Hermit

Basic Info

• Type: Action
• Cost: 3
• Effect: From your discard or hand, trash a non-Treasure / Gain a card costing up to 3 / If you bought no cards this turn, trash this and gain a Madman.

Rating

A cost-3 hyper-efficient card combining trash + gain + transform-into-Madman. Chapel-level trashing (also from discard pile, uniquely strong vs junk attacks) plus a 3-cost gain (Silver, Village, Forager, Moat). Bonus: skip your buy and morph into Madman.

The biggest hidden strength is the Madman option. Madman is a one-shot powerhouse (+2 Cards / discard hand, draw equal). On a thinned deck, that's effectively +10 Cards in one play. The "no-buy" trigger demands strategic planning of skip turns.

Even just as a base-game-style trasher with discard-pile reach, Hermit is excellent. Counters Cultist/Pillage/Marauder by trashing junk before it pollutes your hand.

A-tier (S- on boards where Madman planning is feasible). Strong opening pickup whenever present.

How to Play

In the opening, Hermit is a top contender for the 3-coin slot on 4/3 or 3/4. Compete with Chapel — when both available, often buy both since Hermit's gain effect adds value Chapel lacks.

Mid-game: Hermit every turn. Trash Estates/Coppers, gain Silvers/Villages/Foragers/3-cost cantrips. Discard-pile reach lets you trash Ruins/Curses received from attackers immediately.

End-game: Plan a "buy nothing" turn to morph Hermit into Madman. Right before mass Province buying, skip a buy → gain Madman → next turn use Madman for huge draw burst → Province rush.

Madman Tactics

Madman: +2 Cards, discard hand, +1 Card per card discarded. On a 7+-card hand, that's massive draw.

Trigger: Clean-up with no card purchased. +Buys present? Still must buy zero.

Timing:

1. End-game when thinned and big draw needed.
2. Mid-game stacking — multiple Hermits → multiple Madmen for endgame.
3. Pile-out approach: skip buy → Madman → next turn empty Provinces.

Key Combos

Hermit + Fortress: Gain Fortress at cost 3 — engine base set.

Hermit + Chapel: Two-stage trasher. Chapel for bulk-trash; Hermit for ongoing junk + gains.

Hermit + Witch/Cultist: Trash junk attack-piles directly from discard.

Hermit + Madman: Planned morph for end-game burst.

Hermit + Grand Market: Hermit for Silvers + thinning, Grand Market for buys.

Synergies

• Fortress / Catacombs: Gain village pieces.
• Chapel: Two-stage thinning.
• Witch / Cultist / Marauder: Trash attack residue.
• Procession: Play Hermit twice = double trash + double gain.
• Madman: Self-built draw bomb.
• Forager: Cost-3 gain with on-trash +Coin synergy.

Counters & Bad Matchups

• Empty trash targets: Estates/Coppers gone → trash whiffs.
• Heavy terminal boards: Hermit terminal, collisions likely.
• 4+-cost rush boards: Hermit's gain capped at 3.
• Multi-buy boards: Madman's "no buy" trigger harder to set up.
• Bishop-type point-trash: Hermit's trash is self-only, not opponent-pressure.

Advanced Tips

What you gain matters most. Silver early, Villages mid, Forager (recursive +Coin) when present.

Madman cost: skipping a buy costs a turn's economy. Calculate whether end-game burst exceeds skipped Province turn.

Discard-pile trash is the hidden gem. Combine with +cards (Catacombs, Hunting Grounds) to maximize visible junk to trash.

Multi-Hermit Madman: stack 5 Hermits, skip buy → 5 Madmen. But each Madman is one-shot, so don't overdo.