Grand Market (Prosperity)

Here's a comprehensive strategy guide for Grand Market:

Grand Market Strategy Guide

Introduction Grand Market is one of the most powerful terminal draw cards in Dominion, offering an impressive package of benefits: +1 Card, +1 Action, +1 Buy, and +$2. However, its unique restriction – being unbuyable with Copper in play – creates interesting strategic considerations that make it distinctly different from other $6 cards.

Core Strengths 1. Economy Boost - Provides $2, making it excellent for reaching higher price points - Self-replacing with +1 Card, so it doesn't reduce hand size - +1 Buy allows for multiple purchases when you hit high money totals

1. Action Chain Support
2. +1 Action means it's not terminal
3. Enables longer action chains while providing economic benefit

4. Can be played in any quantity without creating action problems

5. Deck Improvement

6. Helps thin Copper naturally by incentivizing its removal
7. High price point means it won't dilute your deck early
8. Strong payload card that works well in both money and engine strategies

The Copper Restriction

Understanding and Managing the Copper Restriction The most distinctive feature of Grand Market is its buying restriction. You cannot buy it with any Copper in play, which creates several important implications:

1. Timing Your Purchases
2. Must carefully sequence your plays to avoid having Copper in play
3. May need to intentionally play less money to enable the purchase

4. Sometimes requires leaving Copper in hand rather than playing it

5. Deck Construction Considerations

6. Incentivizes aggressive Copper trashing
7. Makes Silver relatively more valuable

8. Creates tension between wanting treasure and wanting Grand Markets

9. Opening Considerations

10. Cannot be opened with 5/2 splits (as you'd need to play Copper)
11. Best opened with 4/4 or better splits where you can buy Silver first
12. Strong synergy with starting hand distributions that contain multiple Silvers

Strategic Approaches

1. The Engine Approach

Grand Market naturally supports engine building due to its non-terminal nature and strong benefits. In an engine context:

Advantages: - Provides economic boost while maintaining action count - Helps reach critical mass of actions and money - Supports multi-card buy turns with +Buy

Key Considerations: - Prioritize trashing early to enable consistent purchases - Look for complementary non-terminal drawing - Build toward multiple Grand Market plays per turn

Recommended Support Cards: - Chapel for rapid trashing - Laboratory or other non-terminal draw - Village variants for additional actions - Market Square or other +Buy/+$ cards

1. The Big Money Approach

While less common, Grand Market can work in modified big money strategies:

Advantages: - Provides significant money without requiring complex chains - Natural Copper reduction improves deck quality - Can transition into multi-province turns

Key Considerations: - Need reliable Copper management - May require more Silvers than usual - Benefits from selective trashing

Recommended Support: - Moneylender for Copper conversion - Silver-generating cards - Light trashing options

Timing and Purchasing Strategy

Early Game (Turns 1-5): - Focus on enabling Grand Market purchases - Prioritize trashing and Silver acquisition - Consider picking up enabler cards (e.g., Warehouse, Cellar)

Mid Game (Turns 6-12): - Begin acquiring Grand Markets when consistently playable - Balance between Grand Markets and other key cards - Maintain proper treasure composition

Late Game (Turns 13+): - Use Grand Markets to enable multiple Province purchases - Consider transitioning away from buying more if deck is functioning well - Watch for game-ending opportunities

Key Synergies

1. Trashers
2. Chapel: Premier enabler, removes Coppers quickly
3. Moneylender: Converts Copper into useful money

4. Forge: Can consolidate multiple Coppers into better treasures

5. Deck Control

6. Warehouse: Helps manage Copper appearance
7. Cellar: Discards unwanted Copper

8. Haven: Can set aside Copper for next turn

9. Economy Boosters

10. Bank: Benefits from reduced Copper count
11. Platinum: Provides Copper-free money

12. Merchant Guild: Additional money without Copper

13. Draw Cards

14. Laboratory: Non-terminal draw that pairs well
15. Hunting Party: Helps find Grand Markets
16. Council Room: Mass draw that can enable big turns

Counter Strategies

When Opposing Grand Market:

1. Copper Loading
2. Consider attacks that give opponents Copper
3. Use Bureaucrat to put Victory cards on top

4. Ambassador can be especially effective

5. Rush Strategies

6. May be able to end game before engine materializes
7. Consider Gardens or Duke strategies

8. Prioritize Provinces if opponent is slow to set up

9. Alternative Engines

10. Build engines that don't rely on Grand Market
11. Focus on cards that are easier to obtain
12. Consider strategies with lower price points

Kingdom Considerations

Factors Favoring Grand Market: - Strong trashing available - Additional non-terminal draw - Alternative treasure sources - Action multipliers present

Factors Against Grand Market: - Heavy attacking kingdoms - Copper-giving attacks - Fast alternative strategies - Limited trashing

Number to Buy

The ideal number of Grand Markets varies by strategy:

Engine Approaches: - Usually want 3-5 copies - May want more with strong action multiplication - Stop when deck consistently hits desired price points

Big Money Variants: - Usually 2-3 copies - Focus on consistency over quantity - May want fewer if other strong terminals present

Gameplay Tips

1. Hand Management
2. Track Copper location carefully
3. Consider keeping some cards in hand for next turn

4. Don't play unnecessary treasures before buying

5. Deck Tracking

6. Monitor Copper concentration
7. Track remaining Grand Markets

8. Watch opponent's ability to deny purchases

9. Turn Optimization

10. Plan several turns ahead
11. Consider whether to play all actions first
12. Save some actions for future turns if needed

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-prioritizing Grand Market
2. Don't ignore other important cards
3. Balance with victory card purchases

4. Consider opportunity cost of enabling purchases

5. Poor Copper Management

6. Playing Copper unnecessarily
7. Not tracking Copper location

8. Failing to plan for future turns

9. Insufficient Support

10. Not getting enough trashing
11. Ignoring necessary deck control
12. Failing to build proper action chains

Sample Opening Strategies

Strong Openings: 1. Silver + Silver (4/4) 2. Silver + Chapel (4/3) 3. Moneylender + Silver (4/4)

Avoid: 1. Copper-dependent 5/2 splits 2. Double terminal openings 3. Victory card openings

Conclusion

Grand Market is a powerful card that rewards careful planning and deck construction. Its unique buying restriction creates interesting strategic decisions and encourages good deck-building practices. Success with Grand Market requires:

• Careful Copper management
• Strategic trashing or deck control
• Proper support cards
• Thoughtful turn planning

When these elements come together, Grand Market can form the backbone of extremely powerful engines or enhance big money strategies significantly. The key is understanding both its strengths and limitations while building around its unique restriction.

Remember that while Grand Market is powerful, it's not always the right choice for every kingdom. Evaluate the available support cards, potential counter-strategies, and alternative approaches before committing to a Grand Market-based strategy.

Final Tips: - Start planning for Grand Market purchases early - Don't neglect other important cards - Stay flexible in your approach - Watch for key synergies and counters - Practice Copper management skills

With proper understanding and execution, Grand Market can be one of the most rewarding cards to build around in Dominion, offering both interesting strategic decisions and powerful results.