--- id: disposition-matchup/take-and-hold--vs--priority-assets kind: matchup-analysis lang: en title: "Take and Hold vs Priority Assets — Inescapable Dominion / Secure Asset" subjects: - gdm:disposition/take-and-hold - gdm:disposition/priority-assets - gdm:primary/take-and-hold/inescapable-dominion - gdm:primary/priority-assets/secure-asset sides: side0: disposition: take-and-hold card: gdm:primary/take-and-hold/inescapable-dominion scoringCheckpoint: mixed holdWindow: 1 side1: disposition: priority-assets card: gdm:primary/priority-assets/secure-asset scoringCheckpoint: mixed holdWindow: 1 ratings: - metric: edge value: 9 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "Both cards run flat hold lines and both project 25 VP past the cap, so the cell is decided by who can score without moving: Secure Asset banks 12 VP a turn from its own half and the centre against Inescapable Dominion's 9, and its action pays without the ground having to survive to the end of the turn. The count bonus that looks like the Take and Hold edge is the clause that obliges it to leave." - metric: ceiling side: 0 value: 13 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "Flat lines cap the card: 9 VP a round plus a 4 VP stretch and a 5 VP finish." - metric: ceiling side: 1 value: 14 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "8 VP a round when holding three, plus the asset action and a kill rider." - metric: floor side: 0 value: 16 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "2 objectives and a lead on count is the whole card, and it needs nothing else." - metric: floor side: 1 value: 12 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "The 4 VP hold is safe, but half the card depends on completing the asset action." - metric: tempo side: 0 value: 7 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "The engine is a Command-phase checkpoint." - metric: tempo side: 1 value: 11 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "The asset action and the kill rider both resolve at the end of your turn." - metric: complexity side: 0 value: 5 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "2 objectives, stay ahead on count. The simplest card in the matrix." - metric: complexity side: 1 value: 11 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "Action timing against a three-objective threshold." - metric: exposure side: 0 value: 12 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "2 objectives and a count lead can be built from safe ground; only the late home raid puts a unit somewhere hostile." - metric: activationCost side: 0 value: 12 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "Flat thresholds mean you commit exactly enough and no more — the cheapest holding plan in the matrix." - metric: exposure side: 1 value: 13 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "Securing the asset and reaching 3 objectives both require forward presence held through an enemy turn." - metric: activationCost side: 1 value: 14 confidence: medium basis: theory rationale: "The asset carrier is a dedicated unit, and 3 objectives need three garrisons." claims: - type: engine-note side: 0 phase: whole-game text: "Inescapable Dominion does not scale: 5 VP for two or more objectives and 4 VP for being ahead on count is a hard 9 VP a round, so the fourth objective is worth nothing." - type: engine-note side: 0 phase: whole-game text: "Denying the opponent third objective is worth 4 VP to the Take and Hold player (the count bonus) — denial and scoring are the same action." - type: engine-note side: 1 phase: whole-game text: "Secure Asset pays 4 VP for holding anything and another 4 VP for holding three or more, so the Priority Assets player has a real threshold at exactly 3 objectives." - type: pitfall phase: whole-game text: "Both players lose VP by over-committing to a fourth objective: neither hold line pays for it." - type: cost side: 0 phase: whole-game text: "This card moves its checkpoint during the game, so the same grab costs a full enemy turn early and nothing late — price the grab accordingly before committing a unit to it." - type: cost side: 1 phase: whole-game text: "This card moves its checkpoint during the game, so the same grab costs a full enemy turn early and nothing late — price the grab accordingly before committing a unit to it." - type: terrain phase: deployment text: "Measured across all 45 transcribed layouts: a central objective can be held from a spot only 4.6% of the enemy deployment zone can see (best board 0%), while taking an enemy home objective means standing where a median of 47.7% of their deployment zone has line of sight, rising to 91.7% on the most exposed board. Cards that pay for enemy home objectives are charging you that difference, and the board decides the price." refs: - rule:13.08 - rule:14.02 - type: disruption side: 0 phase: whole-game text: "Their second bonus needs exactly 3 objectives, so denying their third is worth 4 VP to them and 4 VP to you at the same time — contest, do not expand. Their other half is the asset action, so kill the carrier: a unit performing an action is not shooting back and usually not moving. And note that your count bonus is checked at *your* Command phase, so they can take an objective on their own turn and still deny it — count at the right moment." - type: list-building side: 0 phase: list-building text: "Take and Hold needs: Two durable holders. That is the whole engine. 