Ratcatcher (Adventures)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Ratcatcher:

Ratcatcher Strategy Guide

Introduction Ratcatcher is a $2 Action-Reserve card from the Adventures expansion that offers both immediate utility and ongoing deck-thinning capability. Its combination of non-terminal draw, flexibility in timing, and powerful trashing ability makes it an excellent opening buy in many kingdoms and remains useful throughout the game.

Basic Mechanics When you play Ratcatcher, you: 1. Draw one card 2. Get +1 Action 3. Place it on your Tavern mat

Once on your Tavern mat, at the start of any of your turns, you can call it to trash a card from your hand. This occurs before your Action phase, giving you important timing advantages.

Key Strengths 1. Non-terminal 2. Low cost ($2) 3. Flexible trashing timing 4. Doesn't take up an Action when trashing 5. Can thin deck even after shuffling 6. Draws a card immediately

Key Weaknesses 1. One-time use for trashing (must be replayed to trash again) 2. Only trashes one card at a time 3. Must have the card you want to trash in your starting hand 4. Competes with other strong $2 cards

Opening Buy Analysis

Ratcatcher is one of the strongest $2 opening buys in the game. Here's why:

1. Early Game Benefits
2. Immediately cycles your deck
3. Provides trashing from turn 3 onwards
4. Non-terminal nature helps maintain deck momentum

5. Can trash Coppers or Estates on optimal turns

6. Opening Considerations

7. Generally better than Chapel in 2/5 openings
8. Excellent complement to Chapel in 5/2 openings
9. Strong with other trashers due to timing flexibility
10. Great with deck drawing engines due to non-terminal nature

When to Open Ratcatcher

Strong Opening Scenarios: 1. No other trashing available 2. Engine-building kingdoms 3. When deck cycling is important 4. With cursing attacks present 5. When competing with other $2 cost cards

Weaker Opening Scenarios: 1. When stronger trashing is available (like Chapel) 2. In very fast kingdoms 3. When $2 costs are critical (like Squire or Masquerade) 4. When immediate trashing is essential

Tactical Usage

1. Early Game (Turns 1-5)
2. Primary focus: trash Estates and excess Coppers
3. Keep enough Coppers to ensure hitting key price points
4. Consider deck composition when deciding what to trash

5. Time trashing to maximize efficiency

6. Mid Game (Turns 6-12)

7. Continue targeted deck thinning
8. Remove lower-value cards as better ones are acquired
9. Consider trashing mediocre $2-3 cards

10. Time trashing with shuffle timing

11. Late Game (Turns 13+)

12. Remove cards that don't contribute to endgame strategy
13. Consider trashing Victory cards if they hurt consistency
14. May trash Coppers even in Big Money strategies
15. Use as cycle card if trashing isn't needed

Optimal Trashing Timing

1. Start-of-Turn Considerations
2. Trash before drawing new cards
3. Can trash cards drawn from previous turn
4. Allows planning for current turn

5. May affect shuffle timing

6. Key Timing Scenarios

7. Before drawing with Laboratory-type effects
8. Before shuffle if bad cards would recycle
9. When hand contains clear trash target
10. Before playing engine components

Strategic Synergies

1. Draw Effects
2. Laboratory/Smithy variants
3. Card-drawing engines
4. Sifting cards (Warehouse, Cellar)

5. Benefits from being non-terminal

6. Other Trashers

7. Chapel (complementary timing)
8. Trading Post (prep for better trades)
9. Forge (help hit specific totals)

10. Apprentice (remove lower cards)

11. Engine Components

12. Villages (non-terminal nature helps)
13. Throne Room variants (can replay for more trashing)
14. Duration cards (timing flexibility)

15. Treasury (deck control)

16. Payload Cards

17. Bridge variants (thin to hit specific counts)
18. King's Court (replay value)
19. Grand Market (copper removal)
20. Colony strategies (deck efficiency)

