My Recollection Expertise Guide and deck-building suggestions

I have bought 67 Assassin Packs so far and have been trying out new decks. I'll post an update on the Expertise (Colors) of Recollection with Assassin card impressions added in bold below the old comments for Templar cards. I do not have all the Assassin cards yet and I'm hoping to hold off more spending until the Auction House opens.

Yellow Golden Expertise

- Main winning condition: Sites

- has mass-destruction cards (site+agents): Animus Reboot

- has game-changing cards that can reset scores or make all actions uncounter-able, to an Agent that wins the game with its own effect.

Red Faith Expertise

- Main winning condition: Sites

- Agents mostly have Recover ability

- has card against Purple Media Expertise and Green Scholar Expertise

- has milling (deck out) and discard effects as well as graveyard (Archive) manipulation

- are against Agents and has a mass destruction card for Agents to top that up

Black Crime Expertise

- Too few cards to cipher the winning condition but I'm guessing it is through Agents? I'm reading that there are other win condition cards in Black Crime Expertise.

- Thieves are a potent Agent-type

- Alternate win condition using Courtesans

- The previous 2 points seem to be very fast decks from the comments of users in forums

- has mass-destruction cards that only affect opponent

- has quite a few "187-type" Agents (Magic term for creatures with come into play effects). 10-gold Ezio (Main Character of AC Brotherhood and Revelations) is a 187-type.

Purple Media Expertise

- Main winning condition: Agents

- Weenie-swam strategy available

- has cards against Sites

- has doppleganger-themed cards

- has a souped-up version of Magic's Giant Growth: Instant +3/+3 with Fierce (Trample) to Agent 

Blue Order Expertise

- Main winning condition: Agents

- most cards in Templar set

- has counterspell! (Magic: The Gathering's famous card: one that can negate other cards)

- has a lot of vanilla (no abilities) and Official-ability Agents

- has an unblockable Agent (uncommon card that is quite difficult to get)

- has cards against Sites and Black Crime Expertise

- works with Green Scholar Expertise

- has a +2 power to all Templar Agents (Templar set agents?) rare card

- has site that alter winning condition and an action (Royal Intervention) that just outright add X gold to your score in a region

- has one more counter spell which negates while replacing itself with another card.

Green Scholar Expertise

- Main winning condition: Sites

- has cards against Purple Media and Red Faith

- has mass-bounce cards (Site+agents): Impending Pandemic

- powerful card drawing and card advantage mechanics

- 10-gold Leonardo Da Vinci is a 187-type that lets you draw 2 cards.

- overall, this Expertise still looks more like support to me.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

AC Recollection Card List website by Baracus of Touch Arcade Forums

link

The website is nicely-done. At the moment, the card list is not complete.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Borgia Art Gallery/Blue, Purple & Yellow/Templar Only

20 Agents

5 Dama Rossa

5 Teddor Viscardi

5 Dante Moro

5 Horse Merchant

10 Sites

5 Borgia Tower

5 Art Gallery

20 Actions

5 Calling all Stand-ins

5 Court Order

5 A Call to Action

5 By Order of the King

Total: 50 Memories

I noticed Borgia Tower and Art Gallery combo very well with 0 or low cost Agents. Initially, I only used either Borgia Tower or Art Gallery but later switched to using both as I wasn't drawing enough of either. Dante Moro and Court Order provide defense and By Order of the King helps to thin the deck. Calling all Stand-ins is for middle to late game and should wrap up the victory.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Site-rush Deck/Red, Green & Yellow/Templar Only

25 Sites

5 Basilica Di San Pietro

5 City Stables

5 Quiet Chapel

5 Roma, Vaticano District

5 Lair of Romulus

25 Actions

5 Papal Bull

5 Judgement Day

5 Seeking Sanctuary

5 Field of Study

5 Papal Influence

Total: 50 Memories

I put in Papal Bull for defense. Lair of Romulus, Judgement Day and Papal Influence are game winning cards. Roma, Vaticano District can lockout Agents while still providing 2 influence which is quite versatile. This is one of the few Templar decks that can use the card-drawing Memory, Field of Study.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Noble Deck/Blue/Templar Only

30 Agents

5 Teddor Viscardi

5 Dante Moro

5 Arquebusier

5 Beautiful Heiress

5 Carlo Grimadi

5 Emilio Barbarigo

5 Sites

5 Borgia Tower

15 Actions

5 By Order of the King

5 Forced Inheritance

5 Court Order

Total: 50 Memories

Semi-unblockable Agents backed up with Counterspell. Once you get Borgia Tower out, your Agents start to get bigger. By Order of the King serves to thin deck which is important as there is no other card drawing Memory available. Save Counterspell for opponent's mass destruction or game winning Memory.

