Dominion: The Aggro Pile Deck

Aggro Pile:

One of my favourite strategies is to go for speed. To end the game on my terms. To take hold and bring it to an end before the opponent can really deploy their long-term strategy. Speed, not power.

This means three-piling. You need a few things for this to go right: the ability to get piles out, the ability to control when they empty, score enough points (and know how many that is), in the process. Usually, it also means doing something to slow your opponent down, as even mediocre Big Money decks are capable of scoring a reasonable number of points fairly quickly.

But WW, isn't this just a slog?

No. In a slog, at least how I'm thinking about it, you’re trying to get a matrix of VP points that is insurmountable. Your win condition is to get so many VP the opponent can never come back. In, contrast, aggro-pile decks aim to get the piles out and end the game before your opponent’s (typically superior) deck can get going enough to catch up with you. Your deck is not about scoring all the points possible, but rather about having all the pile control you can get, and having just enough pop to score a little more than the opponent.

Typically, you’re going to want your opponent to help you out in emptying at least one of the piles. Most often this comes from junking attacks (where, if they skip it, you’re going to crush them anyway - this is weakened significantly by the very strongest thinning). However, there are also some piles that just naturally you want to empty pretty fast - Fishing Village is a classic example.

Indeed, you generally need a combination of 2 enablers and/or naturally-emptying piles, and you will have time to knock the last one out by yourself. So Ruins AND curses works well, or a card like Fishing Village with either kind of junk, or some decent to nice gainer with a fast-emptying pile or junk.

Most often, you’ll be piling out with Duchies as that third pile. And you tend to start just hacking away at them near when there are a few gains left to 2 empty piles, and simply ride them hard until they’re gone.

It’s also possible to actually just blitz out piles, though this is quite a bit rarer. Ironworks is a key enabler for the rush, particularly with some Kingdom VP pile it can gain, since actually having 2 of your 3 piles be VP gives you obviously more points, which translates to a little more time. Stonemason is another big card here, as it can get rid of piles very fast. Same goes with Procession.

When playing against this kind of strategy, you typically want to not do something too fancy - that tends to be the number one way that Aggro Piles actually gets the time it needs. At the same time, you don’t want to touch Duchies at all, unless you’re either winning on the spot, completely locking them out (e.g. taking the penultimate Duchy with a substantial lead), or just contesting full bore in a mirror. 

Big Money tends to be a pretty bad matchup for this kind of deck, so you need to have a plan of defeating that as well. Indeed, Aggro Pile is a deck style which must always be very reactive to what your opponent is doing, and in most cases actually needs to have some kind of bailout plan as well - either you are an engine with an eye towards clamping down on the piles, or you have some kind of reasonable Big Money/Slog game-plan in case they go for points straightforwardly. It tends to be important to develop these fallback plans before comitting too hard to Aggro Pile.

Key Enablers in rough order from best to worst:

Junk: Ill-Gotten Gains (two piles by itself), Marauder, Young Witch, Cultist (which can sometimes be a second pile, but being this expensive is very risky), Mountebank, Sea Hag, Familiar, Soothsayer (though this is often more suited to Slogs)

Gainers: Stonemason, Procession, Ironworks, Border Village, Armory, Death Cart, Squire, Salvager, Workshop, etc. I want to point out City, as well, because if you can turn the corner on them at the right moment, it's often possible to slam down e.g. the Estate pile.

Empty-able Piles: Ruin, Curse, Stonemason, Fool's Gold, Squire, Hamlet, Duchess, Pawn, Pearl Diver (etc), often board-dependent, but things like Fishing Village, Ironmonger, etc that people just snap up at every chance because the cost is so low (and they’re so good)....






Example Games:
http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?http://dominion-game-logs.s3.amazonaws.com/game_logs/20151124/log.0.1448393618472.txt
Marauder, Cultist, Familiar - junk is flowing, you have multiple piles that are going to fall, so you can really start playing for the 3rd pile. I think Marauder over Cultist is very important here, since the spoils are good, drawing is less good (with a deck full of junk), and chaining is quite unlikely (and also has a chance to skip your Familiars. The important point is that treasures are good, which is very common in these kinds of games. My opponent shouldn't have bought the Duchy, but it's very unlikely they can get to 2 Colony and a Province in time, anyway.

http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?https://dominion-game-logs.s3.amazonaws.com/game_logs/20151127/log.0.1448643955753.txt
Here we have IGG. Trader provides some defense, but also a combo. Jester helps, and FV isn't too bad, either. Notably, Duchess provides a great 3rd pile as well.
  
