Cantrip

Cantrip is the common slang term for any Dominion Action card which offers +1 Action and +1 Card. It is essentially self-replacing (costing no net action to play it) and will usually offer some side benefit, such as the + Peddler offers or the +1 Action of Village.

The name "cantrip" is a recycled slang term from the Magic: The Gathering card game, which itself borrowed the term from Dungeons and Dragons.

Cantrips harming the deck

In most cases, cantrips are seen as cards that cannot harm the deck, since you receive a benefit by playing them and doing so does not prevent or delay you from drawing other cards in your deck. There are a few exceptions.

Discard attacks like Militia or Goons which require the player to make a choice of which cards to discard are more powerful against hands containing a few cantrips. This is because the player discarding does not know which cards are going to be drawn by the cantrips, so the chance of making a sub-optimal choice is greater.

Like any other Action card, a cantrip can be drawn dead—i.e., drawn by a terminal Action card without sufficient +Actions to be able to play the cantrip after you draw it—and thus can harm a Big Money deck that depends on terminal draw without villages. In particular, cantrips may be less useful with draw-up-to-X cards like Library, Watchtower, and Jack of all Trades. Although cantrips do not outright harm the deck in these cases, they under-perform other cards which do not draw cards (and which typically offer more benefits in compensation for the lack of draw).

Other Nicknames for Cantrips

Some players refer to Cantrips as 'invisible' cards, based on them replacing themselves into your hand with no net negatives. Donald X has referred to Cantrips as 'free' cards. [1]

Disagreement over the definition

Some players have differing views on exactly what cards the term "cantrip" encompasses. Some people require that a cantrip exactly replaces itself (i.e. always draws exactly 1 card), while others call cards which sometimes or always draw 2 or more cards (such as Laboratory) a cantrip. Another point of contention is whether cards which can harm you directly, and/or decrease handsize when played—such as Junk Dealer, whose trashing is not optional—are classed as cantrips.

Examples of Cantrip Cards

• Apothecary - May not be considered a cantrip, as it can possibly draw extra cards.
• Caravan
• Cartographer
• Great Hall
• Hamlet
• Ironmonger
• Market
• Pearl Diver
• Pawn* - Can be a cantrip depending on player choice.
• Peddler
• Spy
• Tournament* - Can fail to draw a card if an opponent reveals a Province.
• Urchin
• Village
• Wishing Well* - May not be considered a cantrip, as it can possibly draw an extra card.