Harem

Basic Info

• Type: Treasure-Victory
• Cost: 6
• Effect: When played, +$2. At game end, 2 VP.

Rating

Intrigue's signature Treasure-Victory hybrid. Costs $6, $1 less coin than Gold but adds 2 VP. Versatile across BM and engine play.

The defining feature is "Harem instead of Gold." Gold = $3, Harem = $2 — but the 2 VP gap means 5 Harems = 10 VP (~2 Provinces). In BM, near-Gold equivalent. In engines, an alt-VP substitute.

Weakness: only +$2. Lower hit-rate on $8 Provinces. But Harem-itself = 2 VP, so VP-per-buy is actually high.

Tier B+ to A. Mandatory in Duke strategy, slight underdog in Province mirrors, situational in engines. Supply-dependent.

How to Play

Early/Mid: at $6, choose Gold vs. Harem. Province-rush: Gold. VP-target (Duke / Gardens): Harem.

Mid: stack Harems for VP + economy. Duke board: pair with Duchy on $5 turns.

End: Harem → Province / Duchy. Even when retained in hand, +$2 spends elsewhere.

Harem vs. Gold

Gold ($3) - Harem ($2) = $1 difference / 2 VP

• BM environment: Gold edge ($8 Province hit-rate).
• Duke strategy: Harem edge (VP + $5 hit support).
• Engine environment: Situational (VP-bloat tradeoff).

Compared to Duchy ($5, 3 VP), Harem ($6, 2 VP + $2) is one cost higher but doubles as economy. 5-6 Harems = 10-12 VP plus economic support.

Harem in the Duke Strategy

On Duke boards Harem is "god-tier":

1. Harem = 2 VP (2 Estates' worth).
2. +$2 supports $5 turns (Duchy / Duke).
3. Replaces Estates, raising Treasure density.

Ideal Duke plan: Chapel away all Estates → 5-6 Harems → 8 Duchies + 8 Dukes for victory.

Key Combos

Harem + Duke: Duke board's strongest combo. Economy + VP.

Harem + Mine (Base): Upgrade Copper / Silver to Gold / Harem (cost 6 ceiling).

Harem + Remodel: Harem → Province (cost 6 → 8, 2-cost gap). Province-gain helper.

Harem + Festival: Festival's +$2 + Harem +$2 = $5 turn for Duchy.

Harem + Ironworks (via Bridge): Cost reduction (6 → 4) enables Ironworks → Harem. Mass acquisition.

Harem + Merchant (Base): Treasure-rate Silver bonus, Harem also a Treasure.

Harem + King's Court (Prosperity): Harem is a Treasure, not Action — KC can't target it.

Harem + Cellar: Discard Estates for draw, retain Harem.

Synergies

• Duke: Strategy core.
• Mine (Base): Treasure upgrade.
• Remodel: VP route.
• Festival: Economy support.
• Ironworks (via Bridge): Mass-gain.
• Merchant (Base): Treasure plays.
• Gardens (Base): VP race.
• Council Room: +Buy + economy.
• Great Hall: VP + draw.
• Masquerade: Pass Estates while keeping Harem.

Counters & Bad Matchups

• Pure Province engines: Gold edges Harem in mirror.
• No trashing: Harem can't be remodeled into Province cleanly.
• Heavy cost-reduction (Bridge-spam): Cheap Provinces shrink Harem's VP value.
• Heavy terminals: Economy Treasure < Village support.
• Rare $6 turns: Few buy chances.

Advanced Tips

Harem timing: Duke = early; Province-main = mid-late as sub-VP.

Harem + Duke parallel pickup: $5 → Duchy, $6 → Harem. Alternate to drain piles.

Province vs. Harem switch: At $8 buy Province, $6 buy Harem — calculate based on remaining Provinces and opponents' VP.

Harem-as-Mine-upgrade-target: Mine can convert Harem → Gold (cost 6 → 6, +$0 coin gap, but loses 2 VP). Rarely worth it.

"Worth of 2 VP": Estate = 1 VP, Duchy = 3 VP. Harem = 2 VP matches Estate's VP/cost. The +$2 is the actual edge.

Masquerade interaction: Avoid passing Harem accidentally. Pass Estates / Curses first when Harem in hand.

Harem as engine VP-weight: Pure engines that draw deck don't want too many Harems (can't reliably draw 100%). Province mirrors prefer Gold; Harem only late 2-3 copies.