Discard for benefit

Vault, a discard for benefit card.

Discard for benefit cards are those that, usually optionally, let you discard cards in order to get some other effect. If that effect is drawing, the card is considered a sifter. Some cards like Scholar make you discard your entire hand before drawing cards up to a set handsize; these cards fall under the category of draw-to-X.

List of cards

Cards in italics have been removed.

• Discard any number of cards:
  • Secret Chamber
  • Vault
  • Storeroom
  • Artificer
  • Opulent Castle (only discards Victory cards)
  • Shepherd (only discards Victory cards)
  • Hostelry (on gain only, and only discards Treasures)
• Discard a set number of cards for a non-scaling benefit:
  • Baron - 1 Estate
  • Stables - 1 Treasure
  • Mill - 2 cards
  • Tactician - your entire hand
  • Anvil - 1 Treasure
  • Hamlet - 1 card (does this twice)
  • Tournament - 1 Province
  • Wheelwright - 1 card
  • Witch's Hut - 2 cards (only has a benefit if both are Actions)
  • Count - 2 cards (one of its options)
  • Plaza - 1 Treasure
  • Secret Cave - 3 cards
  • The Earth's Gift - 1 Treasure
  • The Sky's Gift - 3 cards
  • Sycophant - 3 cards
  • Capital City - 2 cards
  • Figurine – 1 card
  • Foray - 3 differently-named cards

Quest can discard different numbers of different types of cards, but all cases result in the same benefit.

Cards that benefit from being discarded

Some cards give an extra benefit if they themselves are discarded by some effect.

• Hinterlands: Tunnel, Weaver, Trail
• Nocturne: Faithful Hound
• Menagerie (expansion): Village Green

Strategy

Discard for benefit effects can be used to reduce your handsize before using a draw-to-X effect or other effect that benefits from a small handsize (like Diplomat). They can also be used to remove duplicate cards from your hand before using Menagerie, or to activate on-discard effects like that of Tunnel.

Gallery

Scaling Benefit

Fixed Benefit

Cards that benefit from being discarded

Removed