Editing User:Asarta/Deck Optimisation (Guide)

<b><center>ARE YOU A LOUSY NO-GOOD TWO-BIT LONDONER WHOSE DECK IS TOO BIG?<br/>
DO YOUR CONTACTS, ACQUAINTANCES, AND SPOUSES OFTEN LAUGH AT THE SIZE OF YOUR DECK??<br/>
DO YOU WANT A SMALLER, THINNER DECK???<br/></center></b><br/>

<center>''[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lA5Jevejwamm5-5J2iwuHKL52YMI-5BTFTrk9tMu8l4/edit# Original] by [[User:Vainfire|Vainfire]].''<br/>
''Wiki formatting and copy editing by [[User:Asarta|Asarta]], [[User:Horsea_X|Lux Gracetail]], and [[User:Vainfire|Vainfire]]''
</center>

<big><b><center>DON’T EXPERIENCE CONTENT: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO OPPORTUNITY DECK HYGIENE</center></b></big>
[[File:Lodgings-header.png|align=center]]
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This guide will be split into two sections: 
# [[#Section One: Just play the Game|Section One]] is the stuff that basically anyone can do, or the stuff where progression helps your opp deck. You can’t be locked out of opptimization through progress here, basically.
# Section Two is the opptimization that you can be locked out of due to progression. This one’s for if you’re starting a new account.

In order to get the most value out of this guide, it is recommended that you read it with a goal in mind. What do you want to get out of your cards? Whose favours are you looking for? Which items? These questions are personal, and vary greatly depending on which statues you have, which renowns you’re grinding, and how far along in the game you currently are. Note: this guide only covers the London deck.

The audience for this guide is new players and old players starting new alts. It can be read both for instructional value and as a theoretical argument for optimal play.

= Section One: Just play the Game =

== Holding cards in your hand ==
Your opportunity deck is truly a deck—which is to say that it is impossible to draw multiples. Any card which you hold in your hand cannot be drawn from the deck, and when drawing multiple cards at a time, those cards cannot be the same card. What this means is that, in practical terms, you can hold cards you don’t want to draw in your hand. It’s best, of course, to hold cards with higher frequency, so that you’re making more of an impact on the contents of your deck through this technique. For example, one mistake that new players often make is holding moods in their hand. Moods look splashy and rare, but more often than not spending the action on them simply isn’t worth it. Saving it in your hand does almost nothing, whereas holding a more frequent card could make a bigger impact on the contents of your deck.

Further, if you can draw cards but are currently holding a card you want to play right now (but perhaps cannot do so, due to not having enough actions), you may want to hold off on drawing cards, so that you can first play the good card from your hand and “add it back into the deck”.

Knowing these things, this is why [[:Category:Non-discardable|non-discardable]] cards are a danger: they can clog up your hand, therefore making your deck more diluted, as well as just reducing the number of opportunities you can hold on to at any given moment.

== Know Your Rarities! ==
In keeping with the idea that your opportunity deck is really a deck, you can imagine each card has a certain number of copies in your deck. When one copy is drawn, all the other copies are removed as well. And when that drawn card is either played or discarded, the appropriate number of copies is shuffled back into the deck. Each card has an associated rarity. This rarity determines the number of copies that are present in the deck at a given time. From most to least prevalent, here are the rarities and some of the cards that have these rarities.

*'''Ubiquitous (100 copies):''' reserved for special cards that basically have to be drawn immediately, as either reward or punishment. Ubiquitous Frequency is applied to cards such as the black {{IL|Seeking Mr Eaten's Name|Appearance=SMEN}}/{{IL|Unaccountably Peckish}} cards, festival (aka time-locked) opportunity cards, opportunity cards tied to mid-story progression, and the [[A merry gentleman|Merry Gentleman]].
*'''Abundant (50 copies):''' used for cards that also have to be drawn in short order, but for which a bit of a time delay is not the worst thing. Also applied to festival cards, some progression cards that start stories, player-sent assassins, and the [[A New Arrival|New Arrival]] cards.
*'''Frequent (20 copies):''' used for cards that the developers may want to appear more often than not. Applied to cards that have minor stories associated with them, certain lodgings cards, and cards that show up after {{IL|A Taste of the Garden|Appearance=cider-sipping}}.
*'''Standard (10 copies):''' used for most cards. The [[Factions (Guide)|faction]] cards are all Standard Frequency, most [[Lodgings Cards (Guide)|lodgings cards]] are standard frequency, etc. If a card has no good reason to be another frequency, it is often shunted into this one.
*'''Infrequent (8 copies):''' used for certain cards that the developers may want to appear somewhat more rarely, for one reason or another. Several dreams cards are Infrequent (as there are many dream cards, and they could otherwise clog a deck—more on this later), and some “profitable” cards are in this rarity slot as well. 
*'''Very Infrequent (5 copies):''' used for cards that would otherwise either clog a deck (there are [[Relickers|four relickers]] and each is Very Infrequent, several dreams cards are also Very Infrequent), be a bit too profitable ([[An Unsigned Message]], [[A Presumptuous Little Opportunity]]), or both ([[Conflict Cards|faction conflict cards]])
*'''Unusual (2 copies):''' reserved basically for dream cards that would otherwise clog the deck. Some other cards ([[The Paronomastic Newshound]], [[A tournament of weasels!|A Tournament of Weasels]]) are also Unusual.
*'''Rare (1 copy):''' saved for cards that could  break the game if too frequent. [[A disgraceful spectacle 2|A Disgraceful Spectacle]] (12.5 Echoes with one action) is Rare, as are [[Mood|moods]] (used for sequence-breaking {{IL|A Person of Some Importance|Appearance=PoSI}}, faction renown, and [[Forgotten Quarter Expeditions (Guide)|Forgotten Quarter Expeditions]]). Rare is also used on opportunities that are just that—rare—as a kind of flavor. [[A voice from a well|A Voice From a Well]] is rare, and so are the location-specific pet cards ({{IL|Salt Weasel}}, {{IL|Haunted-looking Dog}}, {{IL|Rubbery Euphonium}}).
*'''Red (unknown):''' certain cards have a red border, also known as “autofire” cards because they play upon clicking on them. It is impossible to know the frequency of these red cards—it is likely that they do have different rarities from each other. If you click on (“play”) a red card while you have actions, they will consume one action, but if you click on them while you have no actions, they will still play, essentially saving you an action.

