Stop-Moving rule

Counterfeit playing a Spoils puts that card into play, but once Spoils moves itself away from play, to return to its pile, Counterfeit cannot move it.

The Stop-Moving rule is a rule covering when an effect is allowed to move a card. It supersedes the Lose Track rule and was introduced as part of the Dominion 2019 Errata and Rules Tweaks.

As with the rule version prior to this renamed one, it only pertains to card movement. Other effects related to a card that has been moved elsewhere first by another effect still happen, as long as they are not contingent on the movement that was prevented. However, due to another ruling posted thereto, an effect that won't happen is playing a card, i.e. when you're told to by a card, such as with Vassal or Sailor (the exception being Throne-like cards' replay ability), and the targeted card has been lost track of.

Official rules

• An effect can move a card if it specifies where the card is coming from, or if the effect put the card where it is now.
• If a card isn't where the effect would expect it to be, or has moved away from there and then back, it can't move the card.
  • Played cards expect to be in play; they can't move themselves if they aren't.
  • Gained cards are expected to be where they were gained to, even if this isn't the discard pile.

While resolving Replacing an Estate into a Skulk, the gained Skulk in the discard pile, due to its effect, covers itself up with a Gold. With the changed rule, Replace will then still succeed in moving the Action card onto your deck.

• Cards in discard piles can be moved even if covered up by other cards; cards on top of a deck can't be moved once covered up.

Other rules clarifications

• When you need to get a specific card from your discard pile, if it's on top, you take it without looking through your discard pile. If it's not on top, you can look through your discard pile to get the card. When you get to choose a card from your discard pile, you can look through it even if you know you will choose the top card.

List of cards that move cards

These cards have abilities that move themselves or other cards. It is not comprehensive; for example, cards that move other cards from their piles, from your hand, and from mats are not included. Cards in italics have been removed. Cards with an asterisk (*) can only move themselves.

Cards that move cards out of play

When played during an Action or Buy phase

• Counterfeit
• Procession
• Royal Galley
• Student*
• Way of the Turtle*
• Most One-shots*

When playing another card

• Corsair
• Landing Party*

When gained or when buying an Event

• Bonfire
• Mandarin
• Mint

When a supply pile empties

• Search*

At the start of a turn

• Conjurer*
• Highwayman*
• Jewels*

At end of Buy phase

• Hermit* (post 2022 errata)
• Treasury* (post 2022 errata)

When played during Night phase

• Changeling*
• Crypt
• Monastery

When discarded from play

Cards are normally discarded as part of Clean-up, but there are a few exceptions (for example Highwayman) where it could happen mid-turn.

• Alchemist* (pre 2022 errata)
• Herbalist (pre 2022 errata)
• Herbalist (post 2022 errata)
• Hermit* (pre 2022 errata)
• Horn
• Merchant Camp*
• Panic
• Prince (pre 2022 errata)
• Reckless*
• Scheme (post 2016 errata)
• Tent*
• Tireless*
• Treasury* (pre 2022 errata)
• Way of the Frog*
• All Travellers*

At start of Clean-up

• Alchemist* (post 2022 errata)
• Improve
• Patient
• Scheme (pre 2016 errata)
• Walled Village*

Cards that move discarded cards

• Faithful Hound*
• Trail*
• Vassal
• Village Green*
• Warrior
• Weaver*

Cards that move gained cards

Some cards gain a card directly to somewhere other than the discard pile. See the No Visiting rule. However, some cards move a gained card after it's been gained; these cards can invoke the Stop Moving rule, and are listed here.

Cards that move trashed cards

• Fortress*
• Lich*
• Noble Brigand
• Possession
• Thief
• Trail

List of cards that prevent cards from moving

These cards stop other cards from moving, so they may not be where an effect would expect it to be.

• Band of Misfits (post 2019 errata)
• Captain
• Inheritance (post 2019 errata)
• Necromancer
• Overlord
• Prince (post 2022 errata)
• Riverboat
• Way of the Mouse

Trivia

Even though the rule got renamed, the only actual change from the 2019 errata is that you can still move a card that was covered up in a discard pile.

Looking back at the changes today, the one thing I feel like, why did I do that, is renaming "lose track" to "stop moving." The people who know "lose track" by name don't get anything out of this, and when we talk about "where a card expects to be," saying "it loses track" is still natural, even though everybody knows where the card is.

—Donald X. Vaccarino, Dominion 2019 Errata and Rules Tweaks