Champion (Adventures)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Champion:

Champion Strategy Guide

Introduction Champion is one of the most powerful Duration cards in Dominion, providing both lasting attack immunity and continuous action chaining. As a Traveller line card that costs $6*, it can only be gained by upgrading from Hero, making its acquisition path unique. Once in play, Champion remains active for the rest of the game, fundamentally changing how you can build and play your deck.

Key Benefits 1. Attack Immunity - Complete protection from all Attack cards - Allows you to ignore attack-based defense cards - Enables more aggressive deck building strategies - Particularly valuable in multiplayer games

1. Action Chaining
2. Every Action card played grants +1 Action
3. Enables complex action chains without Villages
4. Reduces deck-building constraints
5. Allows for more terminal actions in your deck

Acquisition Strategy

Getting Champion requires: 1. Purchasing Page ($2) 2. Upgrading to Treasure Hunter 3. Upgrading to Warrior 4. Upgrading to Hero 5. Finally upgrading to Champion

This process typically takes several shuffles, making timing crucial. Consider these factors when pursuing Champion:

Early Game Considerations: - Start pursuing Page early if Champion is your strategy - Buy supporting cards that work well before Champion arrives - Have a functional interim strategy while building towards Champion - Consider whether the game will last long enough to justify the investment

Timing Factors: - Usually takes 4-5 shuffles minimum to reach Champion - Need consistent deck cycling to upgrade quickly - May need additional copies of Page if first copy gets trapped - Consider kingdom support for faster upgrading (e.g., Throne Room effects)

Building Around Champion

Once Champion is in play, your deck-building strategy can shift dramatically:

1. Terminal Action Focus With Champion providing +1 Action for every Action played, terminal actions become much more viable:
2. Can include more powerful terminals without Village support
3. Stack multiple terminal draw cards
4. Use multiple terminal payload cards in one turn

5. Build towards mega-turn strategies more easily

6. Draw Engine Considerations Champion enables different draw engine configurations:

7. Can use multiple terminal draw cards sequentially
8. Less need for dedicated village cards
9. More flexibility in card ordering

10. Can focus on raw drawing power over action management

11. Payload Options The extra actions enable various payload strategies:

12. Multiple terminal money plays
13. Stacked attack cards
14. Complex action chains
15. Mixed treasure/action approaches

Synergies and Combinations

Strong Synergies:

1. Terminal Draw
2. Smithy
3. Witch
4. Council Room
5. Margrave

6. Any other terminal draw becomes effectively non-terminal

7. Powerful Terminals

8. Ghost Ship
9. Torturer
10. Militia
11. Governor

12. Other typically conflicting terminals

13. Action-Heavy Cards

14. Laboratory variants
15. King's Court/Throne Room
16. Draw-to-X cards

17. Conspirator chains

18. Duration Cards

19. Wharf
20. Caravan
21. Fishing Village
22. Stack multiple duration effects easily

Anti-Synergies:

1. Village Cards
2. Less necessary with Champion's action bonus
3. Can still be useful for early game

4. May become dead cards late game

5. Reaction Cards

6. Moat becomes unnecessary
7. Horse Traders less valuable

8. Watchtower still useful for gaining

9. One-Shot Effects

10. Cards that are trashed after use
11. May not justify Champion's lengthy acquisition

Defensive Considerations

Champion's attack immunity changes defensive priorities:

Benefits: - No need for defensive cards - Can ignore attack-heavy opponents - More deck space for economy/drawing - Increased reliability of engine

Limitations: - Still vulnerable to non-attack effects - Cannot protect other players - Does not prevent positive effects of attacks - Still affected by general game pace

Multiplayer Considerations

Champion's value increases significantly in multiplayer games:

Advantages: 1. Protection from multiple attackers 2. More likely to face attacks 3. Greater relative advantage 4. More time to set up Champion

Challenges: 1. Potentially slower game pace 2. Competition for Pages 3. May face multiple strategies 4. Kingdom pile depletion

Game State Analysis

Early Game (Turns 1-5): - Evaluate whether to pursue Champion - Begin Page acquisition if appropriate - Plan interim strategy - Consider alternative paths

Mid Game (Turns 6-10): - Progress through Traveller line - Maintain functional deck - Prepare for Champion arrival - Adjust strategy based on opponents

Late Game (Turns 11+): - Maximize Champion benefits - Execute powerful action chains - Consider game-ending strategies - Leverage attack immunity

Kingdom Considerations

Favorable Kingdoms: 1. Strong terminal actions available 2. Limited alternative engines 3. Prevalent attack cards 4. Longer game potential 5. Card draw support

Unfavorable Kingdoms: 1. Fast alternate strategies 2. Limited terminal actions 3. Strong treasure-based play 4. Critical alternative $5 cards 5. Racing environments

Counter-Strategy

When Opposing Champion: 1. Race strategies - End game before Champion arrives - Focus on alternate victory conditions - Build efficient money deck

1. Pile control
2. Deplete key piles early
3. Control Page supply

4. Force alternate strategies

5. Non-attack pressure

6. Use non-attack interactions
7. Focus on own engine development
8. Maintain faster deck velocity

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-Investment
2. Pursuing Champion when game is too fast
3. Neglecting interim strategy

4. Buying too many Pages early

5. Engine Building

6. Continuing to buy Villages after Champion
7. Not including enough terminals

8. Poor action card ratios

9. Timing Issues

10. Starting Champion path too late
11. Upgrading at wrong times

12. Poor hand management

13. Strategic Focus

14. Over-relying on attack immunity
15. Neglecting victory cards
16. Poor endgame timing

Tips for Success

1. Deck Management
2. Track Traveller cards carefully
3. Maintain good shuffle timing

4. Balance interim and long-term needs

5. Action Sequencing

6. Plan action chains effectively
7. Consider draw card ordering

8. Maximize action benefits

9. Strategic Planning

10. Have clear transition points
11. Maintain flexibility

12. Watch opponent strategies

13. Endgame Preparation

14. Plan victory card acquisition
15. Monitor pile conditions
16. Calculate game-end timing

Sample Strategies

1. Terminal Draw Heavy
2. Multiple Smithy variants
3. Strong payload cards
4. Minimal treasure

5. Quick cycling

6. Mixed Action/Treasure

7. Terminal draw
8. Action-based gains
9. Flexible treasure use

10. Balanced approach

11. Mega-Turn Setup

12. Duration card stacking
13. Multiple terminals
14. Strong payload
15. Careful timing

Conclusion

Champion is a powerhouse card that requires significant investment but offers tremendous rewards. Its dual benefits of attack immunity and action generation make it a game-changing addition to many strategies. Success with Champion requires careful planning, good timing, and strong supporting cards, but when properly executed, it can create some of the most powerful engines in Dominion.

The key to Champion is recognizing when it's worth pursuing and how to build around it effectively. While the path to acquiring Champion is long, its benefits often justify the investment in longer games or attack-heavy environments. Understanding both its strengths and limitations allows players to make better decisions about when and how to incorporate Champion into their strategy.

Remember that Champion isn't always the answer - sometimes faster strategies or alternative approaches will be more effective. However, when the kingdom and game state support it, Champion can be one of the most powerful cards available, enabling strategies that would be impossible without its unique benefits.