[Dominion] Herald Card Guide - Cantrip Action Re-trigger
Rating of the Guilds card Herald. Cost 4 Action. +1 Card / +1 Action / reveal top, if Action play it. Overpay topdecks discards.
Herald
Basic Info
- Type: Action
- Cost: 4
- Effect: +1 Card / +1 Action / reveal top card; if Action, play it.
- Overpay: Per [1] overpaid, place a card from your discard pile onto your deck.
Rating
A cost-4 cantrip with bonus action re-triggering. Effectively +1 Card / +1 Action / +1 free Action play. Engine-class card.
Rating B+. Cost 4 cantrip body alone matches Lab minus a coin, but the "if Action, play it" rider chains through Action-heavy decks like a village+draw hybrid.
Overpay tops the discard pile, enabling powerful deck control.
Overall B+. Top priority in engine boards; weak in BM.
How to Play
Early-game 4-coin opening for Herald in engine builds. Highest priority on engines.
Mid-game, push Action density to maximize Herald's reveal hits.
End-game, Overpay 4-5 to stack Provinces and engine parts on top of deck.
Action Density Matters
Herald hits only when reveal is Action.
- 50%+ Actions: Half-time hits.
- 70%+: Near-always.
- 30%-: Frequent misses.
Engines with many Actions and few Treasures are ideal. Thin Coppers fast.
Overpay Tactics
Overpay = move discard → topdeck. 1 coin = 1 card.
- Overpay 1: 1 card. Province on top → next-turn certain.
- Overpay 2-3: Stack engine parts.
- Overpay 4+: Mass stack for Province bonanza.
Overpay only at purchase, never on play.
Key Combos
Herald + Herald: Stacked Heralds chain on the topdeck.
Herald + Library / Smithy: Stack draw.
Herald + Throne Room: TR + Herald = +2 cards / +2 Actions / 2 reveals.
Herald + Laboratory: Cantrip stack.
Herald + Chapel: Thin Coppers to lift Action density.
Herald + Sea Hag / Mountebank: Action density boost.
Synergies
- Throne Room: Doubled re-triggers.
- Laboratory: Cantrip stacking.
- Smithy / Library: Terminal draw + Herald chain.
- Chapel: Trash Coppers, raise Action %.
- Attacks: Heavy attacks = Herald chain pressure.
- Herald + Herald + Throne Room: TR-Herald, reveal Herald2, reveal Action3.
Counters & Bad Matchups
- Treasure-heavy decks: Reveal often Treasure → miss.
- BM style: Few Actions → Herald hits rarely.
- Short games: Overpay underused.
Advanced Tips
Read top of deck before play. Time Herald right after a shuffle for max Overpay value.
Overpay shines on coin-overflow turns where Province isn't reachable.
Multiple Heralds: 3-4 in engines for chain density.
Herald chains: A-Herald reveals B-Herald, B reveals C-Action — chains efficiently substitute for Village+Draw.
Herald-BM: Weak. Low Action %.
Discard stack timing: Overpay near a fresh shuffle blunts impact. Best right after shuffle, before resolving Province play.