Board Game Arena - User contributions [en]

Tips forestshuffle

2025-08-25T18:55:56Z

Redeemedmonkeycma:

# The game is a race. If the second winter card is out and you are ahead, it's often better to try to increase the lead a bit than to prepare for a bigger turn that you might not get to play.
# It is as important to keep cards your opponent wants away from them, as it is to score big points for yourself. Be aware of what your opponents need.
# To do this you can discard those cards when the clearing (enough to get to 10 and clear it) or their hand are full (9 or 10).
# It is often worth your while to wait a turn and gain the right colors, in order to be able to use a card's bonus.
# Moles can overturn games with huge turns, to set it up, make sure you have trees with room and a full hand.
# Free-turn cards can help you clear a seemingly full hand before picking up something an opponent discarded thinking you could not grab.
# The most points that can be achieved in the game is if you get all of the deer and wolves. You do not need to play a deer+wolf strategy to win, but you will lose if you let your opponent have all the deer and wolves.
# Other powerful cards to build a game around:
#* Beech Martins - play them while filling all 4 sides of trees
#* Tree Ferns - Play them with Toads and Salamanders
#* Goshawks - Play them while playing lots of other birds
#* Oaks/Strawberries - Play them while getting all 8 species of tree
#* European Hares - Red Foxes: Generally a less power combination than deer +wolves, but can still get you a number of points if lucky. (Combine with a Silver Fir for more points, and a mole to play the hares quickly)
#* Chestnuts - playing a lot of these is a good, especially if you can all get the orange Roe deer.
#* Sycamores + Red Deer - Play a lot of trees with these
#* The right mushrooms can help boost any of these strategies powerfully.
# Secondary strategies include:
#* Butterflies + Hedgehogs
#* Bats and Dormice
#* Lynxes (compliments 🦌 🐺)
#* Mosses
# Easy to forget Rules
#* The “free play a type of creature” bonus does not trigger additional bonuses or effect.
#* The "Draw card" effect only draws from the deck (not the clearing)
#* A card is added to the clearing when a tree/sapling is played, but not when a split card is played
# There are 8 types of tree in the base game:
#* Sycamore
#* Birch
#* Beech
#* Douglas Fir
#* Oak
#* Horse Chestnut
#* Linden
#* Silver Fir
# The Alpine expansion includes 2 new tree types for a total of 10
#* European Larch
#* Swiss Pine
# The Alpine expansion also makes makes butterfly and bird strategies more viable. Expansion tree colors are a bit more rare and may be confused with some base game ones if colorblind.

Tips forestshuffle

2024-01-22T08:46:26Z

Redeemedmonkeycma: Revised the entire strategy section to be more honest about good strategies.

It is as important to keep cards your opponent wants away from them, as it is to score big points for yourself.

It is often worth your while to wait a turn and gain the right colors, in order to be able to use a card's bonus.

The most points that can be achieved in the game is if you get all of the deer and wolves. You do not need to play a deer+wolf strategy to win, but you will lose if you let your opponent have all the deer and wolves.

Other powerful cards to build a game around:

Beech Martins - play them while filling all 4 sides of a tree

Tree Ferns - Play them with Toads and Salamanders

Goshawks - Play them while playing lots of other birds

Oaks/Strawberries - Play them while getting all 8 species of tree

European Hares - Red Foxes: Generally a less power combination than deer +wolves, but can still get you a number of points.

Chestnuts - playing a lot of these is a good, especially if you can all get the orange Roe deer.

Sycamores + Red Deer - Play a lot of trees with these

The right mushrooms can help boost any of these strategies powerfully.

Secondary strategies include:

Butterflies + Hedgehogs

Bats and Dormice

Lynxes

Mosses

Easy to forget Rules:

* The “free play a type of creature” bonus does not trigger additional bonuses or effects
* The "Draw card" effect only draws from the deck (not the clearing)
* A card is added to the clearing when a tree/sapling is played, but not when a split card is played

There are 8 types of tree:

* Sycamore
* Birch
* Beech
* Douglas Fir
* Oak
* Horse Chestnut
* Linden
* Silver Fir

Tips forestshuffle

2024-01-19T23:54:00Z

Redeemedmonkeycma: Fixed so the statement on mushrooms is actually correct

Butterflies + Hedgehog = good point engine

Beech Martin works best when you load up on trees and complete them with cards on each side

Take care on the order of cards with bonuses - be prepared to play the bonuses in order to take best advantage of their ability to either generate further card play or deliver more cards (e.g., don't play a bonus card that allows you to play a Paw card if you don't have any Paw cards in hand).

Play the mushrooms early - their power is in delivering additional cards *as you play other cards*

Timing on the Brown Bear is critical - play it when the clearing is full or nearly full. Don't waste it on a sparse (3 or fewer cards) clearing.

Strawberries and Oak Trees have the same effect -- play both of them for double the effect.

Wolf and hoof are big shots.

Making 20 trees + berries also a way to go

Easy to forget Rules:

* The “free play a type of creature” bonus does not trigger additional bonuses or effects
* The "Draw card" effect only draws from the deck (not the clearing)
* A card is added to the clearing only when a tree/sapling is played (not a split card)

There are 8 types of tree:

* Sycamore
* Birch
* Beech
* Douglas Fir
* Oak
* Horse Chestnut
* Linden
* Silver Fir