Insta-win planets are cards that cause the game to end immediately when certain conditions are met. Usually, when this happens, the player controlling the planet wins the game.
They were replaced in July of 2016 with planets that grant its controller one or more victory points (stars).
Development Notes:
7/22/2016 Insta-Win cards
The first game ended when a player started his turn with a Generous planet in play and 5 coins. He gave away the other card in his hand, spent his money to upgrade the planet into a Lonely Victor, and declared that he won. This was at the end of the second round.
It’s cute, and it’s in the rules, but it wasn’t a satisfying experience for the other players. The first game was over in 8 minutes.
Instead of immediately ending the game with victory, I think the alternate victory cards should offer some number of VP at the end of the game. So, for the Aggressive victor, each time you attack, put a counter on the planet. At the end of the game, gain one more VP per counter. I’m not sure if we have the components to support something like this - maybe it could be expansion material.
For the Lonely Victor, I would say, “This is worth 8 VP minus one for each other planet you control” or something. They are still providing alternate paths to victory without ending the game outright.