Innate Deck

Introduction

Innate deck works best with a Silent, though the other two can see some benefits of a strong innate hand.  It just requires them to leverage the two colorless cards to make it effective.

The core of an innate deck is to get 10 innate cards together.  An innate card doesn't give you an extra draw, so if you only draw 5 cards, it replaces one of those cards.  If you have more than 5 cards, then each innate card ends up in your hand until you hit the 10 card cap.

If you have more than 10 innate cards, then they roll over into your next draw.

Notes

A quick note on Bottled Relics (see below).  Each of these ADD a specified card to your starting hand each combat.  Note, however, that they add cards in AFTER your draw occurs, so if you have 10+ innate cards, they might not make it into your hand.

Strategies

• This is an attackers deck, so you want to do as much damage with your opening hand as possible.  
• Zero cost innate cards are king with this style of play.  Dramatic Entrance does 6/8 HP damage to ALL enemies and its boosted by STR.  If you have an STR boost on turn one or can take a potion, you can blast all enemies for solid damage.  Especially if you have several of these.
• Another high damage winner is Mind blast, especially if you have a good sized deck.  Mind Blast cost 2/1, so having 1 or 2 of these in your innate draw is powerful.  Two of them with a deck of 25 or more can take out most single met foes and three can take out most elites alone.  If you have the Necronomicon relic, the non upgraded version of Mind Blast will be played twice.
• Silent
• After Image combined with Backstab, Dramatic Entrance and Mind Blast make for a killer combination.  You get to do a ton of damage right off the cuff and get Block for it.
• As a power starter, having multiple Infinite Blades provides you a strong second turn, especially if you also have Shiv upgrades or the Wristblade relic to bump their damage.
• Defect
• The innate cards for the Defect are setup for cold, so filling and cycling through a bunch of Frost is easily possible.
• If you add in Storm, especially multiples of the card, you can cycle through a couple of powers rapidly to load up on Lightning.  If you have the mummified hand relic, it will make a random card cost (0) this turn for each power, allowing you to effectively play an entire hand rapidly.  

Colorless Cards

• Dramatic Entrance -- Zero cost card that does 6/8 to ALL enemies.
• Mind Blast -- Costs 2/1 but does damage equal to your deck to one enemy.

IronClad

• Brutality (after upgrade)  -- zero cost card that at the start of your turn, lose 1 HP and draw 1 card.

Silent

• After Image (after upgrade) -- This puts a ton of block in your hand and is useful.
• Backstab -- Does 11/14 HP damage.
• Infinite Blades (after upgrade) -- Puts a shiv in your hand each turn.

Defect

• Chill (after upgrade) -- Zero cost card that will channel 1 Frost for every enemy in combat.  Exhausts.
• Storm (after upgrade) -- Whenever you play a power, channel 1 Lightning.

Relic Synergy

• Bottled Flame -- This adds a selected (at time of receiving the relic) Attack into your hand.
• Bottled Lighting -- This adds a selected (at time of receiving the relic) Skill into your hand.
• Bottled Storm --This adds a selected (at time of receiving the relic) Power into your hand.
• Enchiridion -- This relic gets a shout out because it adds a random Power into your hand at the start of combat, similar to innate cards.
• Nilry's Codex -- This relic gets a shout out because it lets you select from three cards at teh end of your turn to add to your draw pile.

Endless Potions

Introduction

Pretty simple: a process to endlessly create potions.  This works best with the Silent, though the Ironclad can make this process work as well if you can put your hands on an Alchemize card.  Defect requires two cards not of their color to make it work.

Requirements

• Alchemize [Silent].  This card costs 1/0 and provides you with a potion.

Silent Card

• Nightmare [Silent].  This card puts three copies of a card in your hand next turn.

IronClad Card

• Dual Wield [IronClad].  This adds 1/2 versions of the card into your hand that turn.

Relic Synergy

• Runic Pyramid makes it so you don't discard your hand each turn.  Useful to keep the Alchemize card in your hand before you duplicate it.
• Potion Belt gives you five (5) slots for potions.
• Prismatic Shard lets you get cards of different colors in rewards.  Useful for trying to pick up the right combination of cards to make this work.
• Toy Ornithopter lets you heal 5 HP when you drink a potion.

General Strategy

Use Nightmare or Dual Wield on the Alchemize card.  Both of these cards are skills and repeatable.  Keep at least one copy of Alchemize in your hand to duplicate as you move through your deck and gain access to it again.

Artifact Strategy

• If you have an artifact on and take a potion that provides a temporary buff and a debuff to remove it, the artifact nullifies the debuff.
• You can leverage STR and DEX buffs this way and also drink a Snecko potion and gain benefit from healing (with Toy Ornithopter) without the confusion.

Notes

• Make sure you have room for a new potion.  Nothing is worse than finally getting this combo to work and then realizing that you screwed up and didn't drink a potion to clear a spot first.
• This can help if you have the Coffee Dripper that prevents you from resting at campsites to heal but have the Toy Ornithopter.  You can use a bunch of potions to heal your way back towards full health.

Endless Block Silent Style (no relic requirement)

Introduction

I've been throwing out a lot of strategies that require one or more relics, especially when it comes to block.  Let's talk about an approach that builds block for a Silent without relying on any relics.  Not that they won't help, I'm just not going to address Relics.  This will be a pure draw deck to build block instead.

The core to making this deck work is making proper selections to fill your deck.  And, having the fortitude to pass on a card that doesn't fit.  Key performance only happens when you pass on shit cards that are going to come up and no other options exist.

The Cards

Blur

This card is one of the prime, if not completely the prime card you need to select.  If it comes up, take it as a reward option.  

Why?

Blur lets you keep block from one turn to the next.  It also stacks.  That means you can play two, three or more blur cards and keep your block for that many turns.  That helps when you have a shit turn where you don't get block or a handful of dazed cards.

