take it. It's pretty inexpensive and then just gives passive points throughout the game. Especially if you have another card that lets you add resources to it.
I actually hate Robotic workforce, since you can see if someone has it, when they start to browse through their played cards. You don't need to do that with any other card (that I know of).
Interesting taste for favorites. None of the strongest cards, some of the 10-20th percentile cards and some actually weak cards. Security fleet is among the worst point scoring cards, as it low on rate AND slow AND situational. Robotic workforce doesn't work the way you propose (only copying steel tag productions. Though it's good with mohole and strip mine)
Security Fleet on 6 - is this a meme? This is legitimately one of the worst cards in the game and the prime example of a trap card. It is highly inefficient and this card should be avoided at all costs unless you are swimming in titanium with no realistic way to ever spend it all (but in that case, you have probably already maneuvered yourself into a corner with zero chances of winning anyway). It costs 15 MC to even play, after that you can convert the equivalent of 3 MC into a VP. This means that you have to use the action 8 times to be above the ideal 5 MC/1 VP conversion rate. As a game normally lasts about 10 generations on average if played correctly, this basically means that you will have to play and use this card from the beginning. This will however slow down your engine-building significantly, you prefer to not spend your resources on raw VP in the early game. To sum it up: This card is just bad. I am not making this up, this is pretty much consensus amongst experienced players, and I hope beginners don't take the wrong conclusions from this video. Any discussion about the strongest cards in Terraforming Mars starts with Earth Catapult and AI Central. Then, you have plenty of other candiates such as Viral Enhancers, Arctic Algae, Kelp Farming, Research Outpost, Mars University, Giant Ice Asteroid, Ecological Zone, Insects etc.
2 cards that are broken, meaning they should be removed from the game for being too good are Advanced Alloys and Terraforming Ganymede. So powerful when used correctly its many times impossible to overcome, game would be better if they were not in it. Rest is mostly balanced with Earth Catapult being the best "fair" card
The only card that frequently gets banned in all-expansions is toll station + maybe Poseidon if you count corps. The cards banworthy in Base-Game are Earth Catapult and AI central and not much else comes close to those two. TG is a strong payoff, but not that much better than Interstellar Colony Ship or Large Convoy for big titanium point scoring. It's arguably not even the best jovian card in the deck for base game. The efficiency on Ganymede colony is usually stronger than the slightly more impressive payoff.
You can't use Robotic workforce with Soletta, it can only be used on building tag cards
I was going to write exactly this.
That's correct!
The Robotic workforce is probably a the single most misplayed card in the whole game. Almost every time I play TM I need to correct the person playing the card that they have to use it on cards which have the building symbol.
Yeah exactly
@@Crs9072 yeah and then those people get unbelievably upset because they probably did work for their dream combo for last 2 generations, that they literally throw the table :)
I was the witness of such acts (not that dramatic, though, no flying tables) for a lot of times.
It hardly ever works but I’ll always draft and play Search For Life because it’s so fun. It feels thematic in a way given how difficult it would be to find life, not just features that hint at past potential for life, but current living organisms. I make little noises like a scanner reading the soil as I’m reaching for the deck about to flip the card, and it’s happened three times but yes way more times it doesn’t work. I don’t care how much money I waste over the game, it’s fun at the prospect of finding life and when it pays off it’s a riot.
I would say the cards that require 4 or more science tags are the most powerful, if you find yourself able to play them. Other than those I think the Earth Catapult and the Subway network are very powerful if you can play them early enough. Protected habitats is still my
nr. 1 pick though.
AI Central and Earth Catapult say hello
Also can’t believe artic algae not in his top 10, can get you max 18 plants and you don’t even have to do anything
Because plants will be removed by other players before you can spend them. Greenhouses is way better
Got soletta early on in a game where I was Helion and oh boy, killer combo. Being able to jumpstart heat production and then turn around use that as money set me up for success
or you could use the heat for TR, which is better in most cases.
Robotic workforce only copies a production field of a building (the ones you build with steal)!
Soletta is #1 if you are playing Helion corporation
Helion with an opening Soletta is like cruise control to a win.
Helion is my favorite corp 👍
Adaptation technology is somehow too expensive and sometimes you only trigger it 0 or 1 time during the whole game.
Think the only two cards mentioned that are high up for me are Advanced Alloys and Soletta. I tend to much more prefer the discount-generating cards, and the one that gives terraforming rate per jovian tag is great whenever I pull a jovian engine.
Love this kind of content! Thanks Tom!
Here's my top 10:
1. Giant ice asteroid! (when played in the right moment and combined with another good action can easily get you +5-7 TR in one turn!)
