counterplay is nowhere near as bad as people seem to think it is, it's still very easy to get trophies. i got the pages distinction on a full checkless build where i got counterplayed left and right and still would win handily because the checkless options on teeth and roots are just better.

there's plenty of rng to complain about in hearts game but the amount of complaining about counterplay on the wiki is bizarre considering how it barely affects actual runs. the worst I've ever seen it do is occasionally cause me to lose what might otherwise have been a tie.