== Location ==
Depending on where you draw cards, your deck will be larger or smaller. Locations in London tend to have cards that are specific to that location. This makes certain locations better than others for drawing cards. For example, {{IL|the Shuttered Palace}} is a terrible place to draw cards because it adds several worthless cards to your deck. {{IL|Moloch Street}} is a relatively neutral place to draw cards because it has no location-specific cards. {{IL|Wolfstack Docks}} adds two good cards to your deck, one for bones (including {{IL|Knotted Humerus|Appearance=Knotted Humeruses}}) and one for the best source of stolen correspondence in the game ([[Wolfstack in the fog|Wolfstack in the Fog]] → [[Crying his wares|Crying His Wares]] → [[Trade a Stained Red Velvet Gown|Trade a Stained Red Velvet Gown]]), making it one of the better places to draw cards for newly minted {{IL|A Person of Some Importance|Appearance=PoSI}}. 
Here is a quick evaluation of every place to draw cards in London. Note that each location in the {{IL|Upper River}} has a somewhat unique card deck—consult the wiki to see what specific cards can be drawn at each location.
* No location-specific cards:
** Any location not otherwise mentioned here
** {{IL|Your Social Engagements}} (players sometimes miss this one)
** {{IL|Mahogany Hall}} is card-free if you don’t have {{IL|Seeking Mr Eaten's Name}}
* Location-specific cards tend to be bad or niche (note that this list does not mention one-time cards like the Clandestine Rendezvous or the location pet):
** {{IL|Ladybones Road}} has the Standard Frequency (10 copies) card [[1000 Nevercold Brass wanted! Will pay handsomely!|1000 Nevercold Brass Wanted! Will Pay Handsomely!]], which allows you to trade 1000 {{IL|Nevercold Brass Sliver|Appearance=Nevercold Brass Slivers}} for 500 {{IL|Cryptic Clue|Appearance=Cryptic Clues}} and one {{IL|Favours: The Great Game|Appearance=Great Game favour}}. Even if it sounds okay on paper, you tend to run out of {{IL|Nevercold Brass Sliver|Appearance=brass}} rather quickly if you do this. This is still a way to convert large quantities of {{IL|Nevercold Brass Sliver|Appearance=brass}} to {{IL|Cryptic Clue|Appearance=Cryptic Clues}}, if you so wish.
** {{IL|Spite}} has the Standard Frequency (10 copies) card [[2000 Foxfire Candles wanted! Will pay handsomely!|2000 Foxfire Candles Wanted! Will Pay Handsomely!]], which allows you to trade 2000 {{IL|Foxfire Candle Stub|Appearance=Foxfire Candle Stubs}} for 2000 {{IL|Rostygold}} and one {{IL|Favours: The Church|Appearance=Church favour}}. Same problem as previously, you run out of {{IL|Foxfire Candle Stub|Appearance=candles}} quite quickly and the card becomes useless. 
** {{IL|Watchmaker's Hill}} has a good Very Infrequent (5 copies) card—[[The Departed]] gives a {{IL|Favours: The Church|Appearance=Church favour}}—but this is counteracted by a bad [[Stealth watch repair|Standard Frequency (10 copies) card]] it adds.
** {{IL|The University}} has a good Standard Frequency (10 copies) card—[[A peculiar practice|A Peculiar Practice]] lets you get a {{IL|Favours: Tomb-Colonies|Appearance=Tomb-Colonies favour}} at minimal cost—but also adds another [[Stone by stone|bad, Standard Frequency (10 copies) card]] (worth mentioning that you can get your Correspondence Stones back through [[The librarian and the stones|a card here]]).
*** Note that the above four locations could be reasonably considered good if you were specifically looking for certain faction favours.
** {{IL|The Flit}} has several useless cards.
** {{IL|The Shuttered Palace}} has several useless cards.
** {{IL|Mrs Plenty's Carnival}} has useless cards unless you are really into quirk manipulation.
* Location-specific cards tend to be good:
** {{IL|Wilmot's End}} is card-free if you aren’t in the middle of the [[Searching out a Missing Woman (Guide)|Missing Woman carousel]]. If you are, it adds Standard Frequency (10 copies) cards ([[Less fierce than he looks|Less Fierce than He Looks]], [[A Dream about a Missing Woman|A Dream About a Missing Woman]]) that give you a 20% chance to gain an extra CP of progress per action. This is actually quite good (basically increases the efficiency of your actions by 20%, since the [[Searching out a Missing Woman (Guide)|Missing Woman carousel]] is an integral part of [[Publishing a Newspaper (Guide)|Newspaper]], which is the highest EPA grind in London), and it’s definitely worth parking yourself in {{IL|Wilmot's End}} with a midway-complete [[Searching out a Missing Woman (Guide)|Missing Woman carousel]].
** {{IL|Veilgarden}} has a [[The Velocipede Squad races by|single Rare (1 copy) card]]—it isn’t bad, though it is completely random being a luck check that opens a [[Bundle of Oddities (Guide)|bundle of oddities]], and it averages out to about 4 EPA. 
** The {{IL|Bazaar Side-streets|Appearance=Bazaar Side-Streets}} has a [[The Skin of the Bazaar|single rare card]] that can help you grind {{IL|Watchful}} and {{IL|A Scholar of the Correspondence|Appearance=Scholar of the Correspondence (SotC)}}.
** {{IL|Your Lodgings}} has several not-bad cards and its deck can be manipulated through Bazaar purchases (more on this later). Worth mentioning is the option [[A strange sort of prank|A Strange Sort of Prank]] on [[the Neath's Mysteries]] card, which grants a 4 EPA action to two players.
** {{IL|Wolfstack Docks}} gives both [[Wolfstack in the fog|Wolfstack in the Fog]], which is the best source of {{IL|Stolen Correspondence}} (needed for both [[Renown: Criminals|criminal renown]] and [[Renown: Constables|constable renown]]), as well as [[Bones in the River]], which is a good source of bones pre-railway and not bad post-railway either.

