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  |type1 = Treasure
  |type1 = Treasure
  |illustrator = RC Torres
  |illustrator = RC Torres
  |text = {{Cost|3|l}}<br/>'''+1 Buy'''<br/>When you play this, the player to your left names a card. You can’t buy that card this turn.
  |text = {{Cost|3|l}}<br/>'''+1 Buy'''<br/>The player to your left names a card. You can’t buy that card this turn.
}}
}}
'''Contraband''' is a [[Treasure]] card from [[Prosperity]]. It is worth {{Cost|3}}, like Gold, but also gives +buy and costs {{Cost|1}} less. However, it comes with the drawback that you will be prohibited from buying a particular card that your opponent names. Therefore, it is often best when you have multiple choices of cards which you want to buy.  
'''Contraband''' is a [[Treasure]] card from [[Prosperity]]. It is worth {{Cost|3}}, like Gold, but also gives +buy and costs {{Cost|1}} less. However, it comes with the drawback that you will be prohibited from buying a particular card that your opponent names.  
 
It was [[removed]] from the [[second edition]] of Prosperity and replaced with {{card|War Chest}}, which has the same basic concept but is less confining to the player.  
== FAQ ==
== FAQ ==
=== Official FAQ ===
=== Official FAQ ===
* When you play this, you get {{Cost|3}} and +1 Buy.
* When you play this, you get {{Cost|3}} and +1 Buy.
* The player to your left names a card, and you cannot buy the named card this turn.  
* The player to your left names a card, and you cannot buy the named card this turn.  
* This does not stop you from gaining the card in ways other than buying it (such as via {{Card|Hoard}}).  
* This does not stop you from gaining the card in ways other than buying it (such as via {{Card|Hoard}} [or {{Event|Dominate}}]).  
* They do not have to name a card in the Supply.  
* They do not have to name a card in the Supply.  
* If you play multiple Contrabands in one turn, the player to your left names a card each time; if they name different cards, you cannot buy any of the named cards this turn.  
* If you play multiple Contrabands in one turn, the player to your left names a card each time; if they name different cards, you cannot buy any of the named cards this turn.  
* If you play Contraband before other Treasures, you hide how much {{Cost}} you will have; however the number of cards left in a player's hand is public information.
* If you play Contraband before other Treasures, you hide how much {{Cost}} you will have; however the number of cards left in a player's hand is public information.


=== Other Rules clarifications ===
== Strategy ==
== Strategy Article ==
Before it was removed, Contraband was a weak [[Kingdom]] [[Treasure]] that was usually skippable. It is somewhat similar to {{Card|Gold}} and suffers from the same problems, namely that it has a high [[opportunity cost]] and is usually not as efficient in terms of {{Cost}} per [[stop card]] as [[Action]]-based [[payload]]. The addition of [[+Buy]] and the fact that Contraband is slightly cheaper are small advantages, but in many situations giving your opponent the ability to prevent you from buying the card you most want on a given turn negates the benefit of both the +Buy and the {{Cost}} generated by Contraband.  
''[http://dominionstrategy.com/2012/07/10/prosperity-contraband/ Article] by WanderingWinder, edited by theory, originally posted on the [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=2938.0 forum]''
 
Contraband needs options.
 
For example, if you play a standard [[Big Money]]-esque game, where all you want is {{Card|Gold}} and {{Card|Province|Provinces}}, Contraband is very bad.  Early on, your opponent will just block you off of Gold, and later, they block you off of Province, which just makes it very difficult to win. And indeed, in any case where you’re really needing one card, it’s not going to be good for you.
 
Contraband is also rarely good in multiples, because if one thing doesn’t totally block you, two much more likely will – each Contraband you play means a new thing your opponent can block.  So oddly enough, this Treasure tends to be best in an “[[engine]]”, where you play a lot of different Actions, because those tend to have the most different cards that can help you, can make use of the buy, and proscribing one card just isn’t as big a deal.
 
Because of the enormous complexity of choices, the card doesn’t simulate so well. So unlike most of my articles, there’s no simulation data backing this stuff up. But lots of thought and experience.
 
Before we go any farther, I think it’s important to note a couple of tactical items about playing Contraband. The first is that you don’t have to play it! Many times, in the endgame, you need to be buying a particular card – say a Province. Well, if you can afford the thing anyway, just don’t play the Contraband!
 
Second, if you do play the Contraband, play it first, before your other treasures. The less information you give to your opponents, the better, as they can’t know what to proscribe nearly so well. The exception is if you want to trick your opponents — play three Coppers, say “oops”, and then play your Contraband. Your opponent will block Gold, thinking you only have {{Cost|6}}, and then you play another two Coppers to buy a Province. (This may not work so well online, where opponents may notice that you're not using your 'play all Treasures' button.)
 
A corollary to this is that Contraband is not so good with the handful of cards that reveal your hand to your opponent. {{Card|Menagerie}} might be the biggest exception here, especially when it goes off, but even it can have some weakness. But cards like {{Card|Hunting Party}}, {{Card|Crossroads}}, and an engine that draws your whole deck are really bad for Contraband, because it gives your opponent a solid insight into what you’re trying to buy with the Contraband.
 
