No Visiting rule

Nomad Camp, a card that invokes the No Visiting rule.

The "No Visiting" rule is a rule dictating that when a card is gained to a place other than the discard pile (such as to the top of a player's deck), that card does not "visit" the discard pile; in other words, the card is not put into the discard pile before going to its final destination, but goes directly to where it is being gained to. This is important when used in conjunction with the stop-moving rule; cards that are gained to a location other than the discard pile can be moved away from their gain location by an effect looking for a gained card.

However, in other cases a card might not be gained directly to a place other than the discard pile, but rather gained to the discard pile and then subsequently moved. In these cases the stop-moving rule can interfere.

Example 1: If you Summon a Nomad Camp, even though the Nomad Camp is not in the discard pile (because it was gained directly to the top of your deck), Summon will still be able to set it aside. In contrast, if you Summon a Nomads, and then use Travelling Fair to move it onto your deck, that will cause Summon to fail to set aside the Nomads.

Example 2: If you gain a card with Workshop, and then move it onto your deck with Watchtower, that will cause Gatekeeper to fail to exile the card. In contrast, if you gain a card with Armory, it will be exiled by Gatekeeper.

Official Rules

• When a card is gained to a location other than a discard pile, it does not "visit" the discard pile – it goes directly to where it was gained. For example Armory gains cards directly to the top of a deck.

Directly gaining a card

Cards in italics have been removed. Cards with an asterisk (*) apply to themselves instead of a card that's been gained.

Gains to hand

• Artisan
• Mine
• Torturer
• Trading Post
• Explorer
• Pirate
• Ill-Gotten Gains
• Beggar (on-play effect)
• Transmogrify
• Rocks (outside of your Buy phase)
• Guardian*
• Ghost Town*
• Night Watchman*
• Cobbler
• Den of Sin*
• Plague
• Sculptor
• Treasurer
• Falconer
• Swap
• Pickaxe
• Silver Mine

Gains onto deck

• Sea Hag
• Treasure Map
• Tournament
• Bag of Gold
• Fool's Gold
• Develop
• Nomad Camp*
• Beggar (Reaction)
• Armory
• Graverobber
• Taxman
• Artificer
• Rocks (Buy phase)
• Greed
• Supplies
• Demand
• Stampede
• Crafters' Guild
• Invasion (gained Action)

Gains to set aside

• Blockade
• Quartermaster

Moving a card when you gain it

These are cards that can move gained cards, but are worded in such a way that the gained card is moved after it is gained, not while it is gained, so the card does indeed visit the discard pile.

[T]here is a difference between "gain onto your deck" and "gain… put it onto your deck." the former changes the gain-location of the card; the latter moves it after gaining it to the discard pile.

—Donald X. Vaccarino, Dominion Discord, 2019

Topdeck the card

• Watchtower
• Royal Seal
• Tiara
• Travelling Fair
• Tracker
• Sleigh
• Way of the Seal
• Bauble
• Trappers' Lodge
• Insignia

Put into your hand

• Villa*
• Sleigh

Trash the card

• Watchtower
• Siren*

Exchange the card

• Trader
• Changeling

Play the card

• Sailor
• Trail*
• Berserker*
• Innovation
• City-state
• Mining Road
• Buried Treasure*
• Rush

Exile the card

• Gatekeeper

Set aside the card

• Cargo Ship
• Deliver
• Hasty

Moving a card after it's gained

The following cards gain you a card, and then after you resolve all when-gain effects for it, they instruct you to move the card (if it hasn't been lost already).

• Replace (put the card onto your deck)
• Reap (set the Gold aside)
• Hill Fort (put the card into your hand)
• Spell Scroll (play the card)
• Invasion (play the Loot)
• Summon (set the Action aside)

Ironworks, Tournament, and Groom don't directly move the cards they gain, but their bonuses still take place after gaining.