Treasury (Seaside)

Treasury Strategy Guide

Introduction: Treasury is a versatile $5 action card from Seaside that provides modest immediate benefits (+1 Card, +1 Action, +$1) with a powerful optional topdecking ability. While its base effects might seem modest, Treasury's true strength lies in its ability to maintain deck consistency and create reliable engine sequences when properly managed.

Basic Mechanics: Let's break down Treasury's components: 1. +1 Card, +1 Action: Makes it self-replacing, maintaining hand size and action count 2. +$1: Provides modest economic benefit 3. Optional topdeck ability: If you don't buy Victory cards on your turn, you can put Treasury back on top of your deck

Core Strengths:

1. Deck Control
2. Treasury's most important feature is its ability to reliably return to your next hand
3. Creates predictable draw sequences when you have multiple Treasuries
4. Helps maintain engine consistency by reducing variance

5. Acts as a "skill tester" card that rewards careful planning of your turn

6. Engine Support

7. Self-replacing nature makes it excellent in action chains
8. Provides both draw and economy without taking up extra deck space

9. Can help thin decks by repeatedly appearing instead of other cards

10. Economic Benefits

11. Reliable source of +$1 each turn
12. Can create "virtual" money density by appearing more frequently than other cards
13. Particularly strong when you can play multiple copies per turn

Strategic Considerations:

1. Early Game
2. Generally a strong early buy at $5
3. Competes with other important $5 cards like Market and Laboratory
4. Usually want 2-3 copies in most decks that can support them

5. Can help smooth out early deck consistency

6. Mid Game

7. Helps maintain engine consistency
8. Must carefully balance Victory card purchases with Treasury's topdeck ability
9. Can help you reach important price points more reliably

10. Excellent for building toward larger action chains

11. Late Game

12. Becomes less effective as Victory card purchases increase
13. May need to abandon the topdecking ability to secure crucial Victory points
14. Can help maintain engine functionality even as deck becomes diluted with Victory cards

Key Synergies:

1. Draw Cards
2. Laboratory, Smithy, Council Room
3. More draw helps you see more Treasuries each turn

4. Multiple Treasuries can create reliable draw chains

5. Village Variants

6. Village, Fishing Village, Native Village
7. Extra actions allow playing multiple Treasuries

8. Creates more opportunities for economic gain

9. Throne Room Effects

10. Throne Room, King's Court
11. Double or triple Treasury's benefits

12. Can choose whether to topdeck each copy separately

13. Duration Cards

14. Fishing Village, Wharf, Caravan
15. Help ensure you have actions available for Treasury next turn

16. Create predictable action sequences

17. Sifting Cards

18. Warehouse, Cellar, Scout
19. Help dig to your Treasuries more quickly
20. Can manipulate deck order to optimize Treasury placement

Counter Synergies:

1. Victory Card Dependent Strategies
2. Gardens
3. Silk Road
4. Duke

5. These strategies often require frequent Victory card purchases

6. Attack Cards

7. Militia, Ghost Ship
8. Can disrupt carefully planned Treasury sequences
9. May force discarding of topdecked Treasuries

Optimal Play Patterns:

1. Basic Engine Building
2. Acquire 2-3 Treasuries early
3. Build action capacity through Villages or similar cards
4. Create reliable draw chains

5. Use Treasury's topdeck ability to maintain consistency

6. Timing Victory Purchases

7. Plan Victory card purchases in batches
8. Try to buy multiple Victory cards on the same turn

9. Maintain engine consistency between Victory card turns

10. Managing Multiple Treasuries

11. Consider whether to topdeck all copies or just some
12. Plan action capacity for next turn

13. Balance money needs with action availability

14. Endgame Considerations

15. Know when to abandon Treasury's topdeck ability
16. Calculate Victory point needs vs. engine maintenance
17. Consider opponent's position and race conditions