Using blur makes all your defensive cards more powerful.  Done properly, you can make your Block grow faster than your foe can do damage.

Its upgrade is provides more block, but should be balanced against other cards that have higher priority in upgrade order.

Footwork

A key card and must to power up your deck.  Footwork provides 2/3 Dex and if you can grab multiples of it, do so.  Having a high Dex means every card that provides Block become that much more powerful.

I prefer to have at least  2 or 3 of these in my deck if possible.  If not, it becomes a target for the Nightmare card to make multiples of it.

Upgrade is a must.

Adrenaline

The card has no downsides and it is almost a must like Blur.  It provides a bonus energy and a two card draw and then exhausts.

Not really recommended to upgrade this card.

Escape Plan

A solid favorite, right up there with Adrenaline.  It has no downsides, since it costs zero (0), provide a new card in its place and gives Block if you draw a skill.  It works strongly with After Image, helping to stack in Block.  

After Image

You might think this should be number one but Blur fits in this category because of its persistence ability.  After Image is one of two key defensive cards to build Block, since it provides bonus block for every card played.

Having more than one of these is encouraged, since gaining 2, 3, or more Block per card play can carry you when you get shit draws or bad hands.

The upgrade of this card makes it innate.  Given you want to play this card early, having it innate can be very useful.  It depends on your current innate setup.  Having more than a couple can throw off your beginning hand.

Backflip

Gives you block and provides a draw for more cards.  Like all the bonus or draw cards, you will want to play this early, since the extra cards can change your strategy on the fly.

This one is okay to upgrade and should be upgraded ahead of normal defense cards.

Dodge and Roll

When combined with Blur, this provides Block across two turns, making it a nice addition to your hand.

This card is good to upgrade, providing 6 Block instead of 4 Block when you do so.

Deflect

Deflect is strong card.  It costs zero and provides 4/6 Block.  It does wane in usefulness in late gain but stays consistently useful regardless.

Deflect is good to upgrade when you have a chance.  Upgrade this card ahead of normal cards and okay to upgrade selections.

Neutralize

You start with it and it costs zero (0), give it great synergy with After Image and the added benefit of reducing your opponent's attack capability.

Cloak and Dagger

Who can say no to getting Block and a Shiv to do damage?  No downsides with this card play and it works well with a companion zero-cost card hand.

If you use a zero-cost card hand, then upgrade this card pronto to gain the two extra shivs it provides.

Burst

This is a must card when you get the chance, right after Blur.  It allows you to play a skill twice and the next two skills after you upgrade it.  This means you can double up a ton of your Block cards, allowing you to stack Blur rapidly and take advantage of of other Block cards. It also counts for After Image.

Upgrade immediately.

Killing the Enemy

Block is cool but killing the enemy is what lets us progress.

Choose a Poison approach or a mass of zero-cost cards to put out damage combined with key draw cards.  Poison obviously works well with turtling up with Block and has less of a strain on your hand.

Panache

Given your will consistently play most or all of your hand, Panache can shine really nicely to add in extra damage when you hit that magical number of 5.

Caltrops

If you Block a lot and slice slowly at your foe, then Caltrops are the way to go.  Hitting them back for 3 HP damage (or more) when they hit you is very satisfying.

Upgrade these to take advantage of the upgrade to 5HP damage back.

Choke

I like Choke no matter what companion strategy I'm playing.  It does cost 2 energy but if mitigated lets all the cards you play have the added affect of doing even more damage, e..g, 3 HP damage when you play any card.

Upgrade it if you can to make this 5 HP but only after you have upgraded all necessary Block providing cards first.

Grade Finale

If you maintain a small deck size and manage your cards right, you can leverage this card to consistently do 50 HP damage to all enemies if you can have it in hand when your draw pile is at zero.

This works best if you also keep a Well Laid Plains card to keep one card in your hand (Grand Finale).

Not worth upgrading, but do so if you have upgraded everything else.

Quirks with the Art of War relic

Introduction

The Art of War relic can seem tricky to use.  In most cases, you will want to be aggressive and attack foes, unless you are running a complete Block only deck.

Relic Synergy

• Letter Opener does 5 HP damage to all foes every 3 skills played in a turn.
• Mummified Hand makes a random card in your hand cost zero (0) that turn when you play a power card.  Incredibly useful when playing a long hand.
• Dead Branch [Relic] is provides a random card for every card you exhaust.
• Enchiridion adds a power card into your hand at the start of combat.
• Nilry's Codex lets you choose 1 out of 3 cards to add to your draw pile each turn.  Good for those times that you go beyond one turn.
• Toolbox puts a random colorless card into your hand at the start of combat.

Quirks

• Only Attack cards invalidate the bonus energy.  This means damage from other cards due to actions, such as exhaust, discard, etc., don't invalid the energy you will gain.
• If you end a turn with 1 Energy, it looks like a bug is present in the relic, since it will give you your normal energy + 1 +1.  For a default 3 Energy, that means you end up with 5 Energy versus four (4).

Useful Defect Cards

• All for One - pulls all zero cost cards from the discard pile into your hand
• Creative AI - adds a random power card into your hand
• Heatsinks - draw a bonus card when you play a power
• Machine Learning -- draw a bonus card each turn
• Overclock - draw two bonus cards
• Skim - draw three cards
• White Noise - add a random power into your hand

Useful Colorless Cards

• Chrysalis - add three random skills to draw pile
• Flash of Steel - draw one card
• Jack of All Trades - add a random 1/2 color  cards to your hand each turn
• Magnetism - add a random colorless card into your hand
• Master of Strategy - Draw 3 cards
• Thinking Ahead - Draw two cards, keep one and put one back on the draw pile
• Transmutation - Add X random colorless cards into your hand that cost zero

Useful Silent Cards

• Adrenaline.  Gain +1/2 energy.  Draw 2 cards
• Acrobatics; draw 3 cards, discard 1 cards.
• Backflip -- Draw two cards
• Choke - Does damage and when you play a card, that target takes 3 HP damage.
• Escape Plan.  Draw 1 card
• Expertise.  To refill the hand back to six cards
• Nightmare - Adds three copies into your hand the next turn
• Prepared.  Zero cost and draw 1 card, discard 1 card
• Well Laid Plans -- let's you retain cards (1/2)

Wristblade and Bullet Time

Introduction

Just like it says, combining these two together creates a powerhouse move that you might not appreciate until you do it the first time.