1 unit dedicated to contesting their third objective — it does not need to hold it, only to deny it. Threat on their asset carrier: reach, or something in reserve. One late raider for the 5 VP finish; you will have units spare by round 4." - type: disruption side: 1 phase: whole-game text: "Their card is flat: 5 VP for 2 objectives, 4 VP for being ahead on count. So matching their count denies 4 VP for free — you do not need to out-hold them, only to tie. Their 5 VP finish wants your home objective, so screen it from round 4. And the fourth objective is worth nothing to them, which means anything they commit beyond two is a unit you can ignore." - type: list-building side: 1 phase: list-building text: "Priority Assets needs: Two or three cheap units able to perform the asset action on rotation, so a kill does not stop the engine. Just enough board presence to reach 3 objectives — not four. A home screen for the last 2 rounds. Shooting that can reach models sitting on central objectives, for the 2 VP rider." - type: layout phase: deployment text: "All three boards for this pairing are transcribed and measured. Layout 1 (bands on the short edges) reads 11/20 for openness, Layout 2 (bands on the short edges) reads 3/20 for openness, Layout 3 (diagonal across the short axis) reads 7/20 for openness. Taking a home marker off the opponent costs 41.1% deployment-zone exposure on Layout 2 and 63.9% on Layout 1 — the same play, priced very differently. Central markers stay the safest ground on all three, bottoming out at 0% on Layout 2." listRequirements: - side: 0 role: "Two durable holders" count: 2 trait: - durability phase: list-building why: "Two durable holders." - side: 0 role: "That is the whole engine" trait: - objective-control phase: list-building why: "That is the whole engine." - side: 0 role: "1 unit dedicated to contesting their third objective" count: 1 trait: - objective-control phase: list-building why: "1 unit dedicated to contesting their third objective — it does not need to hold it, only to deny it." - side: 0 role: "Threat on their asset carrier" trait: - deep-strike - reach phase: list-building why: "Threat on their asset carrier: reach, or something in reserve." - side: 0 role: "One late raider for the 5 VP finish" count: 1 trait: - objective-control phase: list-building why: "One late raider for the 5 VP finish; you will have units spare by round 4." - side: 0 role: "A reactive threat that makes the approach cost something" count: 1 trait: - reactive-deterrence phase: rounds-2-3 why: "This card checks its hold at the Command phase, so every grab has to live through a full enemy turn. Heroic Intervention, Fire Overwatch and Counter-Offensive make that survivable by taxing the commit instead of answering it after the fact — cheaper than buying enough wounds to tank it." - side: 0 role: "1 unit expensive to remove, and concealment for everything else" count: 1 trait: - concealment - durability phase: whole-game vpAtStake: 8 why: "Their kill clause names WHERE the victim has to be, which hands you target selection: present 1 unit that costs more to remove than it is worth, keep the rest Hidden or in cover, and the 2 VP a turn simply does not fire." - side: 1 role: "Two or three cheap units able to perform the asset action on rotation" count: 2 trait: - action-recycling - expendable-bodies - damage phase: list-building why: "Two or three cheap units able to perform the asset action on rotation, so a kill does not stop the engine." - side: 1 role: "Just enough board presence to reach 3 objectives" count: 3 trait: - reach phase: list-building why: "Just enough board presence to reach 3 objectives — not four." - side: 1 role: "A home screen for the last 2 rounds" count: 2 trait: - screening phase: list-building why: "A home screen for the last 2 rounds." - side: 1 role: "Shooting that can reach models sitting on central objectives" count: 2 trait: - reach phase: list-building why: "Shooting that can reach models sitting on central objectives, for the 2 VP rider." - side: 1 role: "A reactive threat that makes the approach cost something" count: 1 trait: - reactive-deterrence phase: rounds-2-3 why: "This card checks its hold at the Command phase, so every grab has to live through a full enemy turn. Heroic Intervention, Fire Overwatch and Counter-Offensive make that survivable by taxing the commit instead of answering it after the fact — cheaper than buying enough wounds to tank it." dependsOn: corpus: "2026-05-09 23:42:21" gdmPack: "GDM" status: draft sources: [] --- ## The matchup in a nutshell Two flat cards, so neither of you scales with board control — this is a game of thresholds, not accumulation. Take and Hold needs 2 objectives and a lead on count for a dependable 9 VP a round. Priority Assets needs 1 objective, an action every turn, and exactly 3 markers for its second bonus. Reliability favours the holder. | | Take and Hold | Priority Assets | |---|---|---| | Card | Inescapable Dominion | Secure Asset | | Scores at | mixed | mixed | | Hold window | 1 enemy turn | 1 enemy turn | | Exposure | 12/20 | 13/20 | | Activation cost | 12/20 | 14/20 | A hold window of 1 cuts both ways, and most players only think about one of them. It means your grab has to survive a full enemy turn before it pays — but it also means **you get a whole turn to shoot theirs off the marker before they bank it**. Denial is not a side quest on this card; it is half the card. ## Playing Take and Hold *Your card: Inescapable Dominion. Scoring checkpoint: mixed. Hold window: 1 enemy turn.