Update: For Assassin cards, remove 5 Emilio Barbarigo for 5 Pre-emptive Strike. Use Baracus' Site for card list.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Militant Deck/Purple & Yellow/Templar only

30 Agents
5 Dama Rossa
5 Persistent Panhandler
5 Cahin
5 Silvestro Sabbatini
5 Ercole Massimo
5 Caha

5 Sites
5 Art Gallery

15 Actions
5 Calling all Stand-ins
5 A Call to Action
5 Motivational Speech

Total: 50 Memories

Simple Weenie rush deck. Save some Agents in hand in case of mass destruction Memories. Calling all Stand-ins is for a middle to late game powerhouse.

Update: For Assassin cards, add in 5 Plentiful Crop and 5 Magnetic Personality to replace Ercole Massimo and Motivational Speech. Use Baracus' Site for card list.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Details, details, details......

Memory Effects and comments updated for Templar Card Lists thanks to input from Jools75 and ategaw from Touch Arcade forums.

As I was going through the Memories again, I noticed the wordings and take greater notice on the symbols/icons used:

Gold vs Income
Gold is the white diagonal rectangle box. It is what you use to cast Memories.
Income is the dark diagonal rectangle box. It is a measure of how much your gold pile can accumulate up to.

Influence vs Score
Influence is represented in a diamond square. It is what the region will gain in score after a complete day has passed.
Score is represented in a diamond square with the top and bottom corners are marked in black. You need this to be at 10.

Action vs Surprise
Action is a symbol with 3 cards fanned out. It takes 1/2 a day to resolves.
Surprise is a symbol with 3 cards fanned out and a lightning in the middle. It resolves immediately.

Neutralize vs Erased
Neutralize Memories goes to Archive pile.
Erased Memories goes to Erased pile. (Out of game pile and cannot be retrieved)

Get vs Have (might need confirmation)
When the Memory reads 'your X gets X effect", it means the effect is permanent unless the word 'until' is used in the explanation.
When the Memory reads 'your X have X effect", it means the effect is until the Agent or Site is neutralized.

Your vs All
'Yours' refer to only your Memories.
'All' refers to both players' Memories.

Don't get them confused!

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Memory Effects updated to all Templar Expertise Card List

I've updated all Templar Memories with their effects in my earlier posts. Merry Christmas to all!

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

No Decking-out win condition in AC Recollections (Update: There is but you need to use a card)

Just putting it out here because I experienced the AI drawing its entire deck and not losing the game. Come to think of it, perhaps the game is not designed for losing via deck-out and promotes you to draw as fast as possible?

New strategy for Forgotten Temple: draw to 0 memories, activate, board-wipe and hand-wipe. (Watch out for Safe ability Agents though!)

Update: There is a Rare Faith Memory in Assassin Pack that makes decking-out a win condition!

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Templar Scholar Expertise Card List

Credits to Ubisoft for all the cards. Some of my comments on the Memories are in italics below the effects.

1: Engineer. No ability.

2: Engineer. No ability.

3: Draw a Memory for each Site you control.

One of Templar pack's few cards that allows for drawing of Memory. Good card for Site-focused deck.

4: No ability.

5: Pay 2 gold, discard a Site: Surprise. Search your Sequence for a Site to put in hand and randomize Sequence.

6: Engineer.

When a player gets a Site in a Region, he draws a Memory.

Benefits both players so it is not as good.

1: Surprise. Put target Agent in its Controller's Hand.

Combos with discard effects Memories from Assassin Packs.

