Rats (Dark Ages)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Rats in Dominion:

Rats Strategy Guide

Introduction Rats is one of the most unique and potentially dangerous cards in Dominion. It's a self-replicating card that forces you to trash other cards while gaining more Rats, and gives you a small bonus when trashed itself. Understanding how to use (or avoid) Rats is crucial, as misusing it can completely destroy your deck.

Basic Mechanics When you play Rats, you: 1. Draw 1 card 2. Get +1 Action 3. Gain another Rats card 4. Must trash a non-Rats card from your hand (unless your entire hand is Rats)

When Rats is trashed, you: - Draw 1 card

Key Characteristics - Self-replicating nature - Forced trashing - Cantrip (+1 Card, +1 Action) - Trashing reward

Core Strategic Considerations

1. The Danger of Rats The most important thing to understand about Rats is that it can quickly take over your deck if you're not careful. Each time you play it, you:
2. Add another Rats to your deck

3. Remove a non-Rats card This means your deck's ratio of Rats to other cards will increase exponentially unless managed carefully.

4. Natural Deck Deterioration Without proper control, a deck with Rats will naturally trend toward:

5. More Rats
6. Fewer useful cards

7. Eventually becoming unplayable (all Rats)

8. The Exit Strategy Before buying even a single Rats, you must have a plan for:

9. How many Rats you want
10. How you'll remove them
11. What cards you're willing to trash
12. How you'll maintain deck functionality

Optimal Uses for Rats

1. Controlled Trashing Engine The primary legitimate use for Rats is as a selective trashing tool:
2. Buy 1-2 Rats early
3. Use them to trash Coppers and Estates

4. Then trash the Rats themselves This creates a controlled deck-thinning strategy.

5. Combo Piece Rats can work well in specific combinations:

6. Cards that want to be trashed
7. Cards that benefit from trashing

8. Cards that can remove Rats efficiently

9. Quick Deck Cycling Because Rats is a cantrip that gains more cantrips, it can help cycle through your deck when used carefully and briefly.

Key Synergies

1. Trash-for-Benefit Cards
2. Chapel: Excellent for removing Rats once their purpose is served
3. Bishop: Turns Rats into VP and removes them
4. Altar: Can transform Rats into more useful cards
5. Salvager: Turns Rats into $4

6. Apprentice: Rats becomes a draw engine when trashed

7. Cards That Want to Be Trashed

8. Fortress: Returns to hand when trashed by Rats
9. Market Square: Generates Gold when cards are trashed
10. Hunting Grounds: Provides significant benefits when trashed

11. Cultist: Draws cards when trashed

12. Draw-to-X Cards

13. Library: Can help control Rats exposure
14. Watchtower: Can prevent unwanted Rats gains

15. Scholar: Helps reset hands full of Rats

16. Gain Control

17. Trader: Can convert Rats gains into Silver
18. Royal Seal: Helps control where gained Rats go
19. Watchtower: Can trash newly gained Rats

Counter Strategies

1. When Facing Rats If your opponent has Rats:
2. Focus on deck efficiency
3. Build engines that don't rely on specific cards
4. Consider attacks that give Copper

5. Use junking attacks to dilute their deck

6. Avoiding Rats Problems To prevent Rats from ruining your deck:

7. Never buy Rats without a removal plan
8. Keep track of Rats count
9. Maintain sufficient non-Rats cards
10. Have multiple trashers available

When to Buy Rats

Good Situations: 1. Early Game (Turns 1-4): - When you have strong trashing available - With cards that benefit from trashing - In kingdoms with few terminal actions

1. Mid Game (Turns 5-8):
2. Only with a clear exit strategy
3. When you need selective trashing
4. If you have strong deck control

Never Buy Rats When: - You lack trashing capabilities - Your deck relies on specific cards - You already have sufficient trashing - Your deck is already running efficiently

Advanced Strategies

1. The "Rats Loop" Creating a controlled Rats engine:
2. Buy 2-3 Rats
3. Use them to trash unwanted cards
4. Maintain critical engine pieces
5. Use trashers to remove excess Rats

6. Keep Rats population under control

7. Rats as Engine Component Using Rats in a larger strategy:

8. Leverage the +1 Action for non-terminal draw
9. Use trashing synergies for benefits
10. Maintain precise Rats count

11. Have backup plans for hand variance

12. Rats Timing Optimal timing for Rats plays:

13. Early: For deck thinning
14. Mid: For specific trashing needs
15. Late: Generally avoid unless part of a specific combo

Risk Management

1. Tracking Rats Essential metrics to monitor:
2. Total Rats in deck
3. Ratio of Rats to other cards
4. Available trashing capability

5. Critical cards remaining

6. Safety Mechanisms Ways to prevent Rats overflow:

7. Multiple trashing options
8. Draw filtering
9. Gain control

10. Deck tracking

11. Recovery Strategies If Rats get out of control:

12. Focus on trashing Rats
13. Rebuild with Silver/Gold
14. Use deck refreshing cards
15. Consider resignation if unrecoverable

Sample Strategies

1. Basic Rats Thinning Turn 1-2: Silver/Silver Turn 3-4: Rats + Trasher Turn 5-6: Use Rats to thin, then remove them Result: Streamlined deck

2. Rats Engine Components:

3. 2-3 Rats
4. Strong trasher
5. Draw engine

6. Action suppliers Goal: Use Rats as engine accelerator

7. Rats Combo Setup:

8. Market Square
9. Rats
10. Additional trashing Goal: Generate multiple Golds through controlled trashing

Common Mistakes

1. Overcommitment
2. Buying too many Rats
3. Not having enough trashing

4. Lacking non-Rats cards

5. Poor Timing

6. Getting Rats too late
7. Keeping Rats too long

8. Missing critical trashing windows

9. Strategic Errors

10. No clear purpose for Rats
11. Insufficient backup plans
12. Poor trash targeting

Kingdom Analysis

When evaluating whether to use Rats, consider:

1. Available Trashing
2. Quality of trashers
3. Quantity of trashers

4. Reliability of trashing

5. Synergies Present

6. Trash-for-benefit cards
7. Draw quality

8. Action supply

9. Alternative Strategies

10. Other thinning options
11. Engine possibilities
12. Big money viability

Conclusion

Rats is a high-risk, moderate-reward card that requires careful planning and execution. Success with Rats depends on: - Clear strategy - Strong control mechanisms - Proper timing - Good supporting cards

When used correctly, Rats can be a powerful deck-thinning tool and combo enabler. However, the risks often outweigh the benefits unless specific supporting cards are present. Always approach Rats with caution and a clear exit strategy.

Remember: - Never buy Rats without a plan - Always maintain control - Be ready to abandon Rats strategies if they become unstable - Practice tracking your deck composition

With proper understanding and careful play, Rats can be a useful tool in your Dominion strategy arsenal, but it should never be bought carelessly or without proper support.