Develop

Basic Info

• Type: Action
• Cost: 3
• Effect: Trash a card from your hand. Gain a card costing exactly $1 more and one costing exactly $1 less, both onto your deck in either order.

Rating

Hinterlands' unusual trash + gain card. Trash one card; gain a +$1 and -$1 cost card, both topdecked. Both available next turn.

Highly supply-dependent: trash $3 → gain $4 + $2; trash $5 → gain $6 + $4. Strong if both cost-adjacent piles are useful.

Community consensus: variable based on supply, generally moderate. Tier B+.

How to Play

Open buy at $3. Early: trash Estate for Copper + $3.

Mid: trash Silver for Copper + $4 (Minion, Remodel, JoaT).

Late: trash $5 for $4 + $6 key cards.

When to Pick / Skip

Strong when:

1. $4 → $5 (Witch, Minion) + $3 (Silver).
2. $5 → $6 (Border Village, Golem) + $4 (Minion, Remodel).
3. Estate ($2) trash → $1 (Copper) + $3 (Silver, Crossroads).

Skip when adjacent costs are weak.

Key Combos

Develop + Estate: Estate ($2) → Copper + $3 card.

Develop + Silver: Silver ($3) → Copper + $4.

Develop + Witch ($5) → Border Village ($6) + Minion ($4): Two power cards.

Develop + Throne Room: Doubled trash + gain.

Synergies

• Border Village ($6): Common Develop target.
• Witch ($5): Trash for $6 + $4.
• Minion ($5): Develop pivot.
• Remodel ($4): Stacked trash + gain.
• Throne Room: Doubling.
• Spice Merchant ($4): Trash support.

Counters & Bad Matchups

• Weak adjacent-cost piles: Develop produces dud cards.
• Trash-poor decks: No targets.
• Pure draw engines: Develop disrupts flow.

Advanced Tips

Trash chain: Estate → Copper + $3 → trash $3 with Develop → $2 + $4 power.

Gain order: Choose topdeck order. Put next-turn key card on top.

Trash priority: Estate, Copper, unwanted terminal.

KC + Develop: 2 trashes + 4 gains. Deck overhaul.

Cap: 1-2 copies. 3+ runs out of targets.