• Type: Action-Attack
• Cost: 3
• Effect: +$2. Each other player reveals the top card of their deck. You trash it and gain a card of the same cost (you choose) to their discard pile.

Intrigue's flagship pollution attack. +$2 economy plus "transform opponent's deck cards into same-cost cards" — Curse conversion is brutal.

Defining trait: "convert opponents' Coppers into Curses." Same-cost (0) swap turns Coppers into Curses. Double hit on economy + VP.

But "what to give" is your choice from supply piles, only same-cost cards. Estate ($2 → no $2 cards in standard supply, weak), Silver ($3 → many options).

Tier B to A. Supply-dependent. Strong with Curse pile + opponent Coppers/Estates; weak when no $3 cards or alternatives.

Early: $3 buy. First Swindler converts opponent Estates / Coppers to Curses.

Mid: Swindler spam continuously poisons opponent decks. +$2 also pads economy.

End: Convert opponent Silver/Gold. Note: Province ($8) → no same-cost replacement, no good answer.

Same-cost replacement options:

1. Copper ($0): → Curse ($0). Pollution.
2. Estate ($2): → no standard $2 cards. Effectively rare.
3. Silver ($3): → Great Hall / Villages / Council Room. Economy hit.
4. $4 cards: → Ironworks / Bridge / etc.
5. Important $5 cards: → Duchy ($5). Force Duchy on them (often bad for them).
6. Gold ($6): → Harem / Nobles / KC.

Curse conversion happens at cost 0.

Swindler + Witch: Witch curses, Swindler converts Coppers to Curses. Total deck collapse.

Swindler + Torturer: Torturer chain + Swindler pollution.

Swindler + Minion: Minion reset + Swindler deck-pollution.

Swindler + Chapel: Self side trashes Curses; opponent side receives Curses. Asymmetric.

Swindler + Festival: Action + buy + economy padding.

Swindler + Mining Village: Action + attack support.

• Witch: Curse pairing.
• Torturer: Multi-vector attack.
• Minion: Reset + pollute.
• Chapel: Self-curse-trashing.
• Festival: Economy support.
• Mining Village: Action.
• Masquerade: Thin + pass.
• King's Court: Triples.
• Throne Room: Doubles.
• BM (as +$2 padding).

• Moat: Reaction blocks.
• Lighthouse (Seaside): Persistent.
• Sparse same-cost piles: Conversion limited.
• Empty Curse pile: No Copper → Curse.
• Trash-heavy enemy: Chapel cleanses Curses.
• Swindler mirrors: Mutual pollution war.

"Copper → Curse" is the killer: Cost-0 swap is reliable. Double-hit economy + VP.

$3 conversion strategy: Silver → Great Hall (VP cantrip — actually helps them sometimes). Be aware. Village conversions = neutral.

$5 conversion: On Duke boards, convert opponent's Witch/Torturer to Duchy. They lose card, but Duchy adds 3 VP — read carefully.

Multiple Swindlers: 1 = stable, 2nd+ = chain pollution. 3+ rare.

Curse pile management: Swindler depends on Curse supply. After empty, conversion options shrink.

KC + Swindler: 1 KC plays Swindler 3x = +$6 / 3 conversions. Massive 1-turn deck makeover.

3-pile-out: Curse pile + others. Skip Province path.

"Destroy opponent's deck" philosophy: Swindler's identity is wrecking opponents, not own economy. +$2 is a side effect.