== Lodgings ==

All lodgings besides the two you start out with (the [[An Abandoned Family Crypt|crypt]] and the [[An Attic Room|attic]]/[[A Spare Bedroom|spare bedroom]]) have a specific card associated with it. All of these cards give a way to get {{IL|Certifiable Scrap|Appearance=Certifiable Scraps}} (worth about 0.5 Echo each) as well as some generally inefficient way to get {{IL|Making Waves}}. Luckily, lodgings all also have an option on them to seal them up so long as you're not living there. Almost all lodgings cards are bad and should be sealed up. Listed below are the few you might consider keeping around. Note that all Lodgings cards are Standard Frequency (10 copies), except for the [[The Tower of Eyes: Behind Closed Doors at a Handsome Townhouse|Handsome Townhouse]] and all 4-card lodgings, which are Frequent (20 copies)
*{{IL|Key to a Lair in the Marshes|Appearance=}}[[The Heron Tower: Events at a Lair in the Marshes|Lair in the Marshes]]: this card has an option to get one {{IL|Favours: Society|Appearance=Society favour}} and one {{IL|Certifiable Scrap|Appearance=Certifiable Scrap}} for a single CP of {{IL|Nightmares}} on a fairly easy {{IL|Dangerous}} check.
*{{IL|Key to a Smoky Flophouse Dormitory|Appearance=}}[[The Tower of Knives: Difficulties at a Smoky Flophouse|Smoky Flophouse]]: this card has an option that unlocks with [[An Annoyance to Jack-of-Smiles]] and gives half a {{IL|Favours: Criminals|Appearance=Criminal favour}} and half a {{IL|Favours: Revolutionaries|Appearance=Revolutionary favour}}.
*{{IL|Key to a Rooftop Shack|Appearance=}}[[The High Castle: What Occurs in a Rooftop Shack|Rooftop Shack]]: this card has an option that unlocks with {{IL|Acquaintance: the Repentant Forger}} and is 3 EPA, including a {{IL|Bottle of Broken Giant 1844|Appearance=bottle of Broken Giant}}.
*{{IL|Deed to a Decommissioned Steamer|Appearance=}}[[The Windward Tower: the Matter of the Decommissioned Steamer|Decommissioned Steamer]]: since loaning out these lodgings (removing the opp card) gives a {{IL|Favours: The Docks|Appearance=Docks favour}}, you can spend one action loaning out the steamer and one action reclaiming it (use the key in your inventory). This gives one {{IL|Favours: The Docks|Appearance=Docks favour}} and 1-10 {{IL|Shard of Glim|Appearance=Shards of Glim}} for two actions, which is one of the most expensive favour options in the game but is an option nonetheless.
*{{IL|Key to a Handsome Townhouse|Appearance=}}[[The Tower of Eyes: Behind Closed Doors at a Handsome Townhouse|Handsome Townhouse]]: not only does this lodgings give you access to the {{IL|A Salon|Appearance=salon}}/{{IL|An Orphanage|Appearance=orphanage}}, which is easily the best way to convert Echoes to {{IL|Making Waves|Appearance=MW}}, its option to [[Secure an invitation to a scandalous party|Secure an Invitation to a Scandalous Party]] gives half a {{IL|Favours: Society|Appearance=Society favour}} and half a {{IL|Favours: Bohemians|Appearance=Bohemians favour}} for 2 CP of {{IL|Scandal}}. This option also gives 3 CP of {{IL|Hedonist}}, which by some estimations is a resource as well (since you want to keep it above 8 for [[Give a Gift! A commotion in the Square of Lofty Words|Give a Gift!]], explained later).
**The {{IL|A Salon|Appearance=salon}} is also a way to trade in {{IL|Favours: Society|Appearance=Society}} and {{IL|Favours: Bohemians|Appearance=Bohemian favours}} for {{IL|Making Waves}}, which can be a profitable outlet if you’re grinding {{IL|Notability|Appearance=Nota}}.
*{{IL|Key to a Brass Embassy Guest Room|Appearance=}}[[The Western Tower: a Guest Room at the Brass Embassy|Brass Embassy]]: this card has an option to purchase a {{IL|Favours: Hell|Appearance=Hell favour}} for 5 {{IL|Romantic Notion|Appearance=Romantic Notions}} (0.5 Echo is considered a standard rate verging on good).
*{{IL|Lengthy Lease to Premises at the Bazaar|Appearance=}}[[The Lofty Tower: the Potential of Premises at the Bazaar|The Bazaar]]: this card is by far the most efficient way to get scrap, with an option that gives 2 Echoes and 4 {{IL|Certifiable Scrap|Appearance=Certifiable Scraps}} (~4 EPA). It does, however, require significant initial investment: you need 250 {{IL|Persuasive}} to 100% the check, and both a {{IL|Bazaar Permit}} and 100 Echoes on hand.

