Gardens (Dominion)

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

Gardens Strategy Guide

Introduction Gardens is one of the most unique Victory cards in Dominion, as its value scales with the total size of your deck rather than providing a fixed number of victory points. This makes it fundamentally different from traditional victory cards like Estate, Duchy, and Province, requiring specific strategies and considerations to use effectively.

Basic Mechanics - Gardens is worth 1VP for every 10 cards in your deck (rounded down) - A 30-card deck makes each Gardens worth 3VP - A 40-card deck makes each Gardens worth 4VP - The count includes ALL cards in your deck, discard pile, and hand - Gardens counts itself towards the total

Key Strategic Concepts

1. Critical Mass The most important concept with Gardens is reaching "critical mass" - the point at which Gardens becomes worth enough VP to be competitive with traditional victory cards. Generally:
2. Below 30 cards: Gardens is weak (1-2 VP each)
3. 30-39 cards: Gardens becomes viable (3 VP each)

4. 40+ cards: Gardens becomes strong (4+ VP each)

5. Timing Unlike other victory cards, Gardens can be bought earlier in the game because:

6. They don't clog your deck as badly as other victory cards
7. Their value increases as you add more cards

8. Early Gardens contribute to the value of later Gardens

9. Deck Size vs. Deck Quality Gardens creates a fundamental tension between:

10. Adding more cards to increase Gardens' value
11. Maintaining deck quality and consistency Finding the right balance is crucial for successful Gardens strategies.

Core Gardens Strategies

1. Rush Strategy The Gardens rush is a fundamental approach:
2. Buy Gardens early and frequently
3. Focus on cheap cards to rapidly expand deck size
4. Aim to end the game before opponents can build strong Province-buying engines

Key components: - Multiple Gardens (ideally 4-6) - Cheap cantrips and non-terminal actions - Copper (don't trash it) - Cheap kingdom cards ($2-3)

1. Hybrid Approach Mixing Gardens with traditional victory points:
2. Build a moderate engine
3. Buy both Gardens and traditional victory cards
4. Use Gardens as supplementary points

5. More flexible but less focused than pure rush

6. Engine with Gardens Backup Using Gardens as a secondary victory condition:

7. Build a strong engine first
8. Pivot to Gardens if Province strategy is contested
9. Use deck-building elements to increase Gardens value

Key Synergies and Combos

1. Card Gainers Cards that add multiple cards to your deck quickly:
2. Workshop (gains $4 cards directly)
3. Workshop variants (Armory, Engineer, etc.)
4. Merchant Guild (cheap cards with +Buy)

5. Ironworks (flexible gaining)

6. Multiple Buy Effects Cards that help acquire multiple cheap cards:

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

11. Any village + terminal draw combination

12. Deck Bloaters Cards that intentionally add cards to your deck:

13. Haven (sets aside cards)
14. Archive (stores cards)
15. Scheme (topdecking)

16. Treasury (recycling)

17. Sifters and Filters Cards that help manage larger decks:

18. Warehouse
19. Cellar
20. Market Square
21. Any card with "look at X cards and keep Y"

Counter-Strategies

1. Deck Thinning Traditional trashing strategies can hurt Gardens:
2. Chapel
3. Steward
4. Remodel

5. Trading Post

6. Rush Provinces Fast Province strategies can outpace Gardens:

7. Big Money variants
8. Strong engines that build quickly

9. Focus on Provinces before Gardens player reaches critical mass

10. Control Elements Attacks that limit deck growth:

11. Militia (discarding)
12. Bureaucrat (forced topdecking)
13. Thief (removing Treasures)

Timing Considerations

Early Game (Turns 1-5) - Evaluate kingdom cards for Gardens potential - Begin acquiring cheap cards if pursuing Gardens - Consider getting 1-2 early Gardens if going all-in - Set up card gaining/multiple buy infrastructure

Mid Game (Turns 6-10) - Accelerate deck growth if pursuing Gardens - Balance deck functionality with size - Continue acquiring Gardens if values are increasing - Watch opponent's strategy and adjust accordingly

Late Game (Turns 11+) - Calculate final Gardens values - Consider mixing in Duchies/Provinces - Watch pile depletion for game end timing - Focus on maximizing points per buy

Kingdom Evaluation

Favorable Kingdoms - Multiple cheap cards ($2-3) - Card gainers present - Multiple buy available - Weak or absent trashing - Limited attack cards

Unfavorable Kingdoms - Strong trashing available - Expensive key cards - Limited +Buy - Strong attacks present - Fast Province strategies possible

Sample Gardens Strategies

1. Workshop Gardens Key cards:
2. Workshop
3. Villages
4. Cheap cantrips
5. Multiple Gardens

Strategy: - Use Workshop to gain Gardens directly - Build deck size with cheap cards - Focus on volume over quality

1. Market-Based Gardens Key cards:
2. Market/Market Square
3. Villages
4. Cheap treasures
5. Multiple Gardens

Strategy: - Use Markets for +Buy - Build moderate engine - Balance quality and quantity

1. Mixed Victory Gardens Key cards:
2. Card gainers
3. Economy builders
4. Gardens + traditional victory cards

Strategy: - Build functional deck - Mix Gardens with Estates/Duchies - Flexible point sources

Tips and Tricks

1. Counting Cards
2. Keep running total of deck size
3. Track Gardens value changes
4. Monitor opponent's deck size

5. Calculate points per buy

6. Pile Management

7. Watch Gardens pile depletion
8. Consider enabling/preventing 3-pile endings

9. Monitor Province pile if mixing strategies

10. Efficiency

11. Prioritize cards that add multiple cards per action
12. Balance action density with deck size

13. Consider opportunity cost of each buy

14. Timing

15. Recognize when to pivot to or from Gardens
16. Know when to start buying victory cards
17. Identify game end conditions

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-Committing
2. Buying too many Gardens too early
3. Neglecting deck functionality

4. Ignoring traditional victory cards entirely

5. Under-Committing

6. Not buying enough Gardens
7. Building too slowly

8. Missing critical mass threshold

9. Poor Balancing

10. Sacrificing too much deck quality
11. Not maintaining enough economy

12. Ignoring opponent's strategy

13. Misreading Kingdoms

14. Forcing Gardens in unfavorable kingdoms
15. Ignoring better strategies
16. Not adapting to opponent's plays

Advanced Considerations

1. Mixed Strategy Thresholds Calculate break-even points between:
2. Gardens vs. Duchies
3. Gardens vs. Provinces

4. Mixed approach optimal ratios

5. Opportunity Cost Consider each turn:

6. VP gained from Gardens vs. alternatives
7. Deck functionality impact

8. Game tempo effects

9. End Game Timing Control game length through:

10. Pile depletion management
11. Province buying patterns
12. Three-pile ending setups

Conclusion

Gardens is a unique victory card that requires specific strategies and careful consideration of kingdom context. Success with Gardens depends on: - Accurate kingdom evaluation - Proper timing and commitment - Balanced deck building - Careful counting and calculation - Adaptability to opponent's strategy

When used correctly, Gardens can be a powerful alternative or supplement to traditional victory cards. Understanding when and how to pursue Gardens strategies is a crucial skill for Dominion players.

Final Tips - Practice counting cards quickly - Study kingdom card interactions - Learn to recognize Gardens-friendly kingdoms - Stay flexible in strategy selection - Watch experienced players' Gardens play

Gardens transforms the traditional Dominion victory point race into a unique deck-building challenge that rewards careful planning and precise execution. Master these concepts to add a powerful strategic option to your Dominion gameplay.