This is mostly keeping the base game in mind. As the card pool expands and your games vary, you might not find this strategy the most effective.

This may also not always be the most effective in single player as some objectives will make some of these ideas counter intuitive, though one thing will always remain consistent; chambering your maid chiefs ASAP will almost always generate you more advantage than not doing so as the cards aren't doing anything for any strategy otherwise.

Any cards mentioned that don't have an image is simply because I couldn't find one.

Something you need to understand about this strategy is card advantage. Card advantage, in most games, refers to the general net positive that playing a single card gives you. So a card that you play is a -1 because it takes the card itself to play it. A card that requires you to discard cards is a -x-1, with x being however many cards you're discarding and including yet still the -1 of playing the card itself. Cards that get you a single card is a +0, and cards that do more than replacing themselves in your hand are +x-1 being however many cards you're drawing minus the card you played.

You want to get your deck to either a total of 0 or more.

Ideally, when employing cards your first dozen or so turns, you want them to either be a +0, flexible in what it can plus, or be able to be chambered at a later point. Anything else is only going to prove detrimental later as you will struggle to be generating the advantage over the -1 cards you've bought.

Base game being what it is, the cards that's not a +0 at most requires additional servings to be made effective, which isn't the most difficult thing to accomplish.

Now that we understand how card advantage works, it's important to point out what works against you in the starting deck.

Love cards, by themselves, are a -1. Maid chiefs are also -1. If you intend to generate enough card advantage to be able to draw out an entire deck of cards, you must generate a total of +7 to draw past your love cards, an additional +3 for your maid chiefs, or figure out a way to otherwise remove these cards from your deck. Love is much harder to remove from the deck as it requires specific cards to do so. Maid chiefs, on the other hand, simply requires servings.

Anything else you buy at any point can increase these numbers, and is why you generally want to buy cards that +0 for the first dozen turns. You can net some positives from other things and chambering your maids, but generally this should be kept to a minimum as having to +7-10 in most situations is demanding enough without a ton of careless buys.

Nearly every starting two turns are going to have a 3 and 4 love. You should make the 3 love buy one of the general maids that gives more love when played; preferably something that can also be chambered. 4 love is what's going to vary the most, but your go to should either be something that +0-1 or a 2 love card should a -certain- card be in town.

Your goal for the next couple of turns will be to either get Natsumi or Sainsbury at a cost of 5 love.


Sainsbury is that -certain- card that makes a 2 love card buy not a big deal, as well as cut down on the -1s that are all of your starting 1 love cards; these should be traded for cards that either can be chambered easily or the +0-1 4 employ cost card you grabbed turn one or two. Personally, with Sainsbury, I keep it to 3-4 love cards in deck so I can have the raw buy power; should trade for love cards till you have no more than three 2 love cards in deck (reducing the -7 cards to a -3), which can be used to get 3 love cards at some mid-game point. If you're going to trade for love cards, do so sooner rather than later as the buy power let's you get more of your other pieces and you may or may not be competing with other players to secure 2 love copies. Doing so otherwise can be good when combined with additional servings; you can trade for the +0-1 card and immediately play it, possibly generating enough early advantage to buy even more key pieces in addition for trading the -1 for something that doesn't -1. Whatever you're competing against someone to get copies of you should prioritize otherwise.

This is a card that you only ever want one copy of; it's a -1, especially after you no longer have 1 love cards.



Natsumi is the one general maid that grants additional servings while remaining as a +0 card. Ideally, this should be the card you use to combo with the other general maids that +1 or more as it's not a -1 you'd need to also make up for. Her additional, forceful discard effects are just a nice bonus, but one you should take advantage of; when choosing cards to discard initially it should be the cards that don't generate advantage, your -1s, and should be done at points where you can put everyone else to the minimum amount of cards (when you can do it twice) and not at the cost of being unable to buy key cards for your strategy (if that one love would mean not buying anotheer Natsumi or not trading it with Sainsbury, then don't). There's also the obvious and simple two servings that will let you chamber your maid chiefs, which is pivotal early on and why a few copies of this card is something you want to get sooner rather than later.

If your starting hands are the 2 and 5 love, the 2 love is a toss up assuming that there's no general maid that gives love, just don't buy another 1 love card. Your 5 love buy gives you a pretty good headstart to make up for the sub-par 2 love buy.

You'll know a town meta is busted whenever it includes Genevieve, Sainsbury, and/or Natsumi. Most single player tables include at least Natsumi and Sainsbury, and few with Genevieve. Ophelias are also optimal being +0 and generating love. Once you have two or three Natsumi, you can really begin to snowball with Anise. Both Ophelia and Anise are also at nearly every single player table, and both are worth VP.