2: Put Target Site or launching Site in its Controllers Hand.

Combos with discard effects Memories from Assassin Packs.

3: Faith Agents and Sites rest twice as slow.

Situational.

4: Put all Media Agents and Sites in their Controller's Hand.

Situational.

5: Pay 3 gold: Action. Put target Site you control in your Hand.

To protect the site if targeted for destruction?

6: Agents cannot campaign in a Region where the Opponent influence is greater than their Power.

Should be a good lockdown card.

1: No ability.

2: Physician. Put target Agent or launching Agent in its Controller's Hand.

Combos with discard effects Memories from Assassin Packs.

3: Physician. Put target Site or launching Site in its Controller's Hand.

Combos with discard effects Memories from Assassin Packs.

4: Put target Agent or launching Agent on top of its Controller's Sequence.

Better than Slow Study as it denies a new Memory draw.

5: Physician. Pay 3 gold: Surprise. Put target Agent you control in your Hand.

To protect agent?

6: Put all Agents and Sites in their Controller's Hand.

Mass destruction when paired with mass discard effects.

1: Move target Site you control to target different Region. (If there is already a site, it is replaced) Draw a Memory.
This Memory replaces itself with another.

2: The Controller of target Site moves it to target different Region. (If there is already a Site, it is replaced)

3: If you replace a site with this Memory, the replaced Site is placed in Hand instead of Archive.

4: Engineer. When a Site is replaced, the new Site gets +2 influence.
Benefits both players.

5: Engineer. if a Site or Agent is replaced, put it in its Controller's Hand.
Benefits both players.

6: Pay 2 gold, lose all your gold: Action. Search your Sequence for a Site with a Cost lower than Gold lost. Randomize Sequence.
I personally prefer Architect's Sanctum to this.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Templar Order Expertise Card List

Credits to Ubisoft for all the cards. Some of my comments on the Memories are in italics below the effects.

1: Soldier. No ability.

2: No ability.

3: Surprise. Target Agent gets +1/+1.

4: Citizen. Pay 2 gold: Surprise. Target Agent gets +1/+1.

5: Herald. Official + When this agents scores, it gets +2/+2.

Effect is permanent. Good card as it is semi-unblockable and grows into a big agent. (provided by Jools75 of Touch Arcade forums)

6: When one of your Agents campaigns on this region, it gets +1/+1.

Combos well with 0 cost or low cost Agents. Effect is permanent.

1: Soldier. No ability.

2: Soldier. No ability.

3: Soldier. No ability.

4: Soldier. No ability.

5: Soldier. No ability.

6: When you get an Agent in your HQ, score 2 in this region.

Tokens are counted too. (provided by Jools75 and ategaw of Touch Arcade forums)

1: Noble. Official.

2: Noble. Official.

3: Noble. Official.

4: Noble. Unblockable.

Although situational, I find Arquebusier (2 Memories above) to be more useful than this Agent.

5: Search your Sequence for a Noble or Herald. Put into hand and randomize Sequence.

Card tutoring. It needs better UI for selecting your card.

6: Noble. Official + Fierce. Agent resolves as a Surprise.

Due to speed of Surprise, this Agent is un-counterable.

1: No ability.

2: No ability.

3: Noble. Lose -0/-1, another Agent gains Safe.

Combos with mass destruction Memories?

4: Crime Actions cannot neutralize nor damage your Agents or Sites.

Situational.

5: Erase target Agent or launching Agent.

Good card removal.

6: Herald. When this agent scores, erase another target Agent.

This will attract blockers fast! 

1: Noble. No ability.

2: Noble. Pay 8 gold: Action. this agent becomes a 4/4.

Good Memory throughout the game.

3: Noble. Your other Nobles have +1/+0

Effect is gone when this Agent is erased.

4: Noble. Target Agent gets +2/+2

Effect should be permanent.

5: Noble. This agent has +1/+1 for each other Noble you control.

Keep 0 cost or low cost Agents in HQ for the buff.

6: Your Nobles and Soldiers get +2/+2.

Effect should be permanent.

1: Surprise. Neutralize target launching Agent.

You have to be quick!

2: No ability.

