Maybe the Deal breaker is better off in the bank

Despite the circumstances in which the Deal breaker is more suited in the bank than in your hand being few, they do exist. The first circumstance is when the Deal breaker is one of only three cards left in your hand or only one for that matter. Also, it could be that all opponents are dangerously close to winning, and you are not in a position to win with the three cards in hand. Lastly, it could be that you would like to get five new cards in your turn if you can dispose the three cards in hand.

Depositing the Deal breaker in the bank is safer because it means that your opponent does not have the chance to win. For example, you could be playing against three opponents and you notice that neither the Just say no cards nor the Deal Breaker cards have been played. You look at your hand, and you happen to have a Deal breaker and two other cards in hand. Your opponents have two full sets each on the table, but you have three nearly complete sets.

When your turn comes along, you might realize that unless it’s possible for you to win in three turns, it is better to dump the three cards in hand into the bank so that you can pick five new cards to complete the nearly complete sets in order to win. If you choose to utilize the deal breaker, there is a good chance that the other opponents have the Just say no cards that have not been played. Therefore, it is possible for the opponent to place a Just say no and steal the other players’ full sets and win. Game play can also go in such a way that you win the full set and open yourself to attack by the third player who will steal the full set from you.

 

When your opponent is vulnerable

When a player is out of cards during their turn, he or she has to wait until his or her turn so as to pick 5 cards. It is at this time that they are vulnerable because they have no cards in hand to defend what they have in front of them. Therefore, it is easy to attack such a player because they don’t have a Just say no card in hand to neutralize your attack. You can easily use the Deal breaker to steal their sets.

Deal breaker menace

As previously mentioned, Deal breakers are quite the powerful play. However, they require you to steal a full set. One incredible strategy is to let your opponent build up a full set. You can go as far as enticing them to completing a set. A good example is where your opponent holds two dark green property cards on the table. Make sure none are dual color. When you have one dark green card in your hand as well, you can lay it down so that your opponent steals it and completes their set. Make sure you have a deal breaker in hand as well before you let your opponent complete the set. When the player completes the set, you can use your deal breaker to steal the full set in your turn.

Force the hand

The other approach is to pay an opponent into a complete set. You can lay down the green property on the table and wait for the other player to charge you rent after which you can pay up with green property. The player is forced to complete the set even though defending that property was not on his or her mind.

Also, you can utilize the Force Deal action card. You can lay down a green property card and use the Force deal card to swap the green property with some other colored property of your opponent. They end up with a full set of green and in the following turn, you can surprise them with the Deal breaker and steal that property.

Safe as can be

Having two Deal breakers puts you in a good position. Just avoid separating your full sets and ensure that the full sets are laid down as soon as possible. Make sure you have a bank to defend yourself in case you are charged rent. Complete full sets to prevent you being prone to attack by opponents with Sly deal or Force deal cards. This strategy can also work if you happen to have three ‘Just say No’ cards in hand.

Deposit to have the advantage

In a game where no opponent is close to completing a full set, and you cannot force full sets on them, forfeiting the Deal breaker means you have five new cards in the next round. This is an advantage because you are just a few cards away to a win. In such a situation you are better off depositing the Deal breaker in the bank to pave way for five new cards. Ensure that you insert the deal breaker in the bank in a way that your opponents don’t catch a glimpse of what you are depositing. This way, your opponents will continue playing conservatively.

Be observant

It is important to be keen and keep track of the crucial cards that have been played. For example, you can try and keep track of how many Just say no cards have been played. It will help you know the opportune time to use the Deal breaker card because then, you can almost be certain that your opponents will not defend. Also, if you notice that both Deal breaker cards have been played, it is wiser to combine all the cards into full sets and keep them separately.

Being observant can also help you store the sequence of cards in your memory. If you memorize the numbers of each of the cards that are in the deck, you can use it to your advantage. Ignore the money cards. For example, if you have in mind that there are only 3 brown property cards and your opponent has two of the brown ones and you have the third one in hand, taking up space is not the best option. Also, you must know simple things such as the fact that are three ‘Just say no’ cards and two deal breakers.

Three is better than one

When building bank, always remember that it is better to hold money collection cards (Debt collector) in hand until you accumulate enough to play at once. It is more effective that way. When you charge a player 15M instead of 5M in three rounds, it is much better and makes them more vulnerable.

Maximize the profit

Before you can charge group rent, ensure that you scan the table and make sure that all opponents have money in the bank. This way, you maximize profit when they all have enough money to pay rent. It might not be of great benefit to you if you put down the It’s my Birthday card and only two out of three players have 1M in the bank. This is because if a player does not have any money to pay, they pay nothing. You want to maximize the amount you get in one go.