Pawn

Basic Info

• Type: Action
• Cost: 2
• Effect: Choose 2 (different) — +1 Card / +1 Action / +1 Buy / +$1.

Rating

Intrigue's flexible cantrip. Cost 2, 2-from-4 choices. +1 Card / +1 Action = cantrip; +1 Buy / +$1 = Silver-with-buy; mix freely.

Defining trait: situational flexibility. Hand-shortage → draw+action. Coin-shortage → coin+buy. Terminal-overload → +1 Action.

Tier B to B+. Cost-2 utility filler. Engine glue + +1 Buy source.

How to Play

Early: $2 buy. First Pawn = cantrip mode (+1 Card / +1 Action).

Mid: +1 Buy / +$1 economy + buy mode.

End: +1 Buy for Province + extras.

Combination Patterns

"Pick 2":

1. +1 Card / +1 Action: Cantrip, deck-cycling.
2. +1 Buy / +$1: Silver-with-buy.
3. +1 Card / +$1: Smithy-junior.
4. +1 Action / +1 Buy: Terminal + buy.
5. +1 Card / +1 Buy: Draw + buy.
6. +1 Action / +$1: Silver-Action.

Key Combos

Pawn + Draw sources: +1 Action / +$1 economy support, draw cards refill hand.

Pawn + Conspirator: Pawn enables 3-action threshold.

Pawn + Duke: +1 Buy lets Pawn enable Duchy + Duke same turn.

Pawn + Bridge: +1 Buy fuels megaturn.

Pawn + Market: Both have +1 Buy; multi-Province purchase.

Pawn + King's Court (Prosperity): KC + Pawn = 3 plays, 6 effect picks. Mix freely.

Pawn + Throne Room: TR + Pawn = 2 plays, 4 effect picks.

Synergies

• Duke: $5 frequency + buy.
• Bridge: Megaturn.
• Market: +Buy redundancy.
• Conspirator: Action count.
• Smithy: Terminal-draw complement.
• Minion: Chain.
• King's Court: Triples.
• Throne Room: Doubles.
• Masquerade: Thin + draw.
• Duchy-army strategies.

Counters & Bad Matchups

• Sparse-effect supplies: Single-purpose cards suffice.
• Strong $2 alternatives (Courtyard): Courtyard simply stronger.
• Heavy terminals: Pawn is light Action but still terminal in single-action mode.
• No thinning: Pawn bloats deck.
• Pure BM: Silver preferred.

Advanced Tips

Choose last: See hand, decide based on need.

"2-pick" usage: Situational. Switch between modes turn-to-turn.

Multi-stack: 2-3 for chained cantrip + economy.

KC + Pawn: 1 KC plays Pawn 3x = 6 picks. +1 Card ×3 + +1 Action ×3 etc.

Duke strategy: Pawn provides reliable +1 Buy each turn for Duchy+Duke.

"Courtyard vs. Pawn": Courtyard = +3 Cards single-purpose. Pawn = 4-choice flex. Engine = Pawn; BM = Courtyard.

3-pile-out: Pawn 10 + Estate 8 + 1 pile.

Pawn VP value: 0 VP plain Action. Late-game drawn-but-unused acceptable.