As expansions get included, the card pool will expand. An expanded card pool will mean that trying to do this strategy will be trickier.

Just simply take note of what's been mentioned a lot before. There will be plenty of cards that +1 or more. Most of those cards will not give servings. Combo them with what cards are available that give more servings.

Expanding the House is a wonderful first expansion to Tanto Cuore. Introducing the building mechanic, there's now a new layer of strategy one can approach the game with.

Unfortunately, there's few cards in this set that outperform your base game options in terms of +0 cards, and several cards that require a more technical approach. For what this set lacks for drawing out your deck, or removing cards from your deck, it makes up for by offering several cards that +>1.

Pauline Dumond let's you discard two identical cards in your hand to +2. She gives you one serving for playing her. She's STRONG in the early game at only two love and a high likelihood of having one love cards to discard. She only gets weaker mid-late game when you have more cards with different names, meaning that you might not find her to be a good starting play. Drawing into her, however, can let one generate enough advantage when you do not have an ability to remove love cards. She might not be something you buy out, but for a few beginning turn buys you can get a lot of work out of her.

I WOULD include an image of her, but I'm unable to find an image of the card Steam will allow me to upload


I don't think much needs to be said about this card. It's what you go for when all of your better options have been exhausted. While it is a +0, it's not generating any additional advantage for playing it. More that it gives you a nice option for a three buy that you won't regret later, or a VP option.


Domino I think is a neat card with a neat design. It gives you a +1, and can be used to disadvantage other players if and whenever you decide you got your mileage out from her. It's just important to keep in mind that without comboing with cards that you give you additional servings, she'll only do so much by herself with either of your options.


The devil is truly in the details for this card. Even if you play her much later in a deck out strategy, she's a +0 that lets you stack your deck. At worse, she lets you set up your next turn if you reach a dead end. At her best, she's a +1 you don't have to play with other cards. Sounds like a win-win, though maybe only when you don't have better options.


A better, or worse, version of Anise. The card nets you the same, strong +2 in the same exact way Anise does. It's cheaper too! You get what you pay for though. She provides no VP, and no additional buys. Solid card when provided with the additional servings to capitalize on her.

With the more technical cards to be found in Expanding the House, there's some cards that are good, and you can play them effectively and still draw out your deck, but your mileage will vary greatly.

Grace Saulsbury lets you try and get a leg up on cards three love or less. It can also be a disturbance later on. It's just a shame that there's very little three love cards you'd want to speedily get your hands on.


Felicity Horn is a more interesting version of Safron that deserves a mention. She lets you chamber you Maid Chiefs, and only your Maid Chiefs, without having to have the servings to do so. Solid for early game, and like Safron you get VP for having sets chambered herself. She gives love too. All of these factors are why she gets a shout out where Safron does not.


Lilac Hawkwind is a better Grace for some additional quirks. There's some better choices for her too that can maybe make her, as a -1, worth it, but the real problem is late game where she's not doing anything for you.


LAWL XD RAWR random card. It's a fun card. It's just a gamble to play because you don't know for sure what you'll get. She also doesn't give any additional servings by default, which means you're really playing with fire if you're not already playing her when you have extra servings. Only Maid Chiefs give you a draw effect too, so it's a really strange game if she's your best three love buy.


Emily Raymond is a stand out, additional serving piece. Only for her additional effect of reducing the cost for buildings though. Nothing to really say other than that.


Francine Barbier is probably the most technical card worth mentioning. Really niche game to remove two love cards from your deck. Gives two servings too, which means whenever you're trying to deck out and don't need to remove two love cards, she can help combo with your +>1s. May even be your only option for more servings in some games.

IF there's an advantageous private maid available, like one that will either let you draw more cards or give additional servings, you should go ahead and get them generally whenever you can.

Some will require specific conditions or cards to generate said advantage though. You'll know if you have buildings or other cards in your deck to really use them. Just understand there is a difference between your General Maid cards and Maid Chiefs.

Most of this is just basic math. The more you play, the more you'll have a feel for ratios. This is also not mentioning the key skill of reading the table, though card advantage in anyway will be beneficial even after you should decide to pivot your strategy.

This also isn't to say this is the only way to play either. Generally speaking, getting cards that are easy to chamber early on in general will give advantage in VP, and can even steal games if everyone else is only focusing on high cost strategies. Safron, being an early love generator, also gives considerable VP with more copies chambered, and against most CPUs will win you games, just maybe not get you stars. Drawing out your deck is also fairly mid-late game, and you might find the game close to ending before you can really get yourself online.

Might update this guide with a cheat sheet for each expansion as to what cards can help further fuel this strategy, although so long as you master the basics of what gains and loses card advantage, with time and practice, you'll be able to pick out such cards on your own. Just don't mindlessly buy cards.