Category Archives: General Strategy

The Five Worst $5 Cards

Posted on April 6, 2011 by theory

Disclaimer: Dominion does a really great job of balancing its Kingdom cards. Pretty much every card has some situations where it shines, and some situations where it doesn’t. Nevertheless, some cards just end up being flat-out better than others, either … Continue reading →

Posted in Rankings | 118 Comments

The Penultimate Province Rule

Posted on March 28, 2011 by theory

The most important — and the most dangerous — Province in the supply is the second-to-last one.  Many games have been lost by buying this Province instead of a Duchy.  Yes, you read that right.  A Province instead of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles | 27 Comments

Combo of the Day #24: King’s Court/Goons/Masquerade

Posted on March 18, 2011 by theory

This is the nastiest combo in Dominion. The key to the combo is that you trash down to a four-card hand of King’s Court, King’s Court, Goons, and Masquerade. Playing King’s Court – King’s Court – Goons reduces your opponent … Continue reading →

Posted in Combo of the Day | 74 Comments

Basic Opening Probabilities

Posted on March 9, 2011 by theory

This post analyzes opening probabilities for Dominion.  It assumes that you purchase two cards that provide +$2 on Turns 1 and 2, classifying them into “Silvers” or “terminal Silver equivalents” (e.g., Chancellor, Cutpurse), and calculates the probabilities of various Turn … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles, Dominion Stats | 36 Comments

Building a +Actions/+Cards Engine

Posted on March 7, 2011 by theory

There’s two main ways to make your hand better in Dominion: either have good cards, or have a lot of cards.  +Actions/+Cards subscribes to the latter philosophy; it’s one of the fundamental strategies in Dominion. In descending order of importance, … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles | 18 Comments

Counter of the Day #10: Bishop v. Gardens

Posted on February 23, 2011 by theory

As discussed in this BGG topic, Bishop is one of the most effective counters to a fast Gardens rush strategy.  Trashing each Garden nets about 3VP chips, and this accumulation of VP chips discourages the Gardens player from ending the … Continue reading →

Posted in Counter of the Day | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

The Five Best $4 Cards

Posted on February 7, 2011 by theory

Disclaimer: Dominion does a really great job of balancing its Kingdom cards. Pretty much every card has some situations where it shines, and some situations where it doesn’t. Nevertheless, some cards just end up being flat-out better than others, either … Continue reading →

Posted in Rankings | Tagged , , , , , , | 47 Comments

The Five Worst $4 Cards

Posted on February 4, 2011 by theory

Disclaimer: Dominion does a really great job of balancing its Kingdom cards. Pretty much every card has some situations where it shines, and some situations where it doesn’t. Nevertheless, some cards just end up being flat-out better than others, either … Continue reading →

Posted in Rankings | Tagged , , , , , | 68 Comments

Counter of the Day #9: Lookout v. Sea Hag

Posted on January 24, 2011 by theory

Lookout isn’t the best trasher, but it’s an extremely good counter to Sea Hag, one of the best attacks in the game.  It turns Sea Hag’s leave-on-deck power—ordinarily a pain—into a boon for your Lookout, and simultaneously eliminates the possibility … Continue reading →

Posted in Counter of the Day | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Counter of the Day #8: Counting House v. Militia

Posted on January 19, 2011 by theory

While Library compensates for the loss of handsize by letting you draw back to 7, Counting House lets you discard your Coppers knowing you can safely draw them back into your hand.  This is especially valuable in situations where you … Continue reading →

Posted in Counter of the Day | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment