Broker

Basic Info

Type: Action
Cost: 4
Effect: Trash a card from hand. Choose one per [1] it cost: +1 Card / +1 Action / +1 Coin / +1 Favor.

Rating

One of Allies' most versatile cards. Cost 4: trash + cost-scaled choice of resource. Extremely flexible.

Conversion efficiency is the kicker. Trash Gold (cost 6) → +6 Coins or +6 Favors. Trash Estate (cost 2) → +2 Favors for Ally fuel. Picks the right resource for any situation.

Useful through every phase: early Copper/Estate trashing, mid-game Silver-to-Gold conversion, late Gold-trash for huge Favor → Province burst.

Overall A-tier. Bumps to near-S with strong Ally pile.

How to Play

Strong open-4 candidate. Competes with Chapel — pick Broker if Favor matters.

Mid-game: trash Silvers / cost-5 actions for big resource bursts.

End-game: trash Gold → +6 Favors → Ally → Province.

Key Combos

Broker + Chapel: Chapel trashes Coppers/Estates, Broker trashes Silvers/Golds for Favor. Two-stage thinning.

Broker + Throne Room: TR + Broker = 2 trashes, each yields cost-scaled choice.

Broker + Guildmaster: trash + gain trigger = double favor.

Broker + Gold/Platinum: high-cost trash for massive resource burst.

Broker + Underling/Bauble: Liaison + trash combo amplifies Favor income.

Synergies

High-cost Treasures (Gold/Platinum): trash for huge resources.
Trash synergies (Altar, Remodel, Modify): trash efficiency overlaps.
All Liaisons: stack Favor.
Throne Room: doubled choice.

Counters & Bad Matchups

Trash-empty decks: trashing strong cards wastes them.
Fast BM: game ends before payoff.
Terminal collisions: requires Villages.

Advanced Tips

Trash-target choice is the core skill:

Estate (cost 2) → +2 Favor (Ally invest)
Copper (cost 0) → trash-only effect
Silver (cost 3) → +3 Coin (break-even) or +3 Favor
Gold (cost 6) → +6 Coin (Province) or +6 Favor (Ally burst)

Mid-game Silver-trash temporarily drops economy — careful timing.

2-3 copies plenty. Excess wastes when trash targets dry up.

"+1 Action" choice substitutes a Village in pinch.