http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?https://dominion-game-logs.s3.amazonaws.com/game_logs/20151127/log.0.1448655452593.txt
Young Witch can make both Curses and Banes empty, and with Familiar available, this is a good bit more likely. Hamlet is another third pile, and so some jockeying for positions should have happened. Pile awareness here allowed me to steal this one.

http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?https://dominion-game-logs.s3.amazonaws.com/game_logs/20151208/log.0.1449533322065.txt
Again, Curses and Ruins both running, Hunting Party is one of those stacks that tend to run, and we even have Stonemason for more shenanigans. 

http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?https://dominion-game-logs.s3.amazonaws.com/game_logs/20151230/log.0.1451490645872.txt
This one is all about piles that want to run (Highway, Market Square, Minion), plus the obscene power of Stonemason. In these kinds of games, you need to be very aware of what you need to do to run the game out, as well as what your opponents can do for the same.

http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?https://dominion-game-logs.s3.amazonaws.com/game_logs/20160107/log.0.1452205936848.txt 
Another example in the same vein as the previous.

http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?https://dominion-game-logs.s3.amazonaws.com/game_logs/20160107/log.0.1452191577234.txt
An example of the Procession style here. Very often you can process into process into mroe stuff into more stuff, emptying out LOTS of cards in a single turn. Note that you need to green pretty early to defend against your opponent doing do.

http://gokosalvager.com/static/logprettifier.html?http://dominion-game-logs.s3.amazonaws.com/game_logs/20151119/log.0.1447972595341.txt
You didn't expect me to leave you without an example of a classic Ironworks rush, did you? The raw speed and power is on display here, since even facing down Goons on a Colony board, and totally uncontested (which is correct unless you want to mirror and contest fully), I'm able to knock out all the piles (and even nab a duchy) for a blistering 54 points and end the game in a mere 16 turns.

Pile Lowering

In the game of Dominion, a question which often needs to be asked (admittedly, I don't see it getting asked all that much, part of why I want to write this article) is "When do I want to lower piles (or not)?" This is a bit of a tricky question to answer in the abstract sense, as every situation is different, but there are some general principles which can help you out - principles which I often see violated.

1. If you have a forced win by emptying piles, take it.

   This one's pretty straightforward, though sometimes a bit hard to see. Knowing which piles are low, and your capability of scoring points while simultaneously emptying piles, can help. This is something to think about at the start of your turn. Awareness helps a lot.

2. The player with the higher-quality deck wants the piles to be higher

   The reasoning here is fairly straightforward. The longer the game goes, the more the player with the better deck is able to enjoy the advantage offered to her by said better deck. A lot of people think that lowering piles helps the player who is ahead in points - this is generally true, but not hugely so. Usually better deck quality aligns with lower in points, but in the cases that isn't true, the player who is doubly behind usually likes lowering the piles, because there is a better chance of some fluke making the difference in a short game (one unlikely-but-possible dud hand, say).
   
   Perhaps more commonly, I see players start to lower some piles to "set up the win next turn" or two turns down the line, etc. This can be fine, and it's usually winning, but people are often in much more of a rush to do so than they should be, i.e. it increases their chance to lose.

Instructional Game #6: Empty the Treasure Maps

Game Log

...with Shelters.

My opponent opens Minstrel/Silver, gets a pair of Maps on turns 3 and 4, and collides them pretty quickly. I go for Silver/Silver into a Count and start trashing down. After turn 9, our decks look as follows:

The battle lines are drawn: he's attempting to use his quick map activations to power through Provinces and lock the game up. I'm trying to build more of an engine and... wait and see what to do. I have some options: just get some treasures and be able to single Province more consistently; use Stonemason to grab tons of components, probably to Graverob lots of things over a couple turns; use Bishop to score tons of points. I feel that probably any of these would actually work, but as the game state progressed in this particular game, I like the options progressively more as you got through that list. The reason for this is that the later ones give me increasingly more time before the game ends, and extra time should help me with my superior deck, as what I really need is to survive long enough for that quality to shine through. The key point here is that I expect my opponent's deck to break down if I give it long enough to do so.

