Groom

Groom
Info
Cost
Type(s)	Action
Kingdom card?	Yes
Set	Menagerie
Illustrator(s)	Elisa Cella
Card text
Gain a card costing up to . If it's an... Action card, gain a Horse; Treasure card, gain a Silver; Victory card, +1 Card and +1 Action.

Groom is an Action card from Menagerie. It is a gainer that offers a bonus depending on the type of the card gained, similar to Ironworks.

FAQ

Official FAQ

• First gain a card, then apply the bonuses in the order listed.
• A card can give you multiple bonuses; for example, if you gain a Mill (from Intrigue), you gain a Horse and then get +1 Card and +1 Action.

Other rules clarifications

• You get the bonuses from this after gaining a card. So if you gain a Cemetery, you cannot draw a card before trashing.

Strategy

Groom is one of the best Workshop variants costing .

Most Workshop variants are at their strongest when picking up cheap Action cards, and here Groom offers a stronger benefit than its counterparts. Compared to Ironworks (which gives +1 Action when gaining action cards) or Armory (which puts the gained card onto your deck), Groom gives you a Horse which is a one-shot +1 hand size. Draw is highly valuable, and this bonus outshines the bonuses of similar Workshop-like cards and makes Groom viable in a wider array of contexts.

Groom is also among the best cards at facilitating rush strategies, in which a player attempts to empty three piles quickly before other players can get control of their decks and begin scoring. Players familiar with the Base set may already know of the Workshop-Gardens rush, which involves gaining as many Workshops as you can and then emptying Workshop, Gardens, and Estate piles. While Workshop-Gardens is a relatively weak strategy, Groom-Gardens is much stronger. Because Groom gives +1 Card and +1 Action when gaining Victory cards, it can be chained much more effectively in these decks and lowers piles more quickly. Groom rushes work with any Victory card costing or less, with Gardens standing out as the strongest. Groom Victory-rush strategies aim to empty the Groom, the cheap Victory pile, and the Estate piles. Rush strategies are also viable with certain Landmarks like Tower or Triumphal Arch, where a player can empty the Groom pile, another Action pile, and the Estate pile.

Gaining Treasures with Groom is typically far less useful than gaining Action or Victory cards. It may be useful in situations where you’ve drawn your deck and need to quickly add payload, or in Kingdoms that appreciate free Silvers (such as those with Feodum, Seer, or Guildhall).

Versions

English versions

Print	Digital	Text	Release	Date
		Gain a card costing up to . If it's an… Action card, gain a Horse; Treasure card, gain a Silver; Victory card, +1 Card and +1 Action.	Menagerie	March 2020

Other language versions

Language	Name	Print	Digital	Text	Notes
Dutch	Rijknecht			Pak een kaart die ten hoogste kost. Is deze een... actiekaart, pak dan een Paard; geldkaart, pak dan een Zilver; overwinnigskaart, dan +1 Kaart en +1 Actie.	(2020)
German	Stallbursche			Nimm eine Karte, die bis zu kostet. Ist es eine… Aktionskarte: nimm ein Pferd; Geldkarte: nimm ein Silber; Punktekarte: +1 Karte und +1 Aktion.	(2020)
Japanese	馬丁 (pron. batē)

Trivia

Official card art.

Secret History

An early card. The only change was the precise wording, "Action card" rather than "Action."

—Donald X. Vaccarino, The Secret History of Dominion: Menagerie

Is Groom too strong with Victory cards?

Maybe? I find it plausible. I didn't keep testing Groom after it was published, but word on the street is it's strong in those situations.

—Donald X. Vaccarino, Interview with Donald X.