Supply Analysis
Learn how to analyze the Heart of Crown supply (the 10 market cards) before your first turn. A framework for identifying compression, draw, action chains, and coronation acceleration.
What Is Supply Analysis?
At the start of each Heart of Crown game, 10 Common cards are placed in the market. The composition of these 10 cards — your "supply" — dramatically changes what the optimal strategy looks like.
Supply analysis has three goals:
- Determine which strategies are viable
- Identify cards your opponents are likely to compete over
- Plan how to overcome the weaknesses of your starting deck (7 Villages, 3 Court Ladies)
Step 1: Check for Deck Compression
The first thing to look for is whether you can remove Villages from your deck.
| Compression Card | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Donation | 2 | Trash a card from your hand |
| Search | 4 | Trash a card from hand or discard pile |
| Plow | 3 | Trash a Village or Court Lady to draw 1 |
| Carpenter | 5 | Trash a supply card to gain a different one |
If Donation is absent: Compression becomes difficult. Focus on building economic power with multiple Cities instead of trying to thin your deck.
If Donation is present: Pick up 1–2 Donations in the first 2–3 turns and actively trash Villages.
Step 2: Check for Draw Power
Every turn draws 5 cards by default, but additional draw cards make it easier to assemble combo hands.
| Draw Card | Cost | Cards Drawn |
|---|---|---|
| Court Scribe | 3 | +1 |
| Library | 5 | +2 (at end of action phase) |
| Star-Reading Witch | 3 | +1 + deck inspection |
| Plow | 3 | +1 (when trashing) |
If Library is present: Playing action cards in sequence before playing Library yields massive hand refills. Action-heavy builds become significantly stronger.
Step 3: Check Available Actions
Without "+Action" cards, you can only play one action card per turn.
| +Action Card | Cost | Extra Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Guard | 4 | +1 |
| Alchemist | 5 | +1 + coin conversion |
| Bard | 3 | +2 |
High +Action supply: Aim for an "engine" build that chains actions to generate coins and cards in bulk.
Low +Action supply: Territory cards (City, Metropolis) are more reliable than action cards. Stick to an economic build.
Step 4: Check for Coronation Acceleration
Coronation requires a Metropolis + 6 coins. Look for ways to accelerate your path to Metropolis (cost 6).
Cards That Accelerate Coronation
| Card | Cost | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Alchemist | 5 | Converts coins to +2 |
| Merchant Guild | 4 | Bonus coins on purchase |
| Carriage | 5 | Accumulates coins across turns |
Supply rich in acceleration: Pursue early coronation — aim to crown 1–2 turns before your opponents.
Supply poor in acceleration: Standard coronation around turns 7–9. Build economy steadily without rushing.
Step 5: Check Princess Synergies
Compare supply cards against each princess's ability.
| Princess | Good Supply Synergies |
|---|---|
| Laoriri | Cards that gain Court Ladies / low-cost compression |
| Flamaria | Action chain cards (Bard, Royal Guard) / draw cards |
| Lulunasaika | Any supply (no coronation ability — always stable) |
| Cramcram | Supplies with multiple succession point purchase options |
| Bergamot | High draw / Library / action chains |
Practice: Sample Supply Analysis
Supply: Donation, Court Scribe, Royal Guard, Carpenter, Merchant Guild, Plow, Garrison, Orchard, Cavalry, Strategist
- Compression: Donation + Plow + Carpenter → aggressive compression is viable
- Draw: Court Scribe only → moderate hand refresh
- Actions: Royal Guard → one-step action chain is possible
- Acceleration: Merchant Guild → slightly early coronation is achievable
- Princess: Laoriri synergizes better than Bergamot here
→ Conclusion: Thin early with Donation and Plow, secure Cities and Metropolis, then coronate with Laoriri around turns 7–8 using Merchant Guild to boost coin production.
Quick Checklist
Run through these five questions every time you see a new supply:
- Is there compression? (Donation, Plow, Carpenter)
- Is there extra draw? (Library, Star-Reading Witch)
- Are there +Action cards? (Bard, Royal Guard)
- Is there a way to accelerate coronation?
- Which princess best matches this supply?
Answering these five questions in 30 seconds gives you a clear strategic direction before you even draw your first hand.