Wristblade is a relic that adds +3 HP damage to any zero-cost (0) card.  Bullet time is a card that makes all cards in your hand cost zero (0).  See the beauty here?

This works pretty much only with the Silent, but creates an ass whooping combination that can let you take out opponents and Bosses in one turn if you do it properly.

Obviously you want to do this with a full hand, e.g, 9 cards plus Bullet Time.  The important thing to remember is to use any of your drawing cards first, since Bullet Time will prevent card draws from your deck, but it won't stop cards you add into your hand!

Requirements

• Wristblade relic, obviously.  Already explained above.
• Bullet Time card.  Costs 3/2 energy and makes everything in your hand cost zero but you can't draw any more cards.

Card Synergy

• A Thousand Cuts does 1/2 HP damage for every card played.
• After Image provides 1 Block for each card played.
• Blade Dance card adds 2/3 Shivs into your hand.
• Burst card will play the next skill twice; the next two skills when upgraded.
• Choke card does 12 HP and 3/5 HP damage for every card played afterwards.
• Cloak and Dagger card provides block and 1/2 Shivs into your hand.
• Envenom card inflicts a poison per unblocked attack.
• Finisher card provides an additional coup de grace to this approach.  Play all your attacks in your hand and then polish them off with the Finisher card.
• Malaise card will let you take any left over energy and apply it as a STR debuff as well as apply Weak.
• Transmutation [Colorless] card lets you take advantage of left over energy and place that many cards into your hand that, you guessed it, cost ZERO (0).

Relic Synergy

• Bag of Marbles -- Just so your enemies are vulnerable on the first turn.  Allows you to do more damage right off that bat without playing a card.
• Dead Branch -- adds a new card into your hand for any card exhausted.
• Ice Cream -- Just to carry over any unused energy into the next hand.
• Kunai --Just for the bonus DEX gained after playing three attacks.
• Prismatic Shard -- just to get the full spectrum of cards.  If you can add Anger [IronClad] card into your deck, then this really beings to shine hard as it adds a copy each time played.
• Shuriken -- Just for the bonus strength gained after playing three attacks.
• Warped Tongs -- Just for the random card upgrade when you make a draw that turn.

Silent Deck Strategy II

Introduction

Use zero to low cost cards to make a run on attack cards and then end with the Finisher card, which does 6/8 HP damage for every attack you have done.  With bonus strength, it does even more for each attack card you played.

Requirements

• Zero cost heavy deck, especially with shivs, backstab and other high damage, no cost cards.
• Finisher card provides the coup de grace of this approach.  Playing a number of zero-cost cards, especially attacks, racks up the amount of damage the Finisher card does when it goes off.  Just remember to keep at least one energy to launch it.

Relic Synergy

• Prismatic Shard -- just to get the full spectrum of cards.  If you can add Anger [IronClad] card into your deck, then this really beings to shine hard as it adds a copy each time played.
• Bag of Marbles -- Just so your enemies are vulnerable on the first turn.  Allows you to do more damage right off that bat without playing a card.
• Mummified Hand -- this shriveled beauty can be leveraged to make other cards cost zero after you play a power.
• Shuriken -- Just for the bonus strength gained after playing three attacks.
• Warped Tongs -- Just for the random card upgrade when you make a draw that turn.

Strategy Synergy

Only going to cover items that are in addition to a basic zero-cost hand strategy.

• Poison hand.  This approach goes very well with a poison heavy deck that applies poison per attack.
• Exhaust deck.  Exhaust deck really shines when combined with a zero-cost deck cum finisher approach.
• Innate deck.  The core of an innate deck is having a full hand of zero-cost or tactically overwhelming cards in the first draw.  With a hand max of 10, you want to fill this amount and have cards in that draw that will let you draw more, especially attacks in this regard.  If one of those happens to be the Burst card, then you can duplicate skills, especially those that give you more attacks to stack up the Finisher finale.
• Zero-cost deck with Choke.  This deck hand pairs extremely well with Finisher, since it adds even more damage into the mix even when you play non-attack cards.
• Discard deck.  Discard decks focus on discarding cards to do damage and the light requirements of his combination pair decently, especially if you are leveraging a large number of Sneaky Strike, Heel Hook, and similar cards to gain back energy.
• Strength deck.  Pairs extremely well with a deck that focuses on high Strength gain to do enormous damage.

Silent Deck Strategy I

Introduction

The heart of this strategy is to build a deck with numerous Innate, zero-energy or 1-energy exhaustible cards.  Combined with the Dead Branch relic, each card you exhaust will be replaced with a random new one from your color deck, giving you a renewing supply of cards to play.

Its possible to play an extended hand in this manner, running a dozen, two dozen or even more cards with the right balance of play.

A core to this to focus on putting cards in your deck that are innate exhaustible and those that introduce exhaustible cards, like Cloak and Dagger, which provide block and 1/2 Shivs.  Same for Blade Dance which provides 2/3 Shivs as well.

Storm of Steel can be leveraged very effectively, even with a low 3-energy turn.  It costs two, but if zero-cost exhaustible cards are ran first, it can allow you to convert the rest of the cards you have in your hand to exhaustible Shivs to cycle through again.  Use this after you have ran out of all other possible combinations of introducing cards or adding effects.  Equally, if you have a lot of energy to burn, you can use this to replace your hand with a random but possibly usable amount of cards.

