Ticket to Ride: Classic Edition

Ticket to Ride: Classic Edition

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Coal Tender

Coal Tender

Win while claiming all black routes

0.7%

How to unlock the Coal Tender achievement in Ticket to Ride: Classic Edition - Definitive Guide

The core trick to getting this is to stall out your opponents.

Start a game vs. 4 Marg Loughbot AIs.

Why Marg? She has a very strong bias against wilds on the field and when faced with having to draw wilds, she'll draw destination tickets instead.

So, start off by picking a couple cheap destination tickets as your starters (you likely won't complete them, making getting the Hobo achievement a possibility too).

For the first part of the game, your objective should be to empty the train car deck. Just keep drawing from the top (unless there is a visible coal car on the field) until the deck runs out. Do not play any routes unless you fear an AI will take them and need to block; Use as many locomotives to complete those routes though (hit RB or LB to swap from black cards to locomotives when highlighting the route).
Eventually, you will reach a point where there are only Locomotives to draw. Don't start playing routes just yet though. With only wilds to choose from, the Margs will keep drawing destination tickets until the deck runs out. While this is happening, either take the wilds or complete routes with wilds.
When the destination deck runs out, the AI will go into panic mode and just start playing what they can to score points. It's at this time, you need to claim the remainder of the black routes, then just lay down trains to finish the game as quickly as possible.
When the game ends, it will be an easy victory as each AI player will have many uncompleted tickets, most likely sending their scores into the negatives. In the game I earned this achievement, the highest scoring AI only had 30 points and was the only one in positive numbers.
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14 Dec 2019 06:01

17 Comments
If you can, build black routes with "wild-cards"
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By Erathia96 on 15 Dec 2019 08:44
You are true, sorry I missed this information. I got it maybe on 5. attempt, It requires a lot of luck... Thanks!!!
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By BeetleRelic1328 on 15 Dec 2019 14:45
Fantastic guide. Got it on my first try.
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By Erathia96 on 14 Dec 2019 21:37
It looks truly but i have some problems. I have +- 10 black+joker cards after drawing and then take me when I build something... What i should do better? I am trying to build 1-2 nonblack routes but it takes player after me and she has just 2 destination tickets...

If i had played so good, I haven't train cards for last route, they take my cards before i can build every black route :(
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By BeetleRelic1328 on 15 Dec 2019 02:27
Don't build any non-black routes until after you've claimed all the black ones. By building anything else, you're putting train cars back into the deck and the AIs will draw them to build instead of overloading themselves with destination tickets.
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By EmporerDragon on 15 Dec 2019 07:06
This may still be the best strategy to get this achievement, but it's still heavily dependent on luck. I've tried 15+ times with no success so far. It requires that the Margs don't have paths that they *want* coal cars for, that they don't get too many coal cars from the deck, *and* that they don't take coal paths when they start to panic. You've got to get the right lineup and the right order in just the right way.
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By Malkoris on 16 Dec 2019 18:37
Took a few restarts as there's still some element of luck involved but this solution worked perfectly. Thanks!
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By Wriggy on 18 Dec 2019 21:54
Took me about half a dozen times before this dropped in perfectly. Cheers.... Nailed the hobo achievement at the same time.
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By fat rooney on 30 Dec 2019 16:41
I'm trying this atm and it's working pretty good, but it's still based on luck. The AI sometimes does take the wild cards and sometimes plays black routes. Tried it 6 times so far and came pretty close but not lucky in the endgame. Will probably get it in a few tries so still a +1 from me, I tried it before against one AI and got raped every time. Lol.
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By Dr Tinus NL on 03 Jan 2020 16:34
Great guide! Have my upvote :)
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By EaSkateVideo on 13 Jan 2020 09:24
Excellent guide! It took me about 10-15 goes. I once claimed all black routes and tied with a computer player, but since they were able to complete a destination and I didn't it won :-(

Extra tips:
1. Make sure you are the first player so you can pick up any black trains on the starting field.
2. Try and get two destination cards at the beginning that are both below 10 points. If not, restart.
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By Lasher67 on 29 Jan 2020 07:18
The Coal lines are:
- *Sault St. Marie -> Montreal (5)
- New York -> Washington (2)
- Chicago -> Pittsburgh (3)
- *Nashville -> Raleigh (3)
- Denver -> Kansas City (4)
- *Winnipeg -> Duluth (4)
- *Los Angeles -> El Paso (6)
Total Coal Trains/Wilds = 27.

