The Nine Territories
Nine territories. Nine abilities. The whole game is fought over this board.
Knowing the rules gets you playing. Knowing which territories to fight for gets you winning. Every ability, every strategic angle, every combination your opponents haven't figured out yet.
Coastal Territories
The Coastal region rewards proactive, card-hungry players. These three shape the early game more than anything else on the board.
Sativa Springs
Ability: Draw +1 card at the start of your turn Type: Card Engine
The most contested territory in the game. One extra draw per turn means 10+ extra cards over a full game. That's 10 more decisions, 10 more options, 10 more threats your opponents have to account for.
Leave it open and someone else takes it. Then you spend the rest of the game behind.
Verdict: Contest on Turn 1. Lose it? Make taking it back your next priority.
CBD Coast
Ability: Place 2 defending cards instead of 1 Type: Fortress
One Strain defends most territories. CBD Coast holds two. Their Defense stats stack. A 4-DEF card plus a 4-DEF card hits 8 total Defense.
Attacks against a stacked Coast are wasteful. It buys you time, resources, and the quiet satisfaction of watching someone waste their best card.
Verdict: High value in defensive builds. Pair with Indica Island for the strongest anchor on the board.
Blunt Beach
Ability: Attack twice in one turn (5-turn cooldown) Type: Active Offense
When the cooldown is ready, Blunt Beach is a tempo bomb. Two attacks. One turn. Swing territory count by two before anyone can react.
Don't waste it on weak targets. Save it for the moment that cracks the game open.
Verdict: Breaks stalemates. Watch the timer. Plan the double-strike in advance.
Highland Territories
The Highlands reward engagement — whether you're throwing punches or inviting them. These abilities fire on outcomes, not passively.
Kush Mountains
Ability: Draw 1 card whenever you take a territory Type: Aggressive Engine
Every successful attack hands you a new card. Aggression pays in resources, not just territory count. Win a fight, draw a card, fund the next fight.
Pair with Sativa Springs and you're pulling 2+ cards per move. Card advantage at that level becomes momentum that's nearly impossible to stop.
Verdict: Claim early if you're playing aggressive. Each conquest funds the next.
Hashish Highlands
Ability: Draw 1 card whenever you successfully defend Type: Defensive Engine
The attacker's worst nightmare. Every failed invasion makes you stronger — they lose a card, you gain one. Punishes overaggression and rewards players who stack solid defenders.
The play: make your territories look tempting. Let opponents drain themselves against them.
Verdict: Pair with high-DEF Strains and CBD Coast. Let aggressive players exhaust themselves.
THC Terrace
Ability: +1 VP per Strain card in your hand at game end Type: Late-Game Scoring
Stop spending Strains. Hold them. Each one is worth a point when the game ends.
High-skill territory. You need enough board presence through other means (Events, territory abilities) while hoarding Strains for the payoff.
Verdict: Niche but powerful. Pair with Sativa Springs to keep drawing Strains without spending them.
Frontier Territories
Remote, contested, often decisive. The Frontier holds one of the most fought-over defensive tiles on the board and two late-game scoring engines that flip results at the last moment.
Indica Island
Ability: +2 Defense to this territory Type: Defensive Buff
Indica Island's +2 Defense applies to combat fought here — any Strain you plant on this territory becomes significantly harder to dislodge than its raw stats suggest. That concentrated defensive bonus makes it one of the toughest positions on the board to crack.
The value isn't spread thin. It's focused. Dig in here and opponents have to commit serious resources to take it — resources they'd rather spend elsewhere.
Verdict: High priority in defensive strategies. Pair with CBD Coast to create two anchor positions that most hands can't break without Instants.
Ganja Grove
Ability: +1 VP at the start of every turn Type: Passive Scoring
Free points. Every turn. While you're making moves and drawing cards, the Grove is quietly padding your score.
The longer you hold it, the wider the gap. Opponents who let you sit here unchallenged are handing you the game in small increments. They'll figure that out eventually — and come at it hard. Be ready.
Verdict: Claim early. Defend it. Forces opponents to fight on your terms or watch the gap grow.
Dank Desert
Ability: +1 VP per Event card in your hand at game end Type: Late-Game Scoring
The hoarder's gambit. Hold Events instead of playing them. Each one is a point at the final count.
High-risk. Events are powerful tools — not using them means accepting short-term disadvantage for a late-game payoff. Only works if you survive to collect.
Verdict: Pairs with strategies that accumulate Events without spending them. Risky if the board turns against you mid-game.
Quick reference
| Territory | Ability | When it shines |
|---|---|---|
| Sativa Springs | +1 card draw per turn | Every game, every strategy |
| CBD Coast | 2 defender slots | Defensive builds, fortress strategies |
| Blunt Beach | Attack twice (5-turn cooldown) | Breaking stalemates, endgame swings |
| Kush Mountains | Draw on conquest | Aggressive, high-tempo play |
| Hashish Highlands | Draw on successful defense | Defensive counter-play |
| THC Terrace | +1 VP per Strain in hand | Card hoarding, late-game scoring |
| Indica Island | +2 Defense on this territory | Defensive builds, fortress anchor |
| Ganja Grove | +1 VP per turn | Extended games, passive scoring |
| Dank Desert | +1 VP per Event in hand | Event hoarding, high-risk plays |
The combinations that win games
Certain pairs create effects worth more than their parts.
The Fortress — Indica Island + CBD Coast Claim both. Indica Island's +2 Defense makes it extremely hard to take. CBD Coast holds two defenders, their stats summed. Together they form two anchor positions — the most resilient defensive setup in the game.
The Engine — Sativa Springs + Kush Mountains Draw on turn start. Draw on conquest. 2+ cards per move. Card advantage at this level becomes unstoppable momentum.
The Point Machine — Ganja Grove + THC Terrace or Dank Desert Passive scoring plus end-game bonus. Control these through mid and late game and you can win on points without holding the most territories at the count.