Requirements

• Dead Branch [Relic] is provides a random card for every card you exhaust.
• Zero-cost INNATE cards, as many as possible.  Backstab is the best card to have, since its innate, costs zero, and does 11/14 HP damage.

Relic Synergy

• Bag of Preparation lets you draw two additional cards at the start of combat.
• Kunai provides +1 Dex every 3 attacks played in one turn.
• Letter Opener does 5 HP damage to all foes every 3 skills played in a turn.
• Mummified Hand makes a random card in your hand cost zero (0) that turn when you play a power card.  Incredibly useful when playing a long hand.
• Ninja Scroll provides you with three (3) Shivs at the start of Combat.
• Nunchaku provides you with a bonus energy for every 10 attacks.  Your chance to chain attacks is incredibly high, especially if you are leveraging a zero-cost deck or shiv deck.
• Ornamental Fan provides 4 Block every 3 attacks you play in a turn.
• Pen Nib lets you do double damage every 10 attacks.
• Runic Pyramid lets you keep your hand at the end of the turn.
• Shuriken provides +1 Strength every 3 attacks you play in a turn.

Card Synergy

• A Thousand Cuts provides an endless source of damage as you play cards, as it hits foes for 1/2 HP damage with each card played.  Zero cost cards means damage per card.
• Adrenaline is a zero cost card that allows you to draw cards and gain energy, while also exhausting.  Perfect for this kind of deck.
• After Image card does what A Thousand Cuts does but for Block, providing an endless stream of useful block to go along with card creation (and hopefully good damage).
• Backstab card is the absolute best for this kind of strategy.
• Blade Dance provides 2/3 Shivs.
• Bullet Time card reduces the cost of all the cards in your hand to zero, but keeps you from drawing more cards.  It does not stop exhausted cards being replaced by a random that the Dead Branch provides.  This means you can play all your cards that provides draws, use bullet time and then exhaust cards and get replacements -- though they won't be at zero cost.
• Choke card can really shine here.  It not only does 12 HP damage but 3/5 follow up damage for each card played.  If you are running zero-cost cards or pulling shivs into your hand (same principle), then Choke can rack up an enormous amount of damage.
• Cloak and Dagger card provides Block and 1/2 Shivs depending on its upgrade status.
• Die Die Die card costs 1 energy but hits all enemies before exhausting.  A good damage producer that will prompt the Dead Branch to provide a replacement card after it does damage.
• Dramatic Entrance [Colorless] is innate, zero cost, exhausts and hits all enemies.
• Envenom card costs 2 energy but is a favorite since it provides 1 poison for every unblocked damage you do.
• Exhume [ IronClad] card lets you place a card from your Exhaust pile into your hand.  It then exhausts.
• Echo Form [Defect] card makes the first card you play be played twice.  This can be useful if you make that first card an exhaustible once to prompt the Dead Branch to provide two random cards.
• Panache [Colorless] does damage after 5 cards are played, making it a great play for a long term strategy that this supports.
• Sadistic Nature [Colorless] does HP damage every time you put a Debuff on the enemy, also making it a good play for this deck.
• Shiv cards are your best friends for this.  Not only do they do damage, but that damage can easily be cranked up with the application of Strength or power cards that boost Shiv damage.  Equally, they exhaust, providing a stream of new cards via the Dead Branch.
• Storm of Steel card costs 2 energy but discards your entire hand (important if you have effects that proc on Discard) and replaces it with Shivs (or upgraded ones if upgraded).  That allows you to continue to exhaust and replace cards.

Add-on Strategies

• Adding more cards into your hand.
• Use Nightmare card, which will let you add three (3) copies of the card to your hand the next round you use it.  Its a skill and is not exhausted on use, so you can use Nightmware again to repeat the effect.
• Use Dual Wield [Iron Clad] card, which will add a copy (or two if upgraded) into your hand that turn.  Its a skill and is not exhausted on use, so you can use Dual Wield again to repeat the effect.
• Other cards that provide benefits for Exhaust.
• A variety of Ironclad cards provide benefits for exhausting cards.  If you have access to them, then including them makes this approach that much more powerful.  Having the Prismatic Shard or the "Note to Yourself Event" is probably the two easiest ways to get cards of other colors.
• Colorless cards that exhaust, like Bandage or Ritual Dagger.

Doable Achievements

• Play 10 Shivs in one turn.  
• Play 25 cards in one turn.
• Kill a Boss on Turn 1

A Tale of the Spire — Journey I (Part Two)

Life was not kind.

It was a lesson I had forgotten.

In the mangled mess of ruins that made the bottom of the tower, I realized something.  It came to me after defeating some strange beast mostly made of teeth and muscle under thick skin.  My blade broke on its teeth but I managed to thrust the broken remnants of it into the soft tissue of its mouth.  It hit whatever this thing had for a brain, or so I surmised, as it stopped moving.

We both fell together into an inglorious lump.  My arm was beyond saving; ripped and barely intact, gushing blood like a fountain.

Time was not on my side.  I gritted my teeth and used my dagger to hack the bits of sinew and tendon that held it in place.  I nearly fainted from the pain.

Realizing time was not on my side, I managed to rip a portion of shirt and create a tourniquet with my teeth and remaining hand.  The world tilted and buzzed, swayed and crashed.

The world looked weird sideways and the disgusting scent of the refuse strewn floor and mixed blood of the creature and my own was offensive to my nose.  It made me want to protest but the words failed to come and instead the world faded away, remaining ghostlike in the background.

I vaguely heard the scrape of claws...or maybe boots?...couldn't tell but felt a hard and sudden blow that sent the world away.

*****

Climb failed.

