Counter: Library vs Militia

Library vs Militia
Info
Set(s)	Base

Library vs Militia is a counter that uses Library's "up to this number" drawing to make amends for Militia's (or any handsize attack's) discarding effect.

Article

original article by theory

This is a classic base-game “soft counter” that just about everyone discovers at some point or another. It’s beautifully simple and powerfully effective — Militia cuts your hand size, but Library draws it right back. (Added bonus: Libraries can discard unwanted actions, thus eliminating the danger of playing a terminal +Cards only to draw dead Actions.)

Of course, the counter applies equally to Goons and Torturer, and possibly best against Ghost Ship. And Watchtower can be substituted for Library — you draw one fewer card, but Watchtower also has other uses, especially if you have your own Goons...

Counting House can also similarly counter discard Attacks. When you can't decide which cards you want to discard, you can safely discard Copper, knowing you'll be able to draw them back in hand with Counting House later. This is useful if you know your opponent is going to play Mountebank, and you want to keep your Curse in hand. Menagerie also fares well against Militia, as you can discard unwanted duplicates, ensuring that Menagerie will draw optimally. Jack of all Trades was explicitly designed as a card to retroactively defend against all four main categories of Attack, and thus also counters Militia well, though not as powerfully as Library.