Island

Basic Info

• Type: Action-Victory
• Cost: 4
• Effect: Put this and a card from your hand onto your Island mat. 2 VP.

Rating

Seaside's unique thinning + VP card. Cost 4 for 2 VP (Duchy = 5 VP / $5) is weaker per coin, but the trash-light "Island mat" exile is powerful.

Defining trait: exile Curse / Copper / starting Estate. Island mat cards never return — deck density rises dramatically.

Tier B+. Combines greening + thinning, but 2 VP / $4 is inefficient. Especially valuable when no Chapel-tier trasher exists. Terminal.

How to Play

Early: $4 buy candidate (especially trasher-free boards). First Island = Copper/Estate exile.

Mid: Island = thinning + 2 VP combo. Island mat shuffle cycle reduction.

End: Continue Island for 2 VP gains.

Island Mat Priority

1. Curse (top priority — removes -1 VP).
2. Estate (starting -0 VP / dead).
3. Copper (economic dilution).
4. Late: excess actions (extra villages / defense).

Key Combos

Island + Chapel: Thinning + VP.

Island + Masquerade: Thin + draw + VP.

Island + King's Court: KC + Island = 3 mat-sends (self + 2 cards), 2 VP (Island counts once).

Island + Throne Room: 2 mat-sends.

Island + Witch board: Mat-send Curses.

Island + Jeweler / Artisan: 5-VP gain support.

Island + Duke: Duchy synergy.

Island + Smugglers: Island copy gain.

Synergies

• Chapel: Premier thinner, Island = backup.
• Masquerade: Thin + draw.
• King's Court: Doubled exile.
• Throne Room: Doubled exile.
• Witch board: Curse hedge.
• Duke: Greening synergy.
• Gardens: Mass greening.
• Smugglers: Island copy.
• Jeweler / Artisan: Greening boost.
• Council Room: Draw amp finds Island.

Counters & Bad Matchups

• Heavy attacks (Torturer): Curse-hits before Island plays.
• Short games: Thinning value low.
• Pure BM: Green alone suffices.
• Chapel-tier trasher: Thinning overlap.
• Pure-draw engines: Island mat reduces deck cards.

Advanced Tips

"First Island target": Curse → Estate → Copper sequence.

Island mat "VP storage": Mat cards still count VP at game end (Island's 2 VP + sent VP cards).

KC + Island: KC + Island 3x = exile 5 cards (self + 4) and 6 VP (2 VP x3).

3-pile-out: Island 10 + 2 piles.

"Island vs Duchy": Duchy (Base, $5, 3 VP) vs Island ($4, 2 VP + thin). Duchy = pure VP; Island = combo. $4 slot = Island.

Duke strategy: Island + Duchy greening line.

Island mirror: Both thin + green. Province race.

Island timing: Mid 1-2, late add 2-3. Max 4-5 sufficient.

VP value: 2 VP Action-Victory. Green + thin combo.