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

1. Over-investing
2. Don't buy too many Treasuries early
3. Balance with other engine components

4. Consider opportunity cost of $5 purchases

5. Poor Planning

6. Failing to count actions for next turn
7. Not considering opponent's likely plays

8. Buying Victory cards unnecessarily

9. Inflexible Strategy

10. Always topdecking when it's not optimal
11. Failing to adapt to game state
12. Not recognizing when to abandon Treasury strategy

Kingdom Considerations:

1. Strong Treasury Kingdoms
2. Multiple sources of +Actions
3. Strong draw cards available
4. Limited trashing

5. Few mandatory Victory card purchases

6. Weak Treasury Kingdoms

7. Heavy attack presence
8. Victory card-dependent strategies
9. Limited action capacity
10. Strong trashing options

Sample Strategies:

1. Basic Treasury Engine
2. 2-3 Treasuries
3. 3-4 Villages
4. 2-3 Draw cards

5. Supporting economy Focus on consistent play patterns and maintaining engine efficiency

6. Treasury Mass Draw

7. 2-3 Treasuries
8. Multiple Laboratories
9. Action suppliers

10. Terminal draw Emphasize seeing many cards each turn while maintaining consistency

11. Treasury Big Money

12. 2-3 Treasuries
13. Limited action cards
14. Focus on economy Use Treasury to improve money density and reliability

Tips for Different Player Counts:

2 Players: - More time to build engine - Can be more aggressive with Treasury acquisition - Better opportunity for long-term strategies

3-4 Players: - Faster games require quicker decision-making - More competition for key cards - May need to pivot strategies more quickly

Timing Considerations:

Early Game (Turns 1-5): - Evaluate Kingdom for Treasury viability - Plan initial $5 purchases - Begin establishing engine infrastructure

Mid Game (Turns 6-12): - Optimize Treasury chains - Build engine capacity - Time Victory card purchases carefully

Late Game (Turns 13+): - Evaluate whether to maintain Treasury chains - Calculate Victory point requirements - Plan endgame sequence

Advanced Techniques:

1. Treasury Chaining
2. Use multiple Treasuries in specific sequences
3. Coordinate with other action cards

4. Create reliable turn patterns

5. Victory Card Batching

6. Buy multiple Victory cards in single turns
7. Maintain Treasury chains between purchases

8. Optimize point acquisition timing

9. Deck Manipulation

10. Use sifters to control Treasury placement
11. Coordinate with other deck inspection cards
12. Manipulate shuffle timing

Counter Strategies:

When Opposing Treasury: - Consider attack cards that disrupt hand size - Force Victory card purchases when possible - Rush ending before engines fully develop

When Playing Against Attacks: - Build redundancy into engine - Consider additional draw cards - May need more Treasuries than usual

Specific Card Interactions:

Strong Positive Interactions: 1. Laboratory - Perfect complement for action chains 2. Village - Provides needed actions 3. Warehouse - Helps dig to Treasuries 4. Fishing Village - Creates reliable action supply 5. Wharf - Strong duration synergy

Strong Negative Interactions: 1. Ghost Ship - Disrupts carefully planned sequences 2. Gardens - Conflicts with Victory card restriction 3. Militia - Can force discarding of key components 4. Possession - Can force unwanted Victory purchases 5. Saboteur - Can destroy crucial engine pieces

Conclusion:

Treasury is a sophisticated card that rewards careful planning and strategic thinking. Its ability to maintain deck consistency makes it a powerful engine component when properly supported. Success with Treasury requires: - Understanding proper timing of Victory purchases - Maintaining appropriate action capacity - Careful planning of turn sequences - Adapting strategy as game state changes

While not always the optimal $5 purchase, Treasury's flexibility and consistency make it a valuable addition to many strategies. Masters of Treasury use it to create reliable engine sequences while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to changing game states. Whether building a complex engine or supporting a simpler strategy, Treasury's unique abilities make it a fascinating and rewarding card to play.

Remember that success with Treasury often comes down to careful planning and proper timing rather than raw power. Understanding these nuances will help you maximize Treasury's potential in your games.