Black Market (Promo)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Black Market:

Black Market Strategy Guide

Introduction Black Market is a unique $3 Action card that provides $2 and access to a special deck of Kingdom cards not used in the main game. This creates interesting strategic possibilities by expanding your buying options beyond the normal Kingdom supply. Understanding how to leverage Black Market effectively requires considering both deck construction and in-game decision-making.

Setting Up the Black Market Deck Before discussing strategy, it's important to understand the setup: - Take one copy of each Kingdom card not in the current game's supply - Shuffle these cards to form the Black Market deck - This deck typically contains 20-30 cards depending on your collection - Cards bought from Black Market can only be gained once

Key Strengths 1. Flexibility - Provides access to cards not available in the normal supply - Allows adaptation to different strategies mid-game - Can find specific answers to opponent's strategies

1. Economy
2. Generates $2, making it equivalent to Silver in money production
3. Can potentially buy expensive cards earlier than normally possible

4. Functions as both economy and card gain

5. Information

6. Reveals what cards are available in the Black Market deck
7. Helps plan future turns based on known possibilities
8. Can track what opponents might access later

Strategic Considerations

1. Early Game (Turns 1-4)

Opening with Black Market Pros: - Early access to powerful cards not in supply - Good economy with $2 production - Flexibility in strategic direction

Cons: - Opportunity cost of not opening with other strong $3-$4 cards - Randomness can lead to suboptimal options - Takes an Action slot

Opening Considerations: - Strong as a single opening card - Pairs well with other economy cards (Silver, Warehouse, etc.) - Better in kingdoms without strong competing $3 cards

1. Mid Game (Turns 5-10)

Black Market becomes particularly valuable in the mid-game when: - You have enough economy to afford expensive Black Market offerings - You need specific cards to complete combos - You want to pivot your strategy based on opponent's actions

Key Decision Points: a) When to Buy from Black Market - If the revealed cards strongly support your strategy - When you need specific counter-cards - If the card would be hard to obtain otherwise

b) When to Skip Buying - If cards don't align with your strategy - When saving money for other crucial purchases - If the revealed cards would dilute your deck

1. Late Game (Turn 11+)

Late game considerations: - Black Market becomes less valuable as fewer cards remain - Focus shifts to using it primarily for the $2 - Can still find key victory cards or utility cards

Synergies and Combinations

1. Strong Synergies

Card Draw: - Laboratory, Smithy, Council Room - More cards = higher chance of playing Black Market with enough money

Action Chains: - Village variants - Festival, Market - Allows playing Black Market with other actions

Throne Room Effects: - Throne Room, King's Court - Doubles both money and buying opportunities

1. Economy Boosters:
2. Treasury, Bank
3. Market Square, Grand Market

4. Helps afford expensive Black Market offerings

5. Deck Control:

6. Scrying Pool, Oracle
7. Haven, Navigator
8. Helps ensure Black Market is drawn with enough money

Counter-Strategies and Weaknesses

1. Main Weaknesses
2. Randomness of available cards
3. One-time-only purchases
4. Action requirement

5. Opportunity cost of choosing it over other cards

6. Counter-Strategies:

7. Heavy trashing can make Black Market less reliable
8. Fast strategies might win before Black Market value accumulates
9. Attack cards can disrupt Black Market timing

Specific Timing Considerations

1. When to Buy Black Market
2. Early if no strong alternative $3 cards exist
3. Mid-game if seeking specific combo pieces

4. Multiple copies if planning to rely on it heavily

5. When to Avoid Black Market

6. Kingdoms with strong trashing
7. Fast race strategies

8. When specific $3-$4 cards are crucial

9. Number to Buy

10. Usually 1-2 copies
11. More if it's central to strategy
12. Fewer if competing with other important actions

Advanced Techniques

1. Card Order Management
2. Track important cards seen
3. Order unbought cards strategically

4. Consider opponent's needs when ordering

5. Timing Optimization

6. Play Black Market after drawing cards
7. Save money when powerful cards were recently seen

8. Track opponent's buying patterns

9. Strategic Adaptation

10. Use Black Market to counter opponent's strategy
11. Pivot based on available cards
12. Build flexible strategies that can use various cards

Black Market Deck Construction Tips

1. Important Categories to Include:
2. Terminal draw
3. Villages
4. Trashing
5. Attack defense

6. Victory point engines

7. Cards to Consider Removing:

8. Extremely situational cards
9. Cards that require specific support

10. Weak standalone cards

11. Balance Considerations:

12. Cost distribution
13. Action/Treasure/Victory mix
14. Engine vs. Big Money support

Special Situations

1. Multiplayer Games
2. More competition for Black Market cards
3. Higher value of counter-cards

4. More complex ordering decisions

5. Colony/Platinum Games

6. Access to expensive cards becomes more valuable
7. Economy boost more significant
8. Longer game length increases Black Market impact

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Strategic Errors:
2. Over-investing in Black Market early
3. Buying misaligned cards

4. Ignoring normal supply opportunities

5. Tactical Errors:

6. Poor card ordering
7. Bad timing of plays

8. Forgetting about seen cards

9. Deck Construction Errors:

10. Including too many situational cards
11. Poor cost distribution
12. Forgetting key card types

Sample Strategies

1. Black Market Engine
2. Multiple Black Markets
3. Strong card draw
4. Village support

5. Flexible payload options

6. Black Market Support

7. 1-2 Black Markets
8. Normal engine components
9. Uses Black Market for specific needs

10. Maintains focused strategy

11. Black Market Big Money

12. Black Market for economy
13. Selective purchases
14. Treasure focus
15. Victory card flexibility

Kingdom Recommendations

Good Kingdoms for Black Market: - Lacking strong $3-$4 cards - Engine support available - Flexible victory paths - Limited trashing

Poor Kingdoms for Black Market: - Strong competing $3-$4 cards - Heavy trashing presence - Fast race conditions - Specific combo requirements

Conclusion

Black Market is a fascinating card that adds significant complexity and decision-making to Dominion games. Its effectiveness depends heavily on: - Kingdom context - Black Market deck composition - Player skill in adaptation - Timing and ordering decisions

Success with Black Market requires: 1. Strong fundamental skills 2. Flexible strategic thinking 3. Good memory for cards seen 4. Clear understanding of timing 5. Careful consideration of opportunity costs

While not always the optimal choice, Black Market provides unique opportunities and can enable strategies not otherwise possible in a given Kingdom. Understanding when and how to use it effectively can add another powerful tool to your Dominion repertoire.

Remember: - Stay flexible but focused - Track important cards - Consider timing carefully - Balance Black Market with normal supply - Adapt to game context

With practice and understanding, Black Market can be a powerful addition to many strategies and provide interesting gameplay opportunities in Dominion.