2. Earth catapult (every card costs -2, 2 VP)
3. Advanced alloys (+1 steel, +1 titanium)
4. Research (2 science tags, draw 2 cards)
5. AI central (action: draw 2 cards, req. 3 science)
6. Mass converter (space cards -2, +6 energy production, req. 5 science)
7. Urbanized area (place city in beween two others)
8. Business contacts (draw 4 cards, keep 2)
9. Physics complex (action: spend 6 energy to get a science resource worth 2 VP)
10. Research coordination (wild tag)
I find Standard Technology is usually worth it. Great card imo.
Love this series Tom. This is great content
Love this style of video 🙂
My favorite game! Please do more stuff on anything TM related. Thanks 👍
Just starting this. If advanced alloys isn’t on the list I’m upset
Update: I’m relieved
The inventors' guild is one of my favourites, simple because they're all the same dude! XD
And it's the designer :)
When great minds meet, new ideas abound
Interesting, obviously all cards are somewhat situational as to how good they are, but I am surprised some cards like greenhouses, earth catapult are not on the list.
I like the card the reduces the cost of standard projects and also the Arctic Algae card.
I believe it’s Standard Technology. Also one of my faves 👍
I agree with all except for protected habitat, I only take those if my company is the plant one. And soleta is only worth it if you have the heat company
Our top lists are nearly the same except Pets and +7 Heat. The other two are the draw 2 science card and the one that lets you put a city between two other cities.
Meat Industries (though I don't like the implications!) is my favourite new card. Top Soil Contracts is brilliant too. They're just so satisfying. Oribtal Clean up and Martian Zoo are also brilliant money makers. Cartel and Miranda Resorts. Love the earth science combo!
If I ccan get Pets early in the game (or luck willing, in the opening hand) I always take it. It's pretty inexpensive and then just gives passive points throughout the game. Especially if you have another card that lets you add resources to it.
Soletta is very strong with the company that can use heat as money! ;D
It made me win! :D
AI Central should be on the first place. And why Rego Plastics over Mercurian Alloys?
Where is Rego Plastics from. I have all the expansions..is this a promo?
Awesome game, endless replayability
protected habitats is the best card in the game!
Security Fleet and Soletta both seem very weak unless in niche circumstances to me
I actually hate Robotic workforce, since you can see if someone has it, when they start to browse through their played cards. You don't need to do that with any other card (that I know of).
What about anytime someone is counting tags looking through cards?
Everyone should be able to get protected Habitat.
Interesting taste for favorites. None of the strongest cards, some of the 10-20th percentile cards and some actually weak cards. Security fleet is among the worst point scoring cards, as it low on rate AND slow AND situational.
Robotic workforce doesn't work the way you propose (only copying steel tag productions. Though it's good with mohole and strip mine)
Security Fleet on 6 - is this a meme? This is legitimately one of the worst cards in the game and the prime example of a trap card. It is highly inefficient and this card should be avoided at all costs unless you are swimming in titanium with no realistic way to ever spend it all (but in that case, you have probably already maneuvered yourself into a corner with zero chances of winning anyway).
It costs 15 MC to even play, after that you can convert the equivalent of 3 MC into a VP. This means that you have to use the action 8 times to be above the ideal 5 MC/1 VP conversion rate. As a game normally lasts about 10 generations on average if played correctly, this basically means that you will have to play and use this card from the beginning. This will however slow down your engine-building significantly, you prefer to not spend your resources on raw VP in the early game. To sum it up: This card is just bad. I am not making this up, this is pretty much consensus amongst experienced players, and I hope beginners don't take the wrong conclusions from this video.
Any discussion about the strongest cards in Terraforming Mars starts with Earth Catapult and AI Central. Then, you have plenty of other candiates such as Viral Enhancers, Arctic Algae, Kelp Farming, Research Outpost, Mars University, Giant Ice Asteroid, Ecological Zone, Insects etc.
Haha yep, tom is not a hardcore player of TM, he plays so many games, I doubt he has time to master any of them.
I would only play robotic workforce if I have played mohole area
Adaptive Tech and pets not worth it to me. Earth Catapult is #1.
2 cards that are broken, meaning they should be removed from the game for being too good are Advanced Alloys and Terraforming Ganymede. So powerful when used correctly its many times impossible to overcome, game would be better if they were not in it. Rest is mostly balanced with Earth Catapult being the best "fair" card
The only card that frequently gets banned in all-expansions is toll station + maybe Poseidon if you count corps.
The cards banworthy in Base-Game are Earth Catapult and AI central and not much else comes close to those two. TG is a strong payoff, but not that much better than Interstellar Colony Ship or Large Convoy for big titanium point scoring. It's arguably not even the best jovian card in the deck for base game. The efficiency on Ganymede colony is usually stronger than the slightly more impressive payoff.
Soletta is useless.
The fact you didnt put AI central in here makes you not a gamer 👎
Pretty much none of these are useful in a solo game :)