Advisor (Guilds)

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

Advisor Strategy Guide

Introduction Advisor is a $4 Action card from the Guilds expansion that offers card draw with an interesting twist: your opponent gets to choose which card you don't receive. While this might seem like a significant drawback, Advisor is actually quite powerful in many situations and can be a strong engine component.

Basic Mechanics - Reveals 3 cards from your deck - Opponent chooses one to discard - You get the other 2 cards - Provides +1 Action (non-terminal) - Net card gain of +2 cards

Core Strengths 1. Non-terminal The +1 Action means Advisor can be played in sequence with other Actions, making it an excellent engine component. You can chain multiple Advisors together or play them alongside other important Action cards.

1. Good Card Draw Rate Getting 2 cards for $4 is quite efficient, especially since it's non-terminal. Compare this to Laboratory ($5 for +2 cards, +1 Action) - while your opponent gets some control, you're getting similar drawing power for less cost.

2. Deck Inspection Revealing three cards gives you information about what's coming up in your deck, which can be valuable for planning your turns.

Key Weaknesses 1. Opponent Control Your opponent choosing the discarded card is the obvious drawback. They will typically: - Remove your best Action card if you need Actions - Remove key payload cards (especially in engines) - Remove key treasure cards in big money strategies - Remove crucial combo pieces

1. Variance Since you reveal three random cards, there's more variance in what you'll get compared to simple "+X Cards" drawers.

Strategic Considerations

1. Deck Composition The effectiveness of Advisor largely depends on your deck composition:

Good Advisor Decks: - Decks with redundant components - Decks where most cards are roughly equal in value - Decks with many good cards and few dead cards - Decks that want to see many cards but aren't reliant on specific combinations

Poor Advisor Decks: - Combo decks that need specific cards - Decks with crucial single copies of cards - Decks with many dead cards - Decks where card quality varies dramatically

1. Timing of Purchase Early Game:
2. Good early purchase when building an engine
3. Can help quickly cycle through starting deck
4. Less painful when deck is mostly Copper and Estate

Mid Game: - Strong when you have multiple good cards to draw - Better when you have redundant engine pieces - Consider quantity needed based on deck size

Late Game: - Less useful when deck quality varies greatly - Can be risky when specific cards are needed - Still valuable in engines that want to see many cards

Synergies and Combinations

1. Deck Improvers Cards that improve overall deck quality make Advisor stronger:
2. Trash for benefit cards (Chapel, Steward)
3. Upgraders (Remodel, Upgrade)

4. Filters (Cellar, Warehouse) When most cards in your deck are good, opponent's choice matters less.

5. Card Draw Multipliers

6. Laboratory
7. Village variants

8. Drawing throne room variants These allow you to chain multiple Advisors effectively.

9. Victory Card Handlers

10. Gardens (makes all cards roughly equal value)
11. Victory card transformers (Inn, Archive)

12. Cards that benefit from Victory cards (Monument, Hoard) These reduce the downside of drawing Victory cards.

13. Deck Tracking Cards

14. Oracle
15. Spy
16. Vagrant These help you know what's coming and plan accordingly.

Counter-Strategies

1. As the Choosing Player When choosing cards for opponent to discard:
2. Remove key engine pieces
3. Remove highest value cards
4. Remove cards that enable combinations
5. Consider what they need this turn

6. Think about their deck's strategy

7. Competing Against Advisor

8. Rush strategies can work well
9. Build engines that require specific cards
10. Use attacks that give opponents bad cards
11. Consider cards that mess with deck order

Advanced Tactics

1. Managing Opponent's Choices
2. Try to make all revealed cards roughly equivalent
3. Have backup plans for key cards
4. Consider revealing order when relevant

5. Build redundancy into your engine

6. Information Usage

7. Track what's been discarded
8. Use revealed information to plan future turns
9. Consider reshuffling timing

10. Watch for deck tracking opportunities

11. Multi-Player Considerations

12. Different opponents may make different choices
13. Politics can affect choosing
14. More complex planning needed
15. Consider table position

Number of Advisors to Buy

Light Engine: - 2-3 Advisors - Support other draw cards - Maintain action density

Heavy Engine: - 3-5 Advisors - Primary draw source - Need village support

Balanced Approach: - 2-4 Advisors - Mix with other draw - Flexible build order

Sample Strategies

1. Advisor Engine Key Components:
2. 3-4 Advisors
3. 3-4 Villages
4. Payload cards
5. Deck improvers Goals:
6. Draw deck consistently
7. Generate significant money/buying power

8. Maintain action density

9. Hybrid Money Key Components:

10. 2-3 Advisors
11. Strong treasures
12. Light trashing Goals:
13. Improve deck quality
14. See more cards per turn

15. Maintain buying power

16. Rush Support Key Components:

17. 1-2 Advisors
18. Gainers
19. Victory card strategy Goals:
20. Find key cards quickly
21. Support rush strategy
22. Maintain velocity

Kingdom Recommendations

Strong Kingdoms: - Heavy trashing available - Multiple villages - Payload multipliers - Deck improvers

Weak Kingdoms: - Combo-dependent strategies - Single copy important cards - Cursing attacks - Deck order matters

Sample Turn Examples

Early Game: Turn 3: Advisor Reveal: Copper, Estate, Silver Opponent chooses Estate Result: Decent draw, typical early game

Mid Game: Turn 8: Advisor Reveal: Village, Advisor, Gold Opponent chooses Village Result: Still good, can play second Advisor

Late Game: Turn 15: Advisor Reveal: Province, Gold, Market Opponent chooses Province Result: Strong draw, typical late game

Price Point Comparison

At $4, Advisor competes with: - Smithy (+3 cards, terminal) - Council Room (+4 cards, terminal, others draw) - Village variants (typically +1 card, +2 actions)

Advisor advantages: - Non-terminal - Efficient cost - Information gathering

Advisor disadvantages: - Opponent control - Variable results - Can miss key cards

Closing Thoughts

Advisor is a strong card that often performs better than initial impressions suggest. The opponent's control is real but manageable with proper deck building and strategy. Key points to remember:

1. Build decks that minimize the impact of opponent's choice
2. Use the information gained from reveals
3. Maintain redundancy in important effects
4. Consider timing and kingdom context
5. Adapt purchase quantity to strategy

When used correctly, Advisor can be a powerful engine component and card drawer that provides consistent deck cycling at an efficient price point. While not always the optimal choice, it's a versatile card that fits well in many strategies and deserves serious consideration in appropriate kingdoms.

Remember that like many Dominion cards, Advisor's effectiveness is highly context-dependent. Consider the kingdom, your strategy, your opponents, and your deck composition when deciding whether and how many to include in your deck.