* ### How you score 4 VP any turn you hold three or more objectives; then at your Command phase, 5 VP for holding two or more and 4 VP for holding more objectives than your opponent. A flat, dependable 9 VP a round that asks nothing of your army but standing still. Plus 5 VP at the end of battle for their home objective. ### What it costs you Low. 2 objectives on safe ground and a count advantage can be built without ever exposing much — the only risky play on the card is the late home raid, and that is optional. Exposure 12/20, activation cost 12/20. ### How you break them Their second bonus needs **exactly 3 objectives**, so denying their third is worth 4 VP to them and 4 VP to you at the same time — contest, do not expand. Their other half is the asset action, so kill the carrier: a unit performing an action is not shooting back and usually not moving. And note that your count bonus is checked at *your* Command phase, so they can take an objective on their own turn and still deny it — count at the right moment. ### What your list needs - Two durable holders. That is the whole engine. - 1 unit dedicated to contesting their third objective — it does not need to hold it, only to deny it. - Threat on their asset carrier: reach, or something in reserve. - One late raider for the 5 VP finish; you will have units spare by round 4. ## Playing Priority Assets *Your card: Secure Asset. Scoring checkpoint: mixed. Hold window: 1 enemy turn.* ### How you score 4 VP any turn a unit secures the asset, 2 VP for killing an enemy that started near a central objective, and at your Command phase 4 VP for holding anything plus 4 VP for holding three or more. ### What it costs you The asset carrier spends its turn on the action, and reaching 3 objectives against a dedicated holding army means committing bodies you would rather keep. Half your card depends on an action completing. Exposure 13/20, activation cost 14/20. ### How you break them Their card is flat: 5 VP for 2 objectives, 4 VP for being ahead on count. So **matching their count denies 4 VP for free** — you do not need to out-hold them, only to tie. Their 5 VP finish wants your home objective, so screen it from round 4. And the fourth objective is worth nothing to them, which means anything they commit beyond two is a unit you can ignore. ### What your list needs - Two or three cheap units able to perform the asset action on rotation, so a kill does not stop the engine. - Just enough board presence to reach 3 objectives — not four. - A home screen for the last 2 rounds. - Shooting that can reach models sitting on central objectives, for the 2 VP rider. ## The three layouts Take and Hold vs Priority Assets is played on one of three boards, and they are not the same game. All three are transcribed and measured below. | Board | Deployment | Openness | Centre exposure | Cost to raid a home marker | No-man's-land | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Layout 1 | bands on the short edges | 11/20 | 19.7% | 63.9% | — | | Layout 2 | bands on the short edges | 3/20 | 0% | 41.1% | 0% | | Layout 3 | diagonal across the short axis | 7/20 | 17.3% | 60.8% | 8.4% | - **Layout 1** — bands on the short edges, openness **11/20**. The middle is contested ground — the best holding spot on a central marker is still visible to **19.7%** of the enemy deployment zone. Home markers are a fortress: taking one means standing in front of **63.9%** of their deployment zone. Almost anywhere you stand near a marker (100% of legal spots) can be put fully out of sight. - **Layout 2** — bands on the short edges, openness **3/20**. The middle is free real estate: there is a legal spot within range of a central marker that only **0%** of the enemy deployment zone can see. Raiding a home marker costs **41.1%** exposure — real, but payable with one screened unit. No-man's-land markers sit at **0%**. 83% of the legal holding spots can go fully out of sight — pick the spot, not the marker. - **Layout 3** — diagonal across the short axis, openness **7/20**. The middle is contested ground — the best holding spot on a central marker is still visible to **17.3%** of the enemy deployment zone. Home markers are a fortress: taking one means standing in front of **60.8%** of their deployment zone. No-man's-land markers sit at **8.4%**. 72% of the legal holding spots can go fully out of sight — pick the spot, not the marker. If your plan needs enemy ground, **Layout 2** is where it is cheapest (41.1% exposure against 63.9% on Layout 1) — the same raid can be a bargain or a suicide depending on which board you drew. Take and Hold and Priority Assets must survive a full enemy turn before banking a grab, so **Layout 2** (openness 3/20) is the board where that plan is cheapest, and **Layout 1** (11/20) the one where it bleeds. Numbers are measured on the transcribed sheets: every legal spot within control range of each marker is tested, and the best one is reported — the way a real player looks for the safest place to stand, not the middle of the marker. ## Decision points - Rounds 2-3 — Priority Assets goes for the third objective or settles for actions. - Round 4 — Take and Hold releases a unit for the home raid; Priority Assets screens home. - Round 5 — the count bonus is checked at the Take and Hold Command phase, so a last-turn grab still denies it.