Ways to get the cards in Shandalar
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Ways to get the cards in Shandalar
by jiansonz » 14 Nov 2011, 22:35
This is one aspect of Shandalar that is very appealing to me - there are so many ways you can get your greedy hands on the different cards! I have also been confused at times as to which cards are available in what ways.
Lately, I have made an attempt to understand it better. I have made lots of observations and experiments within the game. I have eventually managed to boil it down to a comprehensive list (in Excel) that I am now offering you here.
The list is quite likely not completely correct (corrections are very welcome!), but it´s pretty darn accurate and the best I can do at the moment.
Explanations for the categories.
I have grouped together the ways to acquire cards in Shandalar into seven main categories: Lair, Shop, Ante, List, Dungeon, Reward and Steal.
Green X in the list means that the card is available in this category in the original 2010 .iso version of the game, but after my Enemy Decks Overhaul (see stickied thread), not anymore.
Magenta X in the list means that the card is available in this category with the changes made in my Overhaul, but not in the unmodified game version.
Black X means it´s available in both versions.
Lair
Quite simple - these are the cards you can find in the random lairs in the Shandalar terrain. Either you just find a card (in which case it´s about 2/3 chance it is a basic land of the terrain type the lair is in) or something else happens (a riddle, an offer to trade a card for life in the next duel, etc) and then you find a card.
As far as I can tell, you can find any of the 646 cards in the game this way. In the original game, there are about 9-10 cards you can only find this way. With my Overhaul, I think there is only one card that retains this very exclusive status: Mana Crypt.
Shop
These are the cards you can buy for money in villages and cities. It´s basicially all the non-restricted 4th edition cards that can show up here. You won´t find any cards added in the expansions. Common and Uncommon cards dominate, but you can find the occasional Rare for sale.
There are six cards you can buy like this that are not in the List category: Celestial Prism and the five Mana Batteries.
Ante
The most obvious part in this category is the shown ante card (duh!) from the enemy deck you are about to play against. This card is always picked from the enemy deck, it is not a restricted card and it is not a basic land.
If you win the duel, you win that card, but you also win an additional 1-6 other cards. These other cards may not be related to the defeated deck; they can even be from other colours. Basic lands can be in this part of the reward. These extra cards is usually how you gain the 'bulk' of expansion cards in Shandalar.
In this category, I have also placed the cards you win in lairs when you fight and win at an Abandoned Shrine, in a Dragon´s Lair or in a Hall of the Sultan. These cards are always Rare (or Unique/Astral). I do not think most of the restricted cards (Moxes and the like) can be gained this way, but I know that e.g. the restricted land Library of Alexandria can be won like this.
A last part in the Ante category is the cards you can pick when an enemy is scared of you and tries to buy you off with 'A spell from my deck'. Restricted cards can not be gained this way. For example, if a Tusk Guardian offers a spell from its deck, the deck will be shown but there will only be 59 cards you can see. Why? You can not pick Berserk!
List
These are the cards available when you get to pick cards from a list. Not being in the List category is really what makes a card hard to chase down.
Lists are used when:
- you trade amulets for cards in a city
- you get your reward for completing a quest in a city (this kind of quest is always about defeating a particular kind of enemy)
- you trade amulets for cards in a Diamond Mine (found in a lair)
- you trade money for cards in a Nomad´s Bazaar (found in a lair)
- you defeat one of the five Wizards
- you get an extra reward ('Any card in the game') after defeating a Lord of Fate
Other than cards that are dungeon loot, here are most of the non-List cards:
* Three colorless lands: Arena, Elephant Graveyard and Diamond Valley
* Most Astral cards. Of the 12 cards in this set, only 4 are List cards: Aswan Jaguar, Faerie Dragon, Goblin Polka Band and Whimsy.
* Most Djinni and Efreeti. Of the 11 cards that are Djinn/Efreet related, only 4 are List cards: Mahamoti Djinn, Erhnam Djinn, Tempest Efreet and Bottle of Suleiman.
* King Suleiman, Nalathni Dragon, Mana Crypt
* Red creatures later in the alphabet than Wall of Dust (7 in total). Red has so many creatures that they do not fit in the list, and the list has no scrolling function. This means that there are 8 card texts on top of each other on the last row, but it´s Wall of Dust that gets picked if you click there.
Dungeon
Nothing strange here. About 25 cards in total. There are usually 3 of these cards in each dungeon.
Reward
An extra reward you will sometimes be given after you have grabbed the ante reward (or dungeon clue, if you chose that).
Steal
Just like it says - you steal a card from the opponent´s deck. Permanents are a lot easier to steal (using Bronze Tablet) than non-permanents (which require something like Tempest Efreet and a lot of planning/luck).
There are some cards you can steal that do not appear in the enemies' actual decks, but they occur as advantages in dungeons, castles or when you try to recover a city.
I have not included cards that appear only in the Arzakon deck, because the game is over after you fight him.
