[Dominion] Hamlet Card Guide - Cost-2 Village + Buy
Rating of the Cornucopia card Hamlet. Cost 2 Action. +1 Card / +1 Action / discard for +1 Action / discard for +1 Buy.
Hamlet
Basic Info
- Type: Action
- Cost: 2
- Effect: +1 Card, +1 Action. You may discard a card for +1 Action. You may discard a card for +1 Buy.
Rating
One of Dominion's best cost-2 utility cards. Baseline cantrip (+1 card +1 action), with optional "discard for +1 Action" and "discard for +1 Buy" — a 3-in-1 cost-2 card.
Biggest strength: "village + buy + cantrip" at cost 2. Compared to base Village (cost 3, +2 actions), Hamlet matches its action utility while being 1 cheaper, and adds buy + cantrip.
Weakness: discards required. Without trash to feed, only the cantrip fires. But early decks brim with Estates / Coppers, late game has Curses / VP — practical in most positions.
Overall A. Core engine slot. Top pick when no other Village exists.
How to Play
Open 2-coin slot for Hamlet. On 5/2 splits Hamlet is the lifeline. Multi-buy 3-5 for sustained village support.
Mid-game: engine core. Always cantrip-safe. Discard Estate for +1 Action, then Copper for +1 Buy → enable Province + Duchy double-buy.
On Province turns, Hamlet's +1 Buy is critical when no other +Buy exists.
Key Combos
Hamlet + Smithy: +1 +1 + +3 = 4 cards / 1 action. Hand size lets discards be choice.
Hamlet + Young Witch / Witch: terminal-collision relief.
Hamlet + Library: hand smoothing + discard fuel.
Hamlet + Bridge: +1 Buy + cost reduction.
Hamlet + Festival / Market: +Buy redundancy wasted, but cantrip stacks well.
Hamlet + Great Hall (Intrigue): double-cantrip stable engine.
Synergies
- Smithy / Hunting Party / Menagerie: drawing.
- Young Witch / Witch: terminal relief.
- Library: smoothing + discard fuel.
- Bridge: +1 Buy + cost cut.
- Great Hall (Intrigue): double cantrip.
- Chapel / Masquerade: thinning makes Hamlet's discard precious.
- Throne Room: doubled to +2/+2/+2 + 2 optional discards.
- Merchant Guild: buy + VP combo.
Counters & Bad Matchups
- Over-thinned: no discard targets → just cantrip.
- Mass-draw setups: +4 card terminals dwarf Hamlet's draw.
- Gardens: cost-2 count-padding, but unfocused.
- Pure BM: actions wasted.
Advanced Tips
Discard order matters: for +1 Action, dump the lowest-value card; for +1 Buy, after already firing actions, dump Copper / Estate.
Multi-Hamlet: first one for +1 Action, others as cantrips. 3-4 stable.
On Province turn, key to enabling Province + Duchy with sole +Buy from Hamlet.
Most important is cantrip — discard bonus is gravy. Even all-Gold hands cantrip safely.
Common 4/3 opens: Hamlet + Silver, or Hamlet + Chapel. Double-Hamlet open also viable for engine setup.