Herald (Guilds)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Herald:

Herald Strategy Guide

Introduction Herald is a fascinating $4+ card from Guilds that combines deck manipulation with action chaining potential. Its dual functions - both as an action card and through its overpay ability - make it a versatile addition to many strategies. Understanding when and how to use Herald effectively requires careful consideration of both its immediate action and its overpay mechanism.

Basic Mechanics

1. Action Effect
2. Draws 1 card
3. Provides 1 additional action
4. Reveals and potentially plays the top card of your deck if it's an action

5. Self-replacing (draws before revealing)

6. Overpay Effect

7. For each $1 overpaid when buying, put one card from your discard pile on top of your deck
8. Maximum overpay is limited by available money
9. Cards are placed in any order you choose

Core Strategic Elements

1. Action Density Considerations The effectiveness of Herald's action-playing ability directly correlates with your deck's action density. Generally:
2. Below 30% actions: Herald frequently whiffs on its reveal
3. 40-50% actions: Sweet spot for consistent value

4. Above 60% actions: Excellent reliability, but may indicate deck issues

5. Timing the Purchase Several factors influence when to buy Herald:

6. Early game: Focus on overpay when discard pile contains key cards
7. Mid-game: Balance between action chaining and deck manipulation

8. Late game: Primarily for action chaining and draw

9. Overpay Decision Making Consider overpaying when:

10. Key cards are in discard pile
11. You have excess money
12. You need specific card sequencing
13. Setting up next turn's combo

Key Use Cases

1. Action Chaining Herald excels at extending action chains through:
2. Revealing and playing additional village cards
3. Connecting draw cards
4. Extending duration card effects

5. Setting up complex combinations

6. Deck manipulation The overpay ability offers several strategic advantages:

7. Recovering key cards from discard
8. Setting up next turn's opening
9. Ensuring specific card sequences

10. Protecting valuable cards from attacks

11. Engine Building Herald contributes to engine construction by:

12. Providing extra actions
13. Increasing action density
14. Offering deck manipulation
15. Creating reliable card sequences

Synergies and Combinations

1. Strong Synergies

Village Cards - Native Village: Stack actions for Herald to reveal - Fishing Village: Excellent duration chain - Worker's Village: Solid action provider for chaining

Draw Cards - Laboratory: Reliable action target - Smithy: Strong draw when revealed - Council Room: Powerful reveal target

Other Actions - Throne Room/King's Court: Multiply Herald's effect - Duration cards: Extended benefits - Treasury: Excellent overpay target - Grand Market: Reliable action target with economic boost

1. Terminal Draw Interaction Herald works well with terminal draw cards because:
2. Provides extra action for terminal draw
3. Can chain into more draw

4. Helps manage terminal collision

5. Treasure Interaction Consider treasure density when using Herald:

6. Too many treasures reduce action reveals
7. Some treasures (like Bank) benefit from overpay positioning
8. Careful balance needed for reliable function

Optimal Strategy Patterns

1. Early Game (Turns 1-5)
2. Consider immediate purchase if:
3. Starting hand has $4-$5
4. Key cards already in discard
5. Action-heavy opening
6. Overpay priorities:
7. Recovering key $5 cards
8. Setting up next turn's buy

9. Positioning engine pieces

10. Mid Game (Turns 6-12)

11. Focus on:
12. Engine building support
13. Action chaining
14. Strategic deck manipulation

15. Balance overpay vs. buying new cards

16. Late Game (Turns 13+)

17. Emphasize:
18. Victory card positioning
19. Critical card recovery
20. Final turn setup

Counter-Strategies and Weaknesses

1. Main Weaknesses
2. Requires action density
3. Can be unreliable
4. Opportunity cost of overpaying

5. Vulnerable to deck attack

6. Countering Herald

7. Attacks that trash actions
8. Deck inspection attacks
9. Cursing attacks

10. Discard pile attacks

11. Playing Against Herald

12. Monitor opponent's action density
13. Consider deck attacks
14. Race strategies can work
15. Limit opponent's overpay opportunities

Sample Strategies

1. Basic Engine
2. 2-3 Heralds
3. 4-5 Villages
4. 3-4 Smithies

5. Key payload cards Focus: Consistent action chaining

6. Duration Chain

7. 2-3 Heralds
8. 4-5 Fishing Villages
9. Wharf/Caravan

10. Support cards Focus: Extended benefits and reliability

11. Treasure-Heavy

12. 1-2 Heralds
13. Bank/Venture
14. Market variants Focus: Economic boost with selective action play

Kingdom Considerations

1. Favorable Kingdoms
2. Multiple village variants
3. Strong terminal actions
4. Duration cards
5. Deck manipulation themes

6. Action-heavy support

7. Unfavorable Kingdoms

8. Heavy attack presence
9. Treasure-focused economies
10. Cursing attacks
11. Weak action cards

12. Trash-heavy environments

13. Kingdom Analysis Questions

14. What's the best village support?
15. Are there strong terminal actions?
16. How reliable is action density?
17. What's the attack presence?
18. Are there key overpay targets?

Advanced Techniques

1. Overpay Optimization
2. Calculate exact overpay needs
3. Consider future turn requirements
4. Balance with other purchases

5. Track discard pile contents

6. Action Chaining

7. Plan reveal sequences
8. Manage action density
9. Balance terminal and non-terminal actions

10. Consider failure scenarios

11. Deck Tracking

12. Monitor action density
13. Track key cards
14. Plan discard pile usage
15. Anticipate shuffle timing

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Purchase Timing
2. Buying too early without support
3. Overpaying unnecessarily
4. Ignoring better alternatives

5. Missing key overpay opportunities

6. Usage Errors

7. Poor action density management
8. Inefficient overpay decisions
9. Suboptimal card ordering

10. Neglecting alternative strategies

11. Strategic Mistakes

12. Over-relying on Herald
13. Ignoring counter-strategies
14. Poor kingdom analysis
15. Inflexible strategy adaptation

Cost Analysis

1. Base Cost ($4) Competitive with:
2. Silver
3. Other $4 actions

4. Engine components Consider opportunity cost

5. Overpay Considerations

6. Value per additional $1
7. Alternative uses for money
8. Timing impact
9. Strategic necessity

Multiplayer Considerations

1. 3+ Player Games
2. Increased attack impact
3. More competition for cards
4. Modified timing considerations

5. Adjusted strategy priorities

6. Team Games

7. Coordinate purchases
8. Share attack protection
9. Combined engine building
10. Mutual support opportunities

Conclusion

Herald is a versatile card that rewards careful planning and strategic thinking. Its success depends on: - Proper action density management - Strategic overpay decisions - Kingdom context understanding - Careful timing considerations

The card shines brightest in engine-building strategies where its action chaining and deck manipulation abilities can be fully utilized. While not always a game-defining card, Herald's flexibility and dual functionality make it a valuable addition to many decks when used appropriately.

Most importantly, successful Herald play requires constant adaptation to game state and kingdom context. Players should remain flexible in their approach and be willing to adjust their strategy based on the evolving game situation.

Tips for Improvement

1. Practice
2. Track action density
3. Plan overpay decisions
4. Monitor discard pile

5. Analyze reveal probabilities

6. Study

7. Review successful strategies
8. Learn from failures
9. Understand kingdom interactions

10. Master timing considerations

11. Adapt

12. Adjust to opponents
13. Respond to attacks
14. Modify strategies
15. Learn new combinations

This understanding of Herald's capabilities and limitations will help players make better decisions about when and how to incorporate it into their strategies, ultimately leading to more successful gameplay.