It’s Arena Season’s End, and I thought I’d write a post that’s been bouncing around my head for a while. Which Investigate Cards are my favourites, and why. Classic S-A-B-C-D tiers. I’d love to visualize, but finding images of all the cards is tough + maybe not what the publisher want posted, heh.
Enough preamble!
S-tier
Creates a strong advantage in virtually any situation
Variety Pack
Two water and one of everything else. It may seem unassuming at first, but all the maps are built to put ‘variety’ in the way of major goals (trade routes, new areas, towers). It is so often the case that you need 1-2 extra cubes to make something awesome happen, and this Swiss Army Knife card can almost always deliver, especially if double tapped in Era IV.
Water with cities
As I’ve mentioned before, trade route completion is kinda the main meta of this game. And this card not only gives you critical water, but free coastal city connections (unlimited at that)! The one “downside” I guess is if you draw it late and you’ve already connected a bunch of stuff up, but if that’s the case, you’re probably crushing it anyway.
5-consecutive (grass or water)
These guys are just massive. You pull one in Era I or II, you know you’re gonna have a good time. Most maps have ample grass and desert opportunities. All maps have water challenges. Ten hexes in Era IV if you need ‘em… the minor constraint of needing to be consecutive is very rarely an issue in my experience.
A-tier
Useful in almost all situations
Water + 2 coins
Almost as good as ‘Water with cities.’ There’s tons of opportunity to make things happen by grabbing a strategic coin space, and four water is always useful. Worst case, some extra points!
Big ole line of land
While this one can be situational, there are too many cool spots to leverage this one to demote it any further in my opinion. It can be clutch to fire into a tower, score a sneaky village, or just crush a bunch of points (like the northeast coast in Kazan or the western edge of Cnidaria).
A spot then any three in a line (any of the four types)
Anything that gets you across water or through barriers is awesome. Moving in a line is generally a good idea for trade routes or towers or getting set up somewhere further from the capital. It is totally possible to get screwed with one of these cards, but I find that to be rare.
4-consecutive water or mountain
They had to knock off one hex because mountains. Sure, makes sense. It’s still a very decent card. And drilling through those coin-heavy mountains is often a good move.
B-tier
Solid picks, usually.
Five water
It’s unexciting, but it has pretty massive utility, given how much water gets in the way of goals. I think I’d prefer to draw this one in Era II or III, but I wouldn't complain about it in Era I. That said, there’s plenty I’d pick over it, including some of the cards in the B-tier list.
Water + 2x treasure
This one’s hella fun. I almost put it in A-tier, but guaranteed extra spots are better than gambling for cube drops or other cool treasure. Thing is, the average point bonus from treasure cards isn’t that huge. Getting over 20 points total from treasure isn’t easy, so I don’t tend to invest in it. That said, using this card to get those extra explorers or go for the vases isn’t a terrible secondary strategy. Just make sure you’re not sacrificing trade routes for it.
Big ole line of water
Like its cousin Big ole line of land, this one can be pretty situational. I felt it belonged in B-tier simply because more stuff happens on land and you can cut through variety with the land line. But… water is everywhere. You can make some pretty sweet cross-map things happen with this bad boy. I dunno, maybe I was too hard on it. Feel free to advocate for A-tier inclusion
3x coins (grass or desert)
I almost downgraded these to C-tier. They have the problem of constraining you to a land type… but man, 3x coins? Each of these cards has four hexes on it, so positioned well you can score in the 15-20 range (good as a big trade route, better than towers)! Draw this one around Era II and you can make it pay out several times. And those maps with 3-coin spots? Watch out.
C-tier
Not bad, but often situational.
One water + terrain (3 types)
There is nothing wrong with these cards or their ‘only terrain’ cousins. I just find that it’s easy to run out of great plays if you’re constrained to one type of terrain or one area of land. The water on these cards can help, but it’s just one little water. Draw your adjacency or three-water card late and you can find yourself puttering around the start area for a frustratingly long time.
