Mine (Dominion)

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

Mine Strategy Guide

Introduction Mine is one of the original Dominion cards and represents a straightforward treasure-upgrading mechanic. While not among the strongest $5 cards, Mine can be useful in specific situations and understanding when to buy and how to use it effectively is important for improving your Dominion gameplay.

Basic Mechanics Mine allows you to trash a treasure card from your hand and immediately gain a more expensive treasure card (up to $3 more) directly into your hand, ready to be spent that same turn. The key aspects are: - It must target a treasure card - The gained card must be a treasure - The gained card goes to your hand, not your discard pile - The cost difference can be up to $3

Primary Use Cases

1. Copper to Silver Upgrade The most common and basic use of Mine is upgrading Copper ($0) to Silver ($3). This is generally beneficial because:
2. Reduces deck size by removing Copper
3. Increases money density
4. Provides immediate benefit in the current turn

5. Can help thin starting Coppers over time

6. Silver to Gold Upgrade Converting Silver ($3) to Gold ($6) represents the highest value upgrade possible with Mine. This is powerful because:

7. Gold is the most efficient basic treasure
8. Provides immediate +$1 that turn

9. Permanently improves deck quality

10. Alternative Treasure Upgrades In games with kingdom treasure cards, Mine opens up additional possibilities:

11. Copper to Pearl Diver ($2)
12. Silver to Royal Seal ($5)
13. Various other kingdom treasure combinations

Timing and Purchase Considerations

When to Buy Mine: 1. Early Game (Turns 1-4) - Generally not recommended - Too slow for early deck development - Better alternatives at $5 usually exist

1. Mid Game (Turns 5-10)
2. Can be worthwhile if:
3. No strong engine components available
4. Kingdom lacks good $5 alternatives
5. Plan involves treasure-based strategy

6. Few other trashing options exist

7. Late Game (Turn 11+)

8. Usually too late to be impactful
9. Better to focus on victory cards
10. Exception: specific treasure-based strategies

Factors Favoring Mine Purchase:

1. Kingdom Composition
2. Weak or absent alternative $5 cards
3. Presence of special treasure cards
4. Limited trashing options

5. Treasure-focused kingdom

6. Game Pace

7. Slower games favor Mine
8. Less competition for key resources

9. Time to realize upgrade benefits

10. Player Count

11. Better in 2-player games
12. More time to execute strategy

13. Less competition for components

14. Starting Hand Distribution

15. More Coppers make Mine more valuable
16. Multiple Mines can work together

Factors Against Mine Purchase:

1. Strong Alternatives
2. Laboratory, Market, Council Room
3. Better trashing options

4. Strong engine components

5. Fast Game Pace

6. Provinces emptying quickly
7. Need for immediate impact

8. Competition for key cards

9. Strong Attack Presence

10. Militia, Witch, etc.
11. Hand size reduction hurts Mine
12. Need for defense/reaction

Optimization Strategies

1. Number of Mines Optimal Mine count depends on several factors:
2. 1 Mine: Basic upgrade capability
3. 2 Mines: Reasonable maximum

4. 3+ Mines: Usually excessive

5. Timing of Upgrades

6. Copper→Silver early
7. Silver→Gold mid-game
8. Consider kingdom treasures

9. Balance with deck composition

10. Hand Management

11. Keep track of treasure distribution
12. Consider other action cards
13. Plan upgrade sequence

Synergies and Combinations

Strong Synergies:

1. Treasury
2. Upgrades maintain top-deck position
3. Synergizes with no-buy turns

4. Improves money density

5. Merchant Guild

6. Extra coin tokens from upgrades
7. Improved buying power

8. Long-term economy boost

9. Bank

10. Higher value treasures
11. Improved Bank performance

12. Economy acceleration

13. Royal Seal

14. Targeting for important cards
15. Better treasure management

16. Deck control options

17. Venture

18. More valuable treasures
19. Higher hit probability
20. Economy improvement

Weak Synergies:

1. Market
2. Additional card draw
3. Buy flexibility

4. Minor treasure synergy

5. Warehouse

6. Hand filtering
7. Finding treasures
8. Minor optimization

Anti-Synergies:

1. Chapel
2. Better trashing option
3. Faster deck improvement

4. Competes for same role

5. Hand Size Attacks

6. Reduces upgrade options
7. Weakens Mine utility

8. Forces defensive play

9. Gardens

10. Conflicts with thinning
11. Different strategic goals
12. Resource competition

Special Considerations

1. Kingdom Treasures When special treasure cards are available:
2. Evaluate upgrade paths
3. Consider unique abilities

4. Balance cost/benefit

5. Multiple Mines When playing multiple Mines:

6. Plan upgrade sequence
7. Consider treasure distribution

8. Balance with other actions

9. Treasure Distribution Maintaining optimal ratios:

10. Track Copper/Silver/Gold
11. Consider deck size
12. Balance economy needs

Counter-Strategies

1. Opposing Mine When opponents have Mine:
2. Race for better options
3. Focus on engine building

4. Consider treasure attacks

5. Treasure Attack

6. Saboteur
7. Thief
8. Noble Brigand

9. Reduces Mine effectiveness

10. Alternative Economy

11. Focus on +Buy
12. Build engine
13. Ignore treasure upgrading

Common Mistakes

1. Over-Investment
2. Buying too many Mines
3. Focusing too much on upgrades

4. Neglecting victory conditions

5. Poor Timing

6. Buying too early
7. Buying too late

8. Missing key power cards

9. Suboptimal Upgrades

10. Wrong upgrade sequence
11. Poor treasure choices

12. Ignoring kingdom treasures

13. Strategy Tunnel Vision

14. Focusing only on upgrades
15. Ignoring board context
16. Missing better options

Advanced Techniques

1. Multi-Mine Sequencing With multiple Mines:
2. Plan upgrade order
3. Maximize current turn

4. Consider future turns

5. Kingdom Treasure Paths Special upgrade considerations:

6. Evaluate unique effects
7. Plan upgrade sequence

8. Balance with basic treasures

9. Economy Optimization Fine-tuning treasure distribution:

10. Track deck composition
11. Plan future purchases
12. Balance with victory cards

Sample Strategies

1. Basic Mine Economy
2. 1-2 Mines
3. Focus on Copper→Silver

4. Transition to provinces

5. Advanced Treasure Engine

6. 2 Mines
7. Kingdom treasure focus

8. Complex upgrade paths

9. Hybrid Approach

10. 1 Mine
11. Mixed with engine
12. Selective upgrades

Kingdom-Specific Considerations

1. Prosperity
2. More treasure options
3. Higher cost cards

4. Different upgrade paths

5. Dark Ages

6. Ruins consideration
7. Alternate treasures

8. Different pace

9. Guilds

10. Coin tokens
11. Special treasures
12. Economy dynamics

Conclusion

Mine is a situational card that requires careful consideration of: - Kingdom composition - Game timing - Player count - Strategic context

While not always a top pick, understanding when and how to use Mine effectively can improve your Dominion gameplay. Key points to remember:

1. Evaluation
2. Consider alternatives
3. Assess kingdom context

4. Plan upgrade path

5. Execution

6. Time purchases well
7. Optimize upgrades

8. Balance with strategy

9. Adaptation

10. Respond to opponents
11. Adjust to game flow
12. Maintain flexibility

By understanding these aspects of Mine strategy, players can better evaluate when to include it in their deck and how to maximize its effectiveness when purchased.