*****

Capping Enemy damage to 1 HP regardless of source

Introduction

The Apparitions event gives you the only opportunity to gain a colorless card called Apparition.  The Event provides you with 5 cards but only at the cost of 50% of your max HP.

These cards provide you with 1 intangible, which reduces all damage to 1 HP that turn.  Very useful but also a bit frustrating to use.  Losing half of your HP makes you very vulnerable to attacks when you are not intangible.  The cards also exhaust, meaning they are removed from your deck hand for that combat.

Relic Synergy

• Strange Spoon becomes helpful here, as it allows you to discard a card that otherwise might be exhausted (removed from your deck for the combat).
• Dolly's Mirror lets you duplicate a copy of a card in your deck on pickup.  Purchased as the merchant, so you can buy this (if possible) after the event to gain another apparition card.

Card Synergy

• Secret Technique card lets you pull a Skill from your draw pile and put it in your hand.  The upgraded version of this colorless card does not exhaust, so it can be used multiple times.  The card lets you pull an Apparition card from your draw pile in case you didn't have one in your hand.
• Exhume [ IronClad] card lets you place a card from your Exhaust pile into your hand.  It then exhausts.
• Echo Form [Defect] card makes the first card you play be played twice.  Since Intangible is a buff that stacks, doing so effectively gives you two intangible for the price of one card each round you play it as the first card.  This alone can lengthen the duration you can extend the 1 HP damage cap from any source.

Strategies

• Adding more cards into your hand.
• Use Nightmare [Silent] card, which will let you add three (3) copies of the card to your hand the next round you use it.  Its a skill and is not exhausted on use, so you can use Nightmware again to repeat the effect.
• Use Dual Wield [Iron Clad] card, which will add a copy (or two if upgraded) into your hand that turn.  Its a skill and is not exhausted on use, so you can use Dual Wield again to repeat the effect.
• Employ them with an all out attack deck.  This kind of deck focuses purely on attack, so you can dump, replace or remove defense cards and focus only on attacks.  The apparition cards let you drop any HP damage to 1 HP, including from effects.  The limit is you only have 5 cards (unless you make more), so turns have to be carefully counted and monitored.  

Corpse Explosion

It might seem obvious to some but Corpse Explosion stacks, so when you apply it more than once, that creature will do its max HP x2, x3, x4, etc., to the amount you throw down cards.

Relic Synergy

• The Specimen relic is very powerful when used with Corpse Explosion, since it transfers any poison to another creature when it dies.  That means anything that didn't die from the explosion inherits the stacked poison.
• Snecko Skull provides a bonus +1 poison to any poison effect, making Corpse Explosion that much stronger.
• Twisted Funnel applies 4 Poison to all enemies at the start of combat.  Combined with Corpse Explosion, it gives you a head start on killing the off.
• Gremlin Horn provides a bonus Energy and 1 card draw.

Strategies

• When fighting multiple opponents, especially those with minions, inflict Corpse Explosion on the minions.  When they die, they inflict their max HP on the minion leader.  If you have The Specimen, then they inherit the stacked poison as well.  If its an elite or Boss that summons multiple minions, you can repeat this on the minions, who are usually weaker and easier to kill, while transferring heavy damage to the Boss or minion leader.

Keeping temporary effects for a combat

This works with some potion and card boost effects only.

Tested On

• Steroid Potion that provides a temporary +5 STR
• Speed Potion that provides a temporary +5 DEX
• Flex Card that provides a temporary 2/4 STR
• Wraith Forms debuff can be negated by an artifact.
• Biased Cognition debuff can be negated by an artifact.

Action Sequence

• Take a potion or use a card with a temporary bonus.
• Make sure you have an artifact equipped by the end of the turn;
• Alternatively, make sure you use the Orange Pellets relic to remove the debuff.

Notes

• Requires you to have an artifact active on your character before the turn ends, negating the debuff that would remove the effect.

Card Synergy

• Core Surge [Defect].  Does damage and provides an artifact.
• Panacea [Colorless].  Provides 1/2 Artifact

Relic Synergy

• Mutagenic Strength relic provides a +3 STR bonus for the first round of combat.  It can also be exploited the same way to keep the STR for the full combat.
• Orange Pellets can remove any debuff on your after you play a power, skill and attack card combination.  Its one of the simplest ways to manage keeping temp bonuses.

Cyclic Healing by Potion

Requires the following two relics to be successful:

• Use a potion, heal 5 HP.  
• Combine with White Elephant to get a potion with each combat.  
• Use Alchemize to create additional potions in combat.  

Notes

• Repeatable and easy way to stay at max HP or recover HP during long fights or Boss battles.
• One is from a Boss, best acquired by ACT I if possible.
• The other is only purchasable via the merchant, so find him fast.

Event Synergy

• The Lab event.  Provides three potions to fill your potion belt.
• Note to yourself event.  Can be used to pass an Alchemize+ card to future runs.
• Woman in Blue.  You must have 50 gold for this to happen.  Can purchase 1/2/3 random potions.
• Neow will offer three potions as a starting bonus.

Relic Synergy

• Potion Belt by providing two additional slots to carry potions.
• Prismatic Shard to gain access to Silent cards if you are not playing the silent.
• Cauldron will brew 5 potions on pickup for you to use.

Card Synergy

• Dual Wielding will allow you to make a 1/2 copy(-ies_ of a card.
• Nightmare will let you select a card and put three copies of it in your hand.
• Burst will play the Alchemize card twice.  Upgraded version will affect two skills, letting you play two of them back to back to gather up four potions.l

Innate Card designation

Innate is a special designation that puts a card in your hand for the first turn of combat (opening hand).  Its in addition to your normal hand size, versus replacing a card in it; that is, unless you have more innate cards than normal ones in your deck.   Then, you will get a hand of all innate cards.

Notes

• Think of it as your draw + innate cards + additional cards.

