Mercenary (Dark Ages)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Mercenary:

Mercenary Strategy Guide

Overview: Mercenary is a powerful non-Supply Action-Attack card that can only be obtained through trashing a Band of Misfits. It combines three valuable effects - trashing, draw, money, and attack - making it one of the most versatile cards in Dominion. Understanding how to maximize each aspect of Mercenary is key to using it effectively.

Core Strengths: 1. Strong trashing capability (2 cards at once) 2. Card draw (+2 Cards) 3. Economic boost (+$2) 4. Powerful hand-size attack 5. Non-terminal (can chain multiple Actions after it)

Key Characteristics: - Not available in Supply (requires Band of Misfits) - Optional trashing (you can choose not to trash) - Attack affects all opponents simultaneously - Functions as deck improvement and economy card

Timing and Usage:

Early Game: - Excellent early-game trasher for removing starting Estates and Coppers - Getting Mercenary early via Band of Misfits can accelerate deck improvement - Can help reach important price points by combining +$2 with other treasures - Attack element is particularly effective when opponents haven't built up their decks

Mid Game: - Transitions well from pure trashing to drawing and economy - Can trash newly acquired green cards while maintaining momentum - Attack becomes stronger as opponents build larger hands - Helps maintain deck quality while building

Late Game: - May become primarily an economy/draw card once trashing is less needed - Attack remains relevant by disrupting opponents' big turns - Can still trash Victory cards to maintain deck efficiency - Useful for reaching Province price points

Trashing Strategy:

What to Trash: 1. Early Game Priority - Estates - Coppers (keeping enough for economy) - Curses - Other weak cards

1. Mid/Late Game Considerations
2. Remaining starting cards
3. Lower-value treasures
4. Situational action cards
5. Victory cards (when appropriate)

Trashing Timing: - Consider whether you need the cards you're trashing for current turn - Balance trashing versus keeping resources for buying - Sometimes better to delay trashing to maintain hand size - May want to hold weaker cards to trash later with Mercenary

Draw Aspect:

Maximizing +2 Cards: - Play early in turn to see what you draw - Can help find key cards or additional actions - Useful for setting up combos - May reveal cards needed for other effects

Draw Considerations: - Drawing after trashing means new cards come from improved deck - Can help reach critical hand sizes - Helps offset cards lost to trashing - May reveal victory cards you'd prefer to trash

Economic Benefits:

Using the +$2: - Helps reach key price points - Combines well with other treasures - Can enable multiple buys - Provides economy while improving deck

Economic Timing: - Consider whether to play before or after other treasure-generating effects - May influence trashing decisions - Can affect buy phase planning - Helps maintain buying power while trashing

Attack Element:

Maximizing the Attack: - Most effective when opponents have large hands - Can disrupt engine building - Forces difficult discard decisions - More impactful in multiplayer games

Timing the Attack: - Consider opponents' likely hand sizes - More effective after card-drawing events - Can prevent big combo turns - May influence opponent's play order

Synergies and Combinations:

Strong Synergies: 1. Card Draw - Laboratory - Smithy - Council Room - Other draw effects that increase hand size

1. Actions that give +Actions
2. Village variants
3. Festival
4. Market

5. Enables multiple Mercenary plays

6. Treasure-generating cards

7. Market
8. Worker's Village
9. Grand Market

10. Helps reach higher price points

11. Other trashers

12. Chapel
13. Steward
14. Trading Post

15. Provides multiple trashing options

16. Duration cards

17. Wharf
18. Fishing Village
19. Caravan
20. Help ensure action availability

Counter Strategies:

Playing Against Mercenary: 1. Hand Management - Keep hand size low when possible - Play important cards before opponent's turn - Consider timing of draw effects

1. Deck Composition
2. Build reliable smaller hands
3. Include reaction cards

4. Maintain consistent deck performance

5. Victory Card Timing

6. May need to delay victory card purchases
7. Consider alt-VP strategies

8. Balance deck efficiency versus points

9. Action Density

10. Maintain higher action density
11. Include villages/splitters
12. Build redundancy into engines

Specific Counters: - Moat (blocks attack) - Watchtower (protects from forced discards) - Horse Traders (provides draw after attack) - Reaction cards that benefit from discarding

Kingdom Considerations:

Favorable Kingdoms: 1. Strong trashing support - Multiple trashing options - Ways to gain specific cards - Card draw support

1. Engine components
2. Villages
3. Draw cards

4. Payload cards

5. Attack multiplication

6. Throne Room variants
7. King's Court

8. Ways to play multiple attacks

9. Duration support

10. Cards that extend effects
11. Action guarantees
12. Draw consistency

Unfavorable Kingdoms: - Limited trashing options - Weak card draw - Anti-attack elements - Rush strategies

Gameplay Tips:

General Strategy: 1. Early Game - Focus on obtaining Band of Misfits - Prioritize trashing - Establish action chain capability - Build toward engine components

1. Mid Game
2. Balance trashing and deck building
3. Maintain economy
4. Develop engine consistency

5. Time attacks effectively

6. Late Game

7. Shift focus to drawing/economy
8. Maintain deck efficiency
9. Use attack to disrupt opponents
10. Time victory card purchases

Advanced Techniques:

1. Chaining Multiple Mercenaries
2. Requires +Actions
3. Can create powerful turns
4. Maximizes all effects

5. Consider order of operations

6. Timing Considerations

7. When to trash versus hold cards
8. Attack timing for maximum impact
9. Draw sequencing

10. Action/treasure ordering

11. Multi-player Strategies

12. Attack impacts multiple opponents
13. Can create significant hand size disparity
14. May need different timing

15. Consider table position

16. Engine Integration

17. Role in different engine types
18. Balancing components
19. Maintaining consistency
20. Supporting other strategies

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

1. Trashing Errors
2. Over-trashing economy
3. Trashing needed cards
4. Poor timing of trashing

5. Ignoring opportunity cost

6. Attack Timing

7. Missing maximum impact
8. Poor sequencing
9. Failing to consider opponent's position

10. Not maximizing multi-player effect

11. Resource Management

12. Poor action sequencing
13. Inefficient use of +$2
14. Suboptimal draw timing

15. Wasteful trashing choices

16. Strategic Errors

17. Over-focusing on one aspect
18. Poor kingdom analysis
19. Inflexible strategy
20. Misreading game state

Conclusion:

Mercenary is a versatile and powerful card that combines multiple valuable effects into a single action. Success with Mercenary requires: - Understanding all aspects of the card - Proper timing and sequencing - Good kingdom analysis - Flexible strategic thinking - Awareness of game state

The ability to trash, draw, generate money, and attack makes Mercenary a strong contributor to many strategies. While obtaining it requires specific circumstances, its power level often justifies the effort to acquire it through Band of Misfits.

Mastering Mercenary involves balancing its multiple effects, understanding timing considerations, and adapting its use to different game states and kingdom configurations. When used effectively, it can be a key component in powerful engines and a significant factor in game outcomes.