Gainer
A "'gainer'" is any card which allows you to gain cards without buying them. The simplest example is Workshop. They often work well with Gardens strategies, as they allow you to gain more cards than you have buys. They're can also be useful for picking up engine components, especially cheap ones.
Cards that allow you to trash one card and gain another, like Remodel, are usually considered to be in a separate category from gainers, since they don't increase your deck size. However, they can sometimes have similar functions for gaining engine components.
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Types of gainers
Workshop variants
These cards let you gain cards up to a specific maximum price. Most of them work well in combinations with cards like Highway, which will let you gain more expensive cards than you usually can.
- Dominion: Workshop, Feast
- Intrigue: Ironworks
- Seaside: Smugglers
- Alchemy: University
- Prosperity: Talisman
- Cornucopia: Horn of Plenty
- Hinterlands: Haggler
- Dark Ages: Hermit, Armory, Dame Natalie, Graverobber, Rogue
Silver gainers
Since Silver is present in every game, and is almost always a useful card but never super-powerful, there are several cards that use gaining Silver as a decent but not overpowered bonus.
- Dominion: Bureaucrat
- Intrigue: Trading Post
- Seaside: Explorer
- Cornucopia: Trusty Steed
- Hinterlands: Jack of all Trades, Trader
- Dark Ages: Squire
Other treasure gainers
These cards can be used to gain other Treasures—some specifically Copper, Gold, or Spoils; others whatever Treasure happens to be available.
- Dominion: Thief
- Seaside: Treasure Map, Explorer
- Prosperity: Mint, Hoard
- Cornucopia: Bag of Gold
- Hinterlands: Tunnel, Noble Brigand, Ill-Gotten Gains
- Promo: Governor
- Dark Ages: Beggar, Market Square, Marauder, Bandit Camp, Count, Pillage
Other specific-card gainers
- Intrigue: Baron—can gain an Estate
- Cornucopia: Followers—gains an Estate
- Cornucopia: Tournament—can gain a Duchy or a Prize
- Cornucopia: Jester—can gain whatever card is on top of the opponent's deck
- Dark Ages: Count—can gain a Duchy and/or a Copper