Board Game Arena

I enjoy playing Splendor but I'm lousy at it. Please help me out with some good strategies. Thanks.

I once saw that during World Series of Board Game everyone only focussed on the big point scoring cards, and not really build and engine of discounts.

In games like these people often don't anticipate the end of the game well enough and waste time/turns building up an engine that doens't get enough time to run a profit.

Against lower-rated players I can gram a bunch of bottom row cards, getting them for free before too long, and get two royals and win.

But, as the first reply mentioned, against higher rated players, this crashes and burns. It's not actually as difficult to get the 3-point middle row cards or the 4-point top row cards as it might seem, and that is often a more efficient path to victory.

Elarius8 wrote: ↑15 May 2025, 02:32 I enjoy playing Splendor but I'm lousy at it. Please help me out with some good strategies. Thanks.

A strategy guide has previously been posted here: https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27976

Thanks all.

Meeplelowda wrote: ↑15 May 2025, 16:39

Elarius8 wrote: ↑15 May 2025, 02:32 I enjoy playing Splendor but I'm lousy at it. Please help me out with some good strategies. Thanks.

A strategy guide has previously been posted here: https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27976

I read that thread. Useful, but seemed to be geared toward 4-player. I like to play 2-player. Does anyone have any good references for 2-player strategy base game?

I just don't seem to have a good knack for this game.

FrankJones wrote: ↑15 May 2025, 22:57 I read that thread. Useful, but seemed to be geared toward 4-player. I like to play 2-player. Does anyone have any good references for 2-player strategy base game?

I just don't seem to have a good knack for this game.

It was useful for getting from low Average to high Good (even briefly peaked in Strong) in three-player games.

I haven't seen a two-player guide. That's a completely different animal, or course.

FrankJones wrote: ↑15 May 2025, 22:57

Meeplelowda wrote: ↑15 May 2025, 16:39

Elarius8 wrote: ↑15 May 2025, 02:32 I enjoy playing Splendor but I'm lousy at it. Please help me out with some good strategies. Thanks.

A strategy guide has previously been posted here: https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27976

I read that thread. Useful, but seemed to be geared toward 4-player. I like to play 2-player. Does anyone have any good references for 2-player strategy base game?

I just don't seem to have a good knack for this game.

I play two-player and am pretty good at it, I have a few suggestions.

(full disclosure, I generally build up from the bottom row as cheaply as possible and get nobles. I can beat most players that way but occasionally get destroyed by someone who *really* knows what they're doing)

Mostly, I can advise what *not* to do. When my opponent does these things I know I am going to win:

1. reserve cards on the first three turns. An expert will reserve one card, occasionally two, but when my opp has his entire reserve clogged up with cards he won' be able to buy for a while he's completely lost his ability to defend me and I can do whatever I want

2. First buy is in the second row. The 2 point 5-of-the-same-color cards or fine but spending 7 or 8 coins to get 1 card and 1 point is a sure loser.

3. Reserve multiple cards in completely different colors. Having a 7 black 3 red card and a 7 blue 3 green card in reserve is a total waste, you're never getting both. And even if you do 10 points is not enough to win.

4. Don't stick to a plan. If you reserve the 7 blue card from the top row, don't collect blue coins and then spend them on a second row card. Get that card, and then use that card to help get something else.

Some things I try to do, which are mostly obvious:

1. If my opp reserves a card that requires a lot of X color (let's say blue), I will get those bottom row cards, within reason. I don't reserve every botton row blue card that shows up on the bottom row but I will pay a little extra. Let him reserve bottom row blue cards, while I buiid up everything else.

2. If all nobles require the same color(s) then sure, get those colors when you can. I would rather spend 4 (even 5) coins for that color on my first buy than 3 coins on something that doesn't show up in any nobles, or is a key card for the top row. Same principle if the top row is heavy on a particular color.

3. Pay attention! When I lose it's often because my opp beats me to a noble, when I could have defended that or at least come up with a plan B

4. If I just need a gold coin for my last card, it is sometimes better to reserve blind from the deck, rather than from the open cards and risk exposing a new card that might help opp.

I'm sure there are other tips but that's what I can think of for now, hope it helps.

kfernstrom wrote: ↑16 May 2025, 20:30 4. If I just need a gold coin for my last card, it is sometimes better to reserve blind from the deck, rather than from the open cards and risk exposing a new card that might help opp.

I've exposed that card that let them get the noble doing this so many times you'd think I'd learn to stop doing it.

kfernstrom wrote: ↑16 May 2025, 20:30

I play two-player and am pretty good at it, I have a few suggestions.

This does help, thank you

That is pretty much how I play 2-player, and I thought it was the optimal way to play. I similarly say to myself, "That can't possibly win" when I see my opponent doing some of the things you described that make you say to yourself that you are almost certain to win the game.

And yet, I have struggled recently, and I have had some tough losses against players who did not go for nobles at all, and won by getting 4 scoring cards from the 2nd and 3rd rows.

Maybe I did not read the board well enough. In at least one loss, I just could not get a noble because the deck just wouldn't put out the one card I needed, literally any card of one color type. But, I put myself in that position, assuming one would get turned over at some point.

If that happens once, I can chalk it up to bad luck, but multiple times makes me think I am not recognizing when it is happening soon enough to pivot to something else.

I think, in another game, my opponent reserved 3 bottom row cards (Each costing 3 tokens to buy). This ended up working, because the remaining bottom-row cards all cost 5 tokens. So, after drawing 3 tokens 3 times, there was nothing but trash available, and thins quickly went sideways for me.

I was very close to 300 Elo when I was at 20 games played. I didn't realize the k-factor of 40 is in place for the 21st game and does not change to the standard 20-factor until after the completion of the 21st game. As a result, I lost 28 Elo in my 21st game. Whoops.

In any player count, but maybe especially 2-player, it's possible for a frustrating sequence where every card bought (often at a good price) results in a free or 1-coin card popping up for the opponent. If that happens a bunch of ties in a row, it can be difficult to deal with.

Are 2-player games more prone to unlucky sequences than 3- or 4-player?

The ratings of the highest rated players in this game lead me to believe that the strongest players mitigate bad luck and makes me think I am at fault for all my losses, especially sine I am not playing players rated over 300.