Card Synergy

• Cards that add a card into your hand at turn start, put their cards into your hand first.  They are in addition to your normal hand + innate.  This normally isn't an issue, since you rarely start with that situation except from relics.

Relic Synergy

• All the Bottled relics allow you to put a power, skill or attack in your starting hand.  These are in addition to innate cards, your normal draw hand and bonus cards.
• Hovering Kite (Silent only) can be useful when your hand is overflowing with innate cards, since it allows you to discard two of them to make replacements.
• Ring of the Serpent (Silent only) provides an additional card.

Endless Damaging Hand of Doom (Discard Deck)

Like it says.  This is a damaging, discard deck.

Requires the following relics and cards to setup.

Absolutely a requirement to do the damage from discarding.

Let's you start the turn by discarding your hand and then redrawing that many.  Depending on your hand size, that can be 15 to 45 points of damage immediately.

The most crucial card.  The upgraded version of this card does not Exhaust, making it repeatable.  You will need at least two, preferably three upgraded ones if possible.

How it works

• Use the Gambling Chip to discard everything your don't need.  You'll need to keep Calculated Gamble, for example, and other cards that will either provide more cards (keep the hand cap in mind) or provide energy or benefits.
• Play whatever you want from your hand.  I like to play Skewer (deal 7/10 HP X times) and zero cost cards before employing calculated gamble to discard.  Select those cards that give you advantage and then discard the rest.
• Capitalize on your energy and keep discarding.
• You can use this strategy with a small to medium sized deck to decimate a Boss in one turn.

Notes

• You can gain access to multiples of Calculated Gamble by normal acquisition or use the Nightmare card to create three copies of it the next turn.
• If you have access to IronClad cards, you can use the Dual Wield card to create one/two copies of it in your hand the same turn.
• If you can't get an upgraded version of it, use the Exhume card to pull it back out of the Exhaust pile.  Or, if you have the Strange Spoon relic, you will only exhaust cards half the time and discard instead (doing another 3 points of damage).

Critical Silent Cards

• Concentrate.    Allows you to discard three cards and gain two (2) energy.
• Endless Agony.  Whenever you draw the card, it adds a copy.  This allows you to discard more cards or play them to increase damage.
• Reflex.  When discarded, allows you to draw two more cards.
• Sneaky Strike.  Provides three (3) energy when discarded.
• Storm of Steel.  Discard your whole hand and replace it with Shivs.
• Tactician.  Provides one (1) energy if discarded.

Helpful Silent Cards

• Adrenaline.  Gain +1/2 energy.  Draw 2 cards
• Acrobatics; draw 3 cards, discard 1 cards.
• All out Attack - discard one card at random
• Backflip -- Draw two cards
• Choke - Does damage and when you play a card, that target takes 3 HP damage.
• Dagger throw - gain 1 card, discard 1 card
• Escape Plan.  Draw 1 card
• Expertise.  To refill the hand back to six cards
• Heal Hook -  Do damage, gain energy and card
• Infinite blades - Add a bonus shiv each turn
• Nightmare - Adds three copies into your hand the next turn
• Predator.  Two cards the next turn
• Prepared.  Zero cost and draw 1 card, discard 1 card
• Survivor.  Discard 1 card
• Unload - damage and discard all non-attack cards in hand
• Well Laid Plans -- let's you retain cards (1/2)

Useful IronClad Cards

• Anger -- duplicates to discard pile
• Dual Wield -- duplicates a card 1/2 times
• Evolve -- any status card lets you draw +1 card

Useful Defect Cards

• All for One - pulls all zero cost cards from the discard pile into your hand
• Creative AI - adds a random power card into your hand
• Heatsinks - draw a bonus card when you play a power
• Machine Learning -- draw a bonus card each turn
• Overclock - draw two bonus cards
• Skim - draw three cards
• White Noise - add a random power into your hand

Useful Colorless Cards

• Chrysalis - add three random skills to draw pile
• Flash of Steel - draw one card
• Impatience - draw two cards if no attacks
• Jack of All Trades - add a random 1/2 color  cards to your hand each turn
• Magnetism - add a random colorless card into your hand
• Master of Strategy - Draw 3 cards
• Metamorphosis - add three random attacks to draw pile
• Thinking Ahead - Draw two cards, keep one and put one back on the draw pile
• Transmutation - Add X random colorless cards into your hand that cost zero
• Violence - Put 3 random attacks fro the draw pile into your hand

Relic Synergy

• Bag of Preparation lets you start combat with two additional cards.
• Dead Branch adds a random card to your when a card is exhausted.  Useful for those card you exhaust versus discard.
• Enchiridion adds a power card into your hand at the start of combat.
• Nilry's Codex lets you choose 1 out of 3 cards to add to your draw pile each turn.  Good for those times that you go beyond one turn.
• Ninja Scroll lets you start a combat with 3 shivs.  
• Toolbox puts a random colorless card into your hand at the start of combat.

Capitalizing on Question Mark Rooms

Notes

To fully take advantage of ? rooms, shoot for the following relics:

These provide the best chances to gain events and treasure, while avoiding bullshit encounters that waste the room.

Hand of Greed

Hand of Greed is perhaps my favorite.  It shows 20 HP damage below, though as a note its upgraded version does 25 HP and provides 25 Gold.

Any non-minion target is viable.  The Hand of Greed is repeatable, unlike the Feed card.

Notes

• Repeatable. 

Event Synergy

• Arena event.  This event allows you to fight and potentially consume x5 non-minion creatures.

Monster Synergy

• Best used in multi-monster encounters, where you can take advantage of consuming more than one per encounter.
• Any monster group of three (3) - Several of these exist from slimes to cultists, byrds, etc. 
• Darklings.  Also in a group of three.  Note, however, it doesn't look like you can take advantage of their return back to life to consume them multiple times.
• Gremlin Gang.  Usually four of them.  This can provide 80 to 100 gold in an encounter.
• Slimes.  When slimes divide, they are noted with an (M) next to their name.  These are not valid targets for the Hand of Greed.