== City Vices (A Remote Lodgings) ==

Several cards are labeled [[:Category:City Vices|“City Vices”]] which get removed if you move to {{IL|A Remote Address|Appearance=a remote lodgings}}. Remote Lodgings are only available during [[Christmas (Guide)|Neathmas]] and through certain {{FontFate}} purchases. They hold three cards (as opposed to five from the five-card lodgings), but make you unable to draw City Vices cards. City Vices cards are basically universally subpar, but several of them are avoidable through other means. In addition, having a five-card hand allows you to hold other, more frequent cards and influence the contents of your opp deck more than adding City Vices cards will. At the very least, two extra card slots means that you can hold two City Vices cards, which means that the Remote Lodgings needs to remove at least 20 copies’ worth of City Vices cards in order to be competitive. Listed below are all the City Vices cards, and other ways of removing them. Note that all City Vices cards are Standard Frequency unless otherwise specified.
*[[City Vices: a tournament of weasels!|A Tournament of Weasels]]: there is no way to remove this card, but it’s only Unusual Frequency (2 copies).
*[[City Vices: a Plea from an Old Friend|A Plea from an Old Friend]]: this card gets removed if you are {{IL|Committed:|Appearance=married}}, if you have a {{IL|A Bitter Parting: the Artist's Model|Appearance = Bitter Parting with the Artist’s Model}}, or if you never bothered to seduce her in the first place. All of these are very achievable.
*[[City Vices: an Entanglement with an Old Friend|An Entanglement with an Old Friend]]: this card gets removed if you have [[Found Employment for an Old Friend|employed the Struggling Artist]] in your lab (which comes with a [[Send him out for a little more honey|not-great option]] to get {{IL|Drop of Prisoner's Honey|Appearance=honey}}) or if you never bothered to seduce him in the first place. Some people may find these conditions difficult to achieve.
*[[Help the Sardonic Music-Hall Singer]]/[[City Vices: ask the Sardonic Music-Hall Singer to help you|Ask the Sardonic Music-Hall Singer to Help You]]: these two cards get removed if you have {{IL|Persuasive}} above 200. This is modified {{IL|Persuasive}}, not Base {{IL|Persuasive}}. However, once you’ve [[Railway Beginning (Guide)|unlocked the Railway]] and have {{IL|Persuasive}} overcapped, this should be constantly in effect.
*[[City Vices: Orthographic Infection|Orthographic Infection]]: this card gets removed if you have no {{IL|Nightmares}}, which you want to do anyway in order to remove more cards (listed below).
*[[City Vices: a Rather Decadent Evening|A Rather Decadent Evening]]: this card gets removed if you have no {{IL|Favours: Bohemians|Appearance = Bohemians favours}}, which while technically doable is not always reasonable. {{IL|Favours: Bohemians|Appearance = Bohemians favours}} are used in the [[The Tower of Eyes: Behind Closed Doors at a Handsome Townhouse|Salon]], which is relevant up until you no longer need {{IL|Making Waves}}, as well as to trade for {{IL|Ivory Humerus|Appearance=Ivory Humeri}} at a statue in [[Ealing Gardens]] (though obviously this point is not relevant if you chose another statue, or if you consider {{IL|Ivory Humerus|Appearance=Ivory Humeri}} no longer a meta-relevant bone following their nerf).
**This card is actually rather profitable, especially if you make sure to equip [[Menace-affecting items#Scandal|Scandal-increasing gear]] before playing it.
All in all, the situation stands that there are 2 copies of City Vices cards which cannot be removed otherwise ([[City Vices: a tournament of weasels!|Tournament of Weasels]]) and 20 more copies that players may find difficult to remove ([[City Vices: a Rather Decadent Evening|Decadent Evening]], [[City Vices: a Plea from an Old Friend|Plea from an Old Friend]]). On balance, a five-card lodgings is probably better than a remote lodgings in the late game, especially if the account this is happening on has been made with an eye towards opptimization.
It does stand to note that five-card lodgings are extremely hard to acquire normally, but during Neathmas they become far easier to purchase. And since Neathmas is also when Remote Lodgings become available to {{FontFate}}less players, there’s no further consideration to be made.

== Menace Cards ==

Each menace quality, when raised above a certain value, will add a menace heal card that's associated with it. 
*{{IL|Wounds}} (2) adds [[A Restorative]], Standard Frequency (10 copies)
*{{IL|Scandal}} (2) adds [[An Afternoon of Good Deeds?]], Standard Frequency (10 copies)
*{{IL|Suspicion}} (2) adds [[The Law's Long Arm]], Standard Frequency (10 copies)
*{{IL|Nightmares}} (3) adds [[A Moment's Peace]], Very Infrequent (5 copies)
These cards all come with various methods for reducing their associated menace. There is one “default” option, which is often worse than simply using social action menace heals, and several other options, all of which are associated with the {{IL|Counting the Days}} carousel and some which are tied to specific {{IL|Closest To -}} qualities. These {{IL|Counting the Days}} options can sometimes be more efficient than social action heals, such as the option [[Blame someone else for your sins]] on the [[An Afternoon of Good Deeds?|Scandal menace card]], which heals 3 CP per action as compared to [[Inform London's tastemakers of your friend's virtues (sincere)|the social action's]] 2.5 CP per action. However, these {{IL|Counting the Days}} actions still tend to be outclassed by sending {{IL|Licentiate}}s [[Send a name, written in Gant|Names Written in Gant]]. <br/>
It is also worth noting that the [[A Moment's Peace|Nightmares menace card's]] default option is more efficient than [[Allow them to watch over your rest (sincere)|social action heals]] (3 CP per action versus 2.5), and further that the [[An Afternoon of Good Deeds?|Scandal menace card]] provides a fairly efficient option to farm {{IL|Favours: Hell|Appearance=Hell favours}} ([[An afternoon of mischief!]])

Overall, these cards can present opportunities for slight increases in menace heal efficiency, as well as being ways to progress through the {{IL|Counting the Days}} carousel in order to obtain {{IL|Mark of Credit Page}}s and subsequently trading those in for certain items (the {{IL|Iron Republic Safe-Conduct}} and the {{IL|Consonant Violin}} being chief among them). You can easily add and remove them from your deck through basic manipulation of menaces, though it is worth noting that {{IL|Nightmares}} (0) is required to remove the card [[City Vices: Orthographic Infection]] from your deck.
*{{IL|Nightmares}} (3), {{IL|Renown: Bohemians|Appearance=Bohemians Renown}} 10, and being {{IL|A Person of Some Importance}} or greater adds [[The Interpreter of Dreams]], a profitable card that has various options for {{IL|Nightmares|Appearance=Nightmare}} heals, {{IL|Making Waves}} gain, Echo gain, and even gaining favours with various factions.
Furthermore, once certain menaces become really out of control, they add additional cards to your deck that are less pleasant.
*{{IL|Suspicion}} (5) adds [[The vigilant gentlemen in blue|The Vigilant Gentlemen in Blue]], a Standard Frequency (10 copies) non-discardable card.
**This contains the surprisingly valuable option [[Find a patsy|Find a Patsy]], which reduces your {{IL|Suspicion}} by 2 CP and gives you 1 CP of {{IL|Someone Is Coming}}. Since the [[A riskier option: hide in a rookery|default Suspicion heal action]] heals for 4 CP, and 1 CP of {{IL|Someone is Coming}} is valued at 2 Echoes if you turn in using [[Raw material|the bone option]], this is the equivalent of a 4 EPA action.
*{{IL|Nightmares}} (5) adds [[A merry gentleman]], a Ubiquitous Frequency (100 copies) non-discardable card
There is an option on this card to buy the lodgings {{IL|Reservation at the Royal Bethlehem}} for 50 {{IL|Antique Mystery|Appearance=Antique Mysteries}}, which is 625 Echoes as opposed to the 800 Echoes it would usually cost to buy it from the Bazaar. You also get refunded 30 Echoes worth of other items through this option.
*{{IL|Nightmares}} (6) adds various unpleasant dream cards, all of which are red autofire cards (unknown frequency) and non-discardable. They all increase {{IL|Nightmares}} by startling amounts.
*{{IL|In Corporate Debt}} (5) adds [[A Word From Your Creditors]], a Frequent (20 copies) non-discardable card.
To that end, it pays to keep your menaces low in order to remove these cards from the deck. As a small sidenote, {{IL|Scandal}}, {{IL|Wounds}}, and {{IL|Nightmares}} all add cards to your {{IL|University Laboratory}} deck at level 5.

