Ambassador: The Best Card in Dominion Seaside

I previously wrote an article about what I thought was the best card across any Dominion expansion, Chapel. Sure, it's not unbeatable, but there aren't many cards that can transform the game quite as much. If I had to pick a card that that did the same for the Dominion: Seaside expansion, it would be the 3-cost Ambassador. Here's why.

First, let's take a look at how Ambassador works. It’s an attack action that allows you to return up to two copies of the same card from your hand to the supply, while forcing each other player to gain a copy of that same card. Players comparing this card this card directly to Chapel may feel a little unimpressed. For a cost that's 50% higher, it lets you get rid of 50% less cards every time you play it. On top of that, it may only be 25% as effective if you don't have two of the same card that you want to get rid of in your hand. Ultimately, this is the most important role of cards like these, so the difference is notable. Early in the game, Chapel will jump-start decks more quickly, and probably will have a better chance of winning in a strict deck thinning/big money strategy.

Ambassador is an all-star on both offense and defense.The strongest cards in Dominion almost always trash your cards, or attack your opponents. What makes Ambassador a top tier card is that is does both! Ambassador is an all-star on offense and defense. Early on in the game, it will accelerate your deck by dropping Estates and Coppers. Extra Coppers in the decks of your opponents will make their new purchases less effective, and extra Estates without a good trashing method can slow decks to a crawl. Your opponents may pick up an Ambassador in response, but it is probably already too late. Against pure big money decks, it's effective, but it really shines if opponents are depending on drawing a specific combination of cards on a single turn. Action focused decks aiming to draw Villages or Throne Rooms alongside their action cards will instead find hands full of marginal Coppers and useless Estates.

Ambassador even serves as a very good defense in games where cards like Witch or Sea Hag are in play. He will dump useless Curses from your own hand while graciously donating them to your opponents. Trashing two curses with an Ambassador is among one of the most satisfying moments of revenge in any tabletop game. If people are hesitating to pick up Witches because Ambassador is on the table, you can even buy curses for your deck to feed your Ambassador later. This isn't the most effective way of doing things, but it can definitely work. Ambassador also has a leg up on the curse givers, because its use-ability doesn't take a major hit when the Curse supply is depleted. If you're returning a Curse to the supply, it guarantees that there is one for an opponent to pick up. If you have no Curses in hand, Ambassador still works on Coppers, Estates, and action cards that are not as effective late in the game (Chapels, Moneylenders, Loans etc.)

I feel that Chapel integrates into almost any strategy really well, but Ambassador has a more diverse set of uses. You don't have to look beyond Dominion Seaside to see some exciting combinations. The most obvious is picking up both an Ambassador and a Pirate Ship. The Pirate Ship attack is made more effective when players have a higher density of treasure cards in their decks. Especially in games with only 2 or 3 players, or set-ups with defenses like Moat, your pirates will need some help to reach their full potential. Ambassador will fill your opponents' decks with Coppers for your pirates to plunder. It's worth considering that early Pirate Ship attacks may actually help your opponents. Thinning decks of their coppers ensures that your opponents will draw more of their powerful action cards, or treasures of greater value. Ambassador will cancel out some of the beneficial deck thinning. Also, Dropping your Coppers will mean that you draw your Pirate Ships more often, letting you boost up your fleet to Province buying levels quickly.

An Ambassador paired with a Pirate Ship is an excellent combination in Dominion Seaside.Ambassador can also serve as an out if you want a game to end quickly. If you are leading the table in points, depleting three piles as quickly as possible is a legitimate tactic (if you're unable to buy Provinces/there are too many left). Ambassador doesn't trash the card you select, but returns it to the supply. However, it forces every other player to pick up one of these cards. This means that a single Ambassador can reduce a supply pile by two cards in a turn. Add in your default buy, and you can very rapidly deplete the remaining cards. Cheaper and less useful late game actions like Pearl Diver, Cellar, or Chapel are perfect for this maneuver.

I've run into a few instances where Ambassador is less powerful. Against decks using Moneylenders, Ambassador can just feed your opponents the Coppers that they need. As well, if Gardens are available, Ambassador can boost the deck size of your opponents, making each Gardens card score even more victory points. Just making a player gain one card can push their deck up to the next multiple of ten cards, adding one extra point for every Gardens that they have gained.

The Ambassador is significantly weakened when the Gardens victory card is available.I know that picking a single card as “the best” is highly subjective, and each cards strength will vary greatly depending on what other cards are on the table. In my personal opinion, Ambassador is the best overall card in Seaside, and definitely transforms the feel of the game more than any other. It is a card that I can always feel confident picking up with an opening $4/$3 split. If you disagree, that's a good thing! Please share what your favorite or best cards are in the Dominion Seaside expansion in the comments below!