[Dominion] Butcher Card Guide - Coffers + Flexible Remodel
Rating of the Guilds card Butcher. Cost 5 Action. +2 Coffers; trash a card and spend Coffers to gain a card costing up to that+spent.
Butcher
Basic Info
- Type: Action
- Cost: 5
- Effect: +2 Coffers. You may trash a card from your hand. If you do, gain a card costing up to [1] more per Coffers spent than the trashed card.
Rating
One of Dominion's most flexible Remodel-class cards. +2 Coffers plus "trash and gain at trashed cost + spent Coffers" is enormously powerful. At cost 5 this is a top-tier Guilds card.
Rating A. Cost-5 Remodel effects are strong on their own; Butcher beats them by letting you tune the upgrade margin via Coffers spent. Estate (cost 2) + 3 Coffers → cost-5 card. Copper + 6 Coffers → Province (cost 8).
Always grab at least one on Butcher boards. A premier path-to-Province.
How to Play
5-coin opening can pick Butcher, though Witch/Throne/Market often beat it for first 5. Mid-game pickup is normal.
Mid-game, thin junk while Butcher converts Estates/Coppers into 5-cost engine pieces. With saved Coffers, jump Estates → Gold or Silver → Province.
End-game, dump all Coffers across consecutive Butcher activations to turn Coppers/Estates into Provinces fast.
Trash + Gain Patterns
- Estate (2) + 3 Coffers = cost-5 card (Witch / Market / Throne).
- Copper (0) + 6 Coffers = Province (8).
- Silver (3) + 5 Coffers = Province.
- Coppers received via Masquerade → Butcher → Province.
- Late-game spare Villages trashed for Provinces.
Key Combos
Butcher + Chapel: Bulk-thin, then Butcher converts remaining Estates/Coppers up the cost chain.
Butcher + Baker: Stockpile Coffers, then Butcher big jumps.
Butcher + Merchant Guild: Merchant Guild Coffers fuel Butcher Province jumps.
Butcher + Candlestick Maker: +1 Buy + Coffers + Butcher synergy.
Butcher + Throne Room: TR + Butcher = +4 Coffers / 2 trashes / 2 gains. Two-Province turns possible.
Butcher + Stonemason: Stonemason gains 2 cards, Butcher upgrades one.
Synergies
- Chapel / Masquerade: Thin to focus trash targets.
- Baker / Candlestick Maker / Merchant Guild: Coffers stacks.
- Throne Room: Doubled output.
- Stonemason: 2-cost gain support.
- Remodel / Baron: Same family combos.
Counters & Bad Matchups
- Trash-empty decks: Coppers/Estates exhausted → effect dries up.
- No Coffers source: Butcher's flexibility halved.
- Short games: Coffers wasted.
- Terminal-heavy boards: Butcher itself terminal.
Advanced Tips
The +2 Coffers spends as +2 Coin instantly or saves for Province jumps.
Trash-cost + spent Coffers sets gain ceiling. Gold (6) + 2 Coffers = Province (8) is a banger.
Audit deck before firing — if no garbage left, gain ceiling is harder to optimize.
Second Butcher: Speeds Coffers burn rate. 2 fine in late engines. 3+ excess.
Butcher rush: Coffers source + Butcher jumps Provinces in 4-5 turns. Combined with Masquerade asymmetric trashing, this is a known speed strategy.
Trashing your own Coffers source shrinks your economy. Plan carefully.