3: Neutralize target launching Assassin Memory.

Pack specific. Situational.

4: Surprise. Neutralize target launching Memory.

This is the Counterspell of the game. I think 5 copies is automatic choice for any deck with Blue expertise. (Staple)

5: Official. Tap this Agent: Surprise. Neutralize target launching Memory by sacrificing this Agent.

5 More slower Counterspell.

6: Official. Pay 3 gold: Action. Neutralize target Assassin Agent. (Resolves as Surprise)

Situational.

1: No ability.

2: Neutralize target launching Memory with cost 0 or 1.
Situational?

3: Noble. Opponent gets +2 gold.
One of the best under-cost agent with a set-back.

4: Official.
The rare card that most people do not want when opening packs. Purple's Calling all Stand-ins is a much better card if you want a big Agent.

5: Templar Agents have +2/+0.
You should be playing Templar Agents if you use this anyway.

6: Neutralize all Sites.
Mass destruction card.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Templar Media Expertise Card List

Credits to Ubisoft for all the cards. My own comments (if any) to the card in italics below the card ability.

1: Target Agent or launching Agent becomes a 1/1 Militant with no ability.

2: Militant. Fierce.

3: Militant. Fierce.

Under-cost Agent with a side-back in gold

4: Militant. No ability.

5: Militant. Your other Militants get +1/+1.

Effect stays when this Agent is neutralized? (Requires confirmation)

6: Lost all your gold and put a X/X Militant with Fierce in HQ, if there is an empty slot. X is the gold lost.

AI likes to create weenies with this card. This is a good game-winning Memory but remember not to fill up your own HQ before this resolves.

1: No ability.

2: Militant. No ability.

3: Militant. When this agent scores, score 2 in the Region. 

4: Citizen. Neutralize target Assassin Site.

Any Site from Assassin Packs. Situational.

5: When one of your Agents campaigns on this Region, score 2 on it.

Combos well with 0 cost or cheap Agents

6: Players cannot launch Sites in this Region.

Good lockdown card.

1: Neutralize target Assassin Agent or Site.

Must be against memories from Assassin Packs. Situational.

2: Surprise: Put a 1/1 virtual Militant in your HQ, if there is an empty slot.

Militant token comes out immediately.

3: Militant. Put a 1/1 virtual Militant in your HQ if there is an empty slot.

Nice 1-time token generator. Use the token against X/1 agents to gain memory advantage as your opponent waste a memory while you lose none.

4: No ability.

5: Militant. Your other Militants have +2/+2.

Effect is gone when agent is neutralized.

6: Put a 2/2 virtual Militant in each free slot of your HQ.

Militant tokens come out immediately. Can be a game-winning card.

1: All your Agents get +1/+1
Agents from all Expertise are covered here.

2: Surprise. Target Site's Influence becomes 0.

3: Each Site's Influence becomes 0.
One of the few mass destruction cards available in Templar packs.

4: Courtesan. No ability.
Good card for gold.

5: No ability.

6: All your Agents get +3/+3, Fierce and Recover until they finish resting.
Similar to Magic: TG's green card, Overrun. Pumps up all your weenies for 1 good push. Agents from all Expertise are covered here.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Templar Faith Expertise Card List

Credits to Ubisoft for all the cards. My own comments (if any) to the card in italics below the card ability.

1: Priest. Tap this agent: Target Agent regains its lost Health. (resolves as Action)

2: Target Site or launching Site gets +2 influence.

3: Knight. No ability.

4: Knight. Recover.

5: Target Agent or Site loses all abilities. (Launching abilities will have no effect)

6: Knight. Always Safe.

Combos with Mass Destruction memories.

1: No ability.

2: Score 5 in target Region.

Good card.

3: When you get a church in a region, this site gets +1 influence.

4: If you replace this site, put it in hand instead of Archive.

Good Gold Generator, just keep recycling this card for gold.

5: When one of your agent is neutralized, score 1 in this region.

6: If you control this Region, Opponent cannot score in it.

Nice to lockdown a region but I haven't seen much use in it personally.

1: Priest. Recover.

2: Priest. No ability.

3: Herald. On each Region, players score points according to their Site's influence.

