Squire
Squire | |
---|---|
Info | |
Cost | |
Type(s) | Action |
Kingdom card? | Yes |
Set | Dark Ages |
Illustrator(s) | Harald Lieske |
Card text | |
+ Choose one: +2 Actions; or +2 Buys; or gain a Silver. When you trash this, gain an Attack card. |
Squire is an Action card from Dark Ages. It can act as a village (i.e., providing +2 Actions), as a Silver gainer, or as a source of +Buy. In addition, when trashed it can gain you any Attack—you can even gain a Familiar without buying a Potion!
Contents |
FAQ
Official FAQ
- When you play this, you get +, and your choice of either +2 Actions, +2 Buys, or gaining a Silver.
- The Silver comes from the Supply and is put into your discard pile.
- If Squire is trashed somehow, you gain an Attack card; the Attack card comes from the Supply and is put into your discard pile.
- You can gain any Attack card available in the Supply, but if no Attack card is available, you do not gain one.
Other Rules clarifications
- You cannot gain Mercenary by trashing a Squire, since Mercenary is not in the supply.
Strategy Article
As Dark Ages is still new, there isn't a definitive Squire article.
Squire is a little bit like Pawn in that it is a -cost card offering a choice, and the benefits overlap somewhat. However, two of the choices are unilaterally better: it always gives +, and can either give +2 Actions or +2 Buy, or gain a Silver. Pawn is often a strong card, but compared side-by-side, Squire is usually much more beneficial than Pawn, with the only downside that Squire cannot draw cards. The on-trash benefit of Squire can be immensely strong on some boards, useless on others.
The Silver-gaining feature of Squire anti-synergizes a bit with the +Actions feature, as a Silver-rich deck has little need for +Actions. However, this feature makes Squire rather flexible, helping both in Alt-VP rush strategies (especially Feodum but possibly also Gardens) and in cases where building up early-game economy is important, such as when paired with Chapel. The function of providing + while also gaining a Silver is quite strong for a card costing only .
Even though Dark Ages is new, it's already evident that there's many cases where Squire will shine.
- Squire can support a Gardens strategy, since it can give +2 Buys for quick deck expansion and piling out the Squires. The Silver gain makes it work with a Feodum strategy as well.
- In the presence of strong early trashing (Chapel, Steward, Remake) and a good attack (Familiar, Goons), Squire lets you get the attack early AND not slow down your trashing.
- Squire can provide the +Action, the +Buy, and some of the + for an engine - that's three components in one card. Multifunctional cards are quite powerful, and squire looks to be no exception. the lack of +Card will hurt - it will be difficult to make a Squire/Smithy engine - but it will be a great card to pick up with spare buys and early on in the engine-building process.
Synergies/Combos
- Library, Watchtower, Menagerie - the usual +Cards sources that love decreased handsizes.
- Having Watchtower in hand also makes it possible to buy and immediately trash a Squire, essentially paying for any Attack card, as well as putting the Attack card on top of your deck.
- Expensive attacks combined with powerful trashing. A Squire/Chapel opening may well get its first Goons as fast as a Silver/Silver opening and with fast trashing to boot.
- Gardens, Feodum
Antisynergies
- Worker's Village is usually going to be better, since the second buy that Squire can provide usually won't matter as much as the consistent +Card
Trivia
In other languages
- French: Écuyer
- German: Knappe
- Japanese: 従者 (pron. jūsha, lit. valet)
- Spanish: Escudero
Secret History