Unupgraded Manipulation Card "Planning" seems useless

[Vaiaphraim]

A 0-cost card with the effect to draw a card, then place one card back onto the draw pile. Yes, it costs nothing to play, BUT you need to sacrifice a card from your hand.

 

Scenario 1: 5 cards are drawn (A, B, C, D, Planning), E is the next on the draw pile.

After using Planning, the hand looks like A B C D E, with one card yet to remove. The player then has 4 cards in his hand.

 

Scenario 2: 5 cards are drawn (A, B, C, D, E), F is next on the draw pile.

Planning is not in the deck, and the player has 5 cards to select from.

 

Unless the player wants to inflate the discard pile, I don't see Scenario 1 having any advantages.

Am I missing something?

[TheOwl]

I'm guessing the upgraded version is actually useful?

[Daxterr]

I think planning is one of the best cards. Especially when you have that card that does damage whenever you draw it. If you have a few copies of each it can be VERY effective. 

Also, how often do you have no cards that you are willing to discard? Even if this happens, you can just discard the card you draw from planning.

There are plenty of crappy cards, and planning isn't one of them!

[Vaiaphraim]

@Daxterr - you see, instead of Planning, I would be drawing the card that Planning would give me in the first place. It's still just an extra step to trade a 0 cost card against the next card in the draw pile (plus, you'll have one card less on your hand after using it)

Maybe it helps with "that card that does damage whenever you draw it", but otherwise, I'm still not quite convinced... I guess there's one card that deals damage, when you discard any card from your hand, so you could gain the effect "for free" ? Seems like a weird combo to me :/

[Daxterr]

Well if you are consistently using every single card in your hand then that's the one situation where planning could be bad. With my playstyle though, I rarely use every single card. I guess it's all situational   : ) 

 

[ArtixBot]

Even while not upgraded, Planning has synergies/uses with:

• Evoke cards (in case you can't play them this turn, since they don't evoke while in your discard pile).
• The Influence card, Solid Point: when drawn, deals damage and grants influence.
• The Influence card, Beguile (for +6 damage)
• High-cost cards that you cannot play this turn (like Agitation) but want to as soon as possible.
• Status cards (delay Sick or Bad Deal for one turn!)
• And perhaps the weakest synergy, Known Thug to deal 1 damage to a random target (also probably the weakest Status card you get for making enemies surrender in combat).

The card is, of course, significantly better once upgraded.

[E.X.D.]

Planning is also just useful if you do exactly what it says. Often there's at least one card in my hand thats generally useful that I may not use this turn so it's usually worth it to put it back on the draw pile so I can use it next turn when I might have a better hand to combo with it. Also planning works really well with magnetic draw for some guaranteed influence gain.