All mechanics

Hand Management

Play the right card at the right moment and make every card count.

Illustration of a hand of board game cards held by a player

Hand management is all about the cards you hold and the order you play them in. You usually have a limited hand and cannot use everything at once, so deciding what to play now and what to keep for later is the heart of the game. A card might be worth points, trigger an effect, or pay a cost, and often it can only do one of those jobs, forcing tough little choices on every turn. Playing well means squeezing the most value out of each card and setting up combinations that pay off down the line.