=== Playing against Contraband ===
 
To play Contraband, you first need to know how to play against it.  The most basic way to shut down a Contraband player is to block Gold then Province.  This is Contraband’s most fundamental weakness: if you spent {{Cost|5}} on Contraband, that probably means the power {{Cost|5}}′s ({{Card|Laboratory}}, {{Card|Hunting Party}}, {{Card|Witch}}, {{Card|Wharf}}, etc.) aren’t out, so you really need to get to {{Cost|6}}′s to be able to buy Provinces.  Being stuck with a whole bunch of {{Cost|3}}′s and {{Cost|4}}′s is not the route to Provinces, generally speaking.
 
In other words, as DG notes, as long as Gold is prohibited, the player remains dependent upon the Contraband for {{Cost|}} and might find it difficult to buy essential cards whilst the Contraband is essential currency. As soon as a player has Gold the Contraband is no longer essential currency.
 
Sometimes, though, another card is more powerful than Gold early on.  This is most common if they are playing an engine deck that needs a lot of Actions: in those situations, you’d rather cut them off from the KEY card they need in their action deck: maybe they’re lacking in [[Smithies]] or other +Cards, +Buy, or perhaps [[Villages]].
 
Contraband is even more painful in the endgame, however, especially if the Contraband player is behind.  Blocking Provinces is the most obvious, which works regardless of whether you are ahead or behind.  But more importantly, there can really come times where Provinces don’t cut it, and they’re going to need a lot of {{Card|Duchy|Duchies}}. Block them from Duchy. I cannot stress enough how important this can be. If they’re going to need lots of {{Card|Silk Road|Silk Roads}} to come back, block them from that. In a great twist of events, if they’ve played a few {{Card|Goons}} with their Contraband, you probably want to block {{Card|Copper}}.
 
[http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201206/19/game-20120619-204543-da3f8807.html Here’s an example] by chwhite where, going into the final turn, his opponent is down 36-43 and plays Contraband with two Colonies remaining.  chwhite blocks Province, because if his opponent double-Provinced, the opponent would be up in a [[Penultimate Province Rule|PPC]] situation.  Instead, the opponent is forced to take the penultimate Colony and a Duchy, leaving chwhite free to buy the last one instead.
 
[http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201206/09/game-20120609-150918-10cf798a.html Here’s a game] against -Stef- where he uses a Contraband together with his Apothecary engine as basically his entire economy (mine is not so much stronger).  The key here is that Apothecary is very very fast, but doesn’t have tons of staying power.  So, early on, I block Gold, which is standard.  However, I continue doing this for quite a while – indeed, there were multiple occasions where he drew his ENTIRE deck, played Contraband, and I knew he was holding {{Cost|10P}}, and I block Gold.
 
Now, why do I block Gold instead of Province when he has {{Cost|10P}} to spend?  Well, I could block Provinces later on. More importantly, all the money in his deck was {{Cost|10P}}, and {{Cost|3}} of that was tied up in Contraband, meaning he couldn’t possibly buy a Province without one.  If I had blocked Province instead, -Stef- would be able to buy Golds and no longer rely on Contrabands; by blocking Gold, the nature of his engine means he ends up stalling out.
 
Then we get to the really interesting part of the game, where I start blocking him on Duchies. He’s behind and needs Duchies to come back.  In particular, on Turn 22, I blocked Duchy—he might have had enough for a Province, but if he did, and I blocked Province, he would have won anyway by buying Duchies and Estates.  So this is another principle to keep in mind: if you need good luck to win, play for that luck.
 
Similarly, when playing from behind, in a situation where they can end the game on three piles, you absolutely need to be able to use that Contraband prohibition on that third pile that they are trying to run out.  I’m pretty sure I’ve blocked {{Card|Curse|Curses}} before (though it’s very hard to look for that kind of log). In these situations, you’re very often lost either way, but you need to at least give yourself a chance.
 
More generally, beyond the simple “Block Gold Block Province”, you should just keep careful track of your opponent’s potential buying power.  If they remake 2 cards, play Contraband, well, they only have 1 card left in hand, and if it’s early enough in the game, there’s a good chance you KNOW they don’t have a Gold – so don’t prohibit a 6-cost, as you already know they can’t buy it.  Similarly, if they reveal their hand, for Menagerie, for a {{Card|Bureaucrat}}, for whatever, pay attention. If they put back a card, pay attention to what that is. Pay attention to where they are in their reshuffle, and what they’ve already played/discarded. Most important, pay attention to what’s in their deck. You want to know what they have, so you know what they’re capable of, and you want to know what they want to get, so you can stop them from getting it.
 
=== Playing with Contraband ===
 
Now that you know how to shut down Contraband, how do you play it?
 
The biggest thing is that you need here is, as I said, options.  In particular, you need options at the {{Cost|6}}-{{Cost|7}} level.  {{Card|Nobles}}, {{Card|Harem}}, {{Card|Hoard}}, {{Card|Goons}}, etc. will all defeat the standard anti-Contraband strategy of blocking Gold every time.  Of course, later on, the main thing to block is Province, so [[Alt-VP|alternate VP]] can help a lot too. The important thing here is that you need to maintain some flexibility. If you buy Contraband and then lock yourself into a {{Card|Gardens}} strategy, well, your opponent is just going to block Gardens and the fact that you could buy Province or Gold isn’t very helpful.
 