A Tale of the Spire — Journey I (Part One)

Waking up was slow.

I didn’t mind it.

When I finally woke, I stood and picked up my sword.

It had rusted, which annoyed me.  I found oil in my bag and cared for it.  Satisfied, I finally paid attention to what was around me.

A pallet, disturbed and blood soaked next to battered armor was all that came to eye in the run down room.  An equally dilapidated door barely closed off the room from whatever lay beyond it.

It seemed somehow appropriate.  

I donned the armor, which fit well.  It was mine, a companion to many battles in the past.

The door was a poor obstacle and I stepped into a wide opening constrained only by other, falling down buildings and a high cavernous ceiling.

I was underground.

Light came from…somewhere.  I didn’t know where and was less curious in finding out.  Only one thing dominated this desolate scene.

A beached whale.

Or, so it looked like, one battered and scarred, barely alive.

I walked up to it.  A giant eye lolled open, the pupil milky white.  It breathed upon me, filling my form with a strange fiery energy.

I poked at my chest, then laid a hand on the breastplate.  I could feel a heat and pulling it up, I could see a flame tattoo emblazoned on my skin.  It was giving off the heat.

It reminded me of my sword, which I picked up.  Swinging it back and forth, I felt it cut the air.  Mimicking battle, I danced a grim dance of cut and evade, strike and shield.

I could fight.

Ignoring the strange whale, I walked away.   One path looked like another.   I chose one at random and walked.

I came to a falling down sign on rusted chains.  It spelled out, “Enchiridion”.  After some thought, I decided the name meant nothing to me and walked past it.

The path was faded and dim, full of ruined buildings in the dim light.  Curiosity had died in me long ago so none of it was interesting.  A mass of trash jiggled.  It made me cautious and I kept an eye on it.

When amorphous blobs crawled out from it, I knew what they were immediately.  

Slimes.

A couple of them.  I stepped forward, eager for the the fight, the fire on my chest burning hot.

The first was easy to slice in half, though I found the attack ineffective as it remorphed back into a shape just as easily as I cut it.

I dodged another as it extended a strand of its body to attach to me.

This move.  It…reminded me of something and I used it to attack and defend at the same time.  If I move…this way…and dodge…that way…yes!  That’s how I did it before!

Intrigued, I slipped away from them, using the sword to attack and defend, setting up the attacks that followed to hit for even more power.

Time and a keen eye found the bit of metal I needed to strike sparks.  The fires lit the trash and a bit of herding consigned the slimes to a fiery death.

The smell was horrible.

It also attracted attention.  Groups of thickly shrouded men wearing large avian skulls poured out of the buildings.  I eluded them by staying to the shadows and hiding my footsteps behind the strange chanting they did as they moved around.

Terrible way to find someone.  Making so much noise…in my ignorance I missed one.  He (it?) jumped out at me from a run down building.  I blocked its attack and slipped the follow up.  It was persistent, however, seeming to gain in strength as it muttered and chanted.  Deciding I like that little and no mind to fight more, I stepped deeply into its guard, clashing with its weapon.  It reminded me of a little secret and I used the clash to cut it with the blade at the same time I stopped its attack.  It seemed no the wiser and I repeated it several times before I slipped the blade into its throat.

Feeling the hidden gaze of more of them, I dived into an alley and through a smashed doorway into a rotting building.  It contained an idol made of wood, swollen from moisture and splitting.  Sneering, I kicked a random chunk of debris and hit it.  It must have set off some old trap or maybe just bad luck.  The ceiling collapsed and I barely made it out without being crushed.  Just not without taking a big splinter in the leg.  I cursed the idol as I pulled it out and limped away.

....

Louse

Louse

Louses

Louses are a common battle in act one, even appearing as the very first battle on occasion. As seen above, there are two types: Green and Red. The types have absolutely no difference between them except appearance. The Louses aren't heavy hitters, so they can mostly be blocked with simple defense cards. Louses usually come in groups of two or three, rather than coming alone.

Red Louse

Green Louse.

Louses have a trait special to them, Curl, as seen in these two photos. The trait gives them armor as soon as they're hit. It does not come into effect when harmed by The Defect's lightning orbs. Curl gives armor depending on the number, as seen in these two photos. On the left, the Red louse has a four, so it will get four armor. On the other hand, the Green Louse has six, do it will get six armor, and so on. The amount never goes above ten, or below three.

Strategies:

- (The Defect) The card Electrodynamics is perfect for battles such as these, and can speed up the Louses' defeat.

- (The Defect) Dark orbs are good for battling louses after a round or two. They have such low health that they can easily be subdued with a hit from a dark orb

- (The Ironclad) As I've mentioned before, the Ironclad has a great many cards that deal heavy damage, and can subdue Louses quickly.

Feel No Pain

Whenever a card is exhausted, gain 3 block.  You can read more about the card here on Fandom.

Notes

• Not affected by dexterity or frail.

Card Synergy

• Awesome with shivs and other weapons that get exhausted.  Same for cards that exhaust but provide other (exhaustible) cards as well.
• If combined with Dual Wield, it can be used to constantly create 1 (2 with upgrade) of exhaustible weapons to create an endless supply.
• If combined with Infinite Blades card, provides a new shiv every turn.
• If combined with Second Wind, can exhaust all non-attack cards in hand and provide 5 block per card in addition to the 3 Block from Feel No Pain.

Relic Synergy

• Ninja scroll lets you start a combat with 3 shivs.  
• Dead Branch adds a random card to your when a card is exhausted.
• Charon's Ashes will do 3 HP damage to all enemies when a card is exhausted.
• Medical Kit will let you Exhaust a status card.