Two types of terrain (grass or desert w/ mountains)
Again, nothing wrong at all with these ones. I’ve picked them over cards in the higher Tiers based on the situation. Sometimes they are like keys into locks for rolling out a strategy. But they can also be huge drags if you’re forced into one that doesn’t end up working out (often you’re burned by card order—everything would’ve been great had you pulled x, y, or z before this one, but nooooo).
2x coins for mountains
Sure mountains tend to have more coins, but the nerf from 3x to 2x and four hexes to three feels slightly worse than maybe just one or the other. I’m sure it was playtested for balance, and on maps like Kazan this card can be a solid point maker. I don’t hate this guy, but I find it much less exciting than many others.
Lines from villages
I’ve mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I love the mechanics. It can be a total game changer in the right situation… but that’s the thing. It’s super situational. There’s been many a game where my village placement (or lack thereof) just makes this card unviable. Definitely something you want to come across early in Era III for the best chance of being clutch. Obviously there are exceptions, but it’s just too finicky to be rated high on my list.
Four in a region
This is a great card for village-making. Village-making just ain’t how I play though. And village-making tends to have tension against route-building (clustering in spots vs. making lines through terrain). That said, strategic villages can help with routes, and some regions are more line-like than clustered. I’m happier to see this later in the game than being stuck with it early though.
D-tier
Pick ‘em only if I’m forced to.
Surrounders (4 types)
Yeah, there’s only one card at the bottom of my list. These poor bastards. They do everything I don’t like: very situational, clustering vs. making lines, often possible to have no (good) options to use. In hundreds of games, the main reason I take them is when I’m dealt two, haha. The other reason: the second choice is literally useless (e.g. ‘Lines from villages' when I have none). That said, if I do end up with a Surrounder it’s far from impossible to make it useful. But it’s a challenge and can be ugly no matter how well you plan. And I’m always heartened when I see my opponents with one
Your thoughts?
Tier lists are always a great source of debate and discussion. Let me know where you disagree
And I may have missed some cards too! I'd like to think I've seen them all enough by now but I would not be surprised if a few slipped my memory haha.
Enough preamble!
S-tier
Creates a strong advantage in virtually any situation
Variety Pack
Two water and one of everything else. It may seem unassuming at first, but all the maps are built to put ‘variety’ in the way of major goals (trade routes, new areas, towers). It is so often the case that you need 1-2 extra cubes to make something awesome happen, and this Swiss Army Knife card can almost always deliver, especially if double tapped in Era IV.
Water with cities
As I’ve mentioned before, trade route completion is kinda the main meta of this game. And this card not only gives you critical water, but free coastal city connections (unlimited at that)! The one “downside” I guess is if you draw it late and you’ve already connected a bunch of stuff up, but if that’s the case, you’re probably crushing it anyway.
5-consecutive (grass or water)
These guys are just massive. You pull one in Era I or II, you know you’re gonna have a good time. Most maps have ample grass and desert opportunities. All maps have water challenges. Ten hexes in Era IV if you need ‘em… the minor constraint of needing to be consecutive is very rarely an issue in my experience.
A-tier
Useful in almost all situations
Water + 2 coins
Almost as good as ‘Water with cities.’ There’s tons of opportunity to make things happen by grabbing a strategic coin space, and four water is always useful. Worst case, some extra points!
Big ole line of land
While this one can be situational, there are too many cool spots to leverage this one to demote it any further in my opinion. It can be clutch to fire into a tower, score a sneaky village, or just crush a bunch of points (like the northeast coast in Kazan or the western edge of Cnidaria).
A spot then any three in a line (any of the four types)
Anything that gets you across water or through barriers is awesome. Moving in a line is generally a good idea for trade routes or towers or getting set up somewhere further from the capital. It is totally possible to get screwed with one of these cards, but I find that to be rare.
4-consecutive water or mountain
They had to knock off one hex because mountains. Sure, makes sense. It’s still a very decent card. And drilling through those coin-heavy mountains is often a good move.