There’s one particular alternate VP synergy I’d like to highlight: {{Card|Fairgrounds}}.  Not only is it a nice {{Cost|6}} target, and a good source of alternate VP (potentially exceeding a Province, so even if you are blocked from it you can still buy a Province), but with Fairgrounds you also want to buy pretty much every card on the board. So no matter what they block, there’s going to be something for you to pick up, and the +Buy really, really helps. [http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201205/24/game-20120524-064325-747b030f.html Here] is a game where I use contraband with a bit of an engine, mostly a big potpourri of stuff, to pump up Fairgrounds and help me win a long game against ddubois. Of course, it also features Nobles, so it’s really a model game for Contraband being a nice card.
 
Likewise, {{Card|Vineyard}} works well too.  The +Buy helps you grab the Vineyards, you can frequently buy Vineyards on non-Contraband turns, and on Contraband turns you can pick up your choice of Actions.


Another way of getting “options” is with those buy-one-get-another-free cards: {{Card|Border Village}} and {{Card|Haggler}}. {{Card|Black Market}} functions similarly by giving your opponent three more choices to block, and has the added benefit of getting your Contraband played super early.
Contraband can be more viable than usual in the presence of strong [[Event]]s that you’ll want to purchase frequently, as your opponents can only deny you card purchases. Ideally, these Events are the best way to score {{VP}} (e.g. {{Event|Dominate}} or {{Event|Triumph}}), and the other payload options are weak. When it’s used for this purpose, the fact that Contraband is cheaper than {{Card|Gold}} can make [[build]]ing slightly easier. For example, you might buy it on turn 3 or 4 with the goal of [[Glossary#S|spiking]] for {{Event|Inheritance}} in the next [[reshuffle]].


So in general, Contraband needs options.  Either this means you have multiple {{Cost|6}} cards to choose from, or it’s not such a big deal that you can’t get one particular card. In an engine, in particular, you often find yourself needing two cheap cards rather than one expensive card. (But the {{Cost|5}} cost is usually a big deterrent, because if you have {{Cost|5}} to spend, why not spend it on an engine part?)
Contraband can also occasionally be usable as a last resort source of +Buy, although you must consider the value of multiple suboptimal purchases compared to the single best purchase for your deck. In most Kingdoms, this will be a fairly large gap; however, if your game plan is flexible enough and the Kingdom offers a rich enough variety of options, Contraband may be worthwhile in the absence of better options for gains. Most notably, if there are many different viable [[engine]] pieces available, such as multiple alternatives for both [[village (card category)|villages]] and [[draw]], the prospect of being able to build more quickly than with a single gain per turn could allow Contraband to pay off. Even then, you’ll usually want no more than one copy, since adding more allows your opponent to restrict your choices even further, and it’s likely to be a [[dead]] card once you start [[greening]], most commonly because {{Card|Province}} will be critical in scoring and playing Contraband would allow your opponent to prevent you from buying them at all. It may sometimes be worthwhile to skip playing Contraband even during building, if you especially need to buy one specific card that you can afford without using it.


The other nice kind of card to help Contraband is a trash for benefit card. Stopping you from getting Gold is pretty harsh in the early game, but the real drawback to Contraband is the endgame blocks. I mean, usually, you’re able to pick up a couple components to help you if they block that Gold – two Silvers at least.  But losing out on that Province is particularly painful. With a trash-for-benefit, you can get some good use out of Contraband early on and then trash it in the endgame.  Its high cost becomes a boon: {{Card|Salvager}}, {{Card|Apprentice}}, {{Card|Expand}}, etc. all perform nicely with Contraband for fuel.
Since your opponent selects the card you are not allowed to buy immediately after you play Contraband, it’s usually best to play it at a point where they have as little information as possible about the rest of your turn, as this will make it more difficult for them to know which buy would be both affordable and most beneficial for you. Generally, this just means playing Contraband before your other Treasures in order to hide your total available {{Cost}}. Even then, it’s likely that your opponent can track or estimate the amount of {{Cost}} you will be able to generate.


Overall, it’s not a very good card, but a lot better than the plague some people tend to think it is, in the right circumstances. And the kind of game it can create is a lot of fun, and can make for quite a lot of skill, and a kind of skill you don’t get out of many other Dominion cards.
===External strategy articles===
=== Synergies/Combos ===
''Note: Article(s) below are by individual authors and may not represent the community's current views on cards, but may provide more in-depth information or give historical perspective. Caveat emptor.''
* Flexibility!
* [http://dominionstrategy.com/2012/07/10/prosperity-contraband/ WanderingWinder's 2012 article]
* Trash-for-benefit: {{Card|Apprentice}}, {{Card|Upgrade}}, {{Card|Salvager}}, {{Card|Expand}}
* Options at the {{Cost|6}}-{{Cost|7}} level: {{Card|Hoard}}, {{Card|Harem}}, {{Card|Nobles}}, {{Card|Goons}}
* {{Card|Quarry}}
* {{Card|Horn of Plenty}}
* [[Alt-VP|Alternate VP]]: especially {{Card|Fairgrounds}}, {{Card|Vineyard|Vineyards}}
* [[Event|Events]] - your opponents can't block events at all
* Engines where you aren’t drawing your whole deck and you aren’t stuck to needing one particular component


=== Antisynergies ===
== Versions ==
* Hand-revealers: {{Card|Hunting Party}}, {{Card|Menagerie}}, {{Card|Crossroads}}
===English versions===
* Getting stuck needing one thing (a la a lot of [[Big Money]] strategies), especially games where you need Golds
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
* Other Contrabands (if you are having problems with your first Contraband, the answer is not more Contrabands!)
! Print !! Digital !! Text !! Release !! Date
* {{Card|Venture}} (which can force you to play it at an inopportune moment)
|-
| {{CardLangVersionImage|o=1}} || {{CardLangVersionImage|d=1|o=1||Contraband from Goko/Making Fun}} || {{Cost|3|l}}<br>'''+1 Buy'''<br>When you play this, the player to your left names a card.<br>You can’t buy that card this turn. || Prosperity || October 2010
|-
| {{CardLangVersionImage|o=2}} || {{CardLangVersionImage|d=1|o=2}} || {{Cost|3|l}}<br>'''+1 Buy'''<br>When you play this, the player to your left names a card. You can’t buy that card this turn. || Prosperity [[Second Edition#Formatting_changes|(2016 printing)]] || February 2017
|-
| {{CardLangVersionImage}} || {{CardLangVersionImage|d=1}} || {{Cost|3|l}}<br>'''+1 Buy'''<br>The player to your left names a card. You can’t buy that card this turn. || Prosperity [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=20551.0 (2020 printing)] || October 2020
|}


== Alternate versions ==
===Other language versions===
<gallery>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
File:ContrabandDigital.jpg|Digital version for [[Dominion Online]]
! Language !! Name !! Print !! Digital !! Text !! Notes
</gallery>
|-
!Chinese
| 違禁品 || || || style="padding:15px 0px;"| {{Cost|3|l}}<br>'''+1 購買'''<br>當你打出此卡時，你左邊的玩家可以指名一張卡，你這回合不能購買該卡。 ||
|-
!Czech
| Kontraband || || || ||
|-
!Dutch
| Smokkelwaar || {{CardLangVersionImage|Dutch}} || || {{Cost|3|l}}<br>'''+1 Aanschaf'''<br>Als je deze kaart speelt, noemt de speler links van je een kaart. Je mag deze kaart deze beurt niet kopen. ||
|-
!Finnish
| Hämärät varat<br>(lit. ''murky assets'') || || || ||
|-
!French
| Contrebande || || || ||
|-
!German
| Schmuggelware || {{CardVersionImage|ContrabandGerman2016rulebook|German language Contraband 2016 by ASS}} || || {{Cost|3|l}}<br>'''+1 Kauf'''<br>Wenn du diese Karte ausspielst, nennt dein linker Mitspieler eine Karte. Diese Karte darfst du in diesem Zug nicht kaufen. || (2016)<hr>''one or more other<br>versions listed [[%C3%9Cbersetzungsfehler_(German_translation_errors)#H21|here]]''
|-
!German
| Schmuggelware || || {{CardVersionImage|ContrabandGerman2021Digital|German language Contraband 2021 from Shuffle iT}} || {{Cost|3|l}}<br>'''+1 Kauf'''<br>Dein linker Mitspieler nennt eine Karte. Du darfst jene in diesem Zug nicht kaufen. || (Nachdruck 2021)
|-
!Italian
| Contrabbando || || || ||
|-
!Japanese
| 禁制品<br>(pron. ''kinseihin'') || || || style="padding:15px 0px;"| {{Cost|3|l}}<br>'''+1 購入'''<br>左隣のプレイヤーはカード1枚を指定する。このターン、あなたはそのカードを購入できない。 ||
|-
!Polish
| Kontrabanda || {{CardLangVersionImage|Polish}} || || {{Cost|3|l}}<br>'''+1 zakup'''<br>Kiedy zagrywasz tę kartę, gracz po twojej lewej stronie wymienia nazwę karty. W tej turze nie możesz kupić karty o tej nazwie. || (2016)
|-
!Russian
| Контрабанда<br>(pron. ''kontrabanda'') || || || ||
|-
!Spanish
| Contrabando || || || ||
|}


== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
[[Image:ContrabandArt.jpg|thumb|right|354px|Official card art.]]
[[Image:ContrabandArt.jpg|thumb|right|354px|Official card art.]]
=== In other languages ===
* Czech: Kontraband
* Dutch: Smokkelwaar
* Finnish: Hämärät varat (lit. ''murky assets'')
* French: Contrebande
* German: Schmuggelware
** HiG error: "You may not buy this card."
* Italian: Contrabbando
* Japanese: 禁制品 (pron. ''kinseihin'')
* Polish: Kontrabanda
* Russian: Контрабанда (pron. ''kontrabanda'')
* Spanish: Contrabando
=== Secret History ===
=== Secret History ===
{{Quote
{{Quote
Line 114: Line 91:
|Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]]
|Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]]
|Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=5230.0 The Other Secret History of the Prosperity Cards]
|Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=5230.0 The Other Secret History of the Prosperity Cards]
}}
=== Second edition removal ===
{{Quote
|Text=Contraband was a cool idea, but you basically never want it. You want to buy the cards you want, especially when it's oh {{Card|Province|Provinces}}. And being a {{Card|Gold}} for $5 doesn't make up the difference.
|Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]]
|Source=[https://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=21253.msg892115#msg892115 Prosperity 2E Preview 1]
}}
}}


{{Navbox Prosperity}}
{{Navbox Prosperity}}
{{Navbox Cards}}
{{Navbox Cards}}
[[category:opponent interaction]]
[[category:alt Treasure]]
[[category:extra buys]]

Latest revision as of 05:23, 7 September 2024

Contraband
Info
Cost $5
Type(s) Treasure
Kingdom card? Yes
Set Prosperity
Illustrator(s) RC Torres
Card text
$3
+1 Buy
The player to your left names a card. You can’t buy that card this turn.

Contraband is a Treasure card from Prosperity. It is worth $3, like Gold, but also gives +buy and costs $1 less. However, it comes with the drawback that you will be prohibited from buying a particular card that your opponent names.

It was removed from the second edition of Prosperity and replaced with War Chest, which has the same basic concept but is less confining to the player.

FAQ

Official FAQ

  • When you play this, you get $3 and +1 Buy.
  • The player to your left names a card, and you cannot buy the named card this turn.
  • This does not stop you from gaining the card in ways other than buying it (such as via Hoard [or Dominate]).
  • They do not have to name a card in the Supply.
  • If you play multiple Contrabands in one turn, the player to your left names a card each time; if they name different cards, you cannot buy any of the named cards this turn.
  • If you play Contraband before other Treasures, you hide how much $ you will have; however the number of cards left in a player's hand is public information.

Strategy

Before it was removed, Contraband was a weak Kingdom Treasure that was usually skippable. It is somewhat similar to Gold and suffers from the same problems, namely that it has a high opportunity cost and is usually not as efficient in terms of $ per stop card as Action-based payload. The addition of +Buy and the fact that Contraband is slightly cheaper are small advantages, but in many situations giving your opponent the ability to prevent you from buying the card you most want on a given turn negates the benefit of both the +Buy and the $ generated by Contraband.

Contraband can be more viable than usual in the presence of strong Events that you’ll want to purchase frequently, as your opponents can only deny you card purchases. Ideally, these Events are the best way to score  VP (e.g. Dominate or Triumph), and the other payload options are weak. When it’s used for this purpose, the fact that Contraband is cheaper than Gold can make building slightly easier. For example, you might buy it on turn 3 or 4 with the goal of spiking for Inheritance in the next reshuffle.

Contraband can also occasionally be usable as a last resort source of +Buy, although you must consider the value of multiple suboptimal purchases compared to the single best purchase for your deck. In most Kingdoms, this will be a fairly large gap; however, if your game plan is flexible enough and the Kingdom offers a rich enough variety of options, Contraband may be worthwhile in the absence of better options for gains. Most notably, if there are many different viable engine pieces available, such as multiple alternatives for both villages and draw, the prospect of being able to build more quickly than with a single gain per turn could allow Contraband to pay off. Even then, you’ll usually want no more than one copy, since adding more allows your opponent to restrict your choices even further, and it’s likely to be a dead card once you start greening, most commonly because Province will be critical in scoring and playing Contraband would allow your opponent to prevent you from buying them at all. It may sometimes be worthwhile to skip playing Contraband even during building, if you especially need to buy one specific card that you can afford without using it.

Since your opponent selects the card you are not allowed to buy immediately after you play Contraband, it’s usually best to play it at a point where they have as little information as possible about the rest of your turn, as this will make it more difficult for them to know which buy would be both affordable and most beneficial for you. Generally, this just means playing Contraband before your other Treasures in order to hide your total available $. Even then, it’s likely that your opponent can track or estimate the amount of $ you will be able to generate.

External strategy articles

Note: Article(s) below are by individual authors and may not represent the community's current views on cards, but may provide more in-depth information or give historical perspective. Caveat emptor.

Versions

English versions

Print Digital Text Release Date
Contraband Contraband from Goko/Making Fun $3
+1 Buy
When you play this, the player to your left names a card.
You can’t buy that card this turn.		 Prosperity October 2010
Contraband Contraband from Shuffle iT $3
+1 Buy
When you play this, the player to your left names a card. You can’t buy that card this turn.		 Prosperity (2016 printing) February 2017
Contraband Contraband from Shuffle iT $3
+1 Buy
The player to your left names a card. You can’t buy that card this turn.		 Prosperity (2020 printing) October 2020

Other language versions

Language Name Print Digital Text Notes
Chinese 違禁品 $3
+1 購買
當你打出此卡時，你左邊的玩家可以指名一張卡，你這回合不能購買該卡。
Czech Kontraband
Dutch Smokkelwaar Dutch language Contraband $3
+1 Aanschaf
Als je deze kaart speelt, noemt de speler links van je een kaart. Je mag deze kaart deze beurt niet kopen.
Finnish Hämärät varat
(lit. murky assets)
French Contrebande
German Schmuggelware German language Contraband 2016 by ASS $3
+1 Kauf
Wenn du diese Karte ausspielst, nennt dein linker Mitspieler eine Karte. Diese Karte darfst du in diesem Zug nicht kaufen.		 (2016)
one or more other
versions listed here
German Schmuggelware German language Contraband 2021 from Shuffle iT $3
+1 Kauf
Dein linker Mitspieler nennt eine Karte. Du darfst jene in diesem Zug nicht kaufen.		 (Nachdruck 2021)
Italian Contrabbando
Japanese 禁制品
(pron. kinseihin)		 $3
+1 購入
左隣のプレイヤーはカード1枚を指定する。このターン、あなたはそのカードを購入できない。
Polish Kontrabanda Polish language Contraband $3
+1 zakup
Kiedy zagrywasz tę kartę, gracz po twojej lewej stronie wymienia nazwę karty. W tej turze nie możesz kupić karty o tej nazwie.		 (2016)
Russian Контрабанда
(pron. kontrabanda)
Spanish Contrabando

Trivia

Official card art.

Secret History

Another card that didn't change from the first version, except for a wording tweak.
—Donald X. Vaccarino, The Other Secret History of the Prosperity Cards

Second edition removal

Contraband was a cool idea, but you basically never want it. You want to buy the cards you want, especially when it's oh Provinces. And being a Gold for $5 doesn't make up the difference.
—Donald X. Vaccarino, Prosperity 2E Preview 1


v . t . e
Cards $3 Anvil • Watchtower $4 Bishop • Clerk • Investment • Tiara • Monument • Quarry • Worker's Village $5 Charlatan • City • Collection • Crystal Ball • Magnate • Mint • Rabble • Vault • War Chest $6 Hoard $6* Grand Market $7 Bank • Expand • Forge • King's Court $8star Peddler $9 Platinum $11 Colony
Removed cards $3 Loan • Trade Route $4 Talisman $5 Contraband • Counting House • Mountebank • Royal Seal • Venture $6 Goons
Combos and Counters Bishop/Fortress • Counting House/Travelling Fair • Golden deck
Other concepts Victory tokens
v . t . e
Dominion Cards
Basic cards $0 Copper • Curse $2 Estate $3 Silver $5 Duchy $6 Gold $8 Province
Dominion $2 Cellar • Chapel • Moat $3 Harbinger • Merchant • Vassal • Village • Workshop $4 Bureaucrat • Gardens • Militia • Moneylender • Poacher • Remodel • Smithy • Throne Room $5 Bandit • Council Room • Festival • Laboratory • Library • Market • Mine • Sentry • Witch $6 Artisan
Removed cards: $3 Chancellor • Woodcutter $4 Feast • Spy • Thief $6 Adventurer
Intrigue $2 Courtyard • Lurker • Pawn $3 Masquerade • Shanty Town • Steward • Swindler • Wishing Well $4 Baron • Bridge • Conspirator • Diplomat • Ironworks • Mill • Mining Village • Secret Passage $5 Courtier • Duke • Minion • Patrol • Replace • Torturer • Trading Post • Upgrade $6 Farm • Nobles
Removed cards: $2 Secret Chamber $3 Great Hall $4 Coppersmith • Scout $5 Saboteur • Tribute
Seaside $2 Haven • Lighthouse • Native Village $3 Astrolabe • Fishing Village • Lookout • Monkey • Sea Chart • Smugglers • Warehouse $4 Blockade • Caravan • Cutpurse • Island • Sailor • Salvager • Tide Pools • Treasure Map $5 Bazaar • Corsair • Merchant Ship • Outpost • Pirate • Sea Witch • Tactician • Treasury • Wharf
Removed cards: $2 Embargo • Pearl Diver $3 Ambassador $4 Navigator • Pirate Ship • Sea Hag $5 Explorer • Ghost Ship
Alchemy P Transmute • Vineyard $2 Herbalist $2P Apothecary • Scrying Pool • University $3P Alchemist • Familiar • Philosopher's Stone $4 Potion $4P Golem $5 Apprentice $6P Possession
Prosperity $3 Anvil • Watchtower $4 Bishop • Clerk • Investment • Tiara • Monument • Quarry • Worker's Village $5 Charlatan • City • Collection • Crystal Ball • Magnate • Mint • Rabble • Vault • War Chest $6 Hoard $6* Grand Market $7 Bank • Expand • Forge • King's Court $8star Peddler $9 Platinum $11 Colony
Removed cards: $3 Loan • Trade Route $4 Talisman $5 Contraband • Counting House • Mountebank • Royal Seal • Venture $6 Goons
Cornucopia & Guilds $2 Candlestick Maker • Hamlet $2+ Farrier • Stonemason $3 Menagerie • Shop $3+ Infirmary $4 Advisor • Farmhands • Plaza • Remake • Young Witch $4+ Herald $5 Baker • Butcher • Carnival • Ferryman • Footpad • Horn of Plenty • Hunting Party • Jester • Journeyman • Joust (Rewards: Coronet • Courser • Demesne • Housecarl • Huge Turnip • Renown)• Merchant Guild • Soothsayer $6 Fairgrounds
Removed cards: $3 Fortune Teller $3+ Doctor • Masterpiece $4 Farming Village • Horse Traders • Taxman • Tournament (Prizes: Bag of Gold • Diadem • Followers • Princess • Trusty Steed) $5 Harvest
Hinterlands $2 Crossroads • Fool's Gold $3 Develop • Guard Dog • Oasis • Scheme • Tunnel $4 Jack of All Trades • Nomads • Spice Merchant • Trader • Trail • Weaver $5 Berserker • Cartographer • Cauldron • Haggler • Highway • Inn • Margrave • Souk • Stables • Wheelwright • Witch's Hut $6 Border Village • Farmland
Removed cards: $2 Duchess $3 Oracle $4 Noble Brigand • Nomad Camp • Silk Road $5 Cache • Embassy • Ill-Gotten Gains • Mandarin
Dark Ages $0 Ruins (Abandoned Mine • Ruined Library • Ruined Market • Ruined Village • Survivors) $0* Spoils $1 Poor House • Shelters (Hovel • Necropolis • Overgrown Estate) $2 Beggar • Squire • Vagrant $3 Forager • Hermit (Madman) • Market Square • Sage • Storeroom • Urchin (Mercenary) $4 Armory • Death Cart • Feodum • Fortress • Ironmonger • Marauder • Procession • Rats • Scavenger • Wandering Minstrel $5 Band of Misfits • Bandit Camp • Catacombs • Count • Counterfeit • Cultist • Graverobber • Junk Dealer • Knights (Dames Dame Anna • Dame Josephine • Dame Molly • Dame Natalie • Dame Sylvia • Sirs Sir Bailey • Sir Destry • Sir Martin • Sir Michael • Sir Vander) • Mystic • Pillage • Rebuild • Rogue $6 Altar • Hunting Grounds
Adventures $2 Coin of the Realm • Page (Treasure Hunter • Warrior • Hero • Champion) • Peasant (Soldier • Fugitive • Disciple • Teacher) • Ratcatcher • Raze $3 Amulet • Caravan Guard • Dungeon • Gear • Guide $4 Duplicate • Magpie • Messenger • Miser • Port • Ranger • Transmogrify $5 Artificer • Bridge Troll • Distant Lands • Giant • Haunted Woods • Lost City • Relic • Royal Carriage • Storyteller • Swamp Hag • Treasure Trove • Wine Merchant $6 Hireling
Events: $0 Alms • Borrow • Quest $1 Save $2 Scouting Party • Travelling Fair $3 Bonfire • Expedition • Ferry • Plan $4 Mission • Pilgrimage $5 Ball • Raid • Seaway • Trade $6 Lost Arts • Training $7 Inheritance $8 Pathfinding
Empires 4D Engineer 8D City Quarter • Overlord • Royal Blacksmith $2 Encampment/Plunder • Patrician/Emporium • Settlers/Bustling Village $3 Castles (Humble Castle • Crumbling Castle • Small Castle • Haunted Castle • Opulent Castle • Sprawling Castle • Grand Castle • King's Castle) • Catapult/Rocks • Chariot Race • Enchantress • Farmers' Market • Gladiator/Fortune $4 Sacrifice • Temple • Villa $5 Archive • Capital • Charm • Crown • Forum • Groundskeeper • Legionary • Wild Hunt
Events: 5D Triumph 8D Annex • Donate $0 Advance $2 Delve • Tax $3 Banquet $4 Ritual • Salt the Earth $43D Wedding $5 Windfall $6 Conquest $14 Dominate
Landmarks: Aqueduct • Arena • Bandit Fort • Basilica • Baths • Battlefield • Colonnade • Defiled Shrine • Fountain • Keep • Labyrinth • Mountain Pass • Museum • Obelisk • Orchard • Palace • Tomb • Tower • Triumphal Arch • Wall • Wolf Den
Nocturne $0* Will-o'-Wisp • Wish $2 Druid • Faithful Hound • Guardian • Monastery • Pixie (Goat) • Tracker (Pouch) $2* Imp $3 Changeling • Fool (Lost in the Woods • Lucky Coin) • Ghost Town • Leprechaun • Night Watchman • Secret Cave (Magic Lamp) $4 Bard • Blessed Village • Cemetery (Haunted Mirror) • Conclave • Devil's Workshop • Exorcist • Necromancer (Zombies: Zombie Apprentice • Zombie Mason • Zombie Spy) • Shepherd (Pasture) • Skulk $4* Ghost $5 Cobbler • Crypt • Cursed Village • Den of Sin • Idol • Pooka (Cursed Gold) • Sacred Grove • Tormentor • Tragic Hero • Vampire (Bat) • Werewolf $6 Raider
Boons: The Earth's Gift • The Field's Gift • The Flame's Gift • The Forest's Gift • The Moon's Gift • The Mountain's Gift • The River's Gift • The Sea's Gift • The Sky's Gift • The Sun's Gift • The Swamp's Gift • The Wind's Gift
Hexes: Bad Omens • Delusion (Deluded) • Envy (Envious) • Famine • Fear • Greed • Haunting • Locusts • Misery (Miserable/Twice Miserable) • Plague • Poverty • War
Renaissance $2 Border Guard (Horn • Lantern) • Ducat • Lackeys $3 Acting Troupe • Cargo Ship • Experiment • Improve $4 Flag Bearer (Flag) • Hideout • Inventor • Mountain Village • Patron • Priest • Research • Silk Merchant $5 Old Witch • Recruiter • Scepter • Scholar • Sculptor • Seer • Spices • Swashbuckler (Treasure Chest) • Treasurer (Key) • Villain
Projects: $3 Cathedral • City Gate • Pageant • Sewers • Star Chart $4 Exploration • Fair • Silos • Sinister Plot $5 Academy • Capitalism • Fleet • Guildhall • Piazza • Road Network $6 Barracks • Crop Rotation • Innovation $7 Canal $8 Citadel
Menagerie $2 Black Cat • Sleigh • Supplies $3 Camel Train • Goatherd • Scrap • Sheepdog • Snowy Village • Stockpile $3* Horse $4 Bounty Hunter • Cardinal • Cavalry • Groom • Hostelry • Village Green $5 Barge • Coven • Displace • Falconer • Gatekeeper • Hunting Lodge • Kiln • Livery • Mastermind • Paddock • Sanctuary $5* Fisherman $6* Destrier • Wayfarer $7* Animal Fair
Events: $0 Delay • Desperation $2 Gamble • Pursue • Ride • Toil $3 Enhance • March • Transport $4 Banish • Bargain • Invest • Seize the Day $5 Commerce • Demand • Stampede $7 Reap $8 Enclave $10 Alliance • Populate
Ways: Way of the Butterfly • Way of the Camel • Way of the Chameleon • Way of the Frog • Way of the Goat • Way of the Horse • Way of the Mole • Way of the Monkey • Way of the Mouse • Way of the Mule • Way of the Otter • Way of the Owl • Way of the Ox • Way of the Pig • Way of the Rat • Way of the Seal • Way of the Sheep • Way of the Squirrel • Way of the Turtle • Way of the Worm
Allies $2 Bauble • Sycophant • Townsfolk (Town Crier / Blacksmith / Miller / Elder) $3 Augurs (Herb Gatherer / Acolyte / Sorceress / Sibyl) • Clashes (Battle Plan / Archer / Warlord / Territory) • Forts (Tent / Garrison / Hill Fort / Stronghold) • Importer • Merchant Camp • Odysseys (Old Map / Voyage / Sunken Treasure / Distant Shore) • Sentinel • Underling • Wizards (Student / Conjurer / Sorcerer / Lich) $4 Broker • Carpenter • Courier • Innkeeper • Royal Galley • Town $5 Barbarian • Capital City • Contract • Emissary • Galleria • Guildmaster • Highwayman • Hunter • Modify • Skirmisher • Specialist • Swap $6 Marquis
Allies: Architects' Guild • Band of Nomads • Cave Dwellers • Circle of Witches • City-state • Coastal Haven • Crafters' Guild • Desert Guides • Family of Inventors • Fellowship of Scribes • Forest Dwellers • Gang of Pickpockets • Island Folk • League of Bankers • League of Shopkeepers • Market Towns • Mountain Folk • Order of Astrologers • Order of Masons • Peaceful Cult • Plateau Shepherds • Trappers' Lodge • Woodworkers' Guild
Plunder $2 Cage • Grotto • Jewelled Egg • Search • Shaman $3 Secluded Shrine • Siren • Stowaway • Taskmaster $4 Abundance • Cabin Boy • Crucible • Flagship • Fortune Hunter • Gondola • Harbor Village • Landing Party • Mapmaker • Maroon • Rope • Swamp Shacks • Tools $5 Buried Treasure • Crew • Cutthroat • Enlarge • Figurine • First Mate • Frigate • Longship • Mining Road • Pendant • Pickaxe • Pilgrim • Quartermaster • Silver Mine • Trickster • Wealthy Village $6 Sack of Loot $7 King's Cache $7* Loots (Amphora • Doubloons • Endless Chalice • Figurehead • Hammer • Insignia • Jewels • Orb • Prize Goat • Puzzle Box • Sextant • Shield • Spell Scroll • Staff • Sword)
Events: $1 Bury $2 Avoid • Deliver • Peril • Rush $3 Foray • Launch • Mirror • Prepare • Scrounge $4 Maelstrom • Journey $6 Looting $10 Invasion • Prosper
Traits: Cheap • Cursed • Fated • Fawning • Friendly • Hasty • Inherited • Inspiring • Nearby • Patient • Pious • Reckless • Rich • Shy • Tireless
Rising Sun 5D Mountain Shrine 6D Daimyo 8D Artist $2 Fishmonger • Snake Witch $3 Aristocrat • Craftsman • Riverboat • Root Cellar $4 Alley • Change • Ninja • Poet • River Shrine • Rustic Village $5 Gold Mine • Imperial Envoy • Kitsune • Litter • Rice Broker • Ronin • Tanuki • Tea House $6 Samurai $7 Rice
Events: 8D Continue $2 Amass • Asceticism • Credit • Foresight $3 Kintsugi • Practice $4 Sea Trade $5 Receive Tribute $7 Gather
Prophecies: Approaching Army • Biding Time • Bureaucracy • Divine Wind • Enlightenment • Flourishing Trade • Good Harvest • Great Leader • Growth • Harsh Winter • Kind Emperor • Panic • Progress • Rapid Expansion • Sickness
Promo $3 Black Market • Church $4 Dismantle • Envoy • Sauna/Avanto • Walled Village $5 Governor • Marchland • Stash $6 Captain $8 Prince
Events: $5 Summon
Base Cards $0 Copper • Curse $2 Estate $3 Silver $4 Potion $5 Duchy $6 Gold $8 Province $9 Platinum $11 Colony
See also: Second Edition • Errata • Outtakes (Confusion) • Fan cards • Card storage • List of cards (in other languages)
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