== Favours: A Consideration ==
When considering opp deck favour sources, acquiring a favour seems to require one action, or slightly above one action. However, what is the actual echo value of a favour? This depends entirely on how you are spending them (your “favour trade-in sources”). Each faction has an inherent trade-in spot in London, generally requiring one action to trade in one favour and gaining 4.2 Echoes:
*{{IL|The Shuttered Palace}}: 
**{{IL|Faction: Society|Appearance=Society}} ({{IL|Bottle of Greyfields 1882|Appearance=Bottles of Greyfields 1882}})
**{{IL|Faction: Constables|Appearance=Constables}} ({{IL|Fistful of Surface Currency|Appearance=Fistfuls of Surface Currency}} or a {{IL|Human Ribcage}})
**{{IL|Faction: Bohemians|Appearance=Bohemians}} ({{IL|Drop of Prisoner's Honey|Appearance=Drops of Prisoner's Honey}})
**{{IL|Faction: The Church|Appearance=Church}} ({{IL|Foxfire Candle Stub}}s)
*{{IL|The Forgotten Quarter}}: 
**{{IL|Faction: Hell|Appearance=Hell}} ({{IL|Nevercold Brass Sliver}}s)
**{{IL|Faction: Rubbery Men|Appearance=Rubbery Men}} ({{IL|Nodule of Deep Amber|Appearance=Nodules of Deep Amber}})
**{{IL|Faction: Tomb-Colonies|Appearance=Tomb-Colonies}} ({{IL|Primordial Shriek}}s)
*{{IL|Wolfstack Docks}}: 
**{{IL|Faction: The Docks|Appearance=Docks}} ({{IL|Shard of Glim|Appearance=Shards of Glim}})
**{{IL|Faction: The Great Game|Appearance=Great Game}} ({{IL|Cryptic Clue}}s)
** You can also trade in {{IL|Connected: The Widow}} for {{IL|Jade Fragment}}s, albeit at a terrible rate
*{{IL|The Flit}} ([[Call in favours in the Flit|Trade-ins in the Flit]] generally take 3 favours and pay out 12 Echoes): 
**{{IL|Faction: Urchins|Appearance=Urchins}} ({{IL|Certifiable Scrap}}s)
**{{IL|Faction: Revolutionaries|Appearance=Revolutionaries}} ({{IL|Proscribed Material}}s)
**{{IL|Faction: Criminals|Appearance=Criminals}} ({{IL|Moon-Pearl}}s or {{IL|Human Arm}}s)
Taking this as the baseline, we can see that the EPA of acquiring favours through the opp deck then trading them in at various London locations is about 2.1 EPA (or 3 EPA for the Flit factions). This is quickly outclassed by the midgame.<br/>
But the main function of the opportunity deck is to acquire faction favours. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of your opp deck, you should also look to improve the ways that you can trade in favours. There are some in London. For example, {{IL|The Empress' Court}} [[Exchange a considerable quantity of Connections for London Street Signs|pays out 12.5 Echoes]] for trading in 3 {{IL|Favours: Society|Appearance=Society favours}}, a better deal than {{IL|The Shuttered Palace}}.<br/>
It should also be noted that the fifth coil of {{IL|The Labyrinth of Tigers}} allows you to trade certain faction favours for {{IL|Tribute}} to {{IL|The Court of the Wakeful Eye}}: {{IL|Favours: Criminals|Appearance=Criminals}}, {{IL|Favours: Society|Appearance=Society}}, {{IL|Favours: The Church|Appearance=Church}}, {{IL|Favours: The Docks|Appearance=Docks}}, and {{IL|Favours: Bohemians|Appearance=Bohemian favours}} can be traded in for 20 {{IL|Tribute}} per 5 favours, which can reach very high EPA depending on how much {{IL|Tribute}} you hold onto at a time and what you exchange it for at the [[Court of the Wakeful Eye]] (note that 20 {{IL|Tribute}} and four actions can be spent to acquire a T6 item).<br/>
However, most improvements to favour trade-ins are found in the [[Upper River]], where [[Statues at the GHR Stations (Guide)|building statues at various stations]] will give you better options to trade in favours. Trading in favours at statues is universally 5 EPA. In addition, once you become a {{IL|A Member of the Gondoliers|Appearance=Doctore of the Guild}}, trading in {{IL|Favours: The Docks|Appearance=Docks favours}} at {{IL|Jericho Locks}} then [[Charter a barge to the Cedarwood|chartering barges to the Cedar-Woods]] (which is the highest echo reward out of the various locations, ignoring the whims of [[The Rat Market (Guide)|the Rat Market]]) also nets you about 5 EPA.<br/>
Overall, the problem of opptimization as it relates to faction favours is two-sided: you want to make faction favours as cheap to acquire as possible, then as profitable to trade in as possible.