Monster Synergy

• When fighting the Elite Monster Sentry, the "daze" cards they put in your deck will exhaust, adding block to your total.
• When fighting the Chosen or enemies that place a "hex" on you to add "daze" into your deck, it will add block to your total.

Lagavulin

Lagavulins

This is a difficult fight from Act 1, since the Lagavulin is an epic monster. It is a lone wolf, coming into every battle alone.  It starts every battle asleep, only waking when its health is damaged.

After it's woken,  it will start its turn stunned, otherwise it will wake up naturally if it isn't damaged.

It will consistently attack with 18 damage for almost every turn. However it will debuff the player with negative dexterity, which lowers the amount defense is gained from cards. In the right picture, you can see that it also has the trait Plated Armor, which gives them 8 armor at each turn. A balanced deck is crucial to defend the character from its powerful attacks.

An Awake Lagavulin

An Asleep Lagavulin

 Strategies:

-  (The Ironclad) The cards in The Ironclad's deck cause large amounts of damage, which are amazing for the start of any battle against the Lagavulin. The best way to kill it would be to deal over 16 points of damage in the same turn, so that the Plated Armor trait is neutralized.

- (The Defect) Ice orbs are incredibly useful in fights against the Lagavulins, since they don't rely on dexterity to provide defense. A large amount of these is sufficient to defend against attacks without using defense cards. Any number above six ice orbs will defend the character completely.

-

Du-Vu Doll

Notes

• Temporary curses gained during combat COUNT towards this bonus.

Strategies

The Du-Vu Doll lets you gain bonus strength for each curse, levering high strength to do enormous damage as your accumulate curses.  Its the next important relic to try and put in your portfolio to make the cursed deck work.  When you gain it is less important that HAVING it with curses in your deck to leverage.

Darkstone Periapt

Notes

• Temporary curses gained during combat do not count.

Strategies

• The Darkstone Periapt provides bonus HP for each curse.  However, you want it as early as possible, since its bonus HP only accumulate for curses you gather after you have it.  That restriction is one of the reason why its pushed down farther on the "good to own" list.

Cursed Key

Notes

• Curses are completely random when given.

Strategies

• This relic is hard to get early but if you can acquire it in Act 1 or at the beginning, it provides a path to get curses easy for each non-Boss chest.  If you have this relic, shoot for every question mark (?) on the path to try and get the non-boss chests.

Omamori

Strategies

Pretty straightforward.  Useful to counter curses, either from events or by relic pickup.

Calling Bell

The Calling Bell is nice because it provides a number of curses and relics to boost your deck's power.

Strategies

• Best used with a Cursed Deck, as it obviously boosts the number of curses and provides a bunch of relics to boot.
• Take this as boss loot when you don't mind the curse cards.  If matched with an Omamori, it can remove two of the three curses that will come with it.

Blue Candle

Notes

• Having it provides an avenue to play curses and get them out of your active hand.
• Removing a curse only costs 1 HP but doesn't require energy.

Card Synergy

Employing the Blue Candle lets you create synergies with cards that provide an effect from either exhaustion or from taking damage.  For example, a card that provides +3 block when you take HP damage from a card.  Or, a card that provides an effect that does damage to foes when you exhaust cards.

Strategies

Use it to handle curses.  If used in a full on Cursed Deck, it can become very powerful.

Byrds

Byrds

 

Byrds are a rather difficult battle from act 2, since they never come alone. They enter battle in groups of three, or just one with a chosen. Their key trait, called Flight, causes them to take only half damage from attacks. However, This trait can be erased if the Byrd takes damage three times in the same turn. If they do, the Byrd will fall to the ground and be stunned for the next turn. The Byrd will pick itself up again as soon as it can, buffing itself with the flight buff again.


Byrds, like most non-epic creatures, attack simply. Each Byrd in a fight will usually do 5 points in damage, which can increase to 10 if it is allowed to put the strength effect on itself. They don't do much aside from this.

Strategies:

- (The Defect) The power card Electrolysis is powerful, especially when paired with the cards Storm and Tempest. If all three orb slots are full while Electrolysis is activated, the Byrd's trait is neutralized before it take its turn.

- (Any) The Ninja Scroll adds three Shiv cards to your hand, which are zero-cost attack cards. If all used against the same Byrd, the Flight trait is neutralized.

Running a Curse Deck

Concept

The thought process here is to collect curse cards and leverage the right relics to make having them in your deck an empowering versus debilitating effect.

To do this well, you will want to focus on getting the following Relics to make this deck sing.

The Blue Candle is the number one relic you want to leverage to make this deck not kill you to employ.  Having it provides an avenue to play the curses and get them out of your active hand.

The Du-Vu Doll lets you gain bonus strength for each curse, levering high strength to do enormous damage as your accumulate curses.  Its the next important relic to try and put in your portfolio to make the cursed deck work.

This relic is hard to get early but if you can acquire it in Act 1 or at the beginning, it provides a path to get curses easy for each non-Boss chest.  If you have this relic, shoot for every question mark (?) on the path to try and get the non-boss chests.

The Darkstone Periapt provides bonus HP for each curse.  However, you want it as early as possible, since its bonus HP only accumulate for curses you gather after you have it.  That restriction is one of the reason why its pushed down farther on the "good to own" list.

The Calling Bell is nice because it provides a number of curses and relics to boost your deck's power.

Strategies

• Employing the Blue Candle lets you create synergies with cards that provide an effect from either exhaustion or from taking damage.  For example, a card that provides +3 block when you take HP damage from a card.  Or, a card that provides an effect that does damage to foes when you exhaust cards.
• Foes that add an Injury card (in contrast to a Wound card) to your deck provide a curse that you can take advantage of in this manner.
• Darkstone Periapt & Du Vu Doll provide a path to get bonus strength and max HP for each curse.  This makes you hit harder and survive longer.
• Pick up the Necronomicon, if the event is possible, since it will provide an automatic curse with it.