Counting House
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Counting House (Prosperity)

Cost: $5

Type: Action

Text: Look through your discard pile, reveal any number of Copper cards from it, and put them into your hand.

Strategy Review

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Counting House:

Counting House Strategy Guide

Introduction Counting House is a $5 Action card from Prosperity that allows you to retrieve Copper cards from your discard pile. While this might initially seem counterintuitive in a game where players typically want to thin their decks of Copper, Counting House can be a powerful engine piece in specific circumstances.

Core Mechanics and Basic Considerations

  1. Timing
  2. Counting House's effectiveness depends heavily on having Coppers in your discard pile
  3. It does nothing if your discard pile is empty or contains no Copper
  4. Works best when your deck has been reshuffled recently, leaving Coppers in the discard
  5. Requires careful deck tracking to maximize effectiveness

  6. Copper Management

  7. Unlike most strategies, you want to keep Coppers in your deck
  8. May want to acquire additional Coppers beyond starting ones
  9. Need to balance Copper quantity with deck functionality
  10. Typically want 8-15 Coppers for optimal performance

Basic Strategy

  1. Early Game
  2. Don't buy Counting House in your first few turns
  3. Establish your Copper count first
  4. Consider buying additional Coppers if pursuing this strategy
  5. Get card draw or deck control cards to help find Counting House

  6. Mid Game

  7. Time your Counting House plays carefully
  8. Try to ensure Coppers are in your discard pile
  9. Use trashing selectively - don't eliminate all Coppers
  10. Build toward your key combinations

  11. Late Game

  12. Can provide significant buying power for Provinces
  13. May become less reliable as deck gets thinner
  14. Consider transitioning away if effectiveness diminishes
  15. Useful for final big purchases

Key Synergies and Combinations

  1. Sifters and Discard Effects
  2. Warehouse: Helps put Coppers into discard
  3. Cellar: Can discard Coppers to retrieve later
  4. Haven: Can set aside Counting House for optimal timing
  5. Vault: Massive discard potential for setup

  6. Deck Control

  7. Scheme: Can ensure Counting House returns when needed
  8. Herbalist: Returns Copper to deck top
  9. Archive: Helps time Counting House plays
  10. Navigator: Controls what enters discard pile

  11. Multi-Action Enablers

  12. Village variants: Allow playing multiple actions
  13. Throne Room/King's Court: Double/triple effectiveness
  14. Festival: Provides actions and money without diluting Copper density
  15. Laboratory: Draws without discarding

  16. Copper Synergies

  17. Coppersmith: Natural combo piece
  18. Bank: Works well with high Copper counts
  19. Merchant Guild: Makes Coppers more valuable
  20. Crystal Ball: Helps arrange Coppers in discard

Advanced Strategies

  1. The "Copper Stack" Approach
  2. Acquire additional Coppers early
  3. Use sifters to concentrate Coppers in discard
  4. Time Counting House for maximum impact
  5. Can generate $15+ in single turns

  6. The "Control Build"

  7. Focus on deck control cards
  8. Carefully manage shuffle timing
  9. Use cantrips to maintain consistency
  10. Maximize probability of strong Counting House turns

  11. The "Hybrid Engine"

  12. Combine with traditional engine pieces
  13. Use Counting House as supplemental money
  14. Maintain flexible purchase options
  15. Balance Copper count with engine efficiency

  16. The "Rush Defense"

  17. Use Counting House to counter Province rushing
  18. Build toward consistent $8 turns
  19. Maintain pressure with reliable buying power
  20. Doesn't require perfect execution to be effective

Counter-Strategy and Weaknesses

  1. Main Weaknesses
  2. Requires setup turns
  3. Can be inconsistent
  4. Vulnerable to deck attacks
  5. Slow to get started

  6. Cards That Counter Counting House

  7. Ghost Ship: Forces cards to deck
  8. Militia/Torturer: Can disrupt hand size
  9. Saboteur: Can remove Counting House
  10. Knights: Threaten Counting House directly

  11. Strategies That Counter Counting House

  12. Fast Province rush
  13. Heavy trashing engines
  14. Cursing attacks
  15. Alternative VP strategies

When to Buy Counting House

Good Situations: - Kingdom has strong sifters - Copper synergy cards present - Slower pace likely - Multi-action support available

Bad Situations: - Heavy attacking kingdoms - Fast rush potential - Limited actions available - Better $5 alternatives present

Kingdom Analysis Examples

Example Kingdom 1: Village, Warehouse, Counting House, Market, Laboratory - Strong potential for Counting House - Warehouse enables setup - Village/Lab provide action support - Consider this approach

Example Kingdom 2: Militia, Chapel, Festival, Counting House, Witch - Poor conditions for Counting House - Attack pressure problematic - Chapel conflicts with strategy - Look for alternative approach

Sample Turn Sequences

Setup Turn: 1. Play Village 2. Play Warehouse, discard Coppers 3. Play Counting House 4. Retrieve discarded Coppers Result: Strong buying power

Power Turn: 1. Play King's Court 2. Target Counting House 3. Retrieve 12+ Coppers Result: Massive buying potential

Optimization Tips

  1. Deck Tracking
  2. Count Coppers in play
  3. Track discard pile contents
  4. Monitor shuffle timing
  5. Plan turns ahead

  6. Purchase Timing

  7. Buy Counting House around turns 4-6
  8. Add support cards first
  9. Consider multiple copies
  10. Know when to stop building

  11. Action Management

  12. Prioritize key combinations
  13. Don't waste actions on weak turns
  14. Save Counting House for impact
  15. Maintain flexibility

  16. Copper Balance

  17. Keep enough for effectiveness
  18. Don't overload
  19. Consider trashing weak cards
  20. Maintain critical mass

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Strategic Errors
  2. Buying too early
  3. Over-investing in Coppers
  4. Neglecting support cards
  5. Forcing the strategy

  6. Tactical Errors

  7. Poor timing of plays
  8. Miscounting Coppers
  9. Inefficient action use
  10. Suboptimal discard choices

  11. Build Mistakes

  12. Wrong support cards
  13. Insufficient deck control
  14. Too many competing strategies
  15. Poor transition timing

Skill Development Tips

  1. Beginner Focus
  2. Learn basic timing
  3. Practice Copper management
  4. Understand basic combinations
  5. Recognize favorable kingdoms

  6. Intermediate Goals

  7. Master deck tracking
  8. Develop flexible builds
  9. Learn advanced combinations
  10. Improve decision timing

  11. Advanced Techniques

  12. Perfect shuffle timing
  13. Optimize action efficiency
  14. Master transition points
  15. Maximize consistency

Conclusion

Counting House is a specialized card that requires careful planning and execution but can be extremely powerful in the right circumstances. Success depends on: - Proper kingdom analysis - Strong supporting cards - Careful timing - Efficient execution

While not always the optimal strategy, understanding Counting House play improves overall game knowledge and provides unique options in appropriate kingdoms.

Quick Reference Guide

Key Support Cards: - Warehouse - Village variants - Throne Room effects - Deck control cards

Important Numbers: - 8-15 Coppers ideal - Buy around turn 4-6 - Target $8+ power turns - Consider 2 copies

Critical Checks: - Kingdom support - Pace of game - Attack presence - Alternative options

This comprehensive understanding of Counting House will help players identify and execute this strategy when appropriate while avoiding its use in unfavorable circumstances.