Followers (Cornucopia)

Followers Strategy Guide

Introduction: Followers is one of the five Prize cards from Cornucopia, obtainable only through the Tournament card. As a powerful Attack card that doesn't cost any money to acquire (once you've won a Tournament), it combines multiple effects that can significantly impact the game: card draw, forcing Estate gains, cursing opponents, and hand size reduction.

Core Characteristics: 1. Non-supply card (Prize) 2. Multiple strong effects combined 3. Free to acquire (after winning Tournament) 4. Both an Attack and drawer

Obtaining Followers:

The only way to get Followers is by winning a Tournament and choosing it as your Prize. This means your strategy must account for: - Including Tournament in your deck - Successfully revealing a Province when playing Tournament - Choosing Followers over other available Prizes

When to Choose Followers:

Followers is often considered one of the stronger Prizes, but whether to choose it depends on several factors:

1. Game Stage:
2. Early/Mid-game: Followers is particularly strong as cursing has maximum impact

3. Late-game: Effects become less impactful as decks are larger and Curses matter less

4. Player Count:

5. 2 players: Strong but not overwhelming

6. 3-4 players: More powerful as it affects more opponents simultaneously

7. Kingdom Context:

8. Presence of Curse-handling cards
9. Availability of discard attacks
10. Deck-cycling speed
11. Alternative Victory card strategies

Strengths:

1. Multiple Effects: The combination of effects makes Followers extremely efficient:
2. +2 Cards keeps your turn moving
3. Curse distribution weakens opponents
4. Hand size reduction disrupts opponent planning

5. Estate gaining can be beneficial in certain strategies

6. No Direct Cost:

7. Once obtained, it's a free Action that provides significant value

8. Can be played multiple times per game without resource investment

9. Attack Versatility:

10. Combines two different attack types (junking and hand reduction)
11. Difficult for opponents to fully counter
12. Creates compound negative effects

Weaknesses:

1. Acquisition Difficulty:
2. Requires Tournament success
3. Competing with other strong Prizes

4. Tournament itself needs deck support

5. Counter-vulnerability:

6. Reaction cards (Moat, Horse Traders)
7. Curse-removal strategies

8. Cards that benefit from Estates

9. Late-game Effectiveness:

10. Cursing becomes less impactful
11. Hand size reduction matters less with larger decks
12. Estate gaining can be detrimental

Strategic Considerations:

1. Deck Building Impact: When including Followers in your strategy:
2. Prioritize deck cycling to play it frequently
3. Consider Estate synergies
4. Balance other attacks with Followers

5. Plan for Tournament support

6. Timing Considerations:

7. Early Followers plays are most impactful
8. Multiple plays per shuffle maximize effect

9. Consider opponent deck composition

10. Kingdom Analysis: Look for:

11. Curse handling cards
12. Estate synergies
13. Draw support
14. Reaction presence

Combo Potential:

1. Estate Synergies:
2. Manor (turns Estates into better cards)
3. Ironworks (can gain from Estates)
4. Gardens (benefits from extra cards)

5. Victory card counters

6. Draw Enhancement:

7. Laboratory (additional draw)
8. Village variants (action supply)
9. Hunting Party (consistent draws)

10. Library (hand filling)

11. Attack Amplification:

12. Ghost Ship (maintains pressure)
13. Militia (compounds hand reduction)
14. Witch (additional cursing)
15. Sea Hag (curse positioning)

Counter Strategies:

1. Direct Counters:
2. Moat (blocks attack)
3. Horse Traders (mitigation)
4. Watchtower (curse prevention)

5. Chapel (curse removal)

6. Indirect Counters:

7. Fast Province rushing
8. Alternative VP strategies
9. Deck thinning

10. Curse removal engines

11. Adaptative Strategies:

12. Focus on big money
13. Build resistant engines
14. Emphasize deck efficiency
15. Maintain larger hand sizes

Playing With Followers:

1. Early Game:
2. Focus on Tournament acquisition
3. Prepare deck for multiple Followers plays
4. Consider curse pile depletion rate

5. Build supporting infrastructure

6. Mid Game:

7. Maximize Followers frequency
8. Balance attack pressure with deck building
9. Monitor opponent responses

10. Adjust strategy based on curse distribution

11. Late Game:

12. Evaluate continued Followers utility
13. Consider transition to alternate strategy
14. Use hand reduction tactically
15. Manage Estate accumulation

Defending Against Followers:

1. Preparation:
2. Include reaction cards
3. Build curse-resistant strategies
4. Maintain deck efficiency

5. Consider hand size management

6. Adaptation:

7. Adjust buy priorities
8. Focus on key cards
9. Build around limitations

10. Consider acceleration

11. Counter-play:

12. Time important plays
13. Maintain flexibility
14. Build redundancy
15. Consider pile depletion

Specific Kingdom Considerations:

1. Strong Kingdoms:
2. Limited curse removal
3. Weak reaction presence
4. Estate synergies

5. Strong draw support

6. Weak Kingdoms:

7. Heavy curse removal
8. Strong reactions
9. Alternative VP paths

10. Anti-Estate effects

11. Balanced Kingdoms:

12. Mixed counter options
13. Multiple strategies
14. Flexible timing
15. Various synergies

Multi-player Dynamics:

1. Position Considerations:
2. First player advantage
3. Curse distribution
4. Hand size timing

5. Attack sequencing

6. Political Elements:

7. Target priority
8. Alliance potential
9. Curse management

10. Timing optimization

11. Strategic Adjustments:

12. Multiple target impact
13. Resource competition
14. Tempo considerations
15. Victory condition adaptation

Tournament Considerations:

1. Prize Priority: When choosing between Prizes:
2. Game state evaluation
3. Kingdom synergies
4. Opponent strategies

5. Timing factors

6. Alternative Prizes: Consider other options:

7. Trusty Steed (flexibility)
8. Princess (cost reduction)
9. Diadem (money generation)

10. Bag of Gold (virtual coin)

11. Tournament Strategy:

12. Province timing
13. Deck preparation
14. Competition consideration
15. Prize availability

Advanced Techniques:

1. Timing Optimization:
2. Multiple Followers sequencing
3. Action chain planning
4. Hand size manipulation

5. Curse distribution timing

6. Resource Management:

7. Action efficiency
8. Draw optimization
9. Estate handling

10. Curse pile control

11. Strategic Flexibility:

12. Strategy transitions
13. Counter adaptations
14. Timing adjustments
15. Win condition shifts

Kingdom Building:

When creating kingdoms with Followers potential:

1. Supportive Elements:
2. Tournament enablers
3. Draw support
4. Action suppliers

5. Estate synergies

6. Counter Balance:

7. Reaction availability
8. Curse handling
9. Alternative strategies

10. Tempo options

11. Strategic Depth:

12. Multiple paths
13. Interaction potential
14. Timing considerations
15. Resource competition

Conclusion:

Followers is a powerful Prize card that combines multiple strong effects into a single Action. Its effectiveness depends heavily on: - Tournament acquisition timing - Kingdom context - Player count - Strategic implementation

Success with Followers requires: 1. Strong Tournament support 2. Efficient deck building 3. Tactical timing 4. Strategic flexibility

While powerful, Followers isn't always the optimal Prize choice, and its effectiveness can be mitigated by various counter-strategies. Understanding both its strengths and limitations is crucial for optimal use in your Dominion games.

Remember: - Early acquisition maximizes impact - Multiple plays increase effectiveness - Counter consideration is crucial - Strategy adaptation is key

Mastering Followers use requires understanding its role in broader strategy, timing its acquisition and use effectively, and adapting to game state changes and opponent responses.