[Dominion] Bureaucrat Card Guide - Silver Gain + VP Topdeck Attack
Rating of the Base set Bureaucrat. Cost 4 Action-Attack. Gain Silver to deck + opponents topdeck a Victory card.
Bureaucrat
Basic Info
- Type: Action - Attack
- Cost: 4
- Effect: Gain a Silver onto your deck. Each other player reveals a Victory card from their hand and puts it onto their deck (or reveals a hand with no Victory cards).
Rating
A composite of "Silver gain (topdecked)" and "opponent VP topdeck" attack. Cost 4 Silver gain is economy boost; topdecking opponents' Estates/Duchies sets back their next-turn draws.
But the attack is limited. Early game, opponents have few Victory cards in hand → whiff. Late game when Duchy/Province phase begins, the attack lands.
Overall C to B tier. Weaker attack than Witch/Bandit, more specialized than Mine/Remodel for Silver gain. Mid-tier overall. Use when no better alternatives or specific combos (Gardens disruption).
How to Play
4-coin opening: Bureaucrat is mid-tier. Competes with Remodel/Throne Room/Smithy. Engine plans skip; attack-BM splash.
Mid-game: 1 Bureaucrat for Silver gain + opportunistic attack.
End-game: Opponents draw Duchies/Provinces, Bureaucrat attack lands. Pre-final-shuffle Bureaucrat fixes opponent hand.
Key Combos
Bureaucrat + Throne Room: TR + Bureaucrat = 2 Silvers + 2 attacks.
Bureaucrat + Witch: Double attack, deck collapse.
Bureaucrat + Mine/Remodel: Silver upgrade chain.
Bureaucrat + Gardens disruption: Opponent stacking Gardens? Topdeck Gardens to slow them.
Bureaucrat + Chapel: Thinning improves rate.
Synergies
- Throne Room: Doubled gain + attack.
- Witch: Double attack.
- Mine / Remodel: Silver chain.
- Chapel: Thinning.
- Silver / Gold: Economy support.
- Gardens disruption: Opposing strategy.
- Vineyard (Alchemy): Action stacking.
Counters & Bad Matchups
- Moat: Fully blocks attack.
- Engine opponents: Thinned, few VP, attack whiffs.
- TfB opponents: Estates/Duchies → benefit them.
- Shelter starts (Dark Ages): Opponent has no Estates early.
- 4-player games: Effect dilutes.
Related Cards
- Pirate Ship (Seaside, 4): Treasure attack. Cost-4 attack alternative.
- Bandit (Base 2E, 5): Gold gain + Treasure attack. Stronger.
- Thief (Base 1E): Old-style, replaced by Bandit.
- Militia (Base, 4): +2 coin + hand reduce. Often preferred attack at cost 4.
- Watchtower (Prosperity, 3): Defender + topdeck on gain.
- Royal Seal (Promo, 4): Topdeck gainer.
Bureaucrat's "Silver gain + VP topdeck" combo is unique. Cost-4 Silver gainers are rare, useful for Silver-rush.
Advanced Tips
When to play: Opportunistic — opponent's likely-VP turns (mid-late game).
The "Silver to top" guarantees next-turn +3 coin. Plan hand-coin calculation around it.
Bureaucrat's Silver gain is slower than Mine/Remodel's effects. Mine = upgrade, Remodel = flexible, Bureaucrat = gain + attack.
Second Bureaucrat: Usually unnecessary. One copy provides gain + attack; second duplicates.