=== Slime and Amber: the Rubbery Men ===
Both of the above points are exemplified in the Standard Frequency (10 copies) faction card [[Slime and Amber: the Rubbery Men]]. This card presents three different ways to acquire {{IL|Favours: Rubbery Men|Appearance=Rubbery favours}}, and two ways to trade them in.<br/>
To obtain {{IL|Favours: Rubbery Men|Appearance=Rubbery favours}}, you have three options:
*The option [[Shake 'hands'?|Shake 'Hands'?]] gains one favour at the cost of 3 CP of {{IL|Scandal}}. This is an extremely expensive way to acquire a favour, as healing 3 CP of {{IL|Scandal}} takes about one action.
*The option [[Give it some Amber|Give It Some Amber]] takes 1 {{IL|Nodule of Warm Amber}} (valued at 0.1 Echo) and gains one favour along with 50 {{IL|Nodule of Deep Amber|Appearance=Nodules of Deep Amber}} (0.5 Echo). This is an efficient way to acquire a favour, as you're making a small profit—essentially taking just under one action to acquire a favour.
*The option [[Give it a great quantity of Warm Amber|Give It a Great Quantity of Warm Amber]] takes 100 {{IL|Warm Amber}} and gains one favour along with 1 {{IL|Nodule of Trembling Amber}} (12.5 Echoes). This is an extremely profitable way to acquire a favour, as the action itself is 2.5 EPA, not to mention the usage of that favour.
**To demonstrate how efficient it is: if you use this option to acquire a favour, then [[A curious knot|trade that favour in]] at {{IL|The Forgotten Quarter}}, this will be 3.35 EPA rather than the usual 2.1 EPA, a large improvement.
**Since you almost universally want to use this option on this card, large quantities of {{IL|Nodule of Warm Amber|Appearance=Warm Amber}} are required. They can be obtained from {{IL|The Bone Market}} by selling things to [[A Zailor with Particular Interests]].
**This is also the most efficient way to source {{IL|Trembling Amber}}
Meanwhile, the card also presents two ways to trade in those favours:
*The option [[Follow the Rubbery Man and the Constable into an alley|Follow the Rubbery Man and the Constable into an Alley]] wipes your favours in exchange for 120 {{IL|Nodule of Deep Amber|Appearance=Nodules of Deep Amber}} and 1 {{IL|Nodule of Warm Amber}}, in essence a 1.3 EPA action if you had no favours to begin with. This is a rather poor option that you don't want to play.
*Meanwhile, the option to [[Accept a damp gift|Accept a Damp Gift]] wipes your favours in exchange for 1 {{IL|Sudden Insight}} (worth 0.25 action, see [[Give a Gift! A commotion in the Square of Lofty Words|Give a Gift!]]) and 100 {{IL|Nodule of Deep Amber|Appearance=Nodules of Deep Amber}}, plus an additional 400 {{IL|Nodule of Deep Amber|Appearance=Nodules of Deep Amber}} for each favour wiped. While this might seem to value individual favours at lower value than if you traded them each in individually (4.2 echoes versus 4 echoes), you have to consider the action efficiency involved: trading in seven favours individually takes 6 additional actions as compared to trading them all in at once.
Playing only this one card, if you use both the most efficient favour acquisition method ([[Give it a great quantity of Warm Amber|Give It a Great Quantity of Warm Amber]]) and the most efficient favour trade-in ([[Accept a damp gift|Accept a Damp Gift]]), you reach 6 EPA.

=== Implausible Penance, Consideration for Services Rendered ===
Both of these are cards which show up in your opportunity deck if you have favours from a specific faction (much like [[A rather decadent evening|A Rather Decadent Evening]], discussed under City Vices). 
*[[An Implausible Penance]] is Very Infrequent (5 copies) and shows up if you have {{IL|Favours: Criminals|Appearance=Criminal favours}}. 
*[[A consideration for services rendered|A Consideration for Services Rendered]] is Standard Frequency (10 copies) and shows up if you have {{IL|Favours: Hell|Appearance=Hell favours}}.
Both of these cards are actually rather profitable: [[A consideration for services rendered|A Consideration for Services Rendered]], if you value a {{IL|Favours: Hell|Appearance=Hell favour}} at 1 action and a single CP of {{IL|Someone is Coming}} at 2 Echoes ([[Raw material|bone payout]]), is actually a 3.195 EPA action.<br/>
[[An Implausible Penance]] is actually so valuable that there was at one time a legitimate strategy based around farming {{IL|Favours: Criminals|Appearance=Criminal favours}} through the opp deck and playing this card over and over. But it’s not simply the EPA that’s at consideration here (though the card tops out at around 3.33 EPA), it’s the sheer variety of rewards, often paid out in rare and difficult-to-obtain items. For example, [[Make use of this new development|another reasonable source]] of {{IL|Ostentatious Diamond}}s also requires {{IL|Favours: Criminals|Appearance=Criminal favours}}, this card is a better source of {{IL|Shard of Glim|Appearance=Glim}} than {{IL|Favours: The Docks|Appearance=Docks favours}} or {{IL|The Empress' Court|Appearance=Empress’ Court}} [[Carving out a Reputation at Court (Guide)|works]], and there is no better source of {{IL|Bottle of Greyfields 1882|Appearance=Greyfields 1882}} in the game.<br/>
Nevertheless, there usually comes a point in the game where you no longer want to play these cards. In that case, make sure to keep clear of {{IL|Favours: Criminals|Appearance=Criminal}} or {{IL|Favours: Hell|Appearance=Hell favours}} in order to not dilute your opp deck with these cards.

=== Conflict Cards ===
As an extension of the previous discussion, [[:Category:Conflict Cards|conflict cards]] are cards which are Very Infrequent (5 copies), are non-discardable, and are only added to the opp deck if you have 5 favours each of two specific factions. Not all two given factions have a conflict card. There are 12 conflict cards total, and all factions with a faction card are represented, plus the {{IL|Connected: The Widow|Appearance=Widow}} (who needs {{IL|Connected: The Widow}} 30 for her cards to be added to the deck). 
*{{IL|Faction: Urchins|Appearance=Urchins}}, {{IL|Connected: The Widow|Appearance=Widow}}: [[A familiar face by the school railings|A Familiar Face by the School Railings]]
*{{IL|Faction: Rubbery Men|Appearance=Rubbery Men}}, {{IL|Faction: Tomb-Colonies|Appearance=Tomb-Colonies}}: [[A misfortune at the Carnival|A Misfortune at the Carnival]]
*{{IL|Faction: Revolutionaries|Appearance=Revolutionaries}}, {{IL|Faction: Rubbery Men|Appearance=Rubbery Men}}: [[Amber in the well|Amber in the Well]]
*{{IL|Faction: Society|Appearance=Society}}, {{IL|Faction: Tomb-Colonies|Appearance=Tomb-Colonies}}: [[Going gentle|Going Gentle]]
*{{IL|Faction: Constables|Appearance=Constables}}, {{IL|Faction: Rubbery Men|Appearance=Rubbery Men}}: [[They all look the same to me|They All Look the Same to Me]]
<br/>
*{{IL|Faction: The Church|Appearance=Church}}, {{IL|Faction: The Great Game|Appearance=Great Game}}: [[A contact in the Great Game has a tale for you|A Contact in the Great Game Has a Tale for You]]
*{{IL|Faction: The Church|Appearance=Church}}, {{IL|Faction: Hell|Appearance=Hell}}: [[Brimstone or frankincense?|Brimstone or Frankincense?]]
*{{IL|Faction: Constables|Appearance=Constables}}, {{IL|Faction: Criminals|Appearance=Criminals}}: [[Crime or punishment?|Crime or Punishment?]]
*{{IL|Faction: The Docks|Appearance=Docks}}, {{IL|Connected: The Widow|Appearance=Widow}}: [[The Acacia and the Butterfly]]
*{{IL|Faction: Hell|Appearance=Hell}}, {{IL|Faction: Urchins|Appearance=Urchins}}: [[The Devil and the Child]]
*{{IL|Faction: Bohemians|Appearance=Bohemians}}, {{IL|Faction: The Church|Appearance=Church}}: [[The kaleidoscopic church|The Kaleidoscopic Church]]
*{{IL|Faction: The Docks|Appearance=Docks}}, {{IL|Faction: Urchins|Appearance=Urchins}}: [[Youthful high spirits|Youthful High Spirits]]
Each [[:Category:Conflict Cards|conflict card]] will have options that resolve things in one party’s favor and other options that resolve things in the other party’s favor. Some [[:Category:Conflict Cards|conflict cards]] (the latter seven listed) will also have a third option that takes 3 actions, provides some items, and resolves things in a neutral manner (this third option usually has its EPA outclassed by midgame). [[:Category:Conflict Cards|Conflict cards]] differ in how many favours they eat: some cards take 2 favours, while others will consume all favours from the chosen faction and spit out scaling rewards based on how many favours were consumed.<br/>
[[:Category:Conflict Cards|Conflict cards]] were considered quite valuable for a while, giving both good EPA and difficult-to-acquire items. However, they are still non-discardable, can get in the way while you’re trying to grind renown, and after a while their EPA is outclassed. Avoiding them is rather easy—simply avoid having 5 favours from two separate factions that have a [[:Category:Conflict Cards|conflict cards]] together.

