Dies to Removal

Yea, the starter kingdom doesn't really have any better engines than Village/Smithy, but there are certain kingdoms within the starter set that will beat that (mainly adding Militias, as well as just going Big Money in some situation).

Expansions add a lot. Prosperity & Cornucopia if you had to buy one or two.

That's true. There are still the games where someone will open 5/2 and snatch a Witch, or go first and cast the first shot with a Young Witch, but the luck is drastically diminished.

It's ok, but I prefer Dominion. The random element of the center piles bothers me by comparison.