Handsize attack

Militia, a handsize attack card.

Several Attack cards reduce the handsize of opponents by making them discard cards from their hand or return them to the deck—forcing them to start their next turn with fewer than the ordinary 5 cards, and thus reducing the amount they can accomplish on that turn.

List of handsize attacks

Hexes listed function as the relevant Attack when revealed by an Attack-Doom card.

Cards in italics have been removed.

Discard to target handsize

These attacks reduce the victim's handsize to a specific number of cards—usually 3, occasionally 4—regardless of how many they had to begin with. This means that additional plays of the Attack after the first don't hurt opponents; they are already down to the target handsize.

• Dominion: Militia
• Intrigue: Minion
• Seaside: Ghost Ship (opponents topdeck cards instead of discarding)
• Prosperity: Goons
• Cornucopia: Followers
• Hinterlands: Berserker, Margrave
• Dark Ages: Sir Michael, Urchin and Mercenary
• Guilds & Cornucopia: Footpad
• Empires: Catapult, Legionary
• Nocturne: Poverty
• Allies: Skirmisher
• Plunder: Cutthroat, Frigate, Sword
• Rising Sun: Ninja

Stackable handsize attacks

These attacks can be repeated and continue to reduce players' handsize after the first play. These attacks either target specific cards, and will not continue reducing handsize if a player has none of the targeted cards in hand, or they still have a limit that prevents the handsize from dropping below a certain number.

• Dominion: Bureaucrat targets Victory cards
• Seaside: Cutpurse targets Copper
• Prosperity: Clerk causes opponents to top-deck 1 card, but not if they have fewer than 5 cards in hand.
• Adventures: Soldier causes opponents to discard 1 card, but not if they have fewer than 4 cards in hand.
• Nocturne: Haunting causes opponents to top-deck 1 card, but not if they have fewer than 4 cards in hand; Fear causes opponents to discard 1 Action or Treasure card, but not if they have fewer than 5 cards in hand.
• Renaissance: Villain causes opponents to discard 1 card costing or more, but not if they have fewer than 5 cards in hand.
• Plunder: Maelstrom causes opponents to trash 1 card from their hand, but not if they have fewer than 5 cards in hand.

• Intrigue: Torturer has no limit whatsoever on the number of cards that can be discarded but the victim always has the choice of discarding or not; it allows a player to gain a Curse instead even if Curses have run out.

Attacker's choice

These cards target a specific card (or cards) of the attacker's choice to discard, but do not affect players with fewer than 5 cards in hand:

• Dark Ages: Pillage
• Guilds: Taxman
• Nocturne: Raider
• Allies: Archer

Related

• Haunted Woods, from Adventures, forces a player to top-deck their hand when they buy a card; in most situations this has no effect on their current turn, making the card not very effective as a handsize attack, but it can matter when a player wants to retain cards in hand while buying, such as Night cards from Nocturne.
• Relic and Raid (the latter is not technically an attack) act like delayed handsize attacks; rather than making opponents discard, they prevent them from drawing the next time they try to.
• Haunted Castle, from Empires, has an on-gain effect that works like a handsize attack, but the card is not actually an Attack card.
• Gang of Pickpockets is not an attack but has a very similar effect.

Strategy

Subjecting your opponent to handsize attacks can have a pronounced effect on the game, especially if it is done early or consistently. It is typically not possible to make an opponent discard their entire hand, almost all attack cards have limitations that prevent this.

Handsize attacks can sometimes be defended against by draw-to-X cards that replenish your hand (e.g. Cursed Village or Guide), and by cards that are more likely to achieve their best effects if played in a small hand (Menagerie or Diplomat). Horse Traders is also a useful counter to most handsize attacks, since it increases your handsize after you're attacked. On the other hand, decks built on other cards that reduce their owners' handsize when played, such as Warehouse or Cathedral, are especially vulnerable to these Attacks.

A powerful move involves playing a handsize attack and then Masquerade—forcing the victims to either discard their bad cards to the attack and pass a good card to the Masquerade, or to potentially discard good cards in order to keep a bad card in hand to pass. Another good use case is playing cards that have the drawback of drawing cards for your opponent (like Council Room) then negate the benefit with a handsize attack. Many handsize attacks completely negate effects that increase handsize at the end of your turn such as Expedition.

Gallery

Discard to target handsize

Stackable handsize attacks

Attacker's choice

Removed cards