Pillage (Dark Ages)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Pillage:

Pillage Strategy Guide

Overview: Pillage is a unique $5 action-attack card that combines three distinct effects: targeted discard attack, self-trashing, and gaining Spoils. Its one-shot nature makes it fundamentally different from most attack cards, requiring careful consideration of timing and opportunity cost.

Key Characteristics: 1. One-time use (trashes itself) 2. Targeted discard attack against hands of 5+ cards 3. Provides 2 Spoils (+3 Treasure cards) 4. No +Cards or +Actions 5. Attacks multiple opponents simultaneously

Strengths: - Provides significant economic boost via Spoils - Allows precise disruption of opponent's hands - Can't be blocked by Reaction cards like Moat - Scales well in multiplayer games - Strong opening card

Weaknesses: - One-time use only - Requires opponents to have 5+ cards - No +Cards or +Actions - Can be ineffective against thin decks - Takes terminal action space

Basic Strategy

Opening Considerations: Pillage is a strong opening card, particularly in the following situations: - 5/2 opening splits where you want early economy - Games where early attacks are valuable - Kingdoms lacking strong $5 cards - Engines that can benefit from Spoils - Games where trashing is beneficial

The key decision point is whether to open with Pillage or save it for a more strategic moment. As an opening, it provides immediate economic boost through Spoils but loses the attack potential since opponents won't have built their deck yet.

Timing Your Pillage: Since Pillage is a one-shot card, timing is crucial. Consider these factors: 1. Opponent's hand size (must be 5+ for attack to work) 2. Quality of cards in opponent's deck 3. Your need for Spoils 4. Opportunity cost of using an action 5. Stage of the game

Optimal timing situations: - When opponents have just drawn through their deck - After opponents play card drawers - During opponent's build phase - When you see they've drawn key components

Advanced Strategy

Choosing Discards: When selecting cards for opponents to discard, prioritize: 1. Key engine pieces (Villages, card draw) 2. Victory cards in engine decks 3. Payload cards (especially in Big Money) 4. Action cards in hands with limited +Actions 5. Key attack cards

Consider your opponent's deck composition and strategy: - In engine mirrors, target engine components - Against Big Money, target high-value treasures - Against slogs, remove key support cards - In rush strategies, target Victory cards

Spoils Management: The 2 Spoils gained from Pillage are a significant benefit: - Use them for key purchases - Consider saving them for crucial turns - May enable earlier Province purchases - Can support mega-turn strategies - Useful for alternate Victory card costs

Synergies and Combinations

Strong Synergies:

1. Throne Room variants:
2. Throne Room
3. King's Court

4. Crown These allow multiple Pillages in one turn, generating more Spoils though the attack only happens once.

5. Card gainers:

6. Workshop
7. Artificer

8. Gain multiple Pillages for consistent access

9. Spoils synergies:

10. Bandit Camp
11. Treasure Map

12. Baker Cards that benefit from or provide additional Spoils

13. Deck inspection:

14. Navigator
15. Scout

16. Spy Help time Pillage for maximum impact

17. Hand size increasers:

18. Laboratory
19. Smithy
20. Council Room Make opponent's hands more vulnerable

Counter-Synergies:

1. Other terminals:
2. Without +Actions, competes for action space

3. May force difficult choices on key turns

4. Handsize reducers:

5. Militia
6. Ghost Ship

7. Make Pillage's attack condition harder to meet

8. Fast deck thinning:

9. Chapel
10. Steward
11. Can make opponents' hands too small to hit

Countering Pillage

Defensive Strategies:

1. Hand size management:
2. Keep hands under 5 cards when possible
3. Time card draw carefully

4. Consider discarding excess cards

5. Deck composition:

6. Build redundancy into engines
7. Avoid reliance on key cards

8. Maintain backup strategies

9. Pace consideration:

10. Rush strategies can outpace Pillage's impact
11. Consider faster game endings

12. Build economy quickly

13. Card draw timing:

14. Draw cards after opponent's turn when possible
15. Split card draw across turns
16. Maintain smaller hands during crucial phases

Kingdom Considerations

Pillage is stronger in:

1. Slow kingdoms:
2. Limited trashing
3. Few +Actions

4. Complex engine requirements

5. Spoils-matters kingdoms:

6. Other Spoils producers
7. Cards that reward treasure variety

8. High-cost important cards

9. Terminal draw kingdoms:

10. Opponents likely to have larger hands
11. Attack more likely to hit
12. Can disrupt draw chains

Pillage is weaker in:

1. Fast kingdoms:
2. Heavy trashing
3. Strong engines

4. Rush strategies

5. Action-rich kingdoms:

6. Many villages
7. Non-terminal draw
8. Alternative economies

Multiplayer Considerations

Pillage scales well in multiplayer games: - Attacks all opponents simultaneously - More likely to hit valid targets - Economic advantage compounds - Can create table politics

Adjust strategy for player count: - 2 players: More tactical, timing-focused - 3 players: Balanced approach - 4+ players: More reliable attack, focus on economy

Sample Strategies

Early Game Focus: - Open Pillage/Silver - Use Spoils for key $5-6 purchases - Build toward engine or money strategy - Time attack for maximum disruption

Engine Disruption: - Buy multiple Pillages - Target engine components - Use Spoils for alternate strategy - Maintain pressure with other attacks

Economic Boost: - Focus on Spoils aspect - Use for key purchases - Combine with other treasure-based strategies - Attack is secondary benefit

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Poor timing:
2. Using too early before hands are built
3. Waiting too long when economy needed

4. Missing key disruption opportunities

5. Suboptimal targeting:

6. Choosing wrong discard targets
7. Not considering opponent's strategy

8. Focusing on wrong opponents in multiplayer

9. Overvaluing:

10. Buying too many copies
11. Ignoring other important cards

12. Relying too heavily on Spoils

13. Poor Spoils management:

14. Using Spoils too early
15. Saving Spoils too long
16. Not planning purchases around Spoils

Conclusion

Pillage is a versatile card that requires careful consideration of timing and strategy. Its unique combination of effects - attack, trashing, and economy - makes it valuable in many situations, but using it effectively requires understanding both its strengths and limitations.

Key takeaways: - Time usage carefully - Consider both attack and economic aspects - Plan around one-time use - Adapt strategy to kingdom and opponents - Manage Spoils effectively

Success with Pillage comes from balancing its multiple uses and choosing the right moment to maximize its impact. Whether used primarily for its attack or economic boost, understanding its role in your strategy is crucial for effective use.

Tips for Improvement: 1. Practice timing decisions 2. Study opponent's strategies 3. Track hand sizes 4. Plan Spoils usage 5. Consider kingdom interactions

With proper understanding and practice, Pillage can be a powerful tool in your Dominion strategy, providing both economic advantage and strategic disruption when used effectively.