Village (Dominion)

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

Village Strategy Guide

Introduction Village is one of the most fundamental cards in Dominion and appears in the base set. While seemingly simple, it forms the backbone of many action-heavy strategies and is often considered one of the most important $3 cost cards in the game. Understanding how to properly utilize Village is crucial for improving your Dominion gameplay.

Basic Mechanics Village provides: - +1 Card (draw one card) - +2 Actions

At its core, Village is a card that replaces itself in your hand while providing two additional actions. This net gain of actions is what makes Village so valuable, as it allows you to play multiple terminal actions (actions that don't give +actions) in the same turn.

Core Functions

1. Action Chain Enabler The primary function of Village is to enable the playing of multiple terminal actions in a single turn. Without villages or other action providers, you can only play one terminal action per turn. Villages break this limitation.

2. Deck Filtering While not its primary purpose, Village does help you cycle through your deck by drawing a card. This can be valuable when trying to see specific cards more frequently.

3. Action Density Management Villages help maintain a healthy ratio of actions to action providers in your deck, preventing terminal collision (drawing multiple terminal actions but being unable to play them all).

Key Strengths

1. Reliability
2. Replaces itself immediately
3. Provides consistent action generation

4. Low cost makes it accessible early

5. Flexibility

6. Works with virtually any terminal action strategy
7. Useful throughout all game phases

8. Maintains value even in multiples

9. Economy

10. $3 cost fits well into early game purchasing
11. Can often be bought alongside a Silver or other $3 card
12. Doesn't compete with key $4-5 purchases

Key Weaknesses

1. Opportunity Cost
2. Takes up deck space
3. Doesn't directly contribute to victory points

4. Doesn't generate money

5. Terminal Draw Dependency

6. Less effective without good terminal draw cards

7. Can lead to dead draws without proper support

8. Vulnerability to Attacks

9. Susceptible to hand size reduction attacks
10. Can be trapped by junking attacks

When to Buy Village

Early Game (Turns 1-5) - When terminal actions are available that you want to play together - When planning a deck-drawing strategy - When expecting a long game with multiple action phases

Mid Game (Turns 6-12) - When adding additional terminal actions to your deck - When needing to maintain action density - When building toward a complex engine

Late Game (Turns 13+) - Rarely correct to buy late unless fixing action problems - Better to focus on victory points or deck thinning - Exception: when building toward a specific combo finish

Number of Villages Needed

The optimal number of Villages depends on several factors:

1. Number of Terminal Actions General rule of thumb:
2. 2-3 terminals: 2-3 Villages
3. 4-5 terminals: 3-4 Villages

4. 6+ terminals: 4-5 Villages

5. Deck Size

6. Smaller decks (10-20 cards): 2-3 Villages
7. Medium decks (20-30 cards): 3-4 Villages

8. Large decks (30+ cards): 4-5 Villages or more

9. Draw Power

10. Strong draw: Fewer Villages needed
11. Weak draw: More Villages needed to ensure seeing them

Key Combinations

Strong Synergies:

1. Terminal Draw Cards
2. Smithy
3. Council Room
4. Witch

5. Laboratory (though not terminal, works well)

6. Terminal Attack Cards

7. Militia
8. Witch
9. Bureaucrat

10. Ghost Ship

11. Terminal Money/Payload

12. Market
13. Festival
14. Woodcutter

15. Monument

16. Other Action Providers

17. Festival
18. Market
19. Fish Market
20. Native Village

Anti-Synergies:

1. Big Money Strategies
2. Village adds little value to pure money strategies

3. Better to focus on Silver/Gold

4. Gardens Strategies

5. Usually want to bulk up deck quickly

6. Village slows down deck growth

7. Rush Strategies

8. Too slow for aggressive point rushing
9. Better to focus on direct victory points

Building Around Village

Basic Engine Structure: 1. Villages for action generation 2. Terminal draw for hand size 3. Payload cards for victory points or money 4. Deck thinning (optional but recommended)

Example Build Order: 1. Early game: Acquire 2-3 Villages 2. Add terminal draw (Smithy, etc.) 3. Add payload cards 4. Trim copper/estates as possible 5. Add more Villages as needed

Defending Against Attacks

1. Militia/Ghost Ship
2. Keep extra Villages as buffer against discarding

3. Prioritize drawing Villages before attack hits

4. Curse Givers

5. May need extra Villages to maintain engine functionality

6. Consider adding trashing to remove curses

7. Discard Attacks

8. Try to play Villages early in turn
9. May need more Villages to compensate for lost cards

Advanced Techniques

1. Village Chaining
2. Playing multiple Villages in sequence
3. Useful for building up actions for big turns

4. Requires careful deck composition

5. Action Management

6. Track action count during turn
7. Plan sequence of plays carefully

8. Consider keeping Villages in hand for next turn

9. Deck Timing

10. Position Villages throughout deck
11. Avoid clumping too many together
12. Balance with terminal actions

Kingdom Considerations

When evaluating Village in a kingdom:

1. Available Draw
2. Strong draw makes Village more valuable

3. Weak draw may require alternative strategies

4. Trashing Options

5. Good trashing makes Village engines more reliable

6. Poor trashing may favor simpler strategies

7. Alternate Action Providers

8. Check for better options (Festival, Market)

9. Consider mixing different action providers

10. Victory Card Distribution

11. More alternative victory cards may require stronger engines
12. Provinces-only games may allow simpler strategies

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-villaging
2. Buying too many Villages without enough terminals

3. Diluting deck without sufficient payload

4. Under-villaging

5. Not buying enough Villages to support terminals

6. Creating action bottlenecks

7. Poor Timing

8. Buying Villages too late

9. Not establishing engine components in correct order

10. Inflexible Strategy

11. Forcing Village engine when kingdom doesn't support it
12. Ignoring alternative strategies

Sample Strategies

Basic Village Engine: - 3-4 Villages - 2-3 Smithies - 1-2 Market - Key payload cards - Deck thinning

Advanced Village Chain: - 4-5 Villages - 3-4 Laboratory - 2-3 Market - Strong payload - Heavy trashing

Hybrid Approach: - 2-3 Villages - Mix of terminals and non-terminals - Balanced money - Selective trashing

Conclusion

Village is a fundamental card that enables many of Dominion's most interesting and powerful strategies. While simple in concept, mastering its use requires understanding of deck composition, timing, and careful action management. Success with Village comes from:

1. Proper support cards
2. Correct number of Villages
3. Good timing of purchases
4. Careful play sequencing
5. Adaptation to kingdom context

Remember that Village itself doesn't win games - it enables other cards to work together effectively. Always consider whether a Village-based strategy is appropriate for the kingdom at hand, and be prepared to adjust your approach based on opponent strategies and available cards.

Final Tips: - Start collecting Villages early if pursuing an engine - Balance Villages with terminal actions - Don't neglect payload while building engine - Keep kingdom context in mind - Practice sequencing your turns - Stay flexible in strategy

With practice and understanding, Village can be one of the most powerful tools in your Dominion strategy arsenal, enabling complex engines and satisfying action chains that can lead to decisive victories.