7 Wonders: Strategy Guide to Win as a Beginner (11 Tips)

7 Wonders is a simple yet complex drafting game that requires a delicate balance of strategy, tactical maneuvering, and luck. I have recently become addicted to this game on BGA, so naturally I’ve learned everything I can about how to win from online resources, other players, and trial and error in my own games.

Perhaps the thing I like most about 7 Wonders is how well-balanced of a game it is. No single strategy will win every time, and with many varied civilizations to choose from each game takes on a different flavor. The strategy of 7 Wonders is too involved to cover in a single post, so in this article, I’ll cover some basic gameplay tips and strategies that you should know and use as a relatively new player. When you’re done, be sure to check out my other posts that go into even more detail on advanced strategies!

• 7 Wonders: How to Win With Every Wonder (Both Sides)
• 7 Wonders: Intermediate Strategy & Gameplay Guide

Acquire access to just enough resources

At its core, 7 Wonders is an economic game that is all about resource management. In order to win, you need to have access to the resources that will allow you to build point-scoring structures. But you have to be careful not to spend too much time gathering those resources, otherwise you’ll fall behind your opponents. So how many resources do you need, exactly?

In general, you should aim to have access to 2 of each basic resource (brown cards) and 1 of each manufactured resource (gray cards). ‘Access’ means that you either have them in your own city or you can buy them from your neighbors. In addition, you should also plan to have access to enough resources to complete your Wonder. For example, the Pyramids at Gizah (Day) require 4 stone to complete the third phase.

Take care not to go overboard gathering resources, lest you start to lose out on point-scoring opportunities. You can supplement your resource pool with Commercial cards (yellow) to make purchases cheaper (Trading Posts) or gain ‘wild card’ resources with cards like Caravansery and Forum. A good rule of thumb is to play 3 or 4 brown/gray/yellow cards in the first age and another 3 or 4 in the second age.

The number and type of resources you should focus on also depends on the number of players in the game. For a more detailed analysis, I suggest checking out my 7 Wonder Intermediate Strategies post.

Tailor your strategy to your Wonder

One of the best (and most thematic) aspects of 7 Wonders is the many different Wonder Boards, all of which come with their own pros and cons. The winner of a game of 7 Wonders is usually the player who makes the best use of their Wonder, so you must adapt your overall strategy to incorporate your Wonder’s strengths.

Some Wonders are more straightforward than others. The Pyramids at Gizah and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos are simple to play and lend themselves to flexible gameplay. Others, like Halikarnassos and Olympia, are less intuitive but no less powerful if used correctly.

The nuances of how to play and win with each Wonder require their own post which I suggest you read about here, but the point to remember is that you can’t approach every game the same way if you want to win. You’ll need to evaluate the abilities and strengths of your Wonder and figure out how best to use them to your advantage.

Deprive your opponents of necessary resources

As I stated earlier, 7 Wonders is all about resource management. Skilled players know how to control access to essential resources to restrict the options of their opponents. At the beginning of the game, look at your opponents’ Wonders and take note of the resources that will be most important to them. Look for things like:

• Manufactured goods that they’ll need to complete a Wonder phase
• Wonder phases that require 4 of the same basic resource
• Wonders with Science bonuses that encourage players to focus on Science

If you can deprive your opponents of those resources they will be completely hamstrung. If it makes sense within your own plans, you can play the cards your opponents need in your own city or use them to complete a Wonder phase.

Keep the long game in mind

It can be tempting for new players to feel like they need to be ‘ahead’ in points at the end of every age, but it’s important to keep the end goal in mind: have the most points at the end of the game. It simply doesn’t matter who has the most points at the end of the first or second age. This trap is particularly easy to fall into in online play (on BGA, for example) where scores are continuously updated and displayed.

The vast majority of points are scored in the third age when your resource engine is completely built and you can focus on converting it into points. So, while it may sometimes be tempting to score some quick and easy points in ages 1 and 2, keep in mind that doing so usually means you’re risking losing out on scoring even more points in Age 3 because you won’t have the resources necessary to do so.

Even in Age 3, it’s important to remember that the value of cards can change. For example, suppose you’re early in Age 3 and you can choose between playing Town Hall (worth 6 points) or Spies Guild which is currently worth 5 points. In that case, Spies Guild is very likely to end up being worth more points since your opponents have shown that they’re invested in Military scoring and they’ll likely play more Military cards to secure those points.

Go big with Science or don’t go at all

I usually advocate for a well-balanced approach to the game – not specializing in any particular structure type until very late, but Science is a unique animal. Scoring well with Science almost always requires an early and sustained commitment. It’s fairly normal to see players in low- and mid-level play win a game going away by going all-in on Science, securing 3 or more of every symbol and combining it with bonus Science symbols from their Wonder or Scientists Guild.

The reason it’s important to go all-in with Science is that it scores exponentially. Just dabbling in Science doesn’t give a very good return on your investment per turn/card, but if you continually stack up Science cards it can quickly snowball into an unstoppable winning strategy.

