Quick winning principles
- Reserve tier-three cards early—they cost no gems and block opponents.
- Build to five green discounts before chasing nobles.
- Take gold only when reserving a card opponents need this turn.
- Do not buy tier-one cards after turn 6 unless they unlock a noble.
Ideal strategy
- 1
Reservation engine: reserve two tier-three cards by turn 8; buy them with 4–5 discounts each.
- 2
Noble timing: track noble requirements on the board—shift one purchase to attract two nobles at 15 points.
- 3
Card development: tier-two cards with two bonuses accelerate faster than three tier-one cards.
- 4
Gold usage: reserve the card an opponent can afford this turn, then buy it next turn with gold.
- 5
Denial: take the last card of a color an opponent needs for a noble, even if you do not need it.
- 6
Endgame: two tier-three cards plus two nobles at 16 points ends the game—count opponents' discounts every turn.