Counter-Synergies

1. Anti-Trashing Effects
2. Trader (competing reactions)
3. Watchtower (may prevent desired trashing)
4. Ambassador (different timing needs)

5. Cards that want trash fodder

6. Rush Strategies

7. Gardens (wants more cards)
8. Silk Road (needs victory cards)
9. Duke (needs Duchies)
10. Fast Province rush

Countering Ratcatcher

1. Strategic Approaches
2. Rush strategies before engine builds
3. Cursing attacks to add trash targets
4. Junking attacks to overwhelm trashing

5. Competition for key $2 cards

6. Tactical Responses

7. Force deck shuffles at bad times
8. Add cards that are painful to trash
9. Maintain pressure on key resources
10. Control pile endings

Multiplayer Considerations

1. 3-4 Player Games
2. More competition for copies
3. Slower deck cycling
4. More junk cards possible

5. Greater need for efficiency

6. 2-Player Games

7. Faster deck cycling
8. More consistent trashing
9. Stronger engine potential
10. Better control of game pace

Kingdom Analysis

Strong Kingdoms: 1. Engine Kingdoms - Multiple villages - Strong draw - Payload components - Action chain requirements

1. Treasure-Based
2. Few essential actions
3. Big Money variants
4. Treasury strategies

5. Gold-focused builds

6. Combo Kingdoms

7. Key card combinations
8. Specific cost requirements
9. Turn order importance
10. Timing-sensitive effects

Weak Kingdoms: 1. Rush Kingdoms - Province rush - Gardens rush - Duke/Duchy - Fast pile-outs

1. Junking Kingdoms
2. Heavy cursing
3. Ruins
4. Looters
5. Ambassador wars

Sample Strategies

1. Basic Engine Build
2. Open Ratcatcher/Silver
3. Trash Estates early
4. Add engine components
5. Maintain 5-6 Coppers

6. Build to Province points

7. Big Money Variant

8. Open Ratcatcher/Silver
9. Trash down to 4-5 Coppers
10. Focus on Gold
11. Add key action cards

12. Push Provinces

13. Combo Support

14. Open Ratcatcher/key $5
15. Trash to enable combo
16. Time trashing with shuffle
17. Build combo pieces
18. Execute winning strategy

Advanced Techniques

1. Shuffle Timing
2. Track deck composition
3. Plan trashing around shuffles
4. Maintain key card ratios

5. Optimize deck efficiency

6. Hand Reading

7. Track opponent's purchases
8. Monitor pile depletion
9. Anticipate counter-plays

10. Adjust timing accordingly

11. Engine Optimization

12. Balance trashing speed
13. Maintain economic viability
14. Time component acquisition
15. Plan endgame transition

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Overtrashing
2. Removing too many Coppers
3. Unable to hit price points
4. Weakening early economy

5. Losing tempo

6. Poor Timing

7. Trashing at wrong moment
8. Missing shuffle opportunities
9. Bad start-of-turn decisions

10. Inefficient action sequencing

11. Strategic Errors

12. Wrong opening choice
13. Poor trash target selection
14. Ignoring kingdom context
15. Misreading game pace

Conclusion

Ratcatcher is a versatile and powerful $2 card that offers significant deck improvement capabilities while maintaining tempo through its non-terminal nature. Its flexible timing and consistent utility make it a strong opening choice in many kingdoms, particularly those focused on engine building or requiring precise deck composition.

Key Takeaways: 1. Excellent opening buy 2. Flexible trashing timing 3. Strong engine support 4. Non-terminal advantage 5. Requires careful timing 6. Supports multiple strategies

Success with Ratcatcher comes from understanding: - When to open with it - What and when to trash - How to time its usage - Which strategies it supports - How to maintain economy - When to transition strategies

With proper usage, Ratcatcher can be a cornerstone of many successful strategies, providing consistent deck improvement while maintaining game tempo and supporting various winning approaches.