Horse Traders (Cornucopia)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Horse Traders:

Horse Traders Strategy Guide

Introduction Horse Traders is a $4 Action-Reaction card from Cornucopia that offers a unique combination of economic benefits and defensive capabilities. Its dual nature as both an economy card and a reaction makes it an interesting card that requires careful consideration to use effectively.

Core Functions

1. Economic Role
2. +$3 and +1 Buy provides significant purchasing power
3. The discard requirement of 2 cards makes timing crucial

4. Functions as a "net zero" card in terms of actions and cards in hand

5. Defensive Role

6. Can be set aside when opponents play Attack cards
7. Provides delayed card draw at the start of your next turn
8. Returns to hand automatically, ensuring continued availability

Basic Usage Strategies

1. Early Game
2. Generally a solid early purchase at $4
3. Can help reach important price points ($5-$6) when basic Copper hands fall short

4. Be cautious about buying multiple copies too early due to the discard requirement

5. Mid Game

6. Becomes more valuable as your deck improves and discarding becomes less painful
7. Helps enable larger purchases with its +$3

8. Defensive capability becomes more relevant as Attack cards enter play

9. Late Game

10. Can help cycle through deck faster with its discard effect
11. Defensive aspect remains valuable
12. Buy power helps acquire Provinces or other victory cards

Optimal Playing Patterns

1. Timing Considerations
2. Best played when you have "excess" cards to discard
3. Ideal to play after drawing cards from other actions
4. Can be used to discard Victory cards or other dead cards

5. Try to play early in your action sequence if you need the +Buy

6. Discard Optimization

7. Prioritize discarding:
8. Victory cards
9. Copper
10. Duplicate terminal actions
11. Cards you won't need this turn
12. Avoid discarding:
13. Key combo pieces
14. Critical treasure cards if needed for purchases

15. Actions you still want to play

16. Reaction Timing

17. Usually correct to set aside when facing most attacks
18. Consider not reacting if:
19. You need Horse Traders' buying power this turn
20. The attack effect is minimal
21. You want to discard the cards in hand anyway

Synergies and Combinations

1. Draw Cards
2. Laboratory, Smithy, Council Room
3. More cards = easier to handle the discard cost

4. Can discard excess cards drawn

5. Village Variants

6. Village, Festival, Fishing Village
7. Multiple actions help sequence Horse Traders effectively

8. Can play Horse Traders after using village for actions

9. Throne Room Effects

10. Throne Room, King's Court
11. Double the money (+$6) if you can handle discarding 4 cards

12. Double reaction protection against attacks

13. Discard Benefits

14. Tunnel (reveals for Gold)
15. Market Square (can gain Gold)

16. Traveller cards (can upgrade them)

17. Card Selection

18. Warehouse, Cellar, Library
19. Help manage which cards you keep vs discard
20. Make discarding less painful

Counter-Synergies

1. Lean Decks
2. Small decks struggle with discarding two cards

3. May not have enough "expendable" cards

4. Action-Heavy Strategies

5. Discarding needed actions can disrupt combos

6. Terminal action clash potential

7. Hand Size Reducers

8. Militia, Ghost Ship
9. Already reduced hands make discarding more painful

Defending Against Attacks

1. General Attack Defense
2. Provides protection against most attack cards
3. Particularly strong vs:
4. Militia/Militina (hand size attacks)
5. Witch/Curse givers (draw helps offset curse)

6. Ghost Ship (helps maintain hand quality)

7. Multiple Attacks

8. Can only react once per turn
9. Consider keeping in hand vs weaker attacks
10. May need multiple copies for consistent protection

Kingdom Considerations

1. When to Buy Horse Traders

Strong Buy When: - No other +Buy sources available - Economy needs boosting to $5-$6 - Attack cards present - Deck has good draw - Victory cards clog deck

Skip When: - Better $4 options available - Deck is very lean - Heavy action chains needed - Better attack protection exists - Strong alternative economy

1. Number to Buy

Typical amounts: - 1-2 copies in most decks - 2-3 if heavy attack defense needed - 3+ rarely correct unless specific combo exists

Building Around Horse Traders

1. Economy-Focused
2. Use as main money source
3. Combine with:
4. Market (+Card/+Action/+Buy/+$1)
5. Merchant Guild (coin tokens)

6. Grand Market (strong with +Buy)

7. Defensive Focus

8. Multiple copies for attack protection
9. Other defense cards (Moat, Lighthouse)

10. Card draw to offset discards

11. Deck Cycling

12. Use discard to cycle through deck
13. Combine with draw cards
14. Treasure Map synergy

Advanced Techniques

1. Reaction Chaining
2. Set aside multiple Horse Traders
3. Get multiple +Cards next turn

4. Creates strong opening hands

5. Buy Timing

6. Can split $6 purchases into two $3s
7. Enable multiple Victory card buys

8. Purchase flexibility with +Buy

9. Deck Thinning

10. Strategic discarding of weak cards
11. Temporary removal via reaction

12. Accelerates deck improvement

13. Hand Planning

14. Track opponent's attacks
15. Keep Horse Traders for critical turns
16. Balance economic vs defensive use

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-buying
2. Too many copies early
3. Can't support multiple discards

4. Terminal action collision

5. Poor Discard Choices

6. Discarding needed actions
7. Keeping victory cards

8. Poor planning for purchases

9. Reaction Timing

10. Setting aside vs wrong attacks
11. Missing important reaction opportunities

12. Poor next-turn planning

13. Economic Misuse

14. Not utilizing +Buy
15. Poor purchase splitting
16. Inefficient money management

Kingdom Analysis Examples

1. Horse Traders/Laboratory Strong combination:
2. Lab provides cards for discard
3. Consistent deck cycling

4. Strong money generation

5. Horse Traders/Village/Militia Complex interactions:

6. Defense vs Militia
7. Village enables actions

8. Economic pressure

9. Horse Traders/Market Efficient engine:

10. Complementary benefits
11. Strong buying power
12. Deck improvement

Specific Matchups and Counters

1. Strong Against:
2. Hand-size attacks (Militia, Ghost Ship)
3. Curse givers (Witch, Young Witch)

4. Slow attack decks

5. Weak Against:

6. Fast engines
7. Strong trashing
8. Multiple attacks per turn

Alternative Cards to Consider

1. Similar Price Point:
2. Merchant ($3)
3. Woodcutter ($3)

4. Market Square ($3)

5. Similar Functions:

6. Moat (attack defense)
7. Woodcutter (+Buy/+$2)
8. Market (various benefits)

Conclusion

Horse Traders is a versatile card that provides both economic benefits and attack protection. Its success depends heavily on: - Deck composition - Kingdom context - Attack presence - Economic needs

Key takeaways: 1. Balance defensive and economic use 2. Manage discards carefully 3. Time reactions thoughtfully 4. Consider kingdom context for purchases

The card shines brightest when: - Attacks are present but not overwhelming - Deck has sufficient cards to discard - Economy needs boosting - +Buy is valuable

Remember that Horse Traders requires careful planning and consideration of timing, but when used properly, it can be a powerful addition to many strategies.