Coven

Basic Info

Type: Action-Attack
Cost: 5
Effect: +1 Action / +$2 / Each other player Exiles a Curse. Players already having Curses on their Exile mat discard those Curses to their discard pile.

Rating

One of the best cursing attacks in all of Dominion, and the card that most abuses the Exile mechanic. A non-terminal cantrip-style action with +$2 — the attack is almost a bonus on top of an already excellent card. Community consensus puts Coven at A-S tier, top priority on any board it appears.

Biggest strength: "non-terminal curser." Witch is terminal, but Coven gives +1 Action so you can stuff multiple in one engine. The +$2 also makes it a strong $5-cost cantrip on its own merits.

Exile interaction is unique: once a player has an Exiled Curse, the next Coven discards every Exiled Curse back to their discard pile. Repeated firings stack damage exponentially.

Overall S tier. On Coven boards, it is the top $5 priority.

How to Play

5/2 split: open Coven instantly. 4/3: aim for Coven on turn 3-4.

Early: hope to draw Coven each turn — every fire forces a Curse Exile.

Mid: aim for 2 Coven copies for guaranteed every-turn firing while you build engine.

Late: when opponents have stockpiled Exiled Curses, fire Coven again to dump them all into discards — devastating finishing blow.

Exile Mechanic Tactics

Coven's attack works in two stages:

Stage 1 (Curse Exile): Opponent gains Curse to Exile mat — not in deck yet, seems light damage.
Stage 2 (Exile dump): Next Coven dumps all Exiled Curses to discard. Three Exiles + fourth Coven = mass Curse arrival.

A single Coven only does Stage 1 forever. Two Cooks the chain. With 2+ Covens, "Exile → dump → Exile → dump" is the spike pattern.

Key Combos

Coven + Black Cat: Double cursing. Coven Exiles, Black Cat punishes VP gains.

Coven + Mastermind: Triple-firing of Coven = +3 Actions, +$6, three Curse waves in one play.

Coven + Hunting Lodge: 5-card draw to find Coven reliably each turn.

Coven + Hostelry: +2 Actions and Horse-fueled draw → Coven engine support.

Coven + Snowy Village: +4 Actions enable multi-Coven plus other terminals.

Coven + Capital: Coven gives $2, Capital adds VP-with-debt for fast Province turns.

Coven + Gatekeeper: Double disruption. Gatekeeper Exiles their gains, Coven Exiles Curses.

Synergies

Black Cat: Double-curse synergy.
Mastermind: Triple firing.
Hunting Lodge: Draw support.
Hostelry: Horse engine.
Snowy Village: +4 Actions.
Gatekeeper: Stacked Exile attack.
Cavalry / Falconer: Horse-gain & on-gain draw.
Smithy / Council Room: Raw draw.

Counters & Bad Matchups

Bounty Hunter (their side): Opponent can convert Exiled Curses into +$3 each.
Falconer (their side): Reacts to multi-type cards (Coven is Action+Attack), gaining a free card.
Moat / Diplomat: Standard attack negators.
Terminal-rich boards: Coven is non-terminal but competes with other $5 cantrips.

Advanced Tips

Power explodes at the second Coven: 1 copy = "Exile loop only" forever. 2 copies = "dump → Exile → dump" cycles.

Run Coven aggressively before Curse pile empties. Standard piles: 10 (2P), 20 (3P), 30 (4P).

Mirrors: Whoever picks up Coven first wins. 5/2 = instant Coven, 4/3 = Coven on turn 3-4.

Coven-BM: Silver / Coven → more Silver → Curse spam → Gold → Province. Coven's $2 makes it Silver-equivalent on top of attack value.

Coven + Exile counter-play: Opponent who Exiled Curses thinking "permanent removal" gets a rude surprise — Coven dumps them back. Makes Exile matrix more dangerous than it appears.

Triple Coven: 3 copies = near-guaranteed every-turn firing. Run alongside engine pieces; opponents drown in Curses.

End-game value: When Curse pile empties, Coven becomes a plain +1A/+$2 cantrip. Still solid as a Village + Silver effect.