Combos with Judgement Day memory for faster scoring. Affects both players.

4: Priest. Recover + You regain Gold twice as slow.

Under-cost Agent for a side-back.

5: Priest. Recover + Fierce + You regain Gold twice as fast.

Combos with Juan Borgia (Card above)?

6: When you launch this memory, lose all your Gold. Target Site or launching Site gets +1 influence for each Gold lost.

There is a Assassin Rare Card called Royal Intervention that does what this card + Borgia Cardinal combined. I reckon this is the "poor man's version" of the Assassin Rare. It's still a good game-winning card though.

1: Surprise. Target Agent gets -2/-0

-0/-X Memories are in Assassin Packs which also explains why those are better.

2: When a player launches a Scholar Action, he discards his Memory with the highest Cost (at random in case of tie)

One of the rare discard effects in Templar packs. Only works specifically against Scholars so it is situational.

3: All Media Agents have -2/-0

Situational.

4: No ability.

5: Agents cannot campaign in this Region.

Agents already campaigning are not prevented. Good lockdown card.

6: All your Sites get +2 influence

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Templar Crime Expertise Card List

Credits to Ubisoft for all the cards. My own comments (if any) to the card in italics below the card ability.

1: Trader. No ability

2: Thief. No ability

3: Search you Sequence for a Thief or Mercenary. Put it in your hand. Randomize.

Card tutor. It will be better if UI for selecting card improves.

4: Thief. Threat + When Lanz campaigns, your Thieves get +1/+1

Thieves get effect when this agent is campaigning so keep Lanz busy!

5: Thief. Recover + When you launch this memory, gain 4 gold

I haven't tried this card but I think you gain 4 gold immediately by putting it in HQ. (gold is not income, income is your permanent gold pool)

6: Move Target Opponent Agent to your HQ, if there is an empty slot.

If this resolves and you filled up your HQ with agents, you do not get the effect. This card is Recollection's Change of Heart! (Yugioh banned card) 

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Templar Golden Expertise Card List

Credits to Ubisoft for all the cards. My own comments (if any) to the card in italics below the card ability.

1: Trader. No ability

2: Militant. No ability

3: Neutralize target Site or launching Site

4: Noble. Fierce

5: Official

6: Surprise. Target Agent's Power becomes 0.

1: Trader. No ability

2: Trader. No ability

3: No ability

4: No ability

5: Trader. No ability

6: Trader. Has +1/+1 for each Site you control

1: No ability

2: Surprise: Your Agents regain their lost health

3: No ability

4: Surprise: Switch the Power and Health of target Agent. Draw a memory

It replaces itself with a card.

5: Pay 10 gold: Switch Sequences with Opponent. Sacrifice Forgotten Temple.

6: Neutralize all Agents, Sites and launching memories. Your Score on each Region becomes 3.

ctr+alt+del

1: X is the number of sites you control

2: No ability

3: Herald. Each day, players draw an extra memory and get +1 income

Income is your permanent gold pool.

4: When you get +1 gold, score 1 in this region

Combos with The Spaniard memory (card before this)

5: Your score in target Region becomes Opponent's Score

6: Opponent get +4 income

Income is your permanent gold pool.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

My Templar Recollection Rarity guide for Rare Cards after 292 Templar packs

I was going to buy 300 Templar packs before updating my rarity guide for Templar Recollection but I decided to stop in-app purchasing for a while and focus on building Templar decks first. I've noticed some rare-s which are the same always appear in a particular location, leading me to believe that the packs are "pre-generated".

The usual disclaimer: Please note that this is from my purchase experience of 292 Templar packs and may not represent the exact rarity ratio, it may just represent my luck!

Legend

Ultra Rare - Out of 292 packs, less than 5 copies, the rarest rare-s

Super Rare - Out of 292 packs, very close to or about 5 copies, the uncommon rare-s

Cards will be listed with the card type in brackets. I've removed normal rare classification.

