Taxman (Guilds)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Taxman:

Taxman Strategy Guide

Introduction Taxman is a $4 Action-Attack card from the Guilds expansion that combines trashing, attack elements, and treasure gaining. While it shares some similarities with Mine, its unique properties make it a distinctly different card with its own strategic considerations. Understanding how to leverage Taxman's abilities effectively can create powerful economic engines and disrupt opponents' hands.

Core Mechanics and Basic Use

1. Trashing Component
2. Taxman allows you to trash a Treasure from your hand
3. This is optional, but usually desired
4. Primary targets are typically Copper and Silver

5. Can also trash Gold in specific situations

6. Attack Component

7. Forces opponents with 5+ cards to discard a copy of your trashed card
8. If they don't have a copy, they must reveal their hand
9. Attack only triggers if you choose to trash

10. Only affects players with larger hands

11. Gaining Component

12. Gain a Treasure costing up to $3 more than the trashed card
13. The gained card goes to the top of your deck
14. Immediate access to the new Treasure next turn

Basic Strategy

Early Game - Primary use: Trash Copper to gain Silver - Secondary use: Trash Silver to gain Gold - Prioritize getting 2-3 Taxmen in early rounds - Can serve as both economy improvement and deck thinning

Mid Game - Focus shifts to Silver-to-Gold conversions - Attack element becomes more relevant - Consider timing with other deck manipulation

Late Game - May become less relevant unless specific treasures are key - Can still disrupt opponent's hand size - Useful for gaining specific high-value treasures

Key Advantages

1. Economy Boost
2. Improves treasure quality quickly
3. Places gained treasure on deck for immediate use

4. More flexible than Mine due to lower cost

5. Deck Thinning

6. Removes lower-value treasures
7. Helps concentrate deck power

8. Combines thinning with improvement

9. Attack Potential

10. Disrupts opponent's large hands
11. Can force discarding of key treasures
12. Psychological pressure on hand size

Strategic Considerations

Timing and Sequencing - Play early in your turn before drawing cards - Consider terminal collision with other actions - May want to play after drawing if hunting specific treasures - Balance trashing versus keeping treasures for buying power

Hand Size Management - Opponents can play around 5-card threshold - Consider cards that force opponents to draw - Attack becomes more potent with Laboratory-type effects in play

Treasure Selection - Consider kingdom-specific treasures available - Plan upgrade paths carefully - Balance immediate needs versus long-term gains

Notable Combinations

Strong Synergies

1. Card Draw
2. Laboratory
3. Smithy
4. Council Room
5. Forces opponents into attack range

6. Improves your options for trashing

7. Deck Manipulation

8. Harbinger
9. Scout
10. Helps position gained treasures

11. Maximizes value of top-deck placement

12. Other Treasure-Related Cards

13. Bank
14. Merchant Guild
15. Royal Seal
16. Enhance value of gained treasures

17. Create powerful economic engines

18. Duration Cards

19. Fishing Village
20. Wharf
21. Help manage terminal collision

22. Provide consistent action availability

23. Hand Size Attackers

24. Militia
25. Ghost Ship
26. Multiply pressure on opponent's hand management
27. Create difficult decisions for opponents

Counter Strategies

Playing Against Taxman

1. Hand Size Management
2. Keep hand size under 5 when possible
3. Time big draws carefully

4. Consider discarding strategies

5. Alternative Treasures

6. Diversify treasure types
7. Use kingdom treasures opponents can't match

8. Consider treasure-generating actions

9. Deck Acceleration

10. Outpace Taxman's improvement rate
11. Focus on alternative economy sources
12. Build engine faster than Taxman player

Defending Against Taxman

1. Direct Counters
2. Moat blocks the attack
3. Reaction cards become more valuable

4. Hand size reduction cards can help

5. Strategic Approaches

6. Build smaller, more efficient hands
7. Use non-treasure economy
8. Focus on action-based strategies

Kingdom Considerations

Favorable Kingdoms

1. Special Treasures Present
2. Platinum available
3. Hoard
4. Quarry
5. Provides additional upgrade paths

6. Creates powerful combinations

7. Draw-Heavy Kingdoms

8. Multiple card drawers
9. Cantrips available
10. Makes attack more reliable

11. Improves consistency

12. Action Support

13. Villages
14. Throne Room variants
15. Helps manage terminal nature
16. Enables multiple plays

Unfavorable Kingdoms

1. Alternative Economy Dominant
2. Heavy action-based economy
3. Copper-free strategies viable

4. Limited treasure variety

5. Fast Engines

6. Quick province rush possible
7. Limited time for upgrades

8. Better alternatives available

9. Strong Hand Management

10. Warehouse-type sifters
11. Easy hand size control
12. Attack becomes less relevant

Advanced Techniques

Multi-Card Combinations

1. Throne Room Effects
2. Double Taxman plays
3. Multiple treasure upgrades

4. Increased attack pressure

5. Duration Chaining

6. Consistent action availability
7. Predictable hand sizes

8. Reliable treasure access

9. Draw-to-X Cards

10. Library
11. Watchtower
12. Maintain optimal hand size
13. Maximize gained treasure value

Specific Treasure Strategies

1. Copper Management
2. Early game thinning
3. Attack pressure

4. Economy improvement

5. Silver Timing

6. Mid-game transitions
7. Gold acquisition

8. Hand size considerations

9. Special Treasure Integration

10. Kingdom-specific paths
11. Unique upgrade chains
12. Economic optimization

Competition Considerations

Tournament Play

1. Opening Strategies
2. $4/$3 split consideration
3. Early Taxman priority

4. Alternative paths evaluation

5. Mid-Game Transitions

6. Timing of treasure upgrades
7. Attack utilization

8. Engine integration

9. Endgame Tactics

10. Province rush timing
11. Final upgrades
12. Hand size pressure

Multiplayer Dynamics

1. Attack Impact
2. Multiple targets
3. Varied hand sizes

4. Collective pressure

5. Political Considerations

6. Target selection
7. Alliance implications

8. Timing of attacks

9. Strategy Adaptation

10. Multiple opponent types
11. Varied counter-plays
12. Complex hand management

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Tactical Errors
2. Over-trashing treasures
3. Poor timing of plays

4. Ignoring attack potential

5. Strategic Missteps

6. Overvaluing Taxman
7. Neglecting alternative strategies

8. Poor kingdom evaluation

9. Implementation Issues

10. Terminal collision
11. Inefficient upgrade paths
12. Weak timing choices

Conclusion

Taxman is a versatile card that combines economy improvement with attack potential. Success with Taxman requires careful consideration of: - Kingdom context - Timing and sequencing - Treasure management - Attack utilization - Counter-play options

While not always a game-defining card, Taxman can be a powerful tool in the right circumstances. Understanding its strengths, limitations, and optimal use cases will help you maximize its potential in your games.

The key to mastering Taxman lies in: - Recognizing appropriate kingdoms - Planning upgrade paths - Managing terminal actions - Leveraging attack potential - Adapting to opponent strategies

With proper evaluation and execution, Taxman can be a valuable addition to many strategies, providing both economic advancement and opponent disruption.