Poor House (Dark Ages)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Poor House:

Poor House Strategy Guide

Introduction Poor House is a fascinating $1-cost Action card from Dark Ages that offers a potentially massive +$4 payload but comes with a significant drawback: you lose $1 for each Treasure card in your hand. Understanding how to maximize Poor House's benefits while minimizing its drawback is key to using this card effectively.

Core Mechanics and Basic Considerations

1. Timing and Hand Composition The most fundamental aspect of Poor House is that it works best in hands with few or no Treasure cards. At its maximum potential (+$4), it provides excellent bang-for-buck as a $1 card, but this requires careful deck construction and hand management.

Mathematical breakdown: - 0 Treasures in hand: +$4 (optimal) - 1 Treasure in hand: +$3 - 2 Treasures in hand: +$2 - 3 Treasures in hand: +$1 - 4+ Treasures in hand: +$0 (worst case)

1. Deck Construction Impact Poor House fundamentally pushes you toward building a deck with fewer Treasure cards than normal. This makes it distinct from most engine components, which typically work alongside traditional money cards.

Key Strategic Elements

1. Early Game Considerations

Early Purchase Decision: - Poor House shines as an early purchase due to its $1 cost - Multiple Poor Houses can be acquired on weak opening hands - Consider opening Poor House/Silver if you want to test the waters

Early Game Challenges: - Can conflict with starting Coppers - May need to actively remove Coppers earlier than usual - Early turns may be awkward with mixed Treasure/Poor House hands

1. Mid-Game Development

Transition Strategies: - Gradually thin Treasures from your deck - Build toward alternative money sources - Develop hand management capabilities

1. Late Game
2. May become less reliable as deck grows
3. Consider trashing Poor House if transitioning to treasure-based strategy
4. Can remain valuable in well-constructed engines

Synergies and Combinations

1. Trashing Effects Strong synergies with cards that help remove Treasures:
2. Chapel: Premier trasher that quickly removes Coppers
3. Steward: Flexible trasher that can remove Treasures
4. Forge: Can convert multiple Treasures into higher-value cards
5. Apprentice: Turns Treasures into card draw

6. Salvager: Gains value from trashing Treasures

7. Card Draw and Deck Control Cards that help manage hand composition:

8. Warehouse: Helps filter Treasures from hand
9. Cellar: Can discard Treasures to find Poor House
10. Haven: Can set aside Treasures for next turn
11. Library: Can stop drawing when hitting Treasures

12. Hunting Grounds: Large draw that might find treasure-free hands

13. Alternative Money Sources Cards that provide money without being Treasures:

14. Market Square: Action-based money
15. Grand Market: Provides money while being an Action
16. Merchant: Action-based money boost
17. Festival: Reliable action-based money

18. Village/City variants: Help play multiple actions for money

19. Sifting Effects Cards that help manage Treasure density:

20. Scroll: Helps dig for Poor House while setting aside Treasures
21. Hunting Party: Can help find Poor House while drawing around Treasures
22. Scrying Pool: Natural fit in action-heavy decks
23. Oracle: Can manipulate deck composition

Building Around Poor House

1. Pure Action Engine The most straightforward approach:
2. Heavy trashing of Treasures
3. Multiple Poor Houses
4. Action-based draw
5. Village/splitter effects
6. Terminal space considerations

Example Build: - Multiple Poor Houses - Chapel for trashing - Villages for actions - Laboratory/Smithy variants for draw - Market Square/Festival for additional money

1. Hybrid Approach Maintaining some Treasures while maximizing Poor House:
2. Selective trashing
3. Deck manipulation
4. Hand management
5. Backup money sources

Example Build: - 2-3 Poor Houses - Warehouse/Cellar for filtering - Silver/Gold (limited quantity) - Action draw - Villages

Counter Strategies and Weaknesses

1. Attacks That Hinder Poor House
2. Militia/Margrave: Force discard can disrupt hand composition
3. Ghost Ship: Deck order disruption affects ability to separate Treasures
4. Cultist: Ruins can make hand management harder

5. Knights: Can destroy Poor House directly

6. Rush Strategies Poor House engines often need time to develop:

7. Province rush can outpace setup
8. Gardens strategies can end game before engine matures

9. Strong money strategies might be faster

10. Inherent Weaknesses

11. Requires specific hand composition
12. Can be dead card with wrong hand
13. Needs support cards to function
14. Can be inconsistent

Kingdom Considerations

1. When to Go For Poor House

Strong Poor House Kingdoms have: - Strong trashing - Good deck control - Alternative money sources - Action support (Villages) - Limited attack cards

1. When to Avoid Poor House

Skip Poor House when: - Limited trashing available - Strong attacks present - Fast alternate strategies available - Limited deck control - Better money options exist

1. Competition Considerations
2. Watch opponent's strategy
3. Consider counter-play options
4. Adjust number of Poor Houses based on kingdom

Specific Kingdom Examples

Strong Poor House Kingdom: - Poor House - Chapel - Village - Laboratory - Market Square - Warehouse - Apprentice - Festival - Hunting Grounds - Cellar

Weak Poor House Kingdom: - Poor House - Militia - Moat - Moneylender - Merchant - Silver Mine - Bandit - Council Room - Market - Gardens

Tips and Tricks

1. General Tips
2. Don't be afraid to skip playing Poor House if hand composition is wrong
3. Consider keeping some Treasures for flexibility
4. Watch deck composition carefully
5. Track shuffle timing

6. Plan turns ahead

7. Advanced Techniques

8. Use Treasures strategically when needed
9. Time Poor House plays with shuffles
10. Consider multiple Poor Houses in same hand

11. Use hand management to set up future turns

12. Common Mistakes to Avoid

13. Over-investing in Poor Houses early
14. Trashing too many Treasures too quickly
15. Neglecting backup plans
16. Forcing Poor House in wrong kingdoms

Conclusion

Poor House is a unique card that requires careful deck building and hand management to utilize effectively. While it can provide strong economic returns for its cost, it demands specific support and consideration of kingdom context. Success with Poor House comes from understanding both its potential and limitations, then building appropriately around it.

When properly supported, Poor House can be a powerful economic engine piece, but it requires more setup and maintenance than traditional money strategies. Players should carefully evaluate kingdom context and available support cards before committing to a Poor House strategy.

Remember: - Evaluate kingdom support carefully - Plan deck composition deliberately - Maintain flexibility when possible - Watch for counter-play opportunities - Be prepared to adapt strategy as game develops

With proper understanding and support, Poor House can be a valuable addition to your Dominion strategy arsenal, particularly in kingdoms that support action-based economies and deck control.