Diadem (Cornucopia)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Diadem:

Diadem Strategy Guide

Introduction Diadem is one of the five Prize cards from Cornucopia, obtained only through winning the Tournament card. As a special Treasure that rewards unused Actions, it creates interesting strategic considerations around Action management and deck composition. While powerful, its unique acquisition method means strategies must account for both obtaining and maximizing Diadem's potential.

Basic Properties - Provides at least $2 base money - Generates additional money based on unused Actions - Cannot be bought directly; must be gained through Tournament - Non-supply card (cannot be gained through Gains or Workshop effects) - Counts as a Treasure for all game effects

Obtaining Diadem

The Primary Path: Tournament - Tournament is the only way to obtain Diadem - Requires revealing a Province when playing Tournament while opponents don't - Competing for Prizes makes Tournament strategies time-sensitive - Consider rushing Tournament if Diadem is your desired Prize

Tournament Considerations: 1. Early Tournament acquisition is crucial - Buy Tournament on $4 opening if available - Consider skipping other $4 actions in favor of Tournament - May need multiple Tournaments to reliably hit Province reveals

1. Province management
2. Need to balance keeping Provinces for Tournament vs playing them for points
3. Consider buying extra Provinces specifically for Tournament reveals

4. Track opponent's Tournament capabilities and Province holdings

5. Prize competition

6. Diadem competes with other powerful Prizes
7. Evaluate whether Diadem is the optimal Prize for your strategy
8. Consider denying Diadem to opponents who could use it better

Maximizing Diadem's Value

1. Action Management The key to maximizing Diadem's potential is having unused Actions when you play it. Several approaches can help:

a) Village-heavy strategies - Multiple Villages provide excess Actions - Best with non-terminal draw - Examples: Village/Smithy, Festival chains - Careful sequencing required to maintain Actions

b) Action generators - Cards like Festival, Market - Native Village - Cards that give +2 or more Actions

c) Limited terminal space - Running fewer terminal Actions - Using non-Action draw (like Library) - Focusing on treasure-based deck

1. Timing Considerations
2. Play non-terminal Actions first
3. Save Diadem for after building Action surplus
4. Consider whether to play other Treasures first
5. May want multiple deck cycles to maximize value

Synergies and Combinations

Strong Synergies:

1. Action Generators
2. Festival: Provides +2 Actions and money
3. Market: Gives +1 Action while cycling
4. Fishing Village: Creates Action surplus over multiple turns

5. Grand Market: Provides Action and deck improvement

6. Villages

7. Village variants work well with Diadem
8. Native Village can store Actions for big turns
9. Worker's Village provides both Actions and buying power

10. Village/Smithy engines can generate excess Actions

11. Card Draw

12. Laboratory: Non-terminal draw helps find Diadem
13. Hunting Party: Helps find unique cards including Diadem

14. Library: Can draw to Diadem while skipping Actions

15. Duration Cards

16. Fishing Village: Creates Action surplus
17. Wharf: Provides Actions and draw across turns

18. Haven: Can set up Diadem turns

19. Action Economy Cards

20. Scheme: Can plan future Action-rich turns
21. Throne Room variants: Can duplicate Action generators
22. King's Court: Powerful with Action generators

Deck Compositions

1. Engine with Excess Actions
2. Multiple Villages
3. Non-terminal draw
4. Limited terminals
5. Action generators Example build:
6. 2-3 Tournaments
7. 4-5 Villages
8. 2-3 Laboratories
9. 1-2 Markets
10. Diadem

11. Treasure/Victory cards

12. Big Money + Diadem

13. Minimal Action cards
14. Focus on treasure
15. Tournament for Diadem
16. Maybe 1-2 key terminals Example build:
17. 2 Tournaments
18. 1 Key terminal Action
19. Diadem
20. Silver/Gold

21. Provinces

22. Duration-focused

23. Fishing Village chain
24. Wharf for draw
25. Action accumulation Example build:
26. 2-3 Tournaments
27. 4-5 Fishing Villages
28. 2-3 Wharfs
29. Diadem
30. Treasure/Victory cards

Counter-Strategies

1. Countering Tournament/Diadem
2. Rush Provinces to deny Tournament reveals
3. Compete for Tournaments to block Prize access
4. Build faster engines that don't need Diadem

5. Use attacks to disrupt Tournament plays

6. When Opponent Has Diadem

7. Focus on deck efficiency over Action surplus
8. Consider alternate money sources
9. May need to race rather than build
10. Attack cards can disrupt Action accumulation

Kingdom Considerations

When to Prioritize Diadem:

1. Strong Action generators present
2. Multiple Villages available
3. Cards that give +2 or more Actions

4. Non-terminal draw

5. Limited alternate money sources

6. No Platinum
7. Few treasure-focused options

8. Bank not available

9. Slower kingdoms

10. Few attacks
11. Limited trashing
12. Time to set up Action chains

When to Skip Diadem:

1. Better Prizes available
2. Followers in attack-vulnerable kingdoms
3. Trusty Steed in engine kingdoms

4. Princess in Action-heavy kingdoms

5. Strong alternate strategies

6. Powerful engines without Tournament
7. Fast rush strategies

8. Better treasure alternatives

9. High competition for Tournament

10. Multiple players going for Prizes
11. Province denial likely
12. Better alternative $4 cards

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Action Management
2. Playing Treasures before using Actions
3. Not planning Action sequencing

4. Keeping too many terminal Actions

5. Tournament Play

6. Revealing Provinces too early
7. Not buying enough Tournaments

8. Choosing Diadem when other Prizes better

9. Deck Construction

10. Too many terminal Actions
11. Insufficient draw to find components

12. Over-investing in Action generators

13. General Strategy

14. Forcing Diadem in inappropriate kingdoms
15. Not adapting strategy when denied Diadem
16. Neglecting victory points for Action optimization

Advanced Tips

1. Turn Planning
2. Track Action count carefully
3. Plan multiple turns ahead
4. Consider reshuffles in planning

5. May save key cards for bigger turns

6. Timing Optimization

7. Sometimes better to wait for bigger Diadem turns
8. Balance between using now vs. waiting

9. Consider opponent's capabilities

10. Prize Selection

11. Compare Diadem value to other Prizes
12. Calculate expected money per play

13. Consider denial value

14. Tournament Timing

15. Balance early Tournament with economy
16. Plan Province purchases around reveals
17. Watch opponent's Tournament capability

Sample Turn Examples

Basic Diadem Turn: Village (+2 Actions) Laboratory (+1 Action, draw 2) Market (+1 Action, +$1, draw 1) Play Diadem with 2 unused Actions = $4 Additional Treasures Buy

Optimized Diadem Turn: Festival (+2 Actions, +$2) Village (+2 Actions) Laboratory (+1 Action, draw 2) Market (+1 Action, +$1, draw 1) Play Diadem with 3 unused Actions = $5 Additional Treasures Buy

Conclusion

Diadem is a powerful Prize that rewards careful Action management and strategic planning. Success with Diadem requires: - Effective Tournament play to acquire it - Deck construction that generates excess Actions - Careful turn planning and card sequencing - Balance between Action generation and victory point accumulation

While not always the optimal Prize choice, Diadem can provide substantial economic boost in the right kingdoms and strategies. Understanding its strengths and limitations helps inform both when to pursue it and how to maximize its potential once obtained.