Even when going heavy on Science you’ll probably need to supplement it with scoring from other structure types to win. Other players will likely begin to deprive you of Science cards to hamstring you, but a good target to shoot for is at least 2 cards of every symbol type. This will net you a minimum of 26 points just by itself – a very good base from which to build. You can see more specifics on scoring with science in my intermediate 7 Wonders strategy guide. INSERT LINK

Make use of your abilities and chains

Great 7 Wonders players make use of every advantage they can. This means exploiting the benefits of the Wonder and planning ahead to chain useful cards together.

Some Wonder abilities are completely useless if used at the wrong time or in combination with the wrong cards. For example, on the Night side of Alexandria, the second Wonder phase grants a ‘wild’ manufactured good (one Glass, Papyrus, or Loom). If you play Forum, which has the same effect, you have essentially wasted a turn and rendered the effect of that Wonder stage useless.

Similarly, you should try to plan ahead to make use of potential chains. If you want to plan for an Age 3 Military card, consider playing an Age 2 Military card that chains into an Age 3 Military card for which you don’t already have the resources. This gives you more flexibility in Age 3 because you’ll be have another potential option that you wouldn’t have had otherwise.

DID YOU KNOW? You can find many exciting expansions for 7 Wonders on Amazon that bring a fresh experience to the game:

• 7 Wonders Cities
• 7 Wonders Leaders
• 7 Wonders Armada
• 7 Wonders Edifice

Be smart with your Military buildup

Military conflict is the most obvious form of direct competition in 7 Wonders, so it can be easy to fall into the trap of Military escalation with a neighbor. Keep in mind that as you add more players to the game, the value of adding Military cards to your city decreases because they only directly impact the players directly adjacent to you.

Scoring well with Military structures is all about efficiency. The most points you can score with Military cards is 18. Theoretically, you could score all 18 points by playing one Age 1 Military card, but this is completely unrealistic. On the other hand, you could play 6 Military cards and only score a handful of points, which is a horrible return on your investment.

In general, you should try to play Military cards towards the end of each Age after you have secured the resources you need. Look for opportunities where the hand you’ve been passed has nothing else of much use and where you can get a lead on Military development. Toward the end of an Age if you have a Military lead on the player you’re passing to you can use any Military cards to help complete your Wonder so that your opponent doesn’t have a chance to catch up (see example above).

Factor money into the point value of cards

Gold is a very inefficient way to score points, but it certainly does help. In addition to scoring some additional points, Gold is also fungible. When you’re doing the math to find the highest point-scoring card to play (especially in Age 3) don’t forget to factor in the value of any Gold they’ll earn you.

For example, let’s assume you have 4 brown resource cards in your city and you’re passed a hand containing Haven and Gardens. Gardens would score you a solid 5 points, but Haven would grant you 4 points plus 4 Gold, for a total of 5 points and an extra Gold. You’re already coming out ahead, but also consider that those 4 Gold may prove useful in a subsequent hand when you might need some cash to buy an even more valuable card.

Hate draft cards that will help your opponents

Many new players tend to simply concentrate on their own city and gameplay, completely ignoring what’s going on around them. This is understandable when you are first learning the game, but to improve at 7 Wonders you have to start competing against your neighbors and playing a little nasty.

I discussed this a bit above where I talked about depriving your opponents of valuable resources, but hate drafting extends far beyond that. If you’re in a tight game where it’s clear the win will go to you or just 1 or 2 opponents, you need to start doing some mental math and thinking about the relative points you can score vs your opponents.

It might be worth playing a card that is worth 1 or 2 fewer points for you than the ‘best’ card in the hand if it means your opponent will be left with mostly useless cards. Stop for a moment to consider what sorts of cards your leading opponents would want to play and see if you can make use of them yourself.

Don’t let another player hoard all the Science

One of the most frustrating things I see with new players is allowing another player to snatch up every Science card in the game. This usually happens because the other players are too focused on their own city and don’t even realize that a single player is running away with the game by stacking Science.

Keep an eye on what your opponents are doing, especially if they start collecting Science cards early. You can usually thwart their plans fairly easily by discarding one or two Science cards for your Wonder, or even playing a few yourself. If all of the other players in the game take a small bite out of the Science pie then the exponential effect of Science scoring takes a huge hit.

Know what your opponents can and can’t buy

Another, slightly more advanced way to mess with your opponents is to leave them with cards they can’t play (or have to pay a lot of Gold for). You can always easily see how many resources your opponents have and how much Gold they have in their bank, so it’s no secret what they can afford. If it makes sense in your own strategy, try to leave your opponents with no (or bad) options.

For example, let’s say you’re passed a hand with Laboratory, Walls, and Training Ground. He’s behind in Military and has shown no interest in going with Science so far, so it would make sense for you to play one of the Military cards and leave him with Laboratory and the other Military card. You might initially think that it makes no difference – they’re both worth two shields, right? Wrong! If your opponent only has access to 2 stone (through his own city or through commerce) then he can’t buy Walls. You should play Training Ground and leave him with the undesirable options of playing a one-off Science card or discarding one of the two for Gold.