Best and Worst Corps discussion

[Demonocrat]

To me after UNMI the weakest corp overall. The value it gives and you mention is just too low. You say its overall fine and can be played as a general corp but the trick is every other corp can do the same. Inventrix is ultra poor and that's the biggest problem. Even if that one tag allows early AI you will struggle to play meaningful cards because of lack of engine.

I get where you're coming from. Inventrix definitely feel bad to play, and I would pretty much never pick it over, say, Credicor, but then again I almost never pass on Credicor. To me Inventrix is a corp you pick because you weren't offered one of the big three, and your starting hand jut does not work with your other choice.

I just feel Inventrix has a better shot at salvaging average starting hands than "better" corps that rely on synergies. Inventrix is poor, but not as poor as MG, IC or Phobolog with nothing relevant to spend their resources on, and drawing three cards when your starting hand lacks focus can give you direction. It's also a great corp to contest the Planner milestone, which tends in my experience to get picked up a lot in high-level play, at least at low player counts.

Changing subject, for what it's worth, I consider Thorgate the worst corporation, at least when playing base game only. I pick even UNMI above it, except in very specific scenarios, like starting with Strip Mine, decent cards to use its income, and no way to build it quickly with the other corporation.

[Yahyra]

I agree that in most player counts and scenarios, Thorgate is the worst corp. I also agree with the game designer / publisher, that UNMI and Inventrix should be played 'buffed' as they have documented it (on board game geek I think). Power creep is definitely a thing in T Mars; the Prelude corps are almost if not all much stronger than the original set of corps I think.

[RoyalRook]

To me after UNMI the weakest corp overall. The value it gives and you mention is just too low. You say its overall fine and can be played as a general corp but the trick is every other corp can do the same. Inventrix is ultra poor and that's the biggest problem. Even if that one tag allows early AI you will struggle to play meaningful cards because of lack of engine.

I get where you're coming from. Inventrix definitely feel bad to play, and I would pretty much never pick it over, say, Credicor, but then again I almost never pass on Credicor. To me Inventrix is a corp you pick because you weren't offered one of the big three, and your starting hand jut does not work with your other choice.

I just feel Inventrix has a better shot at salvaging average starting hands than "better" corps that rely on synergies. Inventrix is poor, but not as poor as MG, IC or Phobolog with nothing relevant to spend their resources on, and drawing three cards when your starting hand lacks focus can give you direction. It's also a great corp to contest the Planner milestone, which tends in my experience to get picked up a lot in high-level play, at least at low player counts.

Changing subject, for what it's worth, I consider Thorgate the worst corporation, at least when playing base game only. I pick even UNMI above it, except in very specific scenarios, like starting with Strip Mine, decent cards to use its income, and no way to build it quickly with the other corporation.

No you don't get it, what Highlander was trying to say is that Inventrix hard to salvage even in Disneyland scenarios. Most of the requirements effect plant productions, which could be easily overcame by corps like Tharsis, Credicor, Ecoline etc, etc. With poor starting resources and weak build in engines, Inventrix's game could be over before gen 3. I play Inventrix for the meme, even though UNMI is considered the weakest corp overall it has a higher potential than Inventrix.

I don't agree with early AI part of Highlander's statement though. If I can get AI down early, Inventrix it is. There is no other path I would choose over it, b/c why mess with perfection? I am just going to early AI and drag gg. Way higher potential to win, and I am all about winning, I don't care if it's ugly or not.

[sirusx715]

A lot of player overvalue cities in ways that I'd personally consider to be misplays. Tharsis will benefit from anyone at the table building cities too early/often. Creditor is pretty solid all around and better than most at just straight up building basic cities/greeneries in effective ways. Both corps can efficiently go after mayor and/or gardener in a timely manner. That's ussually enough to auto pick either corp.

Most of the remaining base game corps I'd pick between are hand dependant. What is that corp going to accomplish with my hand by the end of gen 2 for getting productions up and running. Beyond that, the corp benefits are tame enough that how solid your initial plays leave you will matter more than the corp ability.

[Demonocrat]

No you don't get it, what Highlander was trying to say is that Inventrix hard to salvage even in Disneyland scenarios. Most of the requirements effect plant productions, which could be easily overcame by corps like Tharsis, Credicor, Ecoline etc, etc. With poor starting resources and weak build in engines, Inventrix's game could be over before gen 3. I play Inventrix for the meme, even though UNMI is considered the weakest corp overall it has a higher potential than Inventrix.

To be clear, I'm not arguing that Inventrix is a top tier corporation. It's a long shot to win with them. I'm just saying it's not bottom tier, and I find there are scenarios where I'd pick them above corporations that have generally better potential, should their potential not be offered in my starting hand.

