Thinning

Thinning is reducing the number of cards in a deck, especially stop cards. This is done to make the deck more reliable and increase the chance of having critical cards in a starting hand. When possible, it is a critical component of building an engine deck

Thinning is usually achieved through trashing undesirable cards with the use of a trasher such as Chapel. Some kingdoms offer alternative methods of thinning, such as exiling cards (e.g., with Sanctuary), returning them to the supply (e.g., Ambassador), or temporarily or permanently setting them aside (e.g., Native Village). Cards with non-trashing deck-thinning effects are sometimes referred to as pseudo-trashers.

In the absence of effective ways to thin your deck, sifting may substitute for thinning.

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