What Is Heart of Crown?
Heart of Crown is a deck-building card game. Players purchase cards from a shared market to strengthen their decks, and the player who accumulates the most succession points at the end wins.
At the heart of the game is coronation — crowning a princess as your patron to dominate the endgame.
How a Turn Works
Each turn follows this sequence:
- Main Phase: Play action cards from your hand in any order
- Buy Phase: Spend coins to purchase one card from the market (or perform a coronation)
- Cleanup Phase: Discard all played cards and your remaining hand, then draw 5 new cards
Starting Deck and Your First Goals
Every player starts with the same initial deck:
| Card | Count | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Village | 7 | 1 coin / −2 succession points |
| Court Lady | 3 | 2 succession points |
Villages are weak cards. They only produce 1 coin and come with a −2 succession point penalty. Removing them from your deck as quickly as possible is the fastest path to strength.
Your first few turns should focus on two things:
- Buying City (cost 4): Your economic foundation, producing 2 coins
- Using Donation (cost 2) to trash Villages: Improve your deck's quality
How Coronation Works
Coronation is the single most important action in this game.
To coronate, you need:
- A Princess card already in your deck
- A Metropolis plus a total of 6 coins in your hand and play area during the Buy Phase
Metropolis costs 6 and produces 3 coins — it's the strongest territory card in the game. It's essential both for coronation and for generating coins in the late game, so secure one as a top priority.
After Coronation
Once you coronate:
- Your princess is placed in your "domain" and may trigger special abilities
- The final race to collect succession point cards begins
- Your opponents will scramble to coronate their own princesses
Early Game Strategy
Your First Three Turns
Turns 1–2: With limited coins early on, pick up Donation (cost 2) to trash Villages, or grab Orchard (cost 2) and Court Lady (cost 3) to build your economy.
Turn 3 onwards: Once you have 4+ coins, prioritize City (cost 4). With 5–6 coins, also consider Star-Reading Witch (cost 3) or Alchemist (cost 5).
Three Principles for Beginners
- Collect Cities and Metropolises: Without economy, nothing else matters
- Trash your Villages: A thin deck draws powerful cards more reliably
- Time your coronation carefully: Too early or too late and you'll lose the race
Which Princess Should You Start With?
For beginners, First Princess Lulunasaika is recommended.
- She has no coronation ability — just a clean 6 succession points
- Her simplicity lets you focus on learning the card-buying fundamentals
- She's the perfect practice princess for timing your coronation
Once you're comfortable, try Second Princess Laoriri, who gains up to 5 Court Ladies upon coronation — dominating the economy in the second half.
Summary
| Action | Priority |
|---|---|
| Trash Villages with Donation | High |
| Secure multiple Cities | High |
| Secure a Metropolis | Essential |
| Buy a Princess | Essential |
| Collect succession point cards after coronation | High |
Don't worry if you lose your first few games. Once your deck starts clicking, the feeling is unlike anything else. Focus first on building your economic foundation with Cities and Metropolises.