B-tier
Solid picks, usually.
Five water
It’s unexciting, but it has pretty massive utility, given how much water gets in the way of goals. I think I’d prefer to draw this one in Era II or III, but I wouldn't complain about it in Era I. That said, there’s plenty I’d pick over it, including some of the cards in the B-tier list.
Water + 2x treasure
This one’s hella fun. I almost put it in A-tier, but guaranteed extra spots are better than gambling for cube drops or other cool treasure. Thing is, the average point bonus from treasure cards isn’t that huge. Getting over 20 points total from treasure isn’t easy, so I don’t tend to invest in it. That said, using this card to get those extra explorers or go for the vases isn’t a terrible secondary strategy. Just make sure you’re not sacrificing trade routes for it.
Big ole line of water
Like its cousin Big ole line of land, this one can be pretty situational. I felt it belonged in B-tier simply because more stuff happens on land and you can cut through variety with the land line. But… water is everywhere. You can make some pretty sweet cross-map things happen with this bad boy. I dunno, maybe I was too hard on it. Feel free to advocate for A-tier inclusion
3x coins (grass or desert)
I almost downgraded these to C-tier. They have the problem of constraining you to a land type… but man, 3x coins? Each of these cards has four hexes on it, so positioned well you can score in the 15-20 range (good as a big trade route, better than towers)! Draw this one around Era II and you can make it pay out several times. And those maps with 3-coin spots? Watch out.
C-tier
Not bad, but often situational.
One water + terrain (3 types)
There is nothing wrong with these cards or their ‘only terrain’ cousins. I just find that it’s easy to run out of great plays if you’re constrained to one type of terrain or one area of land. The water on these cards can help, but it’s just one little water. Draw your adjacency or three-water card late and you can find yourself puttering around the start area for a frustratingly long time.
Two types of terrain (grass or desert w/ mountains)
Again, nothing wrong at all with these ones. I’ve picked them over cards in the higher Tiers based on the situation. Sometimes they are like keys into locks for rolling out a strategy. But they can also be huge drags if you’re forced into one that doesn’t end up working out (often you’re burned by card order—everything would’ve been great had you pulled x, y, or z before this one, but nooooo).
2x coins for mountains
Sure mountains tend to have more coins, but the nerf from 3x to 2x and four hexes to three feels slightly worse than maybe just one or the other. I’m sure it was playtested for balance, and on maps like Kazan this card can be a solid point maker. I don’t hate this guy, but I find it much less exciting than many others.
Lines from villages
I’ve mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I love the mechanics. It can be a total game changer in the right situation… but that’s the thing. It’s super situational. There’s been many a game where my village placement (or lack thereof) just makes this card unviable. Definitely something you want to come across early in Era III for the best chance of being clutch. Obviously there are exceptions, but it’s just too finicky to be rated high on my list.
Four in a region
This is a great card for village-making. Village-making just ain’t how I play though. And village-making tends to have tension against route-building (clustering in spots vs. making lines through terrain). That said, strategic villages can help with routes, and some regions are more line-like than clustered. I’m happier to see this later in the game than being stuck with it early though.
D-tier
Pick ‘em only if I’m forced to.
Surrounders (4 types)
Yeah, there’s only one card at the bottom of my list. These poor bastards. They do everything I don’t like: very situational, clustering vs. making lines, often possible to have no (good) options to use. In hundreds of games, the main reason I take them is when I’m dealt two, haha. The other reason: the second choice is literally useless (e.g. ‘Lines from villages' when I have none). That said, if I do end up with a Surrounder it’s far from impossible to make it useful. But it’s a challenge and can be ugly no matter how well you plan. And I’m always heartened when I see my opponents with one
Your thoughts?
Tier lists are always a great source of debate and discussion. Let me know where you disagree
And I may have missed some cards too! I'd like to think I've seen them all enough by now but I would not be surprised if a few slipped my memory haha.