Lately, I have made an attempt to understand it better. I have made lots of observations and experiments within the game. I have eventually managed to boil it down to a comprehensive list (in Excel) that I am now offering you here.
The list is quite likely not completely correct (corrections are very welcome!), but it´s pretty darn accurate and the best I can do at the moment.
Explanations for the categories.
I have grouped together the ways to acquire cards in Shandalar into seven main categories: Lair, Shop, Ante, List, Dungeon, Reward and Steal.
Green X in the list means that the card is available in this category in the original 2010 .iso version of the game, but after my Enemy Decks Overhaul (see stickied thread), not anymore.
Magenta X in the list means that the card is available in this category with the changes made in my Overhaul, but not in the unmodified game version.
Black X means it´s available in both versions.
Lair
Quite simple - these are the cards you can find in the random lairs in the Shandalar terrain. Either you just find a card (in which case it´s about 2/3 chance it is a basic land of the terrain type the lair is in) or something else happens (a riddle, an offer to trade a card for life in the next duel, etc) and then you find a card.
As far as I can tell, you can find any of the 646 cards in the game this way. In the original game, there are about 9-10 cards you can only find this way. With my Overhaul, I think there is only one card that retains this very exclusive status: Mana Crypt.
Shop
These are the cards you can buy for money in villages and cities. It´s basicially all the non-restricted 4th edition cards that can show up here. You won´t find any cards added in the expansions. Common and Uncommon cards dominate, but you can find the occasional Rare for sale.
There are six cards you can buy like this that are not in the List category: Celestial Prism and the five Mana Batteries.
Ante
The most obvious part in this category is the shown ante card (duh!) from the enemy deck you are about to play against. This card is always picked from the enemy deck, it is not a restricted card and it is not a basic land.
If you win the duel, you win that card, but you also win an additional 1-6 other cards. These other cards may not be related to the defeated deck; they can even be from other colours. Basic lands can be in this part of the reward. These extra cards is usually how you gain the 'bulk' of expansion cards in Shandalar.
In this category, I have also placed the cards you win in lairs when you fight and win at an Abandoned Shrine, in a Dragon´s Lair or in a Hall of the Sultan. These cards are always Rare (or Unique/Astral). I do not think most of the restricted cards (Moxes and the like) can be gained this way, but I know that e.g. the restricted land Library of Alexandria can be won like this.
A last part in the Ante category is the cards you can pick when an enemy is scared of you and tries to buy you off with 'A spell from my deck'. Restricted cards can not be gained this way. For example, if a Tusk Guardian offers a spell from its deck, the deck will be shown but there will only be 59 cards you can see. Why? You can not pick Berserk!
List
These are the cards available when you get to pick cards from a list. Not being in the List category is really what makes a card hard to chase down.
Lists are used when:
- you trade amulets for cards in a city
- you get your reward for completing a quest in a city (this kind of quest is always about defeating a particular kind of enemy)
- you trade amulets for cards in a Diamond Mine (found in a lair)
- you trade money for cards in a Nomad´s Bazaar (found in a lair)
- you defeat one of the five Wizards
- you get an extra reward ('Any card in the game') after defeating a Lord of Fate
Other than cards that are dungeon loot, here are most of the non-List cards:
* Three colorless lands: Arena, Elephant Graveyard and Diamond Valley
* Most Astral cards. Of the 12 cards in this set, only 4 are List cards: Aswan Jaguar, Faerie Dragon, Goblin Polka Band and Whimsy.
* Most Djinni and Efreeti. Of the 11 cards that are Djinn/Efreet related, only 4 are List cards: Mahamoti Djinn, Erhnam Djinn, Tempest Efreet and Bottle of Suleiman.
* King Suleiman, Nalathni Dragon, Mana Crypt
* Red creatures later in the alphabet than Wall of Dust (7 in total). Red has so many creatures that they do not fit in the list, and the list has no scrolling function. This means that there are 8 card texts on top of each other on the last row, but it´s Wall of Dust that gets picked if you click there.
Dungeon
Nothing strange here. About 25 cards in total. There are usually 3 of these cards in each dungeon.
Reward
An extra reward you will sometimes be given after you have grabbed the ante reward (or dungeon clue, if you chose that).
Steal
Just like it says - you steal a card from the opponent´s deck. Permanents are a lot easier to steal (using Bronze Tablet) than non-permanents (which require something like Tempest Efreet and a lot of planning/luck).
There are some cards you can steal that do not appear in the enemies' actual decks, but they occur as advantages in dungeons, castles or when you try to recover a city.
I have not included cards that appear only in the Arzakon deck, because the game is over after you fight him.
Re: Ways to get the cards in Shandalar
by victorvndoom » 12 Dec 2011, 15:08
you can play the Arzakon deck in the duel option
i have a autistic disorder. I speak english very well but it is not my mother language .I have also some dislectic / grammatical problems. please pay attention..i cant correct myself each time
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