== Making Your Name ==
Cards get added to and removed from your deck as you progress through the [[Making Your Name (Guide)|Making Your Name]] storylines. These cards basically are all universally bad. Once you reach Making Your Name 7 in any quality ({{IL|Watchful|Appearance=}}[[A Name in Seven Secret Alphabets]], {{IL|Shadowy|Appearance=}}[[A Name Whispered in Darkness]], {{IL|Dangerous|Appearance=}}[[A Name Scrawled in Blood]], {{IL|Persuasive|Appearance=}}[[A Name Signed with a Flourish|A Name Signed With a Flourish]]), all cards associated with that specific MYN quality get removed. This, in addition to the fact that the [[Making Your Name (Guide)|Making Your Name]] storylines are both rewarding on a monetary level and help advance your highway stats besides, is more than enough reason to advance each [[Making Your Name (Guide)|Making Your Name]] quality to 7.
Note that it is not viable to skip Making Your Name altogether—the storylines are often required to access new areas (there is no way to access {{IL|The University}} without {{IL|Watchful|Appearance=}}[[A Name in Seven Secret Alphabets]], for example).
And just because it often gets asked: no, there is no downside to [[It was the Consumptive Cryptozoologist!|fingering the Consumptive Cryptozoologist]] over [[It was the Provost of Summerset!|the Provost]]. You even get [[Making Your Name: Survival, at a price|rewarded mechanically]] for doing so. The only downside comes in the form of your own conscience. (The effects of your conscience can be mitigated by losing your soul.)

== An Intimate Of Devils ==
The [[An Intimate of Devils]] storyline starts appearing in your opportunity deck once you reach {{IL|Renown: Hell|Appearance=Hell Renown}} 5. It can actually be useful for certain things: for example, it can substitute for a {{IL|Portfolio of Souls}} when [[Society Gossip|attempting to start]] your {{IL|Doubt Street|Appearance=newspaper}}. However, overall it simply acts as more filler to clog your deck. There are two devils after your soul and they each have a Standard Frequency (10 copies) card of their own, so it acts de facto as a useless 20 copies in your opportunity deck (worse because, by being two cards, you can’t just hold one Frequent card in your hand). There are four ways to get rid of these cards. <br/>

OPTION ONE: sell your soul to them. This requires you to advance the storyline to [[A serious offer - Devil|the last section]], then play [[Risk letting her try to convince you|the luck check]] over and over until you get “unlucky” and lose your soul. The downside to this is that it adds another card to your deck: [[Where's my soul?|Where’s My Soul?]], which is a useless card. [[Where's my soul?|Where’s My Soul?]], however, is only Unusual Frequency; 2 copies instead of 20 is still a massive improvement. In time, you can get your soul back and remove this card, too: you find your soul when you find {{IL|Bundle of Oddities (Guide)|Appearance=A Bundle of Oddities|Image=Bag.png}} that’s exactly 200. This means that you’ll find it in an average of 200 actions if you only play the [[One's public|One’s Public]] card in order to get your soul back. <br/>

OPTION TWO: wait for the {{IL|Feast of the Rose (Guide)|Appearance=Feast of the Rose festival|Image=Fangrose.png}}. During the two-week period, you’ll often find the opportunity card [[The Feast of the Rose!]], which has the option [[A dance with devils!|A Dance With Devils]] when {{IL|The Airs of London}} are between 0 and 25. If you then play the option [[Actually, you'll be meeting someone there|Actually, You’ll Be Meeting Someone There]], you can randomly gain CP of {{IL|An Intimate of Devils}} (on average, it gives 0.8 CP per action). By doing this over and over, you can gain enough CP to raise your {{IL|An Intimate of Devils}} quality to 18 and thereafter stop seeing the opportunity cards. The downside of doing this is that it will take a large portion of your actions during the festival to play the card and shuffle airs. And considering how good many of the options are, you’d probably rather be doing something else with both the opportunity card and your actions during the two weeks that the festival is happening.<br/>

OPTION THREE: [[The Soul and the Number|stain your soul]] through {{IL|Seeking Mr Eaten's Name|Appearance=SMEN}}. If you have not started the {{IL|An Intimate of Devils}} storyline, they will not show up to begin it. And if you have advanced the {{IL|An Intimate of Devils}} quality to the point where they are actively trying to ask for your soul, you can [[Your soul is stained now|play an option]] on [[Your soul is stained, now|either card]] to wipe your {{IL|An Intimate of Devils}} quality. If you’re in the middle of the storyline, advance it to the end and wipe it with the {{IL|Stain on Your Soul|Appearance=Stain}} option.<br/>