Focus on the * lines first as they are single lines. You're 50/50 chance of AI picking black to use on a dual line if it needs the route, but 100% they will pick the * lines if they need the route. So your chances will be better doing those first.
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By planchetflaw on 11 May 2020 02:47
Great guide EmporerDragon! I'd only add that if you must claim a black route before the deck is finished, make sure you use only locomotives to do that. I completed the achievement after my 6th or 7th try, with two tickets of 5 and 13 (both not punched).
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By HollowRictus on 13 May 2020 04:44
Great strategy. Tried 10+ times with no luck but pretty close. I only managed to claim all the black routes once though and one of the Margs ending with 100+ score. I was like wtf how did she complete that many tickets.
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By Ivalicecream on 29 May 2020 17:14
To bad you cant play 3 wilds to one black, if I was able to do that I would had done it on my second try. Great solition
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By on 12 Jun 2020 23:32
I got it the first time I played 2 huntingbot and 2 marg loughbots.

The huntingbot doesn't seem to claim blacks unless it needs to. So it kept using black cards to buy grey tiles. Ty for the strategy!


won by 3 points even though huntington completed 4 damn tickets!
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By TheOnlyMatto on 28 Jun 2020 04:48
This seems impossible to me. By the time I've claimed all but the last six car route, I am out of coal cards and wilds, and I never have enough turns left to get those six cards back. It seems to be luck based on how many coals and wilds you can claim while draining the pile at the beginning of the game, if you don't get every coal and wild than you should restart because you won't have enough turns to get all of the cards back after you play them. Would be helpful to know what the totals are for each card type so you know if it is possible once the card deck is depleted.
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By BLOOdREDkN7GHT on 14 Dec 2020 17:29
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This will take you some luck at several stages, and if you don't get the right luck, you will have to bail and restart a few times. I played vs. one Jane Stanbot.

Tickets
There are 27 black train squares. That means you have a maximum of 18 discretionary squares. Remember that when you're picking your two tickets.

Choose tickets that you can complete with 18 or fewer non-blacks. The ideal setup would be if you can make one continuous route out of your two routes. There are some good choices out there. Most routes including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York have possibilities. For example, Los Angeles-Chicago is worth 21 and can be completed with only 8 non-blacks.

I drew Chicago-Santa Fe (9) and Duluth-El Paso (10), which have some overlap and require 11 non-blacks to complete. With the mandatory black routes, and using 6 of my last discretionary trains for Winnipeg-Sault St. Marie, I ended up with a continuous route of 36, 8 offshoots/orphans, and 1 leftover. This is only one example of a winning setup.

If you can't get two good tickets, bail and restart.

Drawing Cards
The rules for drawing cards are simple:
1. If there are any face-up blacks, draw them.
2. If there are no face-up blacks, draw a face-up joker, if possible.
3. If there are no face-up blacks or jokers, but you can complete a black route, see the next section below for completing black routes.
3. If you there are no black or joker upcards and you aren't completing a black route, but you can complete a required non-black route without using jokers, complete that route.
5. If none of the above apply, then draw two face-down cards.

Completing Black Routes
Use your jokers to complete the orange/black double routes in this order:
3 for Chicago-Pittsburgh
4 for Denver-Kansas City
2 for New York-Washington
Use your black trains in this order:
6 for Los Angeles-El Paso
5 for Montreal-Sault St. Marie
4 for Winnipeg-Duluth
3 for Nashville-Raleigh

Obviously you can also use jokers for the all-black segments, once you've completed the orange/black routes. Don't place Winnipeg-Duluth until you've collected enough trains to also complete Nashville-Raleigh.

Jane Stanbot
While you're going about your business, Jane will go about hers. She will mostly be concerned about monopolizing Helena, Oklahoma City, and Toronto and will not interfere with your plans much. If she does claim one of the routes you need, it is likely to be Chicago-Pittsburgh or Denver-Kanasas City, which is why those will be the first ones you get. If she takes one of your required routes, bail and restart.

Probably at about the same time that you have placed 15 cars and have 12 more to go. Jane will be down to just a few trains. If she has 3 or 9 left, you're probably going to win. If she has between 4 and 8, it will be iffy, and you might consider bailing unless you are very close yourself. She will go from 9 to 3 and then usually keep drawing cards indefinitely until you get below 9 yourself.

My score was 105. That should be enough to win even if Jane completes her tickets, but in my game, the Queen of Helena didn't complete either of hers, so I beat her by 105-52 and also unlocked Dynamite Joe.
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08 May 2021 13:55