Loan
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Loan (Prosperity)

Cost: $3

Type: Treasure

Text: Worth $1\nWhen you play this, reveal cards from your deck until you reveal a Treasure. Discard it or trash it. Discard the other cards.

Strategy Review

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

Loan Strategy Guide

Introduction Loan is a $3 Treasure card from Prosperity that serves two main purposes: providing $1 for purchases and thinning your deck of unwanted Treasure cards. While its coin value is modest, Loan's ability to selectively remove Treasures makes it a unique deck-thinning tool that requires careful consideration to use effectively.

Core Characteristics - Provides $1 like Copper - Reveals cards until finding a Treasure - Gives you the choice to trash or discard that Treasure - Discards all non-Treasure cards revealed in the process

Basic Strategic Considerations

  1. Deck Thinning Loan's primary strategic value comes from its ability to thin Treasures from your deck. Unlike most trashers that target any card type, Loan specifically targets Treasures, making it a specialized tool for optimizing your deck's money density.

Key advantages: - Can remove starting Coppers - Operates automatically when played - Doesn't use up Actions - Can be acquired early ($3 cost)

Limitations: - Only hits Treasures - Can't choose which Treasure to trash - May miss desired targets if another Treasure is revealed first - Discards non-Treasure cards, potentially disrupting deck order

  1. Timing Considerations

Early Game: - Good early purchase when planning to thin Coppers - Can help streamline your deck before adding better Treasures - May compete with other important $3 purchases

Mid Game: - Becomes riskier as you add valuable Treasures - Still useful if specifically targeting Coppers - Consider stopping Loan purchases once you have better Treasures

Late Game: - Generally poor late-game purchase - Risk of hitting important Treasures increases - Deck thinning becomes less important

Using Loan Effectively

  1. Deck Composition Management

Optimal situations for Loan: - Decks with many Coppers you want to remove - Strategies focusing on non-Treasure money sources - Engines that want minimal Treasures - Decks using specific high-value Treasures you don't want to risk

Avoid Loan when: - Running a traditional Big Money strategy - Using many different Treasure cards - Relying on specific Treasures for combos - Playing with Treasure-based VP cards (like Hoard)

  1. Playing Multiple Loans

Benefits of multiple Loans: - Faster deck thinning - More consistent Copper removal - $1 per Loan is still useful

Risks of multiple Loans: - Increased chance of hitting valuable Treasures - Diminishing returns on thinning - Opportunity cost of not buying other cards

Recommended quantities: - 1-2 Loans: Safe for most strategies - 3+ Loans: Only in specific deck-thinning focused strategies - Usually stop buying after achieving desired deck composition

Synergies and Combinations

Strong Synergies:

  1. Action-Based Economy Cards that generate money without being Treasures work well with Loan:
  2. Market
  3. Worker's Village
  4. Festival
  5. Grand Market

  6. Trading Post

  7. Card Draw Cards that help you see more of your deck increase Loan's effectiveness:

  8. Laboratory
  9. Smithy
  10. Council Room
  11. Library

  12. Wharf

  13. Deck Tracking Cards that let you manipulate your deck order can help control Loan's reveals:

  14. Scrying Pool
  15. Oracle
  16. Scout
  17. Vagrant

  18. Wandering Minstrel

  19. Alternative Victory Strategies Cards that don't rely on buying power benefit from Loan's thinning:

  20. Gardens
  21. Duke
  22. Silk Road
  23. Alternative VP tokens

Anti-Synergies

  1. Treasure-Dependent Cards Cards that want you to keep Treasures:
  2. Bank
  3. Grand Market
  4. Merchant Guild
  5. Hoard

  6. Quarry

  7. Treasure-Based Effects Cards that care about Treasure quantity:

  8. Counting House
  9. Stash
  10. Treasurer

  11. Capital

  12. Deck Order Dependencies Cards that rely on specific deck ordering:

  13. Scheme
  14. Herald
  15. Doctor
  16. Seer

Countering Loan Strategies

When opponents use Loan:

  1. Rush Strategies
  2. Push for early Province purchases
  3. Focus on quick VP accumulation

  4. Take advantage of their temporarily reduced buying power

  5. Treasure-Heavy Approaches

  6. Capitalize on their weaker money density
  7. Use powerful Treasures they can't safely include

  8. Consider Bank strategies

  9. Alt-VP Competition

  10. Contest alternative VP sources
  11. Build engines faster with your intact Treasure base
  12. Leverage your more flexible deck

Specific Kingdom Considerations

Kingdom Features That Favor Loan:

  1. Strong Card Draw
  2. Makes Loan's thinning more impactful
  3. Helps see refined deck more quickly

  4. Reduces downside of discarding

  5. Alternative Money Sources

  6. Reduces reliance on Treasures
  7. Makes Copper removal more valuable

  8. Supports engine building

  9. Slow Pace

  10. Allows time for deck optimization
  11. Reduces risk of falling behind
  12. Permits multiple Loan purchases

Kingdoms That Discourage Loan:

  1. Fast Kingdoms
  2. Rush strategies
  3. Strong attack cards

  4. Quick VP drain

  5. Treasure-Centric Kingdoms

  6. Multiple useful Treasure cards
  7. Treasure-based effects
  8. Bank strategies

Advanced Techniques

  1. Selective Playing
  2. Don't play Loan if you need specific Treasures
  3. Consider timing with other deck manipulation

  4. Use as last play when possible

  5. Tracking and Planning

  6. Monitor remaining Coppers
  7. Calculate risks of hitting valuable Treasures

  8. Plan purchases around thinning progress

  9. Multi-Phase Strategy

  10. Early: Aggressive thinning
  11. Mid: Selective playing
  12. Late: Possible retirement

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Over-Investment
  2. Buying too many Loans
  3. Continuing to buy late game

  4. Neglecting other important cards

  5. Poor Timing

  6. Playing before important Treasures
  7. Not considering deck composition

  8. Ignoring game pace

  9. Mismanaging Risks

  10. Not tracking Treasure ratios
  11. Ignoring potential downsides
  12. Taking unnecessary risks

Sample Strategies

  1. Classic Engine Support
  2. Buy 1-2 early Loans
  3. Focus on Action-based economy

  4. Use thinning to streamline engine

  5. Aggressive Thinning

  6. Multiple early Loans
  7. Rapid Copper removal

  8. Transition to alternate money

  9. Hybrid Approach

  10. Selective Copper removal
  11. Maintain key Treasures
  12. Balance thinning with economy

Conclusion

Loan is a specialized tool that requires careful consideration and planning to use effectively. Its strength lies in its ability to thin Treasures while providing modest economic value, but its limitations and risks must be properly managed. Success with Loan comes from understanding:

  • When to buy it (usually early)
  • How many to buy (usually 1-2)
  • When to play it (timing matters)
  • What deck types support it
  • When to stop using it

While not always a game-changing card, Loan can be a valuable component in the right strategy, particularly in engine-building decks that want to minimize their reliance on Treasures. The key is recognizing the appropriate situations for its use and managing its inherent risks effectively.

Remember that Loan's effectiveness varies significantly based on kingdom composition, game pace, and your overall strategy. Used thoughtfully, it can be a powerful deck-optimization tool, but it should never be bought simply because it's available. Always consider your specific game situation and long-term strategy when deciding whether to include Loan in your deck.