OPTION FOUR: Never properly start the storyline, and keep it at level 0. This will enable you to replay the option [[Write a sharp note and send the flowers back|Write A Sharp Note And Send the Flowers Back]], which gains you a {{IL|Favours: The Church|Appearance=Church favour}} at the cost of one {{IL|Favours: Hell|Appearance=Hell favour}} if you had one. In order to properly use it, make sure you have no {{IL|Favours: Hell|Appearance=Hell favours}} while doing the action. Note that {{IL|Favours: The Church|Appearance=Church favours}} are already fairly easy to obtain ([[Altars and Alms-Houses: the Church|Faction card]], [[A day at the races|A Day at the Races]], various Upper River cards). This option would be hard to use for not much reward, but that’s for you to judge.<br/>

Do note that if you sell your soul to another source (perhaps during {{IL|Christmas (Guide)|Appearance=Neathmas|Image=Mistersacks.png}}, or to a {{FontFate}} source) while {{IL|An Intimate of Devils}} cards are still showing up in your opportunity deck, you will find the card [[A letter arrives|A Letter Arrives]], which upon playing will wipe your {{IL|An Intimate of Devils}} quality. And once you find your soul again, you will have to replay the entire {{IL|An Intimate of Devils}} storyline again in order to rid yourself of them another way.

== A Libraryette for Mr Pages ==
This Infrequent (8 copies) card shows up if you have 100 or more {{IL|Proscribed Material}}s and less than 11 {{IL|Connected: The Masters of the Bazaar|Appearance=Connected: the Masters}}. There’s not really any profitable options on it: you can trade 100 {{IL|Proscribed Material}}s for some luck-based menace heals, and there’s also an option to trade certain materials for {{IL|Connected: The Masters of the Bazaar|Appearance=Connected: the Masters}}. <br/>
To remove the card, either have fewer than 100 {{IL|Proscribed Material}}s in your inventory or have {{IL|Connected: The Masters of the Bazaar|Appearance=Connected: the Masters}} 11. The former is much more doable than the latter, but the latter is a more permanent solution that you may find worth grinding. <br/>
There are a variety of ways to grind {{IL|Connected: The Masters of the Bazaar|Appearance=Connected: the Masters}} to level 11: 
*Two are found on this card. 
**One is an option to trade 10k {{IL|Proscribed Material}}s and 50 {{IL|Jade Fragment}}s for 1 CP and 10 {{IL|Appalling Secret}}s (399 Echoes per CP). 
**Another is an option to trade 20 {{IL|Volume of Collated Research|Appearance=Volumes of Collated Research}}, 80 {{IL|Touching Love Story|Appearance=Touching Love Stories}}, 5 {{IL|Uncanny Incunabulum|Appearance=Uncanny Incunabula}}, and 5 {{IL|Blackmail Material}} for 3 CP (125 Echoes per CP)
*[[The drunk in the corner|An option]] is found in {{IL|The Temple Club}}, where you’re able to trade 2500 {{IL|Romantic Notion}}s (250 Echoes) for 1 CP.
*An option is found at {{IL|Station VIII}}, while in [[A Conversation with Mr Wines]]. With a {{IL|Passenger Dining Room at Station VIII|Appearance=Dining Room}} of level 2 and 25 {{IL|Seeing through the Eyes of Icarus|Appearance=Seeing Through the Eyes of Icarus}}, you can spend: 3 {{IL|Dark-Dewed Cherry|Appearance=Dark-Dewed Cherries}}, 1 {{IL|Bottle of Broken Giant 1844}}, 1 {{IL|Fillip of Effervescence}}, 1 {{IL|Crystallised Euphoria}}, 5 {{IL|Solacefruit}}, 100 {{IL|Memory of Distant Shores|Appearance=Memories of Distant Shores}}, and 1 {{IL|Concentrate of Self}}, all in order to get a [[Prepare a Curatorial Cocktail|Curatorial Cocktail]]. The [[Present it with the Curatorial Cocktail|Curatorial Cocktail is then presented to Mr Wines]] for 3 CP and a {{IL|Bottle of Fourth City Airag: Year of the Tortoise|Appearance=Bottle of Airag}} (110.7 Echoes per CP)
*With less than 4 {{IL|Connected: The Masters of the Bazaar|Appearance=Connected: the Masters}}, you can repeatedly [[Bring the Efficient Commissioner back to the Board|hire]] and [[Take the vote and declare Victory 11|kick]] the {{IL|Board Member: The Efficient Commissioner|Appearance=Efficient Commissioner}} off the railway board. Each time you do this, you gain 1 CP (saving at least 100 echoes). This is by far the most efficient way to gain your first 10 CP of {{IL|Connected: The Masters of the Bazaar|Appearance=Connected: the Masters}}.
*On the card [[The Interpreter of Dreams]] (described above under the menace section), if you [[Allow Dr Schlomo to publish what you tell him|Allow Dr. Schlomo to Publish What You Tell Him]], then [[Tell him about your dreams of ice and fire|Tell Him About Your Dreams of Ice And Fire]], on a rare success you’ll gain 1 CP of {{IL|Connected: The Masters of the Bazaar|Appearance=Connected: the Masters}}.
There are a variety of other, non-grindable ways to gain {{IL|Connected: The Masters of the Bazaar|Appearance=Connected: the Masters}}, but these are the repeatable, generally available (aka non-festival, non-{{fontFate}}) ones.

== Jack Strikes Again ==
This Standard Frequency (10 copies) card shows up if you’ve become {{IL|An Annoyance to Jack-of-Smiles}}, have less than 6 of either {{IL|Heartless}} or {{IL|Magnanimous}}, and haven’t [[In the snug|solved the Jack case]] yet. It is also entirely useless. Since you probably want to become {{IL|An Annoyance to Jack-of-Smiles}} in order to unlock the {{IL|Favours: Criminals|Appearance=Criminal}}/{{IL|Favours: Revolutionaries|Appearance=Revolutionary favours}} [[The next victim?|option]] on the {{IL|The Tower of Knives: Difficulties at a Smoky Flophouse|Appearance=Smoky Flophouse card|Image=Key.png}}, the best way to remove this card is to increase either your {{IL|Heartless}} or your {{IL|Magnanimous}} to 6. <br/>
The card [[Give a Gift! A commotion in the Square of Lofty Words|Give a Gift!]] does this really well, as most gift-giving options will increase {{IL|Magnanimous}} up to 10. [[The gift of a big bag of dead rodents|A gift of dead rats]], for example, will net you 3 CP.