Yellow Golden Expertise

Ultra Rare

Animus Reboot (Action)

Merchants Guild (Site)

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained (Action)

Red Faith Expertise

Ultra Rare

Capella Sistina (Site)

Super Rare

Rodrigo Borgia, Pope (Agent)

Purple Media Expertise

Ultra Rare

Caha (Agent)

Super Rare

Man of People (Action)

Blue Order Expertise

Ultra Rare

Castle Sant'Angelo (Site)

Cesare Borgia (Agent)

Uberto Alberti (Agent)

Lucrezia Borgia (Agent)

Super Rare

Charles De La Motte (Agent)

Just Cause (Action)

Octavian De Valois (Agent)

Royal Decree (Site)

Templar Sanctum (Site)

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

AC: Recollections feedback from users

I've been following the Recollection forums on Ubisoft and Touch Arcade and there have been a strong post against the game, post 334 by Spatzi. People sitting on the fence about getting into this game can read it for his views on the game. However, be sure to check out the replies to his post in the same thread before coming to any conclusion. In particular, these 2 posters provide a good counter-argument in this post.

In my opinion, this is still a virtual game no matter how you look at it and you are not going to get any tangible product out of it. (Unless Ubisoft decides to print the whole set to reward users with the complete set as a gift, like what Wizards of the Coast did for Magic Online) I'm spending about the price of what I would have spend on 2 Yugioh structure decks and I am having fun from the experience of constructing decks, devising strategies and collecting virtual cards. In reality, people like to comment that cards are really just cardboards anyway too, right? There are many people spending money on virtual goods, from World of Warcraft to Farmville. It all boils down to how much you want to spend and the most important question of all that you need to ask yourself: are you having fun?

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Forgotten Temple Deck Idea

This is one of the first deck I attempted after buying all those Templar packs. This is a very interesting card and reminds me of this Magic: TG deck, the Tolarian Academy deck, and I wanted to build to a deck around it. The idea of that deck was to draw a lot of cards and generate a lot of mana before using a spell to make your opponent draw his entire deck. More on how Forgotten Temple does that later.

Effect: Pay 10 gold, Switch Sequences (your decks) with your opponent.

First attempt at it was quite a failure: I tried building it with lots of cards which does nothing but gain gold. I then attempt to give this crap to the opponent and win with his cards. I forgot I give CPU the deck with some more Forgotten Temple-s in the deck and he can win back but it seems that the AI didn't know/attempt to use it.

This first setback did help me in my research on how to build a deck around the card. Firstly, you have to make sure all the Forgotten Temples are drawn or on the field. Secondly, you have to be able to deal with or survive (if decking out wins you the game) the existing threats that made it onto the field.

My evolved strategy of using the Forgotten Temple will be to draw through your entire deck and trigger Forgotten Temple once you are left with 1-2 card or have drawn all the Forgotten Temples-s and Mass Destruction spells. This will really leave your opponent with crap now. I think Templar only deck is difficult to accomplish the above as Assassin Cards are a must as a lot of draw cards are found there.

The deck, if it works, will be like the Tolarian Academy deck, which was banned in Magic: TG very soon after its creation as it dominated tournaments. I don't recall reading that not being able to draw a memory (a.k.a card) is listed as a win condition but I think future expansions might include it. Update: Not being able to draw a memory will not lose you the game.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Tutoring for cards in AC: Recollection

Card Tutors (Cards that let you search out other cards) are very powerful cards in any card game. They are essential the extra copies of that key card in your deck and they also help thin your deck. I come to realize one problem with this in AC: Recollection due to the turn-less real-time play style and the interface or searching the card.

1. While you search for your card, the game carries on and things continue to happen in the background and you lose precious time away from micro-managing your cards.

2. The interface for searching your card is displayed like packs in the Card Store. You'll have to scroll through your deck until you find the card you want, all the while with the pressure of the game continuing in the background. You can't cancel and will be stuck there until you finish selecting.

The above 2 factors make card tutoring less useful in my opinion in this game. One suggestion to fix this will be to display your entire deck on screen.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

My guide to pricing your cards in Assassin's Creed Recollection

Step 1: Price according to rarity

Step 2: Increment/decrement according to usefulness/power/popularity in decks

Step 3: Increment/decrement according to collectibility. (Card named after game's main Character or group, nice art will appeal to collectors and are most probably already powerful cards, etc)

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

My Templar Expertise Guide and deck-building suggestions

I'll try to provide a guide here on the things the Help section in the game doesn't cover.


