Root Strategy Hub

Underground Duchy

The subterranean moles building tunnel networks and swaying ministers

Advanced
Underworld
Infrastructure
Minister Management
Tunnel Control
Complexity
4/5
🎯 Win Condition

Score 30 points through buildings, swaying ministers, and crafting

⚙️ Crafting Method

Craft during Daylight by activating markets

🎲 Starting Position

1 market in corner, 4 warriors, 2 ministers

Overview

The Underground Duchy is a minister-swaying faction that builds a powerful action engine through careful progression. The modern "Smol Mol 2.0" strategy skips squires and buildings early, going straight for nobles: Brigadier Turn 1 (2 extra actions), Mayor Turn 2 (copies any minister). Then sway a Lord to protect nobles from Price of Failure. The Burrow acts as a safe warrior stockpile. The reveal mechanic means cards aren't spent but reused every turn, allowing you to curate a perfect hand. Hoard Fox cards (opponents won't craft them) and save Tea/Coins. In late game, rapidly deploy 1-2 markets and citadels, building AND crafting in the same Evening for a massive VP burst. Sway Banker to convert card suits directly to VP. The tunnel network provides extreme mobility once buildings are placed.

Faction Board

Faction-Specific Cards

Essential cards unique to Underground Duchy

Brigadier (Swol Mole)

Noble minister. Take up to two moves OR initiate up to two battles. Aggressive military strategy.

Captain (Swol Mole)

Squire minister. Initiate a battle. Core combat minister for aggressive play.

Marshal (Swol Mole)

Squire minister. Take a move. Supports military positioning and control.

Duchess of Mud (Smol Mole)

Lord minister. Score 2 VP if all tunnels are on the map. Tunneling expansion strategy.

Earl of Stone (Smol Mole)

Lord minister. Score 1 VP per citadel on the map. Building-focused strategy.

Foremole (Smol Mole)

Squire minister. Reveal a card to place a building in any clearing you rule. Core builder.

Banker (Mole Mart)

Noble minister. Spend any number of cards of the same suit to score equal VP. Economic scoring strategy.

Baron of Dirt (Mole Mart)

Lord minister. Score 1 VP per market on the map. Market expansion strategy.

Mayor (Mole Mart)

Noble minister. Take the action of any swayed noble or squire. Flexible economic play.

🎓 Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Underground Duchy Walkthrough

Understanding Momentum

The Duchy's main objective is to build and maintain momentum - your ability to continue moving forward despite opponents' efforts. Momentum comes from having extra cards, ministers, and especially warriors in the burrow. You lose momentum by losing warriors, suffering Price of Failure, and spending cards during Daylight. If you have momentum, you bounce back even after being wiped off the board.
•Extra warriors in burrow = resilience against attacks
•Don't over-defend clearings - keep warriors in burrow
•Every clearing you care about should have a tunnel
•Undefended buildings can only trigger Price of Failure twice if opponents roll back-to-back zeros

Sway Every Turn

The cure for struggling with the Duchy is simple: sway the best thing you can on every turn. Every turn. Sway. Every turn. Brigadier (Bridget) is the best minister - sway on turn 1 and protect all game. Mayor is like having a second Brigadier. Lords on turn 2 are often valuable (points + protection for Brigadier). Banker is often your win condition on final turns.
•Swaying ministers provides tons of points and tons of actions
•If you don't sway, you misplayed
•Treat Lords as sacrificial - your Noble row has no wiggle room for losses
•Use all your ministers every chance you get (except the Foremole)

Choose Your Strategy - Five Core Loadouts

There are five popular loadouts that competitive players use. Swole Mole (build all citadels, battle opponents), Smol Mole (build nothing, recruit and battle), Molemart (build markets, churn cards), Pump and Dump (craft for VP with Foremole), and Smol to Swole (most competitive - start safe, then build markets). Learn to pivot between them based on game state and opponent pressure.
•Distracted opponents = good time for markets and Lords
•Heavy pressure = fall back to recruit actions with no building
•Smol to Swole is most competitive strategy
•Don't feel restricted - pivot between loadouts mid-game

Early Game Setup & Risk Management

The Duchy benefits most from being left alone. Your early game should encourage opponents to ignore you while you build resources. Sway Brigadier on turn 1, consider swaying a Lord on turn 2. Spend Daylight actions on recruiting as much as possible. Place tunnels in clearings you care about. Keep warriors in burrow until you're ready to commit.
•Don't over-commit warriors to defend buildings
•Retreat warriors before attacks to preserve them
•Let opponents trigger Price of Failure on empty buildings
•Build momentum before exposing yourself to attacks
•Read the table - if opponents are aggressive, stay Smol longer

End Game - Burst Scoring to Victory

Once you've built momentum with ministers, warriors, and cards, it's time to convert everything into victory points. Mayor + Banker combo provides unstoppable burst scoring. Convert all your accumulated cards into points. Markets provide card draw to fuel final turns. Dig to reach opponents and score from battles. If you've built momentum properly, you can score 10+ points in one turn.
•Calculate how many points you can score on final turn
•Markets + Banker + Mayor = massive point generation
•Don't reveal your full scoring potential too early
•Keep some warriors in burrow as insurance
•The Duchy can win from seemingly behind due to burst scoring

💡 Tip: Hover over highlighted game terms to see detailed explanations and related mechanics.

Mechanics & Strategy

Unique Mechanics
Special abilities and rules that define this faction

Tunnels

Underground connections between clearings with Duchy buildings. Move warriors freely through tunnel network.

Law of Root 14.2.1

Ministers

Sway ministers for VP and abilities. Two types: Military (battle bonuses) and Economic (crafting/building bonuses).

Law of Root 14.2.2

Building Pairs

Score VP based on market-citadel pairs. More pairs = more VP per turn.

Law of Root 14.2.3

Burrow

Can place warriors in clearings with buildings even when enemy-ruled.

Law of Root 14.2.4

Tunneling

Treat all clearings with Duchy buildings as adjacent for movement.

Law of Root 14.2.1

Turn Order
Actions available in each phase

Early Game

  • Sway Brigadier Turn 1 (skip squires)
  • Sway Mayor Turn 2
  • Avoid buildings initially (Price of Failure risk)
  • Build warrior stockpile in Burrow
  • Establish presence on 4+ clearings

Mid Game

  • Sway Lord to protect nobles (Baron preferred)
  • Maintain 6-10 warriors in Burrow reserve
  • Curate hand with reveal cards for endgame
  • Hoard Fox cards (Crossbow/Swords/Hammer)
  • Stay light and scrappy on board

Late Game

  • Execute building endgame burst
  • Build AND craft in same Evening
  • Sway Banker for card-to-VP conversion
  • Optionally sway Foremole for building flexibility
  • Score from market-citadel pairs

Strengths & Weaknesses

💪 Strengths
  • +Tunnel network provides extreme mobility
  • +Hard to dislodge once established
  • +Ministers provide powerful abilities
  • +Consistent VP from building pairs
  • +Burrow allows presence in enemy territory
  • +Strong defensive positions
⚠️ Weaknesses
  • -Slow start building infrastructure
  • -Vulnerable to building destruction
  • -Ministers expensive to sway
  • -Limited actions early game
  • -Must balance minister swaying vs building
  • -Predictable tunnel network
🤝 Synergies
  • • Benefits from positional play
  • • Works well in less aggressive games
  • • Strong when given time to build
🛡️ Hard Counters
  • • Early aggressive factions
  • • Woodland Alliance (sympathy blocks building)
  • • Corvid (plots disrupt movement)

🎬 Video Guides

Watch & Learn (2 videos)
Expert tutorials to master Underground Duchy