Attack Cards

It's important to know which attacks are powerful and which ones rely on luck to be worthwhile. It's also important to prepare for your opponents' attacks.

Bureaucrat

Copyright 2013 M. Stith

How good is it?

The attack is only effective if the leading opponent happens to have a victory card in-hand when you play Bureaucrat. The silver you get is nice for a big deck.

How should I prepare against it?

Be even more careful than usual when you consider buying victory cards. Trash your Estates early on if you can.

Militia

Copyright 2013 M. Stith

How good is it?

Militia makes it harder for your opponents to set up their decks early on. Later, one of your opponents will get a really good hand, and you'll ruin it with this attack.

How should I prepare against it?

Consider buying Library if it's available. A Militia attack will make your hand small, which makes Library draw more cards¹.

Spy

Copyright 2013 M. Stith

How good is it?

At best, Spy will dig through a useless card of yours and discard your opponents' favorite cards. At worst, Spy will do nothing, because +1 card and +1 action only remove the cost of playing Spy. In the short term, you don't want Spy to draw you a Copper or an Estate when you could have bought a Silver instead of a Spy.

How should I prepare against it?

I don't think there's not much you can do about Spy, but it doesn't usually make a big impact.

Thief

Copyright 2013 M. Stith

How good is it?

Thief might steal a precious Gold that you won't draw for a while, or it might rid your opponents of useless Coppers, which means you've done them a favor. Thief is almost always an inconsistent card if your opponents adapt to it, and I only recommend it for those who don't get frustrated by bad luck.

How should I prepare against it?

Don't try too hard to trash your Coppers, because a Thief might find those Coppers and miss your Golds. Even better, don't go for a Gold-heavy strategy. Instead of buying treasures, buy action cards that are worth treasure when played.

Witch

Copyright 2013 M. Stith

How good is it?

Witch is devastating until the Curse supply runs out. Curses clog up vulnerable decks. Witch features terminal card-draw, but according to a guide by Theory, playing Witch is still worth it².

How should I prepare against it?

With luck and time, Chapel and Remodel allow you to trash Curses¹. My favorite way to deal with Witch is to buy my own Witch. Every Curse you give an opponent is a Curse you won't have to take later, because the Curse supply will run out. Another option is to make a really big deck so that the Curses won't hurt too much.

There is a guide to beating attacks³, written by Dominion's designer, that you might enjoy. Beware though: his guide includes expansion cards that will make his guide harder to understand unless you research or own the expansions.

References...

1 Dominion Game Manual (2008). Dominion. Rio Grande Games, Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

2 Theory. (2011, Jun 19). Guide to Dominion Base Game. Retrieved from http://dominionstrategy.com/2011/06/19/guide-to-the-dominion-base-game/

3 Vaccarino, D. X. (2011, Dec 27). Your Guide to Beating Attacks. Retrieved from http://dominionstrategy.com/2011/12/27/your-guide-to-beating-attacks/