At the time of the game, though, I was a bit wishy-washy, and my natural instincts of taking the points lead when it seems to be enough caught on for a moment, leading to my buying a Province on turn 14. This is a pretty bad play, as it just speeds up his win condition (empty the Provinces), while not really advancing my own thing at all. Soon after this, I strike on the optimal plan: Bishop golds for points, Stonemason overpay for more components, Stonemason Golds/Catacombs for components as well, loading up on more Maps to refuel. And it works like a thing of beauty. The other nice thing about this deck (besides being a strong, resilient way to gain a zillion points) is that it gives me a lot of control over when the game ends. I can always buy another Province to lock the game out, or I can also smash lots of things and make a pile ending happen, but either way, it will be on my terms.


As we finally round the bend on turn 18, I see an opening, using the on-trash ability of Catacombs, and pile out on Stonemason, Wandering Minstrel, and... Treasure Map!

Moment: Door-Slam

Game Log

...with Shelters.

We both go for Scrying Pool engines. My opponent gets an early Mountebank, I get more trashing via extra Foragers. The game remains fairly close, until I break through on turn 11. I'm thinner, I have more actions, I have more money - my thinning has, after some eventuality, paid off. Going into my turn 12, our decks are:

...with 3 curses, 10 coppers, 5 shelters, and 2 Embargoes in the trash.

On my turn, I win 4 prizes (thanks, thin deck, sorry Bag of Gold), and... well, look for my play. Answer is in white text below, highlight this paragraph to see it. I bought the last Scrying Pool, the last five Market Squares, and the last three curses. Princess really did some work here.

Practical Advice: Playing From Behind

Game Log

 

...with Shelters. Witch into Rebuild seems pretty clear here.

My opponent gets a 5/2, opens Witch/Estate.

I have 3/4 and get Silver/Feast. Tuns 3 and 4, my Feast becomes a Witch, and I get another feast and a Silver. Going into turn 6, my Feast and Witch are colliding in my hand, and the decks look like this:

At this point, I feel very far behind. I hit $4, and I make what I feel is a pretty bold choice: (with hovel in hand) I buy a Silk Road. What?! Well, tactically, I'm not sure the time is right. But the idea, the strategic thought, is something I am very much on board with.

The concept here is that, though I am very far behind in any case, I'm especially down in the long game. So I make the decision to try to turn the game as short as possible, such that there is more randomness and luck (or less time for the overall quality of his deck to shine through). This should be really losing, but on the other hand, I think everything is really losing, this gives me better random chances, and most importantly, it gives my opponent the chance to make mistakes.

The first of these comes on turn 13, when he buys a Duchy. This is a classic trap in 2 ways: "I'm playing Rebuild, better get Duchies pretty soon" (which is often not true in non-mirrors, Colony games, and various odd scenarios), and "my opponent is playing to end the game quickly, better get points soon in case that happens" (you're often better served by not helping them end things). At that point in the game, he had 3 Rebuild, 1 Estate, 1 Province, and 1 Duchy. If he just focuses on getting those cards up to colony, he's going to have a near-insurmountable lead. He can then finish off by grabbing 1 more green card LATE. As is, the Duchy both slows him down, and it helps me get the piles empty to end the game sooner. This should have been a Rebuild. A similar situation occurs on turn 15, except at that point, he's also locking in one of his own Estates by emptying the LAST Duchy.

He follows this up by grabbing Silvers, in a game where he has very little chance of actually making $8 (though to be fair, actually buying Province would essentially seal the game). By his turn 19, through some luck as well as my mad greening and his missteps, he is actually down by one point, with $6 in hand. He makes a final mistake by buying the last Silk Road, which is only worth 1 point to him. I have one of my Rebuilds, Duchy->Province, and buy the final curse to win.


Let's dig a little as to why this Silk Road is a mistake. There is first of all the general principle of him wanting the game to go long, and this helping me close it out. But specifically here, if I have Rebuild, I can upgrade Duchy into Province or Province into Colony and just win; also, if I have Witch at all, I win immediately - and I am about even money to have at least one of these things happen for me (I also have some very small chance of being able to buy Province). Beyond that, I will probably buy an Estate. If I do that, my one point lead would let him win if: he Rebuilds a Duchy or Province (which requires him both drawing Rebuild and nabbing the correct hit off of its play) OR he has his only Witch AND (in either case) can buy Estate (or, of course, having enough money to buy Province - really unlikely considering he's just seen 3 Silvers). Note that he can't really buy an Estate that turn himself, since even if I were to whiff AGAIN the next turn, one more Estate from me would end the game. But even not buying that Estate, an extra one from me the following turn is worth 6 for me, really putting the squeeze on him (though he would indeed have some chance).