Yellow Golden Expertise
- Main winning condition: Sites
- has mass-destruction cards (site+agents): Animus Reboot

Red Faith Expertise
- Main winning condition: Sites
- Agents mostly have Recover ability
- has card against Purple Media Expertise and Green Scholar Expertise

Black Crime Expertise
- Too few cards to cipher the winning condition but I'm guessing it is through Agents? I'm reading that there are other win condition cards in Black Crime Expertise.

Purple Media Expertise
- Main winning condition: Agents
- Weenie-swam strategy available
- has cards against Sites

Blue Order Expertise
- Main winning condition: Agents
- most cards in Templar set
- has counterspell! (Magic: The Gathering's famous card: one that can negate other cards)
- has a lot of vanilla (no abilities) and Official-ability Agents
- has an unblockable Agent (uncommon card that is quite difficult to get)
- has cards against Sites and Black Crime Expertise
- works with Green Scholar Expertise
- has a +2 power to all Templar Agents (Templar set agents?) rare card

Green Scholar Expertise
- Main winning condition: Sites
- Assassin packs will provide the powerful card drawing and card advantage mechanics
- has cards against Purple Media and Red Faith
- has mass-bounce cards (Site+agents): Impending Pandemic

You are allowed to mix up to 2 expertise color, not including yellow, so you can have 3 expertise too. It will be obvious that expertise with the same winning condition will complement each other. For Agent-based decks, I'm figuring it will be like Yugioh; if you keep to the same type (Nobles, Militants, etc) there will be more synergy. There are quite a few cards that are specifically to counter other Expertise but since there is no sideboard in the game, I guess it is too situational and best used in single player.

Now, back to more packs opening!

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

My Templar Recollection Rarity guide for Rare Cards after 177 Templar packs

Update: There is a new post updating my rarity guide after I opened more Templar packs.

I notice that even for rare cards, there are some disparity so I'm going to list out what I think is the rarity for the rare cards. I'll be using Yugioh naming to represent them. Please note that this is from my purchase experience of 177 Templar packs and may not represent the exact rarity ratio, it may just represent my luck!

Legend
Ultra Rare - Out of 177 packs, less than 5 copies, the rarest rare-s
Super Rare - Out of 177 packs, very close to or about 5 copies, the uncommon rare-s
Normal Rare - Out of 177 packs, easily more than 5 copies, the common rare-s

Cards will be listed with the card type in brackets. I'll leave the card details to another post or hopefully Ubisoft releases the card list guide soon.

Yellow Golden Expertise
Normal Rare
Jacobo De' Pazzi (Agent)
Forgotten Temple (Site)

The Spaniard (Agent)

Super Rare

Nil

Ultra Rare

Animus Reboot (Action)
Merchants Guild (Site)
False Hopes (Action)
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained (Action)

Black Crime Expertise
Normal Rare
Lia De Russo (Agent)
Change of Plans (Action)

Super Rare
Lanz (Agent)

Ultra Rare
Nil

Red Faith Expertise
Normal Rare
Judgment Day (Action)
Roma, Vaticano District (Site)

Super Rare
Silvio Barbarigo (Agent)
Quiet Chapel (Site)
Pontifical High Mass (Action)

Ultra Rare
Capella Sistina (Site)
Rodrigo Borgia, Pope (Agent)

Purple Media Expertise
Normal Rare
Palazzo Della Signoria (Site)

Super Rare
Il Colosseo (Site)
Carnevale (Action)

Ultra Rare

Calling All Stand-ins (Action)

Man of People (Action)

Caha (Agent)

Dama Rossa (Agent)

Blue Order Expertise
Normal Rare
Nil

Super Rare
Macro Barbarigo (Agent)
Il Carnefice (Agent)

Ultra Rare
Castle Sant'Angelo (Site)
Cesare Borgia (Agent)
Uberto Alberti (Agent)
Charles De La Motte (Agent)
Just Cause (Action)
Lucrezia Borgia (Agent)
Octavian De Valois (Agent)
Templar Sanctum (Site)
Royal Decree (Not the Yugioh card! Site)

Green Scholar Expertise
Normal Rare
Impending Pandemic (Action)
Gaspar De La Croix (Agent)

Super Rare
Master Architect (Agent)
Military Workshop (Site)
Malefato (Agent)
Master Engineer (Agent)

Ultra Rare
Engineer's Workroom (Site)

An Auction House feature will be added to the game soon and players will be able to sell their cards. I think the Ultra Rare cards are going to fetch a higher price and may even reach Assassin Rare prices.