To complete my thoughts, here's how I would generally rate the corporations, playing mostly 3-4 players, no particular order within the ranks :

S rank (always happy to pick, no matter what)
Credicor, Teractor

A rank (happy to pick if there is moderate support in the starting hand, will sometimes pick with little to no support)
Tharsis*, Ecoline**

B rank (only pick if the starting hand has clear support for it, above even the A rank ones with enough of it)
Phobolog, Saturn Systems, Mining Guild, Inventrix***

C rank (unhappy to pick, even with support, but sometimes have to)
Interplanetary Cinematics, Helion

D rank (only pick one when they're offered together, and be sad about it)
UNMI, Thorgate

*Tharsis I think is somewhat average, but playing against less experienced players, it's often great and I'm always happy to pick it because of that. There are so many players that spam cities, even playing against Tharsis, it's kind of ridiculous. Sure, go ahead and screw your economy to steal the Mayor milestone from me while helping my own engine. Even against better players, the stranglehold Tharsis kind of has on the gameboard makes it fine, and it's a corporation that can kinda work with most any hand, although I really love having something that lets me place lots of greeneries quickly for them.

**Ecoline is vulnerable and very poor. In a vacuum it's very strong, but I often hesitate to pick it unless I have a starting hand that can help me mitigate being targetted by every attack card in the game (other good sources of economy, Protected Habitats, effects that grant 2-4 plants to help me time my greeneries...) With no such mitigation, I still pick them often, but I'm not as comfortable.

***Inventrix is unique, as I'd pick any B rank with appropriate support above it, but will take it even with no support. It would take a very specifically overwhelming hand for me to pick one of my bottom four above it.

[Draffut]

B rank (only pick if the starting hand has clear support for it, above even the A rank ones with enough of it)
Phobolog, Saturn Systems, Mining Guild, Inventrix***

C rank (unhappy to pick, even with support, but sometimes have to)
Interplanetary Cinematics, Helion

If I had to pick between Interplanetary Cinematics and Mining Guild, I think I would take IC every single time. Steel starts strong but gets worse and worse as the game goes on, so the productions just doesn't match the early potential of 15 extra in gen 1 and 2. And the 2 event rebate is just nice.

Only exception maybe if I had a space elevator or electro catapult. Even then I might just save my steel to feed to them.

If Mining Guild's power could get you Titanium production, now we're talking.

[ice wizard]

B rank (only pick if the starting hand has clear support for it, above even the A rank ones with enough of it)
Phobolog, Saturn Systems, Mining Guild, Inventrix***

C rank (unhappy to pick, even with support, but sometimes have to)
Interplanetary Cinematics, Helion

If I had to pick between Interplanetary Cinematics and Mining Guild, I think I would take IC every single time. Steel starts strong but gets worse and worse as the game goes on, so the productions just doesn't match the early potential of 15 extra in gen 1 and 2. And the 2 event rebate is just nice.

Only exception maybe if I had a space elevator or electro catapult. Even then I might just save my steel to feed to them.

If Mining Guild's power could get you Titanium production, now we're talking.

Generally space cards are far more valuable than building cards. I don't like IC because there is no building event card.

[RoyalRook]

B rank (only pick if the starting hand has clear support for it, above even the A rank ones with enough of it)
Phobolog, Saturn Systems, Mining Guild, Inventrix***

C rank (unhappy to pick, even with support, but sometimes have to)
Interplanetary Cinematics, Helion

If I had to pick between Interplanetary Cinematics and Mining Guild, I think I would take IC every single time. Steel starts strong but gets worse and worse as the game goes on, so the productions just doesn't match the early potential of 15 extra in gen 1 and 2. And the 2 event rebate is just nice.

Only exception maybe if I had a space elevator or electro catapult. Even then I might just save my steel to feed to them.

If Mining Guild's power could get you Titanium production, now we're talking.

This is a good topic: if there are tiles like nuke zone or cities, oceans, you would tend to pick MG. Yet considering it’s just ocean events and cities, and you know MG is not in play bc it’s one of your own corp choices, then IC could work out better bc IC has far higher chance for infinite cash scenarios if you secure media group and/or optimal aero breaking. Finally, just like it’s always better to get a lump sum payment over annuity (banker on), IC saves far more opportunity cost than MG, hence in many scenarios IC beats MG to builder. One last thing: IC has 2nd most starting resources behind the all mighty Phoblog. It’s just a better corp.

[Draffut]

Generally space cards are far more valuable than building cards. I don't like IC because there is no building event card.

But mining guild doesn't give you any special benefit from space cards either. At least IC gives you a small rebate for a lot of them.

[hpta23]

I play here 3 player games with corporate era.
Definitelly depends on the starting hand - but I tend to really like these 4:

Teractor, Credicor - lots of cash, discounts, with Teractor the Earth tag for Cartel/Miranda Resort
IC - actually the most resources, great If you have cards to spend the steel on, also de facto discount for events (hired raiders are net positive )
Mining Guild - there's something very pleasant about the tile placement & increasing the steel production (natural preserve, mining area/rights, flooding...)