Ironworks

Basic Info

• Type: Action
• Cost: 4
• Effect: Gain a card costing up to $4. If the gained card is an Action, +1 Action; Treasure, +$1; Victory, +1 Card.

Rating

Intrigue's universal gainer. Pick "+Action / +Coin / +Card" by selecting the gained card type. Gain an Action and it's effectively a cantrip-gainer; gain a Treasure for Silver + $1; gain a Victory for VP + draw.

Peak power lies in gaining Harem, Great Hall, or Duchy-class VP cards. Example: Great Hall (cost 3, VP + Action) gain → +1 Card from VP bonus + Great Hall is itself +1 Action — effectively cantrip VP gain.

Tier B+ to A. On Harem/Great Hall boards, explosive; otherwise Workshop-equivalent. Combos with Bridge or Mining Village extend reach.

How to Play

Early: $4 acquisition candidate. First Ironworks needs a clear "what to gain" plan.

Mid: Ironworks → Great Hall / Harem for VP acceleration. Second Ironworks gains Silver / Festival for economy.

End: Ironworks → Duchy (with Bridge cost-reduction) for VP + draw. Near 3-pile-out, Estate-pile or Ironworks-pile out.

Gain Targets

The art is "what to gain":

1. Great Hall (cost 3, VP + Action): +1 Card (VP bonus) + cantrip. Effective cantrip VP gain.
2. Harem (cost 6): Out of reach without cost-reduction. Bridge enables.
3. Duchy (cost 5): Out of reach. Bridge → 4 enables.
4. Silver (cost 3): +$1 (Treasure bonus). Effectively gain Silver + $1.
5. Festival (cost 5): Bridge required.
6. Market (cost 5): Bridge required.
7. Villages (cost 3): +1 Action bonus. Engine acceleration.
8. Embassy (Hinterlands, cost 5): Bridge required.

Ironworks-Great Hall Combo

The signature Intrigue combo:

1. Buy Ironworks ($4).
2. Buy Great Hall ($3).
3. Play Ironworks → gain Great Hall (VP bonus +1 Card).
4. Play Great Hall → +1 Card / +1 Action.
5. Next Ironworks → Great Hall, repeat.

Great Hall (10) + Ironworks (10) = 20-card cantrip VP deck. 3-pile-out friendly.

Key Combos

Ironworks + Great Hall: Signature combo.

Ironworks + Harem (via Bridge): Bridge reduces Harem (6→5→4), then Ironworks gain.

Ironworks + Bridge: Cost reduction expands gain targets.

Ironworks + Duke: Duke strategy support — Duchy via cost reduction.

Ironworks + Mining Village: Village gain + action support.

Ironworks + Festival: Same-turn Festival gain (Bridge required).

Ironworks + Gardens (Base): Mass-Estate gain for Gardens VP.

Ironworks + Conspirator: 3+ action threshold via Ironworks chain.

Synergies

• Great Hall: Signature.
• Harem (with Bridge): Economy + VP.
• Silver: Economy.
• Villages: Action support.
• Ambassador (Seaside, $3): Action gain.
• Bridge: Cost-reduction expansion.
• Duke: Duchy support.
• Gardens (Base): Estate-spam.
• Mining Village: Action + coin.
• Conspirator: Action-count.

Counters & Bad Matchups

• No good cost-4 targets: Ironworks idles.
• No Great Hall/Harem: Signature combo absent.
• No trashing: Ironworks gains bloat the deck.
• Heavy terminals: Action-bonus wasted.
• Late-game VP shortage: No Duchy access weakens endgame.

Advanced Tips

Multiple Ironworks → 3-pile: Ironworks 10 + Great Hall 10 + Estate 8 = three piles.

Ironworks → Great Hall → draw: Great Hall gain triggers +1 Card. Hand-Ironworks chains continue.

Ironworks timing: First = early ($4 turn). Second+ = combo boards only.

Bridge synergy: Bridge cost-reduction (-1 to -3) extends Ironworks reach to $5-$7.

Harem trick: Harem $6, unreachable solo. Bridge x2 (6→4) enables Ironworks → Harem with VP bonus.

Province gain (3+ Bridges): Cost -3 makes Province ($8 → $5) and further reduction enables Ironworks → Province. Theoretical, rare in practice.

Workshop comparison: Workshop (Base, $3, gain ≤$4) similar but terminal. Ironworks has bonus + non-terminal-with-Action-gain. Edge to Ironworks.