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Completing the Templar Recollection... My virtual pack purchase history so far

To give everyone a sense of how many packs get you what amount in your collection, here's what you get originally at the start:

After spending 800 credits (500 given by Ubisoft for the server crash and 300 for the single player campaign so far) and getting 8 Templar packs:

After spending 2700 credits (in-app purchase) and getting 27 packs:

After spending 2800 credits (in-app purchase + 50 for previous left-over) and getting 27 packs:

After spending 11500 credits (in-app purchase) and getting 115 packs:

That is it, the complete Templar Recollection. Half of the most colors are in Assassin Packs while the Crime faction (Black) has the majority in Assassin and the Noble faction (Blue) has the majority in Templar. An important point to note is that I still do not have 5 copies of the rare cards I want!

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft

Opening Virtual Packs is fun too!

After losing countless times to the com which was using a particular deck and I noticed the combo (more on that in future post) that AI was pulling were just Templar cards, I finally started buying virtual packs and also bought more credits through the in-app purchase! The interface for card purchase is ok but the way you open packs is better. The pack and thereafter, the opened cards are spread out over your screen and they slide around your screen if you tilt your iPad which is pretty cool. It makes the experience of opening packs a joy. No pack wrappers to clear too!

I went for only Templar packs as I aimed for low cost and to get 5 cards of each type and go for consistency over power. They cost 100 credits compared to Assassin packs which are 9x more expensive. (You'll have to spend much more to get 5 copies of a card) My buying strategy is to open enough packs till I get 5 copies of cards I want before stopping. Therefore, I do not want to buy a huge number of credits at one go.

Here's a look at the charts for in-app purchases of the game:

Top In-App Purchases (Taken from the App Store)

1. pack of 2750 Credits $4.99

2. pack of 1050 Credits $1.99

3. pack of 11500 Credits $19.99

4. pack of 500 Credits $0.99

5. pack of 30000 Credits $49.99

You can see the popular choice is $4.99 which gets you 2750 credits; 3 Assassin Packs or 27 Templar Packs or 5 Mixed Packs. There was a forum poster who recommended getting 27 Templar packs before contemplating multiplayer. Personally, I won't be considering buying any credit packs lesser than that amount. $4.99 is probably an acceptable price point to people as it is about the price of a real-world pack or 2 of cards. I bought this credit pack and when opening the 27 Templar Packs, I found that you will not be able to get the complete 5 copies of rare cards which are the good ones.

The next choice I considered is $19.99 (a price of a pre-constructed deck?) which is about twice the amount of $4.99 but it gets you 500 extra credits; 5 Templar packs. You then get to open 115 packs of cards which can be addictive and battery-sapping! I bought this pack after deciding then I don't mind spending more and this amount gets you 500 more credits too.

Now, going for $49.99 and opening 300 Templar packs sound very enticing (I'm starting to get addicted to opening virtual packs!) but as I mentioned earlier, you should try to reign in your spending urges as shopping online can easily go out of hand. I think it is better to spend and open enough to complete the 5 copies of card that you need. I think $49.99 is fifth choice as spending $50 is still very hard to stomach for most people. Therefore, I recommend buying 2750 or 11500 credits until you hit your required cards.

Buying packs definitely opens up more of the game and make the whole game experience better. The card art are great and you do get a sense of collecting them although they are virtual. Maybe Ubisoft might print them out one day? One thing for sure is that you do not have to worry about people feeling and buying up the "foil cards" packs before you!

iTunes App Store link: Assassin's Creed Recollection - Ubisoft