Scout (Intrigue)

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

Scout Strategy Guide

Overview: Scout is a $4 action card from Intrigue that helps filter through your deck while specifically targeting Victory cards. Its ability to pull Victory cards from your next few draws while preserving your other cards' order makes it a unique but situational card.

Basic Mechanics: - You get +1 Action, allowing Scout to chain with other actions - You reveal the top 4 cards of your deck - Victory cards among those 4 go to your hand - Non-Victory cards are returned to the top of your deck in any order - If you have fewer than 4 cards, you reveal what you can, shuffle your discard, and continue revealing

Key Strengths: 1. Victory Card Management - Pulls Victory cards out of your next few draws - Can help thin your hand of Victory cards for a future turn - Particularly useful with Victory cards that have additional functions

1. Deck Inspection and Arrangement
2. Lets you see your upcoming draws
3. Allows reordering of non-Victory cards

4. Can help plan future turns

5. Action Chain Enabler

6. The +1 Action means it doesn't break action chains
7. Can be played freely in action-heavy strategies

Weaknesses: 1. Inconsistent Performance - Highly dependent on deck composition - May find no Victory cards - Takes up an action for potentially little benefit

1. Opportunity Cost
2. At $4, competes with many stronger cards
3. Often inferior to simple card draw
4. Can be a dead draw in late game

When to Buy Scout:

Good Situations for Scout:

1. Victory-Heavy Strategies
2. Gardens strategies where you want many cards
3. Decks using Duke, Great Hall, or other alternative Victory cards

4. When implementing a "Victory rush" strategy

5. Mixed Victory Card Strategies

6. When using cards like Mill, Island, or Nobles
7. In games with Harem or other Victory-Treasure hybrid cards

8. When Victory cards have additional utility

9. Deck Composition Scenarios

10. Early game when Province/Duchy draws are particularly painful
11. When you need to manipulate the order of your top cards
12. In combination with cards that care about Victory cards

Poor Situations for Scout:

1. Engine Building
2. When focusing on action chains and draw
3. When better $4 options exist for deck control

4. In games where Victory cards are strictly end-game purchases

5. Big Money Variants

6. When focusing on pure money efficiency
7. When Victory cards are minimal until late game

8. When card draw is more valuable

9. Rush Strategies

10. When game pace is too fast for Scout's benefits
11. When actions are better spent on gaining or attacking

Synergies and Combinations:

Strong Synergies:

1. Victory Cards with Effects
2. Great Hall (provides actions while being searchable)
3. Mill (can be found and utilized for its effect)
4. Nobles (powerful action/Victory hybrid)

5. Island (helps manage Victory cards productively)

6. Victory Card Focused Cards

7. Duke (helps find both Duchies and Dukes)
8. Gardens (aids in finding Gardens while building deck size)

9. Silk Road (helps manage Victory density)

10. Top-Deck Manipulation

11. Spy (can help set up better Scout reveals)
12. Scrying Pool (benefits from deck arrangement)

13. Oracle (can work together for deck control)

14. Action Chains

15. Village variants (provides actions for Scout)
16. Laboratory variants (draw power with action generation)
17. Throne Room effects (can double Scout's effectiveness)

Weak Combinations:

1. Discard Attacks
2. Militia, Torturer, etc. (can disrupt planned card order)

3. Ghost Ship (forces redraw of arranged cards)

4. Deck Order Disruption

5. Shuffle effects can waste Scout's arrangement
6. Cards that top-deck other cards can interfere

Playing Scout Effectively:

Early Game (Turns 1-5): - Generally avoid buying Scout this early - Exception: specific Victory card strategies - Better to establish economy first

Mid Game (Turns 6-12): - Consider Scout if Victory cards are becoming relevant - Use to manage early Duchy purchases - Can help smooth out deck with increasing Victory density

Late Game (Turns 13+): - Less useful as deck becomes Victory-heavy - Can help find crucial Provinces - May become dead weight in final turns

Tactical Considerations:

1. Card Ordering
2. Place important treasures on top
3. Arrange action cards for next turn

4. Consider future turn requirements

5. Timing

6. Play early in turn to plan purchases
7. Use before other draw effects

8. Consider whether to save for next turn

9. Decision Making

10. Evaluate whether to buy Victory cards based on Scout results
11. Plan action chains around revealed cards
12. Decide whether to preserve or shuffle current order

Advanced Strategies:

1. Victory Card Cycling
2. Use Scout to pull Victory cards through deck faster
3. Can help concentrate power cards in hand

4. Useful for specific Victory card combinations

5. Deck Tracking

6. Scout provides deck information
7. Use knowledge to plan purchases

8. Track shuffle timing

9. Multi-Scout Chains

10. Multiple Scouts can reveal large portions of deck
11. Can help find specific cards
12. Useful for deck arrangement

Counter-Strategy: When opposing Scout:

1. Deck Attacks
2. Use discard attacks to disrupt arranged cards
3. Force shuffles to reduce effectiveness

4. Consider junking opponent's deck

5. Pace Control

6. Push for faster game end before Scout value accumulates
7. Focus on efficiency over Victory card management
8. Build stronger engine or money strategy

Rating by Game Context:

2 Players: ★★☆☆☆ - Too slow for head-to-head - Better options usually available - Can work in specific Victory strategies

3-4 Players: ★★★☆☆ - More time to develop - Victory card management more relevant - Can help navigate multiplayer complexity

Engine Games: ★★☆☆☆ - Usually inferior to traditional engine components - Can support specific Victory-based engines - Better options at $4 price point

Big Money: ★☆☆☆☆ - Poor fit for money strategies - Doesn't contribute to primary strategy - Better to focus on efficiency

Rush: ★☆☆☆☆ - Too slow for rush strategies - Doesn't help achieve rush goals - Actions better spent elsewhere

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

1. Over-Investment
2. Buying too many Scouts
3. Focusing too much on Victory cards early

4. Neglecting economy for Scout

5. Poor Timing

6. Buying too early in game
7. Playing in wrong order during turn

8. Not considering shuffle timing

9. Strategy Misalignment

10. Using in inappropriate deck types
11. Forcing Victory card strategies
12. Ignoring better alternatives

Conclusion: Scout is a niche card that requires specific circumstances to shine. While it can be powerful in Victory card-focused strategies and certain combinations, it's often overshadowed by other $4 options. Success with Scout depends on understanding its limitations and choosing the right moments to incorporate it into your strategy.

The card works best when: - Victory cards provide additional benefits - Deck arrangement is valuable - Game pace allows for slower development - Specific Victory card combinations are in play

Consider Scout as a supporting piece rather than a core strategy component, and be prepared to skip it in favor of more reliable options in most games. When the right conditions align, however, Scout can provide unique advantages in managing Victory cards and deck composition.

Remember that Scout's effectiveness largely depends on the kingdom cards available and your overall strategy. Don't force Scout into decks where it doesn't belong, but don't overlook it when the conditions are favorable for its unique abilities.