Alternatively, if he doesn't get the Silk Road (instead getting... I'll get to this in a second - for now, let's assume nothing, though that's obviously not strictly best), then what? Ok, well, I can win my next turn if I get Rebuild AND Witch. If I only get Rebuild, turning Estate into the last Silk Road and buying Curse would let me win by a point, but more likely I would upgrade an expensive green card, and then buy the best green card I could afford. If I get only Witch, I win if I can also hit $4. Failing this, I just buy the best green card I can, which gives him a turn to score some points (but he most likely NEEDS to do so right then). Alright, so what should he buy? Estate. It gives me no new wins, scores as many points as Silk Road, doesn't hurt his deck (as he'll never see it again), and there are some scenarios where I can't buy the last Curse, or he can GIVE me the last curse with Witch on his next turn, where it actually turns a loss into a win. Would it have changed the outcome of the game? As it turns out, almost certainly no (I would have been able to buy the last SR instead of curse on my turn 20, which gives him another turn, but he needs to Shanty Town into Witch into a good Rebuild, or ST into two good Rebuilds, which is very very unlikely). And in general, it's very unlikely to. But playing the slim percentages is something you have to do. More to the point, without the earlier too-soon-duchies, I probably would have simply had not enough time to get all the gains I need, he would have been able to get his Rebuilds going to the point where he has a few more points, and then I'd be locked out. These kinds of situations don't come up often, because I put myself into a position where I'm likely to lose, and quickly, which is something people don't like to do. But the volatility turns out to be my best chance, and as the player in the lead, you really need to be vigilant and know which way to turn, because if you aren't precise, you really can open up the door.

Instructional Game #5: Maximizing Draws

Game Log

So there's a lot of Trash-for-benefit to note here, between Stonemason, Salvager, and Forge, with both Border Village and Cultist to enable that. The Tactician + Forge combo means that you should be able to clean your deck up - and this is important. You still need to go for Cultist here, for two reasons: First, getting too far behind in the Ruins split is going to be problematic, as though you can eventually clean up, it's going to take a lot more time. Second, the deck does need draw, and Cultist is by far the most efficient way to get it here (well, one could argue Tactician, but that's not repeatable).

With that layout, we enter the game. I open Salvager/Silver. You might be tempted by Spice Merchant here, but I want more money early, to get my Cultist, have a chance at double Cultist by spiking 7, and have decent chances at hitting 6 for Border Village into Cultist. Further, the Copper trashing may be less important here than normal, given that Forge will hopefully clean that up anyway.

I want to loop back to Border Village here for a second. Normally, the card is something you actually wouldn't want in your Cultist decks, as it can be drawn dead, you aren't very likely to draw them in the right order, and especially important for cultist, it hurts the chaining aspect. Here, though, I am planning on cleaning up, and especially, there's lots of Trash for Benefit.


The game progresses smoothly - my opponent is clearly on the same basic plan as me. I don't get to my Cultists at very nice points in the shuffle, and it might be easy to think I am falling behind for that reason. But on the other hand, I am hitting my money slots pretty well, gaining better cards. This is easy to underestimate, particularly by feel in-game, but in reality, my draws are really just exceptional. After my opponent's seventh turn, our decks look as follows:

We can see that I've just been drawing better than my opponent here. It's somewhat slow for me to get my Cultists online, but he's hardly been better, and to compensate, I have trashed an extra Estate, and more importantly, I have the next turn. With that turn, I get three Cultists fired off, making $7. I am significantly ahead, but it's really important to play precisely in these cases, to maximize your chances, as the luck can turn at any point. And there are lots of options. The main ones here are Forge, Border Village + 5-cost, or Stonemason into two 5-costs. I go for Stonemason-Cultist-Tactician. There are 6 ruins left at this point, so I don't want to abandon that split and pressure entirely. I also don't want to go double Cultist though, because 6 Ruins isn't so many, and I want to start setting up for clearing out. Finally, extra Border Village just doesn't do enough for me here.

The Ruins split ends up at 5-5, and my draws are good for the next couple turns. More importantly, my opponent, who is still playing quite well, misses his Forge on his Tactician turn. Thus, I have used my superior draws to set myself up that, even when I whiff on turns 13 and 14, by my next Tactician turn, on 15, I still have an advantage. And given my thin deck, and all the trash-for-benefit, I am on the prowl, and find the winning cascade of gains that Stonemason so often engenders. This is one last point of precision - just gaining some points would probably put me in very good position, but given the explosiveness of the board, there is some chance that my opponent could make some play making mid-turn gains and pull out some incredible comeback. Slamming